Women of German descent
Living women with German background. They must not be born in a german speaking country (Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein).
(List also includes Maitland Ward of English and Norwegian decent born in the USA. Since her "career move" she is age-restricted on imdb.)
(List also includes Maitland Ward of English and Norwegian decent born in the USA. Since her "career move" she is age-restricted on imdb.)
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Anna Kay Faris was born on November 29, 1976 in Baltimore, Maryland, to Karen (Bathurst), a special education teacher, and Jack Faris, a sociologist. She was raised in Edmonds, Washington. Her ancestry includes English, German, Scottish, French, Dutch, Irish, and Welsh. Anna started acting very young but not professionally. She loved watching theatrical plays and eventually produced one of her own with all the neighborhood children, in her immediate environment. She was always encouraged with the emphasis that she wasn't just "pretending" but rather being an unpaid producer, director, writer and an actress.
Her first paid job was at the Seattle Repertory Theatre at age nine. She loved it and did other local plays and readings. After graduating from the University of Washington in English Literature, she decided to leave for London to work and write, but after filming (the less than wonderful) Lovers Lane (2000) and a short for the Seattle Film Festival, she decided to give Los Angeles a try. She signed up with a wonderful management agency and before she could catch her breath, Keenen Ivory Wayans cast her in heavy, hard, and comedic movie (To some people, it is almost too horrific.), Scary Movie (2000) and its sequels.
She never takes anything for granted and just feels so very fortunate to have been given a chance. (An example was her trying to thank all the journalists and photographers that came to the New York premiere.)
Anna was married to actor Chris Pratt in 2009. They have a son. They separated in 2017 and were divorced in November, 2018.Also, Dutch, English, French, Scottish, Welsh, born in the USA.- Actress
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From Monkey Trouble (1994) to American Beauty (1999)-- that's Hollywood "Hocus Pocus"!
Thora Birch was born on Thursday (as in Thor's Day) March 11, 1982 in Los Angeles. Her father, Jack Birch, and mom, Carol Connors, named her after the Norse God Thor ("Thora" being the feminine), the God of Thunder; she has a younger brother named Bolt Birch. Thora appeared in one of the "classic" California raisin commercials in 1986 (at age 4), and later did other commercials. At age 6, Thora appeared in Purple People Eater (1988) and won a Youth in Film Award for her performance. Then, she appeared in the television series Parenthood (1990), which co-starred a not-yet-discovered Leonardo DiCaprio. Thora's breakout movie was Paradise (1991) with Elijah Wood and Melanie Griffith; Thora bested 4,000 young hopefuls to land the role and she, again, got great reviews. Thora appeared in Hocus Pocus (1993) with major stars; however, she got real recognition by having a starring role in Monkey Trouble (1994), in which her affection for her pet (and sometimes scene-stealing) monkey basically carried the entire movie (she and the monkey did their own stunts). All grown up, this petite beauty (5' 4") with green eyes had a major role in American Beauty (1999) which won 5 Oscar awards. Thora delivered a strong, effective performance as the alienated daughter of parents whose mid-life crises drive them to affairs and destruction; her acting was convincing and inspired and, once again, received good reviews. A down-to-earth young woman in real life, she loves Italian food and diet root beer.Also, French-Canadian, Polish, Irish, Scandinavian, Italian, born in the USA.- Actress
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Aly Michalka was born in Torrance, California, to Carrie (Begley), a musician, and Mark Michalka, who owns a contracting company. She has German, as well as English, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh, ancestry. Aly began acting at the age of five in stage productions by churches her family attended outside Seattle, Washington, and in Thousand Oaks California. She was featured in numerous musicals including "Jailhouse Rock" and "A Time to Remember". Alyson, who plays piano and guitar, also writes music and sings with her younger sister, AJ Michalka, as the pop-music duo of Aly & AJ. The sisters are platinum selling recording artists with "Hollywood Records". When she isn't acting, Alyson enjoys drawing. Her artistic talent was recognized by Hallmark Cards. When she was in the fourth grade, she won a contest for a Christmas card in 1999, when she was 10. Lately, Alyson is interested in fashion and sewing, and has plans to design a clothing line. The Torrance, California, native has two dogs, Saint and Bandit, and lives with her parents and sister in Los Angeles, California.Also, English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, born in the USA. Sister of Amanda "AJ" Michalka.- Actress
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Amanda was born in Torrance, California, to Carrie (Begley), a musician, and Mark Michalka, who owns a contracting company. She has German, as well as English, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh, ancestry. She began seriously studying acting at the age of 9, landing a lead role in a church musical, "Jailhouse Rock", then later booked a national commercial on her very first audition. She has been consistently working ever since, appearing on television shows on CBS, FOX, HBO, ABC, WB and NBC. Prior to becoming an actress, Amanda worked as a professional model appearing on magazine covers, store posters and other merchandising ads for National corporations. Amanda is an accomplished musician, singer and published songwriter. She is proficient at both the piano and the guitar. She is recorded her first CD with her sister Aly (Aly Michalka) as Aly & AJ. This CD was a compilation of their original guitar-driven songs, and was released into the mainstream market. Amanda's hobbies are dance, cooking, horseback riding, mountain biking, reading and hanging out with her puppy, Willow, and family. Her dog Saint died on June 16, 2007.Also, English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, born in the USA. Sister of Alyson "Aly" Michalka.- Actress
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Agnes Bruckner was born on 16 August 1985 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Murder by Numbers (2002), Blood and Chocolate (2007) and Anna Nicole (2013).Also, Russian, Hungarian, born in the USA. No relation to Amy Bruckner.- Amy Bruckner was born on 28 March 1991 in Conifer, Colorado, USA. She is an actress, known for Nancy Drew (2007), Phil of the Future (2004) and ER (1994).Born in the USA. No relation to Agnes Bruckner.
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Katherine Marie Heigl was born on November 24, 1978 in Washington, D.C., to Nancy Heigl (née Engelhardt), a personnel manager, and Paul Heigl, an accountant and executive. Her father is of German/Swiss-German and Irish descent, and her mother is of German ancestry. A short time after her birth, the family moved to New Canaan, Connecticut, where Katherine was to spend the majority of her childhood; the youngest member of her family, Katherine--or "Katie" as she is nicknamed--has two elder siblings, John and Meg. Tragically, her older brother Jason died in 1986 of brain injuries suffered in a car accident, after being thrown from the back of a pickup truck. When doctors determined he was brain-dead, the family made the difficult decision to donate his organs. Not only did this painful chapter give Katherine a greater perspective and appreciation for life, but it motivated her to use her celebrity to promote the importance of organ donation.
Katherine was first thrust into the limelight as a child model. An aunt, visiting the family in New Canaan, took a number of photographs of Katherine, then aged nine, in a series of poses to advertise a hair care product she had invented. Upon returning to New York, with permission from Katherine's parents, she sent the photos to a number of modeling agencies. Within a few weeks, Katherine had been signed to Wilhelmina, a renowned international modeling agency. Almost immediately, she made her debut in a magazine advertisement and soon followed this with an inaugural television appearance in a national commercial for Cheerios breakfast cereal.
Following a number of commercials and modeling assignments for Sears and Lord & Taylor, she made her big-screen debut in That Night (1992), which starred Juliette Lewis and C. Thomas Howell. It was then that she realized that acting rather than modeling was her passion. In 1993, Katherine appeared in Steven Soderbergh's critically-acclaimed Depression-era drama, King of the Hill (1993), before landing her first leading role as a rebellious teenager, alongside Gérard Depardieu, in My Father the Hero (1994). During this time, Katherine continued to attend New Canaan High School, balancing her academic studies with work on films and modeling, which she undertook during holidays, vacations and weekends.
In 1995, she played "Sarah Ryback", the niece of Steven Seagal's character, in Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995), which was her "debut" in the action film genre. Acting was now becoming a stronger focus for Katherine, although she still modeled extensively, appearing regularly in magazines such as "Seventeen". Television appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992) and Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993) soon followed, before she took the lead role in Disney's Wish Upon a Star (1996) in 1996. It was also during that year that Katherine's parents divorced and, following her graduation from high school in 1997, she moved with her mother into a four-bedroom house in Los Angeles' Malibu Canyon area. This enabled her to focus upon acting with the guidance and support of her mother, who now managed her career.
In 1997, Katherine portrayed "Taffy Entwhistle", Rita Hayworth's stand-in, in Stand-ins (1997) and was also cast as the beauteous "Princess Ilene" in the European production, Prince Valiant (1997). She then made her made-for-TV movie debut, co-starring with Peter Fonda in a re-working of the classic Shakespearean play, The Tempest (1998), updated with an American Civil War theme. In this film, she played "Miranda Prosper", a young woman torn between her love for both her father and a Union soldier. Bug Buster (1998) and Bride of Chucky (1998) represented a venture into the horror genre for Katherine. While both films could be described as rather tongue-in-cheek despite their gory emphases, Bride of Chucky (1998) was the better received, both critically and commercially.
In 1999, Katherine decided to branch out into series television when she accepted the role of the haughty, yet vulnerable, "Isabel Evans", on Roswell (1999), a show that blended teen angst with sci-fi drama. Though she had never planned to embark on a career in television, the role of Isabel, a teenager with a secret life, was an offer she found impossible to refuse. In the series, Isabel, her brother Max (Jason Behr) and their friend Michael (Brendan Fehr) are aliens passing as humans in Roswell, New Mexico, as they desperately try to hide the truth from government agencies, the people of Roswell and even their own adopted families. To publicize her role on the show, Katherine graced the covers of magazines such as "TV Guide", "Maxim" and "Teen" and was interviewed on Later (1994) and The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn (1999). Along with her mother Nancy, she also appeared in an episode of the Sci-Fi TV talk show, Crossing Over with John Edward (2001), during which she spoke with John Edward, a psychic medium, about her late brother, Jason. During the three years Roswell (1999) was in production, Katherine found time to work on several movies. 100 Girls (2000), an independent film released in 2001, is the story of a college freshman who meets the girl of his dreams in an elevator during a blackout, and spends the rest of the movie trying to find her again. Her cameo role is that of Arlene, the competitive tomboy. The second film, Valentine (2001), a horror film starring David Boreanaz and Denise Richards, appeared in U.S. theaters on February 2, 2001. In this movie, which is based upon the 1996 novel by Tom Savage, Katherine plays "Shelley", a medical student who meets a sudden demise.
In the spring of 2001, Katherine accepted a role in NBC's Critical Assembly (2002), a two-hour original television thriller. Katherine and Kerr Smith (Dawson's Creek (1998)) co-starred as brilliant and politically concerned college students who build a nuclear device to illustrate the need for a change in national priorities, but are betrayed by a fellow student when the bomb ends up in the hands of a terrorist. Unfortunately, the telefilm, directed by Eric Laneuville, written by Tom Vaughan, and based on the best-seller "The Seventh Power" by James Mills, was shelved when its storyline was deemed too close for comfort to the events of September 11, 2001. It was eventually broadcast in 2003. Since the cancellation of Roswell (1999) in the spring of 2002, Katherine has been busy with various projects, including an appearance on UPN's update of the classic television series, The Twilight Zone (2002). That episode, entitled Cradle of Darkness (2002), aired on October 2, 2002, and featured Katherine in the role of a woman who goes back in time to stop one of the most notorious murders in history. In addition, she completed a movie, Descendant (2003), a psychological thriller inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher". She has also starred as "Romy" in ABC/Touchstone's two-hour telepic, Romy and Michele: In the Beginning (2005), a prequel to the 1997 feature, Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997). During the summer of 2002, Katherine made a major decision in the direction of her career when she signed on for representation in all areas with the William Morris Agency, one of the biggest and most prestigious agencies in the entertainment industry. She is now being represented by Norman Aladjem at Paradigm Agency and being managed by Nancy Heigl and Stephanie Simon and Jason Newman at Untitled Entertainment.Also, Irish, born in the USA.- Actress
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Jessica Biel, has become one of Hollywood's most sought-out actresses. She was born in Ely, Minnesota, to Kimberly (Conroe) and Jonathan Edward Biel, who is a business consultant and GM worker. Biel was raised in Boulder, Colorado. She is of Hungarian Jewish, Danish, English, and German descent.
As a child, Biel initially pursued a career as a vocalist, performing in musical theater. Beginning at age nine, she starred in such productions as "Annie," "The Sound of Music," and "Beauty and the Beast." Biel soon turned to modeling and commercial work by competing in The International Modeling and Talent Association's Annual Conference in 1994.
Her Film debut was in the Kid's Rock Opera It's a Digital World (1994) where she demonstrated her acting and singing abilities. Her television series acting debut, playing Mary Camden on the WB's #1-rated show, 7th Heaven (1996), helped her emerge as a breakout star. She terrified moviegoers with her portrayal of Erin, "Leatherface's" greatest nemesis to date, in New Line Cinema's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003), a remake of the original. Having finished filming, Blade: Trinity (2004) in Vancouver with Wesley Snipes, Ryan Reynolds, and Kris Kristofferson, she the portrayed a jet-fighter pilot in Stealth (2005), starring Josh Lucas, Jamie Foxx, and Sam Shepherd, for director Rob Cohen. Biel's film career began at age 14 when she played alongside Peter Fonda in his Golden Globe-winning performance in Ulee's Gold (1997). Her other film credits include I'll Be Home for Christmas (1998), Summer Catch (2001), Roger Avary's The Rules of Attraction (2002), and Cellular (2004), which stars Chris Evans, Kim Basinger, and William H. Macy.
In her spare time, Biel is involved with charities such as Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and PETA. Her hobbies include ballet, soccer, running, yoga and hiking with her dog "East." She resides in Los Angeles.
In 2012, she married actor and singer Justin Timberlake. The two have a son.Also, Hungarian Jewish, Danish, English, Scottish, Welsh, Swedish, French, (and Swiss German) born in the USA.- Actress
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Charisma Carpenter first made her television debut with a guest spot on Baywatch (1989), before receiving a call from legendary producer Aaron Spelling and subsequently being cast on the prime time soap opera, Malibu Shores (1996). But her big break - and the one that would forever change the trajectory of her life - came shortly thereafter when she was cast as Cordelia Chase on Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997), a role she would portray for three seasons before migrating to its spin-off series, Angel (1999), and continuing on for four more seasons. In total, Carpenter portrayed Cordelia in 140 episodes across both franchises. The former series has been ranked by Time, The Hollywood Reporter, TV Guide, Rolling Stone, and Entertainment Weekly among their lists of greatest television series' of all time.
Carpenter went on to recur on Charmed (1998) as the demon Kyra and on Veronica Mars (2004) as gold digging stepmother Kendall Casablanacas as well as Greek (2007) and, most recently, CW's Pandora (2019). While working as a series regular on ABC Family's The Lying Game (2011), Carpenter subsequently served as host and producer of Investigation Discovery's Surviving Evil (2013), a series featuring survivors who fought back against their attackers. Additional guest starring roles include CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000), Burn Notice (2007), Supernatural (2005), Blue Bloods (2010), Sons of Anarchy (2008), Scream Queens (2015), Chicago P.D. (2014), Lucifer (2016), and 9-1-1 (2018).
Carpenter has also segued into movies, with a supporting role as Lacey in The Expendables (2010) and its sequel, The Expendables 2 (2012), as well as roles in over 12 made for television movies for Lifetime, Syfy and more.
Offscreen, Carpenter is the proud founder of MyCon, a platform intended to lift the spirits of socially isolated fans throughout the pandemic by connecting them with their favorite actors. Additionally, she works closely with the Thirst Project, an international water charity bringing safe, clean drinking water to the most vulnerable people around the world, as well as The Ronan Thompson Foundation, which is dedicated to researching pediatric cancer. In addition to her first love, that of a devoted mother, Carpenter spends much of her time working as a philanthropist, political activist, and social justice advocate. So passionate about these causes, she recently completed a course on administrative justice.Also, Cherokee, Irish, Scottish, Spanish, French, born in the USA.- Actress
- Director
Rebecca Gayheart was born on 12 August 1971 in Hazard, Kentucky, USA. She is an actress and director, known for Jawbreaker (1999), Nothing to Lose (1997) and Urban Legend (1998). She has been married to Eric Dane since 29 October 2004. They have two children.Also, Irish, Italian, Chreokee, born in the USA.- Actress
- Producer
Born in New York but raised in California, Devon Aoki is no stranger to the lifestyles of the rich and famous. Her father is former Olympic wrestler and Benihana restaurant magnate Rocky Aoki and her mother is Pamela Hilburger, a jewelry designer. Devon is of Japanese (from her father) and German and English (from her mother) ancestry. She started modeling when she was 13, the same year her godmother introduced her to modeling legend Kate Moss. She is now the face of Lancome and is one of the top earners at her agency, Women.Also, Japanese, English, born in the USA.- Actress
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Cameron Diaz, an American actress, was born in 1972 in San Diego, the daughter of a Cuban-American father and a German mother. Self described as "adventurous, independent and a tough kid," Cameron left home at 16 and for the next 5 years lived in such varied locales as Japan, Australia, Mexico, Morocco, and Paris. Returning to California at the age of 21, she was working as a model when she auditioned for a big part in The Mask (1994). To her amazement and despite having no previous acting experience, she was cast as the female lead in the film opposite Jim Carrey. Over the next 3 years, she honed her acting skills in such low budget independent films as The Last Supper (1995); Feeling Minnesota (1996); and Head Above Water (1996). She returned to main stream films in My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), in which she held her own against veteran actress Julia Roberts. She earned full fledged star status in 1998 for her performance in the box office smash There's Something About Mary (1998). Cameron Diaz appears to possess everything necessary to become one of the super stars of the new century.Also, Cuban, English, Cherokee, born in the USA.- Producer
- Actress
- Costume Designer
Charlize Theron was born in Benoni, a city in the greater Johannesburg area, in South Africa, the only child of Gerda Theron (née Maritz) and Charles Theron. She was raised on a farm outside the city. Theron is of Afrikaner (Dutch, with some French Huguenot and German) descent, and Afrikaner military figure Danie Theron was her great-great-uncle.
Theron received an education as a ballet dancer and has danced both the "Swan Lake" and "The Nutcracker". There was not much work for a young actress or dancer in South Africa, so she soon traveled to Europe and the United States, where she got a job at the Joffrey Ballet in New York. She was also able to work as a photo model. However, an injured knee put a halt to her dancing career.
In 1994, her mother bought her a one-way ticket to Los Angeles, and Charlize started visiting all of the agents on Hollywood Boulevard, but without any luck. She went to a bank to cash a check for $500 she received from her mother, and became furious when she learned that the bank would not cash it because it was an out-of-state check. She made a scene and an agent gave her his card, in exchange for learning American English, which she did by watching soap operas on television.
Her first role was in the B-film Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest (1995), a non-speaking part with three seconds of screen time. Her next role was as Helga Svelgen in 2 Days in the Valley (1996), which landed her the role of Tina Powers in That Thing You Do! (1996). Since then, she has starred in movies like The Devil's Advocate (1997), Mighty Joe Young (1998), The Cider House Rules (1999), The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000) and The Italian Job (2003). On February 29, 2004, she won her first Academy Award, a Best Actress Oscar for her performance in Monster (2003).Also, French, born in South Africa.- Actress
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Kirsten Caroline Dunst is an American actress, who also holds German citizenship. She was born on April 30, 1982 in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, to parents Inez (née Rupprecht), who owned an art gallery, and Klaus Dunst, a medical services executive. She has a younger brother named Christian Dunst, born in 1987. Her father is German, from Hamburg, and her mother, who is American, is of German and Swedish descent.
Her career began at the age of 3 when she started modeling and appearing in commercials. She made her feature film debut with an uncredited role at age 6 in the 'Oedipus Wrecks' segment of Woody Allen's 1989 film New York Stories (1989). She received her first film credit in The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990). Her family moved to Los Angeles in 1993, where her film career took off.
In 1994, she made her breakthrough performance in Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994), alongside such stars as Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. Her performance earned her a Golden Globe nomination, the MTV Award for Best Breakthrough Performance and the Saturn Award for Best Young Actress. In 1995, she was named one of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People. Over the next few years, she made a string of hit movies including Little Women (1994), Jumanji (1995) and Small Soldiers (1998).
In 2000, she received rave reviews for her role as "Lux Lisbon" in Sofia Coppola's independent film, The Virgin Suicides (1999) and proved her status as a leading actress in the comedy hit, Bring It On (2000). She also graduated from Notre Dame High School in Los Angeles in June of that year.
In 2002, she landed one of her best known roles as Peter Parker's love interest, Mary Jane Watson, in Spider-Man (2002). She continued her role in Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man 3 (2007).
She went on to land roles in such films as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), the romantic comedy Wimbledon (2004), and in Cameron Crowe's Elizabethtown (2005). She also played the title character in Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette (2006).
Dunst won the Best Actress Award at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival for her performance as Justine in Lars von Trier's Melancholia (2011). In 2012, she appeared in Walter Salles' film adaptation of On the Road (2012) and the independent comedy Bachelorette (2012). She also has several films in production, including The Two Faces of January (2014).
Her charity work includes designing a necklace to raise funds for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation as well as supporting various cancer charities.Also, Swedish, born in the USA.- Actress
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Trachtenberg grew up in Brooklyn and started her acting career young; she began appearing in commercials at the age of 3.
She continued to act and dance through her school years, making regular television appearances from the age of 10. She landed a recurring role in the kids' TV show The Adventures of Pete & Pete (1992) and starred in Harriet the Spy (1996), but it was her role as Buffy's sister Dawn from the fifth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997) that really brought her to worldwide attention, and all before she was 18 years old.
More high profile TV and movie work followed.Also, Russian Jewish, born in the USA.- Producer
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- Music Department
Sandra Annette Bullock was born in Arlington, a Virginia suburb of Washington, D.C. Her mother, Helga Bullock (née Helga Mathilde Meyer), was a German opera singer. Her father, John W. Bullock, was an American voice teacher, who was born in Alabama, of German descent. Sandra grew up on the road with her parents and younger sister, chef Gesine Bullock-Prado, and spent much of her childhood in Nuremberg, Germany. She often performed in the children's chorus of whatever production her mother was in. That singing talent later came in handy for her role as an aspiring country singer in The Thing Called Love (1993). Her family moved back to the Washington area when she was adolescent. She later enrolled in East Carolina University in North Carolina, where she studied acting. Shortly afterward she moved to New York to pursue a career on the stage. This led to acting in television programs and then feature films. She gave memorable performances in Demolition Man (1993) and Wrestling Ernest Hemingway (1993), but did not achieve the stardom that seemed inevitable for her until her work in the smash hit Speed (1994). She now ranks as one of the most popular actresses in Hollywood. For her role in The Blind Side (2009) she won the Oscar, and her blockbusters The Proposal (2009), The Heat (2013) and Gravity (2013) made her a bankable star. With $56,000,000, she was listed in the Guinness Book Of World Records as the highest-paid actress in the world.Born in the USA.- Actress
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Shannyn Sossamon is an American actress and director. She is of Irish, French, Dutch, Hawaiian-Filipino, German and English ancestry. Growing up in Reno, Nevada, Sossamon spent most of her youth at a local dance studio. After graduating high school at age 17, she moved to Los Angeles, California, to pursue a life in the creative arts. Sossamon began acting in films at age 21 after being approached by casting director Francine Maisler, who was casting the starring role in Brian Helgeland's A KNIGHTS TALE opposite Heath Ledger. Additionally, she can be seen with Matt Dillon and Carla Gugino in the event series WAYWARD PINES, from M. Night Shyamalan, opposite Nicole Beharie and Tom Mison in Fox's SLEEPY HOLLOW, and as the lead of Blumhouse feature SINISTER 2, opposite James Ransone. Other credits include THE END OF LOVE starring Michael Cera and Mark Webber; OUR FAMILY WEDDING starring Oscar winner Forest Whitaker, WRISTCUTTERS: A LOVE STORY starring opposite Patrick Fugit; THE RULES OF ATTRACTION starring opposite James Van Der Beek; 40 DAYS AND 40 NIGHTS starring opposite Josh Hartnett, and as the lead in Monte Hellman's ROAD TO NOWHERE. Recent credits include the feature films THERE ARE NO SAINTS and BACKSPOT, opposite Devery Jacobs. Sossamon spends her free time creating short videos for her project, THE MAUDE ROOM: A VARIETY SHOW, a short-form video project made especially for phone viewing.Also, French, Dutch, English, Irish, Filipina, born in the USA (Hawaii).- Actress
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Jennifer Love Hewitt was born in Waco, Texas, to Patricia Mae (Shipp), a speech-language pathologist, and Herbert Daniel Hewitt, a medical technician. She has English, Italian, French, Scottish, and German ancestry. She got her first name from her older brother Todd Daniel Hewitt (b. November 8, 1970), who picked the name after a little blonde girl on whom he'd had a crush. Her mother selected Jennifer's middle name, Love (which she goes by offstage), from her best college friend. Her parents separated when she was six months old and her mother raised her in Killeen, Texas.
Hewitt made her official performing debut at age 3 when she sang at a livestock show. At age 5, she was taking tap, jazz, and ballet lessons, which led to her joining the Texas Show Team, who toured the Soviet Union and Europe. When she was 10 her family moved to Los Angeles with encouragement from talent scouts, while Todd stayed behind to finish high school in Texas Jennifer quickly found commercial work and a role on Disney's Kids Incorporated (1984) in 1989. She went through a series of television flops before finally hitting it big on Party of Five (1994) in 1995.Also, English, Italian, Scottish, French, born in the USA.- Actress
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Kari Samantha Wuhrer was born on April 28, 1967 in Brookfield, Connecticut, the daughter of Karin, a payroll officer and Andrew, a former police officer and car salesman. Kari has three siblings. She studied acting at age 13 at the Wooster School, and headed to New York City to do rounds of auditions. She was signed to the Ford's Model Talent Division and appeared in several commercials, most notably Clairol, as well as performing in theater productions. After a role in the drama film Fire with Fire (1986), Kari landed a job on MTV as a VJ and was a co-host of the game show Remote Control (1987). Wuhrer snuck out of her family home as a teenager to sing in nightclubs; she was the youngest member of the band Freudian Slip. She studied drama at New York University, Marymount Manhattan College, Columbia University, and at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, England with famed teacher Uta Hagen. Her biggest career break came when she was cast to play Maggie Beckett on the sci-fi television series Sliders (1995) from 1997 to 2000. She was signed to a record deal by American Recordings impresario Rick Rubin, which eventually appeared on the small Del-Fi label; her debut album "Shiny" produced the successful single "There's a Drug".Also, Cherokee, born in the USA.- Actress
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Kimberly Alexis Bledel was born in Houston, Texas, to Nanette (Dozier) and Martin Bledel. Her parents are both Spanish-speakers (her mother was born in Arizona and raised in Mexico, and her father was born in Argentina), and Alexis's ancestry includes Danish, Welsh, English, Scottish, Irish, and French.
Alexis made her television debut in Gilmore Girls (2000), after spending years in front of the camera as a model. Bledel's parents encouraged her to try community theater in Houston when she was 8 years old, hoping it would help their daughter overcome her shyness. She went on to perform in productions of Our Town, The Wizard of Oz and Aladdin, and later was scouted in a local mall to model. She began her modeling career while still in high school, traveling all over to locations like Tokyo, Milan, New York and Los Angeles. After graduating, she enrolled at NYU as a film major. In the Spring of 2000, Bledel landed a manager through her modeling agency and headed to Los Angeles for her first pilot season, where she quickly landed the coveted role of Rory on Gilmore Girls (2000).
When she's not working, Bledel enjoys writing, reading, shooting photography, going to the movies and spending time with her family. She was married to actor Vincent Kartheiser, with whom she has a son.Also, Mexican, Argentinian, Danish, French, English, born in the USA.- Actress
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Vanessa Brittany Lengies, born July 21, 1985, Canadian actress, dancer and singer. She is best known for her role on American Dreams and as Sugar Motta on Glee. Lengies was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada to a German father and an Egyptian mother. She speaks French, English and some Arabic. Lengies graduated from Hudson High School in 2002.Also, Egyptian, born in Canada.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Rumer Glenn Willis was born August 16th, 1988, in Paducah, Kentucky, to actors Demi Moore and Bruce Willis. She was named after the British novelist Rumer Godden. She made her debut at the age of 5 in the movie Now and Then (1995) but was credited as Willa Glen. Her mother hired cameramen to video tape her birth.Born in the USA. Sister of Scout LaRue Willis and Tallulah Belle Willis.- Actress
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Scout Willis was born on 20 July 1991 in Sun Valley, Idaho, USA. She is an actress, known for Bandits (2001), Moonrise Kingdom (2012) and The Scarlet Letter (1995).Born in the USA. Sister of Rumer Willis and Tallulah Belle Willis.- Actress
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Tallulah Willis was born on 3 February 1994 in Hailey, Idaho, USA. She is an actress, known for The Whole Ten Yards (2004), Bandits (2001) and The Scarlet Letter (1995).Born in the USA. Sister of Rumer Willis and Scout LaRue Willis.- Music Artist
- Music Department
- Actress
Pink was born Alecia Beth Moore in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, and was later raised in Philadelphia. Her parents, Judith Moore (née Kugel), a nurse, and Jim Moore, a Vietnam veteran, divorced when she was very young. Her mother is from an Ashkenazi Jewish family, while her father has Irish, German, and English ancestry. As a child, all Pink wanted was to become a singer, and she was driven by the music of Madonna, Mary J. Blige, 4 Non Blondes, Janis Joplin, Billy Joel and Whitney Houston. She was a very unique teenager, and went through phases as a skateboarder, hip-hopper and gymnast.
Pink spent several years as part of the club scene in Philadelphia, singing guest spots and performing for talent shows. At the age of 13, she was asked by a local DJ to sing back-up for his rap group, Schools of Thought. A short time later, she was discovered by a record executive and joined a female R&B group, Choice. When that didn't work out, she signed with LaFace Records and began her solo career. In spring 2000, she released her debut, "Can't Take Me Home". She co-wrote many songs and watched it go multi-platinum by the year's end. Her debut included the Top 10 hit, "There You Go", which was certified a gold single.
Pink is now considered an icon in the world of pop music. For example, in 2019 she won the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music, becoming the first non-British artist to have won the award since the Brit Awards began in 1977 (originally known as the BPI Awards). This was especially impressive as she was chosen ahead of the likes of Phil Collins, a British musician who has sold more records and had a longer career but never won the award.Also, English, Irish, Czech, Russian, Lithuanian, born in the USA.- Actress
- Producer
Nicole Eggert was born on 13 January 1972 in Glendale, California, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Charles in Charge (1984), Blown Away (1992) and Baywatch (1989).Also, English, born in the USA.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Emma Roberts was born in Rhinebeck, New York. She was a baby when her parents separated, and she grew up living with her mother, Kelly Cunningham. She was educated at Archer School for Girls in Los Angeles, California.
Emma is the daughter of Oscar-nominated actor Eric Roberts, and the niece of Oscar-winner Julia Roberts. As a child she spent some time on the sets of movies with her aunt Julia. This helped Emma decide that she wanted to follow a career in acting. Her first movie role came in Blow (2001), where she played the daughter of Johnny Depp's character. Various small parts followed, until she was cast in the lead role of Addie Singer in Nickelodeon's "Unfabulous" (2004). Her performance lead to many award nominations as well as a foray into the music industry, including the release of an album, "Unfabulous and More".
More roles followed in various projects, including the eponymous heroine in Nancy Drew (2007), Hotel for Dogs (2009), 4.3.2.1. (2010) and Scream 4 (2011). In 2011, Emma began attending Sarah Lawrence College in New York, studying English Literature.Also, Irish, English, Scottish, Swedish, born in the USA.- Actress
- Producer
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Carmen Electra was born Tara Leigh Patrick on April 20, 1972 in Sharonville, Ohio, to Patricia Rose (Kincade), a singer, and Harry Stanley Patrick, an entertainer and guitarist. She is of mostly English, German, and Irish descent. She grew up near Cincinnati, Ohio and got her first boost when a scout for Prince spotted her fronting for a rap group in Los Angeles, California. She released a self-titled album for Prince's Paisley Park label in 1993. She then toured Europe as Prince's opening act on his 1992 Diamonds and Pearls Tour. Carmen later returned to work for Prince at his Los Angeles nightclub "Glam Slam". She performed there every weekend with the Erotic City dancers, led by choreographer and director Jamie King. In March 1997, she appeared in cartoon form as the model for a character who is a singer and a vampire ("but a good vampire", says her publicist) in a comic book series called "Embrace". Carmen later went to co-star on the television series Baywatch (1989) as lifeguard Lani McKenzie, and as host of MTV's game show Singled Out (1995).Also, Irish, Cherokee, born in the USA.- Kelly Vitz was born on 10 June 1988 in Hollywood, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Sky High (2005), Nancy Drew (2007) and The Temerity of Zim (2008).Also, Chinese, born in the USA.
- Among her studies, Tawny Cypress has done stints at Boston University; Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey; and Mason Gross at Rutgers University. She is also a former student of Barbara Marchant and The William Esper Studio in New York City.Also, Hungarian, African, Native American, born in the USA.
- Actress
- Director
- Producer
Born and raised in Sparks, Nevada, Mädchen Amick was encouraged by her parents to follow her own creative instincts where she learned the skill of playing the piano, bass, violin and guitar as well as being able to do tap, ballet, jazz and modern dancing. In 1987 at the age of 16, she traveled to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting.Also, Norwegian, Swedish, born in the USA.- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Aneliese Roettger was born in New Haven, Connecticut to Karl and Anne Roettger. She has one older brother. She attended Horizon High School and Santa Monica College. She studied Sports Medicine. She was in a relationship with actor/writer Cliff Dorfman from Warrior and Entourage.
She was on a couple episodes of Entourage (2009). And she played Thania Diaz in References (2010). She starred as Margie in Sleepy Time (2009). And played Jan in A Brief History of Women (2009). Her first role in a Los Angeles movie was as Claire in Fear of Flying (2010).Also, Irish, born in the USA.- Actress
- Writer
- Casting Director
Jelena Jensen was born in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is of German, Russian and Jewish descent. Jelena Jensen is a model, actress, former Playboy Model and Penthouse Pet, most notably known for her work in the adult industry. She is also known for her work in Playboy TV's "Totally Busted" and the feature film Bad Biology directed by Frank Henenlotter.Born in the USA.- Actress
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Evan Rachel Wood was born September 7, 1987, in Raleigh, North Carolina. Her father, Ira David Wood III, is a theatre actor, writer and director, and her mother, Sara Wood, is an actress and acting coach. She has two older brothers--Dana Wood, a musician, and Ira David Wood IV, who has also acted. Evan and her brothers sometimes performed at Theatre In The Park in Raleigh, which her father founded and where he serves as executive director.
At the age of five she screen-tested against Kirsten Dunst for the lead role in Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994) after a long auditioning process. She moved to Los Angeles with her mom and brother Ira in 1996 and has had success ever since, appearing in a TV series, TV movies and feature films. She has appeared in Practical Magic (1998), starred in the comedy S1m0ne (2002) as Al Pacino's daughter, and followed that with Thirteen (2003), with Holly Hunter. Her breakout role as Tracy in "Thirteen" garnered her a Golden Globes nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture: Drama and for a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role. At the time of this SAG nomination, she was the youngest actress to be nominated in the Leading Role category. She received a Golden Globe and Emmy nomination for "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie" for her portrayal of Veda Pierce in the HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce (2011).
She also earned acclaim for her powerful performance as Stephanie, Mickey Rourke's estranged daughter, in Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler (2008).Also, French, born in the USA.- Actress
- Music Department
- Producer
Hilary Erhard Duff was born on September 28, 1987 in Houston, Texas, to Susan Duff (née Cobb) and Robert Erhard Duff, a partner in convenience store chain. When Hilary was six, she had been traveling in the Cechetti Ballet with her sister Haylie Duff but decided she wanted to fulfill her dream of acting. Her first starring role was when she played the young witch "Wendy" in Casper Meets Wendy (1998).
Duff became a teen idol when she starred in the #1 hit Disney Channel series Lizzie McGuire (2001).
She has also starred in the movies The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003), Agent Cody Banks (2003), Cheaper by the Dozen (2003), A Cinderella Story (2004), Raise Your Voice (2004), The Perfect Man (2005) and Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005).
Additionally, Duff stormed the music charts, with singles "So Yesterday" and "Come Clean" settling nicely into the top 40. Hilary's first album, "Metamorphosis", debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200, and eventually ascended to #1 in the following weeks.
She starred in Material Girls (2006) with her sister Haylie Duff and released her fourth studio album, Dignity (2007), with Hollywood Records.
In 2015, she released her fifth studio album, Breathe In. Breathe Out. She stars as Kelsey Peters in Younger (2015).Born in the USA. Sister of Haylie Duff.- Actress
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Haylie Katherine Duff (born February 19, 1985) is an American actress, singer, songwriter, television host, writer, and fashion designer. She is also the older sister of American singer and actress Hilary Duff.Haylie Duff was born in Houston, Texas. Duff's mother, Susan Duff is a film producer who was a co-executive producer of A Cinderella Story (2004), a producer of The Perfect Man (2005) and Material Girls (2006), and the manager of Hilary; she was previously a homemaker. Her father, Robert Erhard "Bob" Duff, a partner and owner in a chain of convenience stores with his father, John B. Duff, resides at the family home in Houston to maintain the family's business. She began her acting career as an offshoot of her early dance training. Growing up in Texas, Duff began ballet at an early age. By the age of eight, Duff landed a role in the Houston Metropolitan Dance Company's production of The Nutcracker Suite. Duff's early career started by making guest appearances on made-for-television films such as True Women (1997) and on TV series such as The Amanda Show (1999). In addition to guest-starring roles on Chicago Hope (1994), Boston Public (2000), and Third Watch (1999), Duff became a familiar face starting in late 2002 as Amy Sanders on Lizzie McGuire (2001). In 2004, Duff made a guest appearances on That's So Raven (2003) as Katina Jones. After making guest appearances on television, Duff received her first role in a feature film when she was cast as Summer Wheatley in Napoleon Dynamite (2004). The film earned her first Teen Choice Award win. She continued making guest appearances, which include Joan of Arcadia (2003) and American Dreams (2002). She also lent her voice talent to the Christmas animation film In Search of Santa (2004) which again, featured Sister Hilary Duff. In 2005, Duff joined the cast of the television series 7th Heaven (1996), playing Sandy Jameson, best friend to Simon's girlfriend Rose. In June 2006, Duff joined the Broadway cast of Hairspray, portraying mean girl Amber Von Tussle, and left the role in early October 2006. Duff has also starred in Material Girls (2006) with Sister Hilary Duff, where she is credited as co-producer, with her mother and sister credited as producers. Following Material Girls (2006), Duff appeared in various made-for-television or straight-to-DVD films including Nightmare (2007), My Sexiest Year (2007), Legacy (2008), Backwoods (2008), Love Takes Wing (2009), Love Finds a Home (2009) and My Nanny's Secret (2009). Between 2008 and 2015, Duff appeared in various films and TV roles, including; Fear Island (2009), Tug (2010) and Slightly Single in L.A. (2013). She lent her voice to the animated film Foodfight! (2012), but due to distribution issues, the film was delayed for years until it finally saw a release in 2012. Duff hosted the reality show Legally Blonde the Musical: The Search for Elle Woods (2008), which searched for an actress to take over the lead role in Legally Blonde: The Musical (2007) where she had been in the chorus. She was also listed as an executive producer of the series.Born in the USA. Sister of Hilary Duff.- Actress
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- Producer
Katie Cassidy was born Katherine Evelyn Anita Cassidy on November 25, 1986, in Los Angeles, California. Her father, David Cassidy, was a pop star in the 1970s. Her famous relatives include uncles Shaun Cassidy, Patrick Cassidy and Ryan Cassidy, the sons by her grandfather Jack Cassidy's marriage to Shirley Jones; Katie's grandmother was Evelyn Ward. As a child, Katie took gymnastics, studied piano, guitar and singing, then took dancing and acting lessons and eventually became a cheerleader for the California Flyers. She attended Calabasas High School in her neighborhood. For years prior to graduation in 2005, Katie was modeling and studying acting in community theater. Katie had just been accepted to 'Tisch' at NYU when she was offered her first role as "Dee Dee", which was one month before graduating. Katie has not stopped working since. Katie's early exposure to show business, the cosmopolitan culture of Los Angeles, her family upbringing, and her comprehensive education altogether produced a remarkable result. She grew up as a multifaceted person showing her many talents in a variety of professions such as recording her father's 1970s hit "I Think I Love You" and singing in VH1's TV special Bubblegum Babylon (2002), writing her own songs, modeling for Abercrombie and Fitch and Guess?'s Rock and Republic clothing lines in 2004, and acting. She met her ex-boyfriend, Jesse McCartney, there and later appeared as his love interest in his video hit "She's No You". A story on Jesse and Katie appeared in the January 2006 issue of Teen People magazine. Jesse wrote the song "Bleeding Love" performed by Leona Lewis, about Cassidy and their relationship. At that time she was busy working on five feature film productions going on almost simultaneously. Katie made several appearances in TV series, such as 7th Heaven (1996) and Sex, Love & Secrets (2005), among others. She appeared as Samantha, the grown-up daughter of Adam Sandler and Kate Beckinsale in the comedy Click (2006). After the release of a teen horror film, When a Stranger Calls (2006),in which she co-starred as Tiffany, Cassidy went to Vancouver to work on her second horror film, Black Christmas (2006), in which she stars as a sorority girl. Katie recently beat out the likes of Jessica Simpson and Kristin Cavallari for the leading role opposite John Travolta as his daughter and the heir to the most powerful energy company in the world in Dallas, the big-screen remake of the cult TV series.Also, Irish, born in the USA.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Amanda Seyfried was born and raised in Allentown, Pennsylvania, to Ann (Sander), an occupational therapist, and Jack Seyfried, a pharmacist. She is of German, and some English and Scottish, ancestry. She began modeling when she was eleven, and acted in high school productions as well as taking singing lessons.
More soap work followed as she completed her schooling and had already secured a place at Fordham University when she was offered a role in the Tina Fey-penned teen comedy Mean Girls (2004). She deferred her university education to complete the film. More television work followed, raising her profile across America, while her appearances in Mamma Mia! (2008) and Red Riding Hood (2011) helped establish her international fame.Born in the USA.- Erika Schaefer was born on 10 March 1986 in Nashua, New Hampshire, USA. She is an actress, known for Fashion House (2006), Valley Peaks (2009) and CSI: Miami (2002).Also, Cuban, born in the USA.
- Saskia Burmeister was born on 12 February 1985 in Australia. She is an actress, known for Blue Heelers (1994), Hating Alison Ashley (2005) and Ned Kelly (2003). She has been married to Jamie Croft since February 2008. They have two children.Born in Australia.
- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Ebubennem Megalyn Ann Echikunwoke was born May 28, in Spokane, Washington. Her father was Nigerian and her mother is of English and Scots-Irish descent. Her last name, "Echikunwoke", means "leader of men" and Megalyn is the granddaughter of a Nigerian tribal leader of the Igbo, which technically makes her African royalty. She is known for playing "Nicole Palmer" in the first season of 24 (2001), "Angie Barnett" (Kelso's girlfriend) in the seventh season of That '70s Show (1998) and "Isabelle Tyler" in The 4400 (2004). She was raised on a Navajo Indian Reservation in Chinle, Arizona. In early 2008, she starred opposite Alessandro Nivola in an independent movie, directed by Jerry Zaks, titled Who Do You Love (2008) where she played a heroin-addicted lounge singer. She did all of her own singing in the movie.Also, Scottish, Irish, Nigerian, born in the USA.- Ursula Mayes was born on 9 August 1979 in Seoul, South Korea. She is an actress, known for Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights (2007), Deal or No Deal (2006) and Deal or No Deal (2005).Also, Korean, Native American, born in South Korea.
- Annemarie Pazmino was born on 12 November 1984 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Shoot the Hero (2010), Small Town Saturday Night (2010) and Live Nude Girls (2014). She is married to Kevin Pazmino. They have one child.Also, Chilean, English, Irish, Dutch, born in the USA.
- Yvette Nelson was born in New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for Las Vegas (2003), The Man from Snowy River: Arena Spectacular (2003) and Carnal Crimes (1991). She was previously married to Matthew Nelson.Also, Armenian, born in the USA.
- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Traycee King was born on 20 August 1978 in Camarillo, California, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Terminator Salvation: TechCom (2009), Takosu Squad (2014) and 8.13 (2010). She was previously married to Beau Ryan.Also, Filipina, Chinese, Spanish, English, Scottish, Russian, born in the USA.- Buxom, gorgeous, and exquisitely full-figured blonde bombshell Christi Shake was born on August 22, 1980 in Baltimore, Maryland. She's of mixed Czech, Dutch, German, Polish, and Swedish descent. Shake attended Chesapeake High School in Baltimore County, Maryland. Her mother encouraged her to start modeling at age thirteen. Christi not only did two years of modeling and fashion shows, but also worked for American Dream Girl, Merry-Go-Round, and Hawaiian Tropic prior to becoming the Playmate of the Month in the May, 2002 issue of "Playboy." Shake has been featured in several "Playboy" videos and appeared as herself on episodes of the TV shows "The Girls Next Door," "My Antonio," and "Howard Stern." Moreover, Christi was in the music video for "God Knows Why" by Kid Rock.Also, Czech, Polish, Swedish, Dutch, born in the USA.
- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Bianca Allaine was born in Garland, Texas, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Zombinatrix, Albino Farm (2009) and The Dirty Burg. She has been married to Michael Kyne since 5 August 2011.Also, Italian, French, Scottish, Irish, born in the USA.- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Sarah Chalke was born on 27 August 1976 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Her parents are Angie Chalke and Doug Chalke. She is the middle child, having one older sister, Natasha Chalke, and one younger, Piper Chalke. Sarah made her acting debut in a made-for-TV movie, City Boy (1992). In 1993, after her first film, she auditioned for the role of "Becky" on the TV series Roseanne (1988). The show was looking for a replacement after Alicia Goranson quit the show to go to college. Sarah graduated from high school in 1995, while shooting the 1994-1995 season of Roseanne (1988). Also, in 1994, Sarah co-starred in the film, Ernest Goes to School (1994), along with Jim Varney. Then, in 1996, she starred in 2 films, including Robin of Locksley (1996), and also Stand Against Fear (1996), where she played a cheerleader, "Krista Wilson". In 1998, a year after Roseanne (1988) ended, Sarah was asked to act in a show called Nothing Too Good for a Cowboy (1998). The show was based on the TV movie with the same name, Nothing Too Good for a Cowboy (1998), which Sarah was also in.Born in Canada.- Marg Helgenberger is an established dramatic actress whose prominence has been steadily increasing. Her work has been noted on stage, film and TV. Most of her career has been spent in dramatic roles on television, but she has also had a noteworthy presence in feature films.
Helgenberger earned a degree in drama at Northwestern University. A talent scout recruited her from there to work on the soap opera Ryan's Hope (1975) where she appeared over the course of the next four years.
Throughout the 1990s Helgenberger took on numerous roles in made-for-TV movies and as a guest star on many TV series. In particular she appeared in many movies made specifically for the Lifetime cable network and also for Showtime. She won critical acclaim for In Sickness and in Health (1992), Thanks of a Grateful Nation (1998) and Perfect Murder, Perfect Town: JonBenét and the City of Boulder (2000).
In TV series she won an Emmy for her portrayal of a hard-bitten prostitute who catered to Vietnam War soldiers, in the series China Beach (1988). She also was George Clooney's love interest in a multi-episode arc of the monumentally successful TV series ER (1994).
In feature films, Helgenberger has appeared in Tootsie (1982), Steven Spielberg's Always (1989), Species (1995) and In Good Company (2004).
Her greatest claim to fame on the silver screen may be when she played opposite Julia Roberts as a chemical exposure victim in the popular movie Erin Brockovich (2000).
Helgenberger is most known for her TV role as a crime scene investigator in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000). She shared in CSI's 2005 Screen Actors Guild award for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series.
In her personal life, Helgenberger is the daughter of a cancer survivor and is very active in supporting research for breast cancer.Also, Irish, born in the USA. - Canadian born & raised. Her father is a former ATP touring professional therefore her early years were spent playing tennis. She was later exposed to the side of entertainment through musical theatre which led her into pursuits of a long-term career in dance.
Sabrina is a classically trained dancer in the style of B.A.T.D. also known as the British Association of Teachers Dancing. She competed for many years throughout North America, winning over 50 awards in dance. Her career as a model began after being discovered by a photographer for her first major Ad at the age of 17 and since then she has been featured in multiple campaigns, several leading men's magazines & calendars globally. All in which making her one of the top premiere glamour models out of Canada.
Followed by her first film debut "Psycho Ward" being released December (2009) nationally distributed by Maple Pictures & Lions Gate.Also, French, Irish, Scottish, born in Canada. - Yasmina Filali was born on 3 September 1975 in Paris, France. She is an actress, known for Motown (2003), Half Past Dead (2002) and The Antman (2002). She has been married to Thomas Helmer since 14 July 2005.Also, Moroccan, born in France.
- Producer
- Actress
- Writer
Lauren Reeves is a comedy writer, actress, improviser, host and former television news reporter and anchor. She was born and raised on a gold mine in Fairbanks, Alaska. After graduating high school early, Lauren was immediately hired by her local NBC station at the age of 18 to work as a full-time reporter and anchor. Lauren also attended the University of Alaska as a full-time student, majoring in journalism with an emphasis on broadcasting. Shortly before her 21st birthday, Lauren moved to New York City where she began studying and performing improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater.Also, Irish, Cherokee Indian, born in the USA.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Lindsay Price was born on 6 December 1976 in Arcadia, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Lipstick Jungle (2008), Eastwick (2009) and Splitting Up Together (2018). She has been married to Curtis Stone since 8 June 2013. They have two children. She was previously married to Shawn Piller.Also, Korean, Irish, born in the USA.- Stefanie von Pfetten, aka Stefanie Baroness Christina von Pfetten, is a Canadian film and television actress of German descent.
von Pfetten was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. After high school, she went to Vienna, Austria. Later, she studied Art history in Munich, Bavaria. For a small time, she worked for Sotheby's in Vienna. Back in Vancouver, Stefanie decided to became an actress. She is perhaps best known for her roles as "Lilly" in the sci fi-horror film, Decoys (2004), and Captain Marcia "Showboat" Case in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica (2004) series and a series lead as "Dr. Daniella Ridley" in CBC's Cracked (2013).
She coaches privately and studies with famed Hollywood acting coach Ivana Chubbuck.Born in Canada. - Actress
- Writer
- Director
Born and raised in Los Angeles, the middle child of four strong-willed sisters, Cody Kennedy found her own identity through the arts at a young age - showcasing her sitcom-comedy chops on the Disney Channel's Das Boots (2010) opposite Cole and Dylan Sprouse; appearing in commercials for McDonalds, Taco Bell, and a Sears spot directed by Steven Spielberg's legendary cinematographer, Janusz Kaminskii; handpicked by iconic film directors like David Fincher to star in over a dozen music videos for the likes of Justin Timberlake, Miley Cyrus, and Jay-Z; and modeling for fashion brands and editorial publications, including being an "It Girl" for Nylon Magazine with a cover alongside Zooey Deschanel.
Cody graduated from the University of Southern California, earned a certificate from the prestigious Sitcom Acting Program at UCLA (where she was mentored by Two and a Half Men (2003)'s Chuck Lorre and Conchata Ferrell), and studied improvisation and sketch comedy at the legendary Groundlings Theater.
As a writer, Cody has drawn upon her years and breadth of experience working as a woman in the entertainment industry to pen pieces for Teen Vogue, Bust, and Elle Girl.
Acting has remained a life-long constant, with scene-stealing roles in Jason Reitman's Golden Globe-nominated original comedy, Casual (2015); TNT's Rizzoli & Isles (2010); Marvel's Runaways (2017); and BET's top-rated series, The Family Business (2018). Most recently, Cody was seen in the new seasons of FX's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005), Hulu's Dollface (2019), and HBO's Hacks (2021).Also, Russian, Swedish, Irish, born in the USA.- Actress
- Music Artist
- Writer
Kara Alise Connolly is an American singer, songwriter, and actor who has worked on a variety of projects such as The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Wiener Dog Internationals (as seen on Netflix), and Whiplash (opposite industry legend Ernest Borgnine). She is a graduate of The University of Southern California (USC) within the School of Dramatic Arts. If Julia Roberts, Emma Stone, Keira Knightley, and Jennifer Lawrence all had a love child, that would be Kara. She's an award-nominated singer-songwriter with music featured in Lionsgate films, Netflix and Showtime hit shows, ABC ads, Rolling Stone IN, SPIN Magazine, and more.
Full Length Bio:
Kara Alise Connolly is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. Despite being a wholly independent, self-supported artist, she ended 2019 nominated for two Hollywood Music in Media Awards (Best Independent Music Video and Best Message Song/Social Impact), on the first-round GRAMMY® ballot for "Best Pop Vocal" album, and ranked in industry insider Music Connection Magazine's December issue as one of their Top 4 Unsigned Artists/New Music Critiques of the year. Kara had just released her very first record "Life in Rear View" (2019) to sold-out shows at LA hotspots such as The Hotel Cafe and Interscope's The Peppermint Club, as well as rave reviews in tastemaker publications praising her "unabashedly addictive" and "honest" writing, "powerful" storytelling sensibilities, "gorgeous tone and vibrato," "invitingly open hearted" presence, creative visuals, and "empowering" perspective. Her devoted supporters (or "Karakeets" as they have so proudly claimed their fandom) had a lot to tweet about.
Mid-2021, Kara was back with "Something More" and something different-a new single-whose enchanting music video landed as SPIN Magazine's Video of the Day multiple days in a row and has received over a quarter of a million views on YouTube and counting. It also led to her third Hollywood Music in Media Award nomination in 2021 for "Best Independent Music Video." The song has been praised by various outlets for its vulnerable lyrics, universal message, infectious melodies, anthemic chorus, and dreamy blend of 90s alt-pop production. Her track "Roses" was featured in Rolling Stone IN and American Songwriter and charted on "What's In-Store Music" via AllAccess for spinning in retail stores across the country such as Subway, Staples, Walmart, and Hyatt around 60K times a week. She premiered "Roses" and an exclusive first live performance of the song on KTLA 5 News Los Angeles, who interviewed Kara about the powerful messages in her music and her creative process. Her 2022 release, "Emotional Vampires," resulted in an interview with LADYGUNN Magazine and 50,000 Spotify streams in less than a month.
As a songwriter, Kara has written songs that have topped multiple Spotify editorial playlists, and she has received major placements within studio films, network television shows, and ads for Lionsgate, ABC, Netflix, Showtime, IKEA, NBA 2K and more. She has written songs such as "Wink Wink" and "Video Games" for Teddi Gold, "Dreamland," "Swept Up," "Afraid of the Dark," "Superterrestrial Humanoid," and "Moon Song" for Kaatii, and "TBH IDK" for Elyse Jewel. Represented by Low Profile NYC for music licensing and Malibu Artists Agency for acting, Kara shows no sign of stopping. She is currently preparing the release of her sophomore record, a cathartic alt-pop album, blending high energy and lush instrumentals, as she auditions for network television shows and studio films.
As an actress, Kara has worked on a variety of projects such as The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Wiener Dog Internationals (as seen on Netflix), and Whiplash (opposite industry legend Ernest Borgnine). She graduated from The University of Southern California (USC) within the School of Dramatic Arts, Magna Cum Laude, as a member of the Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society, and the sorority Kappa Alpha Theta. If Julia Roberts, Emma Stone, Keira Knightley, and Jennifer Lawrence all had a love child, that would be Kara. She excels at playing the unlikely leader or hero who questions authority and challenges the status quo in an unconventional manner; through wit, love, passion, and empathy. Kara best embodies characters who are resilient, headstrong, empathetic, persistent, intelligent, and non-conforming. Whether through music or acting, she acts as an empowering role model, particularly for young women. Kara entertains and empowers others by reminding an audience to stand up for what they believe in, to never compromise their values and to, not only trust, but follow their gut and go after what they truly want-even when others may doubt or second guess them. Her characters remind viewers that they are enough, exactly as they are; that they are worthy of their own love and self-belief, and that they are capable beyond measure, all of which makes them leave a film or show feeling seen and heard.
Kara also acts as a creative director, stylist, and producer on all of her music videos, creating compelling stories in unique landscapes as the perfect visual representation of her music. As of 2022, Kara has music videos out for her songs "Something More," "Other People," "Marry Me," and "Life in Rear View." She has created lyric videos for songs such as "Nice Guy" and "Roses." She is working with producers Forest Glen Whitehead (Kelsea Ballerini, Mickey Guyton) and David Baron (The Lumineers, Jade Bird, Lana Del Rey), as well as mastering engineer Randy Merrill (Taylor Swift, Lorde, Olivia Rodrigo, Maren Morris, Harry Styles) on new music.
Speaking of their excitement for Kara's future in the entertainment industry, I'm Music Magazine put it best, "Kara's spectacular vision further solidifies her as a creative force and one to watch."Also, Irish, born in the USA.- Actress
- Composer
- Additional Crew
She played in the woman-band "Even Cowgirls get the blues", which also helped her to play her part in the movie Bandits (1997). She wrote most of the songs for the Soundtrack of "Bandits". On 3rd December 2002, her first child, a girl named Angelina Sherri Rose, was born. Father of the child is the American musician Tico Zamora, who lives in Berlin with Jasmin.
In 2003, Jasmin will also take part in the tour of German singer Nena (tour is called "Nena & Friends") and she helped Nena to make the English project "Red Nose Day" more popular in Germany.Also, Iranian, born in Iran.- Actress
- Producer
Carly Brook Schroeder is an actress, animal rights activist, environmentalist, and nutritional advocate, known for Gracie (2007), the Disney Channel's Lizzie McGuire (2001), and General Hospital (1963).
Schroeder was born on October 18, 1990, in Valparaiso, Indiana. She began doing print work at the age of three and commercials at the age of six.
In 1997, Schroeder was cast as Serena Baldwin in Port Charles (1997), a spin-off of General Hospital. She performed in 480 episodes during a six-year period, being nominated twice in 1999 and 2000 for a Young Artist Award. In 1999, Schroeder was also nominated for a Young Star Award; Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Daytime TV Program.
Schroeder has also been featured in several television shows and television movies. In 2002, Schroder won the role of the manipulative, yet lovable Melina Bianco in The Disney Channel's Lizzie McGuire (2001). She also appeared in The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003).
Her first feature film, Mean Creek (2004), received wide critical acclaim, winning the Humanitas Prize at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival, and also being awarded the 2005 Independent Spirit Festival Special Distinction Award for best ensemble cast. Schroeder also appeared in Firewall (2006), with 'Harrison Ford', and Eye of the Dolphin (2006),
An avid soccer player since the age of five, Schroeder finally had the chance to combine two of her passions in a single project called Gracie (2007). Knowing she had to fight for the part, she began an intense three-month workout that included training in advanced soccer skills with professional athletes and trainers. Her exposure to an athletic lifestyle influenced her later decision to choose a health-conscious lifestyle.
While Gracie was in theaters Schroeder's other movie, Eye of the Dolphin (2006) received two awards from the 2007 International Family Film Festival; a Best Child Actor win for Schroeder and a Drama Feature win for the movie. Her most recent projects include Prep School (2015), and One of Us (2017). Schroeder was awarded best actress for her role as Kyra in Prep School at the 2016 Studio City Film Festival.
Her earlier work for the Humane Society and Meals on Wheels in 2004 opened her eyes to her other passion, traveling. By the time she entered college, Schroeder had been to 20 states, 11 countries. As of 2018, Carly has 16 movie titles on her resume. Her appearances for 2018 include Ouija House (2018) and Deadly Shores. Carly has also received weapons training in small arms.
Schroeder graduated from California Lutheran University in 2013, then went on to further her education in nutrition and holistic care. In a move towards a more health-focused lifestyle, Schroeder has given up meat, dairy, gluten, and refined sugars in exchange for a plant-strong diet. Accompanied by her dog Jax, she has embraced her wanderlust by climbing, backpacking, running marathons, snowboarding, surfing, and many more outdoor activities.
In January 2019, Carly raised her right hand and chose to go to officer candidates school for her commission in the US Army.Born in the USA.- Actress
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Anne Jacqueline Hathaway was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Kate McCauley Hathaway, an actress, and Gerald T. Hathaway, a lawyer, both originally from Philadelphia. She is of mostly Irish descent, along with English, German, and French. Her first major role came in the short-lived television series Get Real (1999). She gained widespread recognition for her roles in The Princess Diaries (2001) and its 2004 sequel as a young girl who discovers she is a member of royalty, opposite Julie Andrews and Heather Matarazzo.
She also had a notable role in Nicholas Nickleby (2002) opposite Charlie Hunnam and Jamie Bell, and a starring role in Ella Enchanted (2004). A former top-ranking soprano in New York, Hathaway was reportedly a front-runner for the role of "Christine" in the 2004 The Phantom of the Opera (2004). However, due to scheduling conflicts with The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004), she couldn't take the role, which was later given to newcomer Emmy Rossum.
Hathaway soon started to move away from family-friendly films. Following The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004), she appeared topless in the films Havoc (2005) opposite Josh Peck and Brokeback Mountain (2005) opposite Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal. Her desire to break out of her "Princess Diaries" image parallels that of her one-time co-star, Julie Andrews, who went topless in the film S.O.B. (1981) in order to break away from the image she created from her 1960s musicals. In interviews, Hathaway said that doing family-friendly films didn't mean she was similar to their characters or mean she objected to appearing nude in other films.Also, English, French, Irish, Native American, born in the USA.- Actress
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Hannah Dakota Fanning was born on the 23rd of February 1994, in Conyers, Georgia, USA, to Heather Joy (Arrington) and Steven Fanning. Her mother played professional tennis, and her father, now an electronics salesman, played minor league baseball. She is of German, Irish, English, French, and Channel Islander descent. Before her debut into the cinematic world, Dakota did her own acting around her house. She was very active for her age, and often put a blanket under her shirt and pretended to be having a baby, using her younger sister, Elle Fanning, who is also an actress now, as the baby. Dakota went to a playhouse near her home, where the children that attended put on a play every week to show to their parents. But the people running the playhouse noticed that Dakota stood out, and advised her parents to take her to an agency. They believed that she was extremely talented.
The Fanning family were advised to spend six weeks in Los Angeles, a long way from their home in Georgia. But there Dakota managed to get her first work; to star in a national Tide commercial. She was chosen out of many, many other children.
The family then decided to move to Los Angeles permanently, for it looked like Dakota's career was looking very good. After they moved, Dakota signed with a professional agency, and soon won a role in the movie Tomcats (2001). She then went onto a small project called Father Xmas (2001) as Clairee.
But Dakota's big break-through was yet to come. She auditioned for one of the main characters in I Am Sam (2001), and the director and the rest of the crew were amazed by her extraordinary talent. Dakota was cast, and starred in the movie as Lucy Diamond Dawson, alongside major Hollywood stars Sean Penn and Michelle Pfeiffer.
After I Am Sam (2001) her talent was immediately recognized around the world. She went straight onto Trapped (2002) as Abby Jennings, alongside Charlize Theron, then played the younger version of Reese Witherspoon in 2002's Sweet Home Alabama (2002) But Dakota still had two more movies to come in 2002. Firstly she got a huge role in Steven Spielberg's Taken (2002), the mini-TV series, and narrated the ten whole episodes, as well as having a part. This was a little more challenging, as she was playing a troubled alien child, but she managed to do brilliantly. Her last movie for 2002 was the children's movie Hansel & Gretel (2002) as Katie.
2003 was also a brilliant year for Dakota, as she starred in a number of exciting projects. Firstly, it was as Sally Walden in The Cat in the Hat (2003) with Mike Myers, then she played Lorraine "Ray" Schleine, a bratty little girl, in the sweet comedy Uptown Girls (2003) alongside Brittany Murphy. She then voiced preschool Kim in Kim Possible: A Sitch in Time (2003).
In 2004, Dakota appeared in the violent thriller, Man on Fire (2004), alongside Denzel Washington. Her reviews were excellent.
First in 2005 was Nine Lives (2005), as Maria, then the chilling Hide and Seek (2005) alongside Robert De Niro. By now, she was the busiest child actress in Hollywood, with a resume to die for. Her younger sister, (Elle Fanning), had also been discovered a few years earlier.
After Hide and Seek (2005) came War of the Worlds (2005), which was one of her major movies out of everything she'd worked in. Not only did it make her more popular, but she got to play the daughter of A-list Hollywood actor Tom Cruise. They had four very successful premieres; the first in Tokyo, Japan, the second in France, the third in London, England and the fourth in New York, USA. The reviews were outstanding, especially Dakota's. She then voiced Lilo in Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch (2005).Also, Irish, English, French, Scottish, Welsh, Jersey/Guernsey Islander, born in the USA. Sister of Elle Fanning.- Actress
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Mary Elle Fanning was born on the 9th of April 1998 in Conyers, Georgia, USA, to Heather Joy (Arrington) and Steven J. Fanning. Her mother played professional tennis, and her father, now an electronics salesman, played minor league baseball. She is of German, Irish, English, French, and Channel Islander descent.
Elle's ascent into stardom began when she was almost three years old, when she played the younger version of her sister, Dakota Fanning's, character Lucy in the drama film I Am Sam (2001). She then played younger Dakota again in Taken (2002) as Allie, age 3. But her first big independent movie without her sister was in 2003's Daddy Day Care (2003) as Jamie. She then had two guest appearances on Judging Amy (1999) and CSI: Miami (2002).
Elle was becoming more successful and she got another role, in 2004's The Door in the Floor (2004) with Kim Basinger. Her career kept improving, as she had two movies in 2005, Because of Winn-Dixie (2005) and I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With (2006).
She has since starred in a number of prominent films, including The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), Super 8 (2011), We Bought a Zoo (2011), and Maleficent (2014).Also, Irish, English, French, Scottish, Welsh, Jersey/Guernsey Islander, born in the USA. Sister of Dakota Fanning.- Actress
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Michelle Pfeiffer was born in Santa Ana, California to Dick and Donna Pfeiffer. She has an older brother and two younger sisters - Dedee Pfeiffer, and Lori Pfeiffer, who both dabbled in acting and modeling but decided against making it their lives' work. She graduated from Fountain Valley High School in 1976, and attended one year at the Golden West College, where she studied to become a court reporter. But it was while working as a supermarket checker at Vons, a large Southern California grocery chain, that she realized her true calling. She was married to actor/director Peter Horton ("Gary" of Thirtysomething (1987)) in 1981. They were later divorced, and she then had a three year relationship with actor Fisher Stevens. When that didn't work out, Pfeiffer decided she didn't want to wait any longer before having her own family, and in March of 1993, she adopted a baby girl, Claudia Rose. On November 13th of the same year, she married lawyer-turned-writer/producer David E. Kelley, creator of Picket Fences (1992), Chicago Hope (1994), The Practice (1997), and Boston Public (2000). On August 5, 1994 their son, John Henry was born.Also, Dutch, Irish, Swedish, Swiss, born in the USA. Sister of Dedee Pfeiffer.- Actress
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Dedee Pfeiffer grew up in Midway City, California, as the daughter of a heating and air conditioning contractor and a homemaker.
She has studied with some of Hollywood's most renowned acting coaches such as Peggy Feury, Roy London and Ivana Chubbuck.
Dedee landed her first movie role in John Landis' film Into the Night and her first television role in the series Simon & Simon. She went on to star opposite Grace Jones in the horror cult classic comedy Vamp, made numerous other appearances in films such as Falling Down and television shows before she was cast on Cybil as Cybil Shepherd's daughter Rachel, a series regular.
Cybil earned nearly three dozen awards and nominations, picking up three Primetime Emmy awards and the Golden Globe Award for best television series - musical or comedy. Pfeiffer and the rest of the cast were nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a comedy series.
Pfeiffer went on to star in the series For Your Love and guest starred in several of the most iconic shows on television, including Seinfeld, Friends, two CSI series and ER, to mention a few.
Dedee won awards and nominations as an actor and producer on her short films, The Tub and Laredo. She also appeared in the award-winning film L.A., I Hate You.
She graced Playboy magazine's February 2002 cover, breaking with convention for the men's magazine in a pictorial that showed her nude with a BIPOC male model and displaying her tattoo art, in what at the time was a rule-breaking appearance in the men's magazine for a mainstream female star.
Pfeiffer took a 10-year break from Hollywood to earn her Master of Social Work degree from UCLA, and returned to acting as a series regular, playing Denise Brisbane on the ABC drama Big Sky.Also, Dutch, Irish, Swedish, Swiss, born in the USA. Sister of Michelle Pfeiffer.- Actress
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Halle Maria Berry was born Maria Halle Berry on August 14, 1966 in Cleveland, Ohio and raised in Oakwood, Ohio to Judith Ann Berry (née Hawkins), a psychiatric nurse & Jerome Jesse Berry, a hospital attendant. Her father was African-American and her mother is of mostly English and German descent. Halle first came into the spotlight at seventeen years when she won the Miss Teen All-American Pageant, representing the state of Ohio in 1985 and, a year later in 1986, when she was the first runner-up in the Miss U.S.A. Pageant. After participating in the pageant, Halle became a model. It eventually led to her first weekly TV series, 1989's Living Dolls (1989), where she soon gained a reputation for her on-set tenacity, preferring to "live" her roles and remaining in character even when the cameras stopped rolling. It paid off though when she reportedly refused to bathe for several days before starting work on her role as a crack addict in Spike Lee's Jungle Fever (1991) because the role provided her big screen breakthrough. The following year, she was cast as Eddie Murphy's love interest in Boomerang (1992), one of the few times that Murphy was evenly matched on screen. In 1994, Berry gained a youthful following for her performance as sexy secretary "Sharon Stone" in The Flintstones (1994). She next had a highly publicized starring role with Jessica Lange in the adoption drama Losing Isaiah (1995). Though the movie received mixed reviews, Berry didn't let that slow her down, and continued down her path to super-stardom.
In 1998, she received critical success when she starred as a street smart young woman who takes up with a struggling politician in Warren Beatty's Bulworth (1998). The following year, she won even greater acclaim for her role as actress Dorothy Dandridge in made-for-cable's Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999), for which she won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a TV Movie/Mini-Series. In 2000, she received box office success in X-Men (2000) in which she played "Storm", a mutant who has the ability to control the weather. In 2001, she starred in the thriller Swordfish (2001), and became the first African-American to win Best Actress at the Academy Awards, for her role as a grieving mother in the drama Monster's Ball (2001).Also, English, Irish, Dutch, born in the USA.- Actress
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Deborah was born in 1985, in Brooklyn, New York, from Irish and German heritage. She took acting, piano and dance classes. She went to high school at Packer Collegiate Institute and graduated from the BFA program at the USC School of Theatre at the University of Southern California.
Deborah started to work as an actress on television and her breakout was in the highly-acclaimed HBO vampire drama, True Blood (2008), as a young and fierce vampire girl, "Jessica Hamby". From that moment, she gained roles in such films as Mother's Day (2010), Seven Days in Utopia (2011), Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You (2011), Catch .44 (2011), opposite Bruce Willis and Forest Whitaker, and Ruby Sparks (2012). Woll's boyfriend, Edward E.J. Scott, is a comedian and his family are afflicted with choroideremia, which is a condition that slowly blinds its victim. She uses her celebrity status to help advocate for them and others with the disease. She has been quoted as saying that her boyfriend's bravery in fighting his disability has inspired her own battle with Celiac disease, which makes her body intolerant to foods containing gluten.Also, Irish, born in the USA.- Writer
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Elizabeth Stamatina Fey was born in 1970 in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, just west of Philadelphia, to Xenobia "Jeanne" (Xenakes), a brokerage employee, and Donald Henry Fey, who wrote grant proposals for universities. Her mother is Greek, born in Piraeus, while her father had German, Northern Irish, and English ancestry. Going by the name of Tina, Fey considered herself a "supernerd" during her high school and college years. She studied drama at the University of Virginia, and after graduating in 1992, she headed to Chicago, the ancestral home of American comedy. While working at a YMCA to support herself, she started Second City's first set of courses. After about nine months, a teacher told her to just skip ahead and audition for the more selective Second City Training Center. She failed but about eight weeks later, she re-auditioned and got into the year-long program. She ended up spending many years at The Second City in Chicago where many SNL cast members first started out. Then in 1995, Saturday Night Live (1975) came to The Second City's cast, including Fey's friend, Adam McKay, as a writer, searching for new talent. What they found was Tina Fey. When Adam was made Head writer, he suggested Fey should send a submission packet over the summer with six sketches, 10 pages each. Tina took the advice and sent them. After Lorne Michaels met her and saw her work she was offered a job a week later. She admitted that she was extremely nervous working in the legendary Studio 8H; being a foot shorter than everyone else, younger, and being one of the only female writers at the time. After a few years, Tina made history by becoming the first female head writer in the show's history. Tina also made her screen debut as a featured player during the 25th season by co-anchoring Weekend Update with Jimmy Fallon. Since Tina and Jimmy have taken over Weekend Update it has been considered the best ever. This year she made it to full fledged star by becoming a regular cast member, though she is hardly on the show, besides Update. And during the past two summers, Tina and Rachel Dratch performed their two-woman show to critical acclaim in both Chicago (1999) and New York (2000) and made their Aspen Comedy Festival Debut. Tina is married to Jeff Richmond, a Second City director and lives in New York City.Also, Scottish American, Greek, born in the USA.- Actress
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Mariska (Ma-rish-ka) Magdolna Hargitay was born on January 23, 1964, in Santa Monica, California. Her parents are Mickey Hargitay and Jayne Mansfield. She is the youngest of their three children. In June 1967, Mariska and her brothers Zoltan and Mickey Jr. were in the back seat of a car when it was involved in the fatal accident which killed her mother. The children escaped with minor injuries. Her father remarried a stewardess named Ellen, and they raised the three children and gave them a normal childhood. They also financially supported the children, since Jayne Mansfield's debt-ridden estate left no money for them.
Mariska majored in theater at UCLA. Her first motion picture feature was the cult favorite, Ghoulies (1984), where she gave a memorable performance as Donna. Unlike her mother Jayne, who had changed her name, her hair color, and did nude pictorials to become a star, Mariska took a very different approach on her journey to become a star. She rejected advice to change her name and appearance. And she refused to copy her mother's sexy image by turning down nude scenes in her next film Jocks (1986). She told casting directors that she was her own person when she held onto her dark locks and athletic figure, when they were expecting another blond, buxom Jayne Mansfield. Mariska continued with her acting classes and waited on tables, while she landed forgettable roles in short-lived television shows. She appeared a few times on the nighttime soap Falcon Crest (1981). She also appeared in the hit film Leaving Las Vegas (1995), credited as 'Hooker at the bar', and in the flop film Lake Placid (1999) as Myra Okubo. Her recurring role on the top-rated show ER (1994) in 1998 gave her career enough of a jolt to land her the starring role of Det. Olivia Benson in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999), the first spin off from the excellent franchise of Law & Order (1990). The hour-long show deals with sex crimes and the detectives who solve these cases. Mariska played Olivia as a tough, compassionate detective, who did action scenes and her own stunt work. She reaped the rewards from the hit TV show, after struggling and studying her craft for fifteen years. She became the highest paid actress on television, and she won Emmy and Golden Globe awards for her performance. The show also changed her personal life, since she met her husband actor Peter Hermann on the set and married him on August 28, 2004. That same year, she appeared in the television movie Plain Truth (2004), in which she played attorney Ellie Harrison. Mariska became an activist, when fans of her show who were abused, would write to her, and she founded a non-profit organization called "Joyful Heart Foundation" to help "survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse."
Mariska gave birth to her son August in 2006. But that tremendous joy was soon followed by tremendous sadness when her beloved father Mickey died just two months later at the age of 80. Mariska and her husband Peter adopted two children, a girl named Amaya, and a boy named Andrew, within a span of few months in 2011.
Mariska speaks English, Hungarian, French, Spanish, and Italian, and her husband also speaks several languages, including his native language German. They divide their time between New York and Los Angeles.Also, Hungarian, born in the USA.- Actress
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Kim Basinger was born December 8, 1953, in Athens, Georgia, the third of five children. Both her parents had been in entertainment, her dad had played big-band jazz, and her mother had performed water ballet in several Esther Williams movies. Kim was introspective, from her father's side. As a schoolgirl, she was very shy. To help her overcome this, her parents had Kim study ballet from an early age. By the time she reached sweet sixteen, the once-shy Kim entered the Athens Junior Miss contest. From there, she went on to win the Junior Miss Georgia title, and traveled to New York to compete in the national Junior Miss pageant. Kim, who had blossomed to a 5' 7" beauty, was offered a contract on the spot with the Ford Modeling Agency. At the age of 20, Kim was a top model commanding $1,000 a day. Throughout the early 1970s, she appeared on dozens of magazine covers and in hundreds of ads, most notably as the Breck girl. Kim took acting classes at the Neighborhood Playhouse, performed in various Greenwich Village clubs, and she sang under the stage name Chelsea. Kim moved to Los Angeles in 1976, ready to conquer Hollywood. Kim broke into television doing episodes of such hit series as Charlie's Angels (1976). In 1980, she married Ron Snyder (they divorced in 1989). In movies, she had roles like being a Bond girl in Never Say Never Again (1983) and playing a small-town Texan beauty in Nadine (1987). Her breakout role was as photojournalist Vicki Vale in the blockbuster hit Batman (1989). There was no long-orchestrated campaign on her part to snag this plum role, Kim was a last-minute replacement for Sean Young. This took her to a career high.
With perhaps too much disposable income, Kim headed up an investment group that purchased the entire town of Braselton, in her native Georgia, for $20 million (she would later have to sell it). In 1993, Kim married Alec Baldwin, and in 1995 they had a daughter, Ireland Eliesse. Kim took some time off to stay at home with her child. Kim, who loves animals and is a strict vegetarian, devoted energy to animal rights issues, and PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), even posing for some ads. In 1997, Kim gave an Oscar-winning performance in the film noir classic L.A. Confidential (1997). Kim's salary for I Dreamed of Africa (2000) was $5,000,000, putting her firmly in the category of big-name movie star. And no doubt there are still many great things ahead, in the career of cover girl turned Oscar-winning actress Kim Basinger.Also, English, Scottish, Scots-Irish, French, maybe Cherokee Indian, Swedish, born in the USA. Mother of Ireland Baldwin, aunt of Hailey Bieber.- Ireland Baldwin was born on 23 October 1995 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Grudge Match (2013), Goofy Chefs and A Dark Foe (2020).Irish, French-Canadian, German, Scottish on father's side, English, Scottish, Scots-Irish, French, maybe Cherokee Indian, Swedish on mother's side, born in the USA. Daughter of Kim Basinger, cousin of Hailey Bieber, step-daughter of Hilaria Baldwin.
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Hailey Rhode Bieber (née Baldwin; born November 22, 1996) is an American model and television personality. She is the daughter of actor Stephen Baldwin.
Baldwin was born in Tucson, Arizona, the daughter of actor Stephen Baldwin, the youngest of the Baldwin brothers, and graphic designer Kennya Deodato Baldwin. Her mother is a Brazilian of Italian and Portuguese descent and her father is of English, Irish, Scottish, French and German descent. Baldwin's maternal grandfather is the Brazilian musician Eumir Deodato.
The first modeling agency Baldwin signed with was New York agency Ford Models. She initially appeared in magazines such as Tatler, LOVE, V and i-D. Her first commercial campaign was for the clothing brand French Connection in the winter of 2014. In October 2014 Baldwin made her runway debut walking for Topshop and French fashion designer Sonia Rykiel. In December 2014 she was involved in a photo-session for Love magazine, which also produced a short movie shot by photographer Daniel Jackson and released on the magazine's official YouTube channel.
In January 2015, Baldwin was photographed for American Vogue and in March for Teen Vogue. In April she was involved in a shot for her first magazine cover for Jalouse Magazine alongside male model Lucky Blue Smith. In the same month she also was involved in two other cover-shoots, for the Dutch edition of L'Officiel and the American edition of Wonderland Magazine and was pictured in editorials for Miss Vogue and W magazines. In July 2015 she was featured in Ralph Lauren advertising alongside Australian singer Cody Simpson, and in October returned to the runway for Tommy Hilfiger and Philipp Plein.
In January 2016, Baldwin appeared in a Ralph Lauren campaign and shot an editorial for the Korean edition of Vogue. After walking again for Tommy Hilfiger in February, Baldwin featured in spring/summer campaigns for Philipp Plein and Tommy Hilfiger. In the same period she was also shot for Self Magazine and filmed for a commercial of clothing brand H&M, which fell in the Coachella Music Festival period. In March 2016, Baldwin signed a contract with IMG Models high-profile New York modeling agency and in May appeared on the cover of Marie Claire, who gave her the title of a "fresh face". The American cover was also the same as the July issue of the Dutch edition of the magazine. In June, Baldwin walked for Moschino with high-profile supermodels as Miranda Kerr, Alessandra Ambrosio, Jourdan Dunn and Chanel Iman and in the same month she also debuts as a model for a Guess advertising.
Afterwards, Baldwin was photographed and filmed for an UGG footwear campaign, alongside supermodel Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. Along with Joan Smalls, Baldwin was also the face of Karl Lagerfeld's limited-edition clothing line available in North America entitled "Love From Paris". Baldwin also appeared in editorials for Glamour Magazine and Italian Vogue. In September, she took part at the New York Fashion Week, walking for Tommy Hilfiger, Prabal Gurung, Jeremy Scott, Tory Burch and Matty Bovan. She afterwards flew to London, where she hosted pre-London Fashion Week Party at Stradivarius an walked for a Julien Macdonald fashion show, then in Milan, walking for Dolce & Gabbana, and in Paris too, walking for Elie Saab. Baldwin also appeared in advertising for Prabal Gurung's sportive clothing collection. She later featured in campaigns for Guess' holiday collection and Australian label Sass & bide. In November, Baldwin was on the cover of the Australian edition of Harper's Bazaar, and featured in a French Elle editorial.
In 2005, aged 9, Baldwin appeared by the side of her family in the television documentary Livin It: Unusual Suspects and in 2009 she made an appearance in an episode of the TV show Saturday Night Live by the side of her uncle Alec Baldwin. In 2011, she appeared as Australian singer Cody Simpson's love interest in the music video of the song "On My Mind" as part of her early work and several years later, in 2016, she had role in a second music video, "Love To Love You Baby" by French model and singer Baptiste Giabiconi, a cover of the homonymous song by Donna Summer released in 1975.
On October 25, 2015, Baldwin worked as a TV host at the 2015 MTV Europe Music Awards in Milan, Italy, revealing by the side of Italian supermodel Bianca Balti and English rapper Tinie Tempah the winner of the Best Music Video Award, won by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis for the video of their song "Downtown".
On June 19, 2016, she co-hosted with model Gigi Hadid announcing a live exhibition by Shawn Mendes at the 2016 iHeartRadio Much Music Video Awards in Toronto, Canada.
Starting May 2, 2017, she began hosting a new TBS show Drop the Mic with rapper Method Man, which features 4 celebrities facing off in a series of rap-battles.
In 2017, Baldwin featured on the cover of Spanish Harper's Bazaar alongside male model Jon Kortajarena and the American, British and Japanese editions of Elle.
On November 23, 2018, it was confirmed that Baldwin was married to Canadian singer-songwriter Justin Bieber. The couple had been engaged since July 7, 2018. They had briefly dated from December 2015 to January 2016 before splitting, then reconciled in May 2018. Baldwin changed her name to Hailey Bieber on social media and requested a trademark license to use the name "Hailey Bieber" for commercial purposes.English, Irish, Scottish, French-Canadian, German on father's side, Brazilian, Italian, Portugese, Spanish on mother's side, born in the USA. Cousin of Ieland Baldwin, niece of Kim Basinger.- Podcaster
- Actress
Alec and Hilaria welcomed their 6th baby, Lucia Baldwin in a post via Instagram on March 1, 2021.
Hilaria revealed the sex and name of their baby on March 1, 2021. The loving mother, Hilaria revealed they welcomed a little girl, whom they named Lucia.
Hilaria and Alec Baldwin welcomed their newborn daughter, Lucia, via a surrogate, confirmed.Also, English, Welsh, Scottish, Irish, Slovak, French-Canadian, born in the USA. Step-mother of Ireland Baldwin.- Actress
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Tiffani Amber Thiessen was born on January 23, 1974 in Long Beach, California to Robyn Ernest, a homemaker & Frank Thiessen, a park designer. She grew up in Long Beach with her parents and her brothers, professional cyclist Todd (born August 1, 1968) and Schyler (born May 10, 1977). When Tiffani was 8, her uncle, Roger Ernest, suggested that she try acting and modeling. Soon afterward, she appeared in her first TV commercial, for Peaches and Cream Barbie. From there she started competing in several beauty pageants and, in 1987, she won the Miss Junior America pageant.
She got her big break when she was cast as the popular cheerleader Kelly Kapowski on the NBC series Saved by the Bell (1989), which lasted for five years. But this was not at all the end of her career. Coinciding with the cancellation of the short-lived Saved by the Bell: The College Years (1993), she was cast as the bitchy, conniving vixen Valerie Malone on Aaron Spelling's long-running hit series Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990). Here, she played the constant enemy of Kelly Taylor, played by Jennie Garth, although in real life, the two are actually best friends. Tiffani also lived with co-star Brian Austin Green for several years. She stayed with the show until 1998 and then left to pursue her movie career. The result was two independent movies, followed by two comedies and then Hollywood Ending (2002), in which she starred alongside Woody Allen.
She met actor Richard Ruccolo while guest starring as Marti in the hit sitcom Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place (1998) where in 2001, the couple became engaged. During the fall of 2002, she co-starred with best friend Jennie's husband, Peter Facinelli, and Bill Bellamy on Fox's action/drama series, Fastlane (2002), where she starred as Billie Chambers, but the show was canceled after one season. In 2003, Tiffani broke off her engagement to Richard Ruccolo and in 2005, she married actor Brady Smith. The couple have two children, a daughter, Harper Smith (Harper Renn Smith) and a son, Holt Fisher Smith.Also, Greek, Turkish, Welsh, born in the USA.- Actress
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- Director
"Want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing." If you have not heard of Brooke Shields before, this tagline from her Calvin Klein Jeans ad had to grab your attention. Not that she has not had a previously noteworthy resume. She was born on May 31, 1965 in New York City, to Teri (Schmon) and Frank Shields. At age 12, she starred as a child prostitute in Pretty Baby (1978). Could this movie even be made today? It was considered risky and controversial in 1978. It was followed by another blockbuster, the romance adventure drama The Blue Lagoon (1980). Brooke has proved herself to be so much more than her early films. Her broad range of work as an adult would be quite an achievement for anyone, especially given how difficult transitioning from child actor to adult often is.
She has never stopped working, whether it be a Bob Hope Christmas special, her own sitcom Suddenly Susan (1996) or as an author. She also managed to work on a degree from Princeton University. She has received a number of awards during her career, most notably The People's Choice award for 1981 through 1984 in the category of Favorite Young Performer. In 1997, she was honored again with The People's Choice award for Favorite Female Performer in a New Television Series in 1997 for her work in Suddenly Susan (1996). In her personal life, she was married in 1997 to tennis player Andre Agassi and was devastated when they divorced two years later. She married for the second time in 2001 to Chris Henchy. She has been open about using fertility treatments to become pregnant with their daughter, Rowan, born in 2003.
When suffering debilitating depression after the birth of her daughter, she made the decision to put her feelings down on paper. Her book, "Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression," takes a hard, honest look at what she and many other women experience after childbirth. She still lives in New York City, and is still sought after for work in movies, television, and on stage. Pretty nice list of achievements for the once Calvin Klein jeans girl.Also, English, Italian, born in the USA.- Music Artist
- Actress
- Composer
Christina Maria Aguilera was born on December 18, 1980 in Staten Island, New York City, New York to musician Shelly Loraine Fidler Kearns and U.S. Army sergeant Fausto Wagner Xavier Aguilera Monge. Her father is Ecuadorian and her mother, who is American-born, has Welsh, Dutch and German ancestry. Her parents divorced when she was young and she lived with her mother, although they moved around a lot. Her goal almost since birth was to be a singer, and at age 12 she was invited to audition for The All New Mickey Mouse Club (1989). She won the part and stayed until the show ended. In 1999 she had her breakthrough hit, "Genie in a Bottle." Since then she's made millions of fans, sold millions of records, and won many awards, including a Grammy for Best New Female Artist. She has even made a Latin album and released a Christmas album.
Aguilera is a bilingual singer. She has received many honors including Grammy Nominations and a win for Best New Artist. 2 MTV Video Music Awards, a Radio Music Awards, 2 VH1 Awards, and a Teen Choice Award with 'Lil' Kim', Mya and Pink and the smash hit "Lady Maramalade". She was on The All New Mickey Mouse Club (1989) with *NSYNC's Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez, Britney Spears, Ryan Gosling, and Keri Russell. Her musical influences include Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, and Janet Jackson.Also, Ecuadoran, Spanish, Native American, Irish, Welsh, Dutch, born in the USA.- Actress
- Producer
Melanie Griffith was born on August 9, 1957 in New York City, to then model/future actress Tippi Hedren and former child actor turned advertising executive Peter Griffith. Her parents' marriage ended when she was four years old and Tippi brought Melanie to Los Angeles to get a new start. Tippi caught the eye of the great director Alfred Hitchcock, who gave her starring roles in The Birds (1963) and Marnie (1964). She married her then-agent, Noel Marshall, in 1964 (they divorced in 1982), and Melanie grew up with three stepbrothers. Meanwhile, her father married Nanita Greene and had two more children: Tracy Griffith and Clay A. Griffith.
Melanie also grew up with tigers and lions, as Tippi and Noel were raising them for the movie Roar (1981), in which the family later starred. Melanie's acting career, however, began as a model at just nine months old in a commercial and she later appeared as an extra in Smith! (1969) and The Harrad Experiment (1973), where she fell in love with her mother's co-star, Don Johnson. She was only 14 years old, while he was a 22-year-old with two annulled marriages. Tippi took a very liberal approach and allowed Melanie to move in with Don at a tender age. Even though Melanie didn't like modeling, she continued to do it to pay the bills. One day she went to meet with director Arthur Penn for what she thought was a modeling assignment. It was actually an audition for his film Night Moves (1975), and Penn gave her the role of a runaway nymphet. She was hesitant, but Johnson encouraged her to take the role. She agreed but was terrified of performing in front of the camera. Penn took a paternal interest in her, and she felt confident and gave a riveting performance, doing racy nude scenes. It immediately typecast her and led to more nymphet roles, with her beautiful nude body a permanent fixture in movies like Ha-Gan (1977) and Joyride (1977). She also married Johnson, eloping in 1976, but the union ended within six months.
Unfortunately, as her career progressed, she became increasingly dependent on drugs and alcohol, a fact well-known to studio executives, who stopped considering her for feature film roles. Melanie started doing television work, where she met her second husband, Steven Bauer, on the set of the TV movie She's in the Army Now (1981). He helped her to overcome her drug and alcohol problems and got her to take acting classes with Stella Adler in New York. The classes paid off, as director Brian De Palma cast her as a porno actress in his murder mystery Body Double (1984) and her sexy, funny performance won her rave reviews and the Best Supporting Actress Award by the National Society of Film Critics and a Golden Globe nomination. Jonathan Demme was so impressed with her performance that he gave her the female lead in Something Wild (1986) without even auditioning her. The film was a commercial failure but quickly became a cult favorite on video and cable, with Melanie again getting critical plaudits and a Golden Globe nomination.
The birth of her first child, Alexander, in 1985, didn't help to save her struggling marriage, and she and Bauer separated shortly thereafter. Melanie was given starring roles in Cherry 2000 (1987) and Stormy Monday (1988), but the films were barely released. Soon writers were asking when the public at large was going to take notice of this unique and talented actress. Melanie's career skyrocketed when Mike Nichols cast her as spunky secretary Tess McGill in Working Girl (1988), a box-office hit for which she received an Oscar nomination as Best Actress and won the Golden Globe Award as Best Actress in a Comedy. However, her ongoing substance abuse had almost destroyed her career yet again, and Nichols pushed her into a rehabilitation clinic. En route to the clinic she called ex-husband Johnson for support, and they reconciled after her release from the clinic. She got pregnant, divorced Bauer and remarried Johnson in 1989, and later that year their daughter Dakota Johnson was born. A sober Melanie now concentrated on her film career: her follow-up to "Working Girl" was John Schlesinger's Hitchcockian urban thriller Pacific Heights (1990). It was a moderate success, but most of the films she chose flopped badly, especially The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990), which reunited her with director Brian De Palma. Even though she gave heartfelt performances in all her films, she was often miscast, with her breathy little-girl voice not helping matters in her role as a spy in Shining Through (1992) and as a homicide detective going undercover in the Hassidic Jewish community in New York City in A Stranger Among Us (1992).
Melanie was charming as a street hooker who befriends a group of elementary students in Milk Money (1994), but the film received negative reviews and performed dismally at the box office. She made a minor comeback with the critics for her supporting role as a desperate housewife in Nobody's Fool (1994), which reunited her with Bruce Willis, her co-star in "Bonfire", and Paul Newman, her co-star from The Drowning Pool (1975). She also earned a Golden Globe nomination for her work in the well-received TV miniseries Buffalo Girls (1995), followed by another hit film, the ensemble Now and Then (1995). Her personal life was making headlines again, though, as she left Johnson because of his own substance-abuse problems, reconciled with him briefly when he became sober, only to leave him again, this time for Antonio Banderas, her married co-star from Two Much (1995). Both she and Banderas created a scandal in 1995 with their torrid romance, and the tabloids followed their every move, including her divorce from Johnson and his divorce from wife Ana Leza. Melanie became pregnant with her third child, and she and Banderas married in 1996. Their daughter Stella Banderas was born, and the notorious couple were forgiven by the public and the media.
Melanie won strong reviews in independent films like Another Day in Paradise (1998), where she played a heroin-using criminal accomplice on the run, and the made-for-cable movie RKO 281 (1999), in which she portrayed actress Marion Davies, a part that garnered her Golden Globe and Emmy nominations as Best Supporting Actress. Melanie became dependent to pain killers, however, returning to rehab in 2000. She wrote about her struggle and recovery in her journal on her official website. Greenmoon Productions, the production company that she formed with Banderas, produced several flops, such as her starring vehicle Crazy in Alabama (1999), directed by Banderas. Her career took another blow when her TV series, Me & George (1998), never even aired. After making Cecil B. Demented (2000) and Forever Lulu (2000), Melanie did a voice-over role in Stuart Little 2 (2002) and played supporting roles in minor films Tempo (2003), as Sylvester Stallone's girlfriend in Shade (2003), and as Barbara Sinatra in All the Way (2003) with Dennis Hopper playing Frank Sinatra, but none of these films made a ripple at the box office. As a result, film and television offers dried up.
In 2003, a resourceful Melanie turned to the Broadway stage, and packed houses with her turn as the murderess "Roxie Hart" in the musical "Chicago," for which she received a rave review from the New York Times theater critic. It renewed her confidence, as she had never sang, danced or been on the Broadway stage before. In 2005 she surprised viewers by playing a mom to two grown women in the TV series Twins (2005), which was canceled after one season. She tried to resurrect her career with another attempt at a TV series, Viva Laughlin (2007), but it was canceled after just two episodes. Melanie didn't act again for the remainder of the decade, because, by self-admission, she couldn't obtain any worthwhile roles. In 2009, she was back in rehab after yet another relapse, emerging after a three-month stay. Professionally, she was faced with more disappointment in 2012 when This American Housewife (2012), a Lifetime series that Banderas produced for her to star in, never aired. She went back to the stage in 2012 and played Scott Caan's mother in a play that he wrote titled "No Way Around but Through." She impressed Caan enough to recommend her to producers of his television show Hawaii Five-0 (2010). Since 2014, she started playing a recurring role as his mother on the show.
Also in 2014, Melanie filed for divorce from Banderas citing "irreconcilable differences" after nearly twenty years together. She never publicly discussed her reasons for the divorce, and she didn't promote her feature film Automata (2014), the final time that she acted with Banderas. It took a year for the divorce to be finalized, during which time, she and Banderas made one important appearance together at their daughter Stella's high school graduation. She also made another public appearance with another ex-husband, Don Johnson, on Saturday Night Live (1975) to support their daughter Dakota, who was the host for that week. Dakota was promoting her star-making turn in Fifty Shades of Grey (2015), thus carrying on the family tradition of being a film actress. Melanie maintains close ties with her three children and her mother Tippi Hedren. She is involved in various charities, including raising funds for Tippi's Shambala preserve, a refuge for wild animals. Melanie also runs a non-profit organization for benefiting burned children. Melanie is single and her children are living on their own, so she has devoted most of her time to seeking out acting roles.Also, English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Scots-Irish, Swedish, Norwegian, born in the USA. Mother of Dakota Johnson.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Dakota Mayi Johnson is an American actress and fashion model. She was born in Austin, Texas, and is the daughter of actors Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith. Her maternal grandmother is actress Tippi Hedren.
In 1999, she made her film debut in Crazy in Alabama (1999), where she and her half-sister, Stella Banderas, played the daughters to their real-life mother, Melanie Griffith. The film was directed by her stepfather, Antonio Banderas, but it wasn't a hit. Dakota resumed her schooling and waited several years before she decided to become a professional actress and model. In 2006, she was voted Miss Golden Globe, a launching pad bestowed on off-spring of famous parents. She served as the first second-generation Miss Golden Globe in the Globes' history, since her mother was Miss Golden Globe in 1975. She also signed with IMG Models. In 2009, she modeled for MANGO brand's jeans line. Dakota traveled to Sydney, Australia, where she shot the "Rising Star" campaign for fashion label, "Wish". Once she graduated from high school, she signed with the William Morris Agency and started her acting career. She had her first box office hit in 2010 with David Fincher's film, The Social Network (2010), in which she had a scene with Justin Timberlake. The film received eight Oscar nominations, including one for Best Picture. She also appeared in three additional films: Beastly (2011), alongside Vanessa Hudgens and Mary-Kate Olsen; Ezna Sands' film, Chloe and Theo (2015); and So Yong Kim's film, For Ellen (2012); She had roles in several 2012 films: Christopher Neil's film, Goats (2012), with David Duchovny; Nicholas Stoller's film, The Five-Year Engagement (2012), for producer Judd Apatow, and the hit feature film version of the 1987 television show, 21 Jump Street (1987) that made Johnny Depp a star. She also won the female lead in Chris Nelson's, film Date and Switch (2014), written by Alan Yang. Her first television show, Ben and Kate (2012), where she played "Kate", aired on Fox during the Fall 2012 season. It was canceled in 2013, and she quickly resumed her feature film career with three high-profile films: Need for Speed (2014), Cymbeline (2014), the modern-day adaptation of the William Shakespeare play, "Cymbeline", and the starring role of "Anastasia Steele" in Fifty Shades of Grey (2015), the adaptation of the best-selling erotic novel, "Fifty Shades of Grey". She beat out many young actresses for the coveted role of Anastasia, and the film became a worldwide hit, making her a star. She won the People's Choice Award for Favorite Dramatic Movie Actress for "Fifty Shades of Grey". She also starred in the two sequels to the hit film. She has continued to seek challenging roles, such as of a young mother who loses her son in Black Mass (2015) opposite her "21 Jump Street" castmate Johnny Depp, and of a temptress in A Bigger Splash (2015). She has balanced her dramatic career by doing comedies as well, such as How to Be Single (2016). She acted in the hit independent film The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019). She co-produced some of the films that she acted in: Am I OK? (2022) (where she played a lesbian); Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022) (where she played mother to an autistic daughter); and Daddio (2023) (where she and Sean Penn are the only two principal actors in the entire film). She won good notices for playing a mother looking for her lost daughter in The Lost Daughter (2021), a film that received several Oscar nominations. She played the title role in the Marvel-adventure Madame Web (2024) and in the period film adaptation of the Jane Austen novel Persuasion (2022), both films directed by first time women film directors. She also became the first female member of her family when she turned director by co-directing the music video to the song "Cry Cry Cry" by the band ColdplayAlso, Swedish, English, Welsh, Norwegian, Scots-Irish, Irish, Scottish, Dutch, French Huguenot, born in the USA. Daughter of Melanie Griffith.- Producer
- Writer
- Actress
Emmy-winning talk show host Ellen Lee DeGeneres was born in Metairie, Louisiana, a New Orleans suburb. She is the daughter of Betty DeGeneres (née Elizabeth Jane Pfeffer), a speech therapist, and Elliott Everett DeGeneres, Jr., an insurance agent. Her brother is musician and producer Vance DeGeneres. Her parents divorced when she was 16 years old. Her mother remarried, and her new husband, salesman Roy Gruessendorf, moved the family to Atlanta, Texas.
After graduating from Atlanta High School in 1976, Ellen attended the University of New Orleans as a communications major, but she dropped out after one semester. She held a wide variety of jobs until she turned to stand-up comedy, making her bones at small clubs and coffeehouses before working her way up to emcee Clyde's Comedy Club by 1981. Her comedy was described as a distaff version of Bob Newhart. Beginning in the early 1980s, she toured nationally and was named the funniest person in America after winning a competition sponsored by the cable network Showtime. This led to better gigs, including her first appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962) in 1986.
Though DeGeneres's early forays into series television were not successful (she appeared as a supporting player in two short-lived TV situation comedies in the period 1989-92, Open House (1989) and Laurie Hill (1992)), she scored a hit headlining her own 1994 sitcom on ABC "These Friends of Mine" (renamed Ellen (1994) after its first season). She made TV history in April 1997, when her character, and DeGeneres personally, revealed that she was a lesbian. However, the show was canceled the following season due to declining ratings, after which DeGeneres returned to the stand-up circuit. In 2001, DeGeneres launched a new series, The Ellen Show (2001), on CBS, but it suffered from poor ratings and was canceled.
Redemption as a television artist came in 2003, when DeGeneres's daytime talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show (2003), proved to be both a critical hit and a commercial success. Along with good ratings, the show has won unprecedented kudos from the industry, winning 15 Emmy Awards in its first three seasons on the air and becoming the first talk show in TV history to win the Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show in its first three seasons.
DeGeneres has also made a name for herself as a host of awards shows. She hosted the Grammy Awards in 1996 and 1997, as well as the Primetime Emmy Awards in 2001 and 2005. In February 2007, she had the ultimate TV awards show gig, hosting the Oscars, which she hosted again in 2014.Also, French, Irish, English, born in the USA.- Actress
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Julianna Rose Mauriello was born in Irvington, New York on a glorious spring morning, May 26, 1991. Always singing, she appeared as a child in Party Scene of The Nutcracker at SUNY Purchase, asleep under the Christmas tree. Her fascination with performing continued to grow as she first watched her sisters and brother participate in Pleasantville High School's musical theater productions, and later joined them on stage as one of the Snow children in a performance of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel. A summer at French Woods Performing Arts Festival cemented her affection for the stage, leading to an introduction to prominent theatrical agent, Nancy Carson, and her first professional role as Li'l Titch in the 2002 revival of another Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, Oklahoma!.
To be closer to her work, she and the family moved into Manhattan. Julianna began attending Professional Performing Arts School where she is currently an honor student. Following her first professional stage experience, further appearances included Gypsy: A Musical Fable with Bernadette Peters, understudying several roles including Baby June, and New York City Center Encores!®, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. In addition to her stage work, she made commercials and specialty films, working for Volvo, Wendy's, AstraZeneca (Nexium), and Disney Entertainment.
In a twist worthy of entertainment lore, the original girl cast to star in a new Nickelodeon TV show declined to continue with the project. As a result, her agent put Julianna up for the role of 'Stephanie' in LazyTown, a fresh, funny show blending music, movement and healthful messages for young children, now a mainstay of Nick Jr.'s pre-school programming. The show's creator, Icelander Magnus Scheving, selected Julianna for her unique mix of talent and energy as an ideal nucleus for the show's positive messages. In connection with her work on LazyTown, Ms. Mauriello relocated to Iceland to shoot episodes for three seasons, learning Icelandic in the process; appeared as a presenter on Iceland's Edda Awards; and has made live and/or broadcast appearances in 70 countries on 5 continents.
In 2006, she was selected by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences as a nominee for its Daytime Emmy Award, "Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series". The world continues to reward LazyTown's upbeat message with many accolades and awards, the most recent being a nomination in the 'International' category by the British Academy of Film & Television Arts for its upcoming 2006 Children's' BAFTA.Also, Italian, Irish, born in the USA.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Born on December 29, 1977 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US as Katherine Sian Moennig, she is an American actress and producer, best known for the role of Shane McCutcheon in The L Word (2004). Her father was William H. Moennig III and her mother was Mary Zahn, a Broadway dancer. She is of Irish and German ancestry. At 18 she moved to New York City, where she studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. In 2000 she got her first TV role as Jacqueline 'Jake' Pratt in Young Americans (2000). From 2004 to 2009 she played the iconic role of Shane McCutcheon in "The L Word". 2006 marked her Off-Broadway debut in "Guardians", in which he played opposite Lee Pace. From 2013 to she played an assistant to the eponymous character in Ray Donovan (2013). In 2019 she came back to the role of Shane in The L Word: Generation Q (2019). She's been married to a Brazilian film director and musician Ana Rezende since 2017.Also, Scottish, Irish, born in the USA.- Actress
- Producer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Bo Derek (born Mary Cathleen Collins) is an American actress and model. Her breakthrough film role was in the romantic comedy 10 (1979). Her first husband John Derek directed her in Fantasies; Tarzan, the Ape Man (both 1981); Bolero (1984) and Ghosts Can't Do It (1989), all of which received negative reviews. Widowed in 1998, she married actor John Corbett in 2020. Now semi-retired, she makes occasional film, television, and documentary appearances.Also, Irish, Dutch, Welsh, born in the USA.- Actress
- Director
- Soundtrack
Gabrielle Mary Hoffmann was born in New York City, New York, to actors Anthony Herrera and Viva (née Janet Susan Mary Hoffmann), who was a Warhol superstar. She began acting in commercials at 4 to help pay the family bills. Gaby's first film role was as young "Karin Kinsella" in 1989's Field of Dreams (1989). Until the summer of 1993, Gaby had lived her entire life with her mother Viva and older sister, Alexandra Auder, at New York's notorious Chelsea Hotel. Gaby's time at the hotel was the basis for a children's book that Viva and friend Jane Lancellotti wrote titled "Gaby at the Chelsea" (a takeoff on the classic "Eloise"). Someone Like Me (1994) was hatched after one of the show's producers, Gail Berman, read a New York Times article about the Chelsea Hotel that mentioned the book.Also, Irish, born in the USA.- Actress
- Producer
Stephanie March was born on 23 July 1974 in Dallas, Texas, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for The Invention of Lying (2009), Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999). She has been married to Dan Benton since 1 September 2017. She was previously married to Bobby Flay.Also, Dutch, Irish, English, born in the USA.- The acting bug caught me early when I got to play the lead in a local play. Just over a year later I was lucky enough to book the lead role of Lava Girl, in the Robert Rodriquez film The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl (2005). After that amazing experience, I was hooked and in love with every aspect of creating characters. Then as fate would have it, I hit a big growth spurt and at age 13, I looked like an 18 year old. After a few years, of getting down to the end on roles and ultimately being told "my age and essence played too old", I decided to take some time away. Since then, I've been in college working on a degree in Psychology. To me, what I love about acting is understanding people and what makes them tick, which is what makes Psych so interesting. Other than college, I took the time to focus on myself. Growing up a child actor is somewhat of a focused and sheltered life. I wanted to experience so much more. So, needless to say, these years away have been the best "life road trip" I could have taken. It not only helped me develop and grow so much as a person, but my experiences helped me grow as an actress. While I was busy doing me, I took some time to go to a few different acting schools/classes. I figured variety is the spice of life and what better way to see what fits than trying on lots of different hats. The experiences were amazing and helped me figure out who I am as an actress. I completed the Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute, which was so inspiring. I also went to classes and got to work with Ivana Chubbuck on scene study, Leigh Kilton Smith on auditioning, and Cameron Thor in class and one on one working on scene study and building strong interesting characters. Now, after taking some years completely away from the acting business, I feel like now more than ever I know who I am and what I want. My passion for acting is like a fire burning inside of me, and I am ready to really get back out there again and start pursuing my career. I really feel like this is my time and I couldn't be more excited for the future.Irish, German, English, Sioux Indian father, Belgian, German, English mother, born in the USA.
- Actress
- Producer
- Director
FYI: I've written my own BIO. To be honest it felt more sincere than pretending like I hired some journalist to do a ton of research and come up with a non biased presentation. So here it goes.
Nia Peeples- What others have said: is an American actress, singer, dancer. For more than 30 years Nia has graced the screen with her talent and intelligence, her fearlessness and compassion, and her beauty. (Why thank you) Most known for her roles in the hit TV series Fame, Walker Texas Ranger, and Pretty Little Liars as well as her jaunt through the music industry with her number 1 record Trouble and the 3 music shows she hosted in that era, Nia is one of the first multi-racial performers to cross all genres and all platforms helping to lay the groundwork for bridging the gap between ethnic performers and leading roles in Hollywood.
Recently, with her son well on his music path, her daughter heading off to college, and her 4th marriage ending, Nia sold everything and went on "walk about" to realign with her greater purpose. After three years of wandering, Nia has returned with one book under her belt, The Little Apple Tree, and is in the middle of writing her second, "Confessions of a Serial Monogamist, Journey Through the Men I loved to the Me I Love, for which she interviewed all her significant others.
Nia's passion is empowering women and students. She is also a keynote speaker, works very closely with My Saint My Hero creating and launching empowering lines of jewelry, and continues to perform live.
(2018) Nia currently lives in Topanga, CA when she's not fasting at an ashram or studying quantum physics and sacred geometry:)Also, Filipina, Spanish, Italian, Scottish, Irish, Native American, born in the USA.- Yasmine Bleeth was born on 14 June 1968 in New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for BASEketball (1998), Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding (2003) and Nash Bridges (1996). She has been married to Paul Cerrito since 25 August 2002.Also, Russian, French, Algerian, born in the USA.
- Actress
Navi Rawat was born on 5 June 1977 in Malibu, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Feast (2005), The O.C. (2003) and Numb3rs (2005). She has been married to Brawley Nolte since 2012. They have one child.Also, Indian, born in the USA.- Actress
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Isabelle Yasmine Adjani was born in Gennevilliers, Hauts-de-Seine, a suburb of Paris, to Emma Augusta "Gusti" (Schweinberger) and Mohammed Adjani. Her father was a Kabyle Algerian, from Iferhounène, and her mother was a Bavarian German. She grew up speaking German fluently. After winning a school recitation contest, she began acting in amateur theater by the age of twelve. At the age of 14, she starred in her first motion picture, Le Petit Bougnat (1970). Adjani has appeared in 30 films since 1970. She holds the record for most César Award for Best Actress (5), which she won for Possession (1981), One Deadly Summer (1983) (aka "One Deadly Summer"), Camille Claudel (1988), Queen Margot (1994) (aka "Queen Margot") and Skirt Day (2008) (aka "Skirt Day"). She was also given a double Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Award in 1981. She also received two Academy Award nominations for Best Actress. She performs in French, English, Italian and German. Adjani was made a Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur in 2010.Also, Algerian, born in France.- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Grew up doing theatre in NYC -Studied at Northwestern University. -Her career started in 1995, when she was cast on Mad TV (1995) for 6 seasons. Cast member of The King of Queens (1998) for 5 seasons, playing opposite Jerry Stiller. Enjoys working in TV. Recurs on ABC's Black-ish (2014) Sex Lives of College Kids, and Bob Hearts Abishola. Scrubs (2001) and Cougar Town (2009). Was a regular on many shows, including ABC's Talk to Me (2000) with Kyra Sedgwick; ABC's Hot Properties (2005) with Gail O'Grady; NBC's Raines (2007) with Jeff Goldbloom; Lifetime's Rita Rocks (2008); CBS's $#*! My Dad Says (2010) with William Shatner; and Wendell and Vinnie (2013) on Nickelodeon. Guest-starred on many shows, such as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999); Monk (2002); My Boys (2006); CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000); Leverage (2008); Numb3rs (2005); The Game (2006); The Exes (2011); Whitney (2011); The Middle (2009) and, more recently, on Cougar Town (2009); Devious Maids (2013) and Black-ish (2014). Has been working in voice over animation for years. Family Guy (1999) for 15 years; Baby Blues (2000); Buzz Lightyear of Star Command (2000); Clone High (2002); Kim Possible (2002); Clone High (2002); The Secret Saturdays (2008); The Penguins of Madagascar (2008). Enjoyed talk show appearances Late Show with David Letterman (1993) 3 times; The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992) 4 times;The Sharon Osbourne Show (2003); Dennis Miller (2004);Hollywood Squares (1998); The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (2005).Also, Swedish, Irish, Norwegian, born in the USA.- Actress
- Producer
Alice Amter is a British born actress of mixed ethnic heritage. She is multilingual and possesses an inate deftness with accents which have been fueled by a curiosity about other languages and cultures. She has lived on three continents and currently resides in the U.S.
Her ambiguous ethnic appearance and skill as a chameleon have enabled her to convincingly portray a wide range of characters on both the big and small screens. She has appeared in numerous prime time TV shows opposite some of Hollywood's biggest names. Her first job in television was opposite George Clooney in his final two episodes of the mega-hit medical drama 'E.R'. This was followed by a series of appearances in an array of popular TV shows such as 'Judging Amy' opposite Amy Brenneman, 'Strong Medicine' with Janine Turner, 'Til Death' with Brad Garrett, 'Skip Tracer' with Stephen Dorff and a recurring role on 'Presidio Med' opposite Blythe Danner and Christina Hendricks from 'Mad Men'. Simultaneously she garnered attention on the big screen with appearances in several films with some of Hollywood's leading list talent, most notably Jennifer Anniston in 'The Good Girl', and Vin Diesel in 'A Man Apart'.
In 'Penance' she crafts another memorable, albeit chilling performance as 'Eve' the unsympathetic french prison warden aka villainess in this disturbing thriller. Equally adept at both comedy and drama, she continues to gain notoriety as one of the most versatile actresses in the industry, and can be frequently seen demonstrating her comedic chops as Mrs Koothrappali in the hugely successful CBS TV sitcom 'The Big Bang Theory'. Alice recently guest starred on the high rating primetime TV show 'Outsourced' and can be seen shortly on 'The Whole Truth'.Born in the UK.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
It was in 1994 when Gisele Bundchen was discovered at age 14 in a Brazilian fashion mall, and now she is "the" most famous face in the business. Since then, Gisele has graced the covers of countless magazines as any other model in the history, including Rolling Stone, Time, Forbes, Newsweek and all the fashion top magazines such as Vogue, W, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, i-D, The Face, and many others. Gisele also has multi-million dollars deals with some of the world's biggest companies. Her contract with Victoria's Secret is the biggest in the fashion industry, and she also has deals with Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Bulgari, Dolce & Gabbana, Valentino, Joop!, Otto, Lanvin, Guerlain, Nivea, DSquared, St. John, Colcci, Vivo, Vogue Eyewear and Grendene. Her own line of shoes, called "Ipanema Gisele Bundchen", have sold more than 100 million pairs since 2001.Born in Brazil.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Summer Bishil was born in Pasadena, California. She and her family moved overseas when she was three. Summer attended British and American schools while her family lived overseas, She returned to her home town of Pasadena just shy of her 14th birthday. In love with the idea of becoming an actress since the age of five, Summer took her first acting class at 14. Nine months later she signed with an agent and manager and began to pursue her career full time. She attends college on her spare time, working towards her degree.Also, Scottish, Mexican, Indian, born in the USA.- Producer
- Actress
- Writer
Shannon Emery Lee (born April 19, 1969) is an American actress, martial artist and businesswoman. She is the daughter of late martial arts film star Bruce Lee and retired martial arts teacher Linda Lee Cadwell, the granddaughter of Cantonese opera singer Lee Hoi-Chuen, and the younger sister of Brandon Lee.
She was born on April 19, 1969, in Los Angeles, to martial arts film star Bruce Lee and Linda Emery. In her youth she studied Jeet Kune Do, the martial art created by her father, under Richard Bustillo, one of her father's students. However, her serious studies did not begin until the late 1990s. To train for parts in action movies, she studied Jeet Kune Do with Ted Wong.
She studied Taekwondo under Dung Doa Liang and Wushu under Eric Chen. She also studied under the tutelage of the director of Enter the Eagles, Yuen De, Jackie Chan's Chinese opera brother. Because the film Enter the Eagles required her to fight Benny Urquidez, Urquidez himself taught her in kickboxing.
Lee made her acting debut playing a cameo in her father's 1993 biopic film Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story as the party singer of the song "California Dreamin.'" She went on to appear in the direct-to-video films Cage II (1994) with bodybuilding veteran and actor Lou Ferrigno and High Voltage (1997) with Antonio Sabato Jr. In 1998, she starred in the Hong Kong action film Enter the Eagles, directed by Corey Yuen, co-starring Michael Wong and Anita Yuen.
On television, she guest-starred in an episode of the television series Martial Law alongside Sammo Hung in 1998 and appeared in the sci-fi television film Epoch, which first aired on the Sci Fi Channel in 2001. That same year, she played the leading role in the action film Lessons for an Assassin. She was also the host of the first season of the game show WMAC Masters. She sang on the band Medicine's album The Mechanical Forces of Love in 2003. She sang a cover of "I'm in the Mood for Love" for the movie China Strike Force (2000), which starred Leehom Wang and Aaron Kwok.
Lee is president of the Bruce Lee Foundation. She was the executive producer of the 2008 television series The Legend of Bruce Lee, based on her father's life, and the 2009 documentary film How Bruce Lee Changed the World.
In 2015, Perfect Storm Entertainment and Shannon Lee announced that the series The Warrior, based an original idea by Bruce Lee, would be produced and would air on the Cinemax and the filmmaker Justin Lin was chosen to direct the series, scheduled to debut in 2019.Also, Chinese, Swedish, born in the USA.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Catherine Bach is an American actress. She is known for playing Daisy Duke in the television series The Dukes of Hazzard and Margo Dutton in African Skies. In 2012, she joined the cast of the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless as Anita Lawson.Also, Mexican, born in the USA.- Actress
- Director
- Producer
Porn star Jenna Haze was born in Fullerton, California, spending the majority of her childhood in La Habra, California. She also lived in Lancaster, California and Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota. Her parents divorced when she was young. Having been a self-described "teacher's pet" when she was a child, she gradually turned rebellious. Haze dropped out of high school at 15 and finished her education by being home-schooled. She worked at a succession of low-paying jobs such as a fast food manager, oil change girl, toy store employee, waited at a pie shop and a Marie Callender's restaurant for a while. When she turned 18 she tried stripping for a living, but didn't like it and quit after only one day. A year later she met someone at a club who had connections to the adult-film industry and told her she would be perfect for that business. Intrigued, she decided to try it, and two days later was shooting her first porn scene at a studio in the San Fernando Valley. At first she used an agent to secure work, but soon realized that she could do better on her own and dropped him. She worked almost nonstop until she took a "breather" during the Christmas season of 2001 and didn't make any films for several months. When she came back in early 2002 she was hired by Jill Kelly Productions for one film, and they were so impressed with her that they offered her a contract, which she eventually accepted. Her first mainstream project was Superbad (2007) where she portrayed a small role known simply as Vagtastic Voyage Girl #2. She has also appeared in the 2009 action thriller Crank: High Voltage (2009). In 2014, she played Suzy Whitefeather in the horror film Raised by Wolves (2014).Also, Spanish, Irish, born in the USA.- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Thesy was born in Chicago, USA, but grew up primarily in London, England. Her father is American; her mother is German. She went to Godolphin & Latymer and appeared in various theatrical productions and commercials in her early years, subsequently performing at the Edinburgh Festival. She later attended Brown University, in the USA, graduating a year early, as well as completing a summer intensive at NYU's Tisch School Of Arts.
While doing various acting and writing stints in and around Los Angeles, Thesy also performed burlesque at numerous venues. She now goes back and forth between London and LA. Having written her eccentric experiences in Hollywood, under the guise of fiction (yet to be released), she will also be incorporating them in the performances of some fun, avenging anti-heroes and ruthless, crafty villains.Born in the USA.- From a hit television drama to a medley of feature films, Roma Maffia graces the entertainment mediums with her trademark sophistication and charismatic appeal.
Roma portrays the smart, no-nonsense anesthesiologist, 'Dr. Liz Cruz,' on the hit FX drama, "Nip/Tuck." 'Liz' has earned the respect of her physician colleagues, plastic surgeons Dr. Sean McNamara (Dylan Walsh) and Dr. Christian Troy (Julian McMahon). Often the voice of reason in an otherwise unpredictable environment, 'Liz' is tough on the surface yet shows warmth and concern for her patients as well as for 'Sean' and 'Christian.' An out-and-proud lesbian, 'Liz' is the only female seen as a true equal in the life of 'Dr. Troy.'
The Warner Bros. Television-produced "Nip/Tuck" won the 2005 Golden Globe for Outstanding Drama series and received an American Film Institute Award. The show is now in its fifth season and has relocated its setting from Miami to Los Angeles.
Most recently, Roma wrapped production on writer/director Robert Celestino's feature film "Yonkers Joe," with Chazz Palminteri. She has also completed production on the crime story "Kingshighway," due out in 2008. Also in the can is the psychological thriller, "Ghost Image" for writer/director Jack Edward Snyder. In the later film, Roma plays the lead investigator who probes the mysterious occurrences involving a woman who begins to receive video messages from her deceased boyfriend.
Roma started her acting career performing off-Broadway, off-off Broadway and in regional productions ranging from Shakespeare to Sam Shephard. At a benefit reading for the New Group in New York, she was asked by casting director Jane Jenkins to audition for a role in director Ron Howard's feature film "The Paper," and found a career mentor: "Ron tells people he discovered me, which is absolutely true."
When "The Paper" opened in Los Angeles, Roma took her first trip to Hollywood and her career quickly flourished. She soon met television producer David E. Kelley, who cast her as Adam Arkin's secretary, 'Angela' in his new series, "Chicago Hope."
During her one season on "Chicago Hope," Roma landed a plum role in the Barry Levinson film, "Disclosure," in which she played Michael Douglas' tough sexual harassment lawyer, 'Katherine Alvarez.' Garnering rave reviews for her performance, Roma quickly landed feature film roles in director John Badham's "Nick of Time," playing a kidnapper opposite Christopher Walken and Johnny Depp; "Eraser" with Arnold Schwarzenegger, and "Double Jeopardy" opposite Ashley Judd.
Additional feature credits include "I Am Sam" with Sean Penn and Michelle Pfeiffer; "Kiss The Girls" with Morgan Freeman; "Holes," "Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her" with Glenn Close and Holly Hunter.
For television, Roma played the dedicated and intelligent 'Grace Alvarez,' forensic pathologist for the Violent Crimes Task Force, for four seasons on NBC's primetime series "Profiler." Her telefilm credits include "Consensual Relations" for NBC; HBO's "Mistrial" with Bill Pullman; and Showtime's "The Defenders." She had recurring roles on NBC's "Law & Order" and "ER," and she has guest-starred on numerous television shows, including CBS's "Ghost Whisperer," Lifetime's "Strong Medicine," NBC's "The West Wing" and HBO's "The Sopranos."
In her free time, Roma is actively involved with the non-profit organization, Artists for a New South Africa (ANSA) which dedicates itself to advancing democracy and equality in South Africa. Although she is happiest when acting, Roma also finds time to run on her treadmill, write, play ping-pong and hang out with her two dogs, Lou Lu and Lucky.Also, Indian, English, born in the USA. - Actress
- Producer
Vanna White was born Vanna Marie Rosich in Conway, South Carolina, to Miguel Angel Rosich, and Joan Marie Rosich. Her father disappeared from her life shortly after her birth. When her mother married Herbert White, who raised her Vanna adopted her stepfather's last name in the process. The family moved to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where Herbert White became a successful real estate broker/owner of White's Realty.
As a young adult, Vanna moved west to pursue a career where her attractive appearance and pleasant personality would be appreciated.
She quickly befriended other aspiring actresses in Hollywood, and met the love of her life: John Gibson. Four years after Vanna won her spot on Wheel of Fortune, she and John were engaged, and within months of the engagement John was killed in a private plane crash.
In 1985, Tracy Vaccaro, and Jessie Eastland took Vanna to dinner in Studio City, California. Tracy's former boyfriend: restaurateur George Santopietro was also on the guest list. Five years later George and Vanna were married. On May 15th, 2002 they were divorced. They have two children together. At this writing (2017) Vanna White remains the letter turner on one of the most successful game shows in television history: Wheel of Fortune.Also, Spanish, Italian, born in the USA.- Ona Grauer was born on 16 November 1975 in Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico. She is an actress, known for House of the Dead (2003), Elysium (2013) and Firewall (2006). She is married to Aaron Dudley. They have two children.Also, Norwegian, Hungarian, born in Mexico.
- Actress
- Producer
- Executive
Dia Mirza was born on 9 December 1981 in Hyderabad in an interracial, German and Bengali family.
Her father Frank Handrich was a German graphic and industrial fair designer, architect, artist and interior designer and her mother Deepa excelled in interior and landscape design. She now volunteers as a counsellor at addiction centres.
As a student of J. Krishnamurti School, Dia learnt early to never conform to the limitations of the conditioned mind. Her education and family values made her world-view naturally inclusive and composite.
The hunger to chase every dream was encouraged at her school and at home.
That is why at the age of 16, while she was still a student, Dia began working towards financial independence. Modelling offers poured in and after endorsing brands like Lipton and Walls Ice Cream, she decided to dive deeper and participate in a beauty pageant that would transform her fate.
The Miss India Contest in 2000 made her a household name and then she won the Miss Asia-Pacific Pageant for India, after a span of nearly 29 long years.
Films were the next natural step. And Dia was ready to study the craft rather than take the opportunities coming her way for granted. Dia began her training as an actor in theatre workshops conducted by acclaimed director Feroz Abbas Khan and made her debut with Vashu Bhagnani's Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein (2001), with Madhavan.
She then went on to appear in several memorable films, including the blockbuster Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006), Parineeta (2005), Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. (2007), Shootout at Lokhandwala (2007), Kurbaan (2009), Dus Kahaniyaan (2007), Tehzeeb (2003), Sanju (2018), Thappad (2020) and many more.
In 2012, Dia forayed into regional cinema with Bengali Filmmaker Pratim Dasgupta's festival favourite Paanch Adhyay. In the same year, she also added a new dimension to her cinematic career, by turning producer to form Born Free Entertainment. A production house mirroring her desire to seek the new constantly. 'Love Breakups Zindagi (2011)' and 'Bobby Jasoos (2014)' were produced under this banner.
In 2016, Dia made her debut on Indian television with the much loved show Ganga: The Soul of India where she took viewers on a breath-taking journey to rediscover the holy river and the many stories connected with it.
Her debut on a streaming platform as an actor was in Kaafir, a highly acclaimed 2019 web-series about the Indo-Pak cross border dispute. Critics and audiences were moved and stirred by Dia's award winning portrayal of a young woman's journey from innocence to devastation and then resilience and courage. The series and Dia's work in it continue to win accolades.
On her 38th birthday in 2019, Dia Mirza launched a new production house, One India Stories LLP, which aims to bring out meaningful content across different formats and mediums.
Dia and her hand-picked team plan to collaborate with gifted individuals from different film industries and also have women-led stories as part of the roster.
As an actor and individual, Dia has always believed in the power of one and in the thread of oneness and humanity that connects us all. One India Stories is a culmination of this thought and aims to create stories that remind us of our connection to each other and the planet.
In her career as a performer, and her subsequent work as a producer and a climate change-maker, Dia has made unconventional choices.
Today, she is not just an actor and a producer but a UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador and United Nations Secretary-General Advocate for Sustainable Development Goals.
The search for the unknown, the less familiar continues.Born in India.- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Casting Director
Eden Sonja Jane Riegel was born in Washington D.C. Her parents are Kurt & Lenore. Her older siblings are Tatiana S. Riegel & Sam Riegel. She grew up in a Virginia suburb. As a child, she first got the urge to perform while watching her brother perform dinner theater. Bitten by the performing bug, she soon got her chance to perform when she started performing in dinner theater herself for $10 a week. Her big break on stage came when she landed the part of young Cosette in Les Misérables. This led to other Broadway & off-Broadway roles in The Will Rogers Follies. She also had movie roles in American Pie (1999), The Prince of Egypt (1998) & Henry Hill (1999). She has guest-starred in many TV series. Besides being an actress, she's also an accomplished vocalist who was a member of the popular group Broadway Kids. She also sang back up vocals for Jewel.= & Michael Jackson.
She attended the New York's Professional Children's School & then Harvard University, aiming to become a lawyer. However, she took a leave of absence for an exciting role. Her biggest break came when she was cast as Bianca Christine Montgomery on All My Children (1970). Bianca's the first main character on an American soap who's openly gay. Eden's earnest, poignant, sparkling, heartfelt & charismatic portrayal helped make the character become one of All My Children (1970)'s most beloved heroines in its history. She left the role in February 2005. She has moved to Los Angeles & hopes to explore other avenues in her career such as prime time & movies.Also, English, Hungarian, Spanish, Moroccan, born in the USA.