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- Actress
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Jennifer Aniston was born in Sherman Oaks, California, to actors John Aniston and Nancy Dow. Her father was Greek, and her mother was of English, Irish, Scottish, and Italian descent. Jennifer spent a year of her childhood living in Greece with her family. Her family then relocated to New York City where her parents divorced when she was nine. Jennifer was raised by her mother and her father landed a role, as "Victor Kiriakis", on the daytime soap Days of Our Lives (1965). Jennifer had her first taste of acting at age 11 when she joined the Rudolf Steiner School's drama club. It was also at the Rudolf Steiner School that she developed her passion for art. She began her professional training as a drama student at New York's School of Performing Arts, aka the "Fame" school. It was a division of Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and the Arts. In 1987, after graduation, she appeared in such Off-Broadway productions as "For Dear Life" and "Dancing on Checker's Grave". In 1990, she landed her first television role, as a series regular on Molloy (1990). She also appeared in The Edge (1992), Ferris Bueller (1990), and had a recurring part on Herman's Head (1991). By 1993, she was floundering. Then, in 1994, a pilot called "Friends Like These" came along. Originally asked to audition for the role of "Monica", Aniston refused and auditioned for the role of "Rachel Green", the suburban princess turned coffee peddler. With the success of the series Friends (1994), Jennifer has become famous and sought-after as she turns her fame into movie roles during the series hiatus.- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Megan Denise Fox was born on May 16, 1986 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee and raised in Rockwood, Tennessee to Gloria Darlene Tonachio (née Cisson), a real estate manager and Franklin Thomas Fox, a parole officer. She began her drama and dance training at age 5 and at age 10, she moved to Port St. Lucie, Florida where she continued her training and finished school. Megan began acting and modeling at age 13 after winning several awards at the 1999 American Modeling and Talent Convention in Hilton Head, South Carolina. At age 17, she tested out of school using correspondence and eventually moved to Los Angeles, California. Megan made her film debut as Brianna Wallace in the Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen film, Holiday in the Sun (2001). Her best-known roles are as Sam Witwicky's love interest, Mikaela Banes in Transformers (2007) and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009), as April O'Neil in the remake Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) and its sequel Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016), and as Jennifer Check in the horror comedy Jennifer's Body (2009).- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Heather Elizabeth Morris is an American actress born in Thousand Oaks, CA. Daughter to Jeannie and Stan Morris, Heather grew up in Scottsdale, AZ, and started her love for dancing when she was merely still in diapers. Growing up, she spent her days dreaming of becoming a star, recording herself on her parents old tape recorder and performing Britney Spears at her middle school talent show; she was never not performing. In 2003, Heather booked it to Los Angeles and competed with her dance group on the Arsenio Hall Variety Show, Star Search, and in 2006, Heather's talent landed her in the top 40 on FOX's So You Think You Can Dance.
After spending only two semesters at Arizona State University, in 2006 Heather officially moved out to Los Angeles and began auditioning, landing her first dance job as Beyoncé's back up dancer on 'The Beyonce Experience' World Tour nearly 6 months after making her big decision.
In 2009, Heather began studying at the Meisner school for Acting "Playhouse West" in Los Angeles. She was given the opportunity by choreographer Zach Woodlee to audition for Ryan Murphy in the upcoming Fox comedy Glee, and after two failed attempts...Heather learned she landed the role of "Brittany S. Pierce" strictly because of her incredible dancing capabilities. Heather has worked on productions like the Blue Sky franchise Ice Age and Harmony Korrine's feature Spring Breakers. She is an Executive Producer for The Bystanders Podcast, starring Jane Lynch, Kristin Chenoweth, Oscar Nunez and Michael Hitchcock.- Actress
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Amanda Laura Bynes was born on April 3, 1986, in Thousand Oaks, California, the youngest of three children of Lynn (Organ), a dental assistant, and Richard Bynes, a dentist. Her father is of Lithuanian, Irish, and Polish descent, and her mother is from an Ashkenazi Jewish family from Toronto. Amanda became interested in acting and performing from the age of three, when she would say her older sister Jillian's lines with her while she performed in plays. It was from then on that her family and friends knew that she would be a star someday.
Her acting debut was in 1996, when she auditioned for and got the role as a newcomer on All That (1994). Right away, she became very popular as people enjoyed her acting in skits, especially Ask Ashley, where she played a little girl running an advice column who would get very angry every time she read a letter.
In 1999, 13-year-old Amanda was given her own variety show, The Amanda Show (1999), in which she starred in all of the skits except Totally Kyle. In 2001, she co-starred with Frankie Muniz in Big Fat Liar (2002) as Kaylee, Jason's friend who helps him prove that he really did write the essay "Big Fat Liar" and regain his father's trust. It was also in 2001 that she began dating Taran Killam from The Amanda Show (1999) and Big Fat Liar (2002), who is four years and two days older than she is. She also won a Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award and, at age 15, The Amanda Show (1999) ended its run.
In 2002, she began co-starring with Jennie Garth in What I Like About You (2002) as Holly, a 16-year-old girl who moves in with her sister after their father decides to move to Japan. She also celebrated her Sweet 16th birthday and got her driver's license on April 3, 2002.
In 2003, Amanda won two KCA Awards and starred as Daphne, a girl searching for her father, in What a Girl Wants (2003) with Colin Firth and Kelly Preston as her parents. She continued acting in What I Like About You (2002) and broke up with Taran.
A prodigiously talented comedienne, on April 3, 2004, Amanda celebrated her 18th birthday on the 17th Annual KCA Awards, where she won an award for best actress for her role in What a Girl Wants (2003). She graduated from Thousand Oaks High School's independent study program on June 10, 2004, and filmed Lovewrecked (2005) in 2004.- Actress
- Director
- Producer
Busy was born Elizabeth Jean Philipps in Illinois, US. She became interested in acting when she was in fourth grade and was always starring in school productions. In the summer, she would attend theater camp.
She is more commonly known as a television actress, getting her first break on Freaks and Geeks (1999), She joined Dawson's Creek (1998) and ER (1994), but her breakthrough role has been Laurie Keller on Cougar Town (2009).- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Betty White was born in Oak Park, Illinois, to Christine Tess (Cachikis), a homemaker, and Horace Logan White, a lighting company executive for the Crouse-Hinds Electric Company. She was of Danish, Greek, English, and Welsh descent.
Although she was best known as the devious Sue Ann Nivens on the classic sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970) and the ditzy Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls (1985), Betty White had been in television for a long, long time before those two shows, having had her own series, Life with Elizabeth (1952) in 1952.
She was married three times, lastly for eighteen years, until widowed, to TV game-show host Allen Ludden.
She was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame and she was known for her tireless efforts on behalf of animals.
Betty White died on 31 December 2021, at the age of 99.- Producer
- Writer
- Actor
Highly inventive U.S. film director/producer/writer/actor Sam Raimi first came to the attention of film fans with the savage, yet darkly humorous, low-budget horror film, The Evil Dead (1981). From his childhood, Raimi was a fan of the cinema and, before he was ten-years-old, he was out making movies with an 8mm camera. He was a devoted fan of The Three Stooges, so much of Raimi's film work in his teens, with good friends Bruce Campbell and Rob Tapert, was slapstick comedy based around what they had observed from "Stooges" movies.
Among the three of them, they wrote, directed, produced and edited a short horror movie titled Within the Woods (1978), which was then shown to prospective investors to raise the money necessary to film The Evil Dead (1981). It met with lukewarm interest in the U.S. with local distributors, so Raimi took the film to Europe, where it was much more warmly received. After it started gaining positive reviews and, more importantly, ticket sales upon its release in Europe, U.S. distributors showed renewed interest, and "Evil Dead" was eventually released stateside to strong box office returns. His next directorial effort was Crimewave (1985), a quirky, cartoon-like effort that failed to catch fire with audiences. However, he bounced back with Evil Dead II (1987), a racier and more humorous remake/sequel to the original "Dead" that did even better at the box office. Raimi was then given his biggest budget to date to shoot Darkman (1990), a comic book-style fantasy about a scarred avenger. The film did moderate business, but Raimi's strong visual style was evident throughout the film via inventive and startling camera work that caught the attention of numerous critics.
The third chapter in the Evil Dead story beckoned, and Raimi once again directed buddy Campbell as the gritty hero "Ash", in the Gothic horror Army of Darkness (1992). Raimi surprised fans when he took a turn away from the fantasy genre and directed Gene Hackman and Sharon Stone in the sexy western, The Quick and the Dead (1995); four years later, he took the directorial reins on A Simple Plan (1998), a crime thriller about stolen money, starring Bill Paxton and Bridget Fonda. In early 1999, he directed the baseball film, For Love of the Game (1999), and, in 2000, returned to the fantasy genre with a top-flight cast in The Gift (2000). In 2002, Raimi was given a real opportunity to demonstrate his dynamic visual style with the big-budget film adaptation of the Stan Lee comic book superhero, Spider-Man (2002), and fans were not disappointed. The movie was strong in both script and effects, and was a runaway success at the box office. Of course, Raimi returned for the sequel, Spider-Man 2 (2004), which surpassed the original in box-office takings.- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Bob Newhart is an American actor and stand-up comedian. His comedic style involves deadpan delivery of dialogue, a slight stammer when talking, and comedic monologues. He has cited earlier comedians George Gobel (1919-1991), Ray Goulding (1922-1990), and Bob Elliott (1923-2016) as his main influences in developing his comedy style.
In 1929, Newhart was born in a hospital in Oak Park, Illinois. His parents were George David Newhart (1900-1985) and his wife Julia Pauline Burns (1900-1994). George was the son of an American father and a Canadian mother, had both German and Irish ancestry, and claimed maternal descent from the O'Conor family of Connacht; his mother was an Irish-American. George had partial ownership in a plumbing and heating-supply business, which was the Newhart family's main source of income.
Bob Newhart was raised in the vicinity of Chicago and attended a number of local Roman Catholic schools: first the St. Catherine of Siena Grammar School in Oak Park, then St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago. He graduated the prep school (equivalent to a high school) in 1947, then enrolled at the Loyola University Chicago. He graduated in 1952 with a Bachelor's Degree in business management.
Shortly after graduating from the university, Newhart was drafted into the the United States Army. He served as a personnel manager for the Army during the Korean War (1950-1953). He was honorably discharged in 1954, during the post-war demobilization of the American armed forces. He attempted to continue his studies, and enrolled into the Loyola University Chicago School of Law. However he never completed his degree, quitting a required internship because his employer had demanded "unethical" behavior from him.
Newhart briefly worked as an accountant for the USG Corporation (United States Gypsum Corporation), a Chicago-based company which manufactures construction materials. He quit after regularly facing trouble in "adjusting petty cash imbalances". He then proceeded to work as a clerk for various employers, but found himself struggling financially.
In 1958, Newhart was hired as an advertising copywriter for a Chicago-based production company. To entertain himself, he started exchanging "long telephone calls about absurd scenarios" with a friendly co-worker. The 29-year-old Newhart had the idea to try his hand as a comedian, and developed a comedy routine based on the telephone calls. He recorded his routine into audition tapes, and send them to radio stations. His routine was met favorably. In 1959, Newhart started performing as a stand-up-comedian in nightclubs, and signed a contract with a new record company which was seeking to recruit some talent. The company was Warner Bros. Records (established in 1958), a subsidiary of the film studio Warner Bros.
Newhart became famous primarily through his audio releases. His comedy album "The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart" (1960) became the first comedy album to make number one on the Billboard charts, and earned him the 1961 Grammy Award for Best New Artist.
This success opened to him new career opportunities, in television and film. NBC offered him his own variety television show, the short-lived "The Bob Newhart Show" (October, 1961-June 1962). The show won the 1962 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series, but was canceled anyway. It had won the award while facing four other candidates: "The Andy Griffith Show", "Car 54, Where Are You?", "Hazel", and "The Red Skelton Show". Each of them managed to outlast the award-winning show.
In 1962, Newhart made his film debut in the war film "Hell Is for Heroes". Newhart played the character James Driscoll, an Army company clerk who broadcasts misleading radio messages to the enemy limes during World War II. As essentially comic role in an otherwise dramatic film.
Newhart appeared frequently as a guest star in television over the subsequent years, but had relatively few film roles. He appeared in the caper story "Hot Millions" (1968), the reincarnation-themed fantasy film "On a Clear Day You Can See Forever" (1970), the war film "Catch-22" (1970), and the tobacco-smoking-themed satirical film "Cold Turkey" (1971).
From 1972 to 1978, Newhart starred in the hit sitcom "The Bob Newhart Show". He played the character Robert "Bob" Hartley, Ph.D. (Newhart), a Chicago psychologist who is surrounded by eccentric patients, work colleagues, friends, and family members. Hartley was effectively the "straight man" to the wacky characters surrounding him.
In 1977, Newhart voiced Bernard, the male lead in the animated film "The Rescuers" (1977). The film features the Rescue Aid Society, an international mouse organization, with its headquarters located in New York City. Bernard is not initially one of its members, but works as their janitor. When Miss Bianca, Hungary's representative in the organization, must choose a partner for her first field mission, she impulsively chooses Bernard over the the other available agents. Part of the success of the film is based on the contrast between the two partners, the adventurous, brave, but rather impulsive Bianca, and the overly cautious, shy, and reluctant hero Bernard. "The Rescuers" earned worldwide gross rentals of 48 million dollars at the box office during its initial release, and had a total lifetime worldwide gross of 169 million dollars through subsequent re-releases.
In 1980, Newhart appeared in two live-action films, the comedy-drama "Little Miss Marker", and the political comedy "First Family". The first features Newhart as a member of a gangster-run gambling operation. The gangsters are surprised when a client uses his 6-year-old daughter as collateral for a bet, and and more surprised when the client commits suicide. The film deals with jaded criminals who develop parental feelings for the orphan girl. The other film was a more cynical comedy, with Newheart as an inept President of the United States. The main plot deals with the President tolerating the kidnapping of American citizens by a fictional African country, because the country offers some valuable resources in exchange for their new American slaves.
From 1982 to 1990, Newhart starred in a second hit sitcom, called simply "Newhart". He played the character Dick Loudon, a Vermon-based innkeeper who finds himself surrounded by strange employees, neighbors, and competitors. The show had a famous ending where the entire series is "revealed" to be a dream of Robert Hartley, Newhart's character from his first sitcom.
In 1990, Newhart returned to the role of Bernard, in the sequel film "The Rescuers Down Under". Early in the film, Bernard is preparing a marriage proposal for Miss Bianca, but his plans are derailed when they are both send to Australia for an urgent mission. The duo are partnered with Australian agent Jake, and Bernard is frustrated with when Jake competes with him for Bianca's affections. At the end of the mission, Berbard finally makes his marriage proposal, unwilling to let orders for further missions to interfere with his plans to marry the woman he loves. The film only earned 47.4 million dollars at the worldwide box office, and became Walt Disney Animation Studio's least successful theatrical animated film of the 1990s.
From 1992 to 1993, Newhart starred in his third sitcom, called simply "Bob". He played the character Bob McKay, a veteran comic book writer and artist from the 1950s. Having long retired into obscurity, McKay is hired by a corporation to produce a revival of his classic character, the superhero "Mad-Dog". The first season introduced a large cast of eccentric co-workers. The second season dismissed most of these characters, and had McKay serving as the President of a company producing greeting cards. The series suffered from low ratings, and was canceled at the end of its second season. Only 33 episodes were produced.
From 1997 to 1998, Newhart starred in his fourth sitcom "George & Leo". He played the character George Stoody, a bookstore owner who finds himself offering hospitality to a professional magician and part-time criminal, who recently robbed a Mafia-owned casino. The humor was based on the strong contrast between the two men, but the series failed to find an audience.
Newhart returned to theatrical films with the romantic comedy "In & Out" (1997). He had roles in the animated film "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie" (1998), the comedy "Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde" (2003), and the Christmas film "Elf" (2003) . From 2004 to 2008, Newhart played the major character Judson in three television films of "The Librarian" fantasy franchise. The franchise features a mystical library, which hides numerous magical and technological artifacts from various historical eras. A series of librarians have to guard the library and its contents from criminal organizations with sinister designs. Judson is the mentor who trains the current librarian, after the previous one was killed in action. The series hinted that Judson was older than he looked, and he was eventually revealed to be the original librarian. He was nearly immortal, and had trained succeeding librarians for centuries.
In 2011, Newhart played a small role in the black comedy "Horrible Bosses", playing the character of sadistic CEO Louis Sherman. Sherman is described as a "Twisted Old Fuck", who keeps people locked in his trunk.
In 2013, Newhart started playing the recurring character Arthur Jeffries (stage name "Professor Proton") in the sitcom "The Big Bang Theory" (2007-). Arthur was a scientist who decades ago served as the host of a science show aimed at children, inspiring series co-protagonists Leonard Hofstadter and Sheldon Cooper to start science careers of their own. Leonard and Sheldon, now professional physicists with academic careers, eventually get to meet their childhood idol. Arthur's scientific career ended in disgrace, his television days are long over, and he has been reduced to earning a meager living as a party entertainer.
The role of Arthur Jeffries won Newhart his first Primetime Emmy Award. The character dynamic between Arthur and Sheldon was popular, as Sheldon continued to idolize Arthur, while Arthur found his "student" to be insufferable. Following the character's physical death, Newhart has continued to appear in the series as Arthur Jeffries' ghost. He appears to Sheldon at various points to offer him advice, serving as a mentor figure. Sheldon views Arthur as his version of Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Newhart turned 89 in 2018 but he continues to tirelessly appear in television projects and to entertain new generations of fans.- Actress
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Born in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Elaine Hendrix spent her early years in nearby Knoxville and Morristown. At 15 she moved with her divorced mother to Atlanta, Georgia, where she attended the Northside School of Performing Arts. She started her professional career as a dancer and model but gave up dance after she was hit by a car while bicycling. She officially moved to Los Angeles in 1992 and had an agent within a month. She worked her way from commercials to TV guest shots to a starring role on the 1995 Fox revival of Get Smart (1995) to features. A member of Women in Film, Women in Theatre and Women of Los Angeles, Hendrix has written a short film that she plans to direct at the end of 1999/beginning of 2000 (as soon as she can take a break from her acting schedule). She has two birds and two turtles and in September 1999 added a dog named Tiloc to her family.- John Daniel Tooz Matuszak was an American professional football defensive lineman in the National Football League and also an actor. Matuszak was born in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. He attended the University of Tampa and played for their football team. Matuszak also played for various NFL teams; his longest stint of six years having been spent with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, and later joining the Houston Oilers. While playing for the Oilers, he joined the Houston Texans of the World Football League (WFL), playing a total of seven plays before a restraining order was served to him during a game, barring him from playing for two teams at the same time.
His first major role as an actor was in the 1979 movie "North Dallas Forty" as a football player. He also appeared in the movies "Caveman", "The Ice Pirates", and "One Crazy Summer" but is known for his role in "The Goonies". He also had guest appearances on popular TV shows "Perfect Strangers", "M*A*S*H", "The Dukes of Hazzard", "Hunter", "Silver Spoons", "The A-Team", "1st & Ten", "Miami Vice" and "Cheers". He died on June 17, 1989 aged 38 due to a heart failure. - Director
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Gore Verbinski, one of American cinema's most inventive directors who was a punk-rock guitarist as a teenager and had to sell his guitar to buy his first camera, is now the director of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) which made the industry record for highest opening weekend of all time ($135,600,000) and grossed over $1 billion dollars worldwide.
He was born Gregor Verbinski on March 16, 1964 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, to Laurette Ann (McGovern) and Victor Vincent Verbinski, a nuclear physicist who worked at the Oak Ridge Lab. His paternal grandparents were Polish. In 1967, the family moved to California, and young Gregor grew up near San Diego. His biggest influences as a kid were Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis and Black Sabbath's Master of Reality. He started his professional career as a guitarist for punk-rock bands, such as The Daredevils and The Little Kings, and also made his first films together with friends. After having developed a passion for filmmaking, he sold his guitar to buy a Super-8mm camera. Then Verbinski attended the prestigious UCLA Film School, from which he graduated in 1987 with his BFA in Film. His first professional directing jobs were music videos for alternative bands, such as L7, Bad Religion, and Monster Magnet. Then he moved to advertising and directed commercials for Nike, Canon, Skittles, United airlines and Coca-Cola. In 1993 he created the renowned Budweiser advertising campaign featuring croaking frogs, for which he was awarded the advertising Silver Lion at Cannes and also received four Clio Awards.
Verbinski made his feature directorial debut with Mousehunt (1997), a remarkably visual cartoonish family comedy. His next effort, The Mexican (2001), came to a modest result. However, Verbinski bounced back with a hit thriller The Ring (2002), grossing over $230 million dollars worldwide. His biggest directorial success came with the Disney theme park ride based Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), with a brilliant acting ensemble, grossing over $650 million dollars, and bringing five Oscar nominations and many other awards and nominations. Disney ordered two more films which Verbinski shot one after another on location in the Caribbean islands, for which he had to endure both tetanus and typhoid immunization shots. After having survived several hurricanes, dealing with sick and injured actors, and troubleshooting after numerous technical difficulties of the epic-scale project, Verbinski delivered. He employed the same stellar cast in the sequel Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) and the third installment of the 'Pirates' franchise Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007).
Gore Verbinski does not like publicity. He has been enjoying a happy family life with his wife and his two sons. He resides with his family in Los Angeles, California.- Actor
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Zachary Adam Gordon is an American actor. He began his professional acting career at the age of eight and as a child came to prominence playing Greg Heffley in the first three films of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series. He then went on to play Tate Wilson in Good Trouble and Jason Cohen in Dead of Summer.- Amy Morton was born on 3 April 1959 in Oak Park, Illinois, USA. She is an actress, known for Up in the Air (2009), 8MM (1999) and Rookie of the Year (1993). She is married to Rob Millburn.
- Actress
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This most consummate, vibrant and versatile actress established a distinguished reputation on the stage, in films and on TV. The former Miss Chicago of 1948 beauty pageant winner and Miss America semifinalist was born in Oak Park, Illinois. Her family was impoverished and her parents divorced early on. Young Lois used make-believe to escape her reality by creating small plays in her backyard, which led to an affinity with the idea of acting. Having set her sights on the stage she joined a community theatre at the tender age of eleven and appeared on local radio and television. She later continued her training at Chicago's Goodman Theatre and then studied 'the method' at the Actors' Studio in New York City, eventually making her Broadway debut in Dalton Trumbo's "The Biggest Thief in Town" (1948) using the stage moniker "Lydia Scott" (her given name, she felt, was too plain and sounded "schoolmarmy").
Lois was understudy to Barbara Bel Geddes for the role of "Maggie the Cat" in the original 1955 Broadway production of Tennessee Williams's Pulitzer-Prize winning "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", staged by Elia Kazan. Occasionally, she got to play "Maggie", herself. Of her (own personal favourite) role as Blanche DuBois in the 1973 stage production of "A Streetcar Named Desire", New York Times critic Clive Barnes wrote: ""Miss Nettleton plays Blanche as a woman of nearly unshatterable courage." Williams himself called her one of the greatest actresses with whom he had ever worked. Not surprisingly then, that the self-confessed method actress went on to win the prestigious Clarence Derwent Award for her performance in "God and Kate Murphy".
Lois was married for seven years to Jean Shepherd, a radio host and television humorist. She and Shepherd clicked after she called his nightly radio show at WOR in the 1950s and the beguiled Shepherd broadcast their telephone conversations on the air. They later appeared together in Shepherd's off-Broadway play "Look Charlie" in 1959.
While her official film debut came in the 1962 adaptation of Tennessee Williams's "Period of Adjustment", Lois had previously played a bit part in Elia Kazan's classic A Face in the Crowd (1957), scripted by Budd Schulberg. She subsequently acted in many movies, but most of her best work was on stage and in television where she appeared in everything from sitcoms to soap operas. In a 1985 interview she referred to herself as 'a gypsy actress', saying "I always wanted to be as different in everything as possible". Consistently selective, on the lookout for 'interesting' characters and mature roles to play, she tackled pretty much every genre -- even playing one of Londo Mollari's bitchy wives in Babylon 5 (1993). She gave a particularly fine performances in the classic 1961 "Midnight Sun" episode of The Twilight Zone (1959). She declared her own personal favourite screen role to have been that of the Israeli prosecutor (opposite Maximilian Schell) in the American Film Theater production of The Man in the Glass Booth (1975). Roger Ebert for the New York Times wrote "She has a steadiness and intelligence and doesn't back down. She's the closest thing the film has to a moral center."
A charming and gracious actress, Lois was nominated six-times for Emmy Awards. She won twice for her TV work: for the daytime special The American Woman: Portraits of Courage (1976) and for "A Gun for Mandy" (1983), an episode of the syndicated religious anthology Insight (1960).- Actress
- Casting Department
The multi-talented Larsen Thompson is a model, dancer, and actress who first made waves as a dancer in a viral fan video for Beyoncé's hit "Run the World (Girls)." She has appeared in several official music videos, including Borns' "American Money," P!nk's "Beautiful Trauma," and Katy Perry's "Chained to the Rhythm" and has also been a backup dancer for Janet Jackson, Christina Aguilera, and Silento among other music legends.
Integrating her love of modeling, fashion, and dance has given her the opportunity to work with brands such as Dior, Fendi, Fwrd by Elyse Walker, Superga, Puma, Marc Jacobs, Maybelline, H&M, Free People, and more. Larsen has been featured in many fashion and lifestyle publications including the New York Times, WWD, Harper's Bazaar, Nylon, Forbes, Town and Country, Teen Vogue, and Cosmopolitan.
Currently shooting a reoccurring role in the Netflix series "The Midnight Club". Prior to that, lead role in a independent film "Pearl", supporting role in a indie film being released in 2021, and supporting role in feature film "Bloodline".- Director
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At 19 Adam got his start in feature film making early with his directorial debut Home Sick, a slasher horror film starring Bill Moseley and Tom Toweles. However it was his second effort at 24 years old with the film Pop Skull that garnered him a talent to watch. Made for a budget of around 2000 dollars he managed to capture the attention of French Distribution company The Wild Bunch. The film went on to premiere at the prestigious Rome Film Festival and the American Film Institute Film Festival. His dark and sometimes abrasive directing/editing style has been compared to directors such as David Lynch, Darren Aronofsky, and Shinya Tsukamoto.- Actor
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Corey Fogelmanis can be seen as the lead in Tommy Dorfman's directorial debut I Wish You All the Best alongside Lena Dunham, Alexandra Daddario and Cole Sprouse. The film premiered at this year's prestigious SXSW Film Festival and is due out later this year. His breakthrough performance as the introverted Ben, a non-binary teen who has spent their life pretending to be the perfect 'son' to their ultra-religious parents, was met with exceptional reviews. He was also recently seen as Nathan Walter in Netflix's debut hit series My Life With the Walter Boys which was swiftly picked up for a second season. Perhaps best known for his role as 'Farkle' on the Emmy nominated Disney series Girl Meets World with Sabrina Carpenter, Corey also starred with Oscar winner Octavia Spencer in Universal Pictures' thriller MA. Next up Corey will play a lead in the slasher film Carved for HULU as well as the upcoming independent suspense / drama film One Stupid Thing.- James Caverly was born on 16 June 1989 in Royal Oak, Michigan, USA. He is an actor, known for Only Murders in the Building (2021), Law & Order (1990) and Chicago Med (2015).
- Solidly built, boyishly handsome American leading-man, Christopher George was the son of Greek immigrants. Weaned on stories of the legendary Greek heroes, George and his brother Nick (later a prominent fashion photographer) both quit high school to join the Marines. Completing his education after his tour of duty, George acted in numerous TV commercials, winning a New York Film Festival Award for his efforts. Appearing in Broadway plays like A Street Car Named Desire and films like Howard Hawks's El Dorado (1966). He became a great friend of John Wayne also in Chisum (1970). George also became a TV star in the wartime adventure series The Rat Patrol (1966). He later starred in the science fiction series The Immortal (1969) and then returned to filmmaking. He also starred in Project X (1968), The Train Robbers (1973), Midway (1976), Grizzly (1976), Day of the Animals (1977), The Exterminator (1980), Graduation Day (1981), and his last, Mortuary (1982). He also appeared in another 30 other films and TV guest appearances. Christopher George died of a heart attack. He was married to his wife, actress Lynda Day George (a frequent co-star) for 14 years.
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Kathy Griffin was raised in the near-west Chicago suburbs, in an Irish-American family. She has three older brothers and an older sister. When her parents retired to California, Kathy moved west with them after graduating from Oak Park River Forest High School, and began trying to break into show business. She performed with the Groundlings, then paid her dues doing stand-up at various clubs until she was discovered. According to her brothers, as a kid Kathy would circulate among the guests at parties and tell jokes. Kathy holds a Guinness World Record for the most televised standup comedy specials of any comedian. She starred in the Emmy-winning reality series Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List (2005).- Actress
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Susan Anton has been recognized as a multi-talented international star for more than 35 years in television, film, theater, and concert venues. She was nominated for a Golden Globe in her first film outing, Goldengirl (1979), and was soon thereafter signed by NBC to star in her own variety show, Presenting Susan Anton (1979). ABC later signed her to a development deal, where she starred in the hourly drama, Cliffhangers. She has appeared in hundreds of film and television projects over the years. Her Broadway credits include co-starring with the original Broadway cast of Tommy Tune's Tony Award-winning musical, "The Will Rogers Follies"; she also worked with director Mike Nichols in David Rabe's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, "Hurlyburly". She co-starred as "Velma Von Tussle" in the Las Vegas production of the Broadway musical, "Hairspray", opposite Harvey Fierstein, which was directed by Tony Award winner Jack O'Brien and choreographed by Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell. She went on to reprise the role for three spectacular evenings at the Hollywood Bowl with an all-star cast, which was directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell. She co-starred in the national tour of the Broadway musical, "All Shook Up", directed by Christopher Ashley and choreographed by Sergio Trujillo. Susan starred for seven years in the The Great Radio City Music Hall Spectacular with the legendary The Radio City Rockettes, directed by the late Joe Layton. She also toured in the Neil Simon/Marvin Hamlisch production of "They're Playing Our Song" and then went on to co-star with Elizabeth Ashley in the national tour of "A Couple of White Chicks Sitting Around Talking". She has shared the stage with legendary entertainers Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Tom Jones, and many more. She toured with country super star Kenny Rogers and had a top 10 country hit with the song "Killing Time". Internationally, she had recording success and received a Gold record for her hit, "Foxy". Susan and her husband, director Jeff Lester have called Las Vegas home for more than 20 years. In 1997, they opened their production company, "Big Picture Studios". Under their banner, Susan executive-produced the award-winning The Last Real Cowboys (2000), starring Oscar winner Billy Bob Thornton, and also executive-produced the documentary, Speed of Life (2008), with Amy Purdy, the inspirational Sochi bronze medalist who was also runner up in last season's Dancing with the Stars (2005). Susan is a minority partner and celebrity brand ambassador in a new beverage company, Spa Girl Cocktails, slated to launch in late 2015.- Actor
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Keith Szarabajka is an American actor from Illinois known for acting in The Equalizer, Angel, Argo and The Dark Knight. He also voice acted in several animated series and video games including Halo 4, Batman: Arkham Knight, Mass Effect, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, Teen Titans, Dead Space, Ultimate Spider-Man, L.A. Noire and Fallout: New Vegas.- Actress
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Beverly Archer was born on 19 July 1948 in Oak Park, Illinois, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Mama's Family (1983), ALF (1986) and Project: ALF (1996). She has been married to Robert Bernard since 10 April 1976.- Tavi Gevinson was born on 21 April 1996 in Oak Park, Illinois, USA. She is an actress, known for Enough Said (2013), Person to Person (2017) and Scream Queens (2015).
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Aubree Miller was born on 15 January 1979 in Sherman Oaks, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985), The Ewok Adventure (1984) and The Message (2012).- Actor
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Langston Kerman was born on 23 April 1987 in Oak Park, Illinois, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Pause with Sam Jay (2021), Bust Down (2022) and The Oscars (2016).- Patricia McPherson was born in Washington where her father was a high ranking naval officer. She spent several years in France when her father was sent to Paris, and later studied advertising at the university in Florida and California. She then became a very successful model and worked as a magazine graphic artist. Knight Rider (1982) was her first TV series.
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Pearlman's acting career began after he submitted an entry for a contest with the website Funny or Die and was given the opportunity to audition for a role in The Virginity Hit. The movie is described as a "documentary style comedy" that follows a group of friends and their exploits as they try to lose their virginity. To increase the realism of the movie the directors gave Pearlman and his cast mates cameras to film many of the scenes themselves.
Pearlman began his TV career as Leslie Kaczander in the season 1 finale of Breaking In. In 2012, Pearlman played Jay in the American remake The Inbetweeners. He also voiced Snotlout Jorgenson in Dragons: Riders of Berk, replacing Jonah Hill.- Actress
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Hayley Marie Norman is an American film and television actress.
Hayley was born and raised in Thousand Oaks, California, the daughter of a retired baseball player. Her father is African-American and her mother is of Russian, German, and distant Dutch, descent. On her mother's side, Hayley is the great-granddaughter of production manager/assistant director Gene Anderson, and the great-niece of actor Robert J. Anderson, who played young George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life (1946), and of assistant director Gene Anderson Jr..
Hayley was chosen to be one of the few and highly distinguished California Arts Scholars, in which she was awarded a Governor's medallion, the highest distinction in California for artistically talented students. She received this honor an unprecedented two years in a row. Hayley continued her training and graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and the Upright Citizens Brigade honing her skills as both a dramatic actress and comedienne. She continues to perform with popular sketch and improv groups around town and enjoys putting up new material on the UCB main stage.
Hayley had a memorable breakout performance in Chris Rock's Top Five (2014), proving she can hold her own among some of Hollywood's most iconic comedians. The film, released on December 12, 2014, became a hot commodity at the Toronto International Film Festival, prompting Paramount Studios to purchase it, including it in the DGA's annual The Contenders event and preparing Top Five for an awards run.
In addition to her role in Top Five, this multitalented actress also co-produces and stars in the semi-scripted hit online series Hello Cupid. Drawing largely on her improv and comedy skills, the series follows longtime friends Robyn (Hayley Marie Norman) and Whitney as they experience the ups and downs of online dating. The series, now in its second season, has garnered critical acclaim and has been named an official selection at the TriBeCa Film Festival and one of the "Top 5 Great Web Series You Should Be Watching Now" by Vulture.
After starring as a perky cheerleader in Sony Pictures Screen Gems' film Fired Up, she received rave reviews from Robert Ebert who declared her "the most intriguing member of the cast." She's had recurring roles on television shows like Crash acting alongside one of her favorite actors, Dennis Hopper, as well as abc's Selfie and BET's long running The Game. Her other credits include Hancock, Our Family Wedding, Norbit, New Girl, Bones, The Exes, CSI: NY, CSI: Miami, Studio 60, and many more. A bonafide LA valley girl, one of Hayley's first jobs was as the Mattel's official "face" of the African American Barbie, and she later filled iconic role of Briefcase #25 model on Deal or No Deal. Hayley also has a role in Relativity Media's Beyond The Lights which is slated to hit theaters this November.
Hayley is a huge fan of the blaxploitation genre and is a self proclaimed fan girl of Pam Grier. She also speaks frequently about the films of John Cassavetes and her admiration for both him and Gena Rowlands. She is a classically trained dancer and a long time vegan and animal rights activist.- Director
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John G. Avildsen was born on 21 December 1935 in Oak Park, Illinois, USA. He was a director and editor, known for Rocky (1976), The Karate Kid Part III (1989) and Rocky V (1990). He was married to Tracy Brooks Swope and Marie Olga Maturevich. He died on 16 June 2017 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Director
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John Sturges was an American film director, mostly remembered for his outstanding Western films. In 1992, Sturges was awarded a Golden Boot Award for his lifelong contribution to the Western genre.
Sturges was born in the village of Oak Park, Illinois, within the Chicago metropolitan area. By 1930, the village had a population of 64,000 people.
Sturges started his film career in 1932, as a film editor. During World War II, he started directing documentaries and training films for the United States Army Air Forces.
Sturges made his directing debut in 1946, in the drama film "The Man Who Dared" (1946) by the studio Columbia Pictures. The film's protagonist frames himself for murder, in order to prove that innocent people may be convicted by circumstantial evidence. His next film project was the film noir "Shadowed" (1946), about a corpse being found in a golf club, and how an innocent man finds his life threatened by a gang leader. Sturges' last film of the year was the crime drama "Alias Mr. Twilight" (1946), about an elderly con-artist who uses his earnings to provide for his beloved granddaughter.
Sturges was entrusted with directing the third film in the then -popular Rusty film series, about the adventures of a German shepherd. The film was called "For the Love of Rusty" (1947), and introduced the new dog actor Flame. Flame portrayed Rusty in four of the eight Rusty films.
Sturges' next film project was "Keeper of the Bees" (1947), the third film adaptation of the 1925 novel by Gene Stratton-Porter (1863-1924). The film involved aging beekeeper Michael Worthington (played by Harry Davenport ) who recruits a nomadic painter and an orphan girl as his new employees. Despite a high-profile cast, the film is considered a lost film.
Sturges' last film of the year was the war documentary "Thunderbolt" (1947), concerning Operation Strangle (March 19-May 11, 1944). The aerial operation had American aircraft attacking German supply routes in Central Italy, in order to force the Germans to withdraw. The documentary included actual combat footage from the operation, and part of its profits was used to finance the Army Air Force Relief Society.
Sturges returned to the film noir genre with the film "The Sign of the Ram" (1948). The film's villain protagonist Leah St. Aubyn (played by Susan Peters) was depicted as an invalid woman with an obsessive desire to control and dominate the life of her family and friends, and going to extremes in order to achieve her goal.
Sturges next directed the historical drama "Best Man Wins", an adaptation of the short story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" (1865) by Mark Twain (1835-1910). The film depicts professional gambler Jim Smiley (played by Edgar Buchanan) trying to use his jumping frog Daniel Webster to win bets. He hopes to use his earnings to win back the love of his ex-wife, and to buy the love of his estranged son.
Sturges' first Western was "The Walking Hills" (1949), which used film noir tropes in a new setting. The film involves treasure hunters searching for a lost wagon train carrying gold bars. But many of the characters are hiding secrets, and a there is a manhunt for a wanted fugitive in the area.
Sturges had a critically successful film with the biographical film "The Magnificent Yankee", which dramatized the life of Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. (1841-1935), Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1902 to 1932. The film was nominated for two Academy Awards, but won neither.
Sturges next projects included the film noir "The Capture" (1950), the film noir "Mystery Street" (1950), and the sports drama "Right Cross" (1950). His crime drama "Kind Lady" (1951) was a remake of a 1935 film with the same title, directed by George B. Seitz. In the film, wealthy art collector Mary Herries (played by Ethel Barrymore) allows painter Henry Springer Elcott (played by Maurice Evans) to move into her London house. But her new house-guest is planning to rob her.
Sturges' film noir "The People Against O'Hara" (1951) was a film noir with elements from courtroom drama. It was a box office hit, and had Sturges working with lead actor Spencer Tracy. Sturges was one of seven film directors who co-directed the anthology film "It's a Big Country", concerning life in the United States.
Sturges' biographical film "The Girl in White" (1952) dramatized the life of female surgeon Emily Dunning Barringer (1876-1961). The real-life Barringer was "the world's first female ambulance surgeon and the first woman to secure a surgical residency". Sturges returned to the film noir genre with "Jeopardy" (1953), an adaptation of a radio play by Maurice Zimm.
Sturges directed the sports comedy "Fast Company" (1953), about an exceptional race horse, and a struggle over its ownership. He returned to the Western genre with the American Civil War-themed film "Escape from Fort Bravo" (1953). In the film the prisoners confined in a Union prison camp attempt to escape. This color film used the Anscocolor process.
Sturges had a career highlight with the thriller film "Bad Day at Black Rock" (1955), which combined elements from both film noir and the Western. It involves a town hiding a secret, and mysterious stranger John J. Macreedy (played by Spencer Tracy) trying to uncover the elusive truth. Sturges was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director, but the award was won instead by rival director Delbert Mann (1920-2007).
Sturges' next film project was the treasure-hunting themed adventure "Underwater!" (1955). His historical drama "The Scarlet Coat" (1955) dramatized the plot of military officer Benedict Arnold (1741-1801) to surrender West Point to the British Army during the American Revolutionary War. The film also dramatized the life of British spy John André (1750-1780).The film's American counterspy John Bolton was loosely based on historical spymaster Benjamin Tallmadge (1754-1835).
Sturges returned to the Western genre with popular films such as "Backlash" (1956), "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" (1957), "The Law and Jake Wade" (1958), "Last Train from Gun Hill" (1959). He also directed the adventure drama "The Old Man and the Sea" (1958), an adaptation of the 1952 novella by Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961). For this film, Sturges once again worked with leading actor Spencer Tracy.
Sturges' World War II-themed war film "Never So Few" (1959), featured a cast of rising actors, such as Frank Sinatra, Gina Lollobrigida, and Steve McQueen,. Sturges had another career highlight with a film remake, the Western "The Magnificent Seven" (1960). It was a loose adaptation of the Japanese film "Seven Samurai" (1954) by Akira Kurosawa. The film under-performed in the United States, but was a smash hit in Europe, and very profitable for the film studio United Artists. It sold 89,118,696 tickets sold in overseas territories, and broke box office records in the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union. Kurosawa himself liked this adaptation, and the film received three sequels, two remakes of its own, and a television series adaptation.
Sturges' next film project included the law-firm drama "By Love Possessed" (1961), which included controversial themes such as rape, suicide, and embezzlement. Sturges next Western film was "Sergeants 3", loosely based on the poem "Gunga Din" (1890) by Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936). This film is mostly remembered as the " last film to feature all five members of the Rat Pack".
Sturges' next film was more sexually explicit: "A Girl Named Tamiko" (1962). Lead character Ivan Balin (played by Laurence Harvey) is a man who desperately wants to emigrate to the United States, and uses his sex-appeal to seduce women who may help him achieve his goal. His next war film was "The Great Escape" (1963) about prisoners of war trying to escape from Stalag Luft III. It was one of the highest-grossing films of its year of release.
Sturges directed his first science fiction film at age 55, and that film was "The Satan Bug" (1965). The film depicted the manufacture of bio-weapons, and their potential release against American major cities. Sturges also directed the Western comedy "The Hallelujah Trail" (1965), about a predicted harsh winter threatening the whiskey supply of a frontier town. He next directed a more serious Western, "Hour of the Gun" (1967). It was his second film about the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1881), but attempted to be more historically accurate than previous film depictions of the events.
Sturges' next film project was the Cold War thriller "Ice Station Zebra" (1968), loosely based on the missing experimental Corona satellite capsule (Discoverer II) which fell to Norway in 1959, and the efforts to recover it before it fell on Soviet hands. The film was mildly controversial, since it dramatized events that were still classified secret at the time of production. Sturges used former American agents as technical advisers.
Sturges' second science fiction film was Marooned (1969), depicting a potentially deadly accident affecting the Apollo program. Released at a time of high public interest on the Apollo program, it attracted an audience but was a box office flop. The film's visual effects expert won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.
Sturges partially directed the auto racing film "Le Mans" (1971), but quit before the film was completed. He was replaced by fellow director Lee H. Katzin (1935-2002). Sturges returned to the Western genre with the peasant-revolt themed "Joe Kidd" (1972). It featured bounty hunter Joe Kidd (played by Clint Eastwood) hunting down a Mexican revolutionary who is campaigning for land reform. The film is considered an example of the Revisionist Western, a more cynical take on the genre.
Sturges last Western was the Italian-produced "Chino" (1973). He returned to the film noir genre with the neo-noir "McQ" (1974), with lead character Lon "McQ" McHugh (played by John Wayne) being an aging police detective who is trying find out who was behind a failed attempt on his life. Sturges' last film was the war film "The Eagle Has Landed" (1976), depicting a German plot by Abwehr leader Wilhelm Canaris (1887-1945) to kidnap Winston Churchill. His last film was a box office hit in its own right.
Sturges retired from film directing at the age of 66. He continued living in retirement until his death in 1992. He was 82-years-old, and several of his film were finding retrospective critical acclaim.- Chris Rebello was born on 8 August 1963 in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts, USA. He was an actor, known for Jaws (1975). He was married to Lyn Wadsworth. He died on 30 November 2000 in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts, USA.
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Richard White was born on 4 August 1953 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA. He is an actor, known for Beauty and the Beast (1991), House of Mouse (2001) and Great Performances (1971). He was previously married to Sharon Halley.- Music Department
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Craig Huxley is an Emmy-winning and Grammy-nominated musician and soundtrack producer who has been involved in a wide range of entertainment-related projects.
Peter James Kirk on Star Trek TOS Star Trek (1966) (Captain James T. Kirk's nephew) kicked off 50 years of involvement in the Star Trek Universe. From child acting, to composing for the movies, to performing on his Blaster Beam invention. Operation -- Annihilate! (1967) Also seen as Tommy Starnes on And the Children Shall Lead (1968). At the age of 10, he guest starred on two episodes of Bewitched (1964) (more notably on A Strange Little Visitor (1965) as a mischievous young warlock being looked after temporarily by Aunt Samantha). He went on to lead The Craig Hundley Trio, while simultaneously making a name for himself as a concert pianist, performing Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, and his own adaptation of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" with major symphonies and on network prime-time broadcasts. He composed dozens of his own songs and unique multimedia pieces. He also appeared in an episode of The Brady Bunch (1969) and The Streets of San Francisco (1972) as a musician. His appearance on Kung Fu (1972) began a long friendship with David Carradine, which led to Craig composing the score to Americana (1981), the Cannes winning film directed by Carradine.
Huxley won the NBC Showcase 68 prime time competition show (akin to America's Got Talent (2006)), tying with Sly and the Family Stone. He headlined Madison Square Garden with Deep Purple together with Deep Purple. As a musical phenomenon he appeared around the world as the guest star with Bill Cosby, Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis, and Jerry Lewis. He guest-starred and was musical director for Pat Boone, Debby Boone, and Trini López. He played piano on Frank Sinatra's hit song "New York, New York", and on the soundtracks for such movies as Dead Poets Society (1989), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), Night Shift (1982), Total Recall (1990), White Nights (1985), and Purple Rain (1984).
At the age of18, Huxley took a two-year hiatus, during which time he studied progressive, multi-dimensional philosophy, with a number of important futurists within this field. The shift in perspective gained through these teachings subsequently led to a desire and passion for musical innovation. This resulted in the creation and patenting of several new instruments. The most recognizable of these is the Blaster Beam, featured in Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) as the "V'ger sound", and also featured on the score, composed by Jerry Goldsmith. The instrument with its dark and ominous tones has been used in many other fantasy and science fiction movies over the years. Huxley also created much of the special music for the first four Star Trek movies.
Featured in Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) with his keyboards, modular synthesizer, and Blaster Beam, Huxley's composition of "Genesis Project" for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) holds the world record for music score to the first entirely CGI film scene. The music was released on Huxley's album of the same name, but never appeared on any Star Trek soundtrack until the 2010 release of an expanded version of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982). After this, he began performing most of the synthesizers on a variety of Stevie Wonder albums, and later with Earth Wind & Fire. This era culminated with a half-year project in which Huxley performed most of the keyboard, synth and sound design work on Michael Jackson's "Thriller". His patented Blaster Beam is featured on "Billie Jean", "Beat It", and "Earth Song". Further notable projects within this time period are the composition and production of the music for the twenty-year and still running Captain EO exhibit at Disneyland, and producer of the hit soundtrack for Arthur C. Clarke's film, 2010 (1984).
In 1984, Huxley founded Enterprise Studios, where he built giant THX Stages, surround-sound mix rooms, and dozens of edit suites. As CEO of his team of 100 pioneers, Enterprise was a cutting-edge, multi-media conglomerate that provided services in audio, video, DVD, interactive, & live productions. Enterprise in 2004 was named the #2 mixing studio in the world for hits by Billboard. Enterprise hosted well-known, distinctive artists. across a panorama of genres. Including Beyoncé, Prince, Slash, Snoop Dogg, Streisand, Stephen Sondheim, Kelly Clarkson, Linda Perry, Quincy Jones, Maurice Jarre, Sir George Martin, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Usher, Mariah Carey, Ozzy Osbourne, Placido, Christina Aguilera, Pink, Sir Paul McCartney. 2PAC, & Dr. Dre.
Michael Jackson hit songs, music videos, and special projects often feature Craig soloing and sound designing. From "ET Storybook" to "Beat It" to "Bad" to "The Way you Make Me Feel" to "Captain EO". Including a substantial presence in the #1 selling album of all time, "Thriller".
Huxley continued to produce and create within his own studio, for ten years composing music for Knots Landing (1979) with co-composer Jerrold Immel, and later (for many years) episodes and the title theme song for Walker, Texas Ranger (1993), as well as producing the soundtrack to China Beach (1988) for all four years. Full Sound Services of editorial, Foley, ADR, and sound design for the first five seasons of the Imagine Entertainment television series 24 (2001) was provided by Huxley's Enterprise Studios. He created ambient musical soundscapes for San Francisco Ballet's production of Shakespeare's "The Tempest". He ventured into Broadway, first producing the soundtrack for "Shogun: The Musical" and later creating the synthesizer orchestrations for the Larry Gelbart-Cy Coleman Broadway musical "City of Angels".
Huxley launched SlingShotEntertainment in 1997, producing and releasing the first DVD in history (outside of Japan). He has led SlingShot in multiple firsts. Huxley made the first IMAX film on DVD; the first 3D film on DVD, the first 8 languages on a DVD, the first interactive movie DVD, the first IMAX Multipack and the first wildlife four-packs and exploration four-packs on Blu-ray. He created the comedy hit CD and DVD of perfect-pitch-pooches named Top Dog. To date, he has recorded three albums.
Huxley is the producer of eight films on endangered species and extreme expeditions, released globally. Extreme expedition was first explored in Huxley's GoPlanet series with Explorers: From the Titanic to the Moon (2006) (starring Buzz Aldrin and James Cameron). Huxley produced portions of the score to Baraka (1992). By 2022, he has produced over 40 videos featuring the musical, acting and comedic talents of Fiona Huxley, his daughter, Fiona Huxley.- Actress
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Kate Norby was born on 1 August 1976 in Oak Park, Illinois, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for The Devil's Rejects (2005), Big Love (2006) and Mad Men (2007). She has been married to Thomas Nelson Martin III since 7 June 2009.- Actress
Deanna Lund is best known for her role as "Valerie Scott" in the two-season cult series of the 1960s: Land of the Giants (1968), produced by Irwin Allen.
Irwin Allen cast Lund in the series, when he saw her in a recently made motion picture. Lund started out as the bad girl of the series, getting herself (and others) into trouble when she searched for food in the "giant land"; and another time trying to cause a mutiny in the castaway group, in the episode, The Bounty Hunter (1969).
As the 51 episode series moved forward, Valerie became more of a team player in the castaway group. Perhaps her best line in the series came in the episode, Wild Journey (1970), when she turns to the series star and says, "Captain, nobody tells me what I can and can't do".
In 1995, Lund was interviewed about her work on "Land of the Giants" and this interview can be found on the "Land of the Giants" DVD set. In the interview, Lund explains how she "felt so silly" acting in "Giants", as she was often talking to people (aka giants) who were not actually on the set. So she was often talking to nobody at all.
Much to the delight of young male viewers of the time, Valerie was often seen wearing sexy outfits in "Giants", and in one episode, Graveyard of Fools (1970), one outfit crossed the line as too sexy, in the eyes of the network.- Actor
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Chris Demetral was born on 14 November 1976 in Royal Oak, Michigan, USA. He is an actor, known for Dolly Dearest (1991), Sometimes They Come Back (1991) and Dream On (1990). He has been married to Sarah Vetter Demetral since 17 April 2010. They have one child. He was previously married to Jana Babb.- Actor
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Dean Haglund was born on 29 July 1965 in Oak Bank, Manitoba, Canada. He is an actor and writer, known for The X Files (1998), The X-Files Game (1998) and The X Files: Resist or Serve (2004).- Stephen Shortridge was born in Iowa and raised in Southern California. Stephen excelled in art throughout his schooling but had mainly studied commercial art. He took his first painting class while attending Idaho State University on a Water Polo Scholarship - Stephen was an All-American.
Stephen enjoyed acting but finds painting to be much more creatively satisfying - the feeling to be able to have that total freedom to create is exciting to him. His style results from the influence of the French Impressionists, Monet in particular. However, his full colors and bold strokes have established him as a unique America Romantic Impressionist. Stephen's collectors include Patty Duke, Donna Summer & Rick Dees. While living in LA, he exhibited with fellow actor/artist, Peter Falk.
Stephen resumes includes over 50 commercials. Over a fifteen year period he has appeared in commercials such as Mennen, Speedstick, Coke, Certs and Head and Shoulders to name just a few. Stephen currently lives with his family in Idaho. - Producer
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Rob Tapert was born on 14 May 1955 in Royal Oak, Michigan, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for Timecop (1994), Darkman (1990) and The Quick and the Dead (1995). He has been married to Lucy Lawless since 28 March 1998. They have two children.- Ernest Hemingway was an American writer who won the Pulitzer Prize (1953) and the Nobel Prize in Literature (1954) for his novel The Old Man and the Sea, which was made into a 1958 film The Old Man and the Sea (1958).
He was born into the hands of his physician father. He was the second of six children of Dr. Clarence Hemingway and Grace Hemingway (the daughter of English immigrants). His father's interests in history and literature, as well as his outdoorsy hobbies (fishing and hunting), became a lifestyle for Ernest. His mother was a domineering type who wanted a daughter, not a son, and dressed Ernest as a girl and called him Ernestine. She also had a habit of abusing his quiet father, who suffered from diabetes, and Dr. Hemingway eventually committed suicide. Ernest later described the community in his hometown as one having "wide lawns and narrow minds".
In 1916 Hemingway graduated from high school and began his writing career as a reporter for The Kansas City Star. There he adopted his minimalist style by following the Star's style guide: "Use short sentences. Use short first paragraphs. Use vigorous English. Be positive, not negative." Six months later he joined the Ambulance Corps in WWI and worked as an ambulance driver on the Italian front, picking up human remains. In July 1918 he was seriously wounded by a mortar shell, which left shrapnel in both of his legs causing him much pain and requiring several surgeries. He was awarded the Silver Medal. Back in America, he continued his writing career working for Toronto Star . At that time he met Hadley Richardson and the two married in 1921.
In 1921, he became a Toronto Star reporter in Paris. There he published his first books, called "Three Stories and Ten Poems" (1923), and "In Our Time" (1924). In Paris he met Gertrude Stein, who introduced him to the circle that she called the "Lost Generation". F. Scott Fitzgerald, Thornton Wilder, Sherwood Anderson and Ezra Pound were stimulating Hemingway's talent. At that time he wrote "The Sun Also Rises" (1926), "A Farewell to Arms" (1929), and a dazzling collection of Forty-Nine stories. Hemingway also regarded the Russian writers Lev Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Ivan Turgenev and Anton Chekhov as important influences, and met Pablo Picasso and other artists through Gertrude Stein. "A Moveable Feast" (1964) is his classic memoir of Paris after WWI.
Hemingway participated in the Spanish Civil War and took part in the D-Day landings during the invasion of France during World War II, in which he not only reported the action but took part in it. In one instance he threw three hand grenades into a bunker, killing several SS officers. He was decorated with the Bronze Star for his action. His military experiences were emulated in "For Whom the Bell Tolls" (1940) and in several other stories. He settled near Havana, Cuba, where he wrote his best known work, "The Old Man and the Sea" (1953), for which he won a Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize in Literature. This was adapted as the film The Old Man and the Sea (1958), for which Spencer Tracy was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Actor, and Dimitri Tiomkin received an Oscar for Best Musical Score.
War wounds, two plane crashes, four marriages and several affairs took their toll on Hemingway's hereditary predispositions and contributed to his declining health. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and insomnia in his later years. His mental condition was exacerbated by chronic alcoholism, diabetes and liver failure. After an unsuccessful treatment with electro-convulsive therapy, he suffered severe amnesia and his physical condition worsened. The memory loss obstructed his writing and everyday life. He committed suicide in 1961. Posthumous publications revealed a considerable body of his hidden writings, that was edited by his fourth wife, Mary, and also by his son Patrick Hemingway. - Actor
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Christopher Sean is a versatile actor known for his captivating performances on both the big and small screens. Born and raised in California, to a NAVY veteran father and Japanese native mother, Sean always had a passion for the arts and knew from a young age that he wanted to pursue a career in acting.
After completing his education, Sean dove headfirst into the entertainment industry, quickly making a name for himself with his raw talent and undeniable charm. He has since appeared in a variety of popular television shows, including "Hawaii Five-0," "You," and "Days of Our Lives," where he played the role of Paul Narita for four years.
Sean has also made his mark online, appearing in the hit series "The Lizzie Bennet Diaries" and lending his voice to the character of Kazuda Xiono in the animated series "Star Wars Resistance" as well as voicing DC's Nightwing in "Gotham Knights."
With his impressive range and magnetic personality, Christopher Sean continues to be a force to be reckoned with in the world of entertainment, and we can't wait to see what he has in store for us next.- Actress
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Kelly Schumann was born in Oak Park, Illinois, USA. She is an actress, known for Outsourced (2010), Hot in Cleveland (2010) and American Horror Story (2011).- Writer
- Producer
- Actress
Michelle McNamara was born on 14 April 1970 in Oak Park, Illinois, USA. She was a writer and producer, known for I'll Be Gone in the Dark (2020), 51 Paintings (2012) and What is Real? The Story of Jivamukti Yoga (2016). She was married to Patton Oswalt. She died on 21 April 2016 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Sound Department
Carrie Keranen was born in Oak Park, Michigan, USA. She is an American voice actress, producer, production manager, and voice director. She is known for her work on Puella Magi Madoka Magica (2011), KILL la KILL (2013), Mobile Suit Gundam Seed (2002), and Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir (2015).
Carrie grew up in Oak Park, Michigan and had always been involved in acting, including high school plays, but she said she was more active in sports. She later attended the University of Michigan, and originally intended to major in international business with a specialization in Japanese but would be drawn back into doing plays and subbing in for major roles. She later graduated with a BA in Theatre and Linguistics and after visiting Europe, moved to New York City to pursue a career in acting.
As of 2010, she currently resides in Los Angeles, California.- Cheryl Lynn Miller was the archetypal 1960s American 'girl-next-door'. A gorgeous blonde with a peaches-and-cream complexion, she hailed from Sherman Oaks, California, born to an architect father and a mother who worked in the accounting department at Sears, Roebuck and Co. Having graduated from high school with a predilection for science and music, Cheryl pursued further studies at the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music. She then did some modelling work and began acting in occasional supporting roles on television from 1957. In her spare time, she enjoyed varied outdoor activities, such as skiing, jogging and horseback riding.
Cheryl's pivotal years were 1965 and 1966. In 1965, she appeared with an elephant and a chimpanzee in several episodes of the popular family series Flipper (1964). This was noticed by Walt Disney, who personally signed her under contract for a small role in the comedy The Monkey's Uncle (1965), describing her as 'the typical American girl'. More importantly, Cheryl also came to the attention of writer-producer Ivan Tors. Tors was impressed by her ability to work with animals and proceeded to cast Cheryl in a co-starring role as the spirited Paula Tracy (daughter of a veterinarian based at an East African animal hospital) in Clarence, the Cross-Eyed Lion (1965). This cinematic release served as the de facto pilot for the ensuing CBS TV series Daktari (1966). Her fortuitous casting also coincided with Cheryl becoming one of twelve young actresses awarded the title of Hollywood Deb Star of 1966, as well as being named Miss Golden Globe (as co-presenter with Andy Williams of the Golden Globe Awards).
Before filming began, Cheryl trained for a month at a 200-acre animal farm called Africa U.S.A., located forty miles north of Los Angeles. It was operated by Ivan Tors in conjunction with animal behaviorist and author Ralph Helfer, who also created Marine World. While there, Cheryl learned to walk among and interact with lions, chimps, cheetahs and leopards. She ended up forming a special bond with a tame tiger named Sarang.
Daktari had a run of four seasons and 89 episodes. By present standards, the show has not aged particularly well. It could be argued, that its strongest points were the cute and highly photogenic Cheryl, Clarence the lovable lion (who really was cross-eyed and extremely tame) and Judy the Chimpanzee (also familiar to viewers as 'Debbie the Bloop' from Lost in Space (1965), but rumoured to have been rather less docile than Clarence). On the minus side: simplistic scripts bordering on twee, wooden acting from Cheryl's (human) co-stars and excessive use of frequently incongruous stock footage, some of it repeated over and over in the course of multiple episodes. No new footage for the series was ever shot in Africa.
In August 1970, Cheryl had a brief run as the Dodge "Fever Girl," promoting the car brand in magazine spreads, TV ads and national car shows. This gig lasted a couple of years. Until the end of the decade, Cheryl continued to make sporadic guest appearances in shows like Cade's County (1971), Barnaby Jones (1973), Gemini Man (1976) and Police Story (1973). She left the world of acting in 1980, later declaring "I had earned enough money. I wanted to concentrate purely on my family." - Actress
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Singer for the group Edie Brickell and The New Bohemians. In 1988 Had an album called shooting rubber Bands at the Stars, which went double platinum and featured the song "What I Am" which went to number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts that same year. She has been recording ever since.- Trevor made his acting debut at the age of 6 in "Iron Jawed Angels". IJA is an amazing drama about the struggles that women had obtaining equality and their triumph with the Women's Suffrage Movement in the early 1900's. The movie starred Hillary Swank, Angelica Houston, and Patrick Dempsey.
"Big Fish" was the next big opportunity to come his way. After a long and involved audition process, he landed the part of Will's son. Albert Finney, Jessica Lange, Danny DeVito, and Ewan McGregor helped create the magic in this wonderful film directed by Tim Burton.
Since 2003, Trevor has done several television commercials, including the Mederma scar cream ad in which his image appeared on the pages of many parenting magazines. Two additional movies followed, "Loggerheads and "Southern Belles". Both were filmed near his hometown in North Carolina.
Trevor spent time on the Dr. Phil show as a celebrity guest, and donates his time to various charitable organizations, such as the Painted Turtle, the Ronald McDonald House and the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS foundation, as a way to give back to the community.
Trevor really enjoyed doing his voice-over work on "Fly Me to the Moon". This fantastic animated 3-D movie starred three 'tween -aged flies who stowed aboard the Apollo 11 flight to the moon. Leading the "mission" is "Nat" (Trevor), who is always looking for an adventure. Also making a "buzz" are cast members, Nicollette Sheridan, Ed Begley Jr., Tim Curry, Christopher Lloyd, Kelly Ripa and making a special appearance, Buzz Aldren.
Trevor's V.O. work also includes time on Cartoon Network's "Happy Monster Band". Trevor is a series regular as the voice of "L.O", one of the silly monsters who teach children about the wonderful countries around the world.
Last summer Trevor was in Austin, Texas filming the Warner Brothers production "Shorts", a new family adventure /comedy written and directed by Robert Rodriguez (Spy Kids trilogy). Trevor stars as "Loogie" who along side his mischievous brothers discover a magic wishing rock that grants wishes to anyone who holds it. William H. Macy, Jon Cryer, James Spader and Leslie Mann play the grown-ups in this kid -centered comedy.
Trevor can be seen starring as a series regular in the television comedy, "The New Adventures of Old Christine" which is in its fifth season on CBS. Trevor plays opposite the Emmy winning actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus as her son, Ritchie. - Jay Mello was born on 16 June 1968 in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts, USA. He is an actor, known for Jaws (1975) and The Shark Is Still Working: The Impact & Legacy of 'Jaws' (2007).
- Kevin Van Hentenryck achieved instant cult status as the engagingly guileless and nerdy, Duane Bradley, in Frank Henenlotter's marvelously gory, sleazy, low-budget horror splatter gem, Basket Case. Kevin was born on 28 May, 1953 and hails from Oak Park, Michigan. He initially began acting in 10th grade. Van Hentenryk had an uncle who was a performer in radio, television, and movies and an aunt who had acted in a soap opera for many years. Kevin graduated from Ferndale High School in 1972. Van Hentenryck first met Henenlotter while attending the American Academy of Dramatic Art in New York City. He eventually wound up playing his first substantial lead role in Henenlotter's Basket Case. The slender, curly-haired and boyishly affable young man brought a winning blend of sweet wide-eyed innocence and charming awkwardness to the part of Duane. He had an amusing cameo as Duane in Henenlotter's terrific Brain Damage. In addition, Kevin reprises the role of Duane in the two hugely enjoyable Basket Case sequels. He more recently gave a hilarious performance as a deranged psycho in the uproarious horror comic short The Catskill Chainsaw Redemption. Outside of acting, Kevin's had a successful career as a self-taught sculptor.