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- Actor
- Stunts
Wilford Brimley was born on 27 September 1934 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. He was an actor, known for The Natural (1984), In & Out (1997) and Cocoon (1985). He was married to Beverly Berry and Lynne Brimley. He died on 1 August 2020 in St. George, Utah, USA.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Without a doubt Gary Coleman was THE child TV star of the late 1970s and early 1980s. A refreshingly confident little tyke with sparkling dark, saucer-like eyes and an ingratiating, take-on-anyone burst of personality, the boy charmed the pants right off of TV viewers the minute he was glimpsed in national commercials. Amazed by how mature he came across, Gary was in truth older than he looked, which was brought upon by a congenital kidney condition. Sadly, the pint-sized phenomena outgrew his chubby-cheeked welcome and found the course of his grown-up Hollywood career brutally rough and patchy. The fragile condition of his health coupled with this lack of adult career acceptance, sparked an aggressively defensive behavior mechanism in his adult years and led to great personal unhappiness, chronic legal/financial hassles and early death.
He was born Gary Wayne Coleman on February 8, 1968, to a homeless woman, and was adopted by a fork-lift operator and his nurse practitioner wife from a Chicago hospital when he was just a few days old. Raised in Zion, Illinois, it was discovered that little Gary had severe health issues before the age of 2. Born with one atrophied kidney and an endangering weak second one, he had two kidney transplants by the time he reached age 16 and the effects of his dialysis medication permanently stunted his growth (to 4'8").
A highly precocious comedy cut-up on-camera, Gary proved a natural in local Chicago commercials. As his commercials spread nationwide, audiences began wondering just who this diminutive dynamo was. Norman Lear's talent scout spotted him in a Chicago bank commercial (he was 9 at the time) and decided to reveal to the world who the little guy was. Brought in to brighten up such Lear sitcoms as "The Jeffersons" and "Good Times" (the latter as a friend of little Janet Jackson's character), NBC quickly recognized the boy's comedy prowess and handed the 10-year-old his own prime-time sitcom playground to mug in.
While Diff'rent Strokes (1978)'s underlying approach was to preach racial and social tolerance (it revolved around two lower-class African-American brothers from Harlem who are taken in and adopted by a wealthy, debonair Park Avenue white man after their housekeeper mother dies), the show's powers-that-be smartly deduced that it was the wisecracking gifts of young Coleman, who played the youngest brother, Arnold Jackson, that gave the show its spark. Deemed "NBC's Littlest Big Man," Gary's sly, pouting-lipped delivery of, "What'chu talkin' about, Willis?" soon became a popular American catchphrase.
Legendary comics such as Bob Hope and Lucille Ball absolutely gushed about the little boy's comedy genius and Gary soon became a hit on the talk show circuit, trading clever banter with the likes of Johnny Carson among others. The boy was also outfitted with a series of lightweight TV-movie showcases which included The Kid from Left Field (1979), Scout's Honor (1980), The Kid with the Broken Halo (1982), The Kid with the 200 I.Q. (1983), The Fantastic World of D.C. Collins (1984) and Playing with Fire (1985). All of them wisely centered around Gary's adorable persona. Modest film comedies also came his way with On the Right Track (1981) and Jimmy the Kid (1982). Topping it all off, the Hanna-Barbera-produced series The Gary Coleman Show (1982) produced an animated version of the child star. Little Gary would make close to $18 million during his nearly decade-long TV reign.
Like many others in his shoes, however, the aging Coleman felt trapped and pigeonholed by his stifling juvenile image and begged to get out from under it. The 18-year-old was truly thankful when the series ended in 1986. Coleman found, however, that a very fickle public was not as receptive to seeing him grow up. Like fellow TV star Emmanuel Lewis, Coleman began aging in appearance but remained trapped in the body of a young boy and the contrast proved too strange for audiences. As a result, Hollywood had little resources as to what to do with Gary Coleman the man. It wasn't long before Coleman was reduced to making weird guest appearances and small parts in even smaller films.
This crash course in reality triggered an increasingly erratic and aggressive behavior in Gary Coleman as he became increasingly angry and bitter about his lack of work when he was so used to be on top of everything. The subsequent tragedies suffered by all three young stars from the "Diff'rent Strokes" show, in fact, was sold out as a jinx package known as the "Diff'rent Strokes curse". While distaff co-star Dana Plato fell heavily into drug addiction, petty crime and pornography before taking her own life in 1999, Todd Bridges, who played Coleman's older brother, battled major cocaine abuse and was later charged (but acquitted of) attempted murder in the late 1980s.
In addition to his life-long health issues, Gary's adult problems came in the form of scattered financial and legal entanglements, as well as scrapes with the law. He was once arrested in 1999 for punching a persistent female autograph fan, in which he was fined and ordered to take anger-management classes. This became tabloid fodder for late night comics who joked that he must have landed "several good uppercuts." He also had many disorderly conduct and reckless driving charges brought up against him at various times. He would admit that the tally of his life problems led to more than a few feigned suicide attempts. In 1989, Coleman successfully sued his adopted parents and business manager after they allegedly pilfered his youthful fortune for their own self interest totaling $3.8 million in losses, and he won $1,280,000. Despite the large settlement, all of the money was soon spent on taxes, legal fees, as well as his increasingly high medical bills for his continuing dialysis treatments. As a result by 1999 (with no steady acting work) Coleman had to declare bankruptcy, finding work outside the Hollywood industry as a security guard. For self-preservation, he went the reality-show route and became the object of self-mocking cameos to help bring in some cash. As a gag, he ran for California's 2003 governorship during its recall election.
In 2007, he married the much younger actress Shannon Price, whom he met on the set of the low budget film Church Ball (2006), but the quickly marriage dissolved quickly into domestic squabbles that put him in front of the court system yet again on domestic abuse charges. He later moved and settled in Utah.
In early 2009, Coleman managed to star in his very last film, the crude independent comedy Midgets vs. Mascots (2009) filmed in Dallas, Texas before the end came. Following heart surgery complicated by pneumonia in the fall of 2009, he suffered a heart seizure in February 2010 while performing on a Hollywood set. The 42-year-old actor died of a brain hemorrhage on May 28, 2010, after suffering an epidural haematoma from a fall at home. A sad end to a very bright and talented, but very troubled and bitter, child star who, at his peak, brought such joy to TV audiences.- Barbara Stuart was born on 3 January 1930 in Paris, Illinois, USA. She was an actress, known for Bachelor Party (1984), Airplane! (1980) and One Step Beyond (1959). She was married to Dick Gautier. She died on 15 May 2011 in St. George, Utah, USA.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Christine Cavanaugh (birth name: Christine Josephine Sandberg) was an American actress from Layton, Utah. She emerged as a prolific voice actress in the 1990s, voicing roles in many films and television series. She chose to retire from acting in 2001, at the age of 38. Her most famous voice roles were the energetic tomboy Gosalyn Waddlemeyer-Mallard in "Darkwing Duck" (1991-1992), the timid Chuckie Finster in "Rugrats" (1991-2002), the heroic cyborg Bunnie Rabbot in "Sonic the Hedgehog" (1993-1994), the shape-shifting monster Oblina in "Aaahh!!! Real Monsters" (1994-1997), the overweight boy Martin Sherman in "The Critic" (1994-1995), the orphaned piglet Babe in the film "Babe" (1995), the genius child Dexter in "Dexter's Laboratory" (1996-2002), and the prehistoric caveboy Bamm-Bamm Rubble in "Cave Kids" (1996).
In 1963, Cavanaugh was born in Layton, Utah. The city is a bedroom community for the Hill Air Force Base, one of the largest employers in the state of Utah. The base has been in operation since 1940. Cavanaugh's parents were Waldo Eugene Sandberg and his wife Rheta Mason. She and her family were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a nontrinitarian Christian church whose membership includes much of Utah's population.
In 1985, Cavanaugh married Kevin James Cavanaugh. Cavanaugh was her married name and she kept it throughout her career. The marriage ended in a divorce within a few years. She never remarried. She started performing voice roles c. 1988. In 1990, she had a guest role in the live-action sitcom "Cheers". She played Terry Gardner, the new roommate of bartender Woody Boyd (played by Woody Harrelson). The co-habitation does not work out because Terry's jealous ex-husband attempts to reclaim her as his spouse.
Cavanaugh had much more success as a voice actress in the 1990s, while her live-action roles were few. In 1997, she had a memorable guest-appearance in the science fiction series "The X-Files". She played Amanda Nelligan, a woman impregnated by a shape-shifter. The shape-shifter in question primarily used his skills to seduce women, and the investigating agents eventually found out that he had fathered at least 5 children.
Cavanagh abruptly chose to retire from acting in 2001, for personal reasons. Previously recorded episodes featuring her voice continued to be released until 2003. She was replaced by Nancy Cartwright as the voice of Chuckie Finster, and by Candi Milo as the voice of Dexter.
Cavanagh lived in retirement until her death in December 2014. She died at her home in Cedar City, Utah. No cause of death was mentioned in press announcements. She was 51-years-old. Her remains were cremated. Her ashes were scattered into the Great Salt Lake, the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere. Cavanagh is fondly remembered by animation fans,. A number of the television series in which she appeared have maintained cult followings for decades.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Born into a prominent Mormon family in Utah, Laraine Day's acting career began after her parents moved to Long Beach, California, where she joined the Long Beach Players. She appeared in her first film in 1937 in a bit part, then did leads in several George O'Brien westerns. Signing a contract with MGM, she achieved popularity playing the part of Nurse Lamont in that studio's "Dr. Kildare" series. An attractive, engaging performer, she had leads in several medium-budget films for various studios, but never achieved major stardom. She was married for 13 years to baseball manager Leo Durocher, and took such an active interest in his career and the sport of baseball in general that she became known as "The First Lady of Baseball".- Actor
- Stunts
Bart the Bear was perhaps one of Hollywood's most remarkable animal stars. The Alaskan brown bear was born in 1977 and was brought in by Utah animal trainer Doug Seus. Bart started to train in acting in 1980 and grew to 9 feet tall, the average for brown bears.
Bart starred in The Great Outdoors (1988), On Deadly Ground (1994) and The Edge (1997). Bart's co-stars included John Candy, Dan Aykroyd, Steven Seagal, Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin, all of whom were very impressed with how well a bear could be trained to act, and enjoyed the experience of working with animals. Sadly, Bart died in 2000 of cancer at the age of 23 during filming of Animal Planet's Growing Up Grizzly (2001). His namesake is Little Bart. Little Bart's sister is named Honey Bump. Their mother was killed and Doug and Lynne Seus took them in. Doug and wife Lynne Seus started the Vital Ground Foundation in honor of Bart, who was the organization's 1st ambassador. The organization was begun to set up lands to preserve the great grizzlies and other wildlife.- Cute, perky, and engaging brunette actress Rebecca Balding was born on September 21, 1948, in Little Rock, Arkansas. The sweet, comely, and spirited Balding first began acting on television in the mid 1970s. She played an eager-beaver cub reporter on three episodes of Lou Grant (1977). She achieved her greatest and most enduring popularity as Carol David, the young lady who becomes a surrogate mother for gay Jodie Dallas' (Billy Crystal child on comedy program Soap (1977). She portrayed David Naughton's receptionist girlfriend in the sitcom Makin' It (1979). Balding tackled two substantial starring roles in a couple of hugely enjoyable early 1980s horror pictures: She was the endearingly spunky college student heroine of the superior slasher winner The Silent Scream (1979) and an equally likable damsel in distress in the immensely entertaining creature feature The Boogens (1981). Alas, her fright film scream queen phase proved to be sadly fleeting.
She racked up an impressively large volume of guest spot credits on numerous TV shows: Among the television programs she's appeared in are ER (1994), Melrose Place (1992), Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990), Home Improvement (1991), MacGyver (1985), Our House (1986), Family Ties (1982), Trapper John, M.D. (1979), Hotel (1983), Matt Houston (1982), Gimme a Break! (1981), The Insiders (1985), Cagney & Lacey (1981), This Is the Life (1952), I'm a Big Girl Now (1980), Supertrain (1979), Barnaby Jones (1973), The Bionic Woman (1976), and Starsky and Hutch (1975). She gave a touching performance as Edward Asner's estranged dejected daughter in the made-for-TV drama gem The Gathering (1977) and its lesser, more mawkish sequel, The Gathering, Part II (1979).
Late in her career, she popped up in a steady recurring part as Phoebe (Alyssa Milano)'s boss Elise Rothman on Charmed (1998). She was married to producer James L. Conway from 1981 until her death at 73 in 2022. She was also survived by two daughters. - Transportation Department
- Location Management
Melanie Olmstead was born on 15 November 1968. Melanie is known for John Carter (2012), Point Break (2015) and Hereditary (2018). Melanie died on 25 May 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.- Actress
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
- Make-Up Department
The buxom, lively and attractive blonde bombshell named Regina Carrol was a dancer, singer and actress who achieved her greatest enduring cult popularity by appearing in a handful of entertainingly trashy drive-in exploitation feature films directed by her filmmaker husband Al Adamson. She was born Regina Gelfan on May 2, 1943 in Boston, Massachusetts. Carrol began doing auditions for plays when she was 5. She performed in stage productions of "West Side Story," "The Children's Hour," "Wish You Were Here" and "Daddy Long Legs." Carrol's mother died of cancer when she was 15. Carrol worked as a dancer in Las Vegas, Nevada and toured Europe with her night club act. In addition, she hosted her own TV interview series called "The Regina Carrol Show" and wrote an entertainment column for the newspaper "The Las Vegas Panorama." She was discovered and convinced to go into films by actor Steve Cochran. Carrol made appearances on the TV series "The Dinah Shore Show," "Route 66" and "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet." She made her film debut as a dancer in "The Beat Generation" and had uncredited small parts in "The Glass Bottom Boat," "The Slender Thread," the delightful Elvis Presley romp "Viva Las Vegas" (she dated Elvis for a short time while making this film), "Two Rode Together" and "From the Terrace." Carrol then gave a memorably wild performance as the crazed biker mama Gina in the splendidly sleazy Satan's Sadists (1969) (she was billed as "the freak-out girl" in the advertisements for this film). Other notable film roles of hers at this time include the daffy Lori in the amusing Blazing Stewardesses (1975), the feisty cowgirl Claire in the gritty revenge Western Jessi's Girls (1975), and the melancholy lounge singer Valerie in the nifty blaxploitation film Black Heat (1976) (she sings the forlorn ballad "No More Mail Until Tomorrow" in this film). Carrol ended her career performing cabaret on stage and died of cancer at the tragically young age of 49 on November 4, 1992.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Keene Curtis was born on 15 February 1923 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. He was an actor, known for Sliver (1993), I.Q. (1994) and Heaven Can Wait (1978). He died on 13 October 2002 in Bountiful, Utah, USA.- R.D. Call was an American actor, best known for his roles in films directed by Walter Hill. He was born and raised in Utah and attended the Utah State University and Weber State University. Call moved to Los Angeles in 1976 and began training with Lee Strasberg. His first role was in Barnaby Jones (1973), a TV series directed by Leo Penn.
Call then took roles in the Walter Hill films 48 Hrs. (1982) and Brewster's Millions (1985). Next came At Close Range (1986), opposite Sean Penn, and the Charlie Sheen thriller, No Man's Land (1987). Dennis Hopper cast him in Hopper's thriller, Colors (1988), again opposite Sean Penn. Call would work with both Leo and Sean Penn -- and Martin Sheen -- in Judgment in Berlin (1988).
Towards the end of the 1980s, roles included Michael Mann's L.A. Takedown (1989) -- the original version of Mann's Heat (1995) -- and a cameo appearance in Oliver Stone's Born on the Fourth of July (1989). Call appeared opposite Emilio Estevez and Kiefer Sutherland in Young Guns II (1990) and was back with Sean Penn in State of Grace (1990), conveying a close working relationship with both the Penn and Sheen families.
The mid-1990s were equally kind to Call, with roles in Waterworld (1995) and Walter Hill's Last Man Standing (1996), in which he starred with Bruce Willis. More recent roles include the Sandra Bullock thriller, Murder by Numbers (2002), the Brad Pitt drama, Babel (2006), and the Sean Penn-directed Into the Wild (2007).
Call appeared in numerous TV series, including The X-Files (1993) and Stephen King's Golden Years (1991). - Joe De Santis was born on 15 June 1909 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Beau Geste (1966), Playhouse 90 (1956) and Madame X (1966). He was married to Wanda June Slye, Margaret Draper and Miriam Moss. He died on 30 August 1989 in Provo, Utah, USA.
- Bart the Bear II is an 8.5-foot tall, 1,110-pound Alaskan brown bear whose impact on wildlife has been even bigger than his body or his acting accomplishments. Also known as Little Bart, Bart II is small only in comparison to his predecessor, Bart the Bear, who stood a foot taller and 400 pounds heavier in his prime. Orphaned as a tiny cub in Alaska, Bart II and his sister, Honey Bump, were rescued and delivered to Doug and Lynne Seus, the Utah-based animal trainers who had turned Bart the Bear into an international celebrity and established The Vital Ground Foundation in 1990 to help protect habitat for Bart's wild grizzly cousins. Little Bart soon got very big, in the flesh and in the film industry. Still going strong as he nears age 20, Bart's acting accomplishments include "Dr. Doolittle 2", "Without a Paddle", "Into the Wild" and more recently an episode of HBO's mega-hit "Game of Thrones" and the upcoming Discovery series, "Man vs. Bear".
- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Deborah Reed is best known for her over the top portrayal of the Queen of Goblins in cult classic Troll 2 (1990). Her love of performing began at an early age, when she would create zany characters for anyone willing to be a captive audience. A native of Utah, at five years old she moved with her family to Lafayette, California, where they remained until she was fifteen. Once back in Utah she was shy, not involved in popular school activities; but when asked, played the part of Yvette in "Pillow Talk". She received her first true encouragement when near the end of her senior year, performed a Shakespearean monologue as Juliet in drama class. To her shock there was a resounding applause then high praise from her teacher. A respected actor-classmate told her, "I wish I could let go the way you do." She soon performed in her first film, "Educated Heart", with Anthony Geary and Anne Archer, but the film was never picked up.
In 1970 her family moved to Spokane, Washington. It was there she began performing in musical theater, including "Oliver" and "Hello Dolly", while honing her skills as both playwright and director. She would never forget the first times witnessing an entire audience whimpering - nose blows included - after a dramatic performance of hers or howling with laughter at something she had written. She was hooked. The desire to touch people's hearts through media was entrenched and has never left her.
In 1980, Deborah joined the renowned McCarty Agency where, over the next twenty years, she worked extensively as a print model, makeup artist, and actor in film and hundreds of television ads. With her passion for children's self-esteem, she created a forum of children's classes as a means of introducing them to skills and confidence needed in 'the industry' while developing habits of positive thinking and self-respect for which she became instructor for the next fifteen years. In1989, Deborah landed the role of Creedence Leonore Gielgud, in Troll 2 (1990), the quirky film by Italian director, Claudio Fragasso. With her lifelong love of camp, it was a perfect fit. She completely 'let go' when auditioning for the part, a scene later to become a fan favorite.
Deborah took a sabbatical from the industry from 1997 - 2000 when hired as Executive Assistant to United States Congressman Merrill Cook, with whom she had worked when hired as makeup artist during the campaign trail. After Cook took Office, he offered Deborah the much sought after job, telling her he appreciated her obvious love of people, her passion for those in need and love of The Arts, saying she could truly make a difference. She was both surprised and hesitant, but agreed to give it a try. Her areas of Special Interest were Youth, Disabilities, Heritage Foundation, and the Arts and Humanities. Among her accomplishments, she spearheaded the Bicentennial Local Legacies project, which documented Utah's Native American community through film, recording, photos and other multimedia and culminated at an event in Washington DC, celebrating 200 years of The Library of Congress. Cook has largely credited her for his receiving multiple awards from the National Endowment for the Arts. During Cook's second term, Deborah also performed as Press Secretary. For the following two years, Deborah produced and co-hosted radio program, "The Merrill Cook Show", writing and producing all the commercial spots.
In 2004, Deborah's over twenty year marriage was over. To cope, she threw herself into a new pursuit, working as a mural and Trompe l'oeil artist. She soon met her husband, radio personality Randy Holman. They started their own multimedia production company, producing a television series they co-hosted, "It's All About Homes", as well as documentaries and TV commercials for clients. Deborah usually wrote ads with a camp flavor, creating zany characters often portrayed by Randy and herself. They ran the company together until Randy's untimely death from cancer in 2012.
Finding humanity through humor is most often the driving force behind Deborah's work and remains a priority in her current work as a writer and blogger. As of 2016, her focus has been on her first children's picture book, "When Bugs Are Bugging You", and middle-grade novel, "Flump - Book One: The Gaseous Ghost", which she claims contains a few cryptic Troll 2 (1990) references. Deborah has two sons: artist/animator Gavin Reed, and software engineer Remington Reed, founders of the company, Hey Bud Games.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Roy Fitzell was born on 11 April 1929 in San Diego, California, USA. He was an actor, known for The Steve Allen Plymouth Show (1956), Hollywood Varieties (1950) and Omnibus (1952). He died on 17 February 2017 in St. George, Utah, USA.- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Ken Sansom was born on 2 April 1927 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. He was an actor, known for The Long Goodbye (1973), The Sting (1973) and Airport 1975 (1974). He was married to Carla. He died on 8 October 2012 in Holladay, Utah, USA.- Edward Woods was born on 5 July 1903 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for The Public Enemy (1931), Marriage on Approval (1933) and Hot Saturday (1932). He was married to Gabrielle Margery Morris. He died on 8 October 1989 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Art Lund was a lead singer in the Benny Goodman Orchestra in the 1940's who also appeared on Broadway, on television and in films.
Mr. Lund, a baritone, created the role of Joey, the foreman, in the 1956 Broadway musical ''The Most Happy Fella.'' But he was best known for his years with the Goodman band, which he joined in the early 1940's and then rejoined after serving with the Navy in the South Pacific in World War II. He earned five gold records for songs that included ''Blue Skies,'' My Blue Heaven'' and ''Mam'selle.''
As the simple-minded Lennie in a 1958 Off Broadway musical adaptation of ''Of Mice and Men,'' he was ''tremendously effective,'' wrote a New York Times reviewer, Louis Calta, who praised his voice as well as his portrayal.
Mr. Lund also had roles in the 1961 Broadway musical ''Donneybrook!'' and in touring companies of ''Fiorello!,'' ''No Strings'' and ''Destry Rides Again.'' He appeared in films including ''The Molly Maguires'' (1968) and ''The Last American Hero'' (1973). On television, he was seen on ''Gunsmoke,'' ''The Rockford Files,'' ''Little House on the Prairie'' and ''The Winds of War.''
The 6-foot-4 performer graduated from Westminster College in his native Salt Lake City and from Eastern Kentucky State Teachers' College. He also received a master's degree in aerological engineering from the United States Naval Academy in 1943.
His first wife, Kathleen Virginia Bolanz, died in a car accident in 1969. In 1989, Mr. Lund married Janet Burris Chytraus. They lived in Sherman Oaks, Calif., until moving recently to Utah.
Besides his wife, he had a daughter, Kathleen Ann Olson of Canoga Park, Calif.; a son, Arthur Earl Lund 3d of Pittsburgh; a sister, Ruth Glover, a grandson and two granddaughters.- Producer
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Patrick Curtis was born on 15 June 1939 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was a producer and actor, known for A Swingin' Summer (1965), The Sorcerers (1967) and The Day the Earth Got Stoned (1979). He was married to Annabel Little, Margolyn Curtis and Raquel Welch. He died on 24 November 2022 in St. George, Utah, USA.- Gunter Nezhoda was born in Vienna/Austria, lived 10 years in Frankfurt/Germany and moved in 1990 to Las Vegas. He has worked on Bass with: Pat Travers, Leslie West, Michael Schenker, George Lynch, Kevin Dubrow and many others. Gunter Nezhoda also appears in several movies and on the A&E TV Show "Storagewars". He is also a passionate photographer. His photography was used by clients such as Microsoft, Big-O Tires, Ford and many others, and was featured in countless magazines and ads. His portraits are known for their high impact and the capability of Gunter to get any expression on a clients face he wants too, and always clicks in the right moment.
- Audrey Caire was born on 3 November 1927 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. She was an actress, known for The Madmen of Mandoras (1963), They Saved Hitler's Brain (1968) and Joe (1970). She was married to Arnold Sprung, James Hynes Eddy, William Doran Clark and James Thomas Loflin. She died on 20 September 2007 in Park City, Utah, USA.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Ricci Martin was born on 20 September 1953 in Beverly Hills, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Just Tell Me You Love Me (1978), Martin and Lewis (2002) and Rock Concert (1973). He was married to Annie Rassmussen. He died on 3 August 2016 in Kamas, Utah, USA.- Actor
- Music Department
- Additional Crew
Delos Jewkes was born on 21 October 1895 in Orangeville, Utah, USA. He was an actor, known for My Gal Sal (1942), The Andy Griffith Show (1960) and ABC Stage 67 (1966). He was married to Belle Augusta Gardner. He died on 17 July 1984 in Provo, Utah, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Richard Emory was born on 27 January 1919 in Santa Barbara, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Red Snow (1952), Beginning of the End (1957) and Rescue 8 (1958). He died on 15 February 1994 in Moab, Utah, USA.- Bob Miles was born on 11 September 1927 in Hollywood, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988), Snake Island (2002) and Bonanza (1959). He was married to Yvette Pauquet and Vera Miles. He died on 12 April 2007 in Parowan, Utah, USA.
- Todd Christensen was born on 3 August 1956 in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor, known for Married... with Children (1987), World Combat Championship (1996) and American Gladiators (1989). He was married to Kathleen Simmons. He died on 13 November 2013 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
- Production Designer
- Writer
- Director
Alfred Sole was born on July 2, 1943, in Paterson, NJ. He grew up avidly watching the movies of Alfred Hitchcock, who later was an acknowledged influence on Sole's best known and most well-regarded feature, Alice, Sweet Alice (1976), better known as "Alice, Sweet Alice."
Sole graduated from the University of Florence in Italy with a degree in architecture and spent his young adulthood working as an architect. He made his directorial debut with the tongue-in-cheek hardcore parody Deep Sleep (1972), which starred 1970s porno superstars Harry Reems and Georgina Spelvin. It won first prize at the New York Erotic Film Festival and was made in Sole's hometown of Paterson on a paltry $25,000 budget. Alas, the movie was pulled from theaters on charges that it was obscene, and all prints were confiscated.
Sole's superbly atmospheric and vehemently anti-Catholic horror winner "Alice, Sweet Alice" fared much better with critics and audiences alike. It won first prize at the Chicago Film Festival and garnered highly positive reviews from critics, among them Roger Ebert. The film also boasted a then-unknown Brooke Shields in her film debut and was also shot on location in Paterson. Alas, it, too, did poorly at the box office due to spotty distribution.
Sole next made the quirky and kinky soft-core fantasy outing Tanya's Island (1980), which starred future Prince protégé Vanity acting under the pseudonym D.D. Winters and showcased a remarkably convincing ape costume designed by Rob Bottin. Unfortunately, this film likewise suffered from virtually nonexistent theatrical distribution. Sole's final film as director was the silly slasher-movie spoof Pandemonium (1982), which offered an amazing all-star cast that included Tom Smothers, Phil Hartman, Tab Hunter, Eileen Brennan, Carol Kane, Eve Arden, Judge Reinhold, Kaye Ballard, Paul Reubens, and David L. Lander all doing their best with a dopey script. Sole also wrote stories for episodes of the TV shows Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1985), Friday the 13th: The Series (1987), and Hotel (1983).
Fed up with studio politics and the Hollywood rat race, Sole called it a day as a director in 1982 and went on to become a successful production designer. Among the movies he has worked on in this capacity are Halloweentown High (2004), These Old Broads (2001), Clubland (1999), Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies (1999), Glory Daze (1995), Bodily Harm (1995), and Night of the Running Man (1995). More recently, Sole handled production-designer chores on the TV series Veronica Mars (2004).- Stan Ellsworth was born on 20 June 1959 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. He was an actor and producer, known for High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008), The Do-Over (2016) and American Ride (2011). He was married to Stacey Knudsen and Lisa Marie Heesch. He died on 30 March 2023 in Lehi, Utah, USA.
- Writer
- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ken Block was born on 21 November 1967 in Long Beach, California, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for Gymkhana Seven: Wild in the Streets of Los Angeles (2014), Gymkhana Ten: Ultimate Tire Slaying Tour (2018) and The DC Video (2003). He was married to Lucy Block. He died on 2 January 2023 in Wasatch County, Utah, USA.- Stunts
- Actor
Leon Delaney was born on 18 February 1947 in Houston, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for The Warriors (1979), Starship Troopers (1997) and Predator (1987). He was married to Sandy. He died on 14 July 2023 in Orem, Utah, USA.- David Jensen was born on 30 December 1947 in Logan, Utah, USA. He was an actor, known for Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988), Species (1995) and Tripwire (1989). He was married to Jan L. Anderson and Carole L. Taylor. He died on 29 November 1998 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
- Actor
- Producer
Abel Benitez is native to Asuncion, Paraguay, immigrating to the United States in 2001. Growing up in Utah, Abel became immersed in performing arts through local theaters. He debuts his first on screen role as Vincent in the film Just Below Sunset. He will be starring in an untitled Hannes Aigner Austrian horror film coming 2020.- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Director
Henning Schellerup was born on 3 January 1928 in Thisted, Viborg, Denmark. He was a cinematographer and director, known for Death Race 2000 (1975) and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). He was married to Annie Tove Gondy. He died on 12 May 2000 in West Jordan, Utah, USA.- Producer
- Actor
Bingham Ray was born on 1 October 1954 in Bronxville, New York, USA. He was a producer and actor, known for Stand Up Guys (2012), Shocker (1989) and A Fighting Season (2015). He was married to Nancy T. King. He died on 23 January 2012 in Provo, Utah, USA.- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Mike Starr was born on 4 April 1966 in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. He was an actor, known for Singles (1992), Lassie (1994) and Alice in Chains: Man in the Box (1991). He died on 8 March 2011 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.- Actor
- Producer
Bernie Diamond was born on 22 May 1922 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. He was an actor and producer, known for Charly (2002), Out of Step (2002) and The Letter Writer (2011). He died on 26 July 2011 in Ogden, Utah, USA.- Bryan Patrick Ruff was born on 12 August 1969 in Bristol, Connecticut, USA. He was married to Jennifer Campbell. He died on 10 December 1991 in Cedar Fort, Utah, USA.
- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Jeff Chamberlain was born on 5 January 1954 in Fort Ord, California, USA. He was an actor and producer, known for Black Rain (1989), The Mine (2012) and Pump Up the Volume (1990). He was married to Lachelle Chamberlain. He died on 16 September 2020 in Midway, Utah, USA.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
David Fetzer was born on 17 December 1982 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Isip the Warrior (2013), How to Speak Clearly (2013) and Bad Fever (2011). He died on 20 December 2012 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.- Melissa Smith was born on 4 July 1957 in Salt Lake CIty, Utah, USA. She died on 18 October 1974 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
- Don Packard was born on 7 March 1927 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Troll 2 (1990) and Best Worst Movie (2009). He died on 14 May 2021 in Holladay, Utah, USA.
- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Birgit Stein was born in 1971 in Germany. She was an actress and producer, known for Ohne Gnade! (2013), House of the Dead (2003) and Don't Get Stuck (2003). She was married to Jürgen Prochnow and Hans-Jürgen Stangl. She died on 2 August 2018 in Kanab, Utah, USA.- Lynne Brimley was born on 16 October 1936 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. She was an actress, known for The Stone Boy (1984). She was married to Wilford Brimley. She died on 14 June 2000 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
- Kim Peek was born on 11 November 1951 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. He died on 19 December 2009 in Murray, Utah, USA.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Sterling Brimley was born on 18 May 1936 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. He was an actor, known for Brigham City (2001), The Pandora Directive (1996) and Promised Land (1996). He was married to Joyce Cunningham and Pam Collier. He died on 14 February 2022 in Bountiful, Utah, USA.- A ruggedly handsome actor, Nathan was also a producer, and a theater owner. Teamed with his wife, Ruth Hale, he founded community theaters in California and Utah. His children and grandchildren continue in this family legacy of the stage to this day, and some grandsons have become successful film directors.
Soon after Nathan met and married Ruth, they were asked to serve as drama leaders in their ward (Mormon church congregation). They began writing their own plays to avoid paying royalties, with Ruth doing most of the writing, and for 8 years they staged their productions around the Salt Lake Valley. Already having four children, Nathan was not eligible for the draft, but he also was not happy with his job at Utah Copper, with the dust and grime of the mining operation. After reading in the paper about a lack of leading men in Hollywood due to WW II military service, Ruth mentioned that he might make a go at professional acting. Nathan replied that she had a better chance with her acting and plays. Despite the negative reaction from family and friends, they decided to move to southern California in 1943. Nathan took a job as a milkman leaving days and evenings available for acting work. He had some roles with the Altadena Players at the Pasadena Playhouse, but film work remained elusive. However, the Hales did participate in the production of two films in 1946 about the Mormon welfare program, made in spare time by a team of Mormons in the film industry assembled by Disney animator Judge Whitaker. This was the start of film production within the Mormon Church.
With film careers not materializing, they opened the Glendale Centre Theatre in Glendale, Ca. in 1947 (125 seats) to provide a venue for their acting. Their success soon led to a move and expansion. They staged plays that were free of profanity and illicit love affairs, leading to bookings of entire performances by church groups of various denominations. Ruth drew from her personal experiences in writing, and Nathan's favorite role was playing his own feisty English father-in-law in "Thank You Papa" penned by Ruth. Several actors would get their start at the Hale's theater including Gordon Jump, Mike Farrell, Connie Stevens, Richard Hatch, and Melissa Gilbert.
The Hales did initiate some film work of their own, independently producing three Mormon-themed films from 1955 to 1957 assisted by their nephew William Hale, and many members of the Glendale West Ward. "Choice Land" was a 20 minute film about America, including Book of Mormon scenes such as Lehi leaving Jerusalem (shot in the desert) and one with Jaredites. The earthquake leveling Zarahemla at the time of Christ's crucifixion was shot using a model of the city on a ping pong table. The Pilgrims were shot wading knee deep in snow at Mr. Wilson. "Oliver Cowdery" was filmed for $2,500 with a ten minute court scene rehearsed and shot in one evening. A third film was entitled "Is Fast Day a Headache ?"
Nathan and his children would all later appear in one or more films produced for use by The Mormon Church. Nathan was well-cast as a leader of a Mormon colony in Mexico facing a threat from Pancho Villa in the film And Should We Die (1966), and as the grandfather in the 1986 re-make of Man's Search for Happiness (1964).
In 1983 the Hales retired to Utah, leaving their daughter Sandra and her husband running the Glendale theater. Soon bored, they decided to open the Salt Lake Hale Center Theatre with other family members. Hale Center theaters have continued to be opened elsewhere after Nathan's death. Grandsons Kurt Hale and Will Swenson have entered the ranks of directors in LDS Cinema with The Singles Ward (2002) and Sons of Provo (2004). - Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Ray Mayer was born on 24 April 1901 in Lexington, Nebraska, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Seven Keys to Baldpate (1935), Make Way for Tomorrow (1937) and I Married a Doctor (1936). He was married to Edith Evans. He died on 22 November 1948 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.- Born in Rochester, New York Feb. 17, 1941, joined the US Navy in 1958 after high school, went to the University of North Carolina and graduated with a BA in Theatre in 1966, went to New York to study acting with Uta Hagen, Mira Rostova, Bobby Lewis and Michael Shurtleff, joined Actor's Equity Association as R.P. McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest at the Little Fox Theatre in San Francisco in 1969, returned to New York and graduated from Hunter College with an MA in Theatre in 1973, got hired at the Long Wharf Theatre in Ibsen's Masterbuilder, then went to the London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art for a one-year Post graduate program. Returned to Los Angeles in 1975, where he founded the Los Angeles Academy of Dramatic Art until 1982, when he returned to New York to teach acting at Hunter College until 1985 when he returned to Los Angeles after having children. He remarried in 1994 and moved to Utah in 1997, opened Park City Music and the Utah Conservatory, both of which have been in business for the last twelve years. In 2004, he graduated from Rochville University with a PhD in Educational Studies and became the conservatory's Executive Director. He has continued to make films and has done six musicals at the Egyptian Theatre in Park City.
- Jaymzlinn Saxton was born on 25 January 1963. She was an actress, known for The Crawlers (1990). She died on 18 March 2012 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
- Producer
- Production Manager
- Director
Writer/director/producer Don Schain made his feature debut with the softcore outing The Love Object (1970). A former Manhattan movie theater manager, Schain and his partner Ralph T. Desiderio conceived the idea for the notoriously trashy "Ginger" exploitation picture trilogy in 1970. Schain wrote and directed all three of these immensely popular cult films: Ginger (1971), The Abductors (1972) and Girls Are for Loving (1973). The "Ginger" flicks starred brassy blonde Cheri Caffaro as a sexy yet tough female James Bond-style crimefighter who used harsh and aggressive methods to nail the villains. Don subsequently directed Caffaro in the equally sleazy drive-in items A Place Called Today (1972) and Too Hot to Handle (1977). Schain and Caffaro were married for a while, but eventually divorced. Don subsequently remarried. Schain produced a large volume of successful made-for-TV films; he did most of said television movies for the Disney Channel. Don frequently collaborated with director Blair Treu. He was the president of the Motion Picture Association of Utah and lived in Salt Lake City, Utah. Schain died at age 74 on December 26, 2015.