Writers

Dan Harmon was born on January 3, 1973 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. He is best known as the creator, writing, and producer for Community (2009) and Rick and Morty (2013). He also is known for writing and producing earlier works such as Computerman (2003), and Laser Fart (2004). He was previously married to Erin McGathy.

Tony Danza is an American actor, perhaps best known for starring on some of television's most beloved and long-running series, including "Taxi" (1978-1983) and "Who's the Boss?" (1984-1992).

Danza was born in Brooklyn, New York to Anne (Cammisa), a bookkeeper, and Matty Iadanza, a garbageman. His mother was an Italian immigrant, and his father was also of Italian descent. He grew up in Malverne, Long Island and received a wrestling scholarship to the University of Dubuque in Iowa, where he earned a bachelor's degree in history education. Before finding a teaching job, he earned his living as a professional boxer and envisioned himself as the next Rocky Graziano. Changing his name to "Dangerous" Tony Danza, he entered the New York Golden Gloves in 1975. Shortly afterward, on Aug. 13, 1976, he started his professional boxing career. Fighting as a middleweight, Danza became a crowd favorite for his walk-in slugging style. He compiled a record of 9-3 with nine knockout victories, seven in the first round.

During a gym workout, Tony was discovered for the part of Tony Banta on the ABC TV show Taxi (1978). Danza still hoped to be a world champion and scored knockouts in 1978 and 1979, but when he was unable to secure a title shot, he retired from boxing and totally dedicated himself to his acting career. "Taxi" was critically acclaimed, earning him a place in television history and making him a household name. He followed "Taxi" with a starring role in the classic ABC comedy series Who's the Boss? (1984), which ran for eight seasons and broke all syndication records. He became known for his lovable sitcom persona.

Danza received an Emmy nomination for a guest-starring role in The Practice (1997) and acclaim for his performance in the Broadway revival of "The Iceman Cometh" by Eugene O'Neill. He also starred in the comedy series Hudson Street (1995) and The Tony Danza Show (1997), for which he was executive producer. His additional television credits include an acclaimed performance opposite George C. Scott and Jack Lemmon in the remake of the film classic 12 Angry Men (1997), and the television movies The Garbage Picking Field Goal Kicking Philadelphia Phenomenon (1998), Noah (1998), The Girl Gets Moe (1997), North Shore Fish (1997), and Deadly Whispers (1995).

Among his motion-picture credits are Angels in the Outfield (1994), She's Out of Control (1989), A Brooklyn State of Mind (1998), Glam (1997), and Illtown (1996). He also wrote, directed, and starred in the short film Mamamia (1995).

Eventually Tony explored his love for the stage, and among his many stage credits is his exciting run on Broadway in Mel Brooks' hit musical "The Producers", playing Max Bialystock (2006-2007), and his reprise of the role in the Las Vegas production at Paris Las Vegas (2007).

For his theatrical debut in "Wrong Turn at Lungfish" (1993), he earned an Outer Critic's Circle Award nomination. Other stage credits include the critically acclaimed "The Iceman Cometh", opposite Kevin Spacey, Arthur Miller's Tony Award-winning play "A View from the Bridge", and "I Remember You". Most recently, Tony returned to the stage in the pre-Broadway run of the much-buzzed-about and highly-acclaimed smash hit musical "Honeymoon In Vegas", which he starred in at the Paper Mill Playhouse along with Tony Award nominee Rob McClure ("Chaplin"), and Brynn O'Malley ("Annie"). With music and lyrics by Tony Award winner, Jason Robert Brown ("Parade", "The Last Five Years"), the musical is written by Andrew Bergman ("Fletch", "The Freshman", "Blazing Saddles", "Soap Dish", "The In-Laws") and based on his hit Castle Rock/New Line comedy of the same title. Both the show and Tony's performance received amazing reviews, including a love letter from The New York Times that compares Tony's performance to "the cooler-than-cool spirit" of Frank Sinatra.

He garnered accolades performing in his song-and-dance stage show, which debuted in Atlantic City in 1995. He later took it on the road to major venues throughout the country, from Las Vegas to New York.

In 2013, Tony returned to the big screen and received great buzz and fantastic reviews for his performance as Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character's father in Gordon-Levitt's much-buzzed-about and acclaimed directorial debut, "Don Jon". The film, which stars Gordon-Levitt, Danza, Julianne Moore, Brie Larson, and Scarlett Johansson, was released in theaters in the fall of 2013.

In 2009-2010, Tony took on his most challenging role yet: teaching tenth-grade English at Philadelphia's Northeast High School. His experience working as a real teacher was taped and aired on A&E last year in the form of the critically-acclaimed seven-part documentary series, Teach.

In September 2012, Crown Publishers (a division of Random House) released Tony's book, "I'd Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had: My Year as a Rookie Teacher at Northeast High", a much-buzzed-about and critically acclaimed reflection of his experience teaching for a year. The book premiered on the New York Times Best Sellers list at number 16 and stayed on the list for two months. The paperback edition hit bookstores in September of 2013. In 2010, AARP The Magazine, the definitive voice for 50+ Americans and the world's largest-circulation magazine with more than 35 million readers, presented Tony with their Inspire Award. The Inspire Awards pay tribute to extraordinary people who inspire others to action through their innovative thinking, passion and perseverance. In December of 2012, Tony was among the iconic celebrities who participated in the Weinstein Company's historic concert for Hurricane Sandy Relief at Madison Square Garden. He was featured in the documentary about the concert, released by the Weinstein Company in the fall of 2013, in which Tony reminds people of the forgotten motto of America, "E pluribus unum", or "out of many one", or as Tony's father would say "we're all in this together, pal".

With great belief in the spirit of that motto, Tony participates in many charity efforts. In April 2013, USAToday honored Tony at their annual National Make A Difference Day Awards for his commitment to helping others through his numerous charity efforts.

Danza is married to Tracy Robinson and has three children.

Terry Gilliam was born near Medicine Lake, Minnesota. When he was 12 his family moved to Los Angeles where he became a fan of MAD magazine. In his early twenties he was often stopped by the police who suspected him of being a drug addict and Gilliam had to explain that he worked in advertising. In the political turmoil in the 60's, Gilliam feared he would become a terrorist and decided to leave the USA. He moved to England and landed a job on the children's television show Do Not Adjust Your Set (1967) as an animator. There he met meet his future collaborators in Monty Python: Terry Jones, Eric Idle and Michael Palin. In 2006 he renounced his American citizenship.

Sasheer Zamata is a comedian, actress and writer. She was a cast member on Saturday Night Live, and has appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and This American Life. She serves as ACLU's Celebrity Ambassador for Women's Rights. She hosts a live variety show called Sasheer Zamata Party Time, and you can watch her standup special Pizza Mind on Amazon Prime and Starz, and listen to it on iTunes and Spotify.

She's been listed in Time Out New York's Top 10 Funniest Women in NYC, Brooklyn Magazine's 50 Funniest People in Brooklyn, and Complex Magazine's Women in Comedy You Should Be Paying Attention to Right Now.

She co-created and co-starred in the webseries Pursuit of Sexiness, which was named one of the Top 10 Web Series of 2013 by Variety, and part of Glamour's 7 Web Series We Can't Stop Watching in 2015.

She's performed at Clusterfest, Just for Laughs (Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver), Bonnaroo, SXSW, Moontower Comedy Festival, Outside Lands, SF Sketchfest, Vodafone Festival, Bridgetown Comedy Festival, New York Comedy Festival, Brooklyn Comedy Festival, Limestone Comedy Festival, Woodstock Comedy Festival, North Carolina Comedy Arts Festival, Great American Comedy Festival, and Women in Comedy Festival.

Born August 29, in Middletown Township, New Jersey, US, Nicole Byer is an American comedian, actress, and television host, best known for hosting the bake-off competition show Nailed It! (2018). She moved to New York City in the early 2000s and worked as a waitress to support herself. She found she was bad at the job, but that people found her to be funny, which led her to the decision to study improv. She eventually graduated the American Musical and Dramatic Academy Certificate Program in Professional Performance. She first came to recognition and popularity in the early 2010s by appearing on MTV shows, and in 2016 the network produced Byer's own show *Loosely Exactly Nicole (2016). Since 2018 she's been hosting Nailed It and since 2021 she's been hosting a reboot of Wipeout (2021), along John Cena and Camille Kostek. She also hosts a number of podcasts, including Why Won't You Date Me? (2017) and Newcomers: Marvel, with Nicole Byer and Lauren Lapkus (2020). She lives in Los Angeles.

Comedian, actor, writer, and producer Lil Rel Howery is a movie star. His role as TSA agent Rod Williams in the Oscar-winning instant classic Get Out (2017), written and directed by Jordan Peele ushered Howery into superstar status. His keen ability to mesh humor and honor resonated so deeply with audiences that Howery became not only the breakout star but a cultural champion. Winner of the Best Comedic Performance in a Movie at the MTV Movie & Television Awards, nominated for IMAGE Award for Best Supporting Actor and crowned Bernie Mac Comedy King of the Year, Howery is experiencing success at a rate bestowed upon few in Hollywood's history. As Howery ascends, he also had the lead role in the film Uncle Drew, and guest stars alongside Issa Rae in the fearlessly funny HBO smash comedy series Insecure as Quentin.

From the impressionable age of eleven, Milton "Lil Rel" Howery set out to make the world laugh. With influential comedians like Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence, and Louie Anderson in their prime, Lil Rel spent the early '90s tuned into classic programs like Def Comedy Jam and Raw. While other young adolescents in his West Side Chicago neighborhood were doing typical juvenile things, he was studying and mastering the art of comedy. Now a well-respected comedian, actor and writer, Lil Rel has become a comedic staple in Chicago and a star nationally.

As a teen who sought worldwide fame and success, Lil Rel wanted much more than to tell jokes to his family and loved ones. He was immediately drawn to the production and performance aspects of entertaining. At seventeen years old, Lil Rel wrote original comedic scenes for one of the most critical audiences he'd face: his high school peers. After starring in the school play and effortlessly delivering side-cramping laughs, his impact was undeniable. His peers and teachers offered enthusiastic approval that left Lil Rel humbled and reflective.

After finishing high school, Lil Rel set out in search of the comedy spot that would offer him a chance to perform. He found that opportunity at The Lion's Den in Chicago's East Side. Too young to get in, he arrived earlier than most in hopes that the owner would bend the rules. He did. After walking out on to the stage, Lil Rel delivered his routine. An apparent hit, Lil Rel became a weekly regular at The Lion's Den, before continuing on to become one of Chicago's most prominent comedians and hosts at an innumerable amount of comedy clubs and showcases.

As Lil Rel's fan base grew, so did his opportunities. He submitted a performance tape to BET's Comic View casting department and was offered his first paid television spot in 2001. Proving to be a natural comedian with an undeniable stage presence, he was invited to perform again on the following season. With Comic View at its peak of popularity, the exposure launched him to the next phase of his career. By earning the respect of powerful show executives through his hilarious story-telling and knowledgeable off-stage demeanor, Lil Rel became a regularly featured comedian all over television and the nation.

With small appearances like his national film debut in MGM Studio's "Barbershop 2" along with featured roles in urban hits like TV One's "Bill Bellamy's: Who Got Jokes" and HBO's "Diddy's Bad Boys of Comedy," Lil Rel has been a welcome guest in inner-city homes for years. One of Lil Rel's most valuable television appearances was NBC's Last Comic Standing. Though he did not win the show, his memorable characters (including the infamous "neighborhood hoodrat") resonated well with at-home viewers. His crossover appeal landed him a spot on NBC's Diversity Showcase, as well as his hometown's second largest comedy experience, the "Just for Laughs Chicago Festival."

In 2009, Lil Rel began his first business, The Lil Rel Company. Initially launched as the holding company for his stand-up comedy material, The Lil Rel Company now houses the entire Lil Rel brand. Lil Rel continues to perform at comedy clubs, showcases, and colleges around the country. In July of 2010, he appeared on Comedy Central's "Russell Simmons Presents: Stand-up at the El Rey." His new CD, "I Know You Hear Me, But Are You Listening," is available on iTunes.

Lil Rel starred in the critically-acclaimed weekly primetime NBC comedy series The Carmichael Show, appearing alongside fellow cast members Loretta Devine and David Alan Grier as star Jerrod Carmichael's brother "Bobby." Rel also was a executive produced, wrote and starred in the "gleefully absurd" (Chicago Sun Times) weekly sketch comedy show Friends of the People on TruTV. Rel's first hour standup special RELevent premiered two years ago on Comedy Central. The hour was Executive Produced by superstar comedian and actor Kevin Hart and was named one of "The 10 Best Stand-Up Specials of 2015" by Vulture. Once making the leap to Netflix, RELevent rapidly became a must watch on Netflix. There audiences paired the power of his pen with the might of their cultural icon. Howery's comedy was rediscovered by millions, marrying the might of who he is with what he does. RELevent is bonafide and showcases Rel's captivating story-telling style. His uncanny ability to transport audiences into his hilarious world of loveable & outrageously fleshed-out characters makes Howery one of comedy's finest. Lil Rel Howery, is the one to watch. With "Rel" in the works for Fox and four new movies slated to hit theatres in 2018, Howery shows Hollywood how!

British actor and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen was born in Hammersmith, London. He is the son of Daniella (Weiser), a movement instructor, and Gerald Baron Cohen, a clothing store owner. His father, born in England and raised in Wales, was of Eastern European Jewish descent, while his mother was born in Israel, to German Jewish parents. He was educated at a private school, Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School in Hertfordshire, and went on to read History at Christ's College, Cambridge. Baron Cohen had an interest in performing from an early age, forming a breakdancing group as a teenager and acting in amateur plays with a Jewish youth group. While at university he joined the Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club, and took part in such plays as "Cyrano de Bergerac" and "Fiddler on the Roof".

Upon leaving University, Baron Cohen briefly worked as a model, before moving on to work as a host on a satellite TV station. In 1995, Channel 4 put out an open call for new presenters, and Baron Cohen sent in a tape featuring himself in character as an Albania TV reporter (an early prototype for Borat). He was hired and worked on various 'youth TV' projects before, in 1998, appearing in The 11 O'Clock Show (1998) which became a cult hit thanks to his character, Ali G. Ali G proved so popular that a spin-off show Da Ali G Show (2000) and film Ali G Indahouse (2002) where produced.

America soon beckoned with a stateside version of Da Ali G Show. Feature film work followed with Baron Cohen providing the voice of Julien in Madagascar (2005) and appearing as Jean Girard alongside Will Ferrell in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006). He followed this with the smash-hit Borat (2006), for which he won a Golden Globe and was nominated for a writing Oscar. His other film work includes supporting roles in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) and Hugo (2011), and starring in the title roles of Brüno (2009), The Dictator (2012), and The Brothers Grimsby (2016).

John Lynch was born on 26 December 1961 in Corrinshego, Newry, Northern Ireland, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for Black Death (2010), The Secret Garden (1993) and Best (2000). He was previously married to Mary McGuckian.

Sarah Podemski is an award winning Anishinaabe/Ashkenazi multidisciplinary artist from Toronto. She is passionate about recreating the Indigenous narrative that has been misrepresented since the beginning of cinema. She can be seen pulling double duty on television. She stars in the critically acclaimed award-winning series "Reservation Dogs" on FX. Co-created and executive produced by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi, Sarah plays Bear's mother 'Rita,' who is on a journey to discover herself and her role as a mom. In the Syfy comedy "Resident Alien" Sarah portrays 'Kayla,' cousin to 'Asta' (Sara Tomko). Kayla is a Lawyer, and Asta's best friend/support system who is in a period of self-reflection while balancing the responsibilities of motherhood.

Sarah began in the performing arts at the tender age of six years old. She booked her first role in the German TV series "Blue Hawk" at 11 and went on to appear in the iconic series "Goosebumps". Sarah's long career also includes roles in CBS' "Bull," Amazon's "Tin Star" and CBC's "The Coroner." Her feature film work includes winning 'Best Supporting Actress' at the American Indian Film Festival for the TIFF Official Selection "Mekko", written and directed by Sterlin Harjo.

Throughout her career, Sarah has been passionate about raising awareness and elevating Indigenous and Jewish narratives in the entertainment industry. In addition to her on-camera presence, she writes and produces alongside her husband James Gadon. They are in the works on a 6-episode "road trip" documentary series that took place during the pandemic in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Included in the documentary are local business owners, visual artists and Indigenous activists who provided a sense of community while the region navigated many Covid-19 related challenges. The series also includes an episode highlighting the first Residential School in Canada.

Beyond her work in film and television, Sarah runs 'Totem Designs', where she makes handmade dream-catchers with a modern twist. In 2019, she was a featured artist at the One of a Kind Show in Toronto and her products have been included in various markets across North America, as well as the 2019 HGTV holiday gift guide.

Melissa Villaseñor was born on 9 October 1987 in Whittier, California, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Hubie Halloween (2020), Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018) and Toy Story 4 (2019).

Judd Apatow is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and comedian. He directed The 40-Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, This is 40, Funny People, Trainwreck and The King of Staten Island. He also developed the television shows Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared, Girls, Love and Crashing. He is married to Leslie Mann and has two children.

Jameela Alia Jamil was born on February 25, 1986 in Hampstead, London, England. She was discovered at 22 years old when she was teaching English in London, UK. Her first job in media was a main host on T4, the UK's leading youth entertainment show where she made a name for herself interviewing famous actors and musicians. She also became a journalist for Cosmopolitan Magazine and the Huffington Post. After 2 years she became the face of Maybelline and Nails Inc and in 2012, she released her own clothing line after much success in the fashion industry and having shot for both British and American Vogue, Glamour Magazine, Cosmopolitan Magazine and Japanese teen vogue. 2012 also saw her nominated for the PPA and BSME awards for her writing. Later that year she was recruited by BBC Radio 1, to host her own show on their network, which would lead to a promotion in 2013, where she made history as the first woman in its 60 years on air, to host the Official Chart on the esteemed radio station. With much success, including several awards for radio and a growing DJ career she stayed on at the network until 2015, when she left to pursue a writing career in the United States. After signing as a comedy writer at 3ARTS and being taken on by UTA, in spite of never having acted before, she was sent to audition for Michael Schur's latest project on NBC, The Good Place (2016), to star opposite Ted Danson and Kristen Bell. The comedy series will air in the fall of 2016 for 13 episodes.

Radha Blank is a proud Native New Yorker, Performer and Writer for TV, stage and film. Her plays include HappyFlowerNail, Casket Sharp, nannyland and the critically acclaimed SEED which The Huffington Post called "fresh, lively...and poetic". She's a Helen Merrill Playwriting Award recipient, an NEA New Play Development Award recipient (for SEED) and a NYFA Fellow. Radha's TV writing work include The Get Down (Netflix), Empire (FOX) and She's Gotta Have It (Netflix), where she's worked as Producer/Writer for two seasons. She co-wrote the screen adaptation of Walter Dean Myers best-selling novel Monster. Radha was a fellow for both the 2017 Sundance Directors and Screenwriters Labs with her original screenplay The 40-Year-Old Version (FYOV), which won The 2017 Adrienne Shelly Women's Filmmaker Award and The 2018 Maryland Film Festival Producers Club Award. When not writing for the stage or screen, Radha performs as emcee RadhaMUSprime, whose brand of Hip Hop Comedy, has sold out shows from NY to Norway. She is currently writing the feature film script for Malcolm Lee's latest Universal Pictures comedy "Real Talk". This year, Radha will write, direct and star in her first feature film, The 40-Year-Old Version (F.Y.O.V.)

Bradley Whitford's credits in film, television and theater include work with some of the most noted writers, directors and playwrights in the arts, and constitute a career worthy of a Juilliard-trained actor -- which he is. But stardom is something else altogether, and it remained elusive, at least until 1999 and his appearance on NBC's acclaimed political drama, The West Wing (1999).

Bradley Whitford was born in Madison, Wisconsin, to Genevieve Smith Whitford, a poet and writer, and George Van Norman Whitford. He studied theater and English literature at Wesleyan University and earned a master's degree in theater from the prestigious Juilliard Theater Center. Whitford's first professional performance was in the off-Broadway production of "Curse of the Starving Class," with Kathy Bates. He also starred in the Broadway production of "The West Wing" creator Aaron Sorkin's "A Few Good Men." His additional theater credits include "Three Days of Rain" at the Manhattan Theatre Club, "Measure for Measure" at the Lincoln Center, and the title role in "Coriolanus" at the Folger Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C.

Some of Whitford's most memorable performances include roles in such films as The Muse (1999) with Albert Brooks and Bicentennial Man (1999) with Robin Williams. He has also appeared in Scent of a Woman (1992), A Perfect World (1993), Philadelphia (1993), The Client (1994), My Life (1993), Red Corner (1997), Presumed Innocent (1990), and My Fellow Americans (1996). He also had a prominent supporting part in the horror thriller Get Out (2017), as a suspicious suburban father.

Valerie Perez is known for The Adventures of Paula Peril (2014), Paula Peril: Trapped in the Flames (2007) and Paula Peril: The Invisible Evil (2010).

Actress, writer, and producer on both the big and small screen, Abigail Spencer is quickly making a name for herself in Hollywood.

Spencer was seen in Sam Raimi's Oz the Great and Powerful (2013), a prequel take on The Wizard of Oz (1939), alongside James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, and Michelle Williams.

She has starred in the Sundance Channel's first scripted series, Rectify (2013). The series follows "Daniel Holden" (played by Aden Young), who must put his life back together, after serving 19 years on Georgia's Death Row before DNA evidence calls his conviction into question.

Spencer also was on the indie, Kilimanjaro (2013), opposite Brian Geraghty, and reprising her role of "Annie" for the online series, "Burning Love" on YouTube, which got picked up for a second and third season. The series, produced by Red Hour, is a funny parody of a "Bachelor"-esque show. She also reprised her role on the USA hit show, Suits (2011), and was seen in the season of Childrens Hospital (2008) for Adult Swim.

Abigail was the lead in Daniela Amavia's cinematic piece A Beautiful Now (2015), produced by Keith Kjarval/Unified Pictures.

As a screenwriter and producer, Spencer is in development on Wrong Number, with James Franco producing through his "Rabbit Bandini Productions" banner. Spencer will also star in the indie romantic comedy directed by AnnaRose King. Spencer also co-wrote, with Lauren McBrayer Miller, the television series "Teach", which was purchased by ABC Family and deals with the lives of high-school teachers.

Spencer starred, alongside Gerard Butler in Curtis Hanson's, Chasing Mavericks (2012). The film follows surfer "Jay Moriarity", who sets out to ride the Northern California break, known as "Mavericks". She was also seen opposite Jon Hamm on AMC's award-winning and critically-acclaimed original series Mad Men (2007), in the series' third season, as Don Draper's latest love interest, who also happens to be his daughter's school teacher. Other film credits include McG's This Means War (2012) and Jon Favreau's Cowboys & Aliens (2011).

Zerlina Maxwell is known for Zerlina (2021), Flip the Script with Liz Plank (2015) and MSNBC Live with Hallie Jackson (2018).

Trae Crowder is known for Communin' with the Void (2019), Untitled WellRED Project and Veronica Mars (2004).

Jon Avery Abrahams is an American actor. His most notable film roles include Bobby in Scary Movie (2000), Denny Byrnes in Meet the Parents (2000), and Dalton Chapman in the House of Wax (2005). Abrahams was born in New York City. He attended Saint Ann's School in Brooklyn. Abrahams' great-uncles were actor Mack Gray - long time confidant of entertainers George Raft, Dean Martin, and Frank Sinatra - and stuntman and fight coordinator Joe Gray. His father is the artist Martin Abrahams.

Kay Cannon is a screenwriter, actress and producer, best known for Pitch Perfect (2012), Pitch Perfect 2 (2015), and Pitch Perfect 3 (2017). She is also known for her work on NBC's 30 Rock (2006) and the Netflix Original Series Girlboss (2017).

Cannon has won three Writers Guild of America Awards and has been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards.

John Howard Carpenter was born in Carthage, New York, to mother Milton Jean (Carter) and father Howard Ralph Carpenter. His family moved to Bowling Green, Kentucky, where his father, a professor, was head of the music department at Western Kentucky University. He attended Western Kentucky University and then USC film school in Los Angeles. He began making short films in 1962, and won an Academy Award for Best Live-Action Short Subject in 1970, for The Resurrection of Broncho Billy (1970), which he made while at USC. Carpenter formed a band in the mid-1970s called The Coupe de Villes, which included future directors Tommy Lee Wallace and Nick Castle. Since the 1970s, he has had numerous roles in the film industry including writer, actor, composer, producer, and director. After directing Dark Star (1974), he has helmed both classic horror films like Halloween (1978), The Fog (1980), and The Thing (1982), and noted sci-fi tales like Escape from New York (1981) and Starman (1984).

Mary Pat Gleason was born on 23 February 1950 in Lake City, Minnesota, USA. She was an actress and writer, known for Intolerable Cruelty (2003), The Crucible (1996) and A Cinderella Story (2004). She died on 2 June 2020 in Burbank, California, USA.

Christine Taylor is an American actress from Allentown, Pennsylvania. She is known for acting in The Brady Bunch film series and for her collaborations with American filmmaker, actor and comedian Ben Stiller. She acted in Zoolander, DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story, Zoolander 2 and many more. She has two children with husband Ben Stiller.

Actor, director, and writer Sarah Wayne Callies most recently starred in the ABC series "The Company You Keep". On the comedy front, Sarah appeared as Anita Dyck in the breakout comedy series, "Letterkenny." Prior to that, Sarah starred in the NBC series "Council Of Dads." Sarah is best known for nuanced and complex leading roles in hit television series including the USA series "Colony," as Lori Grimes in the AMC mega-hit "The Walking Dead", and on FOX's "Prison Break" as Sara Tancredi. Sarah also starred in the critically acclaimed NatGeo limited series, "The Long Road Home," based on the Martha Raddatz book of the same name.

Sarah led the Sundance TV/CBC limited series, "Unspeakable," where she also kept into directing. Sarah also directed an episode of the final season of "Colony." Since then, Sarah has directed several episodes of "The Good Doctor," the CBS hit "Fire Country," "Family Law," and most recently Netflix's "Firefly Lane."

As a film actress, Sarah appeared in Giancarlo Esposito's "The Show," opposite Josh Duhamel and Famke Jannsen, 20th Century Fox's "The Other Side of the Door," Voltage Pictures' "Pay the Ghost," opposite Nicolas Cage, Warner Brothers' and Broken Road's geo-thriller, "Into the Storm," and "Black November" opposite Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger.

Expanding her passion for storytelling, Sarah is the creator, writer, director, and voice of the science fiction, post-apocalyptic scripted podcast "Aftershock," the second season of which released in April of last year from iHeart radio. Most recently, Sarah launched her podcast "Prison Breaking" which she co-hosts with Paul Adelstein - a rewatch podcast for FOX's, "Prison Break"." As a writer, Sarah has several screenplays in development with various television and motion picture entities.

Sarah is a dual-citizen of the United States and Canada.

Lydia Cornell, a women & children's advocate whose great-great grandmother was Harriet Beecher Stowe, is also an award-winning director, writer, actor, and recovery speaker (with 29 years of sobriety.)

With 20-34 million viewers Tuesday nights on ABC prime time, and more in worldwide syndication, Best Actress nominee for AFI at Method Fest and People's Choice Award winner Cornell is best known for her starring role on the hit ABC series "Too Close for Comfort" as Emmy legend Ted Knight's daughter 'Sara'. More recently seen on HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm, Variety's Power of Comedy, and the Kelsey Grammer Comedy Hour, she has over 200 shows and films in 27 countries to her credit.

She won Best Director Honors at the Los Angeles Movie Awards and for Best Comedy Film at Paramount Studios UIFF (United International Film Festival) for directing the SAG film "It's My Decision."

In 2024, she was named a finalist in the Catalyst Studios "Empowering Women's Script Competition" for her feature-length screenplay 'Venus Conspiracy.'

In 2023, she costarred in a new film 'Something About Mother,' with Lawrence Hilton Jacobs and Jayne Kennedy, directed by Millena Gay and produced by Noreen McClendon.

Cornell wrote and directed the acclaimed stage show "Relationshop;" wrote "Venus Conspiracy" and is set to direct "The Awesome Adventures of Frankie Stargazer."

Cornell received the Southern California Motion Picture Council's Golden Halo Lifetime Achievement Award, and the first Elizabeth Montgomery Humanitarian Award (2018.) One of TV's most popular sex symbols, she is now a writer, director, mother, comedienne, talk show host, women and children's advocate, teen mentor and inspirational public speaker.

Sober since September 11, 1994, she had a "catastrophic spiritual awakening" that changed her life. An addiction and recovery expert, she sponsors and mentors young women who are suffering from addiction and depression.

With an active following on Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and other social media, she also hosts a mental health podcast called "Godshots® all about synchronicity. (Miracle or mere coincidence?)

Her Beats 'n Eats Stitcher award-winning podcast on iTunes started in 2013. Her articles have appeared in People, US, Herald de Paris; A&E Biography, Huffington Post, Editor & Publisher, Macon Daily, and Lone Star Icon.

She is the author of an upcoming book of hilarious Hollywood stories, and a book series based on her US Trademark "Godshots® as well as two upcoming books. She wrote a book on Stalin.

Cornell is creating a new comedy series for 2024 based on her upcoming book. She is also in development on a reboot of "Too Close for Comfort" with the original producers of the show (D.L. Taffner, LTD.) based on a pilot script written by Cornell and her partner Lawrence H. Levy, an Emmy-nominee and WGA award winner. Lydia is a lecturer at the LMU School of Film and Television, teaching Acting and Directing for Screenwriters. She is also an inventor and has a show ready for Discovery Channel.

Fact Check: Lydia Cornell went through a frightening incident with a stalker, a convicted felon who posed as a disabled war hero and JAC-C military attorney. He sued Kelsey Grammer, falsely using Lydia Cornell's name to get publicity. Cornell never sued Kelsey, though this was falsely reported in the tabloids and various news outlets. "Kelsey and I both knew the truth all along. We ran into each other at Soho House and discussed how we had both been duped by this stalker but the tabloids refused to correct the story."

She has been Invited to contribute her writings to the International Museum of Peace, which houses letters from Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Mother Teresa and Maya Angelou.