Intersex names
List activity
146 views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
76 people
- Music Artist
- Actress
- Composer
Taylor Alison Swift is a multi-Grammy award-winning American singer/songwriter who, in 2010 at the age of 20, became the youngest artist in history to win the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. In 2011 Swift was named Billboard's Woman of the Year. She also has been named the American Music Awards Artist of the Year, as well as the Entertainer of the Year for both the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music, among many other accolades. As of this writing, she is also the top-selling digital artist in music history.
Taylor Alison Swift was born on December 13, 1989, in Reading, Pennsylvania, to Andrea (Finlay), a one-time marketing executive, and Scott Kingsley Swift, a financial adviser. Her ancestry includes German and English, as well as some Scottish, Irish, Welsh and 1/16th Italian. She was named after James Taylor, and her mother believed that if she had a gender neutral name it would help her forge a business career. Taylor spent most of her childhood on an 11-acre Christmas tree farm in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. When she was nine years old the family moved to Wyomissing, PA, where she attended West Reading Elementary Center and Wyomissing Area Junior/Senior High School. Taylor spent her summers at her parents' vacation home at the Jersey shore. Her first hobby was English horse riding. Her mother put her in a saddle when she was nine months old and Swift later competed in horse shows. At the age of nine she turned her attention to musical theatre and performed in Berks Youth Theatre Academy productions of "Grease", "Annie", "Bye Bye Birdie" and "The Sound of Music". She traveled regularly to New York City for vocal and acting lessons. However, after a few years of auditioning in New York and not getting anything, she became interested in country music. At age 11, after many attempts, Taylor won a local talent competition by singing a rendition of LeAnn Rimes' "Big Deal", and was given the opportunity to appear as the opening act for Charlie Daniels at a Strausstown amphitheater. This interest in country music isolated Swift from her middle school peers.
At age 12 she was shown by a computer repairman how to play three chords on a guitar, inspiring her to write her first song, "Lucky You". She had previously won a national poetry contest with a poem entitled "Monster in My Closet", but now began to focus on songwriting. She moved to Nashville at age 14, having secured an artist development deal with RCA Records. She left RCA Records when she was 15--the label wanted her to record the work of other songwriters and wait until she was 18 to release an album, but she felt ready to launch her career with her own material. At an industry showcase at Nashville's The Bluebird Café in 2005, Swift caught the attention of Scott Borchetta, a Dreamworks Records executive who was preparing to form his own independent record label, Big Machine Records. Taylor was one of the new label's first signings.
Taylor released her debut album, "Taylor Swift", in October of 2006 and received generally positive reviews from music critics. The New York Times described it as "a small masterpiece of pop-minded country, both wide-eyed and cynical, held together by Ms. Swift's firm, pleading voice". Her single "Our Song" made her the youngest solo writer and singer of a #1 country song. The album sold 39,000 copies during its first week. In 2008 she released her second studio album, "Fearless". The lead single from the album, "Love Story", was released in September 2008 and became the second best-selling country single of all time, peaking at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Four more singles were released throughout 2008 and 2009: "White Horse", "You Belong with Me", "Fifteen" and "Fearless". "You Belong with Me" was the album's highest-charting single, peaking at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart. It was the top-selling album of 2009 and brought Swift much crossover success.
In September 2009 she became the first country music artist to win an MTV Video Music Award when "You Belong with Me" was named Best Female Video. Her acceptance speech was interrupted by rapper Ye, who had been involved in a number of other award show incidents. West declared Beyoncé's video for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", nominated in the same category, to be "one of the best videos of all time". When Beyoncé later won the award for Video of the Year, she invited Taylor onstage to finish her speech. In November 2009 Taylor Swift became the youngest ever artist, and one of only six women, to be named Entertainer of the Year by the Country Music Association.
She released her third studio album in October 2010, "Speak Now", and wrote all the songs herself. She originally intended to call the album "Enchanted" but Scott Borchetta, her record label's CEO, felt the title did not reflect the album's more adult themes. Swift toured throughout 2011 and early 2012 in support of "Speak Now". As part of the 13-month, 111-date world tour, Swift played seven shows in Asia, 12 in Europe, 80 in North America and 12 in Australasia (three dates on the US tour were rescheduled after she fell ill with bronchitis). The stage show was inspired by Broadway musical theatre, with choreographed routines, elaborate set-pieces, pyrotechnics and numerous costume changes. Swift invited many musicians to join her for one-off duets during the North American tour. Appearances were made by James Taylor, Jason Mraz, Shawn Colvin, Johnny Rzeznik, Andy Grammer, Tal Bachman, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Nicki Minaj, Nelly, B.o.B., Usher, Flo Rida, Tip 'T.I.' Harris, Jon Foreman, Jim Adkins, Hayley Williams, Hot Chelle Rae, Ronnie Dunn, Darius Rucker, Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney. In May 2012 Taylor featured in B.o.B's song "Both of Us".
Swift's fourth studio album, "Red", was released on October 22, 2012. She wrote nine of the album's 16 songs alone; the remaining seven were co-written with Max Martin, Liz Rose, Dan Wilson, Ed Sheeran and Gary Lightbody. Nathan Chapman served as the album's lead producer but Jeff Bhasker, Butch Walker, Jacknife Lee, Dann Huff and Shellback (aka Shellback) also produced individual tracks. Chapman has said he encouraged Swift "to branch out and to test herself in other situations". She has described the collaborative process as "an apprenticeship" that taught her to "paint with different colors". "Red" examines Swift's attraction to drama-filled relationships; she believes that, since writing the record, such relationships no longer appeal to her. Musically, while there is some experimentation with "slick, electronic beats", the pop sheen is limited to a handful of tracks sprinkled among more recognizably Swiftian fare. "Rolling Stone" enjoyed "watching Swift find her pony-footing on Great Songwriter Mountain. She often succeeds in joining the Joni/Carole King tradition of stark-relief emotional mapping . . . Her self-discovery project is one of the best stories in pop." The Guardian described Swift as a "Brünnhilde of a rock star" and characterized "Red" as "another chapter in one of the finest fantasies pop music has ever constructed". "USA Today" felt that the "engaging" record saw Swift "write ever-more convincingly--and wittily and painfully--about the messy emotions of a young twenty something nearing the end of her transition from girl to woman". The "Los Angeles Times" noted the exploration of "more nuanced relationship issues" on "an unapologetically big pop record that opens new sonic vistas for her".
As part of the "Red" promotional campaign, representatives from 72 worldwide radio stations were flown to Nashville during release week for individual interviews with Swift. She made television appearances on The Ellen DeGeneres Show (2003), Good Morning America (1975), The View (1997), Late Show with David Letterman (1993), ABC News Nightline (1980) and All Access Nashville with Katie Couric (2012). She performed at Los Angeles' MTV VMAs and London's Teen Awards, and will also perform at Nashville's CMA Awards, Frankfurt's MTV Europe Music Awards, Los Angeles' AMA Awards and Sydney's ARIA Music Awards. Swift offered exclusive album promotions through Target, Papa John's and Walgreens. She became a spokesmodel for Keds sneakers, released her sophomore Elizabeth Arden fragrance and continued her partnerships with Cover Girl, Sony Electronics and American Greetings, as well as her unofficial brand tie-ins with Ralph Lauren and Shellys. The album's lead single, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together", was released in August 2012. The song became Swift's first #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, recording the highest ever one-week sales figures for a female artist. Two further singles have since been released: "Begin Again" (country radio) and "I Knew You Were Trouble" (pop and international radio).In her career, as of May 2012, Swift has sold over 23 million albums and 54.5 million digital tracks worldwide.
Taylor Swift is only beginning to emerge as an acting talent, having voiced the role of Audrey in the animated feature The Lorax (2012). She also made appearances in the theatrical release Valentine's Day (2010) and in an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000). She contributed two original songs to The Hunger Games (2012) soundtrack: "Safe & Sound featuring The Civil Wars" and "Eyes Open". Taylor released her fifth album, titled "1989", on October 27, 2014. This album is when she finally made the complete transition from country to pop. She says that she will not be going to any Country Music Award shows. The album is named after the year she was born, and is a sort of '80s-sounding album, in the sense that it's more electronic.
In March 2015 she began dating Scottish Disc Jockey Calvin Harris after having met at the Brit Awards in February. They were together for thirteen months.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Best known for his portrayal of troubled high school football star "Tim Riggins" on NBC's acclaimed television series, Friday Night Lights (2006), actor Taylor Kitsch has scored big with audiences and critics on both the big and small screens.
Taylor Kitsch was born on April 8, 1981 in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, to Susan (Green), who worked for the BC Liquor Board, and Drew Kitsch, who worked in construction. He grew up in Vancouver. During his childhood, he aspired to become an actor, which eventually was the real reason behind his move to New York. There, Taylor pursued his dreams by studying the art of acting with coach Sheila Grey. Not too long after that, Taylor was cast in several film and television roles, such as John Tucker Must Die (2006), Snakes on a Plane (2006) and Kyle XY (2006).
Moving to New York in 2002 was the prize that Taylor received after being scouted by modeling scouts in Canada. Taylor was signed to "IMG Models" and became a regular face for the famous clothing lines, "Abercrombie & Fitch" and also "Diesel". Taylor was also signed under "Untitled Entertainment" during his two years stay in the city. While Taylor was living in New York, he found time to become a certified personal trainer and nutritionist. In the year 2004, Taylor decided that it was time for him to move to Los Angeles to learn more about the acting course. Taylor stayed in Los Angeles for about eight months and did some print work with "Nous Modeling Management". It wasn't too long until Taylor realized that he didn't want to be in Los Angeles. Taylor thought that things were running a little bit too fast for him, then making the decision to move back to Vancouver for the summer of 2005 to spend more time with his family. In 2006, Taylor then signed with "Endeavour".
What shot him to bigger fame was his role in the movie, The Covenant (2006), with actors Steven Strait, Toby Hemingway and Chace Crawford. In the stylish thriller from Lakeshore Entertainment and Sony Screen Gems, four young witches do battle with a powerful, centuries-old supernatural force. In "The Covenant", fans got to know who Taylor really is. Even though the movie wasn't as successful as people hoped it would be, Taylor became more recognized since acting in the movie. In the movie, fans also got to see a more fit and toned version of Taylor.
Fortunately, after "The Covenant", casting directors from the football teen drama, Friday Night Lights (2006), saw the talent that Taylor had. They eventually hired Taylor to play the role of "Tim Riggins", one of the Dillon Panthers' main players. On "Friday Night Lights", Taylor managed to show his acting skills to fans and television critics who were very impressed with Taylor's acting skills. USA Today called the series "one of the best-acted, best-written, best-produced shows on television". After receiving fame and gaining a big fan base from "Friday Night Lights", Taylor received the acting publicity he had always been waiting for.
During the show's summer hiatus, Taylor filmed the feature Gospel Hill (2008), alongside Julia Stiles, Danny Glover, Angela Bassett and Samuel L. Jackson. Directed by Giancarlo Esposito, the film focuses on the bigoted former sheriff of a southern town and a one-time civil rights worker whose intersecting lives are still haunted by events that took place decades earlier. Old wounds are reopened as residents of a black neighborhood are forced out of their homes to make way for a multi-million dollar development.
In February 2008, he signed on to play "Gambit" in the "X-Men" franchise spin-off, X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009). He subsequently starred in the films The Bang Bang Club (2010), John Carter (2012), Battleship (2012), and Savages (2012). Despite being famous, Taylor is still a very humble guy and has said that he'd prefer to skip the whole tabloid craze. During his free time, he enjoys doing charity work and listening to music, especially those in the country genre. With all the success and a humble attitude, we're pretty sure that Taylor is going to be one of the "Must Watch" stars for the coming years.
When he's not on set, Kitsch pursues children's charity work and enjoys spending time with family and friends.- Actress
- Producer
Jamie Chung was born and raised in California, the daughter of Korean parents. She studied Economics at the University of California, Riverside. Chung's break came in 2004, when she was working in a sports bar. MTV held auditions for The Real World (1992) there, she tried out, and was successful, appearing in the San Diego based fourteenth season.
Chung went on to successfully launched an acting career, making her debut with a small part in Veronica Mars (2004). Roles in other TV series followed, including Days of Our Lives (1965) and Greek (2007). She also transitioned into feature films with such projects as Sorority Row (2009), Sucker Punch (2011) and The Hangover Part II (2011).- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Jamie Foxx is an American actor, singer and comedian. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor, BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, and Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy, for his work in the biographical film Ray (2004). The same year, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the action film Collateral (2004). Other prominent acting roles include the title role in the film Django Unchained (2012), the supervillain Electro in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), and William Stacks in the modern version of Annie (2014).
Jamie Foxx was born Eric Marlon Bishop in Terrell, Texas, to Louise Annette Talley and Darrell Bishop, who worked as a stockbroker and had later changed his name to Shahid Abdula. His mother was an adopted child. When her marriage to his father failed, his maternal grandparents, Mark and Estelle Talley, stepped in and, at age seven months, adopted Jamie too. He has said that he had a very rigid upbringing that placed him in the Boy Scouts and the church choir. During high school, he played quarterback for his high school team and was good enough that he got press in Dallas newspapers. He studied music in college. He released a music album, "Peep This" (1994), and sings the theme song for his movie, Any Given Sunday (1999). However, in 1989, his life changed when a girlfriend challenged him to get up onstage at the Comedy Club. In fact, he says he took his androgynous stage name because he learned that women got preference for mike time on open stage nights. That led to his being cast on Roc (1991) and In Living Color (1990).
Foxx had his own WB television show from 1996 to 2001, the sitcom The Jamie Foxx Show (1996), in which he played Jamie King Jr. Foxx is also a Grammy Award-winning musician, producing four albums which have charted highly on the US Billboard 200: "Unpredictable" (2005), which topped the chart, "Intuition" (2008), "Best Night of My Life" (2010), and "Hollywood: A Story of a Dozen Roses" (2015). In 2012, Foxx starred in the title role of the Quentin Tarantino written and directed Django Unchained (2012). Foxx starred alongside his Ray co-star Kerry Washington, as well as Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio and Samuel L. Jackson. In 2013, Foxx was cast as President James Sawyer in White House Down (2013) alongside Channing Tatum. The following year, Foxx appeared as the villain Electro in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), and co-starred with Quvenzhané Wallis in Annie (2014), Sony's Will Smith and Jay-Z produced update of the comic strip-turned-musical.
He has two children, including Corinne Foxx, (born 1994), who resides with her mother.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Reign Edwards is an American Singer, songwriter, and actress known for her roles as Nicole Avant, the younger sister of Maya Avant, on the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful (1987), Leanna Martin on the 2016 series reboot MacGyver (2016), and as Melody Wright on Snowfall. She was born on December 1 in Harfourd County, Maryland as one of three children including an older and younger sister. After debuting in a minor role in the romance drama Explicit Ills (2008), Edwards went on to guest star in series including The Thundermans (2013) and K.C. Undercover (2015) during 2015. In that same year she landed her first major role as Nicole Avant in The Bold and the Beautiful (1987). Further television credits include guest appearances on the drama series Snowfall (2017). Ms. Edwards also went on to make her first major film role debut in the 2018 horror feature Hell Fest (2018). Away from acting, Edwards enjoys shopping, dancing to lyrical hip-hop and creating music in the recording studio.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Rainn Wilson lives in Los Angeles with his wife, fiction writer Holiday Reinhorn (Big Cats), and his son, Walter McKenzie Wilson who was born in 2004. He grew up in Seattle, Washington but graduated from New Trier H.S. in Winnetka, Illinois. After attending both Tufts University and the University of Washington, Rainn studied acting at NYU's graduate acting program and spent years doing theater both on and off-Broadway, on tours with the Acting Company and in region theatre including The Guthrie and Arena Stage.
Rainn co-created and directed The New Bozena, a sketch comedy and post-modern clown show which performed in New York and ended up doing a pilot presentation at Fox TV. He made his directorial debut with The New Bozena (2005), a short film based on the show.
After many years of working in TV and film, his breakthrough role happened, as Arthur, the odd love interest to the much older Frances Conroy on Six Feet Under (2001). His favorite role to date, however, is Bill Harris in the film, Baadasssss! (2003).
Rainn is a member of the Baha'i Faith.- Actress
- Additional Crew
Cody was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. Her mother is a former model and actress. Her father is the chairman of Walt Disney Studios and was, formerly, the president of Warner Bros..
Following in her mother's footsteps, she began as a model appearing in the Ralph Lauren Polo Jeans Give Campaign. She had read her first screenplay when she was age 9 and knew she wanted to be involved in the business. She started out on television appearing in the high profile series Rescue Me (2004), The Office (2005) and White Collar (2009).
In 2012, she is appearing in Steven Soderbergh's male stripping film Magic Mike (2012).- Actor
- Soundtrack
Kodi Smit-McPhee started acting at the age of 9. He dropped out of high school in his first year to pursue acting and currently resides in Los Angeles as does his father Andy McPhee and sister Sianoa Smit-McPhee, who are also actors.
He made his feature film debut alongside Eric Bana in 2007's "Romulus, My Father," which earned him the Young Actor's Award by the Australian Film Institute.
2009's "The Road", alongside Viggo Mortensen, earned him nominations for AFI's Best Actor Award and Broadcast Film Critics Asssociation Awards' Best Young Actor Award.
Smit-McPhee then went on to star in 2010's "Let Me In", which earned him a Best Young Actor nomination by the Critics Choice Awards.
2014's "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" featured Smit-McPhee opposite Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, and Keri Russell. "Apes" reunited him with director Matt Reeves, who he previously worked with on "Let Me in" opposite Chloe Moretz. The film grossed over $700MM worldwide.
The 2014 film "Young Ones" (dir: Jake Paltrow) premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and co-starred Michael Shannon, Nicholas Hoult and Elle Fanning.
Smit-McPhee premiered 2015's "Slow West" (dir. John MacLean) at the Sundance Film Festival, in which he stars opposite Michael Fassbender and Ben Mendelsohn. The film received the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize.
In 2016, Smit-McPhee portrayed the role of Nightcrawler in "X-Men: Apocalypse" and will reprise his role in "X-Men: Dark Phoenix" (2019).
Smit-McPhee next stars alongside Peter Sarsgaard in the CBS All Access series "Interrogation", which features non-linear true-crime storylines. He also will star in the Netflix film "Dolemite is My Name" out later this year.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Leslie William Nielsen was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, and raised in Tulita (formerly Fort Norman), Northwest Territories. His mother, Mabel Elizabeth (Davies), was Welsh. His father, Ingvard Eversen Nielsen, was a Danish-born Mountie and a strict disciplinarian. Leslie studied at the Academy of Radio Arts in Toronto before moving on to New York's Neighborhood Playhouse. His acting career started at a much earlier age when he was forced to lie to his father in order to avoid severe punishment. Leslie starred in over fifty films and many more television films. One of his two brothers became the Deputy Prime Minister of Canada. On October 10, 2002, he was appointed Officer of the Order of Canada (OC) in recognition of his contributions to the film and television industries. On November 28, 2010, Leslie Nielsen died at age 84 of pneumonia and was buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Leslie Louise Bibb was born in Bismarck, North Dakota, on November 17, 1973, and raised in Nelson County, Virginia. Later she and her mother, along with her three older sisters, moved to Richmond, where Leslie attended an all-girls Catholic high school, St. Gertrude.
In 1990 The Oprah Winfrey Show (1986) and the Elite Agency held a nationwide modeling search; Leslie's mother took photos of her then 16-year-old daughter and sent them in. Although Leslie wasn't impressed with the photos, the judges--John Casablancas, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista and Iman--were, and they picked her as the winner.
After finishing her junior year, Leslie flew to New York City and signed a contract with Elite. She modeled over the summer, and went on a trip to Japan. She returned home for her senior year and graduated in 1992, then decided to forgo a full-time modeling career to attend the University of Virginia. After a single semester, however, she dropped out and moved to New York City. She attended the William Esper acting studio for three years and took nine months off in which she did more modeling in Europe. Her photographs have appeared in such magazine as Maxim and FHM.
Leslie had her first film role in the comedy Private Parts (1997), which was followed by her first television series (where she replaced the departed Susan Walters as the female lead) in the second season of The Big Easy (1996) on USA. Unfortunately, the show was canceled just months later.
In 1999 she appeared as the lead character on the WB Network television series Popular (1999). The show was a success among teenagers, and led Leslie to more recognizable film roles, such as The Skulls (2000) and See Spot Run (2001). Most recently she has appeared as intern Erin Harkins in ER (1994).- Producer
- Actor
- Music Department
A six-time Emmy Award winner, Kelsey Grammer was born in Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, to Sally (Cranmer), a singer, and Frank Allen Grammer, Jr., a musician and restaurateur, who were from the mainland. He was raised in New Jersey and Florida. Grammer was drawn to the works of William Shakespeare and spent two years at the prestigious Juilliard School. He then dove into the world of regional theater, eventually making the leap to Broadway with roles in "Macbeth" and "Othello." He joined the cast of the situation comedy Cheers (1982) in 1984.
Grammer is the first actor in television history to receive multiple Emmy nominations for performing the same role on three series. He received two nominations for his original portrayal of Dr. Frasier Crane on Cheers (1982), another for his guest appearance in that role on Wings (1990), and nine nominations (earning four awards) as Outstanding Actor for his work on Frasier (1993). Over the years, Dr. Frasier Crane has become one of television's most endearing and enduring characters. In addition to his Emmy Awards, Grammer has won two Golden Globe Awards, two American Comedy Awards and a People's Choice Award for his portrait. Grammer's distinctive voice has been heard in several hit animated features, including the voice of Stinky Pete in Disney's hit Toy Story 2 (1999) and a role in Anastasia (1997). On television, he has also been seen in several mini-series and movies. In 1996, he hosted an hour-long salute to Jack Benny for which he served as executive producer. He also starred in HBO's award-winning comedy The Pentagon Wars (1998). Grammer's autobiography, "So Far," was published in fall 1995.- Actress
- Producer
Kelsey Asbille Chow is the oldest of three siblings, a younger brother and younger sister. At a young age she studied dance, and grew to love performing. School plays led to community theater, then she was member of the Hammond Select Ensemble, which she has performed with in Italy and other places. She has a recurring role in "One Tree Hill (2003)", also co-stars Matisse Burrows in the Disney movie "Den Brother (2010)". She is perhaps best known for her role as Mikayla in Disney XD's popular TV show "Pair of Kings (2010)".- Actress
- Music Department
- Producer
Hayden Lesley Panettiere was born on August 21, 1989 in Palisades, New York, to actress Lesley Vogel and fire department captain Skip Panettiere. Her younger brother was actor Jansen Panettiere (1994-2023). Her parents are both of half Italian descent, along with German and English. Her mother got her started in the business by doing commercials when she was just 11 months old. Then, at only 4 1/2, she was cast on the soap opera One Life to Live (1968), where she remained until 1997. Since then, she has gone on to appear in many feature films and TV movies. But she is probably best known in the United States for her role as "Claire" on the hit TV show, Heroes (2006).
As for movies, Hayden starred in Remember the Titans (2000) with Denzel Washington and Joe Somebody (2001) with Tim Allen. When Hayden isn't working, she enjoys singing, dancing, horseback riding, gymnastics, taking piano lessons, and swimming.
She has been involved with many animated movies, beginning with A Bug's Life (1998) as "Dot", later to follow was Dinosaur (2000), the video game Kingdom Hearts (2002), and The Mark of Kri (2002). Her next movie is Racing Stripes (2005), a partly animated film, but Hayden will star in the human role; other cast members include the voices of Whoopi Goldberg, Dustin Hoffman, Joshua Jackson and Mandy Moore.
In 2003, she joined the likes of Jessica Lange, Tom Wilkinson and Clancy Brown in Jane Anderson's Normal (2003), a film about a Midwestern husband and father who announces his plans to have a sex-change operation. In July of the same year, Hayden appeared in a John Guare play, "Landscape of the Body", for the Williamstown theater festival in Williamstown, Massachusetts.- Hayden Christensen was born April 19, 1981 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. His parents, Alie and David Christensen, are in the communications business. He is of Danish (father) and Swedish and Italian (mother) descent. Hayden grew up in Markham, Ontario, with siblings Kaylen, Hejsa, and Tove. Hayden set out to become an actor when a chance encounter at the age of eight placed him in his first commercial, for Pringles. When he was thirteen, he had starring roles in several dramatic television series.
His biggest break was a major part in the Fox Family Network's Higher Ground (2000). On the series, Hayden showed off his acting talent as a teen who was sexually molested by his stepmother, and turns to drugs in despair. Later, he appeared in the television movie Trapped in a Purple Haze (2000), where he co-starred with his friend Jonathan Jackson. Hayden also had a role in the film The Virgin Suicides (1999).
On May 12, 2000, it was announced that Christensen would star as Anakin Skywalker in the prequels Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005). The star was chosen by director George Lucas because he felt that Hayden had raw talent and good chemistry with actress Natalie Portman. Lucas stunned the movie world by picking the then-unknown actor after he had turned down such big names as Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonathan Jackson, as well as 400 other candidates.
His role as the troubled, misunderstood teenager Sam Monroe in Irwin Winkler's Life as a House (2001) won him 'Breakthrough Performance of the Year' from the National Board of Review. The film also placed him as a nominee for 'Best Supporting Actor' at both the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards. Hayden then starred in Shattered Glass (2003), quoted by some of the real Stephen Glass' colleagues as giving an eerie and uncanny portrayal.
Since his Star Wars days, Hayden has headlined several action films, including Jumper (2008) and Takers (2010).
When not working, he enjoys spending quality time with his family (such as big brother Tove), hanging out with his friends, and exploring other hobbies such as the blues, jazz and piano.
Hayden was in a relationship with actress Rachel Bilson from 2007 to 2017. The two have a child, born in 2014. - Actor
- Producer
- Composer
Adrien Nicholas Brody was born in Woodhaven, Queens, New York, the only child of retired history professor Elliot Brody and Hungarian-born photographer Sylvia Plachy. He accompanied his mother on assignments for the Village Voice, and credits her with making him feel comfortable in front of the camera. Adrien attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts in New York.
Despite a strong performance in The Thin Red Line (1998), time constraints forced the director to edit out much of Adrien's part. In spite of his later work with Spike Lee and Barry Levinson, he never became the star many expected he would become until Roman Polanski called on him to play a celebrated Jewish pianist in Nazi-occupied Warsaw. He pulled off a brilliant performance in The Pianist (2002), drawing on the heritage and rare dialect of his Polish-born grandmother, as well as his father, who lost family members during the Holocaust, and his mother, who fled Communist Hungary as a child during the 1956 uprising against the Soviet Union.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Adrianne Palicki was born in Toledo, Ohio, to Nancy (French) and Jeffrey Palicki. Her father is of Polish and Hungarian descent, and her mother is of English and German ancestry. Adrianne graduated from Whitmer High School. She did not take the stage in her first play until she was a sophomore at Whitmer High School. While in high school, she played basketball and ran track, and was runner-up for homecoming queen. She was a series regular on the first three seasons of NBC's drama series Friday Night Lights (2006). She has since starred of co-starred in the films Legion (2010), Red Dawn (2012), and G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013).- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Haley Joel Osment is an American actor who has proven himself as one of the best young actors of his generation. He is the first millennial male to have received an Academy Award nomination for acting.
Osment was born in Los Angeles, California, to Theresa (Seifert), a teacher, and actor Eugene Osment. His sister is actress Emily Osment. His ancestry includes Irish, along with German and English/Scottish. Haley began acting at the age of four, when he tried out for a Pizza Hut commercial in a shopping mall. The commercial launched his career, and he landed his first television role later that year. As a young child, his first film role was as Forrest Gump (1994)'s son, also named Forrest Gump, in the 1994 film of the same name as well as making a small appearance in Mixed Nuts (1994). He had roles in numerous TV series, including Thunder Alley (1994), The Jeff Foxworthy Show (1995), and, most notably, the final season of Murphy Brown (1988), in which he replaced Dyllan Christopher as Murphy's son Avery. Osment also made numerous guest appearances in various TV series, including The Larry Sanders Show (1992), Walker, Texas Ranger (1993) (as a child dying from AIDS), Touched by an Angel (1994), Chicago Hope (1994), The Pretender (1996), and as a child dying from leukemia in the emotional episode 'Angels and Blimps' (1999) of the series Ally McBeal (1997). Osment starred in Bogus (1996) with Whoopi Goldberg and Gérard Depardieu, and appeared in the 1998 made-for-TV movie The Lake (1998) with Yasmine Bleeth, as well as I'll Remember April (1999) with future The Sixth Sense (1999) co-star Trevor Morgan.
He first achieved stardom in 1999 when he appeared in the blockbuster The Sixth Sense (1999), co-starring Bruce Willis. For this role, Osment won the Saturn Award for best young actor. He was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, but lost to Michael Caine, with whom he would later star in Secondhand Lions (2003). Osment (voice) also made three minor guest appearances on Family Guy (1999) in 2000. One of Osment's lines in The Sixth Sense (1999), "I see dead people," is often repeated or parodied on television programs and in other media. The 2000 Academy Awards ceremony honored another of Osment's future co-stars, BestActor Kevin Spacey, who, along with Helen Hunt, appeared in Osment's next film, Pay It Forward (2000). The following year, Osment appeared in Steven Spielberg's A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), cementing his stature as one of the leading young actors in Hollywood. This role earned him his second Saturn Award. Also in 2001, Osment starred in a Polish film, Edges of the Lord (2001), as Romek. The movie was never released theatrically in the United States. Osment has since provided voices for The Country Bears (2002) and The Jungle Book 2 (2003). More recently, Osment was the voice of Sora, the main protagonist of the Walt Disney Company and Square-Enix's Kingdom Hearts (2002) video-game series, which was extremely financially successful as well and generally well-received critically. He was also the voice of Takeshi Jinno in the "Time to Shine" episode of the IGPX: Immortal Grand Prix (2005) anime TV series.
Osment also worked in Home of the Giants (2007), playing a high school journalist opposite Ryan Merriman and Danielle Panabaker. He also played Helmuth Hübener in the film Truth & Treason (????). On July 20, 2006, Osment was injured in a one-car accident. His blood-alcohol content was measured at 0.16%, twice the legal limit in California. On August 18, he was charged with four misdemeanors, including driving under the influence of alcohol and possession of marijuana while driving. He pleaded no contest on October 19 and was sentenced to three years' probation, 60 hours in an alcohol-rehabilitation and education program, a fine of $1,500, and a minimum requirement of 26 Alcoholics Anonymous meetings over a six-month period.
In 2006, Osment took a hiatus from Hollywood and studied acting at the Experimental Theatre Wing at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, graduating with Honors and a Bachelor's Degree of Fine Arts in 2011. He also appeared on Broadway in a 2008 production of David Mamet's American Buffalo, and in John Logan's Red at the Philadelphia Theater Company in 2011.
Osment returned to the screen in 2012 with I'll Follow You Down (2013), co-starring with Gillian Anderson, Rufus Sewell, and Victor Garber, Sassy Pants (2012) with Anna Gunn and Diedrich Bader, then appeared in two seasons of Amazon Studios' comedy series Alpha House (2013), written by Pulitzer Prize winner Garry Trudeau and starring John Goodman. His many additional credits include Comedy Bang! Bang!, Kevin Smith's horror comedies Tusk (2014) and Yoga Hosers (2016), Entourage (2015) (Warner Bros.' silver screen extension of the award-winning HBO dramedy), the award-winning independent comedy Sex Ed (2014), the hit FX series What We Do in the Shadows (2019), the Hulu science fiction comedy Future Man (2017), and the true crime thriller and 2019 Sundance Film Festival Selection Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019) starring Zac Efron as Ted Bundy, and featuring Lily Collins, Kaya Scodelario, Jim Parsons, and John Malkovich.- Actress
- Producer
- Composer
Hailee Steinfeld was born on December 11, 1996 in Tarzana, California, to Cheri (Domasin), an interior designer, and Peter Steinfeld, a personal fitness trainer. She has a brother, Griffin. Her uncle is Jake Steinfeld, a fitness trainer, and her great-uncle is actor Larry Domasin. Her father is of Ashkenazi Jewish descent and her mother's ancestry is Filipino, African-American, British Isles, and German. Hailee was raised in Thousand Oaks, California.
At an early age, she appeared in several short films to gain experience. She played the role of Talia Alden in She's a Fox (2009), which received several awards. Her debut in a feature film for theater was True Grit (2010). She played a major role, Mattie Ross, with Jeff Bridges, Josh Brolin, and Matt Damon. She got big attention for her performance in this movie, and she was nominated for the 'Best Supporting Actress' Academy Award. After a short break, she appeared in several films which were released in 2013. She played the role of Juliet in Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet (2013), which also starred Douglas Booth, and was released in 2013. Also, she appeared in Ender's Game (2013) as Petra Arkanian, based on the book written by Orson Scott Card, and this movie was directed by Gavin Hood. She starred with Asa Butterfield and Harrison Ford, and this movie received positive reviews. She appeared in the short film The Magic Bracelet (2013), with Bailee Madison, as Angela.
In 2014, She appeared in 3 Days to Kill (2014), which was released on February 21, 2014. she played the major role of Zoey Renner, daughter of Kevin Costner. In Hateship Loveship (2013), she played Sabitha with Kristen Wiig. This movie was released on April 11, 2014 in USA. Steinfeld performed the role of Emily Junk in Pitch Perfect 2 (2015). She also starred in Barely Lethal (2015) with Jessica Alba. She filmed the movie, Ten Thousand Saints (2015), as the role of Eliza, again opposite Asa Butterfield.
In 2016, she starred in the teen dramedy The Edge of Seventeen (2016), for which she received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical.
She has been home-schooled since 2008. Hailee says she is very interested to be on the other side of camera and would like to eventually produce and direct.- Music Artist
- Actor
- Composer
Lindsey Buckingham was born on 3 October 1949 in Palo Alto, California, USA. He is a music artist and actor, known for Back to the Future (1985), Twister (1996) and Vacation (1983). He has been married to Kristen Leigh Messner since 15 February 2000. They have three children.- Lindsey's career in the entertainment industry began when she moved to Manhattan by herself at the age of 16 to study acting after receiving a contract offer from Wilhelmina.
Lindsey's entertainment industry work, humanitarian efforts, and studies have taken her to Denmark, Barcelona, and for short stays in 20 countries on 4 continents.
Shortly after being accepted to NYU, Lindsey's mother became terminally ill with ALS and Lindsey chose to stay closer to home. While pursuing her degree at Clemson University and never earning any grade other than an A, Lindsey was crowned Homecoming Queen, received the Rising Star award and the Algernon Sydney Sullivan award for "service & nobility of character." She served as a leader in three major organizations.. President of Leadership Council, Pan-Hellenic delegate, and Chairman of Student Senate.
Lindsey literally fell into LA on-camera success first as she was caught in the arms of Mark-Paul Gosselaar's character for TNT's Franklin & Bash. Look for Lindsey as Misty, Professor Haig's (played by Pierce Brosnan) student and love interest in 'How to Make Love Like an Englishman.'
Lindsey was born in Iowa, raised mostly in Illinois, later South Carolina, and presently resides in Hollywood. - Actor
- Soundtrack
Sean Grandillo is a New York City based actor, musician, composer, and writer. Sean started training in theater at 17, and landed the title role on the National Tour of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" when he was just 19 years old. After joining SAG-AFTRA, Sean relocated to Los Angeles to take part in the Deaf West Theater's 2014 production of Spring Awakening, ultimately transferring to Broadway with the show in 2015. Along with voicing the role of Otto in the Broadway company, he served as the conductor for the orchestra and played multiple instruments. He was a regular on the 2nd season of MTV's Scream series, led the Youtube Premium series Youth and Consequences alongside Anna Akana, and has recurred in shows on networks including ABC, NBC, Netflix, and HBO Max. Sean also appeared in James Franco's King Cobra, alongside Franco, Christian Slater, and Keegan Allen. He has scripts in development for an animated pilot, an original musical, and a feature film.- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Director
Mary Sean Young was born on November 20, 1959 in Louisville, Kentucky. She is the daughter of Lee Guthrie (née Mary Lee Kane), an Emmy-nominated producer, screenwriter, public relations executive, and journalist, and Donald Young, Jr., an Emmy award winning television news producer and journalist. She has Irish, English, and Swiss-German ancestry. She grew up with an older brother Donald Young III and a sister Cathleen Young in Cleveland, Ohio. She attended Cleveland Heights High School, and then transferred to and graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy. A trained dancer, she studied at the School of American Ballet in New York City, and did some modeling. Sean Young began a promising film career by acting in a Merchant-Ivory film Jane Austen in Manhattan (1980) for Academy Award winning director James Ivory, She followed that up in the comedy hit film Stripes (1981) for Academy Award nominated producer-director Ivan Reitman. Soon, important directors were casting her in their films, such as Garry Marshall in Young Doctors in Love (1982), Academy Award nominee David Lynch in Dune (1984), and Academy Award nominee Ridley Scott in Blade Runner (1982) in what is her most respected film. 1987 was a big year for her, since she appeared in two big movies. Academy Award winner Oliver Stone cast her in the hit film Wall Street (1987). However, her other hit film No Way Out (1987), which involved a famous steamy scene in the backseat of a limousine with Kevin Costner, gave her star status. She was at the height of her fame, which led to her being cast as Vicky Vale in Batman (1989). She had an accident while she was training for the film. As a result, she lost the role to Kim Basinger for what turned out to be the biggest hit of 1989. Young put on a brave face and gamely moved on to do comedies Fatal Instinct (1993) for director Carl Reiner, and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), the latter's box office success made Jim Carrey a star, who immediately landed the role of the Riddler in the Batman sequel. Mary Sean Young is living in Austin, Texas. She created a new business venture called Austin Film Tours. It is Austin's first and only film location tour.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
With an authoritative voice and calm demeanor, this ever popular American actor has grown into one of the most respected figures in modern US cinema. Morgan was born on June 1, 1937 in Memphis, Tennessee, to Mayme Edna (Revere), a teacher, and Morgan Porterfield Freeman, a barber. The young Freeman attended Los Angeles City College before serving several years in the US Air Force as a mechanic between 1955 and 1959. His first dramatic arts exposure was on the stage including appearing in an all-African American production of the exuberant musical Hello, Dolly!.
Throughout the 1970s, he continued his work on stage, winning Drama Desk and Clarence Derwent Awards and receiving a Tony Award nomination for his performance in The Mighty Gents in 1978. In 1980, he won two Obie Awards, for his portrayal of Shakespearean anti-hero Coriolanus at the New York Shakespeare Festival and for his work in Mother Courage and Her Children. Freeman won another Obie in 1984 for his performance as The Messenger in the acclaimed Brooklyn Academy of Music production of Lee Breuer's The Gospel at Colonus and, in 1985, won the Drama-Logue Award for the same role. In 1987, Freeman created the role of Hoke Coleburn in Alfred Uhry's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Driving Miss Daisy, which brought him his fourth Obie Award. In 1990, Freeman starred as Petruchio in the New York Shakespeare Festival's The Taming of the Shrew, opposite Tracey Ullman. Returning to the Broadway stage in 2008, Freeman starred with Frances McDormand and Peter Gallagher in Clifford Odets' drama The Country Girl, directed by Mike Nichols.
Freeman first appeared on TV screens as several characters including "Easy Reader", "Mel Mounds" and "Count Dracula" on the Children's Television Workshop (now Sesame Workshop) show The Electric Company (1971). He then moved into feature film with another children's adventure, Who Says I Can't Ride a Rainbow! (1971). Next, there was a small role in the thriller Blade (1973); then he played Casca in Julius Caesar (1979) and the title role in Coriolanus (1979). Regular work was coming in for the talented Freeman and he appeared in the prison dramas Attica (1980) and Brubaker (1980), Eyewitness (1981), and portrayed the final 24 hours of slain Malcolm X in Death of a Prophet (1981). For most of the 1980s, Freeman continued to contribute decent enough performances in films that fluctuated in their quality. However, he really stood out, scoring an Oscar nomination as a merciless hoodlum in Street Smart (1987) and, then, he dazzled audiences and pulled a second Oscar nomination in the film version of Driving Miss Daisy (1989) opposite Jessica Tandy. The same year, Freeman teamed up with youthful Matthew Broderick and fiery Denzel Washington in the epic Civil War drama Glory (1989) about freed slaves being recruited to form the first all-African American fighting brigade.
His star continued to rise, and the 1990s kicked off strongly with roles in The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990), Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), and The Power of One (1992). Freeman's next role was as gunman Ned Logan, wooed out of retirement by friend William Munny to avenge several prostitutes in the wild west town of Big Whiskey in Clint Eastwood's de-mythologized western Unforgiven (1992). The film was a sh and scored an acting Oscar for Gene Hackman, a directing Oscar for Eastwood, and the Oscar for best picture. In 1993, Freeman made his directorial debut on Bopha! (1993) and soon after formed his production company, Revelations Entertainment.
More strong scripts came in, and Freeman was back behind bars depicting a knowledgeable inmate (and obtaining his third Oscar nomination), befriending falsely accused banker Tim Robbins in The Shawshank Redemption (1994). He was then back out hunting a religious serial killer in Se7en (1995), starred alongside Keanu Reeves in Chain Reaction (1996), and was pursuing another serial murderer in Kiss the Girls (1997).
Further praise followed for his role in the slave tale of Amistad (1997), he was a worried US President facing Armageddon from above in Deep Impact (1998), appeared in Neil LaBute's black comedy Nurse Betty (2000), and reprised his role as Alex Cross in Along Came a Spider (2001). Now highly popular, he was much in demand with cinema audiences, and he co-starred in the terrorist drama The Sum of All Fears (2002), was a military officer in the Stephen King-inspired Dreamcatcher (2003), gave divine guidance as God to Jim Carrey in Bruce Almighty (2003), and played a minor role in the comedy The Big Bounce (2004).
2005 was a huge year for Freeman. First, he he teamed up with good friend Clint Eastwood to appear in the drama, Million Dollar Baby (2004). Freeman's on-screen performance is simply world-class as ex-prize fighter Eddie "Scrap Iron" Dupris, who works in a run-down boxing gym alongside grizzled trainer Frankie Dunn, as the two work together to hone the skills of never-say-die female boxer Hilary Swank. Freeman received his fourth Oscar nomination and, finally, impressed the Academy's judges enough to win the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance. He also narrated Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds (2005) and appeared in Batman Begins (2005) as Lucius Fox, a valuable ally of Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne/Batman for director Christopher Nolan. Freeman would reprise his role in the two sequels of the record-breaking, genre-redefining trilogy.
Roles in tentpoles and indies followed; highlights include his role as a crime boss in Lucky Number Slevin (2006), a second go-round as God in Evan Almighty (2007) with Steve Carell taking over for Jim Carrey, and a supporting role in Ben Affleck's directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone (2007). He co-starred with Jack Nicholson in the breakout hit The Bucket List (2007) in 2007, and followed that up with another box-office success, Wanted (2008), then segued into the second Batman film, The Dark Knight (2008).
In 2009, he reunited with Eastwood to star in the director's true-life drama Invictus (2009), on which Freeman also served as an executive producer. For his portrayal of Nelson Mandela in the film, Freeman garnered Oscar, Golden Globe and Critics' Choice Award nominations, and won the National Board of Review Award for Best Actor.
Recently, Freeman appeared in RED (2010), a surprise box-office hit; he narrated the Conan the Barbarian (2011) remake, starred in Rob Reiner's The Magic of Belle Isle (2012); and capped the Batman trilogy with The Dark Knight Rises (2012). Freeman has several films upcoming, including the thriller Now You See Me (2013), under the direction of Louis Leterrier, and the science fiction actioner Oblivion (2013), in which he stars with Tom Cruise.- Actress
- Producer
- Additional Crew
This elegant lady has defined the television version of the rich, sophisticated businesswoman who knows what she wants, and will do whatever it takes to get it. She was born Patsy Ann McClenny on February 3, 1950 in Dallas, Texas. She began acting as a child, when her mother enrolled her in drama lessons after she was too shy to give a book report in class. From the age of 10, she performed in children's plays. Later, she would do dinner theater and stock productions in Dallas. She chose Morgan as a stage name. In 1973, Morgan decided to pursue a career in television; just 6 weeks after moving to New York, she landed the key role of Jennifer in the daytime soap opera Search for Tomorrow (1951); she stayed on until 1977.
Morgan moved to Los Angeles, where she originated the role of Jenna Wade on the wildly popular nighttime soap opera Dallas (1978) (Jenna was later portrayed by Priscilla Presley). Morgan made numerous guest appearances on television series. She played Constance (Weldon) Carlyle in Flamingo Road (1980), and she was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress; that was her breakout series that propelled her to stardom.
Morgan continued to perform in live theater, her acclaimed portrayal of Skye in the off-Broadway comedy "Geniuses" helped make it one of the "Top Ten Plays" of the year according to Time Magazine and the New York Times. Other stage appearances have included productions of "Goodbye Charlie" and "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes." On television, she played the naughty Racine in the soap opera Paper Dolls (1984) in 1984. Later, she starred in the soap opera Falcon Crest (1981) from 1985-86, having made a niche for herself playing ambitious beauties. Morgan received an Emmy nomination for a special episode of Murphy Brown (1988).
Morgan has shared some of her beauty secrets by authoring the book "Super Looks" which is a complete guide that includes makeup, exercise, and diet tips. Morgan is a member of the Entertainment Industry AIDS Task Force. She is an active speaker on environmental issues and helped found the Environmental Communications Office, which encourages entertainment industry professionals to become better educated and more active on environmental issues. Morgan is a collector of movie memorabilia (particularly anything about Marilyn Monroe) and antique clothing. She is a ballet fan and is also interested in anthropology and paleontology; Morgan is truly a brainy beauty.- Music Artist
- Actor
- Producer
Blake Shelton was born on 18 June 1976 in Ada, Oklahoma, USA. He is a music artist and actor, known for The Ridiculous 6 (2015), The Do-Over (2016) and Footloose (2011). He has been married to Gwen Stefani since 3 July 2021. He was previously married to Miranda Lambert and Kaynette Gern.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Blake Ellender Lively was born Blake Ellender Brown on August 25, 1987 in Los Angeles, California to Elaine Lively & Ernie Lively. Her brother is actor Eric Lively, and her half-siblings are actors Lori Lively, Robyn Lively and Jason Lively. She followed her parents' and siblings' steps. Her first role was Trixie, the Tooth Fairy in the musical movie Sandman (1998), directed by her father. Her big break came along a few years later, though. Blake was up to finish high school when she got the co-starring role of Bridget in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005).
Blake was so perfect for the role of Bridget that, with no big references or even auditioning, she landed the role. According to her, all she did was walk in and leave a photo of herself. It was clear that she was the Bridget needed. After the film, Blake went back to high school for her senior year to have the life of a regular teenager -- or a very busy regular teenager. She was class president, a cheerleader, and performed with the choir.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Robin McLaurin Williams was born on Saturday, July 21st, 1951, in Chicago, Illinois, a great-great-grandson of Mississippi Governor and Senator, Anselm J. McLaurin. His mother, Laurie McLaurin (née Janin), was a former model from Mississippi, and his father, Robert Fitzgerald Williams, was a Ford Motor Company executive from Indiana. Williams had English, German, French, Welsh, Irish, and Scottish ancestry.
Robin briefly studied political science at Claremont Men's College and theater at College of Marin before enrolling at The Juilliard School to focus on theater. After leaving Juilliard, he performed in nightclubs where he was discovered for the role of "Mork, from Ork", in an episode of Happy Days (1974). The episode, My Favorite Orkan (1978), led to his famous spin-off weekly TV series, Mork & Mindy (1978). He made his feature starring debut playing the title role in Popeye (1980), directed by Robert Altman.
Williams' continuous comedies and wild comic talents involved a great deal of improvisation, following in the footsteps of his idol Jonathan Winters. Williams also proved to be an effective dramatic actor, receiving Academy Award nominations for Best Actor in a Leading Role in Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Dead Poets Society (1989), and The Fisher King (1991), before winning the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in Good Will Hunting (1997).
During the 1990s, Williams became a beloved hero to children the world over for his roles in a string of hit family-oriented films, including Hook (1991), FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992), Aladdin (1992), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Jumanji (1995), Flubber (1997), and Bicentennial Man (1999). He continued entertaining children and families into the 21st century with his work in Robots (2005), Happy Feet (2006), Night at the Museum (2006), Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009), Happy Feet Two (2011), and Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014). Other more adult-oriented films for which Williams received acclaim include The World According to Garp (1982), Moscow on the Hudson (1984), Awakenings (1990), The Birdcage (1996), Insomnia (2002), One Hour Photo (2002), World's Greatest Dad (2009), and Boulevard (2014).
On Monday, August 11th, 2014, Robin Williams was found dead at his home in Tiburon, California USA, the victim of an apparent suicide, according to the Marin County Sheriff's Office. A 911 call was received at 11:55 a.m. PDT, firefighters and paramedics arrived at his home at 12:00 p.m. PDT, and he was pronounced dead at 12:02 p.m. PDT.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Robin Gayle Wright was born in Dallas, Texas, to Gayle (Gaston), a national director at Mary Kay, and Freddie Wright, a pharmaceutical executive. She grew up in San Diego, California. She started her professional career as a model in 1980 at age 14, and worked both in Paris and Japan. After finishing high school she decided to become an actress. She got a role on the soap opera Santa Barbara (1984), for which she was nominated three times for a Daytime Emmy. During the first season of the show, she fell in love with fellow cast member Dane Witherspoon, whom she married in 1986. Meanwhile, she starred in The Princess Bride (1987), playing the title role. After leaving the cast of Santa Barbara, she got the starring role in Denial (1990) alongside Jason Patric. In 1990, she was in State of Grace (1990), where she met actor Sean Penn, by whom she had a daughter, Dylan Frances, and a son, Hopper Jack. After taking some time off, Robin was back to Hollywood with one the best roles of her career: She played Tara in The Playboys (1992). She was extremely stunning and brilliant. Then, she acted in Toys (1992) with Robin Williams, and she gave a funny performance. In 1994, Wright was in the blockbuster hit Forrest Gump (1994), with Tom Hanks. For her performance as Jenny, she got a nomination for a Golden Globe Award. She got a small role in The Crossing Guard (1995), which starred Jack Nicholson. After turning down 14 roles, she played the title role of MGM/UA's Moll Flanders (1996), directed by Pen Densham, and co-starring Morgan Freeman and Stockard Channing. She then starred in Erin Dignam's Loved (1997), with William Hurt.- Actress
- Writer
Mischa Barton is a versatile actress with a passion for storytelling and an impressive career spanning over two decades. Working with such acclaimed directors and writers as M. Night Shyamalan, James Lapine and Naomi Wallace, she is known for her magnetic on-screen presence and natural acting abilities that have captivated audiences worldwide. She has earned her reputation as one of the most talented performers of her generation.
Born in London, England, Barton quickly made her mark in the entertainment industry with her debut film role in "Lawn Dogs" (1997). From there, she continued to showcase her versatility in a variety of film and television projects, including the hit supernatural thriller "The Sixth Sense" (1999) and the critically acclaimed drama series "Once and Again" (2002-2003).
However, it was her iconic role as Marissa Cooper in the hit television series "The O.C." (2003-2006) that truly launched Barton to superstardom. Her portrayal of the troubled, yet lovable character resonated with audiences worldwide, cementing her place as a pop culture icon and earning her widespread critical acclaim with critics praising her nuanced portrayal of a complex character.
She has appeared in several stage productions throughout her career, including the acclaimed Off-Broadway productions of "Where the Truth Lies," "Twelve Dreams," and "One Flea Spare." Her performances were praised for their depth, nuance, and emotional range, demonstrating her versatility as an actress.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Misha Collins is an actor, director, producer, writer, and activist dedicated to inspiring cultural and civic engagement through works that "game-ify" philanthropy, inspire creativity, and promote social good.
For 12 years, Collins co-starred in Supernatural (2005), the longest running American science fiction television show in history. In addition to Supernatural (2005), his work is featured in film and television programs including Girl, Interrupted (1999), ER (1994), 24 (2001), and more. He co-produced the award-winning documentary feature Loot (2008) and created TSA America: Yeah, But Is It Ticking? (2014), TSA America: Suspicious Bulges (2014) and TSA America: Just Relax (2013), a series of shorts providing a biting satirical look at American governmental security practices, as well as the web series Cooking Fast & Fresh. In 2021, he starred in - and co-executive produced - Aaron Mahnke's #1 fiction podcast, Bridgewater (2021).
Misha Collins was born Misha Dmitri Tippens Krushnic in Boston, Massachusetts, to Rebecca Tippens and Richard Edward Krushnic. He is of Hungarian-Russian Jewish, German, English, Scottish, and Irish ancestry. Before turning to acting, his diverse background included work as a carpenter and woodworker, a White House internship during the Clinton Administration, and work at National Public Radio headquarters. Collins is a graduate of the University of Chicago, where he earned a B.A. with honors in Social Theory.
A vocal activist for progressive causes, Collins engages with his over 11 million aggregate social media followers to help amplify social issues, generate political activism, and motivate social good.
Collins is also the creator of GISH, the Guinness World Record-holding global scavenger hunt which uses creativity to "game-ify" goodwill and generate social change. GISH is played in over 100 countries, with tens of thousands of annual participants. Among other successes, in the past seven years GISH participants have collaborated to save endangered rain forests, support Syrian refugees, and assist at-risk youth in Africa.
As a founder of the 100% volunteer-run non-profit Random Acts, Collins has inspired supporters to collaboratively engage in acts of social good such as building a school in Nicaragua and a children's center in Haiti, as well as facilitating thousands of random acts of kindness worldwide.
Misha and his wife Victoria co-authored the best-selling cookbook "The Adventurous Eater's Club" (Harper Collins). Collins is a published poet whose works can be found in literary journals including "The Columbia Poetry Review" and "The California Quarterly". He is the author of the New York Times Best selling poetry book, "Some Things I Still Can't Tell You" (Andrews McMeel), which hit shelves October 2021.
Misha is founder and one of three artists who comprise The Art Department, an artist's collaborative which creates large-scale public art installations in unexpected places. The Art Department has been heralded for their work in Southern California by "Time Out-LA", "The LA Weekly", "LA Times" and ABC National News.
Collins has been featured on the covers of magazines including "Entertainment Weekly" and "TV Guide". He has two children, West and Maison. Misha is a certified lifeguard, EMT and motorcyclist. In his spare time, Misha can be found baking, woodworking, meditating, and making fun of corrupt politicians.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Once told by an interviewer, "Everybody would like to be Cary Grant", Grant is said to have replied, "So would I."
Cary Grant was born Archibald Alec Leach on January 18, 1904 in Horfield, Bristol, England, to Elsie Maria (Kingdon) and Elias James Leach, who worked in a factory. His early years in Bristol would have been an ordinary lower-middle-class childhood, except for one extraordinary event. At age nine, he came home from school one day and was told his mother had gone off to a seaside resort. However, the real truth was that she had been placed in a mental institution, where she would remain for years, and he was never told about it (he would not see his mother again until he was in his late 20s).
He left school at age 14, lying about his age and forging his father's signature on a letter to join Bob Pender's troupe of knockabout comedians. He learned pantomime as well as acrobatics as he toured with the Pender troupe in the English provinces, picked up a Cockney accent in the music halls in London, and then in July 1920, was one of the eight Pender boys selected to go to the United States. Their show on Broadway, "Good Times", ran for 456 performances, giving Grant time to acclimatize. He would stay in America. Mae West wanted Grant for She Done Him Wrong (1933) because she saw his combination of virility, sexuality and the aura and bearing of a gentleman. Grant was young enough to begin the new career of fatherhood when he stopped making movies at age 62.
One biographer said Grant was alienated by the new realism in the film industry. In the 1950s and early 1960s, he had invented a man-of-the-world persona and a style - "high comedy with polished words". In To Catch a Thief (1955), he and Grace Kelly were allowed to improvise some of the dialogue. They knew what the director, Alfred Hitchcock, wanted to do with a scene, they rehearsed it, put in some clever double entendres that got past the censors, and then the scene was filmed. His biggest box-office success was another Hitchcock 1950s film, North by Northwest (1959) made with Eva Marie Saint since Kelly was by that time Princess of Monaco.
Although Grant retired from the screen, he remained active. He accepted a position on the board of directors at Faberge. By all accounts this position was not honorary, as some had assumed. Grant regularly attended meetings and traveled internationally to support them. The position also permitted use of a private plane, which Grant could use to fly to see his daughter wherever her mother Dyan Cannon, was working. He later joined the boards of Hollywood Park, the Academy of Magical Arts (The Magic Castle - Hollywood, California), Western Airlines (acquired by Delta Airlines in 1987) and MGM.
Grant expressed no interest in making a career comeback. He was in good health until almost the end of his life, when he suffered a mild stroke in October 1984. In his last years, he undertook tours of the United States in a one-man-show, "A Conversation with Cary Grant", in which he would show clips from his films and answer audience questions. On November 29, 1986, Cary Grant died at age 82 of a cerebral hemorrhage in Davenport, Iowa.
In 1999, the American Film Institute named Grant the second male star of Golden Age of Hollywood cinema (after Humphrey Bogart). Grant was known for comedic and dramatic roles; his best-known films include Bringing Up Baby (1938), The Philadelphia Story (1940), His Girl Friday (1940), Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), Notorious (1946), An Affair to Remember (1957), North by Northwest (1959) and Charade (1963).- Actress
- Producer
Most recently, Keri can be seen starring in "The Diplomat" for Netflix in which Keri plays the titular role of an American Diplomat in London. She also stars in an episode of the limited anthology series "Extrapolations" created by Scott Burns. She also recently starred in "Cocaine Bear" for Universal Pictures from director Elizabeth Banks. Last year, she starred in the supernatural horror thriller "Antlers" for director Scott Cooper and producer Guillermo del Toro, and in "Star Wars: Episode IX" which reunited her with friend and director J.J. Abrams.
For six seasons Keri starred in the critically acclaimed FX series "The Americans" for which she received a Television Critics Association Award for Individual Achievement in Drama, three Emmy Award nominations, two Golden Globe Award nominations, six Critics' Choice Award nominations - one win - and a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination.
Russell's film credits include "We Were Soldiers," "Mad About Mambo," "The Upside of Anger," "Mission Impossible III," "August Rush," "The Girl In The Park," "Bedtime Stories," Extraordinary Measures," "Goats," "Austenland," "Dark Skies," "Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes," "Free State Of Jones," and the romantic comedy "Waitress" for which she received rave reviews.
Keri first garnered attention when she starred in the title role of the hit television series "Felicity" from J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves. Just four months after the show's acclaimed premiere on the WB, she was honored with a Golden Globe® Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Drama Series.
Keri's other television credits include the miniseries "Into the West," executive produced by Steven Spielberg, the Hallmark Hall of Fame Presentation "The Magic of Ordinary Days," and "Running Wilde" with Will Arnett.
Keri starred alongside Adam Driver in the Broadway revival of Lanford Wilson's "Burn This." The limited engagement play, directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer, opened in March 2019 and ran through July 2019.
Russell returned to New York theatre after making her off- Broadway stage debut in production of Neil LaBute's "Fat Pig," in 2005.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Intense was the word for Ray Liotta. He specialized in psychopathic characters who hide behind a cultivated charm. Even in his nice-guy roles in Field of Dreams (1989) and Operation Dumbo Drop (1995), you get the impression that something is smoldering inside of him. He was born in Newark, New Jersey, and was adopted by Mary (Edgar), a township clerk, and Alfred Liotta, an auto parts store owner. He studied acting at the University of Miami, where he became friends with Steven Bauer (Scarface (1983), Thief of Hearts (1984)). He spent his first years acting in TV: Another World (1964), a TV movie and several short-lived series. He broke into movies with the black comedy Something Wild (1986), which garnered him rave reviews. Originally unable to get a reading, he was recommended for the part by Melanie Griffith (then married to Bauer).
Following the success Something Wild (1986), he received more offers in the "psycho" vein, but refused them to avoid being typecast. Instead, he made "little movies" like Dominick and Eugene (1988), which earned him standing as an actor's actor, and Field of Dreams (1989), whose success always surprised him. When he heard Martin Scorsese was casting Goodfellas (1990), he lobbied hard for the part of Henry Hill. The film's huge success brought him wide popularity and garnered him star billing in future films such as Article 99 (1992), Unlawful Entry (1992), and Unforgettable (1996).
Liotta died on May 26, 2022, aged 67, in his sleep while filming on location in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Rae Dawn Chong was born February 28, 1961 in Edmonton, Canada. After a few film and television spots, Rae Dawn earned a Genie for her performance in Jean-Jacques Annaud's prehistoric-drama Quest for Fire (1981). She played the young, Ivaka prisoner, Ika. Other notables roles include Harpo's girlfriend "Squeek", aka, Mary Agnes in Steven Spielberg's five-time Academy Award-nominated film, The Color Purple (1985), and James Remar's beautiful and mysterious wife, Carola in Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990).- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Andrew Dick is an American actor, producer and comedian. He is known for playing Boingo from Hoodwinked, Kramer from Inspector Gadget, Mr. Sheepman from Clone High, Mambo from Happily N'Ever After, Dylan from The Reef, Barry from Old School and Nuka from The Lion King II. He was married to Ivone Kowalczyk and had 3 children.- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Anndi McAfee was born in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Tom and Jerry: The Movie (1992), Baywatch (1989) and Recess (1997). She has been married to Robert Griffith since 28 September 2014.- Music Artist
- Actor
- Composer
Alice Cooper was born Vincent Damon Furnier, in Detroit, Michigan, the son of a minister. He moved to Phoenix, Arizona, at a young age and still lives in the state today. At age 17, he formed a rock band called the Earwigs, who changed their name to The Spiders and then The Nazz, before finally settling on Alice Cooper. The line-up included himself, Dennis Dunaway, Michael Bruce, Glen Buxton and Neal Smith. Rumors (which the band did not necessarily make efforts to deny) to the contrary, the name was not chosen from a Ouija board reading nor was it named after a woman once burned at the stake for witchcraft -- it was picked because the random name had a twisted sense of originality and misleading innocence, complementing the band's bizarre and macabre stage theatrics and lyric themes.
The band got their first big break playing at the Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles one night in 1969 when Frank Zappa discovered them and signed them to his record label. After two albums-and relocating to Detroit -- they were signed by Warner Bros., hooked up with famous producer Robert Ezrin and came out with their third album, the breakthrough "Love It to Death" in 1971. Several albums followed, including "Killer", the highly successful "School's Out", "Billion Dollar Babies" and "Muscle of Love". The band made an appearance in the movie Diary of a Mad Housewife (1970) and their own theatrically released documentary Good to See You Again, Alice Cooper (1974). Alice himself also starred in an episode of The Female Instinct (1972).
The original Alice Cooper band broke up in 1975, with the lead singer getting his name legally changed to Alice Cooper -- and performing under the name ever since -- while some of the other members formed a band called the Billion Dollar Babies. That same year saw the release of a Greatest Hits album, while Alice as a solo artist completed the album "Welcome to My Nightmare" and his incredibly theatrical tour. It was on this tour that he met his future wife Sheryl Cooper, who had been hired as a dancer.
Along with the album and tour came a television special, Alice Cooper: The Nightmare (1975), and both included dialog from horror movie legend Vincent Price. Alice made a number of other television and movie appearances in the second half of the decade, including The Muppet Show (1976), Mae West's final film Sextette (1977), Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978) and several appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962).
However, by the late 1970s, Alice's problems with alcohol became life-threatening, and he was checked into a clinic for rehabilitation. He told of his experiences on the semi-fictional album "From the Inside" (there was also a comic book of the same title), and explored different sounds in the early 1980s with four albums ("Flush the Fashion", "Special Forces", "Zipper Catches Skin", "DaDa"). After having a severe "falling off the wagon" to the point of almost dying, he sobered up once more -- this time for good -- and returned with the albums "Constrictor", "Raise Your Fist and Yell" and the 1989 album "Trash", which featured the hit song "Poison". The 1980s also saw Alice starring in the horror films Monster Dog (1984) and Prince of Darkness (1987), as well as having mostly new songs for the soundtracks to Roadie (1980), Class of 1984 (1982), Friday the 13th: The New Blood (1988) and Shocker (1989).
However, it was the 1990s that brought Alice's most memorable movie appearance: playing himself in Wayne's World (1992). The phrase uttered by characters Wayne and Garth in his presence, "We're not worthy!", became one of the most popular movie catchphrases of the decade. Alice also played the father of Freddy Krueger in Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991), and himself on That '70s Show (1998) and Something Wilder (1994). The decade also saw the release of his "Hey Stoopid" and "The Last Temptation". Alice toured occasionally but took a break from releasing albums until 2000, when he released "Brutal Planet". He followed this up with "Dragon Town", "The Eyes of Alice Cooper" and "Dirty Diamonds", and continues to tour regularly, performing shows with the bizarrely dark and horror-themed theatrics that he's best known for.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Alice Sophia Eve was born in London, England. Her father is Trevor Eve and her mother is Sharon Maughan, both fellow actors. She is the eldest of three children. Eve has English, Irish and Welsh ancestry. Her family moved to Los Angeles, California when she was young as her father tried to crack the American market. However, they returned to the United Kingdom when she was age 13.
She attended a school in Chichester for a year, whilst her mother appeared in a play. She then moved to Bedales School, where she first started acting in "Les Misérables" and "Twelfth Night". She took her A-Levels at Westminster School in London. She took a gap year before starting the university to study at the Beverly Hills Playhouse. Afterwards, she returned to the United Kingdom to read English at St. Catherine's College, Oxford University. While at the university, she appeared in student productions of "An Ideal Husband", "Animal Crackers" (which toured to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival), "Scenes from an Execution" and "The Colour of Justice".
Alice appeared in television dramas as well as two plays by Trevor Nunn and the play "Rock 'n' Roll" by Tom Stoppard. She got her first film role in Starter for 10 (2006) with James McAvoy and followed that with the film Big Nothing (2006) alongside Simon Pegg. In 2006, she went to India to shoot the British miniseries Losing Gemma (2006). Alice was introduced to American audiences in the film Crossing Over (2009). Her first high-profile role was in the sequel Sex and the City 2 (2010), where she played Charlotte York's Irish nanny. She also played the female lead role in She's Out of My League (2010), where her parents also played her character's parents.- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Austin Nichols was raised in Austin, Texas until the age of eighteen, when he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting. He graduated from the University of Southern California in 2002 with a degree in creative writing. His role in Six Feet Under led to films like The Day After Tomorrow, Wimbledon, and Glory Road. Then after playing Morgan Earp on Deadwood, David Milch asked Austin to play the title role in his new series, John From Cincinnati. Nichols has been on a string of hit cable shows. Ray Donovan, Bates Motel and The Walking Dead.- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Austin Highsmith Garces was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Dolphin Tale (2011), Scream: The TV Series (2015) and Criminal Minds (2005). She has been married to J. Teddy Garces since 29 May 2016.- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Tony Danza is an American actor, perhaps best known for starring on some of television's most beloved and long-running series, including "Taxi" (1978-1983) and "Who's the Boss?" (1984-1992).
Danza was born in Brooklyn, New York to Anne (Cammisa), a bookkeeper, and Matty Iadanza, a garbageman. His mother was an Italian immigrant, and his father was also of Italian descent. He grew up in Malverne, Long Island and received a wrestling scholarship to the University of Dubuque in Iowa, where he earned a bachelor's degree in history education. Before finding a teaching job, he earned his living as a professional boxer and envisioned himself as the next Rocky Graziano. Changing his name to "Dangerous" Tony Danza, he entered the New York Golden Gloves in 1975. Shortly afterward, on Aug. 13, 1976, he started his professional boxing career. Fighting as a middleweight, Danza became a crowd favorite for his walk-in slugging style. He compiled a record of 9-3 with nine knockout victories, seven in the first round.
During a gym workout, Tony was discovered for the part of Tony Banta on the ABC TV show Taxi (1978). Danza still hoped to be a world champion and scored knockouts in 1978 and 1979, but when he was unable to secure a title shot, he retired from boxing and totally dedicated himself to his acting career. "Taxi" was critically acclaimed, earning him a place in television history and making him a household name. He followed "Taxi" with a starring role in the classic ABC comedy series Who's the Boss? (1984), which ran for eight seasons and broke all syndication records. He became known for his lovable sitcom persona.
Danza received an Emmy nomination for a guest-starring role in The Practice (1997) and acclaim for his performance in the Broadway revival of "The Iceman Cometh" by Eugene O'Neill. He also starred in the comedy series Hudson Street (1995) and The Tony Danza Show (1997), for which he was executive producer. His additional television credits include an acclaimed performance opposite George C. Scott and Jack Lemmon in the remake of the film classic 12 Angry Men (1997), and the television movies The Garbage Picking Field Goal Kicking Philadelphia Phenomenon (1998), Noah (1998), The Girl Gets Moe (1997), North Shore Fish (1997), and Deadly Whispers (1995).
Among his motion-picture credits are Angels in the Outfield (1994), She's Out of Control (1989), A Brooklyn State of Mind (1998), Glam (1997), and Illtown (1996). He also wrote, directed, and starred in the short film Mamamia (1995).
Eventually Tony explored his love for the stage, and among his many stage credits is his exciting run on Broadway in Mel Brooks' hit musical "The Producers", playing Max Bialystock (2006-2007), and his reprise of the role in the Las Vegas production at Paris Las Vegas (2007).
For his theatrical debut in "Wrong Turn at Lungfish" (1993), he earned an Outer Critic's Circle Award nomination. Other stage credits include the critically acclaimed "The Iceman Cometh", opposite Kevin Spacey, Arthur Miller's Tony Award-winning play "A View from the Bridge", and "I Remember You". Most recently, Tony returned to the stage in the pre-Broadway run of the much-buzzed-about and highly-acclaimed smash hit musical "Honeymoon In Vegas", which he starred in at the Paper Mill Playhouse along with Tony Award nominee Rob McClure ("Chaplin"), and Brynn O'Malley ("Annie"). With music and lyrics by Tony Award winner, Jason Robert Brown ("Parade", "The Last Five Years"), the musical is written by Andrew Bergman ("Fletch", "The Freshman", "Blazing Saddles", "Soap Dish", "The In-Laws") and based on his hit Castle Rock/New Line comedy of the same title. Both the show and Tony's performance received amazing reviews, including a love letter from The New York Times that compares Tony's performance to "the cooler-than-cool spirit" of Frank Sinatra.
He garnered accolades performing in his song-and-dance stage show, which debuted in Atlantic City in 1995. He later took it on the road to major venues throughout the country, from Las Vegas to New York.
In 2013, Tony returned to the big screen and received great buzz and fantastic reviews for his performance as Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character's father in Gordon-Levitt's much-buzzed-about and acclaimed directorial debut, "Don Jon". The film, which stars Gordon-Levitt, Danza, Julianne Moore, Brie Larson, and Scarlett Johansson, was released in theaters in the fall of 2013.
In 2009-2010, Tony took on his most challenging role yet: teaching tenth-grade English at Philadelphia's Northeast High School. His experience working as a real teacher was taped and aired on A&E last year in the form of the critically-acclaimed seven-part documentary series, Teach.
In September 2012, Crown Publishers (a division of Random House) released Tony's book, "I'd Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had: My Year as a Rookie Teacher at Northeast High", a much-buzzed-about and critically acclaimed reflection of his experience teaching for a year. The book premiered on the New York Times Best Sellers list at number 16 and stayed on the list for two months. The paperback edition hit bookstores in September of 2013. In 2010, AARP The Magazine, the definitive voice for 50+ Americans and the world's largest-circulation magazine with more than 35 million readers, presented Tony with their Inspire Award. The Inspire Awards pay tribute to extraordinary people who inspire others to action through their innovative thinking, passion and perseverance. In December of 2012, Tony was among the iconic celebrities who participated in the Weinstein Company's historic concert for Hurricane Sandy Relief at Madison Square Garden. He was featured in the documentary about the concert, released by the Weinstein Company in the fall of 2013, in which Tony reminds people of the forgotten motto of America, "E pluribus unum", or "out of many one", or as Tony's father would say "we're all in this together, pal".
With great belief in the spirit of that motto, Tony participates in many charity efforts. In April 2013, USAToday honored Tony at their annual National Make A Difference Day Awards for his commitment to helping others through his numerous charity efforts.
Danza is married to Tracy Robinson and has three children.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Toni Collette is an Academy Award-nominated Australian actress, best known for her roles in The Sixth Sense (1999) and Little Miss Sunshine (2006).
Collette was born Toni Collett (she later added an "e") on November 1, 1972, in Blacktown, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. She is the first of three children of Judith (Cook), a customer service representative, and Bob Collett, a truck driver. From age six, she was brought up in suburban Sydney. At the age of eleven, she showed her phenomenal acting skills when she faked appendicitis out of boredom and longing for attention; her act was so convincing that doctors had to remove her appendix, even though the test showed nothing was wrong with it. At 16, she left school and enrolled in the National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA). At that time, she was a struggling actress, supporting herself by delivering pizzas. After 18 months of studies, she left NIDA for her feature film debut as "Wendy Robinson", opposite Russell Crowe and Anthony Hopkins, in The Efficiency Expert (1991), and earned herself a nomination for Best Supporting Actress from the Australian Film Institute. Collette made her stage debut with the Sydney Theatre Company, as "Sonya" in Anton Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya", a performance that won her a critic's circle award as Best Newcomer. She also appeared in stage productions at the Belvoir Street Theatre, under directorship of Geoffrey Rush. In 1994, she won the Australian Best Actress in a Lead Role for her work in Muriel's Wedding (1994), for which she had to gain 40 pounds in seven weeks. In 1995, Toni Collette came to Hollywood with a supporting role in The Pallbearer (1996), then had a string of supporting roles. Her first lead as "Diana Spencer", an Australian woman who shares the name and birthday of Princess Diana, in the comedy, Diana & Me (1997), was obscured by the real Diana's death, which practically occurred at the same time when the movie was released. Her breakthrough came with the role as "Lynn Sear" in The Sixth Sense (1999), for which she quite rightly won an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Her latest memorable role as "Sheryl", a beaten-down but loving mother, in Little Miss Sunshine (2006), is also a fine ensemble work with Abigail Breslin, Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, Paul Dano, and Alan Arkin. Since 2003, Toni Collette has been married to musician Dave Galafassi, with whom she recorded her singing and songwriting debut album, titled "Beautiful Awkward Pictures", in 2006. She co-owns an independent production company in Australia, and also continues her music career as a singer. Toni resides with her husband in Sydney, Australia, and owns a second home in Ireland.- Actor
- Director
Bryce Gheisar is an American actor, best known for his leading roles as young Ethan in A Dog's Purpose and Julian in Wonder. Gheisar currently portrays Elliot Combs in The Astronauts.
Bryce Gheisar was born on December 30, 2004, in Plano, Texas, into a family of three, made up of his parents, Todd and Nicole Gheisar, and his older brother, Blake Gheisar. Bryce was a rising star in competitive gymnastics before he first discovered his love for acting. He currently resides in Plano, Texas, but has filmed around North America.
Gheisar started his acting career aged eight. He landed his first role in 2015, in the short film The Bus Stop as Elijah Gutnick. After he was enrolled in Cathryn Sullivan's school for Acting, he made his first theatrical appearance playing the leading role of young Ethan, in the acclaimed 2017 film, A Dog's Purpose. That same year, he gained that much more widespread recognition when portraying one of the lead roles, Julian, in the Oscar-nominated film, Wonder, working alongside Jacob Tremblay, Millie Davis and Julia Roberts. Bryce currently portrays Elliot Combes in the 2020 TV series, The Astronauts, on Nickelodeon.- Actress
- Director
- Producer
Bryce Dallas Howard was born on March 2, 1981, in Los Angeles, California. She was conceived in Dallas, Texas (the reason for her middle name). Her father, Ron Howard, is a former actor turned Oscar-winning director. Her mother is actress and writer Cheryl Howard (née Alley). Her famous relatives include her uncle, actor Clint Howard, and her grandparents, actors Rance Howard and Jean Speegle Howard. She also has two younger twin sisters, Jocelyn and Paige Howard (also an actress), born in 1985, and a brother, Reed Howard, born in 1987. Her ancestry includes German, English, Scottish, and Irish.
Howard was raised in Greenwich, Connecticut, because her parents decided to raise their four children as far away from the trappings of showbiz milieu as possible. During most of her childhood, she really did not have much access to a TV. She attended Greenwich Country Day School, and Byram Hills High School in Armonk, New York. At that time, she discovered existentialism and devoured books by Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre. She attended the prestigious Steppenwolf School and Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts camp at Catskills, together with her friend, Natalie Portman. She applied to drama school as Bryce Dallas, dropping her last name to eschew special treatment because of association with her renowned father. From 1999-2003, she studied at the Stella Adler Conservatory and at the New York University Tisch School of Arts and graduated with a BFA degree in Drama in 2003. At that time, she performed in Broadway productions of classical plays by George Bernard Shaw, William Shakespeare and Anton Chekhov.
Young Howard appeared in three of her father's films as an extra, including her appearance as a child together with her mother in Apollo 13 (1995). She made her feature-film debut as Heather, a supporting role in Book of Love (2004) by director Alan Brown. Director M. Night Shyamalan was impressed by her performance in a Broadway play and cast her, without an audition, as a female lead in his two thrillers: The Village (2004) and Lady in the Water (2006). Howard replaced Nicole Kidman in the Dogville (2003) sequel, Manderlay (2005). She starred as Rosalind in As You Like It (2006), a reprise of her stage role that made such an impression on Shyamalan. She also played Gwen Stacy in the third installment of the Spider-Man franchise, Spider-Man 3 (2007), and the female lead, Claire, in the sequel Jurassic World (2015). Both films broke the records for highest openings weekends at the time of their release. Among Bryce's other major films are Terminator Salvation (2009), The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010), The Help (2011), and 50/50 (2011).
Howard became a devoted vegan, after Joaquin Phoenix showed her Earthlings (2005), a documentary about animal cruelty. After seeing that, she has consumed no animal products, not even milk or eggs. Her other activities outside of the acting profession include playing basketball and writing.
On June 17, 2006, in Connecticut, she married her long-time boyfriend, actor Seth Gabel, whom she met at New York University and had dated for five years. On February 16, 2007, Bryce and her husband, Seth, became parents of their first child, a son named Theodore Norman Howard Gabel. Their second child, a daughter named Beatrice Jean Howard Gabel, was born on January 19, 2012.- Actor
- Composer
- Producer
Born April 9, 1987 in Ardsley, New York, to Ginger and Scot McCartney, Jesse began his career in theater with a national revival tour of The King and I with Hayley Mills (1997/98), and a notable New York Production of A Christmas Carol (1998) with Roger Daltrey. Jesse got the part of 'Adam Chandler Jr.' on the show All My Children for which he would eventually Emmy nominations in 2001 and 2002. After a brief stint in a children's musical group Sugar Beats, and later in teen boy band Dream Street, Jesse was signed as a solo artist to Hollywood Records.
He released his first full length album on September 28, 2004. His song, "Beautiful Soul" was an instant hit and the album of the same title was certified platinum on February 24, 2005. His Departure album yielded another smash single, "Leavin'," landing him a #1 spot on the charts and was Top 40 Radio's most played song of of the year. His next single "How Do You Sleep" also charted in the top 10 in the following year. His songwriting credits include co-writing the smash "Bleeding Love" for singer Leona Lewis, which was a #1 hit in 34 countries; the only song in over a decade to achieve this status. It also won ASCAP's song of the year and was nominated for a Grammy Award.
In addition to starring in Keith, which won five international film festival awards, McCartney's film credits include the Tribeca Film Festival's darling Beware The Gonzo (opposite Ezra Miller) and Oren Peli's Chernobyl Diaries. McCartney has voiced numerous animated characters for films, video games, and television series including all of the Alvin and the Chipmunks films, Horton Hears a Who, Kingdom Hearts, and Cartoon Network's Young Justice. McCartney played lead role of 'Bradin Westerly' in the TV series Summerland, which ran for two years on The WB (now The CW). He also landed the lead in the pilot Locke and Key for Fox, based on Joe Hill's graphic novels of the same name. Other major TV credits include Fear The Walking Dead, Major Crimes, Greek, Law & Order SVU, and CSI: Las Vegas as well as a lengthy stint in the cast of Army Wives as 'Private Tim Truman.'
Jesse currently resides in Los Angeles.- Music Artist
- Actress
- Composer
Jessie J (Jessica Ellen Cornish) was born in Redbridge, London on March 27, 1988. She went to Colins Performing Arts School as a child and when she was 11 she was cast in Andrew Lloyd Weber's musica "Whistle Down the Wind". When she was 17 she joined a girl group and soon after was signed as a solo artist to Gut Records. The record company went bankrupt before she released an album but the talented Jessie J didn't give up! When Jessie's first record deal didn't work out, she turned to songwriting and got herself a contract with Sony ATV where she started writing hit songs for Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, and Alicia Keys. Her biggest songwriting hit was Miley Cyrus: Party in the USA (2009). Her debut single Jessie J: Do It Like a Dude (2010) was written for Rihanna, but she decided to keep it for herself which went to number 2 on the charts, and her number 1 hit single Jessie J Feat. B.O.B: Price Tag (2011) with B.o.B. came out in the UK on February 28, 2011- Music Artist
- Composer
- Actor
Born Stevland Hardaway Judkins in Saginaw, Michigan, United States, to Calvin Judkins and Lula Mae Hardaway. Due to being born six weeks premature, Stevie Wonder was born with a condition called retinopathy of prematurity, which made him blind. Stevie Wonder, even with this disability, made his landmark to be a pioneer and innovator in the music industry.
Stevie Wonder's mother, Lula Mae Hardaway left her husband and moved herself and her children to Detroit. Due to her leaving Lula Hardaway Judkins changed her name to Lula Hardaway and changed Stevie's surname to Stevland Morris. Stevland Morris growing up played various instruments such as the piano, harmonica, drums, and bass. Stevland Morris never played a lot of outdoor activities due to his protective mother. Stevland Morris due to his musical talent was also strongly apart of the church choir. Stevland Morris was originally discovered by Gerald White who often persuaded his brother, soul singer Ronnie White to visit the talented Stevland Morris. Ronnie White after seeing Stevland Morris brought Stevland and his mother to MoTown Records to visit Berry Gordy. Berry Gordy stated he was not impressed by Stevland's singing,or drumming,bongo skills and then he played the harmonica, which astounded Berry Gordy and Stevland Morris in 1961 at the age of eleven signed onto MoTown Records with the stage name, Little Stevie Wonder. The reason why Stevie Wonder had gotten that stage name was because many people were astounded by his ability to play numerous instruments and his ability to sing doing both at the same time, and people called Stevie "A Little Wonder".
Stevie Wonder released his first album called,The Jazz Soul Of Little Stevie at the age of twelve followed by an additional album, Tribute To Uncle Ray dedicated to Ray Charles.
In 1963, Stevie Wonder released a hit-song called, Fingertips Pt(2). The song reached number one on the Billboard Pop Charts. Stevie Wonder became the first singer to have a number one album and single simultaneously. In the song were several percussion instruments played by Stevie Wonder and this song was added to the album,Recorded Live: The Twelve Year Old Genius. Stevie Wonder was then referred to as the child prodigy. Stevie Wonder in 1964 made in film debut in the movie, Muscle Beach Party as well as the sequel Bikini Beach both directed by William Asher. In this movie Stevie Wonder shows off his musical talent singing the songs, Happy Street and Happy Feeling (Dance And Shout).
Stevie Wonder also dropped "Little" from this stage name as his voice started to change and he could no longer sing songs which Clarence Paul had written for him, as they were all written in a higher pitched note. Stevie Wonder then started focusing more on songwriting and came out with genuine hits like Uptight (Everything's Alright),With A Child's Heart, Blowing In The Wind, and a song which he wrote for Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, Tears Of A Clown. Several other songs which were smashing hits in the 60's and 70's were I Was Made To Love Her, Signed Sealed And Delivered I'm Yours, which Stevie stated was an idea he had gotten from his mother,and For Once In My Life.
In 1970 Stevie Wonder left MoTown and recorded two independent albums by himself. Berry Gordy was shocked to hear this by Stevie Wonder and Berry Gord agreed to Stevie Wonder's demand of more independence and full creative control and rights to all his songs. In 1972 Stevie Wonder returned to MoTown records and signed a thirteen million dollar contract with MoTown Records. This entitled Stevie Wonder to a higher royalty rate and more full creative control and the rights to his own songs, which few artists had gotten at that time period. This contract unleashed Wonder's songs to now talk about controversial issues such as poverty,war,drugs, and politics.Stevie is known for writing and performing political songs such as, You Haven't Done Nothing, which took a political stab at Richard Nixon. The first album he had released with his new agreement with MoTown was, Music Of My Mind in 1972. In late 1972 Stevie Wonder released an album which today is known as a historic piece in music,Talking Book. Which included the number one hit-song, Superstition. This song featured the clavinet which Stevie Wonder was credited pioneer of, he later used the electric amplified keyboard instrument in many of his other albums along with the synthesizer. The song Superstition was seen as a significant contribution to the Funk genre. Talking Book also featured, You Are The Sunshine Of My Life which also peaked at number one. Stevie Wonder also toured with The Rolling Stones in 1972 which contributed to his album's success. Stevie Wonder struck a controversial issue with the album, Innervisions in 1973 with singles such as Living For The City which talked about poverty and was credited to African Americans.The album also included singles such as Golden Lady, and All Love Is Fair.
On August,6, 1973 Stevie Wonder was in a car accident. The twenty-three year old Stevie Wonder was in the passenger seat of a 1948 Dodge Flatbed Truck,he was sleeping and had his headphones on, the driver distracted by something, and failed to notice the truck ahead of them and crashed. This sent Stevie Wonder into a coma for several days. In a biography entitled, The Miraculous Journey Of Lula Mae Hardaway she retells the story, "There was a great, grinding screech as metal hit metal and, then, impossibly, as if in some lavishly produced Hollywood action movie, one of the great logs disencumbered itself of the truck and came crashing through the windshield, spearing Stevie square in the forehead." Wonder was sent to a hospital immediately after the accident, and was placed under intensive care, with what they described a "bruise on the head" Wonder then made a successful recovery and in 1974 released Fullfillingness' First Finale and which song topped number one on the Billboard Pop Charts was the political song, You Haven't Done Nothing. By the age of twenty-five he was a multiple Grammy-Award winner, winning Grammies for albums such as Talking Book, Inner Vision, and Fullfillingness' First Finale and at the age of twenty-five with several talent musicians he was on the verge of making what came to be one of this most admirable masterpieces, an album called, Songs In The Key Of Life.
The double-album, Songs In The Key Of Life was released in 1976 and the album became the first of an American artist to debut straight at number one where it remained for fourteen consecutive weeks. The album contained two tracks which rose to number one on the Billboard Charts,I Wish and Sir Duke. The album also contained an extraordinary sentimental song about his daughter Aisha Morris called,Isn't She Lovely". It also contained the song which focused strongly on poverty called, Village Ghetto Land. Rolling Stones listed the album as the 56th Greatest Album Of All Time out of 500.
In 1979, Wonder released a soundtrack album called Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants. It was featured in the film The Secret Life Of Plants. Wonder also wrote the song,Let's Get Serious for Jermaine Jackson who left The Jacksons and was starting his own solo career. The song was ranked by Billboard to be the number one rhythm and blues song of 1980.
In 1980, Stevie Wonder released the album called Hotter Than July. On this album was a song called Happy Birthday. That song was dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr, and Stevie Wonder was one of the pioneers to getting Martin Luther King Jr a national holiday. Stevie Wonder in 1985 received an Academy Award for his song, I Just Called To Say I Love in the film, The Woman In Red. In 1986, Stevie Wonder made a guest appearance on the hit-show The Cosby Show. It was during this episode in which people were astounded toward what the synthesizer could really do. In 1987 Stevie Wonder made a duet with Michael Jackson on his Bad album with the single, Just Good Friends. In the same year Michael Jackson did a duet on Stevie Wonder's characters album. In 1991, Stevie Wonder recorded a soundtrack album for Spike Lee in his new movie, Jungle Fever. The album was entitled, Jungle Fever and the hit-song on it was entitled Jungle Fever. Other singles that came from this album were Gotta Have You,Feeding Off The Love Of The Land,and These Three Words. Stevie Wonder continued releasing new material throughout the 90's such as Natural Wonder, and Conversation Piece. In 1996 Stevie Wonder's A Song In The Key Of Life album became a documentary subject, and several of the musicians who contributed to the success of the album had a reunion. In 1997 Stevie Wonder collaborated with Babyface on the single, How Come How Long.
In 2000 Stevie Wonder contributed to two sound track songs for Spike Lee's film Bamboozled. The two soundtrack songs were Misrepresented People and Some Years Ago. In 2006, Stevie Wonder's inspiration of his life, his mother, Lula Mae Hardaway died on May,31,2006. Stevie Wonder then in 2007 announced his tour, A Wonder's Summer Night 13 concert tour- this was his first in over ten years, and he states, he wants to take all the sadness he feels,turn it around and celebrate. Stevie Wonder in 2008 was very involved in the Presidential Campaign, and why he thinks Obama will be a great president for America. Stevie Wonder talked at several press conferences about Obama and why America should vote for him. Stevie Wonder in 2009 was named the United Nations Messenger Of Peace.On February 23,2009 Stevie Wonder received the Gershwin Prize For Pop Music awarded to Stevie Wonder by Barack Obama. On June,25,2009 one of his best friends,Michael Jackson had died. Stevie Wonder attended the memorial and performed the song, Never Dreamed You'd Leave In Summer at the Staple's Center. Stevie Wonder recently in 2011 can be heard playing harmonica on Drake Graham's album Take Care.
Stevie Wonder's songs have been sampled by artists such as Jon Gibson,Red Hot Chilli Peppers,Mary J Blige and several other artists were inspired by Stevie's musical talent. Stevie Wonder will forever be known as a pioneer in music a philanthropist, and a messenger of peace addressing controversies in music which very few artists did at that time. Stevie Wonder has touched the hearts of millions through his music and his philanthropic generosity.- Music Artist
- Actress
- Composer
Stevie Nicks was born in Phoenix, Arizona. From an early age, she showed a love and aptitude for music, singing country and western duets with her grandfather when she was 4 years old. After moving to San Francisco, she began songwriting and performing at Menlo-Atherton High School, where she met her future long-time companion, Lindsey Buckingham. After smaller projects failed, she and Lindsey signed with Polydor Records, and produced their collaboration, "Buckingham-Nicks". The album flopped, and the two (who were now lovers) were dropped from the label, but not before attracting the attention of Mick Fleetwood, who invited them to join Fleetwood Mac. Two years later, in 1975, Fleetwood Mac's self-titled album topped the charts, headlined by Stevie's "Rhiannon". Success for the band, and for Stevie, was immediate. The legendary "Rumours" album followed in 1977, at the same time Stevie's relationship with Lindsey came to an end. Stevie's solo career began in 1981 and met with instant success. The stress of maintaining a solo career and remaining with Fleetwood Mac became too much for her, and she became addicted to cocaine, and then to prescription medication. After undergoing treatment for her addictions, Stevie vowed she would never perform publicly again, but was lured out of retirement for Fleetwood Mac's 1997 reunion and continues to perform, write and record.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Mandy Patinkin was born Mandel Bruce Patinkin in Chicago, Illinois, to Doris "Doralee" (Sinton), a homemaker and cookbook writer, and Lester Patinkin, who operated two scrap metal plants. He is of Russian Jewish and Latvian Jewish descent. Growing up, he began singing in synagogue choirs at the age of 13-14 and still continues to use his fantastic voice in musicals and in recordings. Attending Juilliard, he became good friends with actor Kelsey Grammer and upon hearing that Cheers (1982) was auditioning for the role of Dr. Frasier Crane he immediately put Grammer's name forward for the role. Rumours persist about Patinkin's sudden departure from Criminal Minds (2005). He simply failed to show up one day for a table read. He has contacted the entire cast to explain what is referred to as "personal reasons" for leaving. It seems that although Patinkin was prepared for the show to include violence the actual level of violence portrayed was unacceptable to the actor. He left to do more light hearted work. Patinkin supports many charities including: PAX, Doctors Without Borders, Americans for Peace Now, The September 11th Fund, Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America and Gilda's Club.- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Amanda Leigh Moore was born in Nashua, New Hampshire, on April 10, 1984, to Stacy (Friedman), a former news reporter, and Don Moore, an airline pilot. During her childhood, her family moved to Orlando, Florida, where she was raised. She has Russian Jewish (from her maternal grandfather), English, Scottish, and Irish, ancestry.
After seeing the musical "Oklahoma!", she decided that she wanted to pursue a career in singing. As a child, she performed the National Anthem at several athletic events around her hometown of Orlando, Florida, and became known as the "National Anthem girl". At the ripe age of fourteen, while she was recording in a studio in Orlando, a Fed-Ex worker who happened to be passing through heard her and was interested in her talent. He happened to know someone at Sony as well. Moore worked on cutting a demo and shortly thereafter signed a record deal with Sony 550 Music. At 15, her first record "So Real" was released. Her first tour was with the Backstreet Boys.
As her touring and recording schedule demanded more of her time, Moore withdrew from Bishop Moore Catholic High School in Orlando and opted for a tutor/correspondence. She has stated that her education is important to her and says that the fact that she wants to go to college motivates her to continue with her schooling.
Though Moore's record sales were not up in the ranks of Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera, she has proved to be a formidable talent both in singing and in acting, and snagged an MTV Movie Award in June 2002 for her first feature film role in A Walk to Remember (2002). Her biggest dream, though, is to perform on Broadway someday.
Throughout the 2000s, Mandy headlined several films, ranging from the little-seen drama Try Seventeen (2002) to mid-level releases like How to Deal (2003), Chasing Liberty (2004), Racing Stripes (2005), and the more broadly comedic Because I Said So (2007) and License to Wed (2007). She also appeared in the odd-ball sci-fi film Southland Tales (2006), and voiced Rapunzel in the Disney blockbuster CGI animation Tangled (2010).
In the mid 2010s, she re-emerged as a star actress, headlining the show This Is Us (2016) and the hit thriller film 47 Meters Down (2017), with more film roles to come.- Actor
- Composer
- Producer
Jordan Dean is known for High Maintenance (2012), Z: The Beginning of Everything (2015) and The Punisher (2017).- Actress
- Producer
- Composer
Jordin Brianna Sparks was born on December 22, 1989 in Phoenix, Arizona and raised in Glendale, Arizona & Ridgewood, New Jersey. She was born to Jodi Beth Wiedmann & Phillippi Sparks. She rose to fame in 2007 after winning the sixth season of American Idol at age 17, becoming the youngest winner in the series' history. Her self-titled debut studio album, released later that year, was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and has sold over two million copies worldwide. The album spawned the Billboard Hot 100 top-ten singles "Tattoo" and "No Air"; the latter, a collaboration with Chris Brown, is currently the third highest-selling single by any American Idol contestant, selling over three million digital copies in the United States. The song earned Sparks her first Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. Sparks' second studio album, Battlefield (2009), debuted at number 7 on the Billboard 200 chart. Its title single reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, making Sparks the only American Idol contestant to have her first five singles reach the top 20 in the United States. The second single, "S.O.S. (Let the Music Play)", became Sparks's first number one on the Hot Dance Club Play chart. Throughout her career, Sparks has received numerous accolades, including an NAACP Image Award, a BET Award, an American Music Award, a People's Choice Award and two Teen Choice Awards. In 2009, Billboard magazine ranked her as the 91st Artist of the 2000s Decade. In 2012, Sparks was ranked at number 92 on VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Women in Music". As of February 2012, she has sold 1.3 million albums and 10.2 million singles in the United States alone, making her one of the most successful American Idol contestants of all time.
Following the release of Battlefield, Sparks ventured into acting, pursuing television and Broadway. She made her stage debut as Nina Rosario in the musical In The Heights (2010), and her feature film debut as the titular character in Sparkle (2012). Sparks has also released several perfumes, including Because of You... in 2010 as well as Fascinate and Ambition in 2012. After a five-year absence from music, she released a mixtape, #ByeFelicia (2014), under a new record deal with Louder Than Life/Red Associated Labels, a joint deal with Sony Music Entertainment. Sparks' R&B-focused third studio album and most recent to date, Right Here Right Now (2015), saw smaller commercial success but received positive reviews from music critics.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Writer
Alan Alda (born under the name Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo) is an American actor, comedian, film director, and screenwriter from New York City. His father was the Italian-American actor Robert Alda. Alda's best known role was playing chief surgeon Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce in the medical-themed sitcom M*A*S*H (1972-1983) for 11 seasons. He twice won the "Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series" for this role. Alda was later nominated for the "Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor", for his portrayal of career politician Ralph Owen Brewster (1888-1961) in the biographical film "The Aviator" (2004). The film depicted Brewster's opposition to the commercial interests of Howard Hughes, and the alleged political corruption which caused the end of Brewster's career.
In 1936, Alda was born in the Bronx, New York City. By that time, his father Robert Alda (1914-1986) had already started performing in vaudeville and burlesque theaters. Alda's mother was former beauty queen Joan Browne. Alda had Italian ancestry on his father's side of the family, and Irish ancestry on his mother's side of the family. Alda spend much of his childhood touring the United States with his father, as his father's acting job required frequent travel.
In 1943, Alda contracted polio. His parents chose to administer a painful treatment regimen, "consisting of applying hot woolen blankets to his limbs and stretching his muscles". This treatment had been developed by the Australian nurse Elizabeth Kenny (1880-1952), and was based on the principle of muscle rehabilitation. Though the treatment was considered controversial, it seemingly helped Alda to recover his mobility.
Alda received his secondary education at Archbishop Stepinac High School, an all-boys Roman Catholic high school located in White Plains, New York, United States. The school was named in honor of Aloysius Stepinac (1898 - 1960), the Archbishop of Zagreb who was hero-worshiped for his conviction for treason by communist Yugoslavia. Alda received his college education at Fordham University, a Jesuit research university located in New York City. He graduated In 1956 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.
During his college years, Alda worked for the radio station WFUV. The station was owned by Fordham University, and was operated by its students. Alda joined the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) , a training program intended for prospective commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. He subsequently entered the United States Army Reserve. He served for a year at Fort Benning, a United States Army post straddling the Alabama-Georgia border . He then spend 6 months stationed in Korea. His official rank at that time was that of a gunnery officer, though Alda claims that he was placed in charge of a mess tent.
In 1956, Alda was introduced to Jewish-American musician Arlene Weiss (a clarinetist). They soon bonded due to their similar tastes in humor, and started dating each other. They were married on March 15, 1957. They had three daughters, born between 1958 and 1961.
Alda started his acting career in the mid-1950s, as a theatrical actor. He joined the Compass Players (1955-1958), a short-lived improvisational theatre revue which was based in Chicago. He subsequently joined the improvisational group Second City, and the regional theater company Cleveland Play House for its 1958-1959 season. In 1958, he had his first guest star role in television. He appeared in an episode of "The Phil Silvers Show", a military-themed sitcom about a swindler operating within the United States Army.
Alda made his film debut in the comedy-drama film "Gone Are the Days!" (1963). The film was a satire of segregation and bigotry, based on a play written by Ossie Davis (1917-2005). Alda was part of the recurring cast of "That Was the Week That Was" (1963-1965), a political satire series which targeted various political figures of the era. It was based on a British satire series of the same name. Most episodes of the American version are considered lost, though there are surviving audio recordings.
In 1968, Alda had his first starring role in a film. He portrayed sports journalist George Plimpton (1927-2003) in the sports comedy "Paper Lion". The film depicted Plimpton's brief term as a player of the Detroit Lions, and focused on his inexperience and ineptitude as a football player.
Alda played the accountant Morton Krim in the World War II-themed war comedy "The Extraordinary Seaman" (1969). The film depicts four sailors of the United States Navy who have been stranded on an island of the Philippines. They encounter the ghost of a British naval officer who was killed in World War I, and he encourages them to launch an attack on Japanese positions. Due to the ghost's perpetual bad luck, their attack is ill-fated.
Alda next played the male lead in the drama film "Jenny" (1970). In the film, main character Jenny Marsh (played by Marlo Thomas) was impregnated in a one-night-stand and has few options in life. Her acquaintance Delano (played by Alda) agrees to marry her and to claim the child's paternity, in an effort to avoid being drafted for war service. The film depicts the problems of a typical "marriage of convenience" (a marriage contracted for reasons other than that of love and commitment), and Delano's attempts to maintain both his marriage and his long-term relationship with another woman. The film earned 2,825,000 million dollars at the worldwide box office.
Alda also played the main character in the crime film "The Moonshine War" (1970), which was set in Prohibition-era Kentucky. He played John "Son" Martin, a man whose main source of income is the production of moonshine whiskey. An acquaintance in the Internal Revenue Service starts pressuring him for a cut on the profits. When Son refuses, the acquaintance reports his activities to a violent gang leader and his henchmen. Son has to outwit the gang in order to survive. The film was one of several films greenlit by Louis Polk and Herb Solow, the then-new co-leaders of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Alda had his first role in a horror film, when he played the main character in the occult-themed horror film "The Mephisto Waltz" (1971). He played music journalist Myles Clarkson, who unexpectedly befriends piano virtuoso Duncan Ely (played by Curd Jürgens). He does not realize that Ely is dying due to cancer, and that he intends to perform a body-swapping spell to take over Clarkson's body. Once the spell succeeds, Ely starts a new career in Clarkson's body and kills Clarkson's daughter. Ely fails to realize that his new "wife" Paula Clarkson (played by Jacqueline Bisset) intends to use the same spell to swap bodies with Ely's adult daughter. Bisset was praised for her "chillingly effective" performance, but film critics argued that Alda had been miscast in this role.
Alda had a scarier role in the psychological thriller "To Kill a Clown" (1972), playing disturbed Vietnam War veteran Evelyn Ritchie. Ritchie was once a military officer, but retired after having one of his legs amputated. He agrees to become the landlord of a young married couple, despite his intense dislike for the artistic lifestyle of his tenant Timothy Frischer (played by Heath Lamberts). He starts treating Frischer as a military subordinate, and insists on keeping both of his tenants as prisoners in their residence. The young couple soon learn that Ritchie has sadistic tendencies, and that he had a history of tormenting his subordinates throughout his military career.
Alda had the big break in his career when cast to play chief surgeon Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce in the medical-themed sitcom M*A*S*H (1972-1983). The series depicted life within a "Mobile Army Surgical Hospital" (MASH) during the Korean War (1950-1953). It was based on the novel "MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors" (1968) by military surgeon H. Richard Hornberger. The series often questioned the United States' role in the Cold War, and satirized authority figures. Its ratings placed it among the top 10 most viewed shows throughout most of its run, and it was critically acclaimed. Alda appeared in all 256 episodes of the series, which helped him become a household name in the United States. Alda eventually served as the series' producer, creative consultant, and co-writer.
Alda played the male lead in the romantic comedy "Same Time, Next Year" (1978), which was his first film role since the early 1970s. The film depicts an extramarital affair which lasts for 26 years (1951-1977), despite the two lovers only meeting once per year. The film also covers the effects time has on the couple's political ideologies, and how they react to the deaths of various family members. The film was partially shot at the Heritage House Inn in Little River, California. The inn became a popular romantic getaway due to the film's enduring popularity. Alda was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for "Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy", but the award was instead won by rival actor Warren Beatty.
Alda was part of the ensemble cast in the comedy film "California Suite" (1978). He played successful screenwriter Bill Warren, who is involved in a custody dispute with his ex-wife, the workaholic Hannah Warren (played by Jane Fonda). Both parents claim custody over their adolescent daughter Jenny Warren (played by Dana Plato), and have little regard for Jenny's plans about her own life. The film's cast was nominated for several awards, but Alda was overshadowed by his co-stars.
Alda received his first screenwriting credit for the political drama film "The Seduction of Joe Tynan" (1979). He also played the film's eponymous character. He portrayed an ambitious American senator, whose marriage seems to be deteriorating. He briefly has an extramarital affair with labor lawyer Karen Traynor (played by Meryl Streep), but decides against seeking a divorce. The film earned about 19.6 million dollars at the worldwide box office. Alda was praised more for his ability as a screenwriter than his acting in this film. Streep was nominated for several acting awards for her supporting role, having a breakthrough in her career.
Alda made his directorial debut with the romantic comedy film "The Four Seasons" (1981), depicting the relationships between three upper middle-class married couples. Alda kept for himself the role of Jack Burroughs, a lawyer who has a tendency towards expressing narrow moral attitudes. The film was an unexpected box office hit, earning about 50,4 million dollars at the box office. It was the ninth highest-grossing film of 1981, and won the "Bodil Award for Best Non-European Film". Alda was again nominated for the "Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy", but the award was instead won by rival actor Dudley Moore.
Alda had a hiatus in his acting and directing career during the early 1980s, as he had to take care of his terminally-ill parents. He attempted a comeback by directing the comedy film "Sweet Liberty" (1986), which parodies Hollywood filmmaking. Alda kept for himself the role of Michael Burgess, a college professor and historical novelist. Burgess wants to oversee the adaptation of his historically-accurate and realistic novel into a Hollywood film, but soon realizes that the film's screenwriter has turned the film into a historically inaccurate soap opera. He then sets out to sabotage the film. The film only earned 14.2 million dollars at the box office, despite the critical praise for its leading actors. The poor box office performance was attributed to its release time at movie theaters. It was directly competing with two more lucrative films, "Top Gun" and "Short Circuit".
Alda's next directing effort was the romantic comedy "A New Life" (1988), which depicted the problems faced by middle-aged divorced people. Alda played Steve Giardino, a workaholic businessman who received a divorce after more than 25 years of marriage. His attempts to pursue a new romance are complicated by his inexperience at dating and his unwillingness to father children again. Giardino soon suffers a heart attack due to his poor eating habits. He falls in love with the female physician attending to his problem, Dr. Kay Hutton (played by Veronica Hamel). The film was a box-office flop, only earning 7,7 million dollars at the box office. Critics found the film pleasant, but predictable.
Alda played pompous television producer Lester in the comedy-drama film "Crimes and Misdemeanors" (1989). In the film, Lester wants to finance a documentary celebrating his own life and work. He hires his brother-in-law to direct it, documentary filmmaker Clifford "Cliff" Stern (played by Woody Allen). He is unaware that Stern despises him. Stern uses the film to expose Lester's mistreatment of his employees, and Lester's sexual harassment towards actresses. The film earned 18,2 million dollars at the box office. For his role, Alda won the "National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor".
Alda had his final directing credit with the romantic comedy "Betsy's Wedding" (1990). Alda played the main role of Eddie Hopper, a construction contractor who insists on organizing a lavish wedding for his beloved daughter Betsy Hopper (played by Molly Ringwald). Since Eddie can not actually afford the wedding expenses, he requests financial assistance from loan sharks. The film earned 19.7 million dollars at the box office, but its leading actresses (Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy) were both nominated for Golden Raspberry Awards. Unlike Alda's previous directing efforts, critics were mostly hostile towards the film.
Alda played the evil mentor Leo Green in the erotic thriller "Whispers in the Dark" (1992). In the film, main character Ann Hecker (a psychiatrist, played by Annabella Sciorra) seeks help from her mentor Leo Green due to suffering from disturbing dreams. Hecker is soon implicated in the murder of her female patient Eve Abergray (played by Deborah Unger), and then in the murder of the police detective investigating the case. She eventually realizes that her mentor has been obsessed with her for years. He committed both murders in a misguided attempt to protect her. This was Alda's first villainous role in a film since the early 1970s. The film only earned 11.1 million dollars at the box office.
In 1993, Alda became the new host of the science-themed television program "Scientific American Frontiers" (1990-2005). The series was a spin-off of the popular science magazine "Scientific American" (1845-). The show typically focused on new technology, and on scientific and medical discoveries. Alda remained the host for 12 years, and was credited with inspiring youngsters to follow scientific careers.
Alda was reduced to the supporting role of the protagonist's confidant in the black comedy film "Manhattan Murder Mystery" (1993). The main plot involved amateur detectives who were investigating the mysterious death of a neighbor, who seemed to have died twice and on two entirely different locations. They eventually realize that they have stumbled on the deaths of two sisters with a close family resemblance, and that the motive for the murders was their family fortune. The film only earned 11.2 million dollars at the box office. Its perceived failure led to the termination of a long-term deal between director Woody Allen and the film studio TriStar Pictures.
Alda had a more comedic role in the political satire film "Canadian Bacon" (1995). The film satirized international relations between Canada and the United States. Alda played an unnamed President of the United States who wants to start a new war to boost his sagging poll numbers, but lacks a credible enemy to serve as an opponent. He finds that Russia is not interested in renewed hostilities, and a proposal to declare war on international terrorism is rejected as absurd. So he uses a flimsy excuse to declare war on Canada, and uses television channels to transmit anti-Canada propaganda to the gullible American population. The film was a box office flop, despite featuring a large cast of Canadian actors. It is mostly remembered as the final film appearance for actor John Candy.
Alda next had a supporting role in the black comedy "Flirting with Disaster" (1996). In the film, an adult, married man searches throughout the United States for the biological parents who gave him up for adoption. He eventually learns that his biological father is Richard Schlichting (played by Alda), a man who has devoted the last 30 years in producing and distributing "lysergic acid diethylamide" (LSD). The family reunion is less than happy, and the protagonist is introduced to a biological brother who despises him. The film earned 14,7 million dollars at the box office.
Alda had another villainous role in the action thriller film "Murder at 1600" (1997), playing national security adviser Alvin Jordan. In the film, Jordan has organized a conspiracy in order to blackmail the President of the United States into resigning, and to start a second Korean War. The conspiracy involved murdering a White House secretary (who had a brief affair with the president) and framing the President for murdering her. The film earned 41,1 million dollars at the worldwide box office, Alda's most profitable film in a decade.
Alda played news anchorman Kevin Hollander in the media-themed thriller "Mad City" (1997). In the film, a fired museum guard takes several people hostage at his former workplace. The news media decides to exploit the situation for profit, and several reporters compete in trying to get the lion's share of the publicity. The situation escalates until the museum guard becomes a suicide bomber. The film only earned 10.5 million dollars at the box office.
Alda's career had declined in the early 2000s, but this situation was only temporary. In 2004, Alda joined the recurring cast of the political television series "The West Wing" (1999-2006). The series depicted the administration of a fictional United States president and his staff. Alda played Republican senator Arnold Vinick for 28 episodes. His character was depicted as a fiscal conservative, who was opposed to corporate welfare and resented to Christian' right's influence on his political party. Vinick became the new Secretary of State in the finale of the series. For his role, Alda won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2006.
Alda's film career experienced a revival with his portrayal of career politician Ralph Owen Brewster (1888-1961) in the biographical film "The Aviator" (2004). He was nominated for the "Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor", the first Academy Award nomination in Alda's career. The award was instead won by rival actor Morgan Freeman. The critical acclaim for his role went against years of criticism for his acting abilities. Alda received several new offers for film roles.
Alda remained active as an actor throughout the 2000s and 2010s. He published three different memoirs between 2005 and 2017, covering different aspects of his life and career. In July 2018, he announced in an interview that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2015. While this has not ended his acting career, he feared that the effects could be distracting to viewers of his work.
From 2018 to 2020, Alda had a recurring role in the crime drama television series "Ray Donovan" (2013-2020). The series depicted the life and career of a professional "fixer" of the entertainment industry, in charge of bribes, payoffs, threats, crime-scene clean-up, and other illegal activities. Alda also appeared in the spin-off film "Ray Donovan: The Movie" (2022), which concluded remaining plot-lines from the series. By 2022, Alda was 86-years-old. He may no longer be in his prime, but the aging actor seems to have no plans to retire yet.- Alin Sumarwata is an Australian actress. She is best known for her role in the Australian soap opera Neighbours as Vanessa Villante. She has also starred in series 2 of the critically acclaimed East West 101 and played the role of May Stone in soap opera Home and Away. In 2017 she played the role of Gracie Novin in Strike Back: Retribution.
Alin Sumarwata went to Newtown High School of the Performing Arts. She graduated from Macquarie University with a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Laws. During her studies she took a break and went to Jakarta to star in an Indonesian television Soap opera "Kenapa Ada Cinta".
In 2009, Sumarwata starred as Yasmin Van Koors in the mini-series, False Witness. She joined the cast of Home and Away in the recurring role of May Stone, before moving onto roles in Rescue Special Ops and East West 101. The actress also filmed a role as Isabella Fortino in short film, Dark Horse. For her portrayal of Isabella, Sumarwata won the "Best Female Actor in a Short Film" award at the Melbourne Underground Film Festival.
The following year, Sumarwata appeared in Sea Patrol and Tangle. On 5 December 2011, it was announced Sumarwata had joined the cast of Neighbours in the regular role of Vanessa Villante. Sumarwata and her family relocated from Sydney to Melbourne, so she could film her scenes.
In 2016, Sumarwata joined the cast of Strike Back as Gracie Novin for the show's sixth series, which began airing in 2017.
She is married to actor Don Hany. They have a daughter named Tilda, who was born in 2011. - Actor
- Writer
- Producer
British actor and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen was born in Hammersmith, London. He is the son of Daniella (Weiser), a movement instructor, and Gerald Baron Cohen, a clothing store owner. His father, born in England and raised in Wales, was of Eastern European Jewish descent, while his mother was born in Israel, to German Jewish parents. He was educated at a private school, Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School in Hertfordshire, and went on to read History at Christ's College, Cambridge. Baron Cohen had an interest in performing from an early age, forming a breakdancing group as a teenager and acting in amateur plays with a Jewish youth group. While at university he joined the Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club, and took part in such plays as "Cyrano de Bergerac" and "Fiddler on the Roof".
Upon leaving University, Baron Cohen briefly worked as a model, before moving on to work as a host on a satellite TV station. In 1995, Channel 4 put out an open call for new presenters, and Baron Cohen sent in a tape featuring himself in character as an Albania TV reporter (an early prototype for Borat). He was hired and worked on various 'youth TV' projects before, in 1998, appearing in The 11 O'Clock Show (1998) which became a cult hit thanks to his character, Ali G. Ali G proved so popular that a spin-off show Da Ali G Show (2000) and film Ali G Indahouse (2002) where produced.
America soon beckoned with a stateside version of Da Ali G Show. Feature film work followed with Baron Cohen providing the voice of Julien in Madagascar (2005) and appearing as Jean Girard alongside Will Ferrell in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006). He followed this with the smash-hit Borat (2006), for which he won a Golden Globe and was nominated for a writing Oscar. His other film work includes supporting roles in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) and Hugo (2011), and starring in the title roles of Brüno (2009), The Dictator (2012), and The Brothers Grimsby (2016).- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Sasha Pieterse was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. She immigrated over to the United States with her professional dancer parents in 2000. She started acting at the age of four in modeling and commercials and moved to theatrical work starring as "Buffy" in her first TV show, Family Affair (2002) alongside Tim Curry and Gary Cole at the age of six. She went on to star in movies such as The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D (2005), X-Men: First Class (2011) and Good Luck Chuck (2007) and also starred in shows such as House (2004) and Heroes (2006) before landing the role as Alison Dilaurentis in the TV show Pretty Little Liars (2010). While filming her TV show she also starred in movies such as G.B.F. (2013) and as "Japonica Fenway" in Paul Thomas Anderson's G.B.F. (2013) alongside Joaquin Phoenix and Martin Short. The TV series Pretty Little Liars (2010) finished after 7 seasons and since then she continues pursuing her passion for movies and television.- Actress and former model Brooklyn Danielle Decker was born in Kettering, Ohio, the oldest child of Tessa Renee (Moore), a nurse, and Stephen Michael Decker, a pacemaker salesman. She has a younger brother, Jordan. Decker has German, English, and Irish ancestry. When she was a teenager, she was discovered by a talent spotter in a shopping mall in Charlotte, North Carolina and embarked on a modeling career. Her first modeling engagement was for a prom dress maker.
Huge modeling success followed, with Decker appearing in various magazines and campaigns. In 2006, she appeared in her first Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Decker appeared again in the 2007 and 2008 issues, and was the cover girl in 2010. Alongside modeling, Decker began acting, winning roles in TV series such as Chuck (2007), Royal Pains (2009) and Ugly Betty (2006). She then moved on to movie projects, including Just Go with It (2011), Battleship (2012) and What to Expect When You're Expecting (2012).
Since 2009, Decker has been married to tennis player Andy Roddick. - A multi-hyphenate, Brooklyn is an aspiring chef and personality, with more than 14 million followers on Instagram alone.
Brooklyn has appeared in Vogue China, Miss Vogue, Interview, L'Uomo Vogue, and Dazed Korea. He has also appeared in and interviewed for GQ, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Vanity Fair, and The New York Style Magazine, among others. He has also served as a brand ambassador for many different companies, including BMW, Pepe Jeans, Superdry, Huawei, Honor 8, and Burberry.
Brooklyn's recent Facebook series COOKIN' WITH BROOKLYN focused on his love for cooking and his journey to learning to be a chef, while cooking with such clients as Roy Choi and Nancy Silverton. - 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.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Emmanuelle Vaugier is a Canadian actress and model. She began acting in grade school, after she was cast as an understudy in a play and had to fill in when the lead actor became ill. She modeled in Japan for three years. She made her acting debut in the 1995 made-for-TV movie drama, A Family Divided. She took up horseback riding in 2010; entered a Burbank, CA, horse show in which she placed third. She is involved with animal protection organizations including JIMI'S Angels and Best Friends Animal Society; she created Fluff-ball, an animal fundraiser event, to provide monetary support for the groups.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Evan Peters was born in 1987 in St. Louis, Missouri to Phil and Julie Peters. When his father's job was transferred, the family moved to Grand Blanc, Michigan. There, Evan began taking acting classes and at age 15, he moved with his mother to Los Angeles in hopes of pursuing a career in the entertainment industry. His breakthrough role came when he was cast as the controversial Tate Langdon in American Horror Story (2011).- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Evan Rachel Wood was born September 7, 1987, in Raleigh, North Carolina. Her father, Ira David Wood III, is a theatre actor, writer and director, and her mother, Sara Wood, is an actress and acting coach. She has two older brothers--Dana Wood, a musician, and Ira David Wood IV, who has also acted. Evan and her brothers sometimes performed at Theatre In The Park in Raleigh, which her father founded and where he serves as executive director.
At the age of five she screen-tested against Kirsten Dunst for the lead role in Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994) after a long auditioning process. She moved to Los Angeles with her mom and brother Ira in 1996 and has had success ever since, appearing in a TV series, TV movies and feature films. She has appeared in Practical Magic (1998), starred in the comedy S1m0ne (2002) as Al Pacino's daughter, and followed that with Thirteen (2003), with Holly Hunter. Her breakout role as Tracy in "Thirteen" garnered her a Golden Globes nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture: Drama and for a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role. At the time of this SAG nomination, she was the youngest actress to be nominated in the Leading Role category. She received a Golden Globe and Emmy nomination for "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie" for her portrayal of Veda Pierce in the HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce (2011).
She also earned acclaim for her powerful performance as Stephanie, Mickey Rourke's estranged daughter, in Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler (2008).- Actor
- Producer
Micah Fowler is thrilled to be part of the amazing cast and crew of the ABC Network Television show, " Speechless" as the role of JJ DiMeo. He was recently named to the "Forbes 30 Under 30, class of 2018", which acknowledges the inspiring work of young entrepreneurs and game changers today. Micah is so honored to not only have been considered, but chosen to stand along side such an extraordinary group of individuals making a difference in our world today.
Additionally, Micah was featured individual in Variety's 2017 Youth Impact Report.
Micah was honored to have received a 2017 Teen Choice Nomination, for Choice Comedy TV Actor, for his work on Speechless.
Micah, along with Scott Silveri, 20th Century Fox Television, ABC and the cast of Speechless, recently received the 2017 Catalyst Award for "Television Show of the Year".
Micah, along with the cast & networks and executive team of Speechless received the 2017 Television Critics Association "Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming" Award.
Micah and the "Speechless" cast and creative team were selected as the 2016 recipient of the SAG-AFTRA Disability Awareness Award, which honors those who have made a significant contribution in raising the visibility and awareness of disability issues in the broadcast, sound recording, and entertainment industries.
Micah, along with the cast & networks and executive team of Speechless recently received the 2017 Annie Glenn Award from ASHA. This award is named after Annie Glenn, the wife of late Senator & astronaut, John Glenn, known nationwide for her advocacy for people with communication disorders. This award recognizes efforts to broaden awareness of communication issues and those who exemplify Annie Glenn's efforts to speak out about stuttering - a disorder she overcame as an adult - and other communication disorders.
Micah also honored to receive the 2016 Include NYC Inclusion Award for helping bring love, equity, and access to young people with disabilities in New York City.
Micah made his television debut on an episode of " Blue's Clues" when he was nine and later appeared on several episodes of " Sesame Street ." At 15, Micah made his feature film debut, as "Barry" in Jason Reitman's 2013 movie, " Labor Day," opposite Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin.
In real life, Micah lives every day conquering the challenges brought on by cerebral palsy and uses both a walker and a wheelchair, the latter for longer distances. Unlike his character, Micah can speak and uses his voice to be a constant advocate for others with disabilities; he is a proud ambassador for the Cerebral Palsy Foundation. Fowler hopes viewers will get to know JJ as a very typical person, to the point that they don't even see JJ's disability, but see his personality, potential and the person he is. Micah recognizes the huge responsibility of representing the special needs community and hopes to make them proud!
Micah is an avid movie fan and especially enjoys the Marvel and D.C. Comics Franchises. In addition, he is a resident expert in all things " Star Wars." When not playing video games with his friends, he also plays on the Woodbridge Warriors, a sled hockey team with a very competitive group of special needs players.
Micah divides his time between Los Angeles and the East Coast. He has one sister, Kelsey Fowler who is also an actress and his inspiration for getting started in the business. She along with his parents, David and Tammy Fowler, are extremely supportive of Micah's endeavors.
You can follow Micah on twitter and instagram: micahdfowler- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Mika Boorem is an actress, director, writer and producer based in Los Angeles. Boorem is well- known for her acting career which includes over 40 major motion pictures and network television series roles. She has recently completed her first narrative feature length film, Hollywood.con, as a director. Hollywood.con stars Tom Arnold (True Lies), Mika Boorem (The Patriot, Blue Crush, Along Came a Spider) Devin Ratray (HBO's series Mosaic, Nebraska, Masterminds, Blue Ruin, Netflix's series Russian Dolls), Brian Krause (Blue Lagoon, Charmed), Cody Kasch (Desperate Housewives), and Paige Howard (Adventureland). Boorem was involved with the financing, producing, writing, directing and acting of this film. Hollywood.con is a commercial adventure comedy which includes locations in Mexico, Arizona, Texas, California, and Guatemala. Mika's other producing and directing experience include a documentary series titled "Gem Hunter" about gemstone quests internationally. Her short films have played Academy qualifying film festivals and won several awards. Mika has built up a respectable filmography as an actress. She has worked under many of the industry's most highly regarded players; Lawrence Bender, Brian Grazer, Penny Marshall, Scott Hicks, Drew Barrymore, Shirley MacLaine, Roland Emmerich, John Carpenter, Rodrigo Garcia, Mel Gibson, Anthony Hopkins, Lee Tamahori, and Morgan Freeman to name a few. Her work has received critical acclaim and she has won several awards. Her feature film credits include Smile (Beau Bridges, Linda Hamilton, Sean Astin, Cheri Oteri), Sleepover (Steve Carrell, Jane Lynch), Blue Crush (Kate Bosworth, Michelle Rodriguez), The Patriot (Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger, Jason Issacs), Along Came a Spider (Morgan Freeman), Hearts in Atlantis (Sir Anthony Hopkins), The Ward (John Carpenter, Jarrod Harris, Amber Heard), Good Day For It (Hal Holbrook, Robert Patrick), Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (John Slatterly, Sela Ward, Diego Luna), Jack Frost (Michael Keaton, Kelly Preston), Carolina (Shirley MacLaine, Julia Stiles), Riding in Cars with Boys (Drew Barrymore, Brittany Murphy), Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her (Cameron Diaz, Glenn Close), Mighty Joe Young (Charlize Theron, Bill Paxton), and others. She has been a regular and or featured on tv series including; the Tom Show, Dawson's Creek, House M.D, Ghost Whisperer, Touched by an Angel, Walker Texas Ranger, the Waltons, Initiation of Sarah, Augusta Gone, and others. Boorem is a member of the Alliance of Women Directors (AWD), New York Women in Film and Television (NYWIFT) and the Screen Actors Guild (SAG, since 1997).- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Riley Smith is an immensely talented actor whose body of work comes to life in diverse roles across television and film. With a promising new series, Riley's star is quickly on the rise.
Riley Smith has most recently been cast to co-star in the CW's up and coming hit Nancy Drew. The series is set the summer following Nancy Drew's high school graduation, where she and several teens throughout the town are suspects of murder. The victim? Smith's characters, Ryan Hudson's, socialite wife. Nancy Drew can be seen following Riverdale on the CW starting in October of 2019.
Before landing the role of Ryan Hudson, Smith had wrapped up his role of Levi Scott in Fox series Proven Innocent, and prior to that was Dr. Will Grant on the CW series Life Sentence.
Smith was the lead in the CW series Frequency, which premiered October 2016. In this re imagining of the 2000 New Line film, Peyton List plays a female police detective in 2016 who discovers that she is able to speak via a ham radio with her estranged father (Smith), also a detective, but who died in 1996. They forge a new relationship while working together on an unresolved murder case. However, unintended consequences of the butterfly effect wreak havoc in the present day.
In 2015, Smith was seen in a strong arc in Season 4 of the popular ABC musical series Nashville. Playing Markus Keen, an artist signed to Rayna's Highway 65 label, Smith merged his love for music and acting, recording singles, such as "In the Name of Your Love" and "I Want To (Do Everything For You," for the Nashville soundtrack. Also in 2015, Smith scored a recurring role as Rachel McAdam's boyfriend, Sheriff's deputy Steve Mercier, on HBO's True Detective, the second installment in the crime franchise. This role followed his previous stint on the pay cable network as a vampire on the seventh and final season of HBO's True Blood. Smith played Keith, a rugged, rock 'n' roll vampire with a romantic side and story line opposite Arlene, played by Carrie Preston.
Previously, Smith had recurring roles in the Emmy-nominated CBS series Joan of Arcadia, the highly acclaimed Fox show 24, the WB series Summerland, and Judd Apatow's master creation for NBC Freaks and Geeks. He was a main character in the Fox show Drive and appeared in seven episodes of the fifth season of CW's 90210 as Riley Wallace, a paraplegic opposite Shenae Grimes, and Tristan Wilds. He can also be seen in television movies including Disney Channel's Motocrossed and Nicholas Sparks' Deliverance Creek.
Smith's other credits were in films as diverse as Radio (Ed Harris, Cuba Gooding Jr.), Eight-Legged Freaks, Not Another Teen Movie, New York Minute, as well as Gallowwalkers (Wesley Snipes), Weapons, the Sundance Grand Jury Nominee, and Christmas in Conway (Andy Garcia, Mary-Louis Parker). Over the past twenty years since Smith has called Los Angeles home, he has managed to complete more than seventy-five projects: fourteen pilots, nine series, and dozens of guest star roles.
In his free time, Smith is also a music recording artist and writer. In 2016, he released his first self titled solo EP, recorded in Nashville. The music video for the first single I'm on Fire went to number one on CMT's Taste of Country Countdown. Smith currently has 6 original songs placed on Television shows and film. Smith is set to release a new record in 2018.
Born and raised on his families' Quarter Horse Ranch outside of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Smith remains involved with his hometown supporting the Eastern Iowa Arts Academy. This non-profit after school arts organization, created for K-12th grade students, offers classes in art, music, drama, dance, cultural arts, and creative writing.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Actress and model Danielle Riley Keough was born in Santa Monica, California to musicians Lisa Marie Presley and Danny Keough. She is the eldest grandchild of legendary singer Elvis Presley and actress Priscilla Presley. Keough started modeling as a teenager. She first appeared on a runway for Dolce & Gabbana. She has also appeared on the cover of "Vogue" with her mother and grandmother.
Keough began her acting career in 2010 when she won the role of Marie Currie in The Runaways (2010). Other roles followed in The Good Doctor (2011), Jack & Diane (2012), and Steven Soderbergh's Magic Mike (2012).
She has been married to Ben Smith-Petersen since February 4, 2015. They have one child.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
"Want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing." If you have not heard of Brooke Shields before, this tagline from her Calvin Klein Jeans ad had to grab your attention. Not that she has not had a previously noteworthy resume. She was born on May 31, 1965 in New York City, to Teri (Schmon) and Frank Shields. At age 12, she starred as a child prostitute in Pretty Baby (1978). Could this movie even be made today? It was considered risky and controversial in 1978. It was followed by another blockbuster, the romance adventure drama The Blue Lagoon (1980). Brooke has proved herself to be so much more than her early films. Her broad range of work as an adult would be quite an achievement for anyone, especially given how difficult transitioning from child actor to adult often is.
She has never stopped working, whether it be a Bob Hope Christmas special, her own sitcom Suddenly Susan (1996) or as an author. She also managed to work on a degree from Princeton University. She has received a number of awards during her career, most notably The People's Choice award for 1981 through 1984 in the category of Favorite Young Performer. In 1997, she was honored again with The People's Choice award for Favorite Female Performer in a New Television Series in 1997 for her work in Suddenly Susan (1996). In her personal life, she was married in 1997 to tennis player Andre Agassi and was devastated when they divorced two years later. She married for the second time in 2001 to Chris Henchy. She has been open about using fertility treatments to become pregnant with their daughter, Rowan, born in 2003.
When suffering debilitating depression after the birth of her daughter, she made the decision to put her feelings down on paper. Her book, "Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression," takes a hard, honest look at what she and many other women experience after childbirth. She still lives in New York City, and is still sought after for work in movies, television, and on stage. Pretty nice list of achievements for the once Calvin Klein jeans girl.- Actor
- Music Department
- Producer
Brooke McCarter was born on April 22, 1963. He was named after his father and his mother's name is Maria. Brooke had a sister named Melissa and a brother named Robert. Brooke's family had been in entertainment for quite some time. His grandfather was an old Vaudeville actor and his father was a drummer. So it was only natural for Brooke to be musically inclined as well. He modeled and, when he was 14, he won a model contest called "New Faces".He was very athletic, went to college on a racquetball scholarship, and also studied communications. It was during this time that Brooke dropped out of college to study acting in New York City. Brooke was in the new The Twilight Zone (1985), an episode called Joy Ride/Shelter Skelter/Private Channel (1987). His next role was as Tyler in Thrashin' (1986), and then in 1986, he starred in the cult classic film The Lost Boys (1987), where he played Paul. While filming The Lost Boys the cast and crew got along well. Brooke met Corey Haim, and became his manager through the 90s. He was in a film with Corey called Double Switch (1987), and was credited as a song and song performer in his movie Fast Getaway (1991). It was never released commercially but the songs were I've got a Feeling, Miss Lucy You make me feel and Something Going On. Brooke worked on the soundtrack for the documentary America the Violent and is listed as a composer. The song You Make Me Feel was re-recorded in Long Beach California by Carlee Knight. Next, Brooke worked with Ali Handal, producing the track "Dirty Little Secret". He also moved back into making documentary films. In 2002, he directed the pot documentary Leaves of Green. Brooke has played drums with the band for several performances on the song Cry Little Sister, which was on The Lost Boys soundtrack. He worked with director Herschell Gordon Lewis on "The Uh Oh Show".
Brooke died of Alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency on December 22, 2015, in Tampa, Florida.- Actress
- Writer
- Music Department
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, comedienne, singer, and model. Monroe is of English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh descent. She became one of the world's most enduring iconic figures and is remembered both for her winsome embodiment of the Hollywood sex symbol and her tragic personal and professional struggles within the film industry. Her life and death are still the subjects of much controversy and speculation.
She was born Norma Jeane Mortenson at the Los Angeles County Hospital on June 1, 1926. Her mother, Gladys Pearl (Monroe), was born in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, to American parents from Indiana and Missouri, and was a film-cutter at Consolidated Film Industries. Marilyn's biological father has been established through DNA testing as Charles Stanley Gifford, who had been born in Newport, Rhode Island, to a family with deep roots in the state. Because Gladys was mentally and financially unable to care for young Marilyn, Gladys placed her in the care of a foster family, The Bolenders. Although the Bolender family wanted to adopt Marilyn, Gladys was eventually able to stabilize her lifestyle and took Marilyn back in her care when Marilyn was 7 years old. However, shortly after regaining custody of Marilyn, Gladys had a complete mental breakdown and was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic and was committed to a state mental hospital. Gladys spent the rest of her life going in and out of hospitals and rarely had contact with young Marilyn. Once Marilyn became an adult and celebrated as a film star, she paid a woman by the name of Inez Melson to look in on the institutionalized Gladys and give detailed reports of her progress. Gladys outlived her daughter, dying in 1984.
Marilyn was then taken in by Gladys' best friend Grace Goddard, who, after a series of foster homes, placed Marilyn into the Los Angeles Orphan's Home in 1935. Marilyn was traumatized by her experience there despite the Orphan's Home being an adequate living facility. Grace Goddard eventually took Marilyn back to live with her in 1937 although this stay did not last long as Grace's husband began molesting Marilyn. Marilyn went to live with Grace's Aunt Ana after this incident, although due to Aunt Ana's advanced age she could not care properly for Marilyn. Marilyn once again for the third time had to return to live with the Goddards. The Goddards planned to relocated and according to law, could not take Marilyn with them. She only had two choices: return to the orphanage or get married. Marilyn was only 16 years old.
She decided to marry a neighborhood friend named James Dougherty; he went into the military, she modeled, they divorced in 1946. She owned 400 books (including Tolstoy, Whitman, Milton), listened to Beethoven records, studied acting at the Actors' lab in Hollywood, and took literature courses at UCLA downtown. 20th Century Fox gave her a contract but let it lapse a year later. In 1948, Columbia gave her a six-month contract, turned her over to coach Natasha Lytess and featured her in the B movie Ladies of the Chorus (1948) in which she sang three numbers : "Every Baby Needs a Da Da Daddy", "Anyone Can Tell I Love You" and "The Ladies of the Chorus" with Adele Jergens (dubbed by Virginia Rees) and others. Joseph L. Mankiewicz saw her in a small part in The Asphalt Jungle (1950) and put her in All About Eve (1950) , resulting in 20th Century re-signing her to a seven-year contract. Niagara (1953) and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) launched her as a sex symbol superstar.
When she went to a supper honoring her in the The Seven Year Itch (1955) , she arrived in a red chiffon gown borrowed from the studio (she had never owned a gown). That same year, she married and divorced baseball great Joe DiMaggio (their wedding night was spent in Paso Robles, California). After The Seven Year Itch (1955) , she wanted serious acting to replace the sexpot image and went to New York's Actors Studio. She worked with director Lee Strasberg and also underwent psychoanalysis to learn more about herself. Critics praised her transformation in Bus Stop (1956) and the press was stunned by her marriage to playwright Arthur Miller . True to form, she had no veil to match her beige wedding dress so she dyed one in coffee; he wore one of the two suits he owned. They went to England that fall where she made The Prince and the Showgirl (1957) with Laurence Olivier , fighting with him and falling further prey to alcohol and pills. Two miscarriages and gynecological surgery followed. So had an affair with Yves Montand . Work on her last picture The Misfits (1961) , written for her by departing husband Miller, was interrupted by exhaustion. She was dropped from the unfinished Something's Got to Give (1962) due to chronic lateness and drug dependency.
On August 4, 1962, Marilyn Monroe's day began with threatening phone calls. Dr. Ralph Greenson, Marilyn's physician, came over the following day and quoted later in a document "Felt it was possible that Marilyn had felt rejected by some of the people she had been close to." Apart from being upset that her publicist slept too long, she seemed fine. Pat Newcombe, who had stayed the previous night at Marilyn's house, left in the early evening as did Greenson who had a dinner date. Marilyn was upset he couldn't stay, and around 7:30pm she telephoned him to say that her second husband's son had called her. Peter Lawford also called Marilyn, inviting her to dinner, but she declined. Lawford later said her speech was slurred. As the evening went on there were other phone calls, including one from Jose Belanos, who said he thought she sounded fine. According to the funeral directors, Marilyn died sometime between 9:30pm and 11:30pm. Her maid unable to raise her but seeing a light under her locked door, called the police shortly after midnight. She also phoned Ralph Greenson who, on arrival, could not break down the bedroom door. He eventually broke in through French windows and found Marilyn dead in bed. The coroner stated she had died from acute barbiturate poisoning, and it was a 'probable suicide' though many conspiracies would follow in the years after her death.- Music Artist
- Actor
- Composer
Marilyn Manson was born Brian Hugh Warner on January 5, 1969 in Canton, Ohio, to Barbara Jo (Wyer) and Hugh Angus Warner. He has German and English ancestry. During his childhood, one of his neighbors molested him several times until the young Brian broke down one day and told his mother what happened. As an only child, he would often get into mischievous activities such as adventure through his grandfather Jack Warner's sex toys, shoot his BB gun with his cousin Chad, and create sex magazines to sell to his classmates. His parents raised him as an Episcopalian, and he attended the religious private Heritage Christian School. It was there that he became fueled with hate towards Christanity. During his tenth grade year, he convinced his parents to let him attend a public school.
After he graduated from high school, he and his parents moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida because his father got a better job there. He studied journalism and theater at the local community college called Broward, and being some place new and feeling lonely, he wrote poems and short stories. After being fired from his last job at a record store, he became entertainment journalist for a local magazine. He interviewed several famous musicians including Trent Reznor from the band "Nine Inch Nails". Along with his job and writing, he would also frequently go to rock clubs. He soon decided to create his own band.
With musical influences from Ozzy Osbourne and KISS, he recruited other musicians with the same interests and started the band called "Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids". He got the name Marilyn Manson as a combination from the names of the movie star Marilyn Monroe and the psycho killer Charles Manson. The band's name would later officially change to just Marilyn Manson, and most of the original band members would leave and be replaced, too. Manson reunited with Trent Reznor and had his band tour with "Nine Inch Nails". Reznor would also produce Marilyn Manson's first three albums (Portrait of an American Family, AntiChrist Superstar, and Mechanical Animals) and an E.P. (Smells like Children). "Mechanical Animals" is Marilyn Manson's most successful album to date. With the success, Manson became a controversial celebrity, because the anti-Christian message in his songs, and Satanist 'Anton Szandor LaVey' deemed Manson a Reverend for the Church of Satan. Also with fame, Manson started to mingle with other celebrities, and began a romantic relationship with the actress Rose McGowan. They became engaged, but broke off the relationship in 2001.
He then fell in love with the burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese, and soon became engaged. They had a fairy tale, non-denominational wedding in a castle in Ireland. Meanwhile, Manson came out with two more albums (Holy Wood, and the Golden Age of Grotesque), and a best of album (Lest We Forget: The Best Of...). He also dabbled into acting by being in such movies as Jawbreaker (1999), Party Monster (2003) and The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things (2004). He continues to make music and act in movies.- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Shay Carl Butler, known as ShayCarl, is the force behind one of the most beloved families on YouTube. Shay got his start on YouTube as a sketch comedian and vlogger. His videos have been viewed almost 75 million times, and each video is almost unanimously "Liked." Shay has several other channels for vlogging, but this channel's scripted videos spotlight Shay in a whole new way. In addition to his own channel, his family makes up the extremely popular YouTube channel, ShayTards. Named after his love for uni-tards, Shay, his wife, and their wonderful family create a new video blog every day, allowing viewers to share in the adventures and misadventures of their family life. Shay's friendly, family-oriented demeanor attracts huge numbers, with over 500 million views and over one million subscribers and his viewers are overwhelmingly positive in their comments. Whether they're eating donuts off of strings or practicing gymnastics together, his is a family that people can't help but love.- Actress
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Shay Mitchell (born Shannon Ashley Mitchell; April 10, 1987) is a Canadian actress, model, entrepreneur and author. She rose to prominence starring as Emily Fields in the Freeform series Pretty Little Liars (2010) (2010-2017).
She was born in Mississauga, Ontario, the daughter of Precious Garcia and Mark Mitchell. Her parents work in finance. Her father is of Scottish and Irish descent and her mother, a Filipina, is from the province of Pampanga, and left the Philippines at age 19. She has one younger brother named Sean. She is a first cousin-once-removed of Lea Salonga, singer and Tony Award-winning theater actress well known for originating the lead role of Kim in the musical Miss Saigon. Even as a young child, Mitchell was interested in performing arts, declaring to her parents that she would pursue such a career. Mitchell began dance lessons at the age of five, and she and several of her classmates toured the city to compete with a variety of other dance schools. At the age of 10, Mitchell's family moved to West Vancouver, British Columbia. Within a year of their arrival, an international modeling agency held an open casting call for teen and pre-teen girls who were vying for representation. Mitchell was one of the girls selected.
She attended Rockridge Secondary School and then later transferred to West Vancouver Secondary School where she graduated. She got the nickname Shay because she's a big fan of Jennifer Lopez aka J. Lo, so her friends called her "Shay Lo". By her late teens, Mitchell had successfully modeled for a variety of companies in cities as varied as Bangkok, Hong Kong and Barcelona, but she later returned to Toronto to study acting. After signing with her first theatrical agency Mitchell appeared in the Canadian teen drama series Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001) and booked several national commercials. Mitchell guest starred in the Global series Rookie Blue and appeared in the music video for "Hold My Hand" by Jamaican rapper Sean Paul. In 2010, Mitchell appeared in a four-episode arc on the Disney XD series Aaron Stone as cheerleader Irina Webber. In December 2009, Mitchell was cast in the ABC Family (now Freeform) planned adaptation of the book series Pretty Little Liars. Initially, Mitchell auditioned for the role of Spencer Hastings. In January 2010, the series was picked up by ABC Family. The series centers on four friends up against an anonymous foe who threatens to reveal all their secrets whilst unraveling the mystery of the murder of their best friend. Mitchell portrays the role of Emily Fields, the "jock girl" of the group. The program gained quick popularity despite mixed critical reviews. The show ran for seven seasons and the series finale aired June 27, 2017.
In January 2011, Mitchell signed a contract with Procter & Gamble to be the spokesperson for the Pantene Nature Fusion shampoo line. Subsequent endorsements include American Eagle, Nike and Biore. In August 2017, Mitchell was cast in a starring role on the upcoming Lifetime television series You, in the role of socialite Peach Salinger. In September 2017, she was cast in the lead role in the ABC television pilot, The Heiresses (2018), adapted from the book with the same name from Sara Shepard and created by I. Marlene King. Mitchell co-authored the young adult novel Bliss with Michaela Blaney (2015). She also hosts her own YouTube lifestyle channel. In 2017, Mitchell started a production company Amore & Vita Inc. with manager David Dean Portelli and has already signed a contract with Warner Bros. Television Group. Mitchell supported Somaly Mam Foundation, a non-profit organization that fought sex trafficking until it ended operations in 2014. She has also worked with The Trevor Project alongside the Pretty Little Liars cast and the NOH8 Campaign. She works with the WE Charity, which helps communities develop educational resources, and she partnered with Represent Clothing to promote tees where half the proceeds went to GLAAD.- Ryann Shane is an American actress best known for her starring role as Daniella Leary, the daughter of a rebounding heavyweight champion and the sole confidante of her father's deteriorating dementia, in the television drama series Lights Out, in 2011.
She also has a starring role as Deva Hopewell, Carrie and Gordon's rebellious teenage daughter, in the action drama television series Banshee.
She also guest starred in an episode of Blue Bloods and an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Her film career includes playing the young Amelia Earhart in Amelia starring Hilary Swank, and a sassy soccer player in Coach opposite Hugh Dancy. - Writer
- Producer
- Actor
Ryan O'Connell was born on 2 September 1986 in Ventura, California, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Special (2019), The Baby-Sitters Club (2020) and Awkward. (2011).- Actress
- Soundtrack
Devyn Nekoda is a Canadian actress and the newest star of the globally successful Scream franchise, playing Anika in the upcoming horror film, Scream VI (Paramount). She is one of the core cast members, facing off against one of the most iconic villains of all time, Ghostface. She stars alongside Courtney Cox, Hayden Panettiere, Jenna Ortega, Samara Weaving, and more.
Devyn has also starred in other hit films and TV series. She can be seen in a recurring role on the Netflix hit series Ginny & Georgia as well as in the leading role of Sage on the revolutionary sci-fi hip hop series Utopia Falls (Hulu). She also had a guest role in the Netflix series Grand Army. Recently, she starred as the supporting lead in the film Sneakerella for Disney+. No stranger to leading roles, Devyn joined the "promising young cast" (Hollywood Reporter) of Utopia Falls after two seasons as Vanessa on Backstage (Family Channel/Disney/Netflix). Prior to that, she amassed co-starring appearances on Ghostwriter and Northern Rescue along with recurring roles on Degrassi, The Next Step, and Annedroids, as well as Raising Expectations with Jason Priestley and Molly Ringwald.
Prior to shifting her talents on camera, Nekoda had a formidable dance career at a young age, winning titles at events across North America, touring with Splash'N Boots, and performing with Edyta Sliwinska (Dancing with the Stars). Driven by the determination and discipline of an accomplished dancer, she clinched her first-ever on-camera audition, landing a leading role in American Girl: Isabelle Dances Into the Spotlight, then made her feature film debut in Disney's The Swap.
Devyn also lent her talents to Mishka, a short film project that has benefited charitable organizations such as Little Warriors, An Ark of Hope for Children, The Unchained Project and Kids Help Phone.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Devin McGee is known for One Tree Hill (2003), The Rookie (2018) and Web of Make Believe: Death, Lies and the Internet (2022).