Hottest actresses to do softcore starting in the 60's
Women who have been burning up the screen since my teens.
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- Stunningly gorgeous, sensuous, and voluptuous brunette knockout Marie Liljedahl briefly steamed up the screen in a handful of highly erotic soft-core exploitation features made in the late 1960's and early 1970's. Marie was born on February 15, 1950 in Stockholm, Sweden and originally planned on being a ballet dancer. Liljedahl started acting on stage when she was ten years old and was a member of the Swedish Royal Opera ballet at age twelve. She made her film debut with an uncredited small role in The Hot Month of August (1966). Marie was very desirable and impressive as the titular wide-eyed 17-year-old teenage innocent in Joseph W. Sarno's terrific classic Inga (1968) and its excellent sequel The Seduction of Inga (1968) She was likewise fine as another naive young lass in Jesús Franco's solid Eugenie (1970), aspiring actress Sybil Vane in the sleazy Dorian Gray (1970), and the virginal Eva in Three-Cornered Bed (1969). Marie made for a memorably sexy Snow White in the racy Grimm's Fairy Tales for Adults (1969). Marie Lildejahl was named the Top Sex Star of 1971 by "Playboy" magazine. Alas, her fleeting career abruptly stopped in the early 1970's.
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Catherine Spaak was born on 3 April 1945 in Boulogne-Billancourt, Seine [now Hauts-de-Seine], France. She was an actress and writer, known for The Cat o' Nine Tails (1971), The Easy Life (1962) and The Empty Canvas (1963). She was married to Vladimiro Tuselli, Daniel Rey, Johnny Dorelli and Fabrizio Capucci. She died on 17 April 2022 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.- Actress
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Lovely, sunny and appealing blonde sprite Cynthia Wood was born on September 25, 1950 in Burbank, California. Her father Harold was a recording executive and her mother Erma was an actress. Cynthia attended both Los Angeles City College and Los Angeles Valley College as a music major but eventually switched to theater. She ultimately dropped out of college altogether in 1971. Wood was the Playmate of the Month in the February, 1973 issue of "Playboy." She was named Playmate of the Year in 1974. Cynthia did a follow-up pictorial ten years later in the April, 1984 of "Playboy." Wood made her film debut with a small role as a beauty shop customer in "Shampoo." Cynthia gave an especially lively and winning performance as sassy spitfire Moon in the enjoyable drive-in comedy romp "Van Nuys Blvd." She was likewise memorable as one of the dancing "Playboy" Playmates in "Apocalypse Now;" this particular part was greatly expanded in the 2001 "Redux" version of the movie. Moreover, Wood appeared as herself on episodes of the TV programs "The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour" and "The Jim Stafford Show." Cynthia Wood has worked as a casting agent for director Michael Lesner and has a Ph.D. in psychology.- Delia Sheppard was born on 29 July 1960 in Copenhagen, Denmark. She is an actress, known for The Big Short (2015), Rocky V (1990) and Now You See Me (2013).
- Born Mary Eileen "Mimi" Chesterton (nicknamed Mimi by her friends and family) in St. Paul, Minnesota, titian beauty Claudia Jennings was raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1966, she moved to Evanston, Illinois, the first suburb north of Chicago just south of the Wisconsin state line, where she graduated high school in 1968.
After joining the Hull House theater company in Chicago, she took a job as a receptionist at the offices of Playboy magazine in September 1968. Photographer Pompeo Posar asked her to test, and with a potential $5,000 check at stake -- enough for a ticket to Hollywood -- she agreed. She eventually appeared as a Playmate in November 1969, and later as 1970 Playmate of the Year. Re-naming herself Claudia Jennings to avoid family embarrassment due to posing in the nude, she became the most perennially popular Playmate of the 1970s, as well as the number one female star of "Drive-In" movies such as The Unholy Rollers (1972) and 'Gator Bait (1973). Her first film role was with the film Jud (1971), a low-budget, socially conscious, independent film about a Vietnam soldier's return home. While the film came and went without much notice, it encouraged Claudia to go into the acting business full time.
From 1970 to 1975, she lived with songwriter/producer Bobby Hart but, after their split, her personal life began to spiral. She began using drugs and soon got a reputation for being unreliable. As her cocaine use began to escalate, her career from this point began to flounder.
One of her last theatrical film roles was a co-starring part in the little-seen Canadian racetrack drama Fast Company (1979). After narrowly missing the role of Kate Jackson's replacement on Charlie's Angels (1976) to Shelley Hack in May 1979, she began a tumultuous relationship with Beverly Hills realtor Stan Herman. Following their split later that summer, Jennings turned her life around and tried to quit drugs and drinking, but sadly died before she could continue performing in better films. On the morning of October 3, 1979, she was at the wheel of her VW convertible in Malibu on the Pacific Coast Highway, and drifted across the center divider, colliding head-on with a pickup truck near the intersection of Topanga Canyon Boulevard. She died a few minutes later before paramedics could arrive and get her to a nearby hospital. She was 29. - Actress
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Shannon Tweed was born in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. She rose to stardom as Miss November 1981 for Playboy magazine. In 1982, Shannon began her film career and also appeared in the soap opera Falcon Crest (1981). She became Playmate of the Year in 1982. She was briefly involved with Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner but has carried on a long-term relationship with KISS member Gene Simmons since 1983. Tweed and Simmons married in 2011. She has become somewhat of a "B" movie "queen", appearing in numerous low-budget "erotic thrillers" and adventure films. She and Simmons have two children, a son named Nicolas (b. 1989) and a daughter Sophie (b.1992).- Shannon Whirry is not just a talented actress with girl-next-door looks, she captured a generation of men's (and teenage boys'!) imaginations by wishing that she actually was the girl-next-door.
Born in Green Lake County, Wisconsin, Whirry graduated from high school and packed her bags for New York. She trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts during the 1980s and began her career in Off-Broadway productions as well as appearances on 'Saturday Night Live' and the popular daytime soap 'One Life to Live'. When Steven Seagal came to town during the casting for his 1991 movie Out for Justice (1991), Whirry won the role of Terry Malloy, a cocktail waitress. She left for LA.
Following this small role, she auditioned for and won the part of Joanna Coles in the erotic thriller Animal Instincts (1992). Directed by Gregory Dark, the movie capitalized on the direct-to-video market and the popularity of steamy movies in the early 1990s. Animal Instincts (1992) revolved around a couple's bid to spice up their marriage through voyeuristic sexual adventures. The film was a hit.
Over the following years, Whirry worked with Gregory Dark on more films in the same vein. Animal Instincts II (1994) and Body of Influence (1993) are well known. She also appeared in Exit (1996), Ringer (1996), Mirror Images II (1993), and Private Obsession (1995) among others. She was, and still is, regarded as an icon of the erotic thriller genre. Debate continues as to whether one prefers Shannon Whirry or Shannon Tweed.
In the mid-90s, Whirry broke away from the confines of the genre, and appeared in movies with more focus on action and adventure, as well as appearing in numerous TV shows in guest spots. TV roles have included Murder One (1995), Nash Bridges (1996), V.I.P. (1998), and ER (1994). Whirry was also a regular on the TV show Mike Hammer, Private Eye (1997).
Despite some Hollywood attention and a variety of roles (including a cameo in the Jim Carrey vehicle Me, Myself & Irene (2000)) Whirry felt that roles were drying up in LA, where the focus was, and remains, on youth. She left LA in 2004.
These days, Shannon Whirry lives in the Phoenix area of Arizona. She can be seen in challenging roles on the stage with iTheatre Collaborative or Nearly Naked Theatre. Her stage roles have garnered her much acclaim. Small roles continue in front of the camera, mostly filmed locally. She also has appeared in TV commercials.
In May 2009, Whirry appeared in "Bug" at the Herberger Theatre Center in Phoenix. More recently she has appeared in 'Raising Buchanan' in a supporting role. Whilst fans are sure to be pleased that her career is continuing and flourishing, some surely wouldn't mind another Animal Instincts (1992) sequel. - Actress
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Brandy Ledford is an American/Canadian actress, dancer and former model. She was born on February 4th to Sandra and Ken Ledford. Her mother is from Canada, with New Zealand roots and her father is part Cherokee Indian from North Carolina. Brandy was raised in Redondo Beach, CA with her mother and her younger sister and brothers. She discovered her love for dancing at an early age and began competing in local and national drill team competitions, winning the World Drill Team championships in 1980.
After graduating from Redondo Union High School, Brandy started her modeling career. She lived in Japan, New York and Canada and traveled all over the globe as a model and dancer.
From 1993-96, Brandy attended the Baron Brown Studio in Los Angeles, CA, where she studied acting with DW Brown. She continued her training with Margie Haber at the Margie Haber Studio for a number of years. She made her film debut in a small, but memorable role in the blockbuster movie, Demolition Man (1993), starring Sylvester Stallone. Her next role was as Bud's love interest on Married... with Children (1987), which landed her the lead role of Alex Davies in the ABC production of Aaron Spelling's, Pier 66 (1996).
Since then, she has starred as a series regular on several TV series' and guest-starred in popular sitcoms like, Modern Family (2009) and movies such as Rat Race (2001) and the HBO hit, Zebra Lounge (2001). She has a large sci-fi following due to her role as Doyle in Andromeda (2000), which she counts as her favorite character to play. In 2006, Brandy was cast in the critically acclaimed television show, Whistler (2006), for which she was nominated both the Leo Award and the Gemini Award for her performance.
Brandy continues to study dance and spends her time between Los Angeles, Vancouver and Kauai where she enjoys being a mom and a wife and spends quality time on fitness, health and helping others.- Extremely cute, slim and shapely blonde sprite Hope Marie Carlton was born Hope Marie Rizzitano on March 3, 1966 in Riverhead, New York. Carlton began modeling at age thirteen (her mother was a professional model). Hope was the Playmate of the Month in the July, 1985 issue of "Playboy" magazine. She went on to appear in several "Playboy" videos and a bunch of "Playboy" special edition publications. Carlton portrayed feisty federal drug enforcement agent, "Taryn", in three enjoyably low-brow, low-budget action pictures for director Andy Sidaris: Hard Ticket to Hawaii (1987), Picasso Trigger (1988) and Savage Beach (1989). Moreover, Hope acted in a handful of B-flicks and even a few horror movies (she has a memorably sexy cameo in A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)). Among the TV shows, she made guest appearances on, are The A-Team (1983), Married... with Children (1987), L.A. Law (1986), Charles in Charge (1984), Quantum Leap (1989) and Baywatch (1989). Carlton owned and operated the resort, the "Sorrel River Ranch", with her one-time husband, Rob Levin, in Moab, Utah. Hope and Levin had a daughter, prior to divorcing in 2005. Hope Marie Carlton now lives in Colorado.
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Anne Randall was born on 23 September 1944 in Alameda, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Westworld (1973), Stacey (1973) and The Monkees (1965). She has been married to Richard E. Stewart since 1967.- Actress
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Shari Shattuck was born on 18 November 1960 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for On Deadly Ground (1994), Point of Seduction: Body Chemistry III (1994) and Spy Hard (1996). She has been married to Joseph P. Stachura since 18 July 2009. She was previously married to Ronn Moss and Ford Smith.- Actress
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Sabrina Allen was born on 14 January 1974 in Palm Beach, Florida, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Erotic Heat (1996), Embrace of the Vampire (1995) and Vegan Zombies (2015).- Tracy Ryan was born on 14 March 1972 in Cedar Falls, Iowa, USA. She is an actress, known for Corporate Fantasy (1999), Web of Seduction (1999) and Forbidden (2001).
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Senta Berger was born in 1941 in Vienna, Austria to her father Josef Berger who was a musician and her mother Therese Berger, a school teacher. Senta and her father performed together when she was just four years old. She sang and her dad played the piano. At five years old, she took ballet lessons and at 14, Berger turned to acting taking private lessons. She left her private school education at 16. In 1957, Berger was discovered by famous director Willi Forst and played a small role in a film. She was accepted to the Max Reinhardt Seminar. In 1958, Berger was the youngest member at the Vienna Theater in Josefstadt. Director Bernhard Wicki and producer Artur Brauner sought after Senta producing the film The Good Soldier, by Heinz Rühmann. It succeeded and Brauner used her in several films. In 1962, Berger moved to Hollywood and starred with Charlton Heston, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Richard Harris, George Hamilton, Kirk Douglas, John Wayne and Yul Brynner. In 1969 she returned to Europe and was seen during the 1970's in Italian productions of various genres. In 1967, she returned to the silver screen with an Alain Delon film. In 1968, Berger played in the three-part thriller Babeck by Herbert Reinecker. 1970 was her debut as Producer of her own company. As director she put her husband's film before the camera. Further, international successful of films of her production company have included The White Rose, The Nasty Girl and Mother Courage. In addition, Berger expanded her European career in France and Italy. The birth of her two sons, Simon (b. 1972) and Luca (b. 1979) prompted Berger to turn back to the theater. In 1985/86, she managed her TV comeback in front of the German-speaking audience in the television series Kir Royal co-starring with Franz Xaver Kroetz , Dieter Hildebrandt and Billie Zöckler. Many TV series guest appearances followed.- Stunningly beautiful and charismatic blonde Barbara Bouchet was born Barbel Goutscherola on August 15th, 1943 in Liberec, Czechoslovakia, known as Reichenberg, during the German occupation. Her father, Fritz, was a war photographer.
Her family was forced to leave the country when Barbara was a little girl and her name was changed to Barbara Gutscher. They got separated, but ended up getting together again. They migrated in December 1956 and settled in San Francisco, California, where Barbara attended the prestigious Galileo High School, a polytechnic school with commercial and industrial branches. Bouchet speaks English, German and Italian with equal fluency. In an interview to Shock Cinema (Number 44), Barbara Bouchet says her name had been changed again to Bouchet at the start of her career, because it sounded like her German name.
Barbara was inspired to be a screen actress after seeing the work of German actress Christine Kaufmann in Der schweigende Engel (1954) ("The Silent Angel").
In 1959, her father submitted a photo of her to the "Miss Gidget" beauty contest, and she won. The contest was held by the local television station KPIX-TV, based on the character of what has been considered the first "beach party movie" in Hollywood history, Gidget (1959). The prize included a date with James Darren the famous star of that movie, and a screen test. The screen test never materialized.
Barbara was featured as a dancer on the teen-targeted rock'n'roll TV show, The KPIX Dance Party, from 1959 to 1962.
Bouchet began a career of teen model that led to her extensive magazine cover model (35 covers). In October 1983, at age 40, Bouchet did a nude pictorial for the Italian edition of "Penthouse" magazine.
Barbara acted in TV commercials. She made her film debut with an uncredited bit part in the comedy What a Way to Go! (1964). Bouchet soon became known for openly flaunting her spectacularly curvaceous figure in several pictures: clad in alluring silk harem robes in John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! (1965), cavorting nude on the beaches of Pearl Harbor in the World War II epic In Harm's Way (1965), and wearing a bikini for the bulk of her screen time in Agent for H.A.R.M. (1966). She also portrayed "Ursula" in Bob Fosse's outstanding musical Sweet Charity (1969), made for a nicely sultry "Miss Moneypenny" in the tongue-in-cheek 007 outing Casino Royale (1967), and had guest spots on such TV series as The Virginian (1962), Star Trek (1966), Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964), and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964).
In 1970, fed-up with being typecast as a mindless sexpot in Hollywood fare, she moved to Italy. She soon became one of Italy's top actresses, carving out a fruitful niche for herself in sex comedies, giallo murder mysteries and gritty crime thrillers. Among her most memorable roles in these Italian features are the brazen spoiled rich lady "Patrizia" in Lucio Fulci's disturbing Don't Torture a Duckling (1972) ("Don't Torture A Duckling"), prostitute "Francine" in The French Sex Murders (1972) ("The French Sex Murders"), modeling agency choreographer "Kitty" in The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972) ("Red Queen Kills 7 Times"), saucy love interest "Scilla" in the splendidly sleazy The Mean Machine (1973), and enticing stripper "Anny" in Death Rage (1976) ("Death Rage"). Bouchet had an unforgettably steamy lesbian love scene with Rosalba Neri in Amuck! (1972) ("Amuck"). Barbara Bouchet appeared alongside fellow Bond girls Barbara Bach and Claudine Auger in Black Belly of the Tarantula (1971) ("The Black Belly of the Tarantula"). Barbara Bouchet continues to act in both films and TV shows, alike, made in Italy. Barbara popped up in a small role (as the wife of giallo star David Hemmings) in Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York (2002).
Barbara married producer Luigi Borghese in 1976. They had two sons: Alessandro Borgese (b. 1974), a chef hosting a show on the Italian cable TV; and Massimiliano Borghese (b. 1989), a bartender. During the shooting of Diamond Connection (1984) in Istanbul, there was mention of a separation in the Turkish language "New World Video & Magazine" of September 1984, but the divorce happened much later.
In 1985, Bouchet started her own production company, opened her own health club in Rome, and launched her own line of fitness books and videos.
[based on woodyanders] - Actress
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She won a beauty pageant and attended il Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia (The Center for Experimental Cinematography). In 1956, she received an offer to go to Hollywood and attend the Actor's Studio but didn't take the offer for undisclosed reasons.
She began her film career at the age of 15 with a role in the film I pinguini ci guardano (1955) (The Penguins Watch Us) in which the animals at the zoo watched the humans around them and cultivated some very interesting thoughts. Many sources, however, list her first film as Mogli pericolose (1958). She is uncredited in this comedy which was directed by Luigi Comencini.
Neri was also much in demand for erotic films. She played Zoe, in Jesús Franco's 99 Women (1969), a movie about women in prison who must turn to each other for comfort while dealing with a sadistic warden. In 1971 she was Eleanor Stuart, Farley Granger's 'wife' in Amuck! (1972).- Karin Schubert was born on 26 November 1944 in Hamburg, Germany. She is an actress, known for The Panther Squad (1984).
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Luciana Paluzzi's an Italian actress, best known for playing SPECTRE assassin ,Fiona Volpe, in the fourth James Bond film, Thunderball.
In the film, Thunderball she had auditioned for the part of the lead Bond girl, Dominetta "Domino" Petacchi, but producers cast Claudine Auger, changing the Domino character from an Italian to a Frenchwoman and renaming her Dominique Derval.
Paluzzi's first film was an uncredited walk-on part in Three Coins in the Fountain (1954).- Actress
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The quintessential jet-set Euro starlet, Ursula Andress was born in the Swiss canton of Berne on March 19, 1936, one of six children in a strict German Protestant family. Although often seeming icily aloof, a restless streak early demonstrated itself in her personality, and she had an impetuous desire to explore the world outside Switzerland. (For instance, she was tracked down by Interpol for running away from boarding school at 17 years old.) The stunning young woman found work as an art model in Rome and did walk-on parts in three quickie Italian pictures before coming to Hollywood in 1955 and getting nowhere professionally; a four-month fling with rising star James Dean brought her good publicity but not much else. That same year, still just 19, she met and had an affair with fading matinée idol John Derek, who left his wife Pati Behrs and two kids for Ursula even though she spoke almost no English at the time. In 1957 they eloped to Las Vegas, and the new bride put her acting aspirations on hold for a few years thereafter.
1962 saw the relatively unknown Swiss beauty back on the set, playing opposite Sean Connery in the first movie version of Ian Fleming's fanciful "James Bond" espionage novels, Dr. No (1962). Andress' role as bikini-clad Honey Ryder was somewhat brief, and her Swiss/German accent so thick that her entire performance had to be dubbed by a voiceover artist. Nevertheless, her striking looks and smoldering screen presence made a strong impression on moviegoers, immediately establishing her as one of the most desired women in the world and as an ornament to put alongside some of the most bankable talent of the era, such as Elvis Presley in Fun in Acapulco (1963) and Dean Martin in 4 for Texas (1963). In 1965, she was one of several European starlets to co-star in What's New Pussycat (1965) -- a film that perhaps sums up mid-'60s pop culture better than any other -- written by Woody Allen, starring Allen and Peter Sellers, with music by Burt Bacharach, a title song performed by Tom Jones and much on-screen sexual romping.
Andress appeared in many more racy-for-their time movies in both the United States and Europe, including The 10th Victim (1965), in which she wore a famously ballistic bra, and The Blue Max (1966), where she was aptly cast as the sultry, insatiable wife of an aristocratic World War I German general. She was also featured in Casino Royale (1967), a satirical foray into the world of James Bond, and gave a sparkling performance in the T&A-filled crime caper Perfect Friday (1970). Roles as a prostitute kidnapped by outlaws in Red Sun (1971), a stewardess living on the edge in Loaded Guns (1975), and a bombshell nurse hired to titillate a doddering millionaire to death in The Sensuous Nurse (1975) all provided plenty of excuses to throw her clothes to the wind. In Slave of the Cannibal God (1978), she was notoriously stripped and slathered in orange paint by a pair of nubiles. Then she took on the sophisticated role of Louise de la Valliere, slinky, conspiratorial mistress of King Louis XIV (Beau Bridges) in The Fifth Musketeer (1979).
As for her personal life, Andress separated from Derek in 1964 and got divorced two years later, after falling in love with French superstar Jean-Paul Belmondo on the Malaysian set of Up to His Ears (1965). (Ron Ely, John Richardson and Marcello Mastroianni kept her company during the interim.) The relationship with Belmondo hit a wall in 1972, and she was next attached to her leading man from Stateline Motel (1973), Italian heartthrob Fabio Testi. When that didn't work out, Andress jumped into the dating pool, sporadically involved with a host of Lotharios including (but by no means limited to) Dennis Hopper, Franco Nero, John DeLorean and Ryan O'Neal. In 1979, she began what would be a long-term romance with Harry Hamlin, her handsome young co-star from Clash of the Titans (1981) (in which she was cast, predictably, as "Aphrodite"). While subsequently traveling in India, Andress' belly began to swell out of her clothing, and she felt very nauseous. What at first seemed a severe case of "Delhi Belly" turned out to be pregnancy, her first and only, at age 43. Hamlin encouraged her to have the baby, and on May 19, 1980, the international sex symbol gave birth to a boy named Dimitri Hamlin amid much hoopla.
After the birth of her son, Andress scaled back her career, which now focused on slight European productions, as she was raising Dimitri in Italy. This meant turning down a big-budget Mel Brooks film in lieu of Red Bells (1982) (starring old flame Nero). Occasional television stints on the soap opera Falcon Crest (1981) and critically lauded miniseries Peter the Great (1986) helped maintain her visibility as an actress. Dumped by Hamlin in 1983, she started seeing Fausto Fagone, a Sicilian student three decades her junior, in 1986. In 1991, she met a new man when things dwindled with Fagone -- karate master Jeff Speakman. Since the breakup of that relationship, her love life has gone undocumented. She last worked on a film in 2005. Apparently retired from acting, Ursula makes the rounds of charity events and pops up on foreign talk shows every now and then. She divides her time between family in Switzerland, friends in Virginia and Spain, and her properties in Rome and L.A.- Corinne Cléry was born on 23 March 1950 in Paris, France. She is an actress, known for Moonraker (1979), The Story of O (1975) and Yor: The Hunter from the Future (1983).
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Sylvia Kristel was born on September 28, 1952 in Utrecht, Netherlands. She first came to international attention in the early 1970s with Emmanuelle (1974) for director Just Jaeckin. Then two more sequels followed in which she also starred. Included in her credits are a long list of European films including the film Julia (1974), in which she played the lead. In 1979, she came to Hollywood, appearing in The Concorde... Airport '79 (1979) for producer Jennings Lang, who also featured her in the comedy film The Nude Bomb (1980). However, this was all a prelude to the most successful film in Kristel's career -- Private Lessons (1981) -- in which she played the housekeeper who initiates 15-year-old Eric Brown to the wonders of sex. The film grossed over $50,000,000 worldwide. The Dutch actress, who speaks four languages (Dutch, English, Italian and French), now made her home in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Sylvia Kristel died at age 60 of cancer in her sleep on October 18, 2012.- Actress
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Lovely, slender, and sensuous raven-haired knockout Laurette Marcia Gemser was born on October 5, 1950 in Java, Indonesia. In 1955 Gemser left Indonesia at age four and moved with her parents to the Netherlands. Laura grew up in the Dutch city of Utrecht and attended Mulo Regentesseschool high school. She studied fashion design at the Artibus Art School in Utrecht. Gemser first gained public recognition with her nude modeling in various men's magazines in Belgium and the Netherlands. The exotic dark-haired beauty moved to Italy in the mid-1970's and made her film debut as Janine in the obscure Amore libero - Free Love (1974). However, it was Laura's small, but memorable role as a masseuse in Emmanuelle II (1975) that really launched her career in racy soft-core exploitation fare. Gemser achieved her greatest enduring international cult popularity with her incredibly erotic and uninhibited portrayals of the titular hedonistic and sexually adventurous globe-trotting photojournalist in the steamy "Black Emanuelle" series that were often directed by the notorious Joe D'Amato and frequently co-starred Gemser's real-life actor husband Gabriele Tinti. Other notable parts include charismatic cult leader the Divine One in Divine Emanuelle (1981), evil sorceress Indun in Ator, the Fighting Eagle (1982), and compassionate mutant telepath Lilith in Endgame - Bronx lotta finale (1983). Outside of acting, Laura also worked on a handful of movies as a costume designer. Gemser quit the motion picture business in the early 1990's and still lives in Italy.- Mia Nygren was born in 1960 in Sweden. She is an actress, known for Emmanuelle IV (1984) and Plaza Real (1988).
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Natalie Uher was born on 2 January 1968 in Feldkirch, Vorarlberg, Austria. She is an actress, known for Emmanuelle 6 (1988), Locas vacaciones (1986) and Drei und eine halbe Portion (1985). She has been married to Markus Moosmann since 1987. They have three children.- Actress
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Beautiful, buxom and shapely knockout Monique Gabrielle added an ample, alluring and invigorating dose of smoldering sex appeal to a bunch of enjoyably down'n'dirty horror and exploitation pictures made throughout the 80s and 90s.
The 5' 6" natural brunette was born Katherine Gonzalez on July 30, 1962 in Kansas City, Missouri and raised in Denver, Colorado. Gabrielle made her acting debut at age five portraying an angel in a church Christmas play. She started modeling while still in high school, entered her first beauty pageant at age 17 (she won the title of Miss American Legion and went on to participate in several other pageants, modeling competitions and nightclub contests), and moved to California in 1980 right after she graduated from high school.
Monique was the December 1982 Penthouse Pet of the Month. She had small roles in the mainstream features Airplane II: The Sequel (1982), Night Shift (1982), Young Doctors in Love (1982), Flashdance (1983), Hard to Hold (1984) and Fear of a Black Hat (1993). Gabrielle achieved her greatest enduring popularity as the enticing young woman who tries to seduce Tom Hanks in the uproariously raucous'n'raunchy Bachelor Party (1984) Her most memorable roles include a pathetic junkie snitch in the terrifically trashy babes-behind-bars classic Chained Heat (1983), the titular brazen and uninhibited sexual adventuress in the steamy Emmanuelle 5 (1987), a sweet princess and her evil twin in Deathstalker II: Duel of the Titans (1987), a nude model in the funny sketch comedy Amazon Women on the Moon (1987), a gutsy lady cop in Silk 2 (1989), feisty security chief Miss Poinsettia in the amusingly campy The Return of Swamp Thing (1989), and the nerdy, repressed Megan in the delightfully dippy Evil Toons (1992).
Gabrielle did guest spots on the TV shows Dream On (1990), Hardball (1989), and Hunter (1984). She was the onetime girlfriend of low-budget straight-to-video picture director Jim Wynorski; she popped up in a handful of his movies in both minor and more substantial parts alike. Monique cheerfully poked fun at her own B-flick queen persona in the entertainingly silly Scream Queen Hot Tub Party (1991).
Monique Gabrielle married adult film director Tony Angove in 2003. She moved to South Florida and ran a production company called Monique's Purrfect Productions.- Shapely and statuesque blonde knockout Dona Speir was born on February 7, 1964 in Norwalk, California. The former high school gymnast and track star enjoyed an active career as an international model and brand ambassador before (and after) her selection as Playboy's Playmate of the Month in the March 1984.
Appearances in a series of videos produced by Playboy followed, as did additional pictorials in national and international issues of the popular men's magazine. When Hollywood came calling, Dona Speir made guest appearances on episodes of popular TV shows including "Mike Hammer," "Matt Houston," "Knight Rider," and "Married with Children." Her career as an actress found its stride-and a new fan base--with her portrayal of tough, gun-toting (fictional) federal drug enforcement agent Donna Hamilton in (7) seven action features for director Andy Sidaris: "Hard Ticket to Hawaii," "Picasso Trigger," "Savage Beach," "Guns," "Do or Die," "Hard Hunted," and "Fit to Kill." Additional roles as a hard-edged veteran model in "Click: The Calendar Girl Killer", along with smaller parts in the major motion films "Dragnet," "Mortuary Academy" and "Doin' Time, kept her active and in front of a camera through the 1990s.
As the 20th century became the 21st century, Dona Speir focused attention on her work as a spokesperson, motivational speaker and personal growth counselor including working as Personal Recovery Assistant (PRI). In 2018, she earned accreditation as a NCRCI, NCRCII, NCIP (Recovery Coach I, II, Interventions) and has made her service to the addiction and recovery community a top priority.
In 2019, Dona will embark on a North American media tour to coincide with the 35th anniversary of her Playboy centerfold, running at the same time as speaking engagements in support of her first book "Naked Truth: The Fall and Rise of Dona Speir". Still a California resident, Dona has added collecting rare mineral specimens to her list of passions, which include; riding Harley-Davidson motorcycles, contemporary art, adventure travel and an advocacy for animal rights and rescue. - Actress
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Gorgeously voluptuous, buxom and shapely knockout Cynthia Brimhall was born on March 10, 1964 in Ogden, Utah. She was raised in Utah and attended public schools in her home state. Cynthia eventually moved to Hollywood, California. Brimhall first gained widespread public attention as a Playmate of the Month in the October, 1985 issue of "Playboy." Not surprisingly, Cynthia has appeared in a handful of "Playboy" related videos, posed for a sizable number of "Playboy" special editions, and has been featured in additional nude pictorials in subsequent issues of the popular men's magazine. Brimhall portrayed foxy nightclub owner and singer Edy Stark in six enjoyable low-budget action exploitation pictures for director Andy Sidaris: "Hard Ticket to Hawaii," "Picasso Trigger," "Guns," "Do or Die," "Hard Hunted," and "Fit to Kill." (She also sings songs on the soundtracks for most of these movies.) Moreover, Cynthia popped up as a model on the game-show "The New Price Is Right" from 1992 to 1993. Cynthia Brimhall has since gone on to become a successful showgirl in Las Vegas, Nevada: She starred in the adult song and dance revue "Skintight" at Harrah's from August, 2000 to September, 2001.- Beautiful, buxom and exquisitely full-figured blonde bombshell Jami Ferrell was born on June 20, 1974 in Muncie, Indiana. Jami hopped a plane to Los Angeles, California shortly after graduating from high school. Ferrell then got a job as a nanny in Malibu. Jami was still working as a nanny when she became the Playmate of the Month in the January, 1997 issue of "Playboy". She was also the Playmate of the Month in the German edition of the January, 1997 issue of "Playboy" and graced the cover of the February, 1997 issue of the same famous men's magazine. Ferrell has appeared in many "Playboy" videos and posed for a handful of "Playboy" newsstand special editions. Her favorite pastimes are reading, horseback riding, scuba diving, exploring, and antique hunting for old toys and novelties. Moreover, she has acted in two movies: She had a small part in the comedy romp Boat Trip (2002) and a more sizable role in the offbeat indie feature, It Is Fine! Everything Is Fine. (2007).
- Strikingly tall (5'8"), shapely, and statuesque brunette knockout Karen McDougal was born on March 23, 1971 in Merrillville, Indiana. She's of mixed Irish and Cherokee Indian descent. Karen has three older brothers and one younger sister. McDougal's mother remarried when she was nine and moved the family to Sawyer, Michigan. Karen studied tap dance and ballet as a kid. McDougal attended River Valley High School. She was an ace clarinetist who took 1st place in Michigan state competitions for four years in a row. In addition, Karen also was a member of the softball and volleyball teams as well as a cheerleader for both the football and basketball teams. After graduating from high school in 1989, McDougal attended Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan, where she majored in Elementary Education.
After finishing college Karen moved to Detroit and worked as a preschool teacher. She entered a swimwear contest at a local nightclub and won it. McDougal then competed in the Venus Swimwear swimsuit competition in Michigan, won the state finals, and moved on to the international finals in Florida. Karen was then discovered by "Playboy" photographer David Mecey. She was approached by "Playboy" to try out for being a Playmate and was eventually chosen as the Playmate of the Month in the December, 1997 issue of the famous men's magazine. McDougal was named Playmate of the Year in 1998. In November, 2001 Karen was voted the #2 Playmate of the 1990's by "Playboy" readers. She has been featured in many "Playboy" videos and posed for a handful of newsstand special editions.
McDougal in the wake of her Playmate stint has modeled for numerous catalogs, calendars, national liquor campaigns, and posters. A hardcore fitness enthusiast, Karen has done pictorials in and/or graced the covers of countless fitness magazines (she has the distinction of being the first woman to be featured on the cover of "Men's Fitness" magazine). McDougal not only had a lead role as fierce warrior woman Jessemina in "The Arena," but also popped up in small parts in the films "Charlie's Angels," "Joe Dirt," "Grind," and "The Girl Next Door." She has served as a host of such TV programs as "Wild On," "The Red Carpet," and "VIP Access." Outside of acting and modeling, Karen is also an avid motorcycle rider -- her first modeling assignment was as a promotional model at a Harley-Davidson bike show in Detroit -- and car collector. - Lisa Dergan was born on 10 August 1970 in Corpus Christi, Texas, USA. She is an actress, known for The Arena (2001), Silk Stalkings (1991) and Frasier (1993). She was previously married to Scott Podsednik.
- Tall, graceful and willowy, with a shapely, slender figure, lengthy straw blonde hair, very precise and delicate facial features, quite solid and capable acting skills, a bright, sunny, upbeat persona, and, most refreshingly, a strong, durable, take-charge attitude, the strikingly statuesque Margaret Markov made a potent and positive impression in a handful of TV shows and 1970s drive-in exploitation movies, in which she was usually cast as a very willful, resourceful and self-sufficient heroine. Born in Stockton, California in 1948, Markov's acting career began in 1969: she has a small uncredited bit part as a vacuous college coed in The Sterile Cuckoo (1969) and a much bigger and showier supporting role as a sweet, innocent teenage girl who runs afoul of a brutish biker gang in Jack Starrett's superior Run, Angel, Run! (1969). Markov went on to portray one of the titular sexy young ladies in Roger Vadim's Pretty Maids All in a Row (1971), then tackled a far better and meatier starring part in the exciting women-in-prison romp, The Hot Box (1972), where Markov truly shines as "Lynn Forrest," the most passionate and dedicated of a trio of beleaguered nurses who escape from a foul, dingy, hellish Filipino penitentiary and join forces with a band of jungle-dwelling guerrilla fighters, who are trying to overthrow their country's current fascistic government regime.
Markov masterfully maintained the career momentum, beget by "The Hot Box," with her fantastic fiery performance as "Bodicia," an understandably embittered slave who's forced by her gross, sybaritic Roman captures to engage in brutal to-the-death gladiatorial combat with her fellow female prisoners in the excellent and exciting "Spartacus" variant, The Arena (1974). Fed up with being horribly mistreated by her cruel masters, Markov teams up with Pam Grier and, together, they get the other slaves to make a stand against the evil Romans. Markov and Grier proved to be a delightfully dynamic distaff duo who were seemingly conceived in 70s drive-in trash movie heaven, displaying a natural chemistry and sex appeal that was a true treat to watch. Markov starred again with Grier in the equally thrilling and enjoyable "The Defiant Ones" copy, Black Mama White Mama (1973), in which Markov's rugged revolutionary finds herself chained to Grier's brassy, jaded prostitute; the pair escape from prison and go on the lam. Besides her film credits, Markov also did guest spots on the television programs Hawkins (1973), The Sixth Sense (1972), The Jimmy Stewart Show (1971) and Cade's County (1971). Alas, following her appearance in the obscure and little seen movie, There Is No 13 (1974), Margaret abruptly stopped acting. Margaret Markov is married to hugely successful producer Mark Damon (she first met Damon during the shooting of The Arena (1974)); the couple have two children and reside in a mansion in Los Angeles, California. - Actress
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Joanna Cameron (born Patricia Kara Cameron) was an American actress and model, whose relatively brief acting career lasted from 1969 to 1980. She is primarily remembered for portraying the superheroine Isis/Andrea Thomas in the short-lived series "The Secrets of Isis" (1975-1976). Her character was depicted as a distant descendant of the Pharaoh Hatshepsut (15th century BC). An amulet that once belonged to her ancestor bestowed on Andrea elemental powers, and turned her into a representative of the goddess Isis (from which the powers derived). The series lasted for 2 seasons, and a total of 22 episodes. Cameron also portrayed Isis in three guest appearances in the superhero series "Shazam!"(1974-1976).
Cameron attended college during the late 1960s. She befriended fellow college student Linda Hope, a daughter of the comedian Bob Hope (1903-2003). Linda introduced Cameron to her father. Bob decided to cast Cameron in the role of the main character Nancy Benson in the comedy film "How to Commit Marriage" (1969). In the film, Nancy is a 19-year-old music student who is impregnated by her boyfriend. She plans to give birth and then offer the child for adoption, while her parents conspire to adopt their grandchild without informing Nancy of its fate. This film was Cameron's film debut.
Cameron was subsequently cast as a female student in the black comedy film "Pretty Maids All in a Row" (1971). In the film, high school football coach and guidance counselor Michael "Tiger" McDrew (played by Rock Hudson) systematically seduces female students, and has flings with them. The girls are unaware that Tiger is secretly a serial killer, and that he is responsible for killing several young girls. This was the only feature film scripted by the famed television writer Gene Roddenberry.
Cameron ceased making film appearances by 1971, but she had already started being cast in guest star roles in various television series. She had a recurring role as Nurse Anne MacAndrews in the medical drama "Marcus Welby, M.D.". She also depicted an unrelated one-shot character in the same series. Cameron was a relatively familiar face to television viewers by the time she gained the lead role in "The Secrets of Isis".
Following the end of her series, Cameron resumed making guest appearances in various television series. Her most notable role in this period was playing the young journalist Gale Hoffman in the first two episodes of the superhero series "The Amazing Spider-Man" (1977-1979). Her character was determined to get an interview from the mysterious Spider-Man. Gale was unaware that Spidey was her work colleague, Peter Parker. She and Peter even traveled together on an assignment by J. Jonah Jameson.
By the late 1970s, Cameron appeared regularly in television commercials. She had become the chosen model for several brands of cosmetics, shampoo, wine, beer, pantyhose, and breath freshener. At one point, she held the record for the most appearances in commercials. She had reportedly appeared in 105 commercials within a few years. Her commercials had a combined length of 150 hours.
Cameron chose to retire from acting in 1980, at the age of 32. She subsequently worked for a decade as a nurse in the home health-care industry. She retired from this role in order to work in the marketing department of the hotel industry. Her marketing career lasted for several decades.
In October 2021, Cameron died at the age of 73. Her death was caused by complications in the aftermath of a stroke. Her death was announced to the press by Joanna Pang Atkins, Cameron's former co-star in "The Secrets of Isis". They had apparently maintained contact since the series ended. Cameron's death attracted considerable press attention, though she had remained out of the spotlight for 40 years. "The Secrets of Isis" still has a cult following, and versions of Andrea Thomas have appeared in comic books by DC Comics.- Actress
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Over the years, Janet Gunn has become quite an American success story. After graduating from Boswell High School in Saginaw, Texas, where she was a cheerleader for four years and the Homecoming Queen, she has worked at a variety of jobs, including stints as a car saleswoman, a personal assistant, 6-1/2 years as a flight attendant with Southwest Airlines and as one of the world-renowned Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. She has been very involved with gymnastics, both as an athlete and a coach. Incorporating her gymnastics and dancing talents, Miss Gunn served as Susan Howard's stunt double on the long-running TV show Dallas (1978). She also appeared in musicals at Fort Worth's Casa Manana Theater. She beat out over 200 other actresses to get the role of Kelly Cochran in the CBS series Dark Justice (1991). Since then, she has starred in movies on the big screen opposite such actors as Jean-Claude Van Damme, Andrew McCarthy, Christopher Lloyd and Lisa Zane. After guest-starring in a variety of TV series, she found herself right where she belonged--in her own show, starring with Chris Potter in USA Cable's Silk Stalkings (1991).- Actress
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Susan Ward was born in Monroe, LA. An animal lover as a child, she grew up wanting to become a veterinarian. At age 13, however, a local modeling agent changed her mind. Susan and her mother traveled to New York City to see about getting her a modeling job. She thought that modeling would make her enough money to pay her way through veterinary school, and before a week was out she had signed with the prestigious Ford Modeling Agency. Through Ford she did a lot of print work, and that gave her the idea of trying out a career in acting. She landed a recurring role on All My Children (1970) and later starred alongside Keri Russell and Charisma Carpenter on the night-time soap Malibu Shores (1996), produced by Aaron Spelling. Although the series only lasted eight episodes, Susan got roles in such films as Poison Ivy: The New Seduction (1997) and she even worked with Spelling again in the daytime soap Sunset Beach (1997). Susan subsequently starred in the thriller The in Crowd (2000) and Would I Lie to You? (2002).- Actress
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Susan George was born on 26 July 1950 in Surbiton, Surrey, England, UK. She is an actress and producer, known for Straw Dogs (1971), Dirty Mary Crazy Larry (1974) and Mandingo (1975). She was previously married to Simon MacCorkindale.- Lovely, buxom and shapely blonde knockout Pamela Jean Bryant was born on February 8, 1959 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Bryant attended Indiana University as a telecommunications major. Pamela was the Playmate of the Month in the April, 1978 issue of "Playboy". She had previously appeared in the September, 1977 issue of "Playboy" in a pictorial called "Girls of the Big Ten". In the wake of her "Playboy" stint, Bryant acted in a bunch of films and TV shows. Her more memorable movie roles include stuck-up sorority sister "Terri Lynn" in the hilariously raucous collegiate comedy H.O.T.S. (1979), luckless model victim "Sue Ellen" in the splendidly scuzzy psycho sleaze horror exploitation gem Don't Answer the Phone! (1980), the perky "Marcy" in the enjoyably goofy Lunch Wagon (1981), and a rare lead as former porn star "Laura Armstrong" in the straight-to-video thriller The Killing Jar (1994). Moreover, Pamela made guest appearances on episodes of such TV series as Fantasy Island (1977), Barnaby Jones (1973), The Dukes of Hazzard (1979), Eight Is Enough (1977), The Incredible Hulk (1978), T.J. Hooker (1982) and Magnum, P.I. (1980). Pamela Jean went on to work as an artist in California; she was a painter who specialized in faux finish. Bryant died at age 51 from an asthma attack on December 4, 2010.
- Strikingly sexy and shapely blonde beauty Susan Lynn Kiger was born on November 16, 1953 in Pasadena, California. Susan holds the distinction of being the first "Playboy" Playmate to do a hardcore porno feature prior to posing for "Playboy": she appeared in the 1976 X-rated outing "Deadly Love" and subsequently became the Playmate of the Month in the January, 1977 issue of "Playboy." Kiger went on to act in a handful of films and TV shows. Her most memorable movie roles are sweet sorority sister Honey Shayne in the hilariously raucous comedy romp "H.O.T.S.," brash tart Susie in "The Happy Hooker Goes Hollywood," a blue-skinned alien prostitute in the amusing sci-fi spoof "Galaxina," and timid waitress Lily in the cruddy slasher opus "Death Screams." Moreover, Susan made guest appearances on episodes of the television programs "Vega$," "Starsky and Hutch," and "CHiPs." Susan Kiger now lives in Southern California and works as a hair stylist.
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Bridget Jane Fonda was born in Los Angeles, California, to Susan Brewer and actor Peter Fonda. She is the granddaughter of Henry Fonda and niece of Jane Fonda, both famous actors. Bridget made her film debut at age five as an extra in Easy Rider (1969), but first became interested in acting after appearing in a high school production of "Harvey." At age 18, she enrolled at New York University and spent four years there and at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute.
She went on to hone her craft in workshop productions and worked on such stage projects as "Just Horrible," written by Nicholas Kazan, who later cast Bridget in his directorial debut, "Professional Man," an episode for The Edge (1989) series on HBO. She also starred in PBS's Jacob Have I Loved (1989) and in a segment of Aria (1987), a film composed of short works by 10 respected directors. Her film credits include The Godfather Part III (1990), Strapless (1989), Doc Hollywood (1991), Singles (1992), and Single White Female (1992).- British-born actress Joanne Whalley has graced the big and small screens for decades. Known for such films as Scandal and Willow, she was a firm fixture on British TV screens including the hit series, The Singing Detective and nuclear industry drama The Edge Of Darkness, for which she received a BAFTA nomination. Her debut Hollywood film was break out hit Willow and in 2005, Joanne returned to UK television with the BBC thriller Child of Mine, before going on to film roles including Queen Mary in The Virgin Queen, and a starring role in tragic love drama Life Line. She appeared as Lorelei in the comedy The Man Who Knew Too Little, A Texas Funeral, The Guilty and played Jackie Kennedy in the miniseries Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. Her more recent film roles include 44 Inch Chest with Ray Winstone and Tom Wilkinson and Francis Ford Coppola's Twixt. Other recent television credits include Gossip Girl, The Borgias for Showtime, Jamaica Inn with Sean Harris, Wolf Hall for the BBC and ITV's rendition of Beowulf. Joanne also starred as The Duchess of Burgundy in Starz series The White Princess. Other feature releases include Muse and the Untitled Apostle Paul project, directed by Andrew Hyatt.
- Darlene Vogel is best known for her role as Spike in the 1989 cult classic, Back to the Future Part II. Later, she appeared in movies like Ski School, Back to the Future: The Ride, Decoy, Morella, and Walking the Halls. Her most recent films include Day 13 and The Wedding Year.
She has also had a successful television career. Most notably on the USA Network TV series, Pacific Blue, as Officer Kelly from 1996 to 2000 , One Life To Live as Dr Melanie MacIver 2000-2001 and on Beyond the Break as Patty Farmer from 2006-2009. Her many guest appearances include Full House, Northern Exposure, Boy Meets World, CSI, Castle, The Ranch and House. She has been seen in over 100 national commercials , most notably the original Milk Does A Body Good Campaign. - 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".- Actress
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Mia Sara is an American actress. She is best known for Legend (1985) and Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986).
She also had minor roles in A Stranger Among Us (1992) and Timecop (1994).
In 1996, she married Jason Connery, son of Sean Connery, with whom she performed in Bullet to Beijing (1995). In June 1997, they had a son, Dashiell Quinn Connery. The couple divorced in 2002.
She is now married to Brian Henson, oldest son of Muppets creator Jim Henson. They have one daughter, Amelia Jane Henson, born in 2005.- Actress
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Regina Hall is a retired porn star from the Czech Republic, active from 1995-2000. She has also been credited as Eva, Gina, Heidi, Kathleen, Kathleena, Lina Novich, Luci Faubert, Lucie Faubert, Lucie Malkra, Lucie Malkrabova, Lucy, Nadia, Nadia Ranakova, Noli, Regina, and Suzanne Greene. She starred in films like Fast Lane to Malibue and aroused.- Karolina Mirosova was born on 25 June 1974 in Uherské Hradisté, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. She is an actress, known for Midnight Temptations 2 (1999).
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Rachel Emily Nichols was born in Augusta, Maine, the daughter of Alison and James Nichols, a schoolteacher. She has English, French Canadian, German, Irish, Italian and Scottish ancestry. She attended and graduated from Cony High School in Augusta, where she competed in the high jump. She attended Columbia University in New York City, where she eventually graduated with a double major in mathematics and economics. She began modeling, launching a successful career with work for such high-profile companies as Guess?, Abercrombie & Fitch and L'Oréal.
Rachel moved into acting, snagging a role on the HBO situation comedy Sex and the City (1998) with her very first audition. She made her film debut as Jessica Matthews in the prequel Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd (2003). Success continued with roles in such projects as The Amityville Horror (2005), The Inside (2005), Alias (2001), G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009), Criminal Minds (2005) (a recurring role as FBI Agent Ashley Seaver) and Conan the Barbarian (2011). She played the lead role of police officer Kiera Cameron on the science fiction series Continuum (2012).- Actress
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Catherine Fabienne Deneuve was born October 22, 1943 in Paris, France, to actor parents Renée Simonot and Maurice Dorléac. She made her movie debut in 1957, when she was barely a teenager and continued with small parts in minor films, until Roger Vadim gave her a meatier role in Vice and Virtue (1963). Her breakthrough came with the excellent musical The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964), in which she gave an unforgettable performance as a romantic middle-class girl who falls in love with a young soldier but gets imprisoned in a loveless marriage with another man; the director was the gifted Jacques Demy, who also cast Deneuve in the less successful The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967). She then played a schizophrenic killer in Roman Polanski's Repulsion (1965) and a married woman who works as a part-time prostitute every afternoon in Luis Buñuel's masterpiece Belle de Jour (1967). She also worked with Buñuel in Tristana (1970) and gave a great performance for François Truffaut in Mississippi Mermaid (1969), a kind of apotheosis of her "frigid femme fatale" persona. In the seventies she didn't find parts of that caliber, but her magnificent work in Truffaut's The Last Metro (1980) as a stage actress in Nazi-occupied Paris revived her career. She was also very good in the epic drama Indochine (1992), for which she earned her first Academy Award nomination (Best Actress). Although the elegant and always radiant Deneuve has never appeared on stage, she is universally hailed as one of the "grandes dames" of French cinema, joining a list that includes such illustrious talents as Simone Signoret, Jeanne Moreau, Isabelle Huppert, Isabelle Adjani and the younger Juliette Binoche.- Actress
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Krista Allen hails from Texas and made her mark on Hollywood after just landing in LA with a excellent timing as she starred alongside comedy legend Jim Carrey in the hit film Liar Liar, portraying the unforgettable Elevator Girl. This iconic scene became an instant classic, showcasing Krista's innate comedic prowess and undeniable charisma. Since then, Krista has left an indelible mark on the entertainment industry, gracing the most iconic TV and film productions of our time with her unmatched talent and captivating presence. Her journey to stardom is a testament to her versatility and dedication, captivating audiences on both the big and small screens. In 2023, Krista achieved a monumental milestone by earning a Daytime Emmy nomination in her very first year as a recast of Dr. Taylor Hayes, on Bold and the Beautiful.
Krista's early journey led her to the hallowed halls of daytime television, where she portrayed the beloved Billie Reed on NBC's iconic soap opera, Days of Our Lives. Her portrayal earned her widespread acclaim..
Krista's talent shone brightly as she joined the cast of Baywatch Hawaii, embodying the enigmatic villain Jenna Avid for three unforgettable seasons. She further showcased her range as an actress with memorable roles on hit shows such as CSI, Friends, Two and a Half Men, and Modern Family. Her resume is packed with even more iconic shows and films. Check it out.
Her silver screen credits are equally impressive, with standout roles in blockbuster hits like Anger Management and Final Destination 4, where she captivated audiences with her dynamic performances.
Beyond her achievements in mainstream entertainment, Krista is a multi-talented individual. She is a stand-up comedian, bringing laughter to audiences across the nation with her wit and humor. Moreover, she is an established ghostwriter for comedians, contributing her talents for HBO and Netflix specials.
But Krista's passion doesn't stop there. In her pursuit of personal growth and advocacy, she became a certified psychotherapist in Trauma and addiction and epigenetic coach, with a focus on neurotransmitter DNA. She started her studies to advocate for her own Autism and ADHD. Now, she actively coaches neurodivergent individuals, amplifying the voices of the Autistic and ADHD and CPTSD communities with unwavering dedication.
Krista is a very proud mom to her son Jake Moritt, and her 3 Pitbull rescues Hank, JoJo and Penny.- Actress
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Amber Laura Heard was born in Austin, Texas, to Patricia Paige Heard (née Parsons), an internet researcher, and David C. Heard (David Clinton Heard), a contractor. She has English, Irish, Scottish, German, and Welsh ancestry.
Heard appeared in the Academy Award-nominated film, North Country (2005), in which she played Charlize Theron's character in flashbacks. Her other early film credits include: Syrup (2013), Drive Angry (2011) 3D, The Joneses (2009), Never Back Down (2008), Alpha Dog (2006) and Friday Night Lights (2004). On television, Heard starred on The CW drama, Hidden Palms (2007), and had guest starring roles on Showtime's Californication (2007) and CBS's Criminal Minds (2005).
In 2009, Heard starred in the box office hit, Zombieland (2009), opposite Woody Harrelson, Bill Murray and Jesse Eisenberg. She also starred in the suspense thriller, The Stepfather (2009), with Sela Ward, Dylan Walsh and Penn Badgley. In 2008, she garnered attention for her role in the comedic hit, Pineapple Express (2008), with Seth Rogen and James Franco. Heard received a 2008 Young Hollywood Award for her breakthrough performance in "Pineapple Express".
She appeared in The Rum Diary (2011), opposite Johnny Depp, and John Carpenter's The Ward (2010), which premiered at the 2010 Toronto Film Festival. She also starred in the independent film, And Soon the Darkness (2010), in which she additionally served as a co-producer.
Heard starred in Paranoia (2013), opposite Harrison Ford, Liam Hemsworth and Gary Oldman. The film was released by "Relativity Media" on August 16, 2013. She also starred in Robert Rodriguez's Machete Kills (2013), which was released by "Open Road Films" on March 4, 2013, and McG's 3 Days to Kill (2014), opposite Kevin Costner and Hailee Steinfeld, which was released in 2014.
Additionally, her film All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (2006), which premiered at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival, was released by The Weinstein Co. in theaters in the fall of 2013.
Heard resides in Los Angeles, where she is actively involved with Amnesty International. In 2015, she married actor Johnny Depp, and the two divorced in 2017.- Ravishing brunette beauty Alison Armitage was born on February 26, 1965 in High Wycombe, London, England. She's of mixed French, English, and German descent. Alison has two brothers and grew up in Hong Kong, where she lived for twenty years. Armitage became a competitive swimmer at age four and qualified for the Olympic team representing Hong Kong. Alison studied computer science at the University of San Diego in California. Following graduation from college she moved to Denver, Colorado. Armitage then moved a second time to Los Angeles, California. Using the alias Brittany York, Alison was the Playmate of the Month in the October, 1990 issue of "Playboy." She subsequently appeared in many "Playboy" videos. Among the other publications Armitage has done pictorials for and/or graced the covers of are "Maxim," "Razor," "DT," and "Bikini." Alison has not only been featured in TV commercials for such clients as Reebok Sportswear, West Cigarettes, Budweiser Beer, and Trac Cell Phones, but also has done print ads for Anhueser Beer, Miller Beer, Carrabelle Swimwear, Vital Hair Care, and Michael Beaudry Jewelry. She has small roles in the movies "Secret Games," "Miracle Beach," "Jerry Maguire," and "Driven." Moreover, Armitage had regular featured parts in the TV series "Acapulco H.E.A.T.," "The New Adventures of Robin Hood," "True Survivors," and "The Bold and the Beautiful." Among the TV shows Alison has made guest appearances on are "Full House," "Seinfeld," "Silk Stockings," and "L.A. Heat." Armitage speaks fluent French.
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Rebecca Alie Romijn was born on November 6, 1972 in Berkeley, California. Her father was Dutch-born and worked as a custom-furniture maker. Her mother was American-born, with Dutch and English ancestry, and was a teacher of English. Rebecca attended Berkeley High School where her nickname was the "Jolly Blond Giant", then she attended the University of California at Santa Cruz where she majored in Music, but left in 1995.
She was a natural for modeling, and has posed for Sports Illustrated, Christian Dior and Victoria's Secret, to name but a few. Rebecca first met John Stamos in 1994, at a Victoria's Secret Fashion Show and had her first date with him at Disneyland. They married in September 1998, but have since gotten divorced.
Rebecca's favorite foods are fillet mignon, tuna sashimi and Häagen-Dazs Cappuccino Commotion ice cream. But to keep her weight at a svelte 130 pounds, she stays fit with a rigorous stretching and strengthening routine (her firm body tone is evident when compared to photos of her earlier modeling, where she was very slim but not toned). Rebecca's most famous movie role, so far, was as the shapeshifting Mystique in X-Men (2000), based on the long-running comic book series about teenage mutant superheroes (that Jack Kirby and Stan Lee created in 1962). To play Mystique every day, Rebecca had to start out nude, and then two female makeup artists would apply blue body paint and other stick-on parts for 8 hours a day. Rebecca told Jay Leno on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992) that things like tissue paper would stick to her hips; and, one day, the long hours of wearing sticky paint makeup made her so upset that director Bryan Singer told her to have a glass of white wine and relax. Notwithstanding those technical difficulties, X-Men (2000) was a box-office bonanza, and Rebecca's future in films was assured.- Actress
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Asia Argento was born in Rome, Italy, into a family of actors and filmmakers, both occupations which she has herself pursued. She made her debut when she was only nine years old in Sergio Citti's Sogni e bisogni (1985). In 1988 she had the leading role in Cristina Comencini's first film, Zoo (1988), and was part of the cast of The Church (1989), directed by Michele Soavi. The following year she played Nanni Moretti's daughter in Red Wood Pigeon (1989) (also directed by Moretti).
It was with Close Friends (1992), written and directed by Michele Placido, that Asia's career really took off and she was able to move on from playing very young girls to more mature, complex roles. The movie was well-received at the Cannes International Film Festival. In Trauma (1993), she worked for the first time with her father, famed Italian horror director Dario Argento (her mother is one of Argento's favorite actresses, Daria Nicolodi, playing an anorexic girl in search of her parents' killer. The Phantom of the Opera (1998) is the third film she has made with her father, the others being Trauma (1993) (filmed in the US) and The Stendhal Syndrome (1996).
Asia's absorbed, intense style of acting was well-used in Giuseppe Piccioni's Condannato a nozze (1993). In 1993 she co-starred in Carlo Verdone's Perdiamoci di vista (1994) in which she played Arianna, a physically disabled girl--an intricate, difficult role that won her the David di Donatello for best actress (1993-1994). She also had a featured role in the international cast of Queen Margot (1994), directed by Patrice Chéreau. In 1995 she worked with Michel Piccoli in Peter Del Monte's Traveling Companion (1996), which again won her a David di Donatello and a Grolla d'oro.
In 1994 Asia turned her hand to directing and turned out two short films: "Prospettive" (an episode of the film DeGeneration (1994)) and "A ritroso". In 1996 she directed a documentary on her father and, in 1998, one on cult director Abel Ferrara, Abel/Asia (1998), which won an award at the Rome Film Festival. In 1999 Asia made her feature-directing debut with Scarlet Diva (2000), in which she was the leading actress and author of the screenplay. The film was released in May 2000 in Italy and the rest of the world. It won an award at the Williamsburg Film Festival in Brooklyn, New York. In 2001, after directing a number of music videos, she gave birth to her first daughter, Anna Lou. In 2002 she starred in The Red Siren (2002) by Olivier Megaton with Jean-Marc Barr and the action thriller xXx (2002), directed by Rob Cohen, with Vin Diesel.
Asia is also the author of a number of short stories published in many prestigious magazines such as "Dynamo," "L'Espresso," "Sette," and "Village," Her first novel, "I Love You, Kirk," was published in Italy by Frassinelli Editrice in October 1999 and in France by Florent Massot in 2001.- Born Victoria Vetri (but also known as Angela Dorian) to Italian parents (her mother was from Rome, her father Sicily) and grew up in Los Angeles. She studied art at Los Angeles City College in the 60s before embarking on her movie-television career. Thanks to her beautiful, exotic looks she was cast in parts that required ethnic beauties or scantily clad lovelies. She then posed for Playboy, becoming Miss September, 1967; and was later honored as the 1968 Playmate of the Year, becoming one of the most popular Playmates of the Vietnam War era.
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Malin was born in Stockholm, Sweden and raised in Toronto, Canada. Her mother, Pia (Sundström), is a model and aerobics instructor, and her father, Magnus Åkerman, is an insurance broker. They moved to Toronto when she was age 2. At age 5, she began appearing in TV commercials. Her parents divorced when she was 6 and her father returned to Sweden.
At age 17, she won the Canadian title of Ford Supermodel. This enabled her to spend 3 years as a catwalk model in Europe. She decided to become a child psychologist and enrolled in York University but she was offered a guest role in Earth: Final Conflict (1997) so she turned her attention back to acting. She moved to Los Angeles in 2001 and won roles in both TV and film. Her breakthrough role came when she was cast as Silk Spectre II in Watchmen (2009).- Actress
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Phoebe Belle Cates was born on July 16, 1963 in New York City, New York, and raised there. She is the daughter of Lily and Joseph Cates, who was a Broadway producer and television pioneer. Her uncle was director/producer Gilbert Cates. Phoebe is of Russian Jewish, and one quarter Chinese, descent. She studied at Miss Hewitt's school and at the Professional Children's School in New York City. She took classes at Juilliard when she was ten-years-old for three and a half years until a knee injury forced her to stop. Phoebe had been a busy New York model starting at the age of fourteen. She's since been featured on the covers of four Seventeens, two Elle covers, a British Vogue, and Andy Warhol's Interview, as well as in numerous layouts in other magazines. She actively pursued her modeling career, until she met her film agent at a party at New York's Studio 54. She trains with Robert Ravan, founder of The Actors' Circle in New York. Previously she studied with Alice Spivack of the H.B. Studios. Cates made her motion picture debut as Sarah in Paradise (1982) in the same year she starred as Jennifer Jason Leigh's "experienced" confidante in Amy Heckerling's acclaimed Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982). Cates then landed the role of "Christine Ramsey" in Private School (1983), then co-starred in the innovative Gremlins (1984) for Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment, directed by Joe Dante. Cates has remained active in theatre, as well. After making her New York debut in Joseph Papp's Off-Broadway production of "The Nest of the Wood Grouse" in 1984, she followed with David Henry Hwang's "Rich Relations" at The Second Stage and a one-act festival at the Manhattan Punchline. On the West Coast, Cates played "Nina" in the La Jolla Playhouse production of Anton Chekhov's "The Sea Gull" and has since appeared in "Much Ado About Nothing" at New York's Public Theatre, and as "Juliet" in Chicago's Goodman Theatre production of "Romeo and Juliet".
Since 1989, Cates has been married to actor Kevin Kline, with whom she has two children.- Actress
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Morena Baccarin was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to actress Vera Setta and journalist Fernando Baccarin. Her uncle was actor Ivan Setta. She is of Italian as well as Lebanese and Portuguese/Brazilian descent. She moved to New York at the age of 10, when her father was transferred there. She attended the LaGuardia High School of Music and Performing Arts and then the Juilliard School.
Staying in New York she worked in the theater, notably in the Central Park production of Anton Chekhov's "The Seagull" where she was also Natalie Portman's understudy, and also appeared in several movies. After making Roger Dodger (2002), she moved to Los Angeles where she came to the attention of Joss Whedon, who cast her in his short-lived cult sci-fi show Firefly (2002). Since then she has rarely been off our TV screens.- Actress
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Jacqueline Bisset has been an international film star since the late '60s. She received her first roles mainly because of her stunning beauty, but over time she has become a fine actress respected by fans and critics alike. Bisset has worked with directors John Huston, François Truffaut, George Cukor and Roman Polanski. Her co-stars have included Anthony Quinn, Paul Newman, Nick Nolte, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Kenneth Branagh and Marcello Mastroianni.
Her somewhat French-sounding name has led many to assume that she is from France, but she was brought up in England and had to study to learn French. Her mother was French and was an attorney before being married. As a child Jacqueline studied ballet. During her teenage years her father left the family when her mother was diagnosed with disseminating sclerosis; Jacqueline worked as a model to support her ailing mother and eventually her parents divorced, an experience she has said she considered character-strengthening. She took an early interest in film, and her modeling career helped pay for acting lessons.
In 1967 Bisset gained her first critical attention in Two for the Road (1967), and that same year appeared in the popular James Bond spoof Casino Royale (1967), playing Miss Goodthighs. In 1968 her career got a boost when Mia Farrow unexpectedly dropped out of the shooting of The Detective (1968); Farrow's marriage to co-star Frank Sinatra was on the rocks, and her role was eventually given to Bisset, who received special billing in the film's credits. In the following year she earned a Golden Globe nomination as Most Promising Newcomer for The Sweet Ride (1968) and gained even more attention playing opposite Steve McQueen in the popular action film Bullitt (1968). In 1970 she was featured in the star-studded disaster film Airport (1970) and had the main role in The Grasshopper (1970). Then she co-starred with Alan Alda in the well-reviewed but commercially underperforming horror movie, The Mephisto Waltz (1971). In 1973 she became recognized in Europe as a serious actress when she played the lead in Truffaut's Day for Night (1973). However, it would be several years before her talents would be taken seriously in the US. Though she scored another domestic hit with Murder on the Orient Express (1974), her part in it, as had often been the case, was decorative. She did appear to good effect in Believe in Me (1971), Le Magnifique (1973), The Sunday Woman (1975) and St. Ives (1976).
Jacqueline's stunning looks and figure made quite a splash in The Deep (1977). Her underwater swimming scenes in that movie inspired the worldwide wet T-shirt craze, and Newsweek magazine declared her "the most beautiful film actress of all time." The film's producer, Peter Guber, said "That T-shirt made me a rich man." However, she hated the wet T-shirt scenes because she felt exploited. At the time of filming she was not told that the filmmakers would shoot the scenes in such a provocative way, and she felt tricked. On the plus side, the huge success of the picture made Bisset officially bankable. She was next seen in high-profile roles in The Greek Tycoon (1978), a thinly disguised fictionalization of the marriage of Jacqueline Kennedy and Aristotle Onassis, and Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? (1978), for which she received a Golden Globe nomination as Best Actress in a Comedy.
In the early '80s, Bisset starred in the box office disasters When Time Ran Out... (1980) and Inchon (1981), but her well-received turn opposite Candice Bergen in Rich and Famous (1981) between those two films helped gain her recognition as a serious actress from American audiences. She rebounded neatly with Class (1983) and Under the Volcano (1984), getting a Golden Globe nomination as Best Supporting Actress for the latter. She also earned praise for her work in the excellent made-for-cable WWII drama Forbidden (1984), then appeared on network TV in adaptations of Anna Karenina (1985) with Christopher Reeve and Napoleon and Josephine: A Love Story (1987) with Armand Assante. In 1989 she co-starred in the raunchy yet witty comedy Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills (1989) and the erotic thriller Wild Orchid (1989), neither of which fared too well, but her output remained consistent. As she transitioned seamlessly out of her ingenue years, smaller-scale productions such as CrimeBroker (1993) and Leave of Absence (1994) would provide Bisset with plum roles, even if they went largely unseen.
In 1996 she was nominated for a César Award, the French equivalent of the Oscar, for her performance in Claude Chabrol's La Cérémonie (1995). She held roles in period pieces like Dangerous Beauty (1998), as well as the Biblical epics Jesus (1999) and In the Beginning (2000). Other notable credits included the miniseries Joan of Arc (1999) alongside Leelee Sobieski, which gained her an Emmy nomination, and The Sleepy Time Gal (2001), which premiered at Sundance but unfortunately was not picked up for theatrical distribution. In 2005 Jacqueline was back on the big screen, playing Keira Knightley's mother in the Domino Harvey biopic Domino (2005) for Tony Scott. In 2006 she appeared in the fourth season of Nip/Tuck (2003) as the ruthless extortionist "James." Bisset then turned in strong performances in Boaz Yakin's disturbing independent drama Death in Love (2008) and the telepic An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving (2008), garnering accolades for both. In 2013 she appeared in BBC's program Dancing on the Edge (2013), for which she finally won her first Golden Globe. She followed that up with the movies Welcome to New York (2014) with Gérard Depardieu and Miss You Already (2015) with Drew Barrymore and Toni Collette.
2016 saw the long-awaited release of Linda Yellen's comedy The Last Film Festival (2016), where Jacqueline was a riot as a washed-up Italian diva alongside Dennis Hopper in his final role. Since then she's kept busy on the indie circuit, appearing in Backstabbing for Beginners (2018) with Ben Kingsley, Here and Now (2018) with Sarah Jessica Parker, and Asher (2018) with Ron Perlman and Famke Janssen, as well as the Amazon original movie Birds of Paradise (2021) and a title role in Loren & Rose (2022).
Bisset has never married, but has been involved in long-term romantic relationships with Canadian actor Michael Sarrazin, Moroccan entrepreneur Victor Drai, Russian ballet dancer Alexander Godunov, Swiss actor Vincent Perez and Turkish martial arts instructor Emin Boztepe. She continues to make numerous films, and frequently participates in film festivals and award ceremonies around the world.- Amy Hathaway was born on 27 July 1974 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress, known for The Client (1994), Courage Under Fire (1996) and Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005). She has been married to Naveen Jeereddi since 16 October 2010. They have four children. She was previously married to Derick Martini.
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One of the hottest stars of the mid-1980s, Virginia Madsen has since played a variety of roles that have cemented her reputation as a fantastic actress who can adapt to any part.
Virginia was born in Chicago, Illinois, and belongs to an acting family -- with her brother, Michael Madsen, also an actor, and her mother, Elaine Madsen (née Melson), an Emmy-winning writer, poet, and producer. Her paternal grandparents were Danish, and her father, Calvin Madsen, was a firefighter. Audiences first caught a glimpse of her as "Princess Irulan" in the 1984 science fiction epic Dune (1984). She followed that up with Electric Dreams (1984); however, it was in 1986 that Virginia captured the hearts of the audience with an intense portrayal of a Catholic school girl who fell in love with a boy from a prison camp in Duncan Gibbins' Fire with Fire (1986). Virginia played the role of "Lisa" and her co-star was Craig Sheffer, who played Lisa's love interest, "Joe Fisk". Kari Wuhrer also made an appearance as Virginia's best friend, "Gloria". Fire with Fire (1986) was a low-budget production, starring a bunch of fresh faces who were till then-unknown to Hollywood. However, the movie was a success and elevated its three young stars overnight. Virginia has never looked back since.
Not only did she receive amazing reviews for her Academy Award and Golden Globe nominated performance in Alexander Payne's hit film, Sideways (2004), but this Independent Spirit Award-winning actress has an illustrious resume of roles alongside the most notable and respected actors in the business.
Also on Virginia's slate is her production company, with partner Karly Meola, called "Title IX Productions". Their first project was the documentary I Know a Woman Like That (2009), which previewed at the Phoenix Film Festival in April 2009 and premiered at the Chicago Film Festival in October 2009. The doc was directed by Virginia's mother, Elaine Madsen, about the lives of extraordinary women ages 64-94. Next in the company's lineup is the documentary Fighting Gravity (2010), about women ski jumpers' ongoing battle for the right to compete in the 2010 Winter Olympics. Title IX will team up with "Empire 8 Productions" and Vancouver-based "Screen Siren" on the project. The duo also has several projects in development that they're shopping around for financing including screenwriters Sebastian Gutierrez's screen adaptation of Martha O'Connor's novel "The Bitch Posse" and a remake of the 1984 film Electric Dreams (1984), in which Virginia appeared.- Actress
Born and raised in Hollywood--her father was veteran character actor Fred Graff--Erica Gavin spent her teenage years as, she says, "a stoned-out hippie", and at 19 was dancing at a topless bar called Losers (with future colleagues Haji and Tura Satana). One day while waiting at her dentist's office she saw an ad in "Variety" for girls to audition for a new Russ Meyer movie. She applied, and found herself cast in the title role in the soft core classic Vixen! (1968), the first mainstream (non-porn) X-rated film. Audiences had never seen anything quite like the film, or Erica, and the movie was a financial (and, surprisingly enough, critical) smash and propelled her into virtually instant stardom. However, after only two more films--Meyer's Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970) and Caged Heat (1974), a Roger Corman women-in-prison picture--she abruptly left Hollywood and stayed away for almost 30 years. She has only recently taken some tentative steps at re-entering the movie business, attending a retrospective of "Vixen", setting up her own website and being scheduled to attend fan conventions.- Actress
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Brigitte Lahaie was born on October 12, 1955 in Tourcoing, Nord, France. Her father was a banker and her mother was an accountant. Brigitte also has two brothers and a sister. Lahaie moved with her sister to Paris, France in 1975 and worked in a shoe store prior to getting her first film job through a newspaper advert. Brigitte began performing in explicit hardcore movies in 1976 just a year following the legalization of hardcore pornography in France. After establishing herself as a star attraction in adult fare, Brigitte played a small role in the horror picture The Grapes of Death (1978) for cult cinema director Jean Rollin. Lahaie went on to tackle a lead role in Fascination (1979) for Rollin. Moreover, in the early 1980's Brigitte decided to stop doing porn and made a concentrated effort to appear in more traditional mainstream films under the alias Brigitte Simonin. (She has small parts in such mainstream movies as Diva (1981) and Henry & June (1990).) In addition, Lahaie published an autobiography in 1987, recorded and released a pop single, and even did a successful one-woman stage show about her life and career before going on to become the hostess of her own daily talk radio show that largely centers on issues concerning sexuality and relationships. Brigitte was inducted into the XRCO Hall of Fame as a Film Pioneer in 2014.- Actress
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Gretchen Mol was born November 8, 1972, in Deep River, Connecticut, the daughter of a school principal, James Mol, and his artist wife, Janet. Deep River is a small community located on the Chester Bowles Highway (Rt. 9), nine miles northwest of Old Saybrook (home of the legendary Katharine Hepburn), within commuting distance of New York City. The young Gretchen was bit by the acting bug and participated in high school theatrics, then moved to the Big Apple as a teenager to study acting and musical theater at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy and at the William Esper Studio.
Although only 5'6" tall--too short for a traditional modeling career--her unique beauty brought her modeling jobs as she pursued her dream of becoming a professional actress. She began appearing in magazines in 1994, meanwhile working at such time-honored Manhattan jobs as restaurant hat-check girl. It was while working that gig she was discovered by a talent agent. The agent landed her her first acting job, a TV commercial for Coca-Cola. She continued to hone her acting skills in summer stock, appearing in such productions as "Bus Stop," "No Exit," and "Godspell."
The 23-year-old Gretchen made her film debut in Spike Lee's Girl 6 (1996), a small role that came to her, as luck would have it, after she had gone for an audition for the soap opera Guiding Light (1952). Her career began to take off, and she appeared in small parts, mostly "girlfriend" roles, in such films as Rounders (1998) starring 'Matt Damon' (qav) and in Woody Allen's Celebrity (1998), opposite Kenneth Branagh and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Gretchen was touted as the "Next Big Thing" after appearing on the cover of the September 1998 issue of "Vanity Fair." Her most memorable role up to that time was as a mobster's moll in the minor cult classic Donnie Brasco (1997), which was mostly remembered for cinematic turns by Al Pacino, Johnny Depp and Anne Heche. Nonetheless, her beauty and presence led "Vanity Fair" to hype the beautiful blonde, heralding the arrival of a major new star. She seemed poised to move up to featured roles. but the announcement turned out to be premature. Brunette Angelina Jolie proved to be Hollywood's Next "It" girl.
During the seven years that followed the "Vanity Fair" cover story, Mol continued to appear in films and on the stage, including the part of Jennie in the London and New York productions of Neil LaBute's "The Shape of Things" in 2001 (she also appeared in the film version, The Shape of Things (2003)). The good reviews she got proved that she was not just another pretty face. In 2004 she displayed her singing and dancing chops by playing Roxie Hart in the Broadway production of "Chicago."
She worked steadily, appearing in another small role in Woody Allen's Sweet and Lowdown (1999), and eventually won the lead in David E. Kelley TV series Girls Club (2002). The series bombed, however, and was canceled after only two episodes. Nevertheless, the intervening period allowed her to develop as an actress. In 2004 the blonde beauty finally had the role that proved to be her acting breakthrough: brunette 1950s "stag queen" Bettie Page in The Notorious Bettie Page (2005). Many brunettes have gone blonde, but Mol--the blonde who went brunette--rocked the screen with her presence. Her embodiment of the legendary Page garnered excellent reviews and propelled the flick into art house hit status.
Mol married film director Tod Williams on June 1, 2004, and they became parents a little over three years later, when a son, Ptolemy John Williams, was born on October 10, 2007.- Actress
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Claire Forlani was born in the United Kingdom and grew up in London. Educated at Arts Educational School, she moved to the United States with her parents Pier Luigi and Barbara Forlani when she was 19 and began starring in films.
Claire has had leading roles in such films as Meet Joe Black (1998), Basquiat (1996), The Rock (1996), Mystery Men (1999), Mallrats (1995), Antitrust (2001), Boys and Girls (2000), The Medallion, Hallam Foe (2007), Flashbacks of a Fool (2008) and Green Street Hooligans (2005).
Claire is now starring in the Sky International show Domina, about ancient Rome .She appeared with Christopher Plummer in the television series Departure . Other television appearances include STARZ original series Camelot (2011) playing Queen Igraine, The Pentagon Papers (2003), Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King (2006), and she has had recurring roles on NCIS: Los Angeles (2009) and CSI: NY (2004).
Claire has also appeared in campaigns for Dewars, L'Oréal, Banana Republic, Shiesido and Dior.
She is married to actor Dougray Scott in 2007 and welcomed their son Milo Thomas Scott born 12.27.14- Actress
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Sienna Rose Diana Miller was born in New York City, but was raised in London, United Kingdom. Her father, Edwin "Ed" Miller, who is American-born, is an investment banker and a dealer in Modern Chinese paintings. Her mother, Josephine "Jo" Miller, was a South African model and a personal assistant to David Bowie; she went on to manage the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York City, and then became a yoga instructor. Sienna has one older sister, Savannah Miller.
The family moved to Chelsea, London, when Sienna was 18-months-old. Sienna spent her weekends horse riding at her godmother's farmhouse in Wiltshire. When Sienna was age 6, her parents got divorced. Sienna and Savannah moved to Parsons Green with their mother, who was also being treated for breast cancer. Sienna's father remarried three times and moved to the Virgin Islands. At age 8, she moved away to Heathfield boarding school in Ascot, where she enjoyed playing Lacrosse and acting.
Sienna went back to New York City, when she turned 18, and enrolled at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. Following this, she traveled, modeled, did theater and took small roles in films. She landed a role as a flirtatious model in a BBC sitcom, Bedtime (2001). Her breakout film role was as Daniel Craig's love interest in Matthew Vaughn's Layer Cake (2004). Sienna's film credits include Alfie (2004) (Susan Sarandon, Jude Law), Casanova (2005) (Heath Ledger), Factory Girl (2006) (Hayden Christensen, Guy Pearce) and Interview (2007) (Steve Buscemi).
She received a British Independent Film Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Edge of Love (2008), in which she performed opposite fellow British actress Keira Knightley, with whom she formed a great friendship. In the same year, she was also nominated for the BAFTA Orange Rising Star award and, in 2006, was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for her role as Katya in Interview (2007).
Sienna has also carved out a notable theatre career, with credits including the role of Celia in the Young Vic production of "As You Like It" - her theatrical West End debut - opposite Helen McCrory and Dominic West, and the Broadway production of Patrick Marber's "After Miss Julie", in which she played opposite Jonny Lee Miller. Sienna's most recent stage performance was in Terence Rattigan's critically-acclaimed "Flare Path", directed by Sir Trevor Nunn, held at London's Theatre Royal Haymarket.- Actress
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Naomi Ellen Watts was born on September 28, 1968 in Shoreham, England to Myfanwy Edwards "Miv" (Roberts), an antiques dealer and costume/set designer, and Peter Watts (Peter Anthony Watts), Pink Floyd's road manager. Her maternal grandfather was Welsh. Her father died when she was seven and she followed her mother and brother around England until she was 14 and they finally settled in Australia, homeland of her maternal grandmother. When they arrived, she coaxed her mother to let her take acting classes. After bit parts in commercials, she landed her first role in For Love Alone (1986). Naomi met her best friend Nicole Kidman when they both auditioned for a bikini commercial and shared a taxi ride home. In 1991, Naomi starred with Kidman in the sleeper hit Flirting (1991), directed by John Duigan. Naomi continued her career by starring in the Australian Brides of Christ (1991) co-starring Oscar-winners Russell Crowe and Brenda Fricker.
In 1993, she worked with John Duigan again in Wide Sargasso Sea (1993) and director George Miller in Gross Misconduct (1993). Tank Girl (1995), in 1995, an adaptation of the comic book was a cult hit, starred Naomi as "Jet Girl", but it didn't do at the box-office or do much for her career. Watts continued to take insignificant parts in movies including the much forgotten film Children of the Corn: The Gathering (1996). It wasn't until David Lynch cast her in the critically acclaimed film Mulholland Drive (2001) that she began to become noticed. Her part as an aspiring actress showed her strong acting ability and wide range and earned her much respect, as much as to say by some that she was overlooked for a Oscar nomination that year. Stardom finally came to Naomi in the surprise hit The Ring (2002), which grossed over $100,000,000 at the box-office and starred Watts as an investigative reporter hunting down the truth behind several mysterious deaths seemingly caused by a video tape. While the movie did not fare well with the critics, it launched her into the spotlight. In 2003, she starred in Alejandro González Iñárritu's 21 Grams (2003) which earned her - what some say is a much overdue Oscar nomination and brought others to call her one of the best in her generation of actors. The same year, she was nominated for 21 Grams (2003), Naomi was chosen to play "Ann Darrow" in director Peter Jackson's King Kong (2005) which took her to New Zealand for a five month shoot. Watts completed her first comedy in I Heart Huckabees (2004) for director David O. Russell, playing a superficial spokes model - a break from her usual intense and dramatic roles she is known for.
In 2005, she reprized her role as the protective-mother-reporter "Rachel Keller" in The Ring Two (2005). The movie, released in March, opened to $35,000,000 at the box office in the first weekend and established her as a box-office draw. Also in 2005, it was decided that her independent movie Ellie Parker (2001) would be re-released in late 2005 after its success at resurfacing at the Sundance Film Festival. The movie, which Naomi also produced, features her in the title role and is a bit biographical, but yet exaggerated take of the life of a struggling actress as she comes to Hollywood and encounters nightmares of the profession (it also features Watts' own beat-up Honda which she travels around in). In 2006, she starred with Edward Norton in The Painted Veil (2006). In July of 2007, Naomi gave birth to a boy, Alexander Pete (Sasha Schreiber) in Los Angeles with Liev Schreiber. Since then her career choices have gathered even more critical acclaim with starring roles roles in German director Michael Haneke's American remake of his thriller Funny Games (2007), David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises (2007), and the action-thriller, The International (2009), released in February 2009. In mid-2008, Watts announced she was expecting her second child with Schreiber and gave birth to second son Samuel Kai Schreiber, in New York on December 13.- Actress
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Kristy Swanson is an American actress from California. She has had an active acting career since the 1980s. Her most memorable role was playing the original version of Buffy Summers in the horror comedy "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1992).
Swanson was born in Mission Viejo, California, a planned community in Orange County. It is located in a hilly region, 49 miles (79 kilometers) southeast of Los Angeles. Swanson developed an interest in acting in early childhood. She started pursuing roles in television commercials at the age of 9, and first appeared in a commercial for doll houses. She continued to regularly appear in commercials for a few years.
Swanson received acting lessons from "The Actors Workshop", an acting school developed by Canadian actor R. J. Adams (1942 -2015). In 1984, Swanson started appearing in one-shot roles in television. She gained attention for playing Stephanie Brandon in the episode "On the Street" (1985) of the police procedural "Cagney & Lacey". Her character was a teenage prostitute who was considered a key witness in a murder trial. For this role Swanson was nominated for a Young performer award, the "Best Young Actress - Guest in a Television Series". The award was instead won by rival actress Jaclyn Bernstein.
In 1986, Swanson had the supporting role of Jennifer Davis in the television film "Mr. Boogedy", a ghost story about a haunted house in New England. She had a minor role in the teen comedy-drama film "Pretty in Pink" (1986). as the new love interest of the character Duckie Dale (played by Jon Cryer). She had her first speaking role in a film in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", as a girl who announces a convoluted excuse to explain the main character's absence. Swanson had her co-starring role in a film in "Deadly Friend" (1986), a science fiction horror film by famed director Wes Craven. It gained a cult following over the following decades.
Swanson's next starring role was in the psychological horror film "Flowers in the Attic" (1987), concerning children held captive by their abusive family. She played Cathy Dollanganger, the elder sister among the captives. The film earned about 15,2 million dollars at the domestic box office. There were plans for a sequel film, but it ended in development hell. In 1987, Swanson joined the cast of the soap opera Knots Landing (1979-1993), in the recurring role of Jody Campbell. She appeared in a total of 8 episodes, leaving the series in 1988.
Swanson had her first main role in a television series in the short-lived medical drama "Nightingales" (1989), where she played student nurse Rebecca "Becky" Granger. The series was controversial at the time for its overly sexualized depiction of nurses. It inspired a protest campaign by the American Nurses Association, causing several sponsors to withdraw their support from their series. The series was canceled after a single season and 13 episodes, plus a television film. There was later a revival of the series' concept under the title "University Hospital" (1995), but Swanson was not involved with the revival series.
Swanson had her first film role in years in the romantic comedy "Dream Trap" (1990). The film depicted the romantic fantasies two teenagers have about each other. Her co-star for this film was Sasha Jenson (1964-). Swanson's next notable film role was in the fantasy comedy "Mannequin Two: On the Move" (1991). She played Jessie, a 14th-century peasant girl who was turned into a statue by a sorcerer. She is revived in the late 20th century, and falls in love with a descendant of her original lover. The film only earned 4 million dollars at the box office, failing to recover its production costs. It was marketed as a sequel to the hit film "Mannequin" (1987), while featuring none of its main characters.
Swanson had a supporting role in the comedy film "Hot Shots!" (1991). She played Kowalski, a female pilot of the United States Navy who is regarded as male by her peers and superiors. The film earned 180 million dollars worldwide, the highest earning film in Swanson's career at that time. Swanson had the co-starring role of Rachel Clark in the horror comedy "Highway to Hell" (1991). In the film, Rachel is kidnapped by a demon and taken to hell. She is about to be married to Satan, but her boyfriend Charlie Sykes (played by Chad Lowe) attempts to rescue her. The film only had a limited theatrical release, but was relatively popular in the home video market.
In 1992, Swanson had the leading role of Buffy in the horror comedy film "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1992). In the film, Buffy is a high school cheerleader with an ordinary life, who discovers that she is the latest in a long line of female vampire slayers. She has to stop a vampire army from taking over Los Angeles, at the cost of alienating her friends and losing her boyfriend. The film was modestly successful at the box office, earning about 17 million dollars. It was more successful in the home video market, and inspired the spin-off television series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997-2003). Swanson had no involvement with this series, replaced in the title role by Sarah Michelle Gellar (1977-).
Swanson had a supporting role in the sports drama film "The Program" (1993), as tennis player Camille Shafer. The character was the love interest of one of the main characters, American football player Joe Kane (played Craig Sheffer). Swanson shared the female lead status in this film with Halle Berry (1966-). The film highlighted the use of steroids in college football. The film earned about 23 million dollars at the box office, a modest hit for its time.
Swanson played the role of heiress Natalie Voss in the action comedy "The Chase" (1994). In the film, Natalie is kidnapped by escaped convict Jack Hammond (played by Charlie Sheen), because he wanted a hostage. It was commended for its satirical look at tabloid journalism, and at the obsession of television news shows with car chases. Swanson had a supporting role in the black comedy "Getting In" (1994). In the film, there are serial murders of students who are on the top of the list for admission to medical school. A student is trying to eliminate his competitors to get ahead on the list. It is remembered as the directorial debut for Doug Liman.
In 1995, Swanson had a co-starring role in the university-themed drama film "Higher Learning". She played Kristen Connor, an initially shy student who proceeds to explore her bisexual tendencies by pursuing two different romantic relationships at the same time. The film earned about 38 million dollars at the domestic box office, becoming the 44th highest-grossing film of its year. It was also successful at the home video market. From Swanson's perspective, it was the highest-grossing film of her career since 1991.
In 1996, Swanson appeared in the superhero adaptation "The Phantom". It was based on the character Phantom/Kit Walker, created by Lee Falk (1911 - 1999) in 1936. Swanson played Diana Palmer, the Phantom's love interest. The film earned about 23.5 million dollars at the domestic box office, but was a major hit in the home video market.
In 1997, Swanson had a co-starring role in the Mafia-themed black comedy "8 Heads in a Duffel Bag". In the film, mobster Tommy Spinelli (played by Joe Pesci) has to deliver a cargo of severed heads to a crime boss, as proof for recent deaths. His duffel bag is mixed up with the luggage of an American tourist, causing much trouble for everyone involved in the case. The film under-performed at the box office, only earning 4 million dollars.
In 1998, Swanson was part of the cast in the disaster film "Ground Control". The film concerned the efforts of air traffic controller to perform their duties during a severe storm and a power outage. Swanson was reduced to a supporting role in the comedy film "Big Daddy" (1999), playing an ex-girlfriend of the film's main character, slacker Sonny Koufax (played by Adam Sandler). In 2000, Swanson had a supporting role in the stoner comedy "Dude, Where's My Car?". She played one of several eccentric characters which the film's protagonists encounter in their search for a missing automobile. The film was a surprise box office hit, earning 73.2 million dollars at the worldwide box office. It was Swanson's highest grossing film in nearly a decade.
In 2001, Swanson played Interpol agent Tessa Jansen in the thriller film "Soul Assassin". The film depicted assassinations connected to a multinational banking firm. It was one of Swanson'ts last appearances in a feature film during the 2000s. Her career declined considerably during this decade. She was reduced to playing infrequent guest-star roles in then-popular television series, such as "Just Shoot Me!", "CSI: Miami", and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent".
In 2009, Swanson married her boyfriend Lloyd Eisler (1963-), a Canadian pairs skater who had won two Olympic medals. They have a son. In 2010, Swanson appeared in the Christian film "What If...", making her first appearance in a theatrical film in several years. She played Wendy Walker, the original girlfriend of businessman Ben Walker (played by Kevin Sorbo).
During the 2010s, Swanson appeared frequently in television films and direct-to-video films. She was part of the main cast in "Beethoven's Treasure Tail" (2014), the 8th and (so far) last film in the long-running film series "Beethoven" (1992-2014). In the early 2020s, Swanson continues to regularly appear in films. By 2021, Swanson was 52-years-old. She he has no intention to retire yet. Several of her older films remain popular, and she still has a fan following.- Actress
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Rebecca De Mornay was born 1959 as Rebecca Jane Pearch, in Santa Rosa, CA, to Wally George and Julie Eager. Her parents divorced when she was young, and her mother moved to Pasadena and married Richard De Mornay, who adopted her. After her stepfather's untimely death in 1962, Rebecca's mother moved her and her half-brother Peter to Europe, where she was raised primarily in England and Austria. In 1977, Rebecca graduated "summa cum laude" from a German-speaking high school in the Austrian alps, and still speaks fluent German and French.
She began her acting training in Los Angeles at Lee Strasberg's Institute, became an apprentice at Francis Ford Coppola's Zoetrope Film Studio, and soon thereafter made her film debut in One from the Heart (1981). Her breakthrough came in the box office hit Risky Business (1983), in which she gave a seductive and critically acclaimed performance as a streetwise prostitute opposite Tom Cruise. She went on to international stardom with her portrayal of a chillingly twisted nanny in the hugely popular The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992). Other acclaimed film work includes Runaway Train (1985) (with Jon Voight), The Trip to Bountiful (1985) (with Geraldine Page), Backdraft (1991) (with Kurt Russell).
Network television work includes the tour-de-force role of Arlie in the stellar Getting Out (1994) (based on Marsha Norman's play), the tragic title character in Dominick Dunne's An Inconvenient Woman (1991) (with Jason Robards), the remake of The Shining (1997) (produced by Stephen King), a multi-episode story arc about a cancer survivor on ER (1994) and Hallmark Hall of Fame's Night Ride Home (1999) (with Ellen Burstyn).
On stage, she starred as Billie Dawn in "Born Yesterday" (1988) at the Pasadena Playhouse, as Charlotte Corday in "Marat/Sade" (1990) at the Williamstown Festival, and as Anna in "Closer" (2000) at the Mark Taper Forum.
Rebecca's directing debut was with a segment of Showtime's The Outer Limits (1995) starring John Savage and Frank Whaley. Divorced from producer/screenwriter Bruce Wagner, Rebecca has two daughters, Sophia DeMornay-O'Neal and Veronica De Mornay-O'Neal, both fathered by sportscaster Patrick O'Neal, who is eight years her junior.- Actress
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Eva Maria Olivia Amurri Martino (born March 15, 1985) is an American film and television actress Amurri Martino was born in New York City, to Italian director Franco Amurri and American actress Susan Sarandon. She attended Friends Seminary (Manhattan) for middle school, and graduated from Saint Ann's School in Brooklyn, New York, and Brown University.
Eva initially appeared in Bob Roberts (1992) in 1992 and Dead Man Walking (1995) in 1999. In 1999, she appeared in Earthly Possessions (1999) and Anywhere But Here (1999).In 2009, she appeared as Shelly in the episode The Playbook (2009) of How I Met Your Mother (2005). Amurri Martino starred in the thriller film Isolation (2011), directed by Stephen Kay. She guest-starred, along with her mother, on an episode of Friends (1994) in The One with Joey's New Brain (2001) Amurri Martino had a role in the 2002 film The Banger Sisters (2002), in which her mother starred, with Amurri Martino playing the daughter of her mother's character. She guest-starred, along with her mother, on an episode of Friends (1994) in Season 7 Episode 15 The One with Joey's New Brain (2001). In 2004, she appeared in Saved! (2004). She had a role in the third season of the Showtime series Californication (2007), where she played Jackie, a stripper, student and love interest of central character Hank Moody. Amurri Martino played the leading role in the 2008 film Middle of Nowhere (2008).
In 2010, she appeared in the Fox series House (2004) as Nicole in the episode The Choice (2010). In 2012, she appeared in Happy Madison Production's That's My Boy (2012) as young Mary McGarricle. Her mother also appeared in the film as McGarricle's older self.- Actress
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Sunny Mabrey is an actress, writer, and comedian who hails from Rainbow City, Alabama. After traveling the world on the modeling circuit for a year following high school, Sunny went on to graduate with a B.A. in Theatre from University of Mobile, a small liberal arts school where she discovered her passion for acting and entertainment. She relocated to New York upon graduation. Soon after, a Sony film brought Sunny to the West Coast. Since then, she has gone on to achieve recurring roles on ABC's Once Upon a Time (2011), CBS's MacGyver (2021), Lifetime's The Client List (2011), AMC's Mad Men (2007), TNT's Memphis Beat (2010), and CMT's Still the King (2016). She has starred in many studio and independent films, playing a young Glenn Close in Hillbilly Elegy (2020), co-starring opposite Samuel L. Jackson in the feature film, xXx: State of the Union (2005) and again in the cult comedy-thriller, Snakes on a Plane (2006). Her independent film One Last Thing... (2005) premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. Taking the world of Vine, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook by storm with her quirky brand of comedy, she quickly amassed a following of over 2 million. By relating to her audience through many different mediums, Sunny uses these platforms to release her creativity, express her ideas, promote and share news on film and television projects, help charitable organizations, and display branded content. In addition to acting, Sunny writes, directs, and produces films and music videos. She also spends much of her time creating music and fronting a band she formed with her husband and fellow actor, Ethan Embry and musician, Ashley Mendel. Sunny splits her time between Los Angeles and Atlanta.- Actress
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Erika Jane Christensen was born in 1982 in Seattle, Washington, to Kathy (Hendricks), a construction manager, and Steven Christensen, a human resources executive and insurance worker. She was raised in the suburban outskirts of Los Angeles, California. At age 12, Erika knew that she was going to be an actress. Talented in acting, singing and dance, the young Christensen was determined, not just lucky; it wasn't long before she landed her first job: a commercial for national advertising giant, McDonalds. She followed up with a part in Michael Jackson's music video for "Childhood," then landed her big break: a lead role in Universal's Leave It to Beaver (1997). Christensen was only 13 years old, but acclaimed by critics for her "chemistry" and "radiant self-assurance." Guest spots on television followed. Christensen popped up everywhere including prime time heavy hitters like Frasier (1993), Nothing Sacred (1997), The Practice (1997), 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996) and Touched by an Angel (1994). Erika received a nomination by the Hollywood Reporter for the 1998 Young Star Award (Best Performance By A Young Actress in a TV Drama Series) for her outstanding performance in Nothing Sacred (1997). Erika also kept her big screen presence known, in 1999 she worked on a Disney made-for-tv movie called Can of Worms (1999). And in 2000 Erika was able to show the world her acting chops when she took the gritty role of Caroline Wakefield, a teenage daughter of the White House Drug Czar who is herself a drug addict, in the award-winning Steven Soderbergh film, Traffic (2000). Aside from the distinction of playing alongside Hollywood's elite, Erika earned critical acclaim for the realism of the role, and received multiple awards including Female Breakthrough Performance at the MTV Movie Awards, Female Standout Performance at the Young Hollywood Awards, and Outstanding Performance by a Cast Ensemble at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Erika is of Norwegian (from her paternal grandmother), Danish, English, German, Scottish, Welsh, and Irish descent.- Actress
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Eliza Dushku was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Judith (Rasmussen), a political science professor, and Philip R. Dushku, a teacher and administrator. Her father is Albanian and her mother is American (of Danish, Irish, English, and German descent). She was discovered at the end of a five-month search throughout the United States for the perfect girl to play the lead role of Alice opposite Juliette Lewis in the film That Night (1992). Since then, she has been in several films and has worked with actors such as Robert De Niro, Ellen Barkin, Leonardo DiCaprio, Paul Reiser, and Jim Belushi. Born in Boston on December 30, 1980, she has studied the piano, drums, and several types of dance (jazz, tap, and ballet). Her previous acting experience includes numerous amateur presentations at the Watertown Children's Theater where she was part of the company since she was in the first grade. In addition to acting, she is sometimes seen on stage at the Children's Theater signing for the deaf.- Actress
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A familiar character actress, Marianna Hill is the daughter of a building contractor. From her native southern California, her family moved around frequently, including to Canada, Spain and Great Britain. As a result, she became familiar with different accents and dialects, whether a French accent (for a guest appearance on My Three Sons (1960), or German Hogan's Heroes (1965). She started acting while a teenager, apprenticing at the La Jolla (Calif.) Playhouse, and also studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City. Marianna's exotic looks enabled her to portray a variety of types, including a Hawaiian girl, an Irish lass and Greek beauty. She has also been an acting coach and teacher at the Lee Strasberg Institute in London.- Dayle was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. As a child she was enrolled in dancing classes to develop her physique. It worked well enough that she became a member of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens at 13 and Miss Montreal at 18.
Her elfin good looks provided an easy entree to modeling and she quickly became a highly successful fashion model. She moved to Hollywood in her early twenties to be with a boyfriend and decided to try out for movies. She quickly landed a role in a Disney movie The World's Greatest Athlete (1973). Disney saw her a future for her in ingenue roles, but Dayle had other ideas. To Disney's shock, she promptly did a nude pictorial in '"Playboy" (USA)', took off for Europe and landed a string of steamy roles. Her best known role is in Just Jaeckin's Madame Claude (1977). She has worked primarily in Europe, cropping up occasionally in small roles in American movies. - Dolly Read was born on 13 September 1944 in Bristol, Avon, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970), That Tender Touch (1969) and Charlie's Angels (1976). She was previously married to Dick Martin.
- When we think of the term "worse for wear," somehow provocative images of 39-26-37 Edwina Beth Williams (better known as Edy Williams) and her outrageous apparel at film festivals and award shows instantly stand out in one's mind. You have to admit that this wild child, who has now come into her seventies (born on July 9, 1941), can never be accused of being a shrinking violet or not giving her all to her chosen profession.
Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, this courageous perennial starlet grew up in all sorts of ways in southern California. She first began her career chasing after modeling work with local photographers while in her teens and has not slowed down since. An undeniably fetching and voluptuous presence, she was the recipient of several California beauty titles which led to her eventual signing by 20th Century-Fox in the early 1960s.
Known for her untamed chestnut hair, she displayed her talents initially with taunting, decorative roles in such pictures as For Love or Money (1963), Man's Favorite Sport? (1964), A House Is Not a Home (1964) (in which she and fellow glamazon Raquel Welch played call girls), The Naked Kiss (1964), the Elvis Presley musical Paradise, Hawaiian Style (1966) and Nevada Smith (1966) starring Steve McQueen. Television utilized her as sexy scenery or a vapid foil on such series as The Twilight Zone (1959), The Beverly Hillbillies (1962), Burke's Law (1963) and Batman (1966).
In her more mainstream prime, Edy earned second-femme lead status next to James Farentino, Julie Sommars and Brian Bedford in the teasing comedy The Pad (and How to Use It) (1966) and Walter Matthau and Anne Jackson in The Secret Life of an American Wife (1968), but things changed big-time once she associated with producer-director Russ Meyer, her mentor-turned-husband. She was displayed front-and-center as a predatory porn star in his campy softcore erotica Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970) and The Seven Minutes (1971), but in the end he failed to make her anything but a cult figure.
She and Meyer divorced in 1975, and since then she has been more or less promoting herself. The notorious publicity hound who could make even Jayne Mansfield wince a little, Edy has made annual cheesecake appearances (not usually in a positive way), opting for jaw-dropping bordello-chic formal wear to get the flashbulbs popping at entertainment events. Her scanty gowns have earned her numerous worst-dressed awards from here to Timbuktu. In later years, she has occasionally departed exploitation with roles in such films as Chained Heat (1983), Lady Lust (1984), Hollywood Hot Tubs (1984), Nudity Required (1989), Bad Girls from Mars (1990) and Snatch Masters 6 (1995). You have to give her credit or praise, Edy Williams certainly succeeded her way. - Actress
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Since making her uncredited debut as a dancer in Beatlemania (1981), Gina Gershon has established herself as a character actress and one of the leading icons of American camp. For it was fourteen years after her movie debut that Gina made movie history as the predatory bisexual who was the leading light of a Las Vegas leg-line in director Paul Verhoeven's kitsch classic Showgirls (1995). Exploding out of a plaster-of-Paris volcano clad in nothing but body makeup and a G-string, Gina Gershon obtained cinema immortality. After Showgirls (1995), she solidified her reputation, playing a lesbian sexpot in the Wachowskis' neo-noir Bound (1996).
Gina Gershon was born in the Los Angeles suburb of Woodland Hills, the last in a brood of three kids. Her mother, Mickey (Koppel), worked as an interior decorator, and her father, Stanley Gershon, was a salesman and worked in the import/export business. Her paternal grandparents were from Russian Jewish families, and her maternal grandparents were born in Holland and Belgium, both of them to Jewish families from Poland. Gina was raised in the San Fernando Valley, and got the acting bug early, appearing at the age of seven in a school production of Bye Bye Birdie (1963). Because of her acting ambitions, her parents moved to Beverly Hills so Gina could attend Beverly Hills High, where she indulged her acting jones by appearing in a student production of The Music Man (1962). Her first love, she says, is singing.
After graduating from high school in 1980, she attended Emerson College in Boston, but took a part in the musical "Runaways". She transferred to New York University, where her official biography says she studied philosophy and psychology, but she graduated from the Tisch School of the Arts, taking a bachelor of fine arts degree in drama in 1983. In New York City, while perfecting her craft, she co-founded the theater company Naked Angels with Helen Slater.
Her big-screen breakthrough came with a part in the 1986 "Brat Pack" teenage hit Pretty in Pink (1986). She also had parts in the Tom Cruise vehicle Cocktail (1988) and Arnold Schwarzenegger's Red Heat (1988). Of this period, she says, "One of my first gigs, a movie called Cocktail (1988), I found myself at 8 in the morning, in bed, practically naked, having to make out with Tom Cruise; hmmmm... movie business - so far, so good".
Citing Frank Sinatra's song "My Way" as an inspiration, she says that following Cocktail (1988), "I was fortunate enough to play many diversified roles in film, television and stage. Not always to the liking of my managers and agents, but I always did what I wanted...." She played Nancy Barbato Sinatra, Frank's first wife, in the TV miniseries Sinatra (1992).
Gina Gershon became a celebrity in Showgirls (1995). The following year, Gershon solidified her claim on second-tier stardom playing the calculating lesbian "Corky" in the crime movie Bound (1995). She never did capitalize on her mid-1990s breakthrough, but Gershon is established as a character actress and is never out of work, unlike most of her female peers who started out in the industry at the same time. Though no classic beauty, the talented thespian remains gainfully employed while many actresses of her vintage are out of work as she is possessed of a unique look and smoldering sex appeal that comes across on camera.
Gershon is versatile, too, as at home on stage as she is in front of the camera. After appearing in off-Broadway and regional theater productions, she made her Broadway debut as a replacement in Sam Mendes' revival of Cabaret (1972) in January 2001. For six months, she played the key role of "Sally Bowles", returning that October to reprise the role for another month. In 2008, she once again appeared on Broadway in the revival of the farce "Boeing Boeing" on Broadway, which won the Tony award for Best Revival.
Gina Gershon also is a children's book writer. In 2008, Putmam Juvenile published her "Camp Creepy Time", a tale of a boy who discovers aliens at his summer camp, which she co-wrote with her brother, Dann Gershon. "Camp Creepy Time" recently was optioned by DreamWorks, which plans to turn it into a movie. In 2008, she also released "In Search Of Cleo", a CD featuring nine songs which she wrote or co-wrote.- Actress
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Elizabeth Berkley was born in Farmington Hills, Michigan, to Jere, a gift basket business owner and Fred Berkley, a lawyer. She has an older brother, Jason (b. 1969). Her family is Jewish. By five, she was taking tap and jazz classes with Barbara Fink and ballet classes at Detroit Dance Company. She danced "Swan Lake" with principals from the American Ballet Theatre and for five years she performed in the NYC Ballet's holiday production of "The Nutcracker" in Detroit. Roles in community theatre followed in such plays as "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown", "Gypsy" and "Eleemosynary". She placed as a finalist at the "Look of the Year" contest promoted by Elite Agency. At 13 she began modeling for Elite's New York division and that led to print work and TV commercials.
Her first on-screen job was a small part in Gimme a Break! (1981), followed by a leading role in the critically acclaimed short Platinum Blonde (1988) and a supporting part in the TV movie Frog (1988). In 1988 her family eventually relocated to California to let Elizabeth pursuing a career in Hollywood. After guest roles in series like TV 101 (1988) and Day by Day (1988), she landed a regular role in Saved by the Bell (1989). After four seasons and a TV movie, she left the show to try to break into features films. In 1994, after several roles in television and straight-to-video films, she booked the coveted role of Nomi Malone in Showgirls (1995). Unexpectedly, the much-anticipated film bombed at the box office and was destroyed by critics. After leaving CAA, she signed with United Talent Agency and began rebuilding her film career with some small roles in major films (The First Wives Club (1996) and Oliver Stone's Any Given Sunday (1999)) and leading parts in quality indies (including Taxman (1998) and The Real Blonde (1997)).
In 1999 she played Lenny Bruce's wife in the acclaimed West End production of "Lenny", directed by Sir Peter Hall and starring Eddie Izzard. Her performance in Dylan Kidd's Roger Dodger (2002), released in 2002 after a successful festival tour, impressed the critics. The box-office hit "Sly Fox" marked her Broadway debut in 2004 but it was her performance in the Off-Broadway production "Hurlyburly" (directed by Scott Elliott and co-starring Ethan Hawke, Parker Posey and Wallace Shawn) that earned her the best reviews of her career and a public apology from The New York Times.
She appeared for several seasons in the hit series CSI: Miami (2002) as Julia Winston, and in the final season of Showtime's The L Word (2004). Thanks to television syndication of Saved by the Bell (1989), Elizabeth is a favorite among a whole new generation of teen girls. Elizabeth has been making life-changing connections with these girls over the past seven years through Ask Elizabeth, her not-for-profit organization that includes self-esteem workshops she facilitates as a volunteer in schools and for youth organizations, a thriving website (ask-elizabeth.com) that hosts digital content as a way to be of continued service to girls and, most recently, her book "Ask Elizabeth" (published by Penguin), which made The New York Times' best-seller list. This nationwide movement has affected the lives of over 100,000 girls and counting. She was also a featured contributor on Oprah.com, bridging the communication gap between mothers and daughters.
Berkley is married to artist Greg Lauren and the couple has one son, Sky Cole Lauren, born in 2012. She is 5'10", and she has been a vegetarian her entire life. She enjoys yoga, dancing and singing. She attended UCLA where she studied English Literature. Berkley is active in numerous outreach programs including dance classes for young teens and physically and mentally challenged youth; volunteer work with the elderly at the Motion Pictures Home for the Aging; Women's Cancer Research Fund, the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and the Humane Society.