Birthdays: March 9
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Steve Wilkos is the host of NBCUniversal Domestic Television Distribution's nationally syndicated series The Steve Wilkos Show.
A native of Chicago, Wilkos served his country in the U.S. Marine Corps for almost seven years before joining the Chicago Police Department. For almost 12 years, he kept the streets of Chicago's volatile 14th District (Shakespeare) safe while moonlighting during his off hours on television. Wilkos retired from the police force in 2001 and now devotes himself full time to his family and his show.
Prior to starting a show of his own, Wilkos filled in for Jerry Springer as host of the long-running The Jerry Springer Show on more than 50 episodes, using his law enforcement background and no-nonsense style to create his own identity as a talk show host.
Wilkos' many achievements over the years includes earning three Prism Award nominations for raising awareness about substance abuse issues, serving as the host of The Daytime Entertainment Creative Arts Emmy® Awards and being asked to lend his voice for a cameo on The Simpsons. Wilkos has also appeared in several TV shows and films, including the hit motion picture Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.
A huge sports fan and avid golfer, Wilkos can be spotted at various professional sporting events such as baseball, basketball and football games. In his free time, he also likes watching Sons of Anarchy, Breaking Bad and riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
Wilkos and his wife, Rachelle, who is executive producer on The Steve Wilkos Show and The Jerry Springer Show, have two children and live in Connecticut.- Actor
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Alain Marcel was born in 1952 in Sétif region, Algeria. He was an actor and writer, known for The Cheat (1984), Diva (1981) and Les Eygletière (1978). He died on 9 March 2020 in Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.- Albert Abelló was born on 9 March 1960 in Tarragona, Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain. He died on 20 December 2017 in Tarragona, Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain.
- Alexandra Bastedo was born on 9 March 1946 in Hove, East Sussex, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Casino Royale (1967), Batman Begins (2005) and The Champions (1968). She was married to Patrick Garland. She died on 12 January 2014 in West Sussex, England, UK.
- Alan Rune Pettersson was a writer, known for Pehavý Max a strasidlá (1987) and Frankenstein's Aunt (1987). He died on 15 August 2018.
- Andrew Robertt was born on 9 March 1969. He is an actor, known for Slow West (2015), Topless Women Talk About Their Lives (1997) and Legend of the Seeker (2008).
- Aníbal Vinelli worked at different newspapers and magazines as a movie critic, like "Clarín", "La Voz", "La Hoja", "Humor" and "Somos". He also worked at broadcastings as Radio El Mundo and Radio Continental, among others. He wrote "Guía para el lector de ciencia ficción" ("Science fiction reader guide") in the 70s. His critics and reviews were usually most important of Argentine movie critics.
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Antonio Gasalla was born on 9 March 1941 in Ramos Mejía, Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is an actor and writer, known for El palacio de la risa (1992), Brother and Sister (2010) and La Argentina de Tato (1999).- Actor
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Born in Montreal Quebec, Ben Mulroney is the son of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. Mulroney has a law degree from Laval University and a history degree from Duke University.
Ben Mulroney began his career as an entertainment reporter as the Quebec City Correspondent for The Chatroom in 2000 and became a co-host on the show in July 2001. Following his role on The Chatroom, Mulroney became an entertainment reporter for CTV's Canada AM in October 2001 before becoming the Host of etalk in 2002.
As the host of etalk, Mulroney reports from the red carpet at major industry events including the Oscars, Golden Globes, and the JUNO Awards and travels around the world to interview celebrities. Mulroney, along with etalk co-host Tanya Kim, have hosted Free The Children's We Day youth empowerment events in Toronto and Vancouver. In February 2010, Mulroney reported for on entertainment news for CTV from the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. He also hosts etalk 20, a weekly two-hour radio show that airs on 11 CHUM radio stations across Canada.- Robert Joseph Camposecco, known as Bobby Campo was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, on March 9, 1983, and is an American actor. Debuted in the movie Vampire Bats (2005) television for 2005, in this movie he was credited as Bobby Camposecco. He gained popularity after starring in the movie Legally Blondes (2009) The film that elevated the career of Bobby is The Final Destination (2009).
- Bobby Fischer was the greatest American chess player in history and might have been the most talented chess player ever to play the game. His career and legacy were marred by eccentricities that developed into what likely was full-blown mental illness that made him an exile from his country of birth that he represented in the greatest proxy battle of the Cold War and from the game he loved.
The chess legend was born Robert James Fischer on March 9, 1943 in Chicago to Regina Wender Fischer. His mother was a Jew who had been born in Switzerland but raised in St. Louis who became a naturalized U.S. citizen. The actual identity of his father is unknown. Regina listed German biophysicist Hans-Gerhardt Fischer, her first husband, as the father on Bobby's birth certificate, but they had been separated since 1939. Bobby's actual father likely was Hungarian physicist Paul Newmenyi, who like his mother, was Jewish. As his mental stability broke down late in life, Bobby became a vicious anti-Semite, insisting he wasn't Jewish.
The young Bobby grew up without a father with his mother and older sister. It was his sister who whet his appetite for chess when she bought a chess set when Bobby was six year old. Reportedly possessed of a super genius I.Q. of 180, Bobby had a remarkably retentive memory. A monomaniac when it came to chess, his memory combined with an uncanny knack for the game and a determination to win transformed him into the greatest chess player in the world.
Bobby became a National Master at the age of 12 and won America's Junior Chess Championship at the age of 13, making him the youngest Junior Champ in history. The 13 year-old Bobby defeated 26-year-old Donald Byrne, winner of America's chess championship, in a 1956 game heralded as "The Game of the Century." By this age, Fischer was showing gifts for improvisation and innovation that marked him as a chess genius.
As a 14 year-old on the cusp of his 15th birthday, he won the U.S. Chess Championship in 1958, giving him the title of International Master. Later that same year, he broke future opponent Boris Spassky's record to become the youngest World Chess Federation Grand Master; Bobby was 15, and Boris was 18 when he set the distinction. The two names would become linked forever in chess history. (When the two first played each other in 1960, Fischer lost during an Argentine tournament, though the two tied and were co-winners of the tourney. He would not beat Spassky until their famous world title match in Iceland in 1972.)
Bobby quit high school at the age of 16 to earn his daily bread by the sweat of his brow as a chess player. In a 1961 match against American champ Samuel Reshevsky, Bobby dropped out of the match claiming a scheduling dispute with the match organizer after tying Reshevsky in 11 games. Such eccentric behavior heralded his future.
By '62, Fischer was considered the best non-Soviet chess player in the world. Bobby came to hate the Soviet players, who he claimed colluded with each other to him at a disadvantage. In 1966, Bobby placed second behind Boris Spassky in a super-tournament held in California. A year later, he withdrew from the tournament cycle that culminated in the World Championship, again over a scheduling dispute. The cycle ended in 1969 with Spassky crowned as the World Chess Champion.
In 1968, Fischer began an 18-month-long sabbatical from the game, which included sitting out the '69 American Championship tournament as he was dissatisfied with the prize money and the tourney format. Failing to compete should have disqualified him from the 1969-72 Championship cycle, but he was able to compete for the world title when an American Grand Master surrendered his own spot for Fischer.
Starting with the 1970 USSR v. Rest of the World tournament in which he beat former World Champion Tigran Petrosian, the master who had been defeated by Spassky in '69, Bobby began his march to the world championship. Through 1971, he had won 20 straight games in international tournament play, the second-longest win streak in the history of the game. Petrosian broke the streak but was in turn defeated by Fischer to win the right to challenge Spassky, a player he had never beaten, for the world title.
Though he hated Soviet players for what he considered collusion (drawing matches between themselves so they could concentrate on beating non-Soviet players like Fischer), he liked and respected Boris Spassky. Spassky returned the affection and esteem.
By 1972, he was in the position to make good his boast that he was the greatest chess player in the world. His difficult nature when it came to setting match and tournament conditions flared up again, and though he wanted to play in Yugoslavia, he accepted Spassky's suggestion of Iceland for the world title match. Negotiations were so prickly, President Richard Nixon's national security adviser, Henry Kissinger intervened, personally contacting Bobby to ensure that he did not drop out of the match, which was seen as a proxy battle in the ongoing Cold War between America and the Soviet Union.
Though he later denounced the United States, at the time, Bobby embraced the Cold War rhetoric, declaring the match was "the free world against the lying, cheating hypocritical Russians."
Held in Reykjavik, Iceland from July through September 1972, the drama of the world championship boosted the image and popularity of chess to new heights. Bobby lost the first two games, the first on a bad end move and the second by forfeit when he refused to participate. Because of his eccentric demands, he came close to forfeiting the match, but Spassky agreed to his demand to play in a new room with no TV cameras, the presence of which had upset Fischer.
Fischer won the third game of the match, the first time he had beaten Boris Spassky in 12 years. For the rest of their play in 1972 and their 1992 rematch, Fischer never fell behind Spassky in terms of play or points. Spassky was baffled by Fischer's innovative moves, as he played new lines and combinations that Boris had never encountered before. Fischer won the match and became World Chess Champion by a score of 12.5 points to 8.5 on seven wins, one loss and 11 draws in 19 games.
His championship was heralded by the U.S. media as a victory for the individualistic America over the collectivist U.S.S.R., whose players had dominated chess since the end of the Second World War. It was front page news, and it made Bobby Fischer a celebrity. He reportedly turned down a $1-million offer to endorse a chess set brand as he faded from the public spotlight.
Fischer did not play competitively for the next three years, and in 1975, he forfeited his title by refusing to defend it when the World Chess Federation did not meet one or two of his many demands (estimated at between 64 and a hundred). The world title went to Anatoli Karpov by default, though Fischer continued to insisted he was the world chess champion.
Fischer did not play competitively until 1992 when he met Boris Spassky for a rematch on the resort island of Sveti Stefan in in Montenegro, which was part of all that remained of Yugoslavia along with Serbia. The match was held in defiance of United Nations sanctions against Slobodan Miloseviæ's Serbia for war crimes.
Bobby beat Boris, winning $3.35 million in prize money (approximately $5.65 million in 2012 dollar, when factored for inflation), but because the United States intended to enforce the U.N. sanctions, he had violated American law and could have served up to 10 years in jail upon returning to America. A defiant Fischer went into exile instead, living in Hungary before moving to the Philippines and then Japan.
It was while living in the Philippines during the opening days of the new millennium that Bobby Fischer established himself as a world-class crank. After the 9/11 attacks on the United States, he praised the attacks and spewed forth anti-Semitic drivel on radio broadcasts. The Soviet hater of the Cold War era had become a rabid America hater and Jew-basher at the start of the global war on terror. His anti-Semitism became so extreme, he renamed himself "Robert James" and insisted he wasn't Jewish.
During a stop-over in Japan, Fischer was arrested for traveling with an invalid U.S. passport. He promptly renounced his American citizenship. The arrest meant he could not leave Japan as he was a stateless person wanted by the United States. Facing a potential extradition to the country of his birth, Iceland came through and granted him citizenship, which allowed him to leave Japan. The country was still grateful for the publicity he had brought to its then-unknown capital of Reykjavik. Thus, Fischer moved to Iceland, the place where he had became part of not only chess lore, but of world history
Bobby Fischer died on January 17, 2008 in Reykjavik after having been gravely ill. He made it to his 64th year, which was symbolic, as a chessboard has 64 squares. - Music Artist
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Shad Gregory Moss was born on March 9, 1987 in Columbus, Ohio to Teresa Rena (Jones) and Alfonso Preston Moss. When Shad was five, he started his rap career using the nickname "Kid Gangsta." One year later, he took front stage during "The Chronic Tour" and impressed rapper Snoop Dogg, who later gave him the name Lil' Bow Wow. Snoop Dogg later hired him as an opening act and introduced him to Jermaine Dupri, the producer who helped Shad's career.
He backed up the success of his double platinum debut album "Beware of The Dog" (2000) with 2002's platinum "Doggy Bag." It was during the release of his first album that he publicly took his nom de guerre.
After having several guest spots on TV shows such as "Moesha" and "The Steve Harvey Show," Shad made his big-screen acting debut in 2002's All About The Benjamins, which he immediately followed with his first starring role, Like Mike, and a new stage name- Bow wow.
He has publicly dated Ciara, and in 2011 admitted to having a child with an unnamed woman. In 2012 he made news when he was publicly forced to pay child support. In 2015 he became engaged with reality star Erica Mena.
In 2015 he began starring in the TV show "CSI: Cyber" and resides in Atlanta, Georgia.Bow Wow- Actress
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Brenna O'Brien was born on 9 March 1991 in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. She is an actress, known for Supernatural (2005), X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) and Charlie St. Cloud (2010).- Actor
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Former NFL Seattle Seahawks linebacker, the always controversial Brian "Boz" Bosworth only played three seasons in the NFL but during that period he made plenty of headlines for a mixture of reasons, however he was forced to retire due to a chronic shoulder injury - which then saw "Boz" pitched as a new action star in the cinema.
Bosworth's first film was the fiery action film Stone Cold (1991) about an Alabama police officer (Bosworth) going undercover to smash a murderous outlaw biker gang called "The Brotherhood" led by Lance Henriksen and William Forsythe. Bosworth put in a fairly reasonable performance alongside a supporting cast of very high quality actors, and the film received some mildly positive reviews. Interestingly, it was several years before he made another movie with Bosworth appearing quickly in a string of further tough guy roles in low budget action films including One Man's Justice (1996), the woefully slow Virus (1996), the offbeat noir styled Midnight Heat (1996) and as an undercover cop again in Back in Business (1997).
Bosworth hasn't turned into the next "big thing" in the action genre, however he has continued appearing in key roles in low budget action productions, and minor roles in bigger Hollywood productions such as The Longest Yard (2005).- Actor
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Brian Lane Green is a Tony Award nominated actor for the Broadway musical "Starmites" and has appeared on Broadway in Cy Coleman's "The Life" and as Huck Finn in "Big River." He has also toured nationally and internationally in major marquee roles including "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." As a series regular on three Daytime TV soaps and with lead roles in the independent and cult film favorites "Circuit" and "Friends and Family." Brian has a strong fan base following. Currently, Brian is creating several projects for stage and screen, including a series of historical narratives with producing partner Ian Eugene Ryan. He conceived and directed "The Sedaka Show" and co-wrote the song "I Would Never Leave You" for the Tony Award winning show "Liza's At the Palace." Brian is often consulted for directing, writing and composing, and he is a favorite of many Grammy winning composers for his own performing renditions of standards and top hits. He has produced two albums, writing several of the cuts, and has won awards for his original music.- Actress
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Brittany Anne Snow (born March 9, 1986) is an American actress and singer. She began her career as Susan "Daisy" Lemay on the CBS series Guiding Light (1952) for which she won a Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress and was nominated for two other Young Artist Awards and a Soap Opera Digest Award. She then played the protagonist Meg Pryor on the NBC series American Dreams (2002) for which she was nominated for a Young Artist Award and three Teen Choice Awards.
Snow's notable film roles include Kate Spencer in John Tucker Must Die (2006), Amber Von Tussle in Hairspray (2007), Donna Keppel in Prom Night (2008), Emma Gainsborough in The Vicious Kind (2009), and Chloe Beale in Pitch Perfect (2012).- Actress
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Bryony Afferson was born on 9 March 1983 in Barnsley, Yorkshire, England, UK. She is an actress, known for House of Anubis (2011), The Shadow Line (2011) and Luther (2010).- Burcin Terzioglu is a Turkish actress. Being raised in a family working in cinema, she started her career as a child-actor at a very young age, and later furthered and completed her education at the M.G.S.M. Actor Studio. Terzioglu has successfully portrayed various roles in many Turkish TV shows and movies. Her most recent TV show has been the hit series 'Poyraz Karayel' in which she took on the leading role of 'Aysegul'. This tv show was extremely successul and became a phenomenon in its own genre and aired 82 episodes. Some of her previous TV work includes: 'Merhamet', another all time Turkish TV hit 'Ezel', 'Ey Ask Nerdesin', 'Firtina', 'Melekler Adasi', 'Kadin Isterse', 'Kinali Kar', and a classic, 'Mahallenin Muhtarlari'. On the big screen, Terzioglu took on the role of 'Benek' in the movie 'Halam Geldi' in 2013. She has appeared in the commercials of the popular snack 'Eti Browni Intense'. Burcin Terzioglu has won a significant amount of awards in a remarkably short time. She has won fifteen awards from 2015 to 2017. Some of these awards include; 'Best Actress' at the Galatasaray University 'Best of the Best Awards' in 2017, 'Best TV Actress' at the 43rd Annual Golden Butterfly Awards in 2016, 'Best TV Actress' in the MGD 22nd Annual Golden Lens Awards in 2016, 'Actress of the Year' in 2015 at the Halic University Awards, 'Best Actress' at the Yeditepe University 5th Wish Awards in 2017, and again 'Best Actress' at the Sabanci University Media Club 3rd Navy Awards in 2016.
- Born and raised in Paris, France, Camille was discovered in a street of Montmartre by french icon designer Jean Paul Gaultier. She went on pursuing an international modeling career. She signs an exclusive 3 years world contract with Lancome, starts her acting career as a leading character in the french t.v teenage hit series "la Vie Devant nous". She then moves to feature films collaborating with directors such as Xavier Giannoli , Harmony Korine or Remy Bezancon . Shawn Ryan gives Camille her first part in an American t.v drama: "Last Resort"; in 2014 she joins the cast of The Following" alongside Kevin Bacon
- Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Carl Betz formed a repertory theatre company while still in high school, then worked in summer stock. He served in the U.S. Army during the Second World War, then attended Carnegie Tech. Following graduation, he worked as a radio announcer. He made his Broadway debut in "The Long Watch". He was given a contract at Twentieth Century-Fox, and appeared in supporting roles in a number of films before moving into television. After a brief period working in soap operas, he was cast as Dr. Alex Stone on the popular The Donna Reed Show (1958) and spent eight years there. He followed that show with another series, Judd for the Defense (1967), in which he played a masterful attorney. He worked primarily in television, in both guest appearances and TV movies, throughout the Seventies, though he continued to work on stage around the U.S. He fought a gallant fight against early cancer and died in 1978.
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Carlos Acosta-Milian was born on 9 March 1965 in Havana, Cuba. He is an actor and producer, known for Havana Stories [La operación Payret] (2023), Cambio de Guardia (2019) and 100 días para enamorarnos (2020).- Director
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Cedric Nicolas-Troyan was born on 9 March 1969 in Talence, Gironde, France. He is a director, known for Kate (2021), The Huntsman: Winter's War (2016) and Snow White and the Huntsman (2012). He has been married to Sue Troyan since 25 July 2002. They have one child.- Charles Gibson was born on 9 March 1943 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for ABC World News Tonight with David Muir (1953), Primetime (1989) and Good Morning America (1975). He has been married to Arlene Joy since 20 July 1968. They have two children.
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One of acting's more reliable performers from the 1970s through the early 1990s, Charles Siebert alternated between the live theater and film/television as both an actor and director. Born the eldest of four children in 1938 in Wisconsin, he started his career following journalism school at Marquette University and a stint in the U.S. Army in the 60s. After marrying his college sweetheart, Catherine Kilzer, he trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. They eventually returned to the United States with their English-born son, Christopher, and resided in New York City where two more children, Charles Andrew and Gillian, were born.
Following work in various regional theatre productions, Charles graduated to roles on the Broadway and off-Broadway stages. He made his Broadway debut in Galileo (1967) and appeared in such other New York plays as "The Gingerbread Lady" (1970) with Tony winner Maureen Stapleton, "Sticks and Bones" (1972), and the 1974 revival of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" starring Elizabeth Ashley in which he played the role of Gooper. He was also in the cast of the 1968 musical "Jimmy Shine" starring Dustin Hoffman. Simultaneously Charles was appearing in such New York-based daytime soaps as "Search for Tomorrow," "Another World" and "As the World Turns."
Moving to Los Angeles in the mid 1970s, Charles was seen in many commercials and also joined the guest roster of episodics, appearing on most of the popular series of the time including "All in the Family," "Rhoda," "Barnaby Jones," "One Day at a Time," "Maude," "Kojak," and "The Rockford Files." Among his more distinguished TV work was his portrayal of Helen Keller's father in the mini-movie The Miracle Worker (1979) which starred Melissa Gilbert as Helen and Patty Duke, formerly the Oscar-winning Helen on film, inheriting the role of teacher Annie Sullivan. For seven seasons Charles co-starred as Dr. Stanley Riverside, the chief of emergency services, on Trapper John, M.D. (1979) with Pernell Roberts and Gregory Harrison. During that period he began taking an avid interest in directing and ended up helming several episodes of the series.
Over the years Charles has performed with some the finest regional theatres in the United States, including the inaugural year of San Francisco's ACT; the Goodman Theatre in Chicago; The Theatre Company of Boston; Baltimore's Center Stage; The McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey; Stratford Connecticut's American Shakespeare Festival, and some seven seasons at Williamstown, Massachusetts' Summer Theatre. In the 1990s he became predominantly known as a TV director of such shows as "Knots Landing", "Silk Stalkings", "The Pretender", "Hercules" and "Xena: Warrior Princess".
Following the death of his first wife Catherine in 1981, Charles re-married in 1986 to Kristine Leroux, a former real-estate executive, who added three children of her own to the family mix. Of his own three children, both Christopher and Charlie, Jr. now have careers in jazz music as headliners in the well-known band Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers. Charles Sr. is now retired and living happily with his wife in the wine country of Northern California.- Chaske Spencer is an award-nominated actor who currently stars in Marvel Studios' new series ECHO as 'Henry "Black Crow" Lopez, Maya's (Alaqua Cox) well-intended uncle with ties to Fisk's (Vincent D'Onofrio) criminal underworld. His recent co-lead opposite Emily Blunt in Hugo Blick's limited series THE ENGLISH Amazon/BBC) garnered him critical acclaim including: BAFTA Awards and Royal Television Society (RTS) Programme Awards with a 2023 Leading Actor nomination and Outstanding Performance in a New Series nomination at the 2023 Gotham Awards. On the feature side, he starred in WILD INDIAN which premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival for which Chaske was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for the 2022 Independent Spirit Awards.
Up next, Chaske stars in WIND RIVER: THE NEXT CHAPTER with Jason Clarke as well as the Peacock horror thriller TEACUP (executive produced by lan McCulloch, Atomic Monster's Wan, Michael Clear and Rob Hackett) alongside Yvonne Strahovski and Scott Speedman, inspired by Robert McCammon's novel Stinger.
When Chaske was young, he dreamt of becoming a photographer, but before long, he also found himself in front of the camera. Chaske moved to New York City and in between bartending and waiting tables, he was cast in his first off off-Broadway play, DRACULA, as the title role. He went on to perform at The Public Theater in NYC and The Roundabout, and soon was discovered by casting director Rene Haynes.
Chaske is well known for his portrayal of 'Sam Uley' in the Twilght Saga: New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn I and II. He starred in the Susanna White directed feature, WOMAN WALKS AHEAD, opposite Jessica Chastain and Sam Rockwell, which made its World Premiere at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. His most notable television credits include: NatGeo's BARKSKINS, NBC's BLINDSPOT, Netflix's JESSICA JONES, the Emmy award-winning Cinemax series BANSHEE, A&E's LONGMIRE, and the Amazon series SNEAKY PETE with Bryan Cranston.
Chaske Spencer was born of the Lakota Sioux tribe, and raised on Indian Reservations in Montana and Idaho. - Actress
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China Suárez was born on 9 March 1992 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is an actress and composer, known for Abzurdah (2015), The Red Thread (2016) and Argentina, tierra de amor y venganza (2019).- Actor
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Christian Friedel was born on 9 March 1979 in Magdeburg, East Germany [now Saxony-Anhalt, Germany]. He is an actor and music artist, known for The Zone of Interest (2023), 13 Minutes (2015) and Babylon Berlin (2017).- Actor
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Christoffer Nordenrot is a Swedish actor and scriptwriter. He was born 1986 in Stockholm and studied at Teaterhögskolan i Malmö 2009-2012. Together with the production company Crazy Pictures he created one of Swedens first big viral successes "Poesi för fiskar". Christoffer has starred in several films and TV-series in Sweden, in different genres, ranging from children's programs to political thrillers to humor series. In the Netflix series "Clark" (2022) Nordenrot portrayed bank robber Jan (Janne) Olsson alongside Bill Skarsgård. A few noticeable productions Nordenrot has starred in: "En man som heter Ove" (A man called Ove), "Sjukt oklar", "Wallander - Mordbrännaren", "Inkognito", "Pappa på förskolan", "Pappas pojkar" and the Christmas calendars "Piratskattens hemlighet" (2014) and "Kronprinsen som försvann" (The crown prince who disappeared) (2022). He played one of the main characters, Bill, in the TV-series "Fallet" (The case) which won the award for Best Comedy Drama at the C21 Drama Awards in London 2017. With the drama thriller "The Unthinkable" (2018) Christoffer made his leading star feature film debut, playing the role of Alex.- Actress
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Cierra Ramirez was born on 9 March 1995 in Houston, Texas, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Girl in Progress (2012), The Fosters (2013) and Good Trouble (2019).- Courtney Wagner was born on 9 March 1974 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Dan Andrei Aldea was born on 9 March 1950 in Bucharest, Romania. He was a composer, known for Stone Wedding (1973). He died on 18 January 2020 in Fantana Doamnei, Romania.
- Born in the same city and on the same month as his family friend Aamir Khan, Darsheel Safary (born March 9, 1997 in Mumbai, India) is an Indian child movie actor primarily working on starring in Hindi Bollywood films. He is best known for his acclaimed portrayal of a dyslexic child in the 2007 film Taare Zameen Par (Like Stars on Earth), a drama film about a teacher, Ram Shankar Nikumbh (Aamir Khan) and a boy (Darsheel Safary) with learning disabilities share a special bond.
Darsheel was born on March 9, 1997 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. His father, Mitesh Safary is a jeweler and his mother is Sheetal Safary. He had no acting experience prior to Taare Zameen Par. Growing up in Mumbai, he enrolled into Shiamak Davar's dance academy. He had never expected to be a movie actor at such a young age. His parents wanted him to be a businessman executive or a jewelry designer. He has a younger sister and resides in his hometown in Mumbai.
In 2007, Safary made his first big acting debut in Taare Zameen Par, playing the film's protagonist Ishaan Nandkishore Awasthi. Safary was discovered by script writer and creative director, Amol Gupte during fall 2006 when he was looking for a male lead for his film, Taare Zameen Par. After going through hundreds of auditions, Gupte found Safary at Shiamak Davar's dancing school, "Summer Funk". In choosing Safary, Gupte had a number of boys audition for a scene in which they would informally describe how they would "bunk" school after being given a few scenarios. He recalls, "It was a tough call. But Darsheel has the mischief in his eyes to be Ishaan. Everyone just naturally gravitated towards him." Taare Zameen par was filmed from fall 2006 until spring of 2007. Darsheel, at this time was only nine years old and only about 4 feet tall. The child artiste of the film, had to face a lot of opposition from his school when he was shortlisted for the film. The fact that he would have to miss school for such a long period of time did not go down well with the school authorities. However, Aamir Khan insisted that only Darsheel play the character, so he came up with a solution to fix the problem. He personally assured the school authorities that Darsheel's studies wouldn't be hampered with. Aamir arranged for personal tuition for Darsheel all through the academic year so that he wouldn't miss his exams. He also funded his studies as well as his educational expenses. Before starring, Darsheel was a part of Shiamak Davar's dance troupe. During one of the classes, he saw a poster that read, "Hunting for a naughty kid. If you're selected, you will get a chance to act with Aamir Khan." He thought that it would be great if he was able to act in the film. During the same class, Amole Gupte spotted him and asked him to go for an audition. Eventually, he got selected. Darsheel also got an Xbox 360 as a birthday gift from Aamir Khan on 9th March 2007, his tenth birthday. Following the film's release, he became the youngest nominee for Filmfare Award for the Best Actor. He couldn't make it because it was won by Shahrukh Khan for Chak de! India.
Safary's performance as a struggling dyslexic child in the film was unanimously praised and he won several awards for his performance. Many prominent film critics have praised Safary for his performance including, Taran Adarsh from indiaFM who wrote, "Taare Zameen Par belongs to Master Darsheel Safary. A performance that makes the best of performances pale in comparison. A performance that deserves brownie points. A performance that'll always come first on your mind the moment someone mentions Taare Zameen Par. A performance that's impeccable, flawless and astounding. A performance that moves you and makes you reflect on your growing years. A performance that merits a special award!" He won several awards for his performance, including the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor and the Star Screen Special Jury Award.
Following his first acting debut, directors of Bollywood films were desperately dying to talk to Darsheel to sign him in to star him in their film. ANd s he returned to the big screen again to impress more fans and win the hearts of more audiences. He also appeared in the 2010 film, Bumm Bumm Bole as Pinu, which tells the story of a family's situation getting from bad to worse after the husband/father of the family is fired from his job, then is suspected of having terrorist connections. The family is living in Northwestern India, a terror dominated region full of crime, corruption and terrorism. The parents are poor, broke and in serious debt and they can barely afford and manage things. They are working at a tea farm. Meanwhile, Pinu loses his sister Rimzim's shoes so they both decide to share a pair of shoes until their father has saved enough money to buy a new pair. The title of the film is based on one of the songs of the same name from taare Zameen par, however this film is not a sequel to Taare Zameen Par. The film was panned by critics and received mixed to mainly negative reviews, however, Darsheel did not mind. The critics however, praised the performances of Darsheel and newcomer Ziyah Vastani, stating that they had great chemistry together and made an adorable brother-sister duo.
Darsheel also starred in the 2011 film Zokkomon as Kunal, directed by Priyadarshan. In this film, abandoned by his heartless uncle who is obsessed with money (Anupam Kher) and aided by a street artist and a petty thief (Manjari Fadnis), an young orphaned boy (Darsheel Safary) discovers his inner superhero within him. Upon learning that Darsheel would play a superhero in a movie for the first time, Aamir Khan was very surprised and impressed and he blessed and praised the film, saying "Darsheel will always be my superhero in my heart". Aamir joked that "In Taare Zameen Par, he was also a superhero". The film, directed by Satyajit Bhatkal was well received by critics and a box office success.
He also played young Saleem Sinai in the 2012 film Midnight's Children, a story tells the audience about children born on the brink of India's independence grow up in a country that is vastly different from their parent's generation. Continuing his career, he played himself as a contestant in Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 5 in 2012. In November 2015, he played the role of Abhay in the TV series Sun Yaar Try Maar. He is still active in Indian television and cinema, having acted in 4 films under the age of 17. While not a full time actor, Darsheel has acted from time to time as a hobby. He filmed movies and TV shows during his summer vacations so that he wouldn't be missing out on school. Or if he was out of school, he took his homework and books with him and studied on the sets. He also wrote tests and studied during breaks from filming so he wouldn't miss out on anything. His brilliant performances in Taare Zameen Par and Zokkomon shows that he is an amazing, bright, vibrant, shiny and talented kid with an amazing spark of his own. While he hopes to become an actor full time as a job in the future, he also indicated that his future plans may also include being a singer and a dancer, a businessman executive and a jeweler designer in an interview on rediff on December 26, 2007. - Actor
- Additional Crew
- Director
Del Close was born and raised in Manhattan, Kansas, and attended Kansas State University, after touring with a sideshow act for a period of time in his teenage years. In 1957, at the age of 23, he became a member of the St. Louis branch of "The Compass Players", the direct precursor of "The Second City", which opened in December, 1959. Most of the St. Louis cast went to Chicago, but Close chose New York and a budding career as a hip, young stand-up comic in competition with Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, Bob Newhart, etc. That same year, he also appeared in the off-Broadway musical, "The Nervous Set", of which an original cast album exists. Close came to Chicago in 1960 and, more or less, made it his home for the rest of his life, always gravitating back there after a few months or even years elsewhere. Perhaps he understood instinctively the advice Paul Sills gave Stuart Gordon some years later: "Come to Chicago", they Close directed and performed at "The Second City", until he was fired (major substance abuse problems) in 1965.
He spent the next five years in San Francisco eating acid and touring with the "Merry Pranksters" on their famous psychedelic bus, creating light images for Grateful Dead, and working with The Committee, a North Beach equivalent of "Second City", which Close helped organize. It was at "The Committee" that he first began seriously to develop his ideas and techniques of long-form improvisation, although "Second City" had experimented with long-form as early as 1962. Close returned to Chicago in 1970 and set up a free, open-to-all workshop at the Kingston Mines Company Store, the café attached to the Kingston Mines Theatre Company on Lincoln Avenue (where the parking garage of Children's Memorial Medical Center now stands). He drilled his students -- everyone from acid-dropping love children to a vice-president of the Foote, Cone and Belding advertising agency -- in the basic principals of improv and theatre games, and in the specifics of "The Harold", a long-form improv technique developed by Close. At a time when most improvisation mainly focused on creating single scenes, Del devised "The Harold" as something not unlike a sonata form. Several themes would be established, a community of characters would be introduced, and then the resulting scenes would play off each other in comedic counterpoint -- characters from one environment moving to another and phrases and images recurring, each time accruing new meaning. Going to this from conventional sketches was like going from arithmetic to calculus. (Why was it called "The Harold"? When he introduced it, one of his students said, "Del, you've invented something, you get to name it". Del said, "Well, the Beatles called their haircut "Arthur", so I'll call this Harold". He later regretted the flipness. "Probably my most significant contribution and it's got that stupid name").
The weekly public performances at Kingston Mines sometimes had as many as 20 performers participating. After a few months, Close hand-picked a dozen of his best, and moved operations down the block to the Body Politic for twice-weekly workshops and Sunday night performances. He named the company "The Chicago Extension Improv Company", as an extension of his San Francisco work. The best-known players to emerge from the troupe were "Broadway" Betty Thomas, Dan Ziskie, Brian Hickey and Jonathan Abarbanel.
Before leaving Chicago, again, in 1972 to perform for Paul Sills in a Story Theatre production at the Mark Taper Forum in LA, Close and "The Chicago Extension" had begun to explore scenario improvs based on dreams. The techniques the "Extension" developed after Close left became Dream Theatre, which continued at the Body Politic over the next five years, although with different personnel. Close returned to Chicago in 1973 as resident director at "The Second City", a position he kept until 1982. It was during this decade that he taught and directed a long list of TV and film comedy greats, including John Belushi, Bill Murray, John Candy, Don DePollo, George Wendt, Audrie Neenan, Eugenie Ross-Leming, David Rasche, Shelley Long, Ann Ryerson, etc.
Upon leaving the troupe, Close pursued legitimate acting opportunities with a number of theatres, including Wisdom Bridge, Remains, Goodman and Steppenwolf. He won his Joseph Jefferson Award in 1985 in a radical "Hamlet", directed by Robert Falls at Wisdom Bridge. Close also did TV and film work, appearing in The Untouchables (1987) and Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), among others. It was during this period that Close finally beat his long heroin addiction (although he continued to smoke cigarettes and marijuana), in part truly shocked by the excesses and death of John Belushi, and, in part, because, as he told Jonathan Abarbanel, "I've decided I want to live".
Close was enjoying his new theatrical vistas, as well as a successful professional partnership with Charna Halpern and ImprovOlympic, which allowed him to concentrate on further development of "The Harold", and on team improv. Close was 64 when he died of complications due to emphysema the evening of March 4, 1999, just five days shy of his birthday. He left no survivors, although he claimed to have fathered an illegitimate child by a woman in Minneapolis sometime in the late 1950s. Close requested in his will that his skull be given to the Goodman Theatre so that he could play Yorick in the company's next "Hamlet". However, Halpern, his executor, was unable to persuade doctors to remove Close's skull, and it was cremated along with the rest of his body.
Close was one of three titans of improvisational theatre who put it on the map, refined it, and turned it into the fixture of comedic and acting technique which it has become. The first was Viola Spolin, who started the work in the 1930s with her development of theatre games -- originally for children -- as exercises in imagination. She didn't utilize them for public performance. It was her son, Paul Sills, who was able to take theatre games and use them as the basis for development of satirical revue comedy. Sills and a group of brilliant cohorts, including Mike Nichols, Elaine May, Shelley Berman, Sheldon Patinkin and others made this work the focus of various company experiments in the mid-1950s, including the Compass Players in Chicago and St. Louis. In 1959, The Second City opened, co-founded by Sills, Howard Alk and Bernard Sahlins. Close arrived on the scene a year later. Within three years, both Sills and Alk had left the troupe to pursue other ventures. Alk continued to work in the improv field, but died young. Sills has retained improv and theatre games within his artistic repertory -- it is part of the basis of his Story Theatre -- but has not devoted his career to it. Close, then, became the third titan of improvisation after Spolin and Sills, and the only one to devote his artistic life and best theoretical thinking to it. He fully understood pain and suffering as a basis for comedy, as well as the nature and limitations of the comedic form. The Harold, the scenario, long-form improv -- call it what you will -- is his personal legacy to the field; while his own boundless, sometimes manic drive as a charismatic teacher and director have done more to establish improvisational theatre around the world than anything or anyone else. The explosion of improv troupes and teams and classes (the Museum of Contemporary Art offers an improv class, for example), and the inclusion of theatre games and improv exercises in standard acting curricula, are the result of the work of Spolin and Sills and Close. With specific regard to long-form improv and Close's own contribution, that legacy will grow even greater through the next generation, as his students and acolytes inherit the world of comedy.- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Diego Torres was born on 9 March 1971 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is an actor and composer, known for La venganza (1999), Papeles en el viento (2015) and Extraños en la noche (2012). He has been married to Debora Bello since 14 December 2020. They have one child.- Stunts
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Eddie Powell was born on 9 March 1927 in London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Legend (1985), Aliens (1986) and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991). He was married to Rosemary Burrows. He died on 11 August 2000 in Berkshire, England, UK.- Actress
- Additional Crew
Ellen Hillingsø was born on 9 March 1967 in Copenhagen, Denmark. She is an actress, known for The Experiment (2010), Karlas kabale (2007) and Credo (1997). She is married to Christoffer Castenskiold. They have one child.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Emmanuel Lewis was born March 9th, 1971 in Brooklyn, New York. The youngest son of Margaret Lewis, a former computer-science professional, Emmanuel attended regular public schools in Brooklyn until his busy acting career took him to Hollywood. He has four siblings. His acting career began one day when he was jogging with an actor-friend who asked him if he wanted to be in the business. The friend suggested that Emmanuel's mother contact the Shuller Talent Agency, which handles gifted children for TV commercials. He thought that Emmanuel had the perfect face and personality for commercials. The friend proved right. Emmanuel was signed by the agency the minute the agents saw him and before long he was appearing in commercials for such products as fruit juice, cars, stereos, glue, soup, toys, coffee, pudding, pizza, and, of course, Burger King. He did around 50-60 commercials including one for Campbell's Soup and Life Cereal and the 4 Burger King commercials. His Colgate commercial can be seen in the movie 'Splash' when Madison (the mermaid) goes to the mall (it can be seen on the TVs in the background).
The first acting job Emmanuel had that wasn't in a commercial was the part of The Changeling Boy in the Joseph Papp New York Shakespeare Festival Production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Emmanuel also guest-starred on such TV talk shows as "The Tonight Show" and "The Phil Donahue Show" but "Webster" was Emmanuel's first major role on a TV series.
Emmanuel also became one of the biggest stars in Japan as well as America. He made three personal-appearance tours in that country, and a record he made there shot to the top of the charts. He even made a television movie for Japanese television called Samurai in New York.
He has maintained a friendship with music superstar Michael Jackson for many years. It all began when they met at an awards ceremony. After that, Michael insisted that Emmanuel accompany him to such events as "The Emmy Awards Show" and "The Academy Awards Presentations" (they would often dress alike). The two young men spent many happy hours together discussing performing and show business.
Besides Webster, Emmanuel has done guest spots on The Love Boat, In the House, Family Matters (as himself), Malcolm & Eddie (as himself), and Moesha (in the episode "The Short Story"). He also did a 1985 TV movie called Lost in London which co-starred Ben Vereen. He also did 'The New Adventures of Mother Goose Special' with Sally Struthers.
The 3' 6" tall (he says there is no known medical reason for his still-short stature and has grown 6" since the age of 12) Lewis graduated from Clark Atlanta University with a theater arts degree in 1997. He is said to be looking for another TV series and to possibly go into directing. He is good friends with Marc Price ('Skippy' on Family Ties and now a stand-up comedian) and has gone on tour with him and done various promotional appearances with him.
He founded his own musical label called Emmanuel Lewis Entertainment. He is said to have a black belt in karate and is a martial arts expert. He also is a student of Billy Blanks' Tae-Bo.
Emmanuel guest-starred on the new original USA Network thriller called GvsE. In the August 1st 1999 episode, he played an...uh...explosive character proving that not only Good things come in small packages.
In February 2002, he appeared in a commercial for Denny's.- Eric Woodburn was born on 9 March 1894 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. He was an actor, known for Nana (1968), The Way We Live Now (1969) and Dr. Finlay's Casebook (1962). He was married to Jean St.Clair Balls. He died on 25 October 1981 in Camden, London, England, UK.
- Production Designer
- Art Department
- Costume Designer
Eugene Lee was born on 9 March 1939 in Beloit, Wisconsin, USA. He was a production designer and costume designer, known for Saturday Night Live (1975), Man on the Moon (1999) and Schmigadoon! (2021). He was married to Brooke E. Lutz and Franne Lee. He died on 6 February 2023 in Providence, Rhode Island, USA.- Finn Carter was born on March 9, 1960 in the Mississippi Delta. Her mother, Margaret W. Carter, and her father, Hodding Carter III (best known for his position as the spokesperson for the State Department in President Carter's administration), were attending a play at the Greenville Little Theatre when her mother went into labor. The newspaper announcement of her birth foresaw stage-lights for the second child of Hodding and Peggy. Finn attended Walnut Hill School of Performing Arts for high school and then went on to Skidmore College followed by Tulane University. In 1983, Finn moved to New York City and was soon after offered a three-year contract on the soap opera, As the World Turns (1956). She kept her first love alive, the theatre, by becoming a member of the, now defunct, Circle Repertory Company. Finn met her first husband, Steven Weber, on the set of As the World Turns (1956). When Steven was cast on the sit-com Wings (1990) in 1990, the couple split their time between N.Y.C. and L.A. until their divorce. Finn remarried in 1997 and has two beautiful girls (born in 1997 and 2000) and one step-daughter as the result of that union. Finn also has two sisters who both live in Mississippi and one brother who lives in Maine.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Puglia started his career at age 15 when he joined a traveling operetta company. Frank appeared in Italian opera from the age of 13. He came to the U.S. in 1907 and worked in a laundry before joining an Italian language theatre group in New York. In 1921, while appearing on stage, he was spotted by D.W. Griffith and was hired immediately. Puglia played a number of ethnic roles throughout his 150+ films career, as well as frequently playing priests, diplomats and musicians.- Greyson Fletcher was born on 9 March 1991 in Orange County, California, USA. He is an actor, known for John from Cincinnati (2007), View from a Blue Moon (2015) and Raw Days (2021).
- Harry Karl was born on 9 March 1914 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was married to Debbie Reynolds, Joan Perry, Marie McDonald and Ruth Elizabeth Lamb. He died on 7 August 1982 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Actor
- Composer
Irvin 'Carrot' Jarrett was born on 9 March 1949 in Jamaica. He was an actor and composer, known for Third World (1980) and Carrot Jarrett Feat. Sean Paul: Nice Time (1994). He died on 31 July 2018 in Kingston, Jamaica.- Actor
- Writer
- Composer
Ismael Serrano was born on 9 March 1974 in Madrid, Madrid, Spain. He is an actor and writer, known for Luna en Leo (2013), Km. 0 (2000) and El hombre que corría tras el viento (2009). He has been married to Jimena Ruiz-Echazú since 2010. They have one child.- Director
- Producer
- Actor
Emmy Award-winning director Jack Smight was born in Minneapolis, MN, on March 9, 1925, the offspring of Irish immigrants. After graduating from Cretin High School he served in the US Army Air Force during World War Two, where he flew combat missions in the Pacific Theater. After the war he attended the University of Minnesota, where he met up with an old high-school friend - Peter Graves (they had been matriculating in the theater department as drama students). After graduation they hooked up in Hollywood, where they rented a room and made the rounds, looking for work as actors while Jack worked as a carhop and Graves drove a cab, ignoring the advice of Graves' older brother, James Arness, to head straight back to Minneapolis.
Unlike his friend, Smight did not achieve success as an actor. He became a stage manager and then turned to directing. Graves later said of his friend that his acting background helped him understand actors. "He was also a very intelligent, literate man," Graves said, "who knew how to communicate with the writers." These skills made him a successful director, first in television and then in the movies. In 1959 he won an Emmy Award for Best Direction of a Single Program of a Dramatic Series - Less Than One Hour for Eddie (1958), which starred Mickey Rooney and featured an Emmy-winning script by Ken Hughes. In the 1960s he directed films featuring such A-list talent as Paul Newman and Rod Steiger before moving back to TV in the 1970s, while occasionally directing a feature film.
Jack Smight died of cancer on September 1, 2003 in Los Angeles, California. He was 78 years old.- Writer
- Director
- Actor
Jaime de Armiñán was born on 9 March 1927 in Madrid, Spain. He was a writer and director, known for My Dearest Senorita (1972), The Nest (1980) and El amor del capitán Brando (1974). He was married to Elena Santonja. He died on 9 April 2024 in Madrid, Spain.- Jaime Lyn Bauer was born on 9 March 1949 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. She is an actress, known for The Centerfold Girls (1974), Days of Our Lives (1965) and Young Doctors in Love (1982). She has been married to Jeremy Swan since 15 April 1980. They have three children. She was previously married to Dr. Richard Sayre Goldstein.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
James Clement was born on 9 March 1977. He is an actor, known for Survivor (2000), The Hustler (2009) and TV Guide Specials: Survivor - Heroes vs Villains Preview (2010).- Jason Johnson was born on 9 March 1977 in Seattle, Washington, USA. He is an actor, known for Ski Patrol (1990), The ButterCream Gang (1992) and The ButterCream Gang in Secret of Treasure Mountain (1993).
- Actor
- Sound Department
- Producer
Jason Marnocha was born on 9 March 1989 in Indiana, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Transformers: Combiner Wars (2016), Carole & Tuesday (2019) and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (2012).- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Jean Louisa Kelly was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. She is an actress, known for Yes, Dear (2000), Uncle Buck (1989), as John Candy's mean-spirited, rebellious niece, Mr. Holland's Opus (1995), Luisa in Michael Ritchie's film version of the long running musical The Fantasticks (2001), and Sarah Kazansky, the Iceman's wife, in Top Gun: Maverick. She has been married to James Pitaro since May 24, 1997. They have two children together: a son and a daughter.- Director
- Editor
- Producer
Jean-Marc Vallée was a Canadian filmmaker, editor and screenwriter from Montreal. He directed Black List, C.R.A.Z.Y., The Young Victoria, Wild, Dallas Buyers Club, Los Locos, Loser Love and Café de Flore. He also created the HBO shows Big Little Lies and Sharp Objects. He was married to Chantal Cadieux and had two sons. He passed away on Christmas Day 2021.- Writer
- Producer
- Actress
Jeannie Gaffigan was born on 9 March 1970 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. She is a writer and producer, known for The Jim Gaffigan Show (2015), My Boys (2006) and Jim Gaffigan: Noble Ape (2018). She has been married to Jim Gaffigan since 26 July 2003. They have five children.- Producer
- Writer
- Director
Jeffrey Nachmanoff was born on 9 March 1967 in Arlington, Virginia, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for Traitor (2008), The Day After Tomorrow (2004) and Replicas (2018).- Music Department
- Actor
- Composer
Jeffrey Osborne was born on 9 March 1948 in Providence, Rhode Island, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Spaceballs (1987), Undercover Brother (2002) and Love & Mercy (2014). He has been married to Sherri Osborne since 1983. They have four children.- Producer
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Henry James Beach (born March 9, 1942 in Gloucester) is the long-time manager of the British rock band Queen and its individual members. He was nicknamed "Miami" by the band members, a play on his surname. He took over as manager of the band in 1978 after he had acted on their behalf as a lawyer.
Beach is co-founder of Transistor Project, a digital pump put together with Blur's Dave Rowntree.
Beach lives in Montreux, Switzerland and is married to Claudia Beach, and has a daughter and a son, Ol Beach, who is the frontman for the band Yellowire and was formerly the keyboard player for the rock band Wire Daisies, discovered by Queen's Roger Taylor.- Actor
- Writer
Jim Henaghan was born on March 9, 1943 in Los Angeles, California, USA as James O'Farrell Henaghan, Jr., son of James Henaghan, a writer for the Hollywood Reporter, and the famed dancer/actress/singer Gwen Verdon. James Henaghan, Sr. had been a friend of the Verdon family, and when Gwen was about 16 or 17, impregnated her. Verdan's family asked her to marry him, so they eloped and she lied about her age to get married. The marriage was short-lived, and Verdon needed to work. With the encouragement of her parents, she pursued her career while young Jim, Jr. was raised mostly by his grandparents. The details of this period in Verdon's life have always been sketchy, and she seldom talked about it.
As a young man, Jim followed in his famous mother's footsteps and attempted a career as an actor and writer, finding modest success in the 1960s and 1970s. After his career petered out in the 1970s, Jim pursued a life out of the limelight, going into plumbing. He bought a plumbing store in Encino, California, and later a restaurant.- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Joanne Rogers was born on 9 March 1928 in Jacksonville, Florida, USA. She was an actress, known for Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018), Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum (2019) and Speedy Delivery (2008). She was married to Fred Rogers. She died on 14 January 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Joe Gilgun was born on March 9, 1984 in Chorley, Lancashire, England. He is an actor who first appeared in Coronation Street (1960) when he was only ten years old. Later he became known through Emmerdale Farm (1972) and the film This Is England (2006). He also appeared in its spin-off series This Is England '86 (2010), This Is England '88 (2011) and This Is England '90 (2015).
He then replaced Robert Sheehan as the lead in Misfits (2009) from the third series onwards. He then managed to win another big role by starring as the vampire Cassidy in AMC's critically acclaimed drama series Preacher (2016).
As of 2021 he's the lead in the Sky One comedy-drama Brassic (2019), a role he's been playing since 2019.
Besides these television roles, he also appeared in feature films like Harry Brown (2009), Screwed (2011), Lockout (2012), Pride (2014), The Last Witch Hunter (2015) and The Infiltrator (2016).- Producer
- Director
- Actor
John Howard Davies was born on 9 March 1939 in Paddington, London, England, UK. He was a producer and director, known for Oliver Twist (1948), Fawlty Towers (1975) and Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969). He was married to Linda Patricia, Dale Mackenzie Tillotson and Leonie Taylor. He died on 22 August 2011 in Blewbury, Oxfordshire, England, UK.- Writer
- Producer
- Actor
Jordan Klepper was born on 9 March 1979 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Bathroom Party (2012), Poop Brunch (2013) and Bone Dry (2011). He has been married to Laura Grey since 22 September 2013.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Adept at both comedy and drama, veteran "second lead" and character actress Joyce Van Patten was born on March 9, 1934, in New York City. Prodded by a typically assertive magazine editor (stage) mother, Joyce and her equally famous older brother Dick Van Patten displayed natural talent and began performing regularly at a very early age.
Of Dutch, English and Italian descent, Joyce was auditioning for modeling roles before reaching her first birthday, and by the age of 6 was on Broadway performing in the play "Popsy" (1941). In the same year she and brother Dick appear on radio with "Reg'lar Fellers," a summer replacement series for "The Jack Benny Program." As an adolescent, Joyce appeared in the Broadway plays "This Rock" (1943), "Tomorrow the World" (1943), "The Perfect Marriage" (1944), "The Wind Is Ninety" (1945) (also with Dickie) and "The Bees and the Flowers" (1946).
Following her relatively brief marriage (1950-1953) to Thomas King at the age of 16 which produced her son Thomas Casey King, who later turned actor and billed himself as Casey King, Joyce moved to teen parts on such TV anthologies as "Armstrong Circle Theatre" and "Kraft Theatre." On TV she appeared a few times on brother Dick's TV series Mama (1949) and originated the role of Janice Turner Hughes on the popular daytime soaper As the World Turns (1956).
As she grew into a young adult, Joyce purposely dressed down and downplayed her beauty in order to play more interesting characters. Specializing in smart, calculating, cynical, earthy and brittle characters, Joyce reveled in wry comedy as well as quirky drama. Making an inauspicious film debut with an unbilled role in the urban drama Fourteen Hours (1951) with a later small part in The Goddess (1958) starring Kim Stanley, Joyce remained a strong presence on TV and in the theatre. Such popular Broadway shows would include "The Desk Set" (1955), "A Hole in the Head" (1957) and "Spoon River Anthology" (1963). She also appeared with Dick elsewhere on stage with "The Male Animal" (1953), "The Tender Trap" (1955), and "Oh Men! Oh Women! (1955). In 1957, she married actor Martin Balsam and their daughter, Talia Balsam, also became an actress.
In addition to co-starring in the TV diner sitcom The Good Guys (1968) co-starring Bob Denver and Herb Edelman and playing a neurotic assistant to a TV variety show star in The Mary Tyler Moore Hour (1979), Joyce would grace a host of popular 60's and 70's TV shows, including "The Defenders," "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," "Ben Casey," "Dr. Kildare," " "Perry Mason," "The Danny Kaye Show," "The Andy Griffith Show," "The Outer Limits," "The Jack Benny Program," "Gunsmoke," "Mannix," "Love, American Style," "Medical Center," "The Odd Couple," "Columbo," "The Bold Ones," "Family" and "The Bob Newhart Show."
Joyce's infrequent movie roles would be some of her most interesting and quirkiest. She played naïve "square" Peter Sellers's plain-Jane girlfriend in the "hippy" comedy I Love You, Alice B. Toklas! (1968); played one half of a romantic couple with real brother Dick(!) in the teen dramedy Making It (1971); portrayed one-half of a bickering couple held hostage and given marital advice by a house-breaking thief in Bone (1972) (featuring son Casey); played an embittered woman picking up hitchhikers in Thumb Tripping (1972); played a conniving Southern belle fiancée in the Lucille Ball version of Mame (1974); portrayed a bedridden trailer park trash wife in the murder mystery The Manchu Eagle Murder Caper Mystery (1975); and a blunt Little League supervisor in the hit comedy The Bad News Bears (1976). She also returned to Broadway as a replacement in the two-person comedy drama "Same Time, Next Year" (1975) and the short-lived "Murder at the Howard Johnsons" (1979).
Other vital theatre, both Broadway and regional, in later years included "I Oughta Be in Pictures" (1980), "The Supporting Cast" (1981), "Brighton Beach Memoirs" (1983), "Rumors" (1988), "Jake's Women" (1992), "Ring Round the Moon" (1999), "Taller Than a Dwarf" (2000), "Harvey" (2003), "The Oldest Profession" (2004), and "Rabbit Hole" (2006) and "The People in Pictures" (2011). Also, seen in TV movie versions of hit plays such as You Can't Take It with You (1979) as Miss Wellington, and Bus Stop (1982) as diner owner Grace, she also appeared in Malice in Wonderland (1985), Maid for Each Other (1992) and Jake's Women (1996). She also was part of the cast for the first season of the comedy Unhappily Ever After (1995). She was a standout as the overbearing mother to Jason Beghe's quadriplegic son in the horror flick Monkey Shines (1988).
Into the millennium, Joyce has supporting roles in the films Marley & Me (2008), Grown Ups (2010), God's Pocket (2014) and Diane (2018); and the TV programs "Oz," "The Sopranos," "NYPD Blue," "Desperate Housewives," "The Good Wife," "Boardwalk Empire" and "Cady Did."
After two rather brief marriages, Joyce married twice more -- briefly to actor Hal Lynch and a longer one to actor Dennis Dugan.- Juan Sebastián Verón was born on 9 March 1975 in La Plata, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. He is an actor, known for I Married a Dumbass (2016), Pepsi Worldcup Campaign 2002 (2002) and The Joy of Pepsi (Foosball) (2001). He has been married to Valentina Martín since 8 September 2023. He was previously married to María Florencia Vinaccia.
- Julian Tudor Hart was born on 9 March 1927 in London, England, UK. He died on 1 July 2018 in the UK.
- Actress
- Art Department
- Additional Crew
Juliette Binoche was born in Paris, France, to Monique Yvette Stalens, a director, teacher, and actress, and Jean-Marie Binoche, a sculptor, director, and actor. Her mother was born in Czestochowa, Poland, of French, Walloon Belgian, and Polish descent, while her father is French. Juliette was only 23 when she first attracted the attention of international film critics with The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988). Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times film critic with an international following of his books on film and TV reviews, wrote that she was "almost ethereal in her beauty and innocence". That innocence was gone by the time Binoche completed Louis Malle's Damage (1992) (aka "Fatale"). In an interview after the film was released, Binoche said: "Malle was trying direct and wanted something more sophisticated". A year later, Krzysztof Kieslowski's Three Colors: Blue (1993) was added to her film credits. After a sabbatical from film-making to become a mother in 1994, Binoche was selected as the heroine of France's most expensive ($35 million) movie ever: The Horseman on the Roof (1995). More recently, she has made The English Patient (1996), for which she won an Oscar for 'Best supporting actress' and Chocolat (2000).- Katherine Squire was born on 9 March 1903 in Defiance, Ohio, USA. She was an actress, known for When Harry Met Sally... (1989), The Story on Page One (1959) and Studs Lonigan (1960). She was married to George Mitchell and Byron McGrath. She died on 29 March 1995 in Lake Hill, New York, USA.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Katja Ebstein was born on 9 March 1945 in Girlachsdorf, Silesia, Germany [now Gniewków, Poland]. She is an actress, known for Look Who's Back (2015), L'homme qui vient de la nuit (1971) and Gisbert (1999). She was previously married to Klaus Überall and Christian Bruhn.- Actor
- Casting Department
- Producer
Kato Kaelin was born on 9 March 1959 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for BASEketball (1998), Pauly Shore Is Dead (2003) and Winners (2014). He was previously married to Cynthia Coulter.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Keely Smith was born March 9, 1928 in Norfolk, VA. After her parents divorced and her mother remarried Jesse Smith when she was nine years old, she changed her name to Keely Smith after she joined Louis Prima and his band. Her family had a tough time and her three brothers and her took in laundry to make ends meet. In 1947, she was on a vacation trip to New York City where the heat became oppressive. The family decided to go to Atlantic City, N.J. instead. Keely went to the Steel Pier where Louis Prima was appearing. In 1948, Prima appeared at the surf club in Virginia looking for a singer. Keely auditioned and was selected and hit the road at 18-years-old. They were subsequently married on July 13, 1953 and issued two daughters, Toni Prima and Luanne Prima. Keely was Prima's fourth wife. For many years, they appeared together in Las Vegas with bandleader Sam Butera and made "that old black magic" a standard. In 1961, Keely filed for divorce citing extreme mental cruelty. In 1965, she married Jimmy Bowen, a record producer and they were later divorced. She currently lives in Nevada and makes appearances in the Las Vegas area. Prima died in a nursing home in New Orleans on August 24, 1978 after being in a coma for several years. Her film credits include: Sing Sing Sing (2002), Thunder Road (1958) and Hey Boy! Hey Girl! (1959).- Kenneth H. Brown was born on 9 March 1936 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer, known for The Brig (1964), The Brig (2015) and Modernes Theater auf kleinen Bühnen (1964). He died on 5 February 2022 in Queens, New York City, New York, USA.
- Actor
- Director
Kerr Smith was born in a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Barbara (Hess) and Rick Smith. He has a younger sister, Alison. Kerr graduated from Henderson High School in 1990 and then went on to attend the University of Vermont, graduating with a degree in Business Administration (Accounting and Finance). After college, Kerr moved to New York City where he quickly began his career in acting. After three years in NYC working on "As the World Turns," and films such as "Hit and Runway" and "Kiss and Tell," he moved to Los Angeles where he landed the role of "Jack McPhee" on the hit series "Dawson's Creek" after being in Los Angeles for only seven weeks. Kerr has had a slew of films and TV shows over the last 20 years in the business such as: "Final Destination," "E-Ring", "Justice", "Life Unexpected" and "My Bloody Valentine" just to name a few. He is also the co-owner of the Venice Beach Beer Company. His hobbies include flying airplanes and riding motorcycles.- Producer
- Writer
- Script and Continuity Department
Kevin Wade is an American writer and producer. He began his career by writing plays, and one of his earliest works was "Key Exchange", staged in 1983 and later turned into a movie in 1985.
In 1988, he turned his look into film writing and end up writing one of the year's biggest hits, which was the celebrated comedy Working Girl (1988), directed by Mike Nichols. Wade was nominated for a Golden Globe and the Writers Guild of America for his screenplay but didn't secure the nomination as Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards - where the movie landed several nominations including Best Picture.
Wade's next move was the political drama True Colors (1991) starring John Cusack and James Spader; followed by the Tom Selleck comedy Mr. Baseball (1992) , Ivan Reitman's Junior (1994), the epic romance Meet Joe Black (1998) and the rom-com Maid in Manhattan (2002).
Starting in the late 2000's, Wade became involved only on TV projects, writing and producing shows such as Cashmere Mafia (2008) and Blue Bloods (2010).- Kimberly Ann Guilfoyle was born March 9, 1969 in San Francisco, California to Mercedes Marie Guilfoyle (née Gerena), a Puerto Rican special education teacher & Anthony Christopher "Tony" Guilfoyle, an Irish real estate investor. Her mom died of leukemia when Kimberly was 10, which made her dad raise her & her little brother as a widowed father. Kimberly worked her way through college and law school, including a brief stint as a lingerie model, before becoming an assistant district attorney in San Francisco. She received national attention in 2001, when she successfully prosecuted two defendants whose dogs had mauled a woman to death in San Francisco. That same year, she married Gavin Newsom, a city supervisor from a prominent family; he was elected mayor in 2003. Kimberly is extremely visible in San Francisco society, as a member of many charitable organizations, and maintains close ties with the Getty family. In 2004, she moved to New York to become a legal consultant for MSNBC, CNN and CourtTV. In January 2006, Kimberly joined Fox News Channel where she is host of The Lineup (2005). She is also a legal analyst for the Fox News Channel.
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- Director
Kirk is a classically trained actor and has the distinction of being "a true chameleon," with over 30 on-stage performances and more than 170 film & television credits, including star turns in the indie features Woodlawn (2015), Like Dandelion Dust (2009), Midnight Clear (2006), Hometown Legend (2002), Urban Justice (2007), The Lucky Ones (2008), and The Least of These (2008). His work in A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) lead to a substantial offer by the man himself, Steven Spielberg, in his film Minority Report (2002). His other studio films include Swordfish (2001) opposite Don Cheadle, Flightplan (2005) opposite Sean Bean and Jodie Foster, Wolfgang Petersen's Poseidon (2006), Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers (2006), and Resident Evil: Extinction (2007). On television he's played series regular and recurring characters on The Chosen (2017), The Event (2010), The Unit (2006), E-Ring (2005), Over There (2005), Charmed (1998). Strong Medicine (2000), The X-Files (1993), and NYPD Blue (1993). And has guest starred on such hit shows as NCIS (2003), Criminal Minds (2005), Bones (2005), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000), Big Love (2006), 24 (2001), Rizzoli & Isles (2010), Switched at Birth (2011) and Extant (2014).- Krasimir Kostov chooses the acting path when he falls in love into a beautiful actress from the screen. This drives him to graduate "New Actors" cinema school in his home town, and to become an actor. Since then he has been constantly developing himself, and hopes that one day the "the filming stage of life" will get to know them on the set.
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- Casting Director
- Producer
Lacey Mael was born on 9 March 1983. She is an actress and casting director, known for You & Me (2018), Truth Hall (2018) and Aquarius Jones (2017).- Born on March 9, 1953 in Boston, Massachusetts, Koslow's mother was a docent, and was raised with a strong love for colonial life along with her sister, Linda and her brother, Donald. Koslow was educated at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, graduating with a degree in theatre and costume design. Koslow signed on with a summer stock theater group in Virginia as a costume designer. She was also asked to audition for the role of Vera in the play "Ten Little Indians." Koslow soon put her costume designing talent aside to become a full-time actress, appearing in such regional productions as "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" and "Dial M for Murder". She then moved to Los Angeles to pursue a television career and landed various guest roles before scoring the role of the scheming Lindsay Wells on the hit CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless (1973) which she played from 1984-1986. She was then asked by the serial's creators William J. Bell and wife Lee Phillip Bell to become an original cast member on the duo's new sister soap The Bold and the Beautiful (1987) which debuted in the spring of 1987. She portrayed Eric Forrester's (played by John McCook) design assistant Margo Lynley from the serial's inception until 1992 when she left to begin a family. Through the early 1990s Koslow busied herself with guest starring roles in several prime time television series including Silk Stalkings (1991) and The Nanny (1993). However, she was lured back to daytime television in 1996 in order to replace actress Deborah Adair who left the NBC soap Days of Our Lives (1965) to, ironically, spend more time with her family. In the role of vindictive call girl turned corporate executive Kate Roberts, Koslow flourished on Days of Our Lives quickly becoming a woman fans 'love to hate'. The character is known for her wickedness and deception, specifically her ongoing war with fellow Salem resident Sami Brady (Alison Sweeney) and her rocky marriage with mogul Victor Kiriakis (John Aniston). In contrast to her reel life, in real life Koslow has been married to make-up artist Nicky Schillace since 1987. The couple resides on a ranch in Northridge, California in the San Fernando Valley with their 2 children and various animals.
- Actress
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Barbro Svensson was born on 9 March 1938 in Järvsö, Gävleborgs län, Sweden. She was an actress, known for Pang i bygget (1965), Svenska Floyd (1961) and Das Studium der Weiber ist schwer (1960). She was married to Kjell Kaspersen, Lasse Berghagen and Börje Landar. She died on 3 April 2018 in Stockholm, Sweden.Lill-Babs- Actress
- Soundtrack
Linda Fiorentino is an American actress. She has starred in the films Vision Quest (1985), Gotcha! (1985), After Hours (1985), Jade (1995), Men in Black (1997) and Dogma (1999). For her performance in The Last Seduction (1994), she won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress, the London Film Critics' Circle Award for Actress of the Year, and was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.- Actor
- Additional Crew
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Although most of Lloyd Price's hits occurred in the late 1950s and early 1960s, he actually had his first hit in 1952, with "Lawdy Miss Clawdy", which became a major R&B hit. However, his budding career came to a quick halt in 1954 when he was drafted into the army. Because of his musical background, though, he was placed into the Special Services (entertainment) branch, where he was put in charge of a large dance band that played "swing" music to entertain the troops. It was here that Price got the idea for what was to become his trademark style: combining a lush, full orchestra with the grittier, rawer tempos and vocals of R&B. After completing his hitch, Price made the rounds of record companies trying to convince them of the soundness of his idea, but he got nowhere. Frustrated, he started his own label, Kent Records. His first record on Kent, 1957's "Just Because", became a regional hit on the East Coast, but Kent, like other small labels, found it difficult to distribute nationally, limiting the chances of the record's success. Price managed to sign a distribution deal with ABC-Paramount Records, a major player with national distribution, and that enabled the record to stay on the charts for the next six months. The next year he signed a distribution deal with Atlantic Records, another major label. However, he soon grew tired of both running a record label and performing, and decided to concentrate solely on performing. He signed a recording contract with ABC-Paramount in 1958, and in October of that year released what would be one of his biggest hits, "Stagger Lee", complete with his trademark combination of orchestral background and R&B vocals. The record sold more than a million copies and was the top R&B record of 1959. The song did cause some controversy, though. It was based on an old tune called "Stag-O-Lee" about an argument that took place during a gambling game that resulted in a barroom murder. Religious pressure groups, among them the Catholic Church's Legion of Decency, pressured Paramount not to release the record at all, due to its "immoral" subject matter. Paramount did release it, but the lyrics were somewhat sanitized, with no mention of gambling or the shooting resulting in the character's death. Price's follow-up songs to "Stagger Lee" wee also big hits: "Personality" and "I'm Gonna Get Married." Price left Paramount in 1962 and started his own record label again, Double-L. While he had some modest hits with that label, its main claim to fame was that it was the label which first signed Wilson Pickett to a solo contract.
Price signed with several different labels over the next several years (he was the first black artist signed by Monument Records, a Nashville label that specialized almost exclusively in country/western singers) but couldn't manage to chart with any more records. In an effort to jumpstart his career he started his own label again, Turntable Records, and even opened up a nightclub in New York called Turntables. In 1972, he began to concentrate more on personal appearances and concerts rather than recording. He went into semi-retirement in the mid-'80s and only occasionally appeared in concerts or on television. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.- Director
- Actor
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Lonny Price directed Glenn Close in Sunset Boulevard on Broadway and at the English National Opera, Sweeney Todd starring Emma Thompson and Bryn Terfel at the ENO and Lincoln Center, and Carousel at the ENO. His Broadway credits include Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill starring Audra McDonald (also for HBO and currently on the West End stage), 110 in the Shade, 'Master Harold' ... and the Boys, Sally Marr and Her Escorts (co-written with Joan Rivers and Erin Sanders), Urban Cowboy, and A Class Act (Tony nomination, Best Book, with Linda Kline). His work with the NY Philharmonic includes Company, Sondheim: The Birthday Concert (Emmy Award), and Passion. He directed television captures of his Sweeney Todd (Emmy Award), Company, Camelot, and Candide. His documentary Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened premiered at the New York Film Festival and was named one of New York Times' Top 10 Films of 2016.- Luis has become a familiar face on Prime Time television as Max on ABC's the George Lopez Show. Garcia, in his fifth season, is delighted to be a member of the first successful Hispanic family situation comedy on network television and the longest running series of its kind.
At age 13, Luis is already a TV veteran, having performed on episodic series including ER and Any Day Now. Luis has also appeared in numerous national commercials, most recently for Chevrolet, as well as Public Service Announcements which support issues he believes in.
As he enters his teen-heart throb years, Luis maintains a well-balanced life outside of his career in television. He not only excels at school with an A average scholastically but loves sports and has played on his school football team, is an avid skateboarder and golfer. In the Spring of 2006 Luis will introduce a new line of active Skate wear fueled from his love of skateboarding. A recent highlight for Luis was being asked to play in a celebrity golf tournament with George Lopez.
Giving back to his community is important to Luis so he appears at charity events for Make-A-Wish Foundation and the American Heart Association. However he dedicates most of his time to his own foundation Hands on Horses which benefits American Foster Children.
Garcia recently was honored by the Walt Disney Company when they selected his design of the G-Lo Mickey Mouse that toured across country with a collection of other celebrity designed Mickey Mouses' such as Ellen DeGeneres, John Travolta and Raven. After the national tour the collection was auctioned off for charity.
Garcia is a native of Palos Park, Illinois and is one of six children. He now resides with his family in Los Angeles. - Lydia Mackay was born on 9 March 1977 in Fort Worth, Texas, USA. She is an actress, known for Attack on Titan (2013), Black Butler (2008) and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel! (2014).
- Actress
- Music Department
- Producer
Maite Perroni is one of the most prominent and successful artists in the Latin World. In 2020, she became the first Latin actress starring three shows each of them in the most important streaming services worldwide: Key's Game (Prime Video), Accidently Heirs (Claro Video) and Dark Desire (Netflix).
Her latest show "Triptych" reached number 1 non-English TV program worldwide on Netflix and was on Top 10 most watched shows during a month in 80 countries. It also became the first non-English show released in 11 languages in more than 190 countries. The show reached more than 113 million viewed hours since it release. This was the first time Maite played 3 characters in the same story.
The film "La Octava Cláusula" (The Eighth Clause) became one of the most popular films on Prime Video during its month of release and the film "Sin Ti No Puedo" (Not Without You) premiered on Paramount Plus, became the most watched Spanish-Mexican film over a month.
Her Netflix thriller series "Oscuro Deseo" (Dark Desire) released this 2020 in over 180 countries worldwide ranked in the Top 10 most-watched series in Mexico, United States, Brazil, Venezuela, Spain, Dominican Republic, Peru, Costa Rica, Argentina, Paraguay, Honduras, El Salvador, Ecuador, Israel, Nicaragua, Chile, Bolivia and Colombia, among others.
She is also the lead actress of "Herederos por Accidente" (Accidently Heirs) distributed by "Claro Video" released. It also was released by MGM International to the rest of the world. Since its premiere on Claro Video, the series has broken rating records, reaching the highest audience figures ever achieved on that platform.
In the Mexican comedy film "Doblemente Embarazada" (Doubly Pregnant), Maite is the lead actress and associate producer. The film was released in December 2019, with more than 500,000 viewers in theaters. It is now available on Amazon, Prime Video, and Pantaya. The film was ranked in the Top 5 most-watched films in its release month on such platforms.
"El Juego de las Llaves" (Key's Game), produced by "Lionsgate," "Corazón Films," and "Hemisphere Media Group," along with "Amazon Prime Video," is the first series in the Spanish language distributed worldwide. In this project, called "The Best Series of the Year" by the GQ Magazine in Mexico, Maite is the lead actress. For her outstanding performance in this series, Maite was awarded the Crystal Screen Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
Renowned for her beauty, Maite was selected to be among the top ten of the "100 Most Beautiful Faces 2016" by TC Candler - the only Mexican on the list for five years in a row. She has also made the "The 50 Most Beautiful People in the World" by People En Español for 15 years running. Maite was the ambassador for the brand Proactiv for the U.S. Hispanic Market for six years.
She has starred in the hottest, most popular "Telenovelas" (Soap Operas) for over a decade. Rebelde (Rebel), Cuidado con el Angel (Don't Mess with an Angel), Mi Pecado (My sin), Triunfo del Amor (Triumph of Love), La Gata (The cat), Antes Muerta que Lichita (Anything but Plain), among others. Maite is also an award-winning recording artist, performing sold-out concerts throughout Brazil, Mexico, Spain, and Ecuador. Her latest CD, on the Warner Brothers label, released in September 2013, was an instant success and quickly reached #2 on the Billboard 100 charts. She has hosted prestigious awards shows such as the 2019 "Lo Nuestro Awards" and "The 25th Annual Hispanic Heritage Awards Ceremony." Through it all, Maite still finds the time to keep in close touch with her fans - which include more than 13 million followers on Facebook, more than 4.8 million on Twitter, more than 12 million on Instagram, more than 1.2 million on TikTok and over 2,300,000 YouTube subscribers.
Maite's TV career began when she starred in the telenovela "Rebelde." From the show came the musical group RBD, which featured Maite as a lead singer. She helped carry the group to worldwide recognition and acclaim; they won several awards, including "Best Group of the Year," "Best Album of the Year," "Best Concert," and "Best Song of the Year." RBD has sold over 50 million records and sold out venues such as "Estadio Maracaná" in Brazil, Madison Square Garden in New York, L.A. Coliseum, American Airlines Arena in Miami, Estadio Vicente Calderón in Spain, Auditorio Nacional and Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City, among others.
Her popularity was cemented in 2008; she was selected by Mexico's youth to become one of the first Latin women to have an iconic Barbie doll fashioned after her. The Maite Perroni Barbie was a success in Mexico, the USA, Latin America, and Spain.
In 2012, Maite voiced the lead roles in the Spanish language versions of several movies such as the Dreamworks' movie "El Origen de los Guardianes" (Rise of the Guardians) being "El Hada de los Dientes" (Tooth Fairy), Nahuala Film's "Selección Canina" (Canine's National Football Team) as "Maite Terranova" and Lionsgate's "Un Gallo con Muchos Huevos" (Little Rooster's Egg-cellent Adventure) as "Di."
She has won numerous awards including the Tvynovelas Award's "Best Young Actress" for the soap opera "Cuidado con el Ángel" (Don't mess with an Angel), Tvynovelas Award's "Most Popular Social Media Artist 2011", "Alta Inspiration Award 2016" by Alta Med, Tvynovelas Award's "Best Actress in a Leading Role" and "Favorite Leading Actress" at the "Premios Juventud 2016" both for the soap opera "Antes Muerta Que Lichita" (Anything But Plain) and "Best Actress in a Leading Role" at the TvyNovelas Awards 2018 for her role in "Papá A Toda Madre."
She released her first solo album in 2013, entitled "Eclipse de Luna" (Moon Eclipse). The music video for the album's first single "Tu y Yo" was released during the "Premios Juventud 2013" (2013 Youth Awards), which was broadcasted on Univision and was watched by over 13 million viewers. The CD reached #2 in the USA Latin Pop Charts.
In 2017 she released her single "Loca" for which she won several awards such as Gold Discs due to the high digital sales of the song in Mexico, Spain, Colombia, Argentina, and Chile; she was also awarded Platinum Discs due to the high sales of the song in Mexico, Spain, and Chile. The official video has over 370 million views on Youtube.- Actress
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Marguerite Chapman, a small-town secretary and tomboy nicknamed "Slugger", became a model only after friends insisted "you oughta be in pictures", and she went on to act in more than 30 movies. Never a Hollywood wannabe, Chapman grew up in Chatham, New York, with four brothers. She started working as a typist and switchboard operator in White Plains, New York. Praised repeatedly for her beauty, she became a John Powers model in New York City. After she had appeared on the covers of enough magazines, studios beckoned her to Los Angeles. From 1940 to 1943 she appeared in 18 movies, ranging from Charles Chaplin comedies to armed services booster films as a member of the Warner Bros. singing and dancing Navy Blues Sextet. Chapman was cast as the leading lady in Destroyer (1943) with Edward G. Robinson and Glenn Ford. During World War II she entertained troops, kissed purchasers of large war bonds and appeared in a string of war-themed pictures. By the 1950s, however, she had slipped into supporting roles, notably as the secretary Miss Morris in The Seven Year Itch (1955) with Marilyn Monroe and Tom Ewell. As her film career waned, she made a few appearances on television, and appeared occasionally in small theaters. Her last film, The Amazing Transparent Man (1960), was a low-budget sci-fi quickie shot by cult director Edgar G. Ulmer in a few days on the grounds of the state fair in Texas (she was asked to appear as "Old Rose" Calver in Titanic (1997), but she was too ill at the time, and the role went to Gloria Stuart). She was married and divorced from attorney G. Bentley Ryan and assistant director Richard Bremerkamp. Her acting career is memorialized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.- Music Department
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Known for his wide-ranging talents, Mark Mancina's film scores traverse almost every genre: drama, action, comedy, suspense, and period epic. His dark, edgy music for the Oscar-winning Training Day (2001), is a benchmark score that expanded the boundaries of scoring street-wise drama, and is widely used as a temp track, while his breakout score for Speed (1994), another innovative work, influenced the sound of subsequent action movies. Mancina's orchestral originality on Return to Paradise (1998), reflecting the haunting gloom of its subject, and his score for the period epic Moll Flanders (1996), which appeared on Billboard's Classical Crossover Chart, further point to Mancina's considerable compositional range. Other films include Twister (1996), Bad Boys (1995), Con Air (1997), Domestic Disturbance (2001), Tarzan (1999), Brother Bear (2003), The Haunted Mansion (2003), and Sony's 3-D animated short, Early Bloomer (2003).
But Mancina's achievements as composer for some of the top-grossing films of recent years comprise only one aspect of his diverse career. Composer, producer, songwriter and three-time Grammy winner, he has also added Broadway to his list of accomplishments by writing, producing and arranging the score for Disney's Tony-winning stage production of The Lion King. The foundation for this expansion into theatre was set in the early 1990s when Oscar winning composer Hans Zimmer, recognizing Mancina's varied gifts, asked him to arrange and produce three Elton John songs for what would become the enormously successful original film version of The Lion King. Mancina's efforts on "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," "I Just Can't Wait To Be King," and "Hakuna Matata" were rewarded with a multi-platinum record that has sold over ten million copies worldwide, and earned him a Grammy for Best Musical Album for Children and two American Music Awards for Best Pop Album. On the heels of the success of The Lion King (1994), Mancina went on to write and produce additional songs for a Lion King follow-up album entitled Rhythm of the Pridelands featuring South African artist 'Lebo M'. One of Mancina's original songs, "He Lives In You," became a thematic centerpiece for The Lion King theatrical production which opened on Broadway in 1997, and has since been performed to great acclaim in numerous cities around the world. In his role as producer of music for the stage, Mancina collaborated with 'Lebo M', and director Julie Taymor to create the distinctive musical atmosphere of the Tony award winning show. Mancina received a Tony nomination, was awarded Britain's Ivor Novello Award for the London production, and earned his second Grammy for producing the Original Broadway Cast Album.
Born in Santa Monica, Mancina spent his childhood in Culver City, then Huntington Beach, California. Commencing his musical training at a very early age, he has performed all his life as a singer, guitarist and pianist. His film and television scores frequently feature Mancina's own performances on piano, guitar, bass, percussion, and drums, highlighting unique sounds harvested from a personal collection of traditional, exotic, and custom instruments from all over the world.
After studying composition and performance as a classical guitar major at Cal State Fullerton, he went on to perform on Trevor Rabin's solo tour, and later to write and produce for Yes. He also worked on several records with producer Trevor Horn, including the song "Crazy," performed by Grammy-winning artist Seal. In 1990, Mancina moved from Los Angeles to London for a year to work with Emerson, Lake and Palmer, producing and composing their "Black Moon" album for PolyGram. More recently, he has composed and arranged songs with Kenny Loggins. His extensive partnership with Phil Collins includes Disney's animated hit Tarzan (1999), for which Mancina composed the score and co-produced several Collins songs. The ballad "You'll Be In My Heart," which Mancina arranged and co-produced, won the Oscar for Best Song. They renewed their collaborative efforts for the recent Brother Bear for which Mancina co-produced songs and co-composed the dramatic score. In addition to his work in film, theatre and the recording industry, Mancina also writes score and themes for many television projects, which have included "The Outer Limits," "Poltergeist," "Millennium," "Lifepod," and HBO's "From the Earth to the Moon." Among his countless television commercial clients are Nike, Mountain Dew, Jaguar, Skittles, McDonald's, Verizon, Computer Associates, Goodyear, The U.S. Army, American Express and AT&T. Working from his studio in Pasadena, and his home studio, a mountaintop farmhouse/barn, he continues to expand his repertoire, and is currently developing songs for musicals and films.- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Martin Fry - along with Mark White - is the lead singer of the 1980's new-wave band ABC. During the 80s, Martin and ABC produced five hit albums including 'Beauty Stab'(1983), 'Alphabet City' (1987) and, their biggest hit, 'The Lexicon of Love' (1982) which reached No.1 in the UK. Their highest chart position on the singles chart was 'The Look of Love' peaking at No.4. A long-time fan of 'Smokey Robison', Martin's song 'When Smoky Sings' made the top twenty: it was a tribute to the singer.
His music with ABC has featured in TV and Film including The Office (2001) and The Firm (2009). ABC had three No.1 singles on the U.S. dance charts: 'The Look of Love', 'Be Near Me' (1985) and 'When Smokey Sings' (1987). They are one of the bands who originated from the UK city of Sheffield along with Heaven 17 and The Human League.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Director
Martin P. Robinson was born on 9 March 1954 in Dearborn, Michigan, USA. He is an actor and director, known for Sesame Street (1969), Little Shop of Horrors (1986) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990). He has been married to Annie Evans since 9 August 2008.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Martin Ingerman was born on March 6, 1936 in New York City. He had an older brother named Arthur. He had a rough childhood and was often picked on. After he finished school, he went into the army. Later, he appeared in a couple of game shows and won. He wanted to be an actor so he went to California. He lived with another guy and actually ended up dating and eventually marrying his roommate's girlfriend.
Marty made a couple of movies, but made it big when he starred with John Astin in I'm Dickens, He's Fenster (1962). Soon after the show went off the air, he and his wife divorced.
He met and married Shirley Jones and became stepfather to Shaun, Ryan, and Patrick Cassidy, sons of Jones from her marriage to Jack Cassidy. He worked some, but Shirley was primarily the breadwinner. Eventually he started putting some money away and in a couple of years was able to accumulate over a million dollars. In 1999, he and Shirley separated for six months, but then got back together. They live in Encino, California, with three dogs.- Mary Murphy was born in Lancaster, Ohio, the only daughter in a family of four children. Her father worked as an elementary school teacher and her mother, originally from Ireland, remained at home, looking after the family. Life with three brothers led Mary to see herself not as the only daughter in the Murphy household, but as the fourth brother. Keeping up with her siblings left Mary with little affinity for typically feminine pastimes, and she spent most of her free time after school and on weekends participating in athletics such as track and field, basketball, volleyball, and football.
After high school, Mary went to Ohio University for the express purpose of graduating with a degree in Physical Education. In addition to her Bachelor's Degree in physical education, Mary, having developed a love of modern dance over the course of her college education, also minored in modern dance. With no idea she had a professional ballroom dance career ahead of her, Mary saw herself using the combined benefits of her degrees to pursue a career as a specialist in physical education for children with learning disabilities, helping them to connect the mind and the body through repetitive movement and creative dance.
Shortly after graduating, Mary moved to Washington, DC, where, looking for a summer job, she answered an ad in the newspaper; a local studio was recruiting trainees to become instructors. Although her background in modern dance allowed her to transition from trainee to instructor in only a week's time, the studio's limited resources and basic social dancing did not make a favorable first impression on Mary, leaving her feeling dispassionately about ballroom dancing and with no belief that her future would lie therein.
The turning point came when the owner of the dance studio invited her to attend the United States Ballroom Championships in New York City. Upon entering the ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria, Mary's senses were overwhelmed. As she watched the couples whirling across the floor, their bodies seamlessly executing complicated patterns in perfect synchronization, their elegant movements in harmony with the music, it dawned on her that ballroom dancing was much more than what she had been exposed to in the small studio in Washington, DC, more than the blinding glitter and glamor of the fancy dresses and tail suits -- this was a sport in the truest sense of the word, and the athleticism, the sheer artistry of the dancers was astounding. At that moment Mary realized that ballroom dancing was more than just job for her -- she no longer felt the desire to spend the rest of her life as a modern dancer, performing alone.
Mary returned to Washington, DC, determined to become part of the magic she had witnessed, and immediately launched herself into the world of competitive ballroom dance, never looking back. While continuing to teach for the studio, she sought out the best instructors in the area and began her competitive dance training.
After only a year in Washington, familial circumstances demanded that Mary move back to Ohio, and she found herself in a small town with no dance studio an hour and a half outside of Columbus. Mary made the drive to Columbus daily, where she intensified her training in the American Rhythm, American Smooth, and International Latin styles of dance.
As Mary's dancing improved, she focused more on the International Standard style of dance and began searching for a partner with which she would be able to compete. Her search for a suitable dance partner lead her across the country to Southern California. Although the partnership ultimately did not prove to be viable, she decided to make California her home.
Mary resumed work as a dance instructor in San Diego, but remained dedicated to finding a competitive dance partner who would help her realize her goals -- to make the national final in any given category.
That year Mary went to Blackpool, England for the UK Open Championships, where she met Manfred Siglitz and her search for a partner finally reached its end. After a precursory tryout the pair agreed that, though separated by a not inconsiderable distance, Mary living in California and Manfred in England, they would immediately form a partnership and compete in International Ten Dance. Mary and Manfred spent the next two years commuting between Manfred's home in England and Mary's home in California, and touring the world in competition. The couple became Austrian National Champions in 1990 and 1991 and enjoyed considerable success, representing Austria in the World Championships, and making the World Cup final.
In April of 1990, Mary opened the doors to Champion Ballroom Academy in the heart of downtown San Diego. Her vision, partly driven by her own needs as a competitor in training, was to provide the very best facility for competitive dance education, while at the same time creating a school where students and teachers alike would feel a sense of comfort and community as they sought to improve their dancing skills.
Over the course of time, the strains of commuting took their toll, and Mary was put under pressure to leave her studio and life in California behind and move to England. Ultimately, the distance proved too great an obstacle for the partnership to overcome, and despite the promise of placing in the top six in the world, they were forced to part ways.
Although the partnership with Manfred was at an end, Mary's competitive career was long from over. During the five years following the breakup, she went on to build an impressive list of accomplishments with various partners including the Southwest Regional Dance Tournament, the Saint Louis Star Ball, and the International Grand Ball. With partner Bill Milner Mary made the U.S. Open Standard final in an unprecedented six months' time. Finally, in 1996, Mary Murphy and partner Jim Desmond made the final of the U.S. Open American Smooth and won the U.S. Open American Nine Dance.
Her competitive goals realized many times over, Mary immediately retired from competition and shifted her focus toward her ballroom, devoting herself to bringing the joys of dance to all of her students and to those in the community who have not yet discovered the intoxicating, liberating feeling one gets when one steps out onto the dance floor. Mary feels comfortable with her decision to retire, and feels extremely fulfilled managing her business and watching her studio blossom.
Not one to lose herself entirely to the necessary details of managing a ballroom, Mary's desire to share her love for the art and sport of dance with others has led her to remain active as an instructor, coaching and choreographing for many U.S. Amateur and Junior Champions.
Mary has also done her share in bringing ballroom to the screen, acting as a dance double for Julia Roberts in the movie Something to Talk About (1995), appearing in Dance with Me (1998), starring Vanessa Williams, and most recently was part of the Fox television series, So You Think You Can Dance (2005), as a judge and choreographer.
Also, Mary is a partner in and organizer one of the largest U.S. dance competitions, The Holiday Dance Classic, held in Las Vegas each December. She frequently serves as a judge in some of ballroom's most reputable competitions, including the U.S. National Ballroom Championships, and can still be found on Champion Ballroom Academy's expansive floor passing on her infectious enthusiasm and unsurpassable love of dance to her students. - Director
- Writer
- Visual Effects
Masahiro Shinoda was born on 9 March 1931 in Gifu, Japan. He is a director and writer, known for Double Suicide (1969), Chinmoku (1971) and Ballad of Orin (1977). He has been married to Shima Iwashita since 1967. They have one child.- Producer
- Writer
- Actor
Matthew Barnes is a professional basketball player in the NBA. An exceptional athlete at a young age, Barnes attended Del Campo High School in Fair Oaks, California, where he lettered in both football and basketball. In addition to his outstanding basketball skills, Barnes was an All-American wide receiver and led the nation with 28 touchdown catches during his senior year. He earned All-American, All-State, All-CIF, All-City, and All-League honors in each sport. Matt went on to play basketball for UCLA and later appear on many teams in the NBA. As of 2013, Matt was most recently an LA Clipper, scoring an impressive 30 points in his last playoff game with the team. Off court, Barnes devotes a great deal of time to philanthropic endeavors starting a foundation, Athletes vs. Cancer, in honor of his late mother, Ann Barnes, who passed away in 2007, just days after being diagnosed with several types of cancer. Matt also hosts EA Sports "Matt Barnes Basketball Camp" for kids aged 7-14 each year in Northern California, where kids learn the basics of basketball during a week long camp hosted by basketball's elite. In June 2013, Matt was named Defensive Player of the Year by the LA Clippers Organization, as voted by the fans. Matt has tried his hand at acting and attends many red carpet movie premieres in Hollywood during his downtime. He is married to Basketball Wives LA star Gloria Govan and has twin sons, Isaiah and Carter.- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Matthew Gray Gubler is an Emmy award-winning actor, director, producer, painter, and voice over actor from Las Vegas, Nevada. While studying film directing at NYU he interned for Wes Anderson who gave him his first feature film role as Bill Murray's loyal intern "Nico" in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004).
For the past eleven years, Gubler has starred as the lovable genius Dr. Spencer Reid on the internationally popular crime drama Criminal Minds (2005).
Some of his other film acting credits include 500 Days of Summer (2009), Life After Beth (2014), and the cult hit comedy Suburban Gothic (2014) for which he was awarded the 2015 Best Actor Award by Screamfest.
In 2014 he won an Emmy for his participation in Drake Doremus' mini-series The Beauty Inside (2012).
He has provided the voice of Simon the chipmunk in the wildly popular Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007) film franchise and recently voiced the Riddler for DC comic's animated film Batman: Assault on Arkham (2014).
As of 2015, Gubler has directed 8 episodes of Criminal Minds, a behind the scenes documentary of the making of "The Life Aquatic," two music videos for "The Killers," videos for "Whirwind Heat," and "Soko," as well as a fake mockumentary entitled Matthew Gray Gubler: The Unauthorized Documentary (2006) which lampoons his behavior behind the scenes on "Criminal Minds."
Also an accomplished painter, Gubler is known for his vivid and expressionistic portraits of people, animals, and imaginary monsters.- Mia Jexen was born on 9 March 1984 in Hellerup, Denmark. She is an actress, known for Fortitude (2015), 2900 Happiness (2007) and Den som dræber (2011).
- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Country western star Mickey Gilley was born on March 9, 1936 in Natchez, Mississippi, the cousin of future rockabilly legend Jerry Lee Lewis, and raised in Ferriday, Louisiana. In his childhood, Mickey, Jerry, and Jerry's cousin, future Pentecostal televangelist Jimmy Swaggart would all play the piano when they got together and sing gospel and boogie-woogie songs. After Lewis became a chart-topper in the 1950s, Mickey turned professional himself and cut some singles before becoming a session player in the Big Easy.
First married at age 17, Gilley had a minor hit, "Call Me Shorty", in 1958, but it would be years before he came out from under Jerry lee's shadow and established himself as a star. He didn't release his first album, "Down the Line", until 1967. The album yielded a minor hit, "Now I Can Live Again". Three years later, he became a nightclub owner when he opened Gilley's Club in Pasadena, Texas in 1971. The club, billed as the "world's biggest honky tonk", became famous when it was used as the setting for Urban Cowboy (1980), which boosted Gilley's national exposure. By the 1980s, Gilley was experiencing crossover success when he mellowed his C+W with a more pop orientation. He managed to put songs on the charts in each of 15 years, enjoying 17 #1 country hits.
Gilley and partner Sherwood Cryer had a falling out after Cryer became increasingly hostile about changes made to the club. Gilley eventually had to sue Cryer over their "50-50" deal, which Gilley argued favored Cryer much more heavily. Gilley won $17 million from Cryer, but it completely shattered their relationship and forced the closing of the club in 1989. Gilley opened another club in Dallas under the same name in 2006. There's a Gilley's in Las Vegas, and the town of LaPorte, Texas, approved a new Gilley's, not far from the original.- Writer
- Actor
Mickey Spillane, the king of the pulp novelists in the post-WW II period, sold an estimated 200 million copies globally. He was born Frank Morrison Spillane in Brooklyn, New York. Young Frank's mother was a Protestant who bestowed on him his middle name "Morrison", but his Irish Catholic father, barkeep John Joseph Spillane, allegedly had his son baptized with the middle name "Michael", a traditional name for Irishmen (so common, in fact, that the nickname derived from it, "Mick", served as a derogatory term for Irishmen in both the US and England). "Women liked the name Mickey", Spillane said, explaining why he chose the moniker that eventually became one of the world's best-selling novelists. In 1980 seven of the top 15 all-time bestselling fiction books published in the U.S. had been written by Spillane.
Despite the fact that his books were international bestsellers, as a writer Spillane was almost universally reviled by literary critics. He and his novels were attacked not only for their alleged illiteracy but were denounced by the U.S. Senate's Kefauver Commission as promoting juvenile delinquency. Explaining the extraordinary appeal of his novels, Spillane simply said, "People like them." He countered his critics by saying they were jealous of his success. "I'm a writer, not an author," was Spillane's mantra all through his literary life. "The difference is a writer makes money." As late as 1999 Spillane told an audience at London's National Film Theatre, "Authors write, writers get paid." When he was asked about his literary influences, Spillane replied, "Dollars".
Spillane was brought up in the grimy industrial town of Elizabeth, NJ, in what he described as a "very tough" neighborhood. His mother provided him with balance inside the confines of the home, where he became a voracious reader, devouring all of the works of Alexandre Dumas and Herman Melville by the time he was 11 years old. While still a high school student, he "went professional" at the age of 14, writing for the Elizabeth Daily Journal. In 1935 he began submitting his work to magazines before aiming lower and learning his craft by writing for comic books, including such popular titles as "Batman", "Captain Marvel", "Captain America" and "Superman". "[It was] a great training ground for writers," Spillane explained. "You couldn't beat it."
After high school Spillane went to Kansas State College on a football scholarship before dropping out. He joined the Army Air Corps the day after Pearl Harbor, but never left the US, spending the war years flying fighter planes and teaching air cadets how to fly. Still a civil pilot after the war, Spillane claimed he had put in 11,000 hours in the air by 1999. In 1945 he married Mary Ann Pearce, the first of his three wives. The couple had two sons and two daughters.
After leaving the military, he briefly worked in the Barnum and Bailey Circus as a trampoline artist and adept knife-thrower. Subsequently he worked for the FBI as an undercover operative to crack a narcotics ring (the subject of the novel "Kiss Me, Deadly", not the atomic bomb plot of the movie). He claimed in interviews that he had been shot twice and had been knifed once. Eventually he went back to writing.
Influenced by Carroll John Daly, the pulp writer who created the seminal private eye Race Williams, Spillane made the P.I. genre his own. His work was in the vein of the "hard-boiled" Black Mask school of pulp fiction of the 1930s. As a pulp writer, Spillane's mantra was "violence will outsell sex every time." By combining them he created a formula for success that begat a book publishing phenomenon.
Spillane's innovation was to inject gory violence into P.I. stories for a generation of 16 million men who had just been through the most violent war in history. After the war, the popularity of slick magazines was eroding due to the booming market in paperbacks, pulp fiction that sold for 25 cents a copy. These new mass-market novels featured lurid covers that would attract a customer at what became the ubiquitous steel-wire racks filled with paperbacks that sprouted up at bus stations, lunch counters, shops and newsstands all over the world.
Spillane's style was perfect for the new post-war fiction market. He attributed his success to Roscoe Fawcett of Fawcett Gold Medal Books, who envisioned a market for original novels instead of the reprints of classic works that dominated the paperback market during World War II. Gold Medal started to market novels written directly for paperback, and by injecting gore into the PI genre, both Fawcett and Spillane won a gold medal for their staggering sales.
Second wife Sherri Malinou was a model who Spillane noticed when she was featured on the cover of one of his books.
Raymond Chandler said of Spillane, "Pulp writing at its worst was never as bad as this stuff." Spillane's books always featured a great hook in the opening pages, as he believed that "the first page sells the book". His narratives are first-person spoken monologues, directly addressed to the reader. Hammer is less a detective in the guise of Dashiell Hammett's Continental Op or Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe than he is a vigilante, always ready to partake in a bit of the old ultra-violence.
Spillane published his first Mike Hammer pulp, the infamous "I, the Jury', in 1947. Written in nine days, the book introduces Hammer as a tough-talking, hard-drinking bruiser.
Other Hammer books with the same formula of murderous mugs and even more dangerous, double-crossing malevolent dames followed: "Vengeance in Mine" (1950), "My Gun is Quick" (1950), "The Big Kill" (1951), and "Kiss Me, Deadly" (1952). Hammer was not only a two-fisted he-man, but each of those mailed fists typically clutched a large-caliber automatic. No dainty .32 Colts--the pistol of choice for the sophisticated detectives of the '20s and '30s--for Mike Hammer. His hirsute ham-fist sported a .45 ACP, the service pistol of the GI generation.
Mike Hammer was a true bellwether of the times, for rather than just go after criminals or garden-variety gangsters like self-respecting operatives of the '30s, he went after "Reds" and "Commies", the nation's bogeymen, and women who were stealing atomic secrets, adulterating Hollywood films with Red propaganda. In the potboiler "One Lonely Night" (1951), hammer wields a "Chicago typewriter" - a submachine gun - to tap out one-way tickets to heaven for 40 Commie heavies and fellow-travelers.
Though he eschewed politics in real life, he regarded himself as a patriot and was admired by prominent right-wingers for his anti-Communist stand. Novelist-philosopher Ayn Rand extolled Spillane, while movie cowboy John Wayne gave him a Jaguar XK140 roadster in 1956, a car he still had a half-century later (and in top working order). While Cold War critics often tried to make a link between Spillane and notorious Red-baiter Sen. Joseph McCarthy, when asked in 1999 if he approved of what McCarthy had done, Spillane replied, "McCarthy was a nit-head. He didn't know what was going on. He was a slob."
Spillane stopped writing for nearly a decade after converting to the Jehoavah's Witnesses in 1952. At this point he didn't need to write, as the royalties from the millions of copies of his books earned him a substantial income. In 1961 he returned to writing with "The Deep", arguably the best of the Mike Hammer novels. With the "Day of the Guns" in 1964 Spillane created a new series featuring secret agent Tiger Mann, a globetrotting spy who was America's answer to James Bond. Like Hammer, Mann was anti-Communist in the extreme and wiped out Reds with relish during the Cold War years of the 1960s. However, during Spillane's absence during the 50s, Ian Fleming (whom Spillane dismissed as "a gourmet") and other writers had stolen his thunder: the Tiger Mann series and Spillane's other non-series novels did not enjoy the vast sales of the '50s. The second part of Spillane's formula - sex - had lost its steam in the 1960s, after the collapse of censorship led to a proliferation of raw pornography and the availability of much more graphic, though serious, novels for the more thoughtful reader.
The Hammer novels did well in the visual media: there were two television series and multiple movies. The only distinguished film made from Spillane's works was Robert Aldrich's late noir Kiss Me Deadly (1955), now a cult classic. Spillane hated the film, which transmogrified the narcotics dealer plot of the novel into the theft of an atomic bomb (a true Cold War plot), which he found ludicrous.
Spillane took another hiatus from writing novels between 1973 and 1989, although he did write at two well-reviewed children's books, "The Day the Sea Rolled Back" (1979) and "The Ship That Never Was" (1982). He wrote the novels from the point of view of a child, he said, which explained their success. Though no longer a best-selling author, Spillane retained his fame during the 1970s due to his appearances in Miller Lite beer TV commercials. Although not a teetotaler, Spillane did not drink much, preferring an occasional beer over hard liquor, and he never smoked. He revived the Hammer franchise with "The Killing Man" in 1989, but Spillane, now in his 70s, was not a big seller. His last novel, "Black Alley" (1996), was published in 1996.
In retirement Spillane reportedly suffered a stroke. He lived, until his death, in Myrtle Beach, SC, with third wife Jane Rodgers Johnson, whom he married in 1983. He was an active Jehovah's Witness into his 80s, going from house to house to spread his faith and distribute copies of the "The Watchtower." He died on July 17, 2006, in Myrtle Beach from cancer. He was 88 years old.- Mike Leach was born on 9 March 1961 in Susanville, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Friday Night Lights (2006), ESPN College Football (1979) and SEC on CBS (1982). He was married to Sharon Smith. He died on 12 December 2022 in Jackson, Mississippi, USA.