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1-50 of 463
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Michael Emerson was born on 7 September 1954 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA. He is an actor, known for Saw (2004), Lost (2004) and Person of Interest (2011). He has been married to Carrie Preston since 5 September 1998.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Paul Walter Hauser is an American actor and comedian. He played supporting roles in the films Cruella, I, Tonya, Late Night, BlacKkKlansman, and Da 5 Bloods. In 2019, Hauser had his breakout performance as the title character in the film Richard Jewell, leading the National Board of Review to award him for best Breakthrough Performance. He portrayed Raymond, better known by his nickname "Stingray", in Cobra Kai and was also seen in the TV show Kingdom.- Actor
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Producer
Ronald Joseph Livingston was born on June 5, 1967 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to Linda (Rinas), a Lutheran pastor, and Kurt Livingston, an aerospace engineer. He has three siblings, Nick, John Livingston, also an actor, and Jennifer Livingston, a TV news personality at CBS/WKBT in La Crosse, Wisconsin. He is of German, and smaller amounts of Welsh, Scottish, and English, ancestry.
Livingston graduated from Marion High School, then attended Yale University with Paul Giamatti and Edward Norton. It was at Yale University that he earned his B.A. degree in Theatre Studies and English Literature. He began his acting career while still an undergraduate, getting his stage credits with the Williamstown Theatre Festival and Manhattan Class Company. In 1989, after graduating from Yale, Livingston moved to Chicago, where he acted in a number of stage productions, including shows at the Goodman Theatre and other venues. His film debut was in Dolly Parton's Straight Talk (1992). He accelerated his film career by moving to Los Angeles in 1993, gaining attention as one of the buddies in the popular hit Swingers (1996). His acting credits include the cult hit Office Space (1999), in which he starred opposite Jennifer Aniston, the mini-series Band of Brothers (2001), where he co-starred with Damian Lewis, eight episodes of Sex and the City (1998) (2002-2003), where he starred opposite Sarah Jessica Parker, and the Oscar-winning Adaptation. (2002), among his other works. He was nominated for a Golden Globe in 2002 for his performance in Band of Brothers (2001). He also appears as Sebastian Charles in the episode "TB or not TB" (2005) of Fox's popular series House (2004).
In 2006, Livingston became a new spokesman for Sprint Nextel telecommunications company in their new "Power Up" campaign. He is starring as Matt Flannery, the FBI senior negotiator, in the FOX's popular television series Standoff (2006), since the series opened in September 2006.
Livingston resides in Los Angeles, California. He married actress Rosemarie DeWitt in 2009. The couple have two children.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Douglas Barr was born on 1 May 1949 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA. He is an actor and director, known for Dead Badge (1995), Spaced Invaders (1990) and Secrets of the Mountain (2010). He has been married to Clare Kirkconnell since 9 June 1984. They have one child.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Christopher Ashton Kutcher was born on February 7, 1978 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to Diane (Finnegan), who was employed at Procter & Gamble, and Larry Kutcher, a factory worker. He has a fraternal twin brother, Michael, and a sister, Tausha. He is of Czech (father) and Irish, German, and Czech (mother) descent. He grew up in rural Homestead, Iowa, graduating from Clear Creek-Amana High School in Tiffin, Iowa. In 1997, Kutcher was a biochemical engineering student at the University of Iowa and was discovered by a local talent scout. In 2010, Kutcher was named one of Time Magazine's Top 100 Most Influential People. He created the Demi and Ashton Foundation, to eliminate child sex slavery worldwide. Kutcher is mostly known for playing Michael Kelso in That '70s Show (1998) and is co-founder of Katalyst, a studio for social media.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Elijah Wood is an American actor best known for portraying Frodo Baggins in Peter Jackson's blockbuster Lord of the Rings film trilogy. In addition to reprising the role in The Hobbit series, Wood also played Ryan in the FX television comedy Wilfred (2011) and voiced Beck in the Disney XD animated television series Tron: Uprising (2012).
Elijah Wood possesses a remarkable and enduring career in entertainment, his initial rise to fame as Frodo Baggins in Peter Jackson's iconic 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy merely the opening chapter. With a career beginning in childhood, he has proven both his longevity and his ability to transition from celebrated child actor to adult performer with a diverse range of roles across genres and mediums.
Wood's early filmography demonstrates his youthful promise. Films like 'Paradise' (1991), 'Radio Flyer' (1992), and the psychological thriller 'The Good Son' (1993) established him as a talented presence. Though starring in 'North' (1994) proved a critical misstep, his performance was often singled out as a bright spot. His exploration of more mature roles in 'The Ice Storm' (1997), 'Deep Impact' (1998), and 'The Faculty' (1998) showcased a growing versatility as Wood gracefully navigated the transition to young adult.
The 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy (2001-2003) transformed him into a global star. His heartfelt portrayal of Frodo Baggins, the humble hobbit burdened with the extraordinary task of destroying the One Ring, earned him widespread acclaim. Rather than remaining typecast following this success, Wood actively pursued challenging, offbeat roles that showcased his depth. He delivered a chilling performance as the sociopathic Kevin in 'Sin City' (2005) and lent his voice to both animation ('Happy Feet,' '9') and quirky television projects ('American Dad!,' 'Robot Chicken').
Beyond notable film roles, Wood starred in the FX dramedy 'Wilfred' (2011-2014), with his portrayal of the troubled Ryan Newman earning critical praise. He continued voice work with roles in the 'Tron: Uprising' (2012-2013) animated series and the acclaimed miniseries 'Over the Garden Wall' (2014). Wood's work in more experimental films like 'Grand Piano' (2013) and 'Open Windows' (2014) demonstrates his continued desire to challenge himself with unconventional projects.
Balancing both mainstream and independent cinema, Wood starred as a tormented writer in 'Maniac' (2012) while also reprising his role as Frodo Baggins in 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' (2012). He played the lead role in the BBC America series 'Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency' (2016-2017), where his portrayal of the endearingly eccentric Todd Brotzman brought him further recognition.
An avid music lover, Wood demonstrates his entrepreneurial side as the founder of the record label Simian Records. His interest in the production side of the entertainment industry led to the creation of the production company SpectreVision in 2010. Specializing in horror and genre films, SpectreVision has backed titles like 'Cooties' (2014), 'A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night' (2014), and the acclaimed 'Mandy' (2018).
In recent years, Wood has continued his eclectic filmography with parts in films like 'Come to Daddy' (2019), 'I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore' (2017), and 'Color Out of Space' (2019). He also voiced characters in the video games 'Broken Age' (2014) and '11-11: Memories Retold' (2018). He further expanded his production work with the VR game 'Transference' (2018).
In 2023, Wood appeared in Showtime's acclaimed series 'Yellowjackets,' and the crime thriller 'No Man of God' (2021), where his portrayal of real-life FBI profiler Bill Hagmaier marked another compelling dramatic turn. Projects in development include 'The Toxic Avenger,' a reboot of the cult classic, furthering Wood's penchant for the unusual and offbeat.
Elijah Wood's career underscores his dedication to diverse and challenging projects. He defies categorization, moving effortlessly between blockbuster franchises, independent cinema, voice acting, and production. His passion for storytelling and willingness to take creative risks demonstrate an artist continually evolving. Fans eagerly anticipate his future endeavors, a testament to his enduring talent and ability to captivate across a wide range of genres and mediums. 2007.- Actress
- Soundtrack
One of the brightest, most tragic movie stars of Hollywood's Golden Era, Judy Garland was a much-loved character whose warmth and spirit, along with her rich and exuberant voice, kept theatre-goers entertained with an array of delightful musicals.
She was born Frances Ethel Gumm on 10 June 1922 in Minnesota, the youngest daughter of vaudevillians Ethel Marian (Milne) and Francis Avent "Frank" Gumm. She was of English, along with some Scottish and Irish, descent. Her mother, an ambitious woman gifted in playing various musical instruments, saw the potential in her daughter at the tender age of just 2 years old when Baby Frances repeatedly sang "Jingle Bells" until she was dragged from the stage kicking and screaming during one of their Christmas shows and immediately drafted her into a dance act, entitled "The Gumm Sisters," along with her older sisters Mary Jane Gumm and Virginia Gumm. However, knowing that her youngest daughter would eventually become the biggest star, Ethel soon took Frances out of the act and together they traveled across America where she would perform in nightclubs, cabarets, hotels and theaters solo.
Her family life was not a happy one, largely because of her mother's drive for her to succeed as a performer and also her father's closeted homosexuality. The Gumm family would regularly be forced to leave town owing to her father's illicit affairs with other men, and from time to time they would be reduced to living out of their automobile. However, in September 1935 the Gumms', in particular Ethel's, prayers were answered when Frances was signed by Louis B. Mayer, mogul of leading film studio MGM, after hearing her sing. It was then that her name was changed from Frances Gumm to Judy Garland, after a popular '30s song "Judy" and film critic Robert Garland.
Tragedy soon followed, however, in the form of her father's death of meningitis in November 1935. Having been given no assignments with the exception of singing on radio, Judy faced the threat of losing her job following the arrival of Deanna Durbin. Knowing that they couldn't keep both of the teenage singers, MGM devised a short entitled Every Sunday (1936) which would be the girls' screen test. However, despite being the outright winner and being kept on by MGM, Judy's career did not officially kick off until she sang one of her most famous songs, "You Made Me Love You," at Clark Gable's birthday party in February 1937, during which Louis B. Mayer finally paid attention to the talented songstress.
Prior to this her film debut in Pigskin Parade (1936), in which she played a teenage hillbilly, had left her career hanging in the balance. However, following her rendition of "You Made Me Love You," MGM set to work preparing various musicals with which to keep Judy busy. All this had its toll on the young teenager, and she was given numerous pills by the studio doctors in order to combat her tiredness on set. Another problem was her weight fluctuation, but she was soon given amphetamines in order to give her the desired streamlined figure. This soon produced the downward spiral that resulted in her lifelong drug addiction.
In 1939, Judy shot immediately to stardom with The Wizard of Oz (1939), in which she portrayed Dorothy, an orphaned girl living on a farm in the dry plains of Kansas who gets whisked off into the magical world of Oz on the other end of the rainbow. Her poignant performance and sweet delivery of her signature song, 'Over The Rainbow,' earned Judy a special juvenile Oscar statuette on 29 February 1940 for Best Performance by a Juvenile Actor. Now growing up, Judy began to yearn for meatier adult roles instead of the virginal characters she had been playing since she was 14. She was now taking an interest in men, and after starring in her final juvenile performance in Ziegfeld Girl (1941) alongside glamorous beauties Lana Turner and Hedy Lamarr, Judy got engaged to bandleader David Rose in May 1941, just two months after his divorce from Martha Raye. Despite planning a big wedding, the couple eloped to Las Vegas and married during the early hours of the morning on July 28, 1941 with just her mother Ethel and her stepfather Will Gilmore present. However, their marriage went downhill as, after discovering that she was pregnant in November 1942, David and MGM persuaded her to abort the baby in order to keep her good-girl image up. She did so and, as a result, was haunted for the rest of her life by her 'inhumane actions.' The couple separated in January 1943.
By this time, Judy had starred in her first adult role as a vaudevillian during WWI in For Me and My Gal (1942). Within weeks of separation, Judy was soon having an affair with actor Tyrone Power, who was married to French actress Annabella. Their affair ended in May 1943, which was when her affair with producer Joseph L. Mankiewicz kicked off. He introduced her to psychoanalysis and she soon began to make decisions about her career on her own instead of being influenced by her domineering mother and MGM. Their affair ended in November 1943, and soon afterward Judy reluctantly began filming Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), which proved to be a big success. The director Vincente Minnelli highlighted Judy's beauty for the first time on screen, having made the period musical in color, her first color film since The Wizard of Oz (1939). He showed off her large brandy-brown eyes and her full, thick lips and after filming ended in April 1944, a love affair resulted between director and actress and they were soon living together.
Vincente began to mold Judy and her career, making her more beautiful and more popular with audiences worldwide. He directed her in The Clock (1945), and it was during the filming of this movie that the couple announced their engagement on set on January 9, 1945. Judy's divorce from David Rose had been finalized on June 8, 1944 after almost three years of marriage, and despite her brief fling with Orson Welles, who at the time was married to screen sex goddess Rita Hayworth, on June 15, 1945 Judy made Vincente her second husband, tying the knot with him that afternoon at her mother's home with her boss Louis B. Mayer giving her away and her best friend Betty Asher serving as bridesmaid. They spent three months on honeymoon in New York and afterwards Judy discovered that she was pregnant.
On March 12, 1946 in Los Angeles, California, Judy gave birth to their daughter, Liza Minnelli, via cesarean section. It was a joyous time for the couple, but Judy was out of commission for weeks due to the cesarean and her postnatal depression, so she spent much of her time recuperating in bed. She soon returned to work, but married life was never the same for Vincente and Judy after they filmed The Pirate (1948) together in 1947. Judy's mental health was fast deteriorating and she began hallucinating things and making false accusations toward people, especially her husband, making the filming a nightmare. She also began an affair with aspiring Russian actor Yul Brynner, but after the affair ended, Judy soon regained health and tried to salvage her failing marriage. She then teamed up with dancing legend Fred Astaire for the delightful musical Easter Parade (1948), which resulted in a successful comeback despite having Vincente fired from directing the musical. Afterwards, Judy's health deteriorated and she began the first of several suicide attempts. In May 1949, she was checked into a rehabilitation center, which caused her much distress.
She soon regained strength and was visited frequently by her lover Frank Sinatra, but never saw much of Vincente or Liza. On returning, Judy made In the Good Old Summertime (1949), which was also Liza's film debut, albeit via an uncredited cameo. She had already been suspended by MGM for her lack of cooperation on the set of The Barkleys of Broadway (1949), which also resulted in her getting replaced by Ginger Rogers. After being replaced by Betty Hutton on Annie Get Your Gun (1950), Judy was suspended yet again before making her final film for MGM, entitled Summer Stock (1950). At 28, Judy received her third suspension and was fired by MGM, and her second marriage was soon dissolved.
Having taken up with Sidney Luft, Judy traveled to London to star at the legendary Palladium. She was an instant success and after her divorce from Vincente Minnelli was finalized on March 29, 1951 after almost six years of marriage, Judy traveled with Sid to New York to make an appearance on Broadway. With her newfound fame on stage, Judy was stopped in her tracks in February 1952 when she became pregnant by her new lover, Sid. At the age of 30, she made him her third husband on June 8, 1952; the wedding was held at a friend's ranch in Pasadena. Her relationship with her mother had long since been dissolved by this point, and after the birth of her second daughter, Lorna Luft, on November 21, 1952, she refused to allow her mother to see her granddaughter. Ethel then died in January 1953 of a heart attack, leaving Judy devastated and feeling guilty about not reconciling with her mother before her untimely demise.
After the funeral, Judy signed a film contract with Warner Bros. to star in the musical remake of A Star Is Born (1937), which had starred Janet Gaynor, who had won the first-ever Academy Award for Best Actress in 1929. Filming soon began, resulting in an affair between Judy and her leading man, British star James Mason. She also picked up on her affair with Frank Sinatra, and after filming was complete Judy was yet again lauded as a great film star. She won a Golden Globe for her brilliant and truly outstanding performance as Esther Blodgett, nightclub singer turned movie star, but when it came to the Academy Awards, a distraught Judy lost out on the Best Actress Oscar to Grace Kelly for her portrayal of the wife of an alcoholic star in The Country Girl (1954). Many still argue that Judy should have won the Oscar over Grace Kelly. Continuing her work on stage, Judy gave birth to her beloved son, Joey Luft, on March 29, 1955. She soon began to lose her millions of dollars as a result of her husband's strong gambling addiction, and with hundreds of debts to pay, Judy and Sid began a volatile, on-off relationship resulting in numerous divorce filings.
In 1961, at the age of 39, Judy returned to her ailing film career, this time to star in Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), for which she received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, but this time she lost out to Rita Moreno for her performance in West Side Story (1961). Her battles with alcoholism and drugs led to Judy's making numerous headlines in newspapers, but she soldiered on, forming a close friendship with President John F. Kennedy. In 1963, Judy and Sid finally separated permanently, and on May 19, 1965 their divorce was finalized after almost 13 years of marriage. By this time, Judy, now 41, had made her final performance on film alongside Dirk Bogarde in I Could Go on Singing (1963). She married her fourth husband, Mark Herron, on November 14, 1965 in Las Vegas, but they separated in April 1966 after five months of marriage owing to his homosexuality. It was also that year that she began an affair with young journalist Tom Green. She then settled down in London after their affair ended, and she began dating disk jockey Mickey Deans in December 1968. They became engaged once her divorce from Mark Herron was finalized on January 9, 1969 after three years of marriage. She married Mickey, her fifth and final husband, in a register office in Chelsea, London, England on March 15, 1969.
She continued working on stage, appearing several times with her daughter Liza. It was during a concert in Chelsea, London, England that Judy stumbled into her bathroom late one night and died of an overdose of barbiturates, the drug that had dominated her much of her life, on June 22, 1969 at the age of 47. Her daughter Liza Minnelli paid for her funeral, and her former lover James Mason delivered her touching eulogy. She is still an icon to this day with her famous performances in The Wizard of Oz (1939), Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), Easter Parade (1948), and A Star Is Born (1954).- Actress
- Soundtrack
Terry Farrell was born on November 19, 1963 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. At age 15, she became a foreign exchange student to Mexico, and, from that experience, she decided she would like to live a more adventurous life in the big city. She sent several photos to a modeling agency and then, at age 17, dropped out of high school and became a model in New York. She is most famously known for her role as Jadzia Dax in the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993), but she did have some acting experience before that. In 1992, she had the starring role in the horror movie Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992). She appeared in several television and straight-to-video movies, and also dated actors Michael Dorn and Mickey Rourke while on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993). Afterward, Paramount decided to move her to the sitcom Becker (1998), where she played the character Reggie Kostas, but, after four seasons, she was replaced by Nancy Travis. In September 2002, she married Brian Baker, better known as the cell-phone company Sprint's spokesperson, and retired soon after. They divorced in 2015.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Taylor Daniel Lautner was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Deborah, a software company worker, and Daniel Lautner, a pilot for Midwest Airlines. He and his younger sister Makena were raised in a well-mannered, Roman Catholic household in Hudsonville, Michigan. He is of English, German, Dutch, and Scottish descent. At the age of six, Taylor began studying martial arts at Fabiano's Karate School and he, along with his family, quickly noticed his unique and natural talent for the sport. He was soon invited to train with seven-time world karate champion Michael Chaturantabut (aka Mike Chat) and, at the age of eight, he was asked to represent his country in the 12-years-and-under division in the World Karate Association, where he became the Junior World Forms and Weapons champion, winning three gold medals. In 2003, Taylor continued to flourish in the martial arts circuit where he ranked number one in the world for NASKA's Black Belt Open Forms, Musical Weapons, Traditional Weapons, and Traditional Forms and, at the age of 12, he became the three-time Junior World Champion.
However, in addition to his love for martial arts, Taylor quickly developed a love for acting at the age of seven years old when his martial arts instructor, who was involved in show business, encouraged him to audition for a small appearance in a Burger King commercial. Although he was unsuccessful, he enjoyed the experience so much that he told his parents that he wanted to pursue a career in acting. Soon, he and his family were traveling back and forth from their home in Michigan to California so Taylor could regularly audition for acting roles. When Taylor was 10, with the frequent traveling and air fares starting to become overwhelming, his family made the crucial decision to relocate to Los Angeles, where Taylor would have the advantage of being able to audition for films, television, and commercials full-time.
Once Taylor moved with his family to Los Angeles, he found himself landing more and more small acting roles. He booked many occurring roles on various television shows such as My Wife and Kids (2000), Summerland (2004), and The Bernie Mac Show (2001). Taylor also found himself becoming successful in films as well. In 2005, he landed the role of Sharkboy in the family blockbuster flick, The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D (2005), and the role of Eliot Murtaugh in Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005). However, it would be one single role that would ultimately change Taylor's life forever. In 2008, Taylor auditioned for the iconic role of werewolf hunk Jacob Black in the record-smashing, blockbuster hit Twilight (2008). With the sudden and unexpected success of the film, Taylor, along with fellow cast members Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, found himself being propelled into a world that would forever change his life and his career.
Taylor has continued to portray Jacob Black in the following film adaptations of The Twilight Saga as well as branch out into other roles and films, such as the star-studded romantic comedy Valentine's Day (2010) and the action-packed thriller Abduction (2011). Taylor Lautner has quickly become one of the most famous, talented, and successful young Hollywood actors thanks to the blockbuster success of the Twilight (2008) films. It has quickly been established by this young man's diverse and gifted talent that we will continue to be his audience for many years to come.- Actress
- Producer
Stacy Haiduk was born on 24 April 1968 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for The Young and the Restless (1973), Days of Our Lives (1965) and Steel and Lace (1990). She has been married to Bradford Tatum since 11 November 1997. They have one child.- Actress
- Sound Department
- Additional Crew
Colleen Ann O'Shaughnessey is an American voice actress. She is best known as the current voice of Miles "Tails" Prower in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise beginning with the TV series Sonic Boom (2014), and reprises the role in further games and the films Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022). O'Shaughnessey's other roles include Sora Takenouchi in Digimon: Digital Monsters (1999), Jazz Fenton in Danny Phantom (2003), and Ino Yamanaka in Naruto (2002).- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Although his name is often linked to that of the "movie brat" generation (Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, Brian De Palma, etc.) Paul Schrader's background couldn't have been more different than theirs. His strict Calvinist parents refused to allow him to see a film until he was 18. Although he more than made up for lost time when studying at Calvin College, Columbia University and UCLA's graduate film program, his influences were far removed from those of his contemporaries--Robert Bresson, Yasujirô Ozu and Carl Theodor Dreyer (about whom he wrote a book, "Transcendental Style in Film") rather than Saturday-morning serials. After a period as a film critic (and protégé of Pauline Kael), he began writing screenplays, hitting the jackpot when he and his brother, Leonard Schrader (a Japanese expert), were paid the then-record sum of $325,000, thus establishing his reputation as one of Hollywood's top screenwriters, which was consolidated when Martin Scorsese filmed Schrader's script Taxi Driver (1976), written in the early 1970s during a bout of drinking and depression. The success of the film allowed Schrader to start directing his own films, which have been notable for their willingness to take stylistic and thematic risks while still working squarely within the Hollywood system. The most original of his films (which he and many others regard as his best) was the Japanese co-production Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985).- Actor
- Director
Eric Allan Kramer is an American actor and fight choreographer. Kramer has appeared in numerous feature films and television programs including True Romance and Robin Hood: Men in Tights and is also known for his performances as Thor in The Incredible Hulk Returns (1988), and as Scott Miller on AMC's Lodge 49 but is best known for his role as Dave Rogers on The Hughleys and Bob Duncan on Good Luck Charlie from 2010-2014. He also appeared as Iron Mike Wilcox in the 2019 video game Days Gone.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Riley Smith is an immensely talented actor whose body of work comes to life in diverse roles across television and film. With a promising new series, Riley's star is quickly on the rise.
Riley Smith has most recently been cast to co-star in the CW's up and coming hit Nancy Drew. The series is set the summer following Nancy Drew's high school graduation, where she and several teens throughout the town are suspects of murder. The victim? Smith's characters, Ryan Hudson's, socialite wife. Nancy Drew can be seen following Riverdale on the CW starting in October of 2019.
Before landing the role of Ryan Hudson, Smith had wrapped up his role of Levi Scott in Fox series Proven Innocent, and prior to that was Dr. Will Grant on the CW series Life Sentence.
Smith was the lead in the CW series Frequency, which premiered October 2016. In this re imagining of the 2000 New Line film, Peyton List plays a female police detective in 2016 who discovers that she is able to speak via a ham radio with her estranged father (Smith), also a detective, but who died in 1996. They forge a new relationship while working together on an unresolved murder case. However, unintended consequences of the butterfly effect wreak havoc in the present day.
In 2015, Smith was seen in a strong arc in Season 4 of the popular ABC musical series Nashville. Playing Markus Keen, an artist signed to Rayna's Highway 65 label, Smith merged his love for music and acting, recording singles, such as "In the Name of Your Love" and "I Want To (Do Everything For You," for the Nashville soundtrack. Also in 2015, Smith scored a recurring role as Rachel McAdam's boyfriend, Sheriff's deputy Steve Mercier, on HBO's True Detective, the second installment in the crime franchise. This role followed his previous stint on the pay cable network as a vampire on the seventh and final season of HBO's True Blood. Smith played Keith, a rugged, rock 'n' roll vampire with a romantic side and story line opposite Arlene, played by Carrie Preston.
Previously, Smith had recurring roles in the Emmy-nominated CBS series Joan of Arcadia, the highly acclaimed Fox show 24, the WB series Summerland, and Judd Apatow's master creation for NBC Freaks and Geeks. He was a main character in the Fox show Drive and appeared in seven episodes of the fifth season of CW's 90210 as Riley Wallace, a paraplegic opposite Shenae Grimes, and Tristan Wilds. He can also be seen in television movies including Disney Channel's Motocrossed and Nicholas Sparks' Deliverance Creek.
Smith's other credits were in films as diverse as Radio (Ed Harris, Cuba Gooding Jr.), Eight-Legged Freaks, Not Another Teen Movie, New York Minute, as well as Gallowwalkers (Wesley Snipes), Weapons, the Sundance Grand Jury Nominee, and Christmas in Conway (Andy Garcia, Mary-Louis Parker). Over the past twenty years since Smith has called Los Angeles home, he has managed to complete more than seventy-five projects: fourteen pilots, nine series, and dozens of guest star roles.
In his free time, Smith is also a music recording artist and writer. In 2016, he released his first self titled solo EP, recorded in Nashville. The music video for the first single I'm on Fire went to number one on CMT's Taste of Country Countdown. Smith currently has 6 original songs placed on Television shows and film. Smith is set to release a new record in 2018.
Born and raised on his families' Quarter Horse Ranch outside of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Smith remains involved with his hometown supporting the Eastern Iowa Arts Academy. This non-profit after school arts organization, created for K-12th grade students, offers classes in art, music, drama, dance, cultural arts, and creative writing.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Bonnie Bartlett grew up in Moline, Illinois. Her father E.E. was a failed Shakespearean actor who became an insurance salesman. Her mother Carrie was a homemaker. At an early age, Bonnie became determined to fulfill her father's failed acting career. She went to Northwestern University to study acting. In her freshman year, she met fellow thespian William Daniels. Soon after graduation, the two were married and moved to New York to seek acting opportunities. She studied under Lee Strasberg and initially supported them.
In the 1950s she spent four years on the CBS soap Love of Life (1951) as Vanessa Raven. In 1961, their first child was born, but died within 24 hours due to complications in birth. This prompted the two to adopt two children later. Son Michael (b. 1964) is now an assistant director and stage manager in Los Angeles. Son Robert (b. 1966) is an artist and computer graphics designer in New York City. Bonnie was a stay-at-home mom through most of the 1970s, acting only occasionally in recurring roles, but rejuvenated her career in the early 1980s, most notably in the hit TV series St. Elsewhere (1982) and later in a recurring role in Boy Meets World (1993)- Actress
- Additional Crew
Jackie Swanson was born on 25 June 1963 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. She is an actress, known for Cheers (1982) and Lethal Weapon (1987).- Actor
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Bobby Driscoll was a natural-born actor. Discovered by chance at the age of five-and-a-half in a barber shop in Altadena, CA. and then convincing in anything he ever undertook on the movie screen and on television throughout his career spanning 17 years (1943-1960). Includes such notable movie screen appearances as The Fighting Sullivans (1944), Song of the South (1946), So Dear to My Heart (1948), and The Window (1949), which was not only the sleeper of 1949 but even earned him his Academy Award in March 1950 as the outstanding juvenile actor of 1949. For his role as Jim Hawkins in Walt Disney's Treasure Island (1950), he eventually received his Hollywood Star on 1560 Vine Street, and in 1954 he was chosen in a nation-wide poll for a Milky Way Gold Star Award (for his work on TV and radio). But all the more tragic, then, was his fruitless struggle to find a place in a pitiless adolescent world after severe acne had stalled his acting career at 16. When his face was no longer charming and his voice not smooth enough to be used for voice-over jobs, his last big movie hit was the voice of animated Peter Pan (1953), for which he was also the live-action model. When his contract with the Disney studios was prematurely terminated shortly after the release of Peter Pan (1953) in late March 1953, his mother additionally took him from the talent-supporting Hollywood Professional School, which he attended by then. On his new School, the public Westwood University High School, on which he graduated in 1955, all of a sudden his former stardom became more burden than advantage. He successfully continued acting on TV until 1957 and even managed to get two final screen roles; in The Scarlet Coat (1955) and opposite of Mark Damon and Connie Stevens in The Party Crashers (1958). His life became more and more a roller coaster ride that included several encounters with the law and his eventual sentencing as a drug addict in October 1961. Released in early 1962, rehabilitated and eager to make a comeback, Bobby was ignored by the very industry that once had raised and nurtured him, because of his record as a convict and former drug addict. First famous... now infamous. Hoping to revive his career on the stage after his parole had expired in 1964, he eventually traveled to New York, only to learn that his reputation had preceded him, and no one wanted to hire him there, either. After a final appearance in Piero Heliczer's Underground short Dirt (1965) in 1965 and a short art-period at Andy Warhol's so-called Factory, he disappeared into the underground, thoroughly dispirited, funds depleted. On March 30, 1968, two playing children found his dead body in an abandoned East Village tenement. Believed to be an unclaimed and homeless person, he was buried in an unmarked pauper's grave on Hart Island, where he remains.- He was married to Peggy - real name Margaret - and they divorced when their son Anthony was young. Blackie has two children - Anthony who was born in 1962, and James, who was born in 1991. He lived in Los Angeles for many years and whilst living there, he changed his name from John Kiedis to Blackie Dammett. He raised wolves and wolf hybrids in Michigan in the 1990s. In 2007, he moved to Portland, Oregon.
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Andy Richter was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the second of four children of Glenda (Palmer), a kitchen cabinet designer, and Laurence R. Richter, who taught Russian at Indiana University. He was raised in Yorkville, Illinois. His parents divorced when he was four. Richter attended the University of Illinois Urbana/Champaign and then moved to Chicago's Columbia College to study film. Richter played in several Chicago improvisation groups before catching his role with Conan O'Brien.- Actress
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Toni Trucks is an American theater, film, and television actress.
Trucks studied Musical Theatre at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance. Upon graduation, she moved to New York where she performed regionally before relocating to Los Angeles to make her television debut as the female lead on Showtime's comedy series Barbershop. Her other television credits include Hostages, The Soul Man, House, All of Us, Veronica Mars, 'Til Death, Brothers, CSI: NY and the telefilms Star Runners and Starstruck. She has made multiple guest appearances on NCIS: New Orleans and Grimm.
Her previous film credits include Dreamgirls, Weapons, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 and Music and Lyrics.
Trucks is a series regular on CBS's military drama series SEAL Team. She plays Lisa Davis, the logistics Officer responsible for making the arrangements to get the team and their gear where they need to be. Trucks was also a series regular in the CBS legal drama, Made in Jersey, about a working-class woman named Marina (Janet Montgomery) who uses her street smarts to compete with her more polished colleagues at a top New York law firm. Trucks played Cyndi Vega, Marina's lively secretary and "comradette" in arms. She also guest starred in the pilot of NBC's mid-season thriller Do No Harm.
Her theater credits include By the Way, Meet Vera Stark, Cactus Flower, Stormy Weather, Kiss Me, Kate, West Side Story, Oklahoma!, Follies, Footloose, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Ragtime, Sweet Charity, and Children of Eden. Trucks studied theatre abroad at London's Marymount College and has over 17 years of dance training including ballet, modern, and tap.
Trucks co-starred in the 2012 Fox Searchlight film Ruby Sparks. The film starred Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan, and was directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (Little Miss Sunshine). She is also featured in the final installment of the blockbuster hit series Breaking Dawn as Mary, a member of the American Nomadic Vampire coven.
Trucks's parents are divorced but live about a mile apart in Manistee, Michigan. She also has two older brothers.- Actress
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Jess Walton was born on 18 February 1949 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for The Young and the Restless (1973), Capitol (1982) and Wasted in Babylon (1999). She has been married to John W. James since 20 December 1980. They have one child. She was previously married to Bruce Davison.- Actor
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Anthony Kiedis is a singer with the hugely successful alternative rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, the other members being Flea, John Frusciante, and Chad Smith. Red Hot Chili Peppers have scored five top-five albums in the UK and America, and have sold over sixty million records worldwide since their formation in 1983. Former band members have included Josh Klinghoffer, Jack Irons, Dave Navarro, and the late Hillel Slovak. His records with the Red Hot Chili Peppers have been certified both Gold and Platinum.
Kiedis is also an actor and has taken roles in a string of films.
He is the son of actor Blackie Dammett aka John Kiedis.- Actor
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Tatanka Means was born on 19 February 1985 in Rapid City, South Dakota, USA. He is an actor, known for Killers of the Flower Moon (2023), Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015) and The Host (2013).- Actor
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At eighteen, Matt Keeslar moved from Adrian, Michigan to New York City to attend the drama division of The Juilliard School. The Juilliard faculty had selected him to fill one of twenty spots in "Group 24", the twenty-forth class to participate in Juilliard's rigorous acting program. Along with the group projects Matt performed at Juilliard, he also played the title role in a touring production of Moliere's Don Juan, directed by Joseph Chaiken; produced and starred in a student production of "Waiting for Godot; and participated in several interdepartmental productions, including playing the title role in Igor Stravinsky's A Soldier's Tale. Matt signed with ICM in his second year at Juilliard and immediately won roles in Quiz Show (1994), directed by Robert Redford, and Renaissance Man (1994), directed by Penny Marshall. In his third year, Matt won a lead role in the movie Safe Passage (1994), in which he played the son of Susan Sarandon and Sam Shepard. He finally dropped out of Juilliard after his third year to take accept the lead role in Peter Yates' Film The Run of the Country (1995). Matt went on to star in professional plays in New York and regionally. He originated the roles of Boyd in Nicky Silver's Fit to be Tied, Nathan Hale in David Stanley Ford's The Interrogation of Nathan Hale, Bo in Laura Cahill's Mercy, and Ricky in Jack Heifner's Earth to Bucky. Despite his love of theatre, Matt worked in film and television most frequently. Some of the highlights from his film career include: Waiting for Guffman (1996), The Last Days of Disco (1998), Scream 3 (2000), and Art School Confidential (2006). He guest-starred in several television projects, and starred in The Middleman (2008), a series for ABC Family in which he played the title role.- Actor
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Shawn can most recently be seen in Magnum PI on CBS and Chicago Med on NBC. Prior to that, he was featured in ABC's The Rookie and recurred in Freeform's Famous In Love starring Bella Thorne. He co-created and starred in the film Love In The Sun for Hallmark. He also stars in the film Savannah Surprise on Netflix and the independent feature Last Seen In Idaho.- Elizabeth Wilson was born April 4, 1921, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Marie Ethel and Dunning Wilson. She attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City and studied with Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse. Elizabeth's film debut was in Notorious (1946) in an uncredited role. She later appeared in Patterns (1956), and her performance was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Film. With over 70 film and television appearances, we should acknowledge her work in The Graduate (1967), 9 to 5 (1980), The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981), The Addams Family (1991), and Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001).
- In retrospect, he was considered an actor's actor to be sure. Renowned theater performer George Grizzard would make his biggest impact under the Tony-winning Broadway lights in a career spanning over five decades. Born an only child on April 1, 1928, in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, George Cooper Grizzard, Jr. was raised (from age 7) in Washington D.C., and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1949. Precoccupied for a time in the advertising field, he then seemed bent on a radio broadcasting career when the "acting bug" suddenly bit.
Grizzard studied with respected acting coach Sanford Meisner in New York and went on to apprentice in stock plays. He eventually took on Broadway where he earned major kudos right off the bat for his debut role as Paul Newman's younger brother in "The Desperate Hours" (1955). More New York acclaim came in the form of "The Happiest Millionaire" (1956), for which he won the "most promising" Theatre World Award; "The Disenchanted" (1958), which earned him a Tony nomination; "Big Fish, Little Fish" (1961), for which he won the Outer Critic's Circle award; the Edward Albee's emotional roller-coaster ride "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" (1962), wherein he originated the rakish, fair-haired role of Nick; and, more recently, in a revival of "A Delicate Balance" (1996), wherein he finally won the coveted Tony. Never far away from Broadway, he returned again and again over the years in both comedies and dramas: "Mary, Mary", "The Glass Menagerie", "You Know I Can't Hear You When the Water's Running", "The Country Girl", "The Royal Family", "California Suite", "Man and Superman", "Judgment at Nuremberg" and "The Creation of the World and Other Business" in which he played Lucifer himself. Other noteworthy theatrical events away from Broadway ranged from his title role in "Hamlet" at the Tyrone Guthrie Theater, to his mental patient who thinks he's Einstein in "The Physicists", to his Big Daddy in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" at the Kennedy Center.
Films beckoned in the 60s with a sampling of handsome, intellectual, white-collared roles. Making his Broadway debut with Paul Newman in 1955, he made his film debut with Newman as well, in the role of a ruthless young tycoon in From the Terrace (1960). He also earned excellent notices as a crafty senator in the well-mounted political drama Advise & Consent (1962). He found, however, more durable, frequent work on the smaller screen playing various politicians (presidents, governors, mayors, etc.), notably his Emmy-nominated portrayal as John Adams in The Adams Chronicles (1976). He won the Emmy for his portrayal of Henry Fonda's opportunistic son in the TV special The Oldest Living Graduate (1980). Often seen in a calculating, unsympathetic light, he continued to mix stage and on-camera work for the remainder of his career.
A co-founder of the APA Repertory Company in New York, Grizzard took his final Broadway bow bantering with life-sized lizards in the surreal Edward Albee drama "Seascape" in 2005. His last movie role was a part in Clint Eastwood's memorable Flags of Our Fathers (2006). He died the following year, on October 2, 2007, of complications from lung cancer at a New York City hospital. His sole survivor is long-time partner William Tynan. - Kim Zimmer was born on 2 February 1955 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. She is an actress, known for Body Heat (1981), Guiding Light (1952) and MacGyver (1985). She has been married to A.C. Weary since 29 August 1981. They have three children.
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Don DeFore toured the country in stock companies for several years before making his Broadway debut in 1938. In films since 1941, he occasionally played leads in B pictures, but was more often cast as the good-natured buddy of the hero or a likable but gullible character whom the hero has to bail out of trouble. DeFore found much more success on television, and was a regular in the hit series Hazel (1961) and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952).- Jessi Combs was born in the Black Hills of Rapid City, South Dakota. With a lifelong desire to become a race-car driver, this fearless young lady found a love for speed and its machines at a very young age. Her family explored everything around them and gave her a solid appreciation for off-roading as well as racing in many forms. In addition to her love for everything automotive, Jessi is somewhat of an artist and spends as much time as she can creating with her own hands. She loves metal-working, leather-craft, and photography, and can make almost anything anyone can dream up. She is an independent and adventurous spirit.
After turning down a full scholarship to a prominent interior-design school, she traveled North America before settling in Denver, Colorado to pursue a snowboarding career. This proved to be more painfully demanding physically than she had anticipated, and she changed to a career that involved her love for the throttle pedal and showcased her artistic abilities. She moved to Laramie, Wyoming to attend WyoTech, where she studied Collision/Refinishing, Chassis Fabrication, Street Rod Fabrication, and Trim/Upholstery. She graduated at the top of her class with a degree in Custom Automotive Fabrication.
Her time and involvement at the trade school led to her first fabrication job when the marketing department hired her and another student, Ben Bright, to build a car from the ground up in 6 months to debut at the Specialty Equipment Marketing Association's (SEMA) show. The car was auctioned for charity and Ms. Combs hasn't looked back since.
While her chosen career path didn't initially include time on television, she found herself on "Overhaulin'" as a guest fabricator and was soon hired as the co-host of Xtreme 4x4, part of the Powerblock on Spike TV, a position she held for four years and 90+ episodes. She and co-host Ian Johnson built everything from race trucks to street trucks, and trail rigs to trailers, for an audience of millions.
In a widely-publicized yet unexplainable accident in 2007, while working in the studio, Jessi was folded in two by a large piece of machinery that had fallen on her and burst, fracturing her spine's L3. The accident should have left her wheelchair-bound, but after 8 months of surgery, bed rest, therapy, and help from God, Jessi was granted full medical release. Appreciative of her health and her time with Xtreme 4x4, Jessi chose to move on with her career and in 2008 she left the show in pursuit of other opportunities.
The next year was full of appearances on shows like "2 Guys Garage", "TruckU", "SEMA Show Special", "DuplicolorTV", "Full Throttle TV", "Pirate4x4 TV Live", and "Bosch 125." Her on-screen personality took shape as she honed her skills as a TV host while maintaining her integrity as a metal fabricator, builder, and industrial artist. In 2009 she appeared as a host and builder on the 7th season of "Mythbusters", filling in while Kari Byron went on maternity leave.
Recently, the Velocity Channel has been her home for television; she could be found on "All Girls Garage" and "Overhaulin'"s 2011 return to TV as a host and 'A-Team'-hybrid member. She can be seen on "The List: 1001 Car Things To Do Before You Die" on AOL's autoblog.com, also airing on the Velocity.
The training associated with these programs has allowed Jessi to become a performance driver for the film and commercial world. She has driven everything from super cars to monster trucks, relics to rally cars, hot rods, two wheels, four wheels and even at times, no wheels. Stunt driving has opened a whole new passion into the arena of possibilities between woman and machine for Jessi.
When it comes to competitive driving, Combs feels right at home in the driver seat. She has raced Ultra4's King of the Hammers in 2010, 2012, 2013, taking home a spec class win in 2014 as the first female to ever place at any Ultra4 event; she pressed on and wrapped up the season with the National Championship. Finishing the Baja 1000 is winning, although in 2011 taking home a class 10 podium finish is a true landmark in her racing resume. The North American Eagle Supersonic Speed Challenger added Jessi to the team for the 2013 attempt to break the 512 mph Women's Landspeed World record made in 1976 by Kitty O'Neil; to date, Jessi is the fastest woman on 4-wheels holding a record of 398 mph with a top speed of 440 mph (the team remains in pursuit for her to become The Fastest Woman on Earth). In early 2015 she competed in the Rallye Aicha des Gazelles, a 9-day all-female rally race that only uses 1960 hand-drawn maps and compasses; they pulled 10th place overall and a first-place finish in the First Participation category. The Race of Gentleman, held by the longstanding Oilers car club, invited Jessi as the first woman to compete in their carnival event by racing a 1913 twin-engine Model T down the beach; her ability to handle any situation with any car will forever be in the history books.
Jessi is proud of the relationships she has fostered throughout her career and she continues to represent many companies as a brand representative as well as a product expert. These relationships coupled with her skills provided her the opportunity to develop a woman's line of welding gear (PPE) with Lincoln Electric in order to fill the demand and growth of ladies in the industry. Jessi has joined 8 years of epic 4-wheeling journeys with Warn Industries and proceeds to spread the word about their proven quality with the rest of the world. As a hands on builder, aligning with establishments such as CRC and Industrial Metal Supply only help her mission to express to others what woman are capable of in the shop.
Not known for sitting still, this fast-paced girl is also working on starting her own metal fab shop. - Actor
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James T. Callahan was born on 4 October 1930 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. He was an actor, known for Knight Rider (1982), The Governor & J.J. (1969) and Black Sheep Squadron (1976). He was married to Peggy Cannon. He died on 3 August 2007 in Fallbrook, California, USA.- Actor
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Distinguished character player James Firman Daly first appeared on stage in his home town of Wisconsin Rapids in 1928. He was set on acting from an early age, and was strongly encouraged by his parents. His father was in the fuel business and his mother at one time a CIA employee. Upon leaving school, Daly studied dramatic arts at various Midwestern colleges, eventually graduating from Grinnell in Iowa. His acting career was then put on hold as a result of the war and he served in all three of the service branches, the last four years spent in the navy as an ensign.
Daly's acting career got off to a good start once he arrived in New York in 1946, landing a part as understudy to Gary Merrill in the long-running hit play "Born Yesterday" on Broadway. By the time he appeared in his third play, "Man and Superman" (1949), he was billed third in the cast and won a Daniel Blum Award for his performance. Subsequently, Daly had a busy time on stage, both on and off-Broadway. He co-starred three times with the legendary Helen Hayes, most famously in "The Glass Menagerie" in 1950. That same year he also collected the Theater Guild Award as the star of "Major Barbara". His other theatrical roles of note included "Billy Budd", "Saint Joan", "The Merchant of Venice" and (on tour with Colleen Dewhurst) "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?".
A hard-working actor and intent on diversifying into different media, Daly clearly understood the potential of live television drama. He made his small screen debut in the late 1940s and soon starred in early Playhouse productions. Within a few years he featured in his own weekly syndicated series, Foreign Intrigue (1951), about a family of foreign correspondents in Europe. This was one of the first TV shows to be shot on location and it necessitated his and his family's temporary relocation to Paris and Stockholm. Throughout the next twenty years, Daly remained much in demand as a reliable leading television actor with 'gravitas', often playing tragic or despairing figures. He was commanding as the titular star of Give Us Barabbas! (1961). Four years later, he picked up an Emmy for his role in the Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951) episode "The Eagle and the Cage".
Another memorably poignant portrayal was in The Twilight Zone (1959) episode "A Stop at Willoughby", with Daly as a salesperson driven to the brink of a nervous breakdown, desperately escaping his world to a fantasy town in his own mind where life is perpetually simple and peaceful. He was also David Vincent's ill-fated business partner and friend in the pilot episode "Beach-Head", one of the first victims of The Invaders (1967). Many viewers will remember Daly as 'Flint', the solitary near-immortal from the Star Trek (1966) episode "Requiem for Methuselah". There were countless other guest starring roles and even a few choice movie parts, such as Planet of the Apes (1968). Daly enjoyed another recurring role in the long-running (170 episodes) Medical Center (1969) as resident 'elder statesman' to young surgeon Chad Everett. He had just completed filming on an episode of "Roots: The Next Generations" and was scheduled to appear in the play "Equus" at the historic Westchester Theatre, Tarrytown Music Hall, when he died of a heart attack at the age of 59.- Actor
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Most familiar to TV audiences as no-nonsense Sheriff Roy Coffee on the long-running western series Bonanza (1959), Ray Teal was one of the most versatile character actors in the business. In his almost 40-year career he played everything from cops to gunfighters to sheriffs to gangsters to a judge at the Nuremberg War Crimes trials. He could play a kindly grandfather in one film and a heartless, sadistic killer in the next, and be equally believable in both roles. A native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, he was a musician who worked his way through college playing the sax in local bands. At UCLA in the 1920s he formed his own band and led it until 1936. He appeared in several films in minor bit parts, and it wasn't until 1938 that he had a somewhat more substantial part, in Western Jamboree (1938). The next year he had a bigger part in the splashy Spencer Tracy adventure Northwest Passage (1940) as one of Rogers' Rangers. He appeared in serials, westerns, crime dramas, costume epics (he even appeared as Little John in The Bandit of Sherwood Forest (1946)!), war pictures, had a small but memorable part as an anti-Semitic blowhard who gets knocked into a store display by Dana Andrews in The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) and a bigger and more memorable part as one of Spencer Tracy's fellow judges in Judgment at Nuremberg (1961). He also made many appearances on TV, in everything from The Lone Ranger (1949) to Green Acres (1965). He died of natural causes in 1976.- Antonia Franceschi was born in Ohio, on 30th March 1960 but raised in New York City. Antonia started her career performing in 'Grease' and then playing a lead in "Fame" Hilary Van Doren. She was then chosen by George Balanchine for The New York City Ballet. Prior to that she danced in Markarova and Company partnered by Sir Anthony Dowell. She moved to London where she had works created for her by Mark Baldwin, Wayne McGregor, Karole Armitage, Michael Clarke, and Anthony Van Laast among others. She won a Time Out Award for ''Outstanding Achievement In Dance''. Antonia created and performed the lead role in the dance-play ''Up From The Waste'' at London's Soho Theatre to critical acclaim. Leading from this Antonia collaborated with Tal Rosner to create a a short film ''There'' and then with Mark Baldwin and Ballet Black in the production of POP8 for The Lion and The Unicorn Theatre. Antonia has featured in several dance films for British TV including 'Point Blank', 'Frankenstein', and 'Ecco' and the Merchant Ivory film 'The Golden Bowl'. Antonia performed 'The Vagina Monologues' at The New Ambassador's Theatre. Antonia produced four programs of The New York Ballet Stars which performed at The Queen Elizabeth and Royal Festival Halls, and then toured the Sintra and Harrogate Festivals. Antonia regularly teaches for The Royal Ballet, Rambert, Random, and The Richard Alston Dance Companie. Antonia has choreographed several works for Ballet Black, The New York Theater ballet, and Ballet New York.She has been interviewed on Radio 4 and for the book 'Balanchine Then and Now'. Her ballet 'Kinderszenen', just received praise from The New York Times (April 2014).
- Steven Ford was born on 19 May 1956 in East Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. He is an actor, known for Starship Troopers (1997), Black Hawk Down (2001) and When Harry Met Sally... (1989).
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Madison Lawlor was born on 4 May 1995 in Rapid City, South Dakota, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Juniper (2022), Casa Grande (2023) and Green & Gold.- Actress
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Beth Maitland was born on 12 May 1958 in Rapid City, South Dakota, USA. She is an actress, known for The Young and the Restless (1973), Mr. Holland's Opus (1995) and The Bold and the Beautiful (1987). She has been married to Christopher Banninger since 1 October 1989. They have one child.- Actor
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Kiff VandenHeuvel is originally from Grand Rapids, MI and is an alumni of The Second City comedy theatre. Along with performing on camera in film and television, Kiff is also an accomplished and sought after voice actor, who specializes in voice matching. He produces and hosts a podcast called "All Over Voiceover". Kiff has his producing certificate from UCLA Extension, and develops projects for film and TV. He lives in LA with his wife and daughter.- Actor
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Joe Carroll was born on 1 May 1990 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Romeo and Juliet (2014), FBI (2018) and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999).- Actress
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Born Virginia Pound, Lorna Gray was "discovered" by an agent while modeling in a fashion show. She was given a screen test, and Columbia was impressed enough to sign her to a contract. (It was at this time that she was given the name "Lorna Gray", which she kept until 1945, when she changed it to "Adrian Booth".) She was put in the studio's B unit, occasionally loaned out to Republic or Monogram, and when not making features was used in Columbia's comedy shorts, supporting such performers as The Three Stooges and Buster Keaton (where she actually acquitted herself quite well). She left Columbia and began her long career with Republic Pictures in 1941, appearing in westerns, thrillers, horror pictures, and especially the serials in which the studio specialized. She married David Brian in 1948, and after making films for a few more years, retired from the screen in 1951.- Actor
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Derrex Brady is one of the stars of the critically acclaimed Bounce TV series, Johnson (Executive Producer: Cedric the Entertainer), set to premiere Season 3 on August 5th. The series chronicles the trials and tribulations of four life-long friends, all with the last name of "Johnson". The men, all at different places in life find their friendships tested after 25 years, threatening the unity that had always been so strong. They are forced to confront and find humor in the most controversial issues from the black man's perspective ranging from love, marriage, business, politics and religion. Drawing from real life, Brady who is married with sons knows that family is everything. This led him to build a genuine brotherhood on and off screen with his fellow cast mates. In the first season, Bounce spoke to audiences, debuting as the highest rated half-hour dramedy in Bounce TV's history.
Upcoming for the busy Brady is the feature film A Snowy Day in Oakland opposite Loretta Devine, Nicole Ari Parker, Deon Cole and Kimberly Elise.
Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Brady knew from an early age that acting would be his calling. After settling in Los Angeles, he began booking commercials and television guest roles soon followed. Some of his favorite credits include: NCIS, a series regular role on Lifetime's Any Day Now, USA Network's In Plain Sight, The District, Strong Medicine, Girlfriends, Boston Legal, JAG, TV series Mr. Mom and more.
On the film front, Brady has been seen opposite Al Pacino in Simone, The Space Between with Oscar Winner, Melissa Leo, and Amazon Prime romantic comedy Questions. Derrex is coming off the 2023 film festival award darling, feature film First, starring Brady, Will Catlett and Jahmela Yarbrough.
Stepping behind the camera, Brady expanded his creativity and business acumen by teaming up with his producing partner M.D. Walton to launch Skyscope Pictures. The company, along with producer/director Anthony Hemingway (Anthony Hemingway Productions) are currently developing the feature film Michael, inspired by their award-winning short film, The Championship Rounds, which starred Harold Perrineau, Jr., Rutina Wesley and Michael Anthony Spady. Acclaimed Actor Mark Ruffalo has endorsed Skyscope Pictures and the film, stating, " Every now and then in the vast world of filmmaking, there are certain stories that come along that serve as change agents that provide opportunity for imperative dialogue and beyond. MICHAEL uniquely tackles and intertwines themes revolving around deafness, homelessness, and single fatherhood. Having seen the original short film as well as the hard and diligent work the Skyscope Pictures' team has put in along the way, I'm confident that the feature film will be a success.
Derrex recently completed his directorial debut of the short film he wrote, Roberta's Rules. Another produced project apart of Skyscope Pictures Slate. Already earning 18 nominations and 15 awards as it continues making its rounds in film festivals. Producing partner, Mike Walton and Brady also produced the short film, Dear Ernie, written and directed by Walton. Both short films are making their rounds in film festivals with great promise for 2023 & 2024 with already garnering numerous nominations and awards.
Between family and artistry, Brady believes that Balance Inspires Peace. He is a passionate golfer and exercise warrior. Always one to give back, Derrex Brady is also an advocate for Young Warriors, a non profit organization providing support and guidance for fatherless boys.
Brady is represented by Indra Clark at Brooklyn Management.- Granville Van Dusen was born on 16 March 1944 in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, USA. He is an actor, known for Soap (1977), The West Wing (1999) and Space: Above and Beyond (1995). He has been married to June Ellen Lommen since 3 September 1966. They have two children.
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Betsy Baker was born in May of 1955 in Iowa. She had graduated with a combined degree in theater and classical voice from Michigan State University and embarked upon headline engagements throughout the south, including The Eden Roc in Miami Beach and other venues, with a group called Musicana. Betsy eventually found herself in Detroit, where she honed her craft in television, radio voice-overs, industrial films and films nationwide.- Actor
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Christopher Curry was born on 22 October 1948 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Sully (2016), Flags of Our Fathers (2006) and City of Ghosts (2002).- Lois, was born in a tiny town in Minnesota in 1926, moved with her family to Long Beach, California where she had her first experience with theater as a set designer, stage manager and head electrician, was given a scholarship at the Pasadena Playhouse and became bitten by the "acting bug". In 1957 when she left SoCal and focused on family.
Lois married Maurice Willows in 1953 and, following the birth of their first daughter, moved to the desert and then Hawaii for seven years, where their second daughter, was born. Soon after the Willows returned to their Beverly Hills home, their third daughter was born. Maury and Lois have two grandchildren. Maury died of cancer in 1995. Through the years, the Willows have been active members of the Baha'i Faith, working for the unity of mankind and world peace. Lois is an elected member and served many years as secretary of the administrative body for the Baha'i's of Los Angeles and has volunteered nearly 40 hours a week at the local center. Part of her time is spent in inter-religious dialog, working with the Human Relations Council for the City of Los Angeles, planning cross-cultural events and helping arrange after-school tutoring and enrichment classes for at-risk young people. The Willows hold weekly introductory discussions about the Baha'i Faith in their home. Lois eventually returned to occasional work in the film industry and has appeared in seven more films and ten television shows. In recent years, Miss Hall has been invited to be a special guest at various film festivals across the country, and is delighted both the renew old friendships with those who were part of the "western stock company" so many years -- and to make new friends with the wonderful people who so faithfully attend the festivals. - Actor
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Chris Daughtry was born on 26 December 1979 in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, USA. He is an actor, known for Wanderlust (2012), Criminal Minds (2005) and NCIS: Los Angeles (2009). He has been married to Deanna Daughtry since 11 November 2000. They have four children.- Actress
- Producer
Diane Gaidry (born October 11, 1964 in South Dakota) is an American film and theatre actress. She received her B.F.A. in acting from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. She played the role of Simone Bradley in the 2006 film Loving Annabelle, directed by Katherine Brooks. Diane was awarded the Outstanding Actress award at Outfest in 2006 for this performance and is probably best known for her work in this film.
In 1993, Diane co-founded the Los Angeles based non-profit independent filmmaking collective, Filmmakers Alliance. She played lead roles in some of the feature length films that were produced through the collective including The Dogwalker, which played at the Los Angeles Film Festival and won the award for Best First Feature at Cinequest, and America So Beautiful which played at the Berlinale and was theatrically released in Paris. Her numerous short film credits include Transaction which won the Grand Prix du Jury at Clermont -Ferrand. She also acted in Rob Nilsson's feature film, Need, part of his 9@night series. Diane did a number of guest appearances in television shows as well.
Diane now makes her home in Buffalo, NY, her home town, where she has been acting in local theatre productions over the past several years and is enjoying a rewarding career as a life coach. In 2012, she acted in the one woman show, we are not afraid of the dark, which she performed in 6 cities in Europe. That same year, Diane also narrated the audio book, Safe Harbor.- Janelle Marie Pierzina goes by Janelle Perzina. Born and raised in Grand Rapids, Minnesota; Janelle currently (2007) lives in Miami Beach, Florida. She works at The Mansion Club in Florida as a lingerie wearing waitress (also in their VIP sections). She graduated in 1998 from Grand Rapids High School in Minnesota.
Her claim to fame is that she was a contestant on season 6 (summer 2005) and season 7 (All Stars, summer of 2006) of the CBS Reality show Big Brother. She was one of the most popular guests by a 98% online vote and won 2 America's Choice awards in 2005. - Actress
- Soundtrack
Virginia Susanne Gumm was born in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, as Dorothy Virginia Gumm. She was an accomplished talented performer, an actress, known for La Fiesta de Santa Barbara (1935), The Wedding of Jack and Jill (1930), and The Harvey Girls (1946). She was a member of the Gumm Sisters, along with "Baby" Frances (better known as Judy Garland) and Mary Jane Gumm. She died on May 27, 1977 in Dallas, Texas.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Brooks Wheelan was born on 21 August 1986 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Hawaii Five-0 (2010), Random Tropical Paradise (2017) and Saturday Night Live (1975).