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- Actress
- Producer
SAG Award and Critics Choice Award winner for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, Lorraine Toussaint shocked audiences on the smash hit Netflix original series "Orange is the New Black" as the viciously seductive inmate Vee. Toussaint's thrilling performance has won her glowing reviews from the likes of TV Guide and Vanity Fair, stirring the Emmy buzz for her outstanding performance. Toussaint also received praise for her performance in the Academy Award-nominated feature film "Selma." Up next, Toussaint will star in the new Fox series "Rosewood", alongside Morris Chestnut, which premieres this fall.
Born in Trinidad, Toussaint and her mother moved to Brooklyn, NY, where she was raised, when she was ten years old. Growing up, she watched a lot of television while she waited for her mother to return from work, and this sparked her interest in acting. Toussaint begged her mother to enroll her in acting school, and her search led to her studying theater at New York's renowned High School of Performing Arts. After graduation, she enrolled in the Juilliard School's drama division, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. On her graduation day, she landed her first paying job as Lady Macbeth with "Shakespeare & Company."
Toussaint spent the first 12 years of her career acting on stage in New York City before moving to Los Angeles. Her first television appearance was in 1983 in "The Face of Rage." Toussaint's biggest career boost has come from her co-starring role opposite Annie Potts in the TV series "Any Day Now," which earned Toussaint an NAACP Image Award nomination for best actress in a drama series, a TV Guide Award nomination for Best Actress in a Drama Series, and the Wiley A. Branton Award from the National Bar Association.
Among Toussaint's TV credits were recurring roles on several popular television shows, such as NBC's drama series "Friday Night Lights," TNT's "Saving Grace," "Law & Order," and ABC's hit "Ugly Betty." She has also had several guest appearances on the hit television shows "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "Grey's Anatomy," and the drama thriller "Scandal" opposite Kerry Washington.
No stranger to the silver screen, Touissant's first film role was opposite Burt Reynolds in the crime comedy "Breaking In." Touissant has also appeared in "Dangerous Minds," "The Soloist," and Ava DuVernay's "Middle of Nowhere," in which her performance was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female. Up next, Toussaint stars as Salome Whitmore in the upcoming period drama "Sophie and the Rising Sun," written and directed by Maggie Greenwald. Toussaint will also play Anthony Mackie's mother in the upcoming Seth Rogen comedy "X-Mas," scheduled for theaters this November.
Toussaint and her daughter split their time between New York and Los Angeles.- Actress
- Additional Crew
Alison Sealy-Smith was born in Barbados, British West Indies [now Barbados]. She is known for X-Men '97 (2024) and X-Men: The Animated Series (1992).- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Composer
Dancer, choreographer and actor Geoffrey Holder was born on August 1, 1930, in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, into a middle-class family. One of four children, he was taught painting and dancing by his older brother Boscoe Holder, whose dance troupe, the Holder Dance Company, the young Geoffrey joined when he was seven years old. Geoffrey assumed direction of the company in the late 1940s after Boscoe moved to London.
Holder moved to the US in 1954, two years after being "discovered" by Agnes de Mille, the choreographer daughter of director-producer Cecil B. DeMille, after she saw the Holder Dance Company perform in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. Holder, a talented painter, sold a score of his paintings to raise the funds to bring the Holder Dance Company to New York City in 1954 (in 1957 Holder won a Guggenheim Fellowship to study painting). He would appear with his dance company, now titled Geoffrey Holder and Company, in New York through 1960.
On December 30, 1954, Holder made his Broadway debut (as did Diahann Carroll) at the Alvin Theatre in the Caribbean-themed original musical "House of Flowers", with music by Harold Arlen, who also co-wrote the book with Truman Capote. The cast included Pearl Bailey and Alvin Ailey, and the show was directed by Peter Brook. Herbert Ross did the choreography but the "Banda Dance" was choreographed by Holder. The show ran for 165 total performances but, more importantly, Holder met and married fellow cast member 'Carmen DeLavallade', a dancer, and the two had a son together. From 1955 through 1956 Holder was a principal dancer with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet.
Holder played the role of Lucky in a revival of Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot" directed by Herbert Berghof on Broadway in January 1957. The all-black cast also included Geoff Searle as Vladimir, Rex Ingram as Pozzo and Mantan Moreland as Estragon. The show only lasted six performances, but it established Holder as an actor, and he made his film debut four years later in All Night Long (1962), a modern gloss on William Shakespeare's "Othello". His most famous role was as the heavy "Baron Samedi" in the James Bond movie Live and Let Die (1973), Roger Moore's first turn as 007.
Holder won the 1975 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for his staging of the Broadway musical "The Wiz" (1975), the all-African American retelling of "The Wizard of Oz." He also won the Tony for best costume design (he would be nominated again for a Tony for best costume design for the original 1978 Broadway musical "Timbuktu!", which he also directed and choreographed). As a choreographer he has created dance pieces for many companies, including the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
Holder has written two books, one on folklore and one on Caribbean cuisine. In the 1970s and 1980s, he put his striking 6'6" presence and bass voice to good use hawking various products in TV commercials, including soft drinks.- Actor
- Producer
George Harris was born on 20 October 1949 in Grenada, British West Indies [now Grenada]. He is an actor and producer, known for Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) and Layer Cake (2004).- Actress
- Soundtrack
Won a 2000 Tony Award for Best Performance By a Leading Actress in a Musical for her role in "Aida". Released her debut album in 2002, "This is who I am". Moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana at age 15. As a student in university, she performed at the Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre, in "Dreamgirls" and "The World Goes Round". Is of Trinidadian descent.- He was a highly successful black actor/director in the 1950s and 1960s who - because of his light-skinned appearance - transcended race and ethnicity in his performances. In motion pictures, Frank Silvera was cast as black, Latino, Polynesian and "white"/racially indeterminate (due to black + white film stock's lack of discernment when rendering light-skinned African-Americans).
He was actively engaged in the Civil Rights Struggles of the 1950s and 1960s and called on all of his associates in the theater and film world to support the efforts of Black Americans during this watershed in American history. The Frank Silvera Writers' Workshop Foundation, Inc. was founded by actor/ director Morgan Freeman, playwright/director Garland Lee Thompson, director/ actress Billie Allen and journalist Clayton Riley in 1973. - Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Henry Wilcoxon was given the lead role of Marc Antony in Cecil B. DeMille's Cleopatra (1934). It would prove to be the beginning of a long relationship with DeMille he would become a familiar DeMille character actor and DeMille's associate producer in the later years of DeMille's career. However, after DeMille died, he worked sporadically and accepted minor acting roles.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Rudolph Walker was born on 28 September 1939 in Trinidad, British West Indies [now Trinidad and Tobago]. He is an actor, known for EastEnders (1985), King Ralph (1991) and The Thin Blue Line (1995). He has been married to Evangeline Vincent since 2016. He was previously married to Dounne Alexander and Lorna Ross.- Leading and supporting African-American actor, Austin Stoker has been recognized since the '70s. Born and raised in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, West Indies, he attributes his affinity for the performing arts to being - since age 6 - a devoted participant in the over 200-year-old Trinidadian carnival - reportedly "The World's Most Colorful Festival". At 16, Austin's dream was to attend London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. That dream never came true. But as chance would have it, he was invited to join the Geoffrey Holder Dance Group in his hometown in Trinidad, which brought him to New York and landed in a Broadway show playing the steel drum, the musical instrument invented in Trinidad. As an all-around percussionist and singer, Austin worked with the group steadily for three years in concerts and clubs, until he was drafted into the US Army. Upon his return to civilian life, he became a permanent US resident and eventually began his dramatic training at New York's HB Studio, culminating in a scholarship under the tutelage of the distinguished exegete and author Uta Hagen. While performing on-screen, he has also been active consistently on the stage as well. His first major role on-screen was Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973) playing MacDonald. He later returned for the short-lived TV series Return to the Planet of the Apes (1975) and a short role in Airport 1975 (1974). His parts, however, got him the attention of a couple of "blaxploitation" directors of the early 70s. He took the lead role in the exploitation thriller The Get-Man (1974) and Abby (1974) and as Pam Grier's undercover sidekick and lover in the hit film 'Sheba, Baby' (1975), all three films directed by the late William Girdler. But Austin has probably mostly been recognized and remembered for his lead performance as Lt. Ethan Bishop whose police station is besieged by a gang in John Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13 (1976). He eventually took co-star and supporting roles in the late '70s to the early '80s in films like Time Walker (1982) and did numerous guest appearances on popular television shows. Although Austin's activity in films in recent years has been less than he would prefer, he continues to work on stage.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Franklyn Seales was a stage and television actor best remembered for playing the finicky business manager Dexter Stuffins on the NBC sit-com "Silver Spoons." He also appeared in films, most notably as the real-life cop killer in "The Onion Field."
One of eight children, Seales was born in 1952 on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent. In 1960, Seales' family emigrated to the United States, where they settled in New York City.
A painter since age six, Seales planned to study art at Pratt Institute. But then John Houseman noticed Seales when he was helping a friend to audition by performing the balcony scene from "Romeo and Juliet." Signed on the spot to a full scholarship at Juilliard, Seales studied acting as a member of Houseman's Acting Company, during the early 1970s.
Seales' first big break was the PBS broadcast of the television drama The Trial of the Moke (1978). He portrayed Lt. Henry O. Flipper, the first black graduate of West Point.
Seales' film debut was in the true-crime drama The Onion Field (1979). He portrayed a weak, gullible ex-con who's just out of jail when a fast-talking killer, played by James Woods, talks him into a senseless crime that results in the murder of a police officer.
From 1983 to 1987, Seales played the character for which he was best remembered, the finicky business manager Dexter Stuffins on the NBC situation-comedy Silver Spoons (1982), which also starred John Houseman as stoic Grandpa Stratton.
Toward the end of his life, Seales worked mainly in the non-profit Equity-waver theatre on the Westside of Los Angeles. He appeared in plays ranging from the theater of the absurd to Shakespeare. Los Angeles Times critic Lawrence Christon called Seales "one of America's most compelling stage actors."
As a member of the all-star L.A. Theatre Works, Seales was one of a company of 36 actors who contributed $6,000 each for the pleasure of performing classic plays together on the radio. Some of the Theater Works other members were James Earl Jones, Ted Danson, Richard Dreyfuss, Bonnie Bedelia, Stacy Keach, Michael York, and Ed Asner.
Seales last appeared in "Nothing Sacred," at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles in the fall of 1988. A comedic adaptation of Turgenev's "Fathers and Sons," it was directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg. Seales appeared as Uncle Havel, an aristocratic fop and former military man. For his characterization, Seales relied on his recollections of the English colonels and majors of his native St. Vincent, when it was still a British colony, "with their little sticks and stiff mustaches."
Although he was acclaimed for his versatility, Seales admitted that being a light-skinned black man had limited the roles that were available to him.
Franklyn Seales died on Monday, May 14, 1990 from complications from AIDS at his family's home in Brooklyn, New York. He had been too ill to work for several months. In its obituary, the Los Angeles Times said that "Seales as an actor came to be seen as a link between the tradition of black Africa and the sophistication of classical Anglo drama."
He was survived by his mother, three brothers and three sisters. A memorial service was planned at Juilliard.- Cathy Rosier was born on 2 January 1945 in Fort-de-France, Martinique, French West Indies. She was an actress, known for The Samurai (1967), Le dernier saut (1970) and Chap'la (1980). She was married to Norbert Lemoine, Gérard Foussier and Georges Rosier. She died on 17 May 2004 in Marrakech, Morocco.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
One of the early sound era's most attractive young leading ladies, doll-faced Marian Marsh enjoyed a short yet significant film career as the star of several memorable 1930s melodramas opposite some of the cinema's best, most charismatic lead actors. Her youthful, wide-eyed innocence combined with an innate delicacy to make a storybook heroine who was the perfect counterbalance to the licentious characters who often menaced her on film. So successful was she as a damsel in distress that she quickly became typecast, which impeded her development as an actress and helped bring her film career to a premature end.
The youngest of four children of a German chocolate manufacturer and his French-English wife, the future star was born Violet Ethelred Krauth on October 17, 1913, on the island of Trinidad, British West Indies. When World War I ruined his business, Mr. Krauth moved the family to Massachusetts, where his children developed an appreciation for the arts and theater.
During the mid 1920s, Violet's older sister Jean Fenwick became a student at Paramount's Astoria studio and later a Paramount contract player. When Jean signed a contract with FBO Pictures in Hollywood, the Krauth family moved to the West Coast, where Violet attended La Conte Junior High School and later Hollywood High. In 1928 Jean helped her strikingly attractive golden-haired sister secure a screen test with Pathe Studios, which promptly signed her but dropped her after a short film appearance. After another short pact with Samuel Goldwyn, Violet, now known as Marilyn Morgan, opted to study acting and voice with Nance O'Neil. In 1929 Warners signed the 16-year-old, who changed her name once again, this time to Marian Marsh.
Despite appearances in 30 short films starring James Gleason and a small part in Hell's Angels (1930), Marian's career seemed headed to oblivion when she won the role of her life in Svengali (1931), Warner's film remake of George L. Du Maurier's 1894 novel "Trilby"; the tragic tale of an artists' model who becomes a great singing diva under the hypnotic tutelage of the malevolent Svengali (charismatically portrayed by John Barrymore). According to Miss Marsh, she was tested for the plum role several times before being selected by Barrymore, apparently because she resembled his wife, Dolores Costello.
The immense critical and financial success of the film combined with young Miss Marsh's rave reviews to raise her Hollywood stock. Selected as one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars of 1931, she became one of filmdom's top up-and-coming actresses. Hoping to exploit her growing popularity and capitalize on her ability to project warmth, sincerity and inner strength on screen, Warners cast her as virginal heroines in a series of films. Of special note were her compelling performances as the daughter of a woman driven to suicide by amoral newspaper editor Edward G. Robinson in Five Star Final (1931), a ballerina menaced by evil clubfooted puppeteer John Barrymore in The Mad Genius (1931), a sexy teen smitten with mature William Powell in The Road to Singapore (1931), and the fast talking Cinderella secretary of skirt-chasing financier Warren William in Beauty and the Boss (1932).
Just when it appeared as if Marian was on the verge of superstardom, she seemed to fall out of favor at Warners. After the critical failure of the much ballyhooed drama Under Eighteen (1931), a disappointed, exhausted Marian rebelled against the studio, which retaliated by not picking up her option. Her career never fully recovered.
After she departed Warners, the 19-year-old freelance actress compounded her problems and further diminished her reputation by accepting film work overseas and at minor studios. Although her performances in such films as The Sport Parade (1932), the British comedy Over the Garden Wall (1934) and A Girl of the Limberlost (1934) were admirable, low-budget production values and other assorted problems doomed the projects.
In 1935 Marian signed a two-year pact with Columbia Pictures and tried with some success to resurrect her foundering career. Of the eight Columbia pictures she made during the period 1935-36, four were memorable. She was excellent, if typecast, as a young girl mixed up with crooks and gangsters in the entertaining melodrama Counterfeit (1936), as the bespectacled daughter of a retailer in love with a shyster salesman in the charming B comedy Come Closer, Folks (1936), as an accursed young woman forced to marry murderer Boris Karloff in the fondly remembered suspense classic The Black Room (1935), and notably as the beautiful prostitute Sonya in Josef von Sternberg's controversial film version of Fyodor Dostoevsky's timeless novel Crime and Punishment (1935) starring Peter Lorre. Her performance in the latter is without a doubt one of the best, if not the best, of her career.
When her Columbia contract expired in 1936, Marian once again squandered her momentum and talent by appearing in routine second features. From 1937 to 1938, she made seven mostly forgettable films, the best of which was Republic's B drama Youth on Parole (1937), in which Marian was poignant as a girl suffering the rejection and prejudice associated with being a parolee.
In March 1938 Miss Marsh, long one of Hollywood's most eligible bachelorettes, wed stockbroker Albert Scott, the former husband of actress Colleen Moore. After the marriage she made only five more feature films. "I loved acting," she told author Richard Lamparski, "but I had become a professional because we needed the money. In 1938 I married a businessman and just drifted away from acting." PRC's money-starved comedy House of Errors (1942) is her last film to date.
In the late 1950s Marian, was briefly lured back to acting, appearing in an episode of the popular John Forsythe sitcom "Bachelor Father" and an episode of Schlitz Playhouse (1951) before retiring in 1959. One year later she married aviation pioneer and wealthy entrepreneur Clifford Henderson and moved to Palm Desert, California, a town Henderson founded in the 1940s.
In the 1960s Marian founded Desert Beautiful, a non-profit, all-volunteer conservation organization to promote environmental and beautification programs. "We planted palm trees along the West Coast and were the first to plant palms in the lower valley [Coachella] to Palm Springs. If you want to leave something behind, plant a tree!" she told author Dan Van Neste in a 1998 interview.
After Cliff Henderson died in 1984, Marian continued to live in the Henderson ranch house continuing her charitable work. Miss Marsh remained in Palm Desert through 2005 and died in 2006. Near her end, Miss March was less active but still committed to her beloved Desert Beautiful. She retains fond memories of her filmmaking years and expresses appreciation for the continuing interest in her career. When asked how she'd like to be remembered in 1998, the modest, ever-gracious star simply replied, "For doing my best. I think anything I've ever tried, I tried to do my best. In the end, that's all you can do!"- Estelle Evans was born on 1 October 1906 in Hartswell, British West Indies. She was an actress, known for To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), The Learning Tree (1969) and The Clairvoyant (1982). She was married to Walter Alexander Evans. She died on 20 July 1985 in New York City, New York, USA.
- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Gino Justin Hudson McKoy is a Trinidadian-born Canadian singer-songwriter, poet, record producer, actor and screenwriter. He was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago and moved to Canada when he was three and a half years old. He graduated from the University of Toronto with an honours degree in World Religion and Political Science. During McKoy's university years, he was the founder and president of various cultural groups and successfully maintained leadership roles in various sports. Born into a family of bankers, he shifted away from political science after graduation and decided to follow his family's footsteps in the financial sector. He attained a well-paid position at a bank and things started to fall into place. After some time, McKoy realized something was missing as his days seemed short of excitement. Ever since he was young, Gino has had a strong passion for music. His creativity and passion for music grew after he made the decision to leave the bank and follow his dream. He attended the Mississauga School of Music and took vocal lessons. While at school, Gino was trained by Marat Maxutov, a classically-trained Russian musician who studied and taught in Kazakhstan. From then on, doors to the music industry began to open up. In 2005, at the Musical Classical Steel Drums Competition in the United Kingdom, McKoy's song Steelpan Music placed third in a youth competition. At the 2006 World Cup Soccer Tournament in Germany, The New York Times rated his original song Soca Warriors Anthem as a favorite. A third original song titled West Indies Forever was played on the first day of the opening match of the World Cup of Cricket in Jamaica in 2007. In all three instances, McKoy's music was well received by the international media including accolades from The New York Times and BBC. Even with little to no marketing budget, his songs were able to gain international attention. In late 2008, McKoy met Canadian sound engineer/producer, Nick Blagona at the Metalworks Studio in Mississauga while mastering one of his songs. Soon after they commenced work on his commercial debut pop rock album. The project was taken over in 2010 by legendary Hollywood producer David Kershenbaum. McKoy completed his debut album "Step Forward" in March 2010 after deciding to move to Los Angeles, California. He is working with the legendary producer David Kershenbaum to re-mix and re-master the debut album for release in the fall of this year. He has also started working on his two speculative screenplays for feature films, while also launching a merchandising line, called Lydgio Fashions, co-founded by McKoy and his mother, Lynda. In his spare time, he has taken small acting roles for the T.V. series America's Court and has plans to act in feature films as his career progresses. Even with his success in the music, movie and fashion industries, McKoy is also working hard at building his multimedia corporation Goldove Entertainment Inc., which started in Canada and has now been expanded to include an office in Los Angeles. The corporation started in 2004 and continues to grow as negotiations with producers in L.A. Combining all three of McKoy's loves-music, film and fashion-the new company stands poised to become an entertainment force in Hollywood as well as worldwide in the near future.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Aki Aleong was born in Trinidad and Tobago. His distinguished career has spanned more than 60 years as an actor, singer, writer, producer, activist and martial arts and action film star.
Aki currently stars as Dr. Yuki Tano in Nico Santucci's feature film "Sarogeto" - a story revealing the complicated and emotional struggle that Japanese American Grace / Minami Stanton faces and the controversial decision she makes on this unorthodox journey of a woman's search to find peace for her family and spiritual enlightenment. It's a film filled with relevant and thought provoking subjects including depression, anxiety and suicide (accepted in Japanese culture versus Western). Sarogeto stars Ikumi Yoshimatsu, Eric Roberts, Winsor Harmon, Ruby Park, Koji Niiya, Aki Aleong, Angelica Bridges and Nikki Nikita. Much of this movie was shot in the Aokigahara Forest (Suicide Forest) in Japan and is partially subtitled in Japanese, with the majority in English. Additional locations include Tokyo, Laguna Beach, Marina del Rey and Newport Beach and the film is set for release in 2021.
Aki's career started on Broadway in "Teahouse of the August Moon" and "The Interview." He went on to star in more than 50 movies and 150 television shows and worked with such Academy Award-winners as Frank Sinatra Jr., Marlon Brando, Faye Dunaway, Joanne Woodward, Steve McQueen, Ben Kingsley, John Mills, Ernest Borgnine, Jennifer Connelly and Martin Landau. His career included working with such prominent writers and directors as William Wyler (3 time Oscar winner), John Sturges, Martin Ritt, John Milius, Lionel Chetwynd, Philip Yordan, Mark Rydell, and Nobel Peace Prize Winner Pearl S. Buck.
Aki has starred in features with the best martial artists in the world, including Cung Le in "Blizniy Boy: The Ultimate Fighter" (2007) and "Savage Dog" (2017); Bolo Yeoung in Blizniy Boy: The Ultimate Fighter"; and with Sammo Hung in "Martial Law" (1998). He worked with world-class female martial artists Cynthia Rothrock, in "Sci-Fighter" (2004). and Juju Chan, in "Savage Dog" (2017) and "Road to Hell" (2017). He worked with Scott Adkins in "Savage Dog" (2017); Darren Shahlavi in "Pound of Flesh" (2015); Gary Daniels, Al Leong and Ron Yuan in "Deadly Target" (1994); and with Gary Hudson, Jason Gedrick and Kim Delaney in "The Force" (1994).
Although he is a heroic rights activist in real life, Aki has often played villains in martial arts and action films. In "Braddock: Missing in Action III" (1988), Chuck Norris' character of Braddock, his wife and son are captured by soldiers of the sadistic Vietnamese General Quoc, played by Aki. Quoc kills Braddock's wife on the spot, and tortures Braddock and his son until he meets his death at the end of the film. Aki's numerous memorable roles include Senator Hidoshi during the first season of "Babylon 5"; Mr. Chiang in the weekly series of "V: The Series"; the Dalai Lama in "Superhero Movie" (2008); and the character of Colonel Mitamura in "Farewell to the King" with Nick Nolte.
Aki's musical talent was discovered by Frank Sinatra when they were filming together on the film "Lover's So Few". Sinatra signed Aki to his Reprise Records Label. Aki is the first Asian American to have a Top 100 record "Trade Winds", which he wrote and co-produced, on the National Charts in the US. Aki has served as a record executive and chaired the Fraternity of Recording Executives and was President of the Pan World Records and Golden Dragon publishing companies. He was the National Director of Black Promotion for Polydor/Polygram Records and also worked with Liberty/UA Records and Capitol Records. He also produced records for Columbia Records, Capitol, Liberty/UA, Arista and other prominent labels.
Aki served on the National Board of the Screen Actors Guild; was appointed National Chair of SAG'S EEOC, and was a member of the President's Diversity/Affirmative Action Task Force. He has also been Executive Director of AIM (Asians in Media), Vice President of The Media Coalition of Los Angeles and President of Media Action Network for Asian-Americans (MANAA). He received an Honorary Doctorate from New Dimensions University in 2013. Aki is the President and CEO of Mustard Seed Media Group and the Senior Advisor to Ace Studios in Hong Kong.- Sonny Caldinez was born on 1 July 1932 in Trinidad, British West Indies [now Trinidad and Tobago]. He was an actor, known for Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), The Fifth Element (1997) and Doctor Who (1963). He died on 12 April 2022.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Vivian Bonnell was born on 23 May 1924 in Antigua, British West Indies. She was an actress, known for Ghost (1990), Summer School (1987) and Teachers (1984). She was married to Austin Stoker. She died on 18 November 2003 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Director
- Additional Crew
- Actor
Dirk Sanders was born on 24 December 1933 in Buitenzorg, Buitenzorg, Dutch East Indies [now Bogor, West Java, Indonesia]. He was a director and actor, known for You Only Love Once (1968), Castle Keep (1969) and Ainsi font font font (1990). He was married to Annie Fargue and Karen Blanguernon. He died on 26 July 2002 in Paris, France.- Hailing from the island of Jamaica, Nicola Lambo wasted no time upon her arrival to the states, hitting the fast track to becoming a multi-talented entertainer, earning a scholarship and soon after, a Jazz Vocal Degree from the University of Miami. Snatched up straight out of college by the Walt Disney World Company, she quickly acquired a range from performing in 5 different shows under Equity Theater Contracts, singing, acting, and dancing, her most prominent being the principal role of African princess, Kibibi aka Nala, in the "Festival of the Lion King" at Disney's Animal Kingdom, followed up by traveling the world on stage in front of thousands of fans with Record Label Artists as a part of several world tours, rounding out her wheel house of work and helping to sharpen her acting skills along the way.
Since her world wind start, Nicola has amassed an impressive body of work as the dust settled, making California her home. Staking her claim and making her presence known on Network Television with TV appearances on "American Crime Story: Versace" acting on screen with award winning Judith Light, "The Neighborhood", "Life in Pieces", "S.W.A.T", "Lethal Weapon", "Scandal", "Criminal Minds", "Man with a Plan", and "NCIS" to name a few highlights. Scooping up prominent roles in Feature Films such as "Greenland", released in theaters, and "Creed III", then stepping into a lead role in the holiday movie "Santa Claws", a journey into parenthood, with cuddly cats and a Santa who happens to be allergic. Nicola has also cultivated a thriving career in commercials, voice overs, and spokesperson endeavors gaining tremendous accolades in her pursuit.
"It's a thrill to take on each new opportunity, sharing my passion for performance through storytelling. I welcome the chance to learn, grow, share my experiences, and deepen my craft with each new adventure. With my diverse look and charismatic demeanor, I've garnered the reputation as a ray of sunshine on set as I strive to bring that little extra something to every single project. As an actor we have the ability to transport the audience to another space and time, where they can escape to a myriad of emotions, gain insight, be uplifted, informed, or find hope in the most unexpected places. From a very early age, I knew I wanted to be a part of that. For me, this is just the beginning, as I remain focused and eternally grateful for every step of the journey." My philosophy ~ "The best way to predict the future is to create it." Lincoln - Stephenson was a firm, dignified, worldly presence in Hollywood's classic history-based films of the 30s and 40s. The tall British character actor Henry Stephenson could be both imposing and benevolent in his patrician portrayals, usually expounding words of wisdom or offering gentlemanly aid. He was born Henry S. Garroway in Granada, British West Indies on April 16, 1871 and studied at Rugby in England. His reputation was built solidly on the stage both in America and in England, making his Broadway debut around the turn of the century with "A Message from Mars" in 1901. While he did make a few silent pictures (from 1917), film audiences began taking a notice only in later years. After transferring a successful Broadway role to film with Cynara (1932), Stephenson settled in Hollywood where he distinguished himself in a variety of pictures for RKO, MGM and Warner Bros., among others. He appeared quite frequently in royal support for Warners' top star of the time, Errol Flynn, including Captain Blood (1935) as Lord Willoughby, The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936) as Sir Charles Macefield, The Prince and the Pauper (1937) as the Duke of Norfolk, and The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939) as Lord Burghley. His last film was the sentimental yarn Challenge to Lassie (1949). Long married to character actress Ann Shoemaker, Stephenson died on April 24, 1956 in San Francisco, California at age 85, and was survived by his widow and daughter.
- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Actor, comedian, writer and motivational speaker Charles Andrew Payne started acting at a young age and has appeared in numerous television shows, films, commercials and theatre productions.
As a professional comedian he has toured across Canada and the USA, appearing at comedy clubs and comedy festivals as a featured headliner. He speaks and presents at corporate events providing talks on various business topics, perseverance and resiliency, weaving in comedy and storytelling styles. His writings have been featured in various publications and produced on the theatrical stage as well as television. Payne was the head writer and was a star in the Rosie-nominated (Best Web Series 2017), The Parent Council (2018).
Payne co-founded Vancouver's The Fox & Hounds Theatre Company and has appeared in most of their productions, as well as producing and directing several shows. Choice, which he wrote and co-produced, is in pre-production as of March 2021.
Payne has been married to Dalyce Reid-Payne since 2007, by which marriage he has a son, Cael Payne, and a stepson, Austin Reid.- Actor
- Producer
Tinpo Lee is an actor, writer and avid surfer. He graduated from UCLA with a degree in English Literature, and began his professional acting career in New York City, studying under the legendary Wynn Handman of The American Place Theatre. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and three children, including actress Peyton Elizabeth Lee.- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
One of the most famous presenters of Play School (1964) she has recently devoted her life to charity work. As well as sitting on the Board of Governors of Britain's National Film & Television School, she was awarded the OBE by the Queen for services to broadcasting and charity in 2001.
As of 28th May 2010, she is formally known as Baroness Benjamin of Beckenham, in the county of Kent, upon her elevation to the peerage of the United Kingdom in the Dissolution Honours List published that day (the list names those individuals receiving Honours from the Monarch at a time following the dissolution of the UK Parliament), after nomination by the Liberal Democrat party. On 28th June 2010 Lady Benjamin took her seat as a Life Peer in the House of Lords, the upper house of the UK Parliament, where she has said she "...will be devoting much energy to the well being of children and young people".- Actress
- Soundtrack
Alphonsia Emmanuel was born on 7 November 1956 in Dominica, British West Indies. She is an actress, known for Peter's Friends (1992), Rockliffe's Babies (1987) and Desmond's (1989).- Stefan Kalipha was born in 1940 in Trinidad, British West Indies [now Trinidad and Tobago]. He is an actor, known for For Your Eyes Only (1981), The Nativity Story (2006) and Ali G Indahouse (2002).
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Mona Hammond was born Mavis Chin to a Chinese father and Jamaican mother. She came to Britain in 1959 on a scholarship to work with an architects firm but was soon involved in black theatre productions with contemporaries such as Lloyd and Barry Reckord and Charles Hyatt, under the name Mona Chin. In 1959 she won a scholarship to RADA. Initially known as a stage actress - she played Lady Macbeth in an all-black version of the Shakespeare play at London's Roundhouse in 1970 - she went to co-found the Talawa Theatre Group with fellow actresses Yvonne Brewster and Carmen Munroe. The group performs black versions of plays written for whites as well as staging original Afro-Caribbean productions. In 2005 she was awarded an O.B.E. for services to drama. Having played in the TV soap 'Eastenders' for some years she has a recurring occasional role as a white vicar's outspoken ex-mother-in-law in radio soap 'The Archers.'- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
He was born Lancelot Victor Edward Pinard, to well-to-do Anglophile parents in Trinidad. Oddly though, it wasn't until schooling took him to New York City in 1940 that he discovered a love of calypso music. In a profession where successful artists commonly took names like King Radio or Lord Invader, it was natural for someone named Lancelot to choose the stage name Sir Lancelot, and with that name he wrote and performed calypso (with some acting on the side) for movies, live theater, and radio beginning in the 1940's.- Writer
- Script and Continuity Department
Steven Pressfield was born in September 1943 in Port of Spain, Trinidad, British West Indies [now Trinidad and Tobago]. He is a writer, known for Above the Law (1988), The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000) and Freejack (1992).- Music Artist
- Actor
- Composer
Billy Ocean was born on 21 January 1950 in Trinidad, British West Indies [now Trinidad and Tobago]. He is a music artist and actor, known for The Jewel of the Nile (1985), Striptease (1996) and Filth (2013). He has been married to Judy Bayne since October 1982. They have three children.- Marguerite LeWars was born in 1938 in Kingston, Jamaica, British West Indies. She is an actress, known for Dr. No (1962), Miss Universe Pageant (1961) and Inside 'Dr. No' (2000).
- Suzzanna was born on 14 October 1942 in Buitenzorg, Buitenzorg, Dutch East Indies [now Bogor, West Java, Indonesia]. She was an actress, known for Samson and Delilah (1987), Tuan Tanah Kedawung (1971) and Sangkuriang (1982). She was married to Clift Sangra and Dicky Suprapto. She died on 15 October 2008 in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia.
- Oscar James was born on 25 July 1942 in Trinidad, British West Indies [now Trinidad and Tobago]. He is an actor, known for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Hardware (1990) and If Only (2004).
- Actor
- Writer
Errol John began his professional career as a journalist and commercial artist in his native Trinidad. In 1946, he co-founded an amateur theatre group with Errol Hill called the Whitehall Players (also known as the Company of Players). While there, John worked in a number of different capacities including as a playwright. In 1950, he relocated to Britain, where he began acting in local stage productions. Work in film and television productions soon followed, but mostly in bit parts. A career breakthrough occurred when he was cast in a major role A Man from the Sun (1956) for the BBC in 1956.
The following year, his play, "Moon on a Rainbow Shawl," won the Observer Drama Competition. It was subsequently adapted for radio as "Small Island Moon," then staged as a play starring Earle Hyman at the Royal Court Theatre. While the initial stage production was not well-received, the television adaptation with John in the role was. It appeared as a segment of ITV Play of the Week (1955) in 1960. "Moon on a Rainbow Shawl" was brought to the United States in an off-Broadway production that was directed by George Roy Hill. This production featured James Earl Jones, Cicely Tyson, and Vinnette Carroll in the cast and received favorable reviews.
Meanwhile, John continued to work as an actor in television, film, and theatre. At London's Old Vic, John appeared as the Prince of Morocco in "The Merchant of Venice" and "Othello" in the title role.
On television, he wrote and appeared in "The Dawn," as an episode of the BBC series, First Night (1963). John did the same thing with "The Exiles" for BBC1's The Wednesday Play (1964) in 1969.
In the 1960s and 1970s, John appeared in supporting and bit roles in Hollywood films such as Assault on a Queen (1966) and Buck and the Preacher (1972). Previously, he had appeared in the critically acclaimed The Nun's Story (1959).
While Errol John achieved some recognition during his career, in his later years, he became increasingly frustrated by the entertainment industry and the lack of opportunities for him as an actor, director and writer.
Shortly, after the closing of a production of "Moon on a Rainbow Shawl" that was staged by Maya Angelou, Errol John was found dead in his London home on July 10, 1988.- Garcia Brown is a British film, television and theatre actor, known for Shameless (2017), A Lesson Learnt (2015) and A Song From the Dark.
Born in Kingston, Jamaica but was moved to the UK with her mother when she was just 3yrs old. Garcia would always express herself through arts and dancing, so by the time she was 8 she was enrolled into a theatre school for children, this is where her training and journey began as an actress. - Actor
- Director
- Producer
Edric Connor was born on 2 August 1913 in Mayaro, Trinidad, British West Indies. He was an actor and director, known for The Vikings (1958), Moby Dick (1956) and King of Kings (1961). He was married to Pearl Connor. He died on 16 October 1968 in London, England, UK.- Jean Fenwick was born on 30 May 1907 in Trinidad, British West Indies [now Trinidad and Tobago]. She was an actress, known for I've Been Around (1935), Arrest Bulldog Drummond (1938) and Mary of Scotland (1936). She died on 5 December 1998 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Trevor McDonald was born on 16 August 1939 in Trinidad, British West Indies [now Trinidad and Tobago]. He is an actor, known for Johnny English (2003), Coronation Street (1960) and 3 Steps to Heaven (1995). He is married to Josephine. They have two children.
- Actor
- Director
Burt Caesar was born in St. Kitts, British West Indies [now Saint Kitts and Nevis]. He is known for Dune: Part Two (2024), Skyfall (2012) and Chop Chop (2015).- Actor
- Writer
- Director
John Longden was born on 11 November 1900 in the West Indies. He was an actor and writer, known for Blackmail (1929), Quatermass 2 (1957) and Quinneys (1927). He was married to Jean Jay. He died on 26 May 1971 in London, England, UK.- Writer
- Director
- Actor
Philippe Guillard was born on 13 May 1961 in Les Abymes, Guadeloupe, French West Indies. He is a writer and director, known for Papi Sitter (2020), J'adore ce que vous faites (2022) and Jo's Boy (2011).- Actor
- Producer
- Director
One of the first black superstars of popular entertainment, Egbert Austin Williams, although born in the Bahamas, was raised largely in California. Nursing show business aspirations early on, he teamed with boyhood friend George Walker to form a highly successful vaudeville act, which continued until the ravages of syphilis brought about Walker's retirement and premature death in 1909. Two years later, Williams joined the Ziegfeld Follies and experienced perhaps his greatest fame as one of its' star comedians until his death. Although he played the (then) typical stereotype of the slow-witted, dialect-spouting black, and had to wear burnt cork to disguise his true ethnicity, he still managed to project an elan and style that was all his own, gently mocking the various stereotypes even as he was playing them. His recordings on American Columbia records were best-sellers in their time. An intelligent, articulate man privately, he was bitterly disappointed in a society that could applaud him onstage, yet still treat him like a second-class citizen off stage. Although he lived at one of the city's top hotels during his years in New York, he always had to ride the service elevator to his suite rather than come in by the main entrance. Ill health in his last years, primarily hypertension and lung trouble, brought about his early death at the age of only 47, while he was still a headliner. Long and happily married, he and his wife had no children but raised a niece and nephew.- Dee Humphrey was born on 8 March 1930 in Port-au-Spain, Trinidad, British West Indies (BWI). She was an actress, known for The Adventures of Jim Bowie (1956). She was married to Benjamin Masselink, William Holbrook Hawes Jr and Pat Conway. She died in June 2020 in San Mateo, California, USA.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Hugh Laing was born on 6 June 1911 in Barbados, British West Indies [now Barbados]. He was an actor, known for Brigadoon (1954), The Immortal Hour (1939) and A Divertissement (1939). He was married to Diana Adams. He died on 10 May 1988 in New York City, New York, USA.- Felix Dexter was born on 26 July 1961 in St. Kitts, British West Indies [now Saint Kitts and Nevis]. He was an actor and writer, known for Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge (1994), Citizen Khan (2012) and The Fast Show (1994). He died on 18 October 2013 in London, England, UK.
- Anthony Marsh was born on 13 June 1912 in Trinidad, British West Indies [now Trinidad and Tobago]. He was an actor, known for Overland Stage Raiders (1938), Society Fever (1935) and Portia on Trial (1937). He died on 15 September 1974 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Actor
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Haddaway was born on 9 January 1965 in Trinidad, West Indies. He is an actor and composer, known for War Dogs (2016), A Night at the Roxbury (1998) and Just Married (2003).- Vikki Richards was born on 29 December 1949 in Trinidad, British West Indies [now Trinidad and Tobago]. She was an actress, known for The Love Factor (1969), Black Snake (1973) and The Onedin Line (1971). She died on 6 March 2024 in Valsayn, Trinidad and Tobago.
- Music Department
- Actor
- Composer
He is one of hip hop's greatest pioneers.Grandmaster Flash helped revolutionized the art and skills of DJing and set standards in hip hop history. An icon during the culture's heyday, Flash introduced many techniques that would be used by many DJs worldwide. He was also known as the DJ of one of hip hop's greatest pioneering MC groups, The Furious Five.- Stokely Carmichael was born on 29 January 1941 in Port of Spain, Trinidad, British West Indies [now Trinidad and Tobago]. He was married to Marlyatou Barry and Miriam Makeba. He died on 15 November 1998 in Conakry, Guinea.
- Frank Singuineau was a Trinidadian actor of stage and screen who worked in Britain, where he moved from Trinidad and Tobago in the 1940s.
Employed by the Shell Company, he took an active interest in Amateur Dramatics. Just after the Second World War he gave up his job with Shell, traveled to London and became an actor, acting with the Unity Theatre and the Bristol Old Vic. His London stage debut was in 1948 in Richard Wright's Native Son, and Singuineau's acting career spanned the subsequent decades until his last roles in Lillian Hellman's Watch on the Rhine at the Royal National Theatre and Mustapha Matura's Playboy of the West Indies at the Tricycle Theatre in 1984.
Singuineau also appeared in such films as The Pumpkin Eater (1964), Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964), Pressure (1976) and An American Werewolf in London (1981), and in several television series including Z Cars (1962), Crane (1963), and Doomwatch (1970).
Singuineau retired in the late 1980s. He died on 11 September 1992 in London, England at the age of 79.