My Cast of The Animated Willy Wonka (In Memory of Gene Wilder. You will be missed.)
The Willy Wonka animated movie will be about the origin about how Wonka made the tasty candy and bought the chocolate factory.
Genre: Family/Animated/Drama/Comedy/Fantasy
It depends my choices for the young Willy Wonka.
Who would be a good choice for the young Wonka?
A. James Corden
B. Adam Sandler
C. Tom Hiddleston
D. Ewan McGregor
You guess it.
It's Ewan McGregor
Here's my list.
Enjoy!
Genre: Family/Animated/Drama/Comedy/Fantasy
It depends my choices for the young Willy Wonka.
Who would be a good choice for the young Wonka?
A. James Corden
B. Adam Sandler
C. Tom Hiddleston
D. Ewan McGregor
You guess it.
It's Ewan McGregor
Here's my list.
Enjoy!
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- Actor
- Producer
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Ewan Gordon McGregor was born on March 31, 1971 in Perth, Perthshire, Scotland, to Carol Diane (Lawson) and James Charles McGregor, both teachers. His uncle is actor Denis Lawson. He was raised in Crieff. At age 16, he left Morrison Academy to join the Perth Repertory Theatre. His parents encouraged him to leave school and pursue his acting goals rather than be unhappy. McGregor studied drama for a year at Kirkcaldly in Fife, then enrolled at London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama for a three-year course. He studied alongside Daniel Craig and Alistair McGowan, among others, and left right before graduating after snagging the role of Private Mick Hopper in Dennis Potter's six-part Channel 4 series Lipstick on Your Collar (1993). His first notable role was that of Alex Law in Shallow Grave (1994), directed by Danny Boyle, written by John Hodge and produced by Andrew Macdonald. This was followed by The Pillow Book (1995) and Trainspotting (1996), the latter of which brought him to the public's attention.
He is now one of the most critically acclaimed actors of his generation, and portrays Obi-Wan Kenobi in the first three Star Wars episodes. McGregor is married to French production designer Eve Mavrakis, whom he met while working on the television series Kavanagh QC (1995). They married in France in the summer of 1995, and have four daughters. McGregor formed a production company, with friends Jonny Lee Miller, Sean Pertwee, Jude Law, Sadie Frost, Damon Bryant, Bradley Adams and Geoff Deehan, called "Natural Nylon", and hoped it would make innovative films that do not conform to Hollywood standards. McGregor and Bryant left the company in 2002. He was awarded Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2013 Queen's New Years Honours List for his services to drama and charity.
Ewan made his directorial debut with American Pastoral (2016), an adaptation of Philip Roth's book, in which Ewan also starred.
In 2018 McGregor won an Golden Globe for his work in the TV Series Fargo.as Willy Wonka (voice, 18 years ago)- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Jeffrey Lynn Goldblum was born October 22, 1952 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, one of four children of Shirley (Temeles), a radio broadcaster who also ran an appliances firm, and Harold L. Goldblum, a doctor. His father was of Russian Jewish descent and his mother was of Austrian Jewish ancestry.
Goldblum began his career on the New York stage after moving to the city at age seventeen. Possessing his own unique style of delivery, Goldblum made an impression on moviegoers with little more than a single line in Woody Allen's Annie Hall (1977), when he fretted about having forgotten his mantra. Goldblum went on to appear in the remake Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) and co-starred with Ben Vereen in the detective series Tenspeed and Brown Shoe (1980) before a high-profile turn in the classic ensemble film The Big Chill (1983).
The quirky actor turned up in the suitably quirky film The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984), which became a 1980s cult classic, starred in the modern-day film noir Into the Night (1985), then went on to a breakthrough role in the David Cronenberg remake The Fly (1986), which also featured actress Geena Davis, Goldblum's wife from 1987-1990 and co-star in two additional films: Transylvania 6-5000 (1985) and Julien Temple's Earth Girls Are Easy (1988).
Goldblum was the rather unlikely star of some of the biggest blockbusters of the 1990s: Steven Spielberg's dinosaur adventure Jurassic Park (1993) and its sequel The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), as well as the alien invasion film Independence Day (1996). These films saw Goldblum playing the type of intellectual characters he has become associated with. More recently, roles have included critically acclaimed turns in Igby Goes Down (2002) and Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004). In 2009, he returned to television to star in his second crime series Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001).as Older Willy Wonka (voice)- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Actress Elizabeth Anne "Lizzy" Caplan was born in Los Angeles, California, to Barbara (Bragman), a political aide, and Richard Caplan, a lawyer. She has two older siblings, Julie and Benjamin, and was raised in a Jewish household. Her mother was a cousin of publicist Howard Bragman. Caplan was educated at Alexander Hamilton High School, where she showed an interest in acting and was cast in school plays.
After graduating, Caplan made her onscreen debut in the TV movie From Where I Sit (2000). Other roles followed in TV shows such as Freaks and Geeks (1999), Smallville (2001) and The Pitts (2003). Caplan made her big screen debut with a small role in Orange County (2002) and went on to play Janis Ian in the hit Mean Girls (2004). Further successes include Cloverfield (2008), Hot Tub Time Machine (2010) and 127 Hours (2010).
More recently, Caplan has played Virginia Johnson in the television series Masters of Sex (2013), for which she received an Emmy nomination. Her 2010s film work includes co-starring in The Interview (2014), opposite Joseph Gordon-Levitt in The Night Before (2015), and alongside Jesse Eisenberg, Dave Franco, Woody Harrelson, and Daniel Radcliffe in Now You See Me 2 (2016).as Rosie Wonka (voice, Willy's wife)- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Sam Neill was born in Omagh, Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland, to army parents, an English-born mother, Priscilla Beatrice (Ingham), and a New Zealand-born father, Dermot Neill. His family moved to the South Island of New Zealand in 1954. He went to boarding schools and then attended the universities at Canterbury and Victoria. The 6-foot tall star has a BA in English Literature. Following his graduation, he worked with the New Zealand Players and other theater groups. He also was a film director, editor and scriptwriter for the New Zealand National Film Unit for 6 years.
Sam Neill is internationally recognised for his contribution to film and television. He is well known for his roles in Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park (1993) and Jane Campion's Academy Award Winning film The Piano (1993). Other film roles include The Daughter (2015), Backtrack (2015) opposite Adrien Brody, MindGamers (2015), United Passions (2014), A Long Way Down (2014), Escape Plan (2013), The Hunter (2011) with Willem Dafoe, Daybreakers (2009), Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010), Little Fish (2005) opposite Cate Blanchett, Skin (2008), Dean Spanley (2008), Wimbledon (2004), Yes (2004), Perfect Strangers (2003), Dirty Deeds (2002), The Zookeeper (2001), Bicentennial Man (1999) opposite Robin Williams, The Horse Whisperer (1998) alongside Kristin Scott Thomas, Sleeping Dogs (1977), and My Brilliant Career (1979).
He received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for the NBC miniseries Merlin (1998). He also received a Golden Globe nomination for One Against the Wind (1991), and for Reilly: Ace of Spies (1983). The British Academy of Film and Television honoured Sam's work in Reilly by naming him Best Actor. Sam received an AFI Award for Best Actor for his role in Jessica (2004).
Other television includes House of Hancock (2015), Rake (2010), Doctor Zhivago (2002), To the Ends of the Earth (2005), The Tudors (2007) with Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Crusoe (2008), Alcatraz (2012) and recently in Old School (2014) opposite Bryan Brown, Peaky Blinders (2013) alongside Cillian Murphy and The Dovekeepers (2015) for CBS Studios.as Richman Bateman (voice, The Main Antagonist)- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Alan Tudyk was born in El Paso, Texas, but grew up in Plano, where he attended Plano Sr. High. In 1990, he went on to study drama at Lon Morris Jr. College. While there, he was awarded the Academic Excellence Award for Drama. He was also named Most Likely to Succeed and Sophomore Beau. During this time, Alan was also an active member of the Delta Psi Omega fraternity.
After leaving LMJC, Alan went on to study at the prestigious Juilliard conservatory but left in 1996 before earning a degree.
After a number of smaller stage productions and a small role in the movie Patch Adams (1998), Alan landed his first Broadway role in 1999 with "Epic Proportions." He quickly became a sought-after comedic actor, with roles in such films as 28 Days (2000) and A Knight's Tale (2001).
In 2002, Alan got the role of Wash, the wise-cracking pilot of Serenity on the short-lived series Firefly (2002). Although it lasted only eleven episodes, this may be Alan's most well-known and best-loved role. No other networks would buy the failed series, but Universal Pictures began courting creator Joss Whedon to produce a big-screen version of the series. While awaiting the final news of Firefly's fate, Alan played the beloved Steve the Pirate in the movie Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004) and the voice of the robot Sonny in I, Robot (2004).
In 2005, Alan finally reprised the role of Wash in Serenity (2005), the feature-film version of the series Firefly. The same year, he went back to Broadway from June to November, taking over the role of Lancelot for Hank Azaria in the successful musical "Spamalot."
He lives in New York City but also has a place in Los Angeles, Californiaas Bill Bateman (voice, The 2nd Main Antagonist)- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Kathryn Marie Hahn is an American actress and comedian. She became a worldwide phenomenon when she starred as Agatha Harkness in the Marvel Cinematic Universe miniseries WandaVision (2021) for which she received critical acclaim and a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie.
She was born in Westchester, Illinois, but her family then moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where she spent most of her time growing up. She is of German, Irish, and English descent. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in theater from Northwestern University. She later attended Yale, where she enrolled in the school of drama and starred as "Sally Bowles" in "Cabaret" and as "the heartless Célimène" in Molière's play, "The Misanthrope". Kathryn has extensive stage experience, and appeared with the Huntington Theater Company's production of Jon Robin Baitz's "Ten Unknowns", with Ron Rifkin of Alias (2001) (Arvin Sloane).
Kathryn got her role as "Lily" when she was "discovered" by an NBC casting director at the Williamstown Theater Festival, and the Crossing Jordan (2001) role of "Lily" was created for her by creator/producer Tim Kring.
As a lead actress in film, Hahn starred in Joey Soloway's comedy-drama Afternoon Delight (2013), the comedy film Bad Moms (2016), and its 2017 sequel, and the Tamara Jenkins drama Private Life (2018). For the latter, she received critical acclaim and a Gotham Award nomination for Best Actress. She has appeared in various dramatic films, including Revolutionary Road (2008), This Is Where I Leave You (2014), Tomorrowland (2015), The Visit (2015), and Captain Fantastic (2016), for which she received her first Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. She voiced Ericka Van Helsing in the Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018) and Hotel Transylvania 4: Transformania (2022) and Doctor Octopus in the Academy Award winning animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018).
In television, Hahn was featured in a recurring guest role on the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation (2009), for which she received a Critics' Choice nomination for Best Guest Performer in a Comedy Series, she starred in the Amazon Prime Video comedy-drama series Transparent (2014), for which she received a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Hahn also starred in the Amazon Prime Video comedy series I Love Dick (2016), the HBO comedy miniseries Mrs. Fletcher (2019), and the HBO drama miniseries I Know This Much Is True (2020). Since 2020, Hahn has voiced Paige Hunter in the Apple TV+ animated musical comedy series Central Park (2020).
She lives in Los Angeles, where she paints and practices yoga when she's not busy acting. She is married to Ethan Sandler, with whom she has two children.as Mrs. Olsen (voice)- Actor
- Director
- Writer
English actor, writer and director Chiwetel Ejiofor is renowned for his portrayal of Solomon Northup in 12 Years a Slave (2013), for which he received Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations, along with the BAFTA Award for Best Actor. He is also known for playing Okwe in Dirty Pretty Things (2002), the Operative in Serenity (2005), Lola in Kinky Boots (2005), Luke in Children of Men (2006), Dr. Adrian Helmsley in 2012 (2009) and Dr. Vincent Kapoor in The Martian (2015).
Chiwetelu Umeadi Ejiofor was born on July 10, 1977 in Forest Gate, London, England, to Nigerian parents, Obiajulu (Okaford), a pharmacist, and Arinze Ejiofor, a doctor. Chiwetel attended Dulwich College in South-East London. By the age of 13, he was appearing in numerous school and National Youth Theatre productions and subsequently attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA).
Ejiofor caught the attention of Steven Spielberg who cast him in the critically acclaimed Amistad (1997) alongside Morgan Freeman and Anthony Hopkins. He has since been seen on the big screen in numerous features including Stephen Frears' Dirty Pretty Things (2002) (for which he won Best Actor at the British Independent Film Awards, the Evening Standard Film Awards, and the San Diego Film Critics Society Awards), Love Actually (2003), Woody Allen's Melinda and Melinda (2004), Kinky Boots (2005), Inside Man (2006), Children of Men (2006), American Gangster (2007) and Talk to Me (2007), for which his performance won him an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Ejiofor has balanced his film and television commitments with a number of prestigious stage productions. In 2008, his portrayal of the title role in Michael Grandage's "Othello" at the Donmar Warehouse alongside Ewan McGregor was unanimously commended and won him best actor at the 2008 Laurence Olivier Awards and Evening Standard Theatre Awards. He also received nominations in the South Bank Show Awards and the What's On Stage Theatregoers' Choice Awards in 2009. His other stage roles include Roger Michell's "Blue/Orange" in 2000 which received the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Play, and the same year Tim Supple's "Romeo and Juliet" in which Ejiofor portrayed the title role.
Following his television debut in the series episode Deadly Voyage (1996), Ejiofor has complimented his film and theatre work on the small screen in productions including Murder in Mind (2001), created by the award-winning writer Anthony Horowitz, Trust (2003), Twelfth Night, or What You Will (2003), and Canterbury Tales (2003). His television appearance in the hard hitting emotional drama Tsunami: The Aftermath (2006) alongside Toni Collette, Sophie Okonedo and Tim Roth earned him a nomination for a Golden Globe Award as well as an NAACP Image award.
Ejiofor also appeared in such notable films as Endgame (2009), Channel 4's moving drama set in South Africa for which his performance earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries; Roland Emmerich's action feature 2012 (2009), opposite John Cusack, Danny Glover and Thandiwe Newton; and Salt (2010), opposite Angelina Jolie and Liev Schreiber. In 2013, he starred in Half of a Yellow Sun (2013) and 12 Years a Slave (2013), receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for the latter film.as John Sullivan (voice)- Producer
- Writer
- Actor
Describing himself as the "chunky unit," James Kimberley Corden was born in Hillingdon, London, England and raised in Buckinghamshire, England, the son of Margaret (Collins), a social worker, and Malcolm Corden, a musician. He studied drama at the Jackie Palmer Stage School before going on to Holmer Green Senior School, near High Wycombe. However, he admits that he had very little academic ambition and turned to acting, making his screen debut in the monochrome Shane Meadows film TwentyFourSeven (1997). After taking small roles in television drama series, he landed his first notable role as the teenage member of a slimming club in the British TV comedy-drama Fat Friends (2000). Shortly afterwards, he appeared on the London stage in Alan Bennett's play "The History Boys," taking part in its subsequent international tour, as well as the cinema adaptation. Whilst working on Fat Friends (2000), he met the Welsh actress Ruth Jones and, between them, they fashioned the sitcom (in which both also appear) Gavin & Stacey (2007), the big hit of the 2007 season, winning British Film Academy awards for them both as Best Comedy Show and for James as Best Comedy Actor. He also persuaded three of the erstwhile "History Boys" to make cameo appearances as Gavin's stag party friends. In 2011 he found fame as a stage actor in the acclaimed farce 'One Man, Two Guv'nors' transferring with it from London to Broadway, thus beginning Transatlantic success topped in 2015 when he became the host of CBS 'The Late, Late Show.'as Ben (voice)- Actress
- Producer
- Music Department
Allison Janney is an award-winning actress who has earned a solid reputation in stage productions and in many supporting roles on screen, and who more recently has become prominent by portraying one of the major characters in the popular TV series The West Wing (1999).
Entertainment Weekly magazine describes Janney's screen presence as "uncommonly beautiful and infinitely expressive." As an actor, the magazine deems her to be "one to watch."
Janney was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Macy Brooks (Putnam), a former actress, and Jervis Spencer Janney, Jr., a real estate developer and jazz musician. While studying at Kenyon College, Janney answered a casting call for an on-campus play that was to be directed by Kenyon's most famous alumnus, the legendary actor Paul Newman. During her audition/interview, Janney played upon Newman's known passion for race car driving - she explained how she cut thirty minutes off of the 130 mile journey from her home town to the college. She got chosen for the play's cast.
After earning her degree in drama, Janney took Joanne Woodward's suggestion to do further study at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse. She also studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London.
Early in her career Janney got comedic roles in the soap operas As the World Turns (1956) and Guiding Light (1952). Later, she gave memorable movie performances in supporting roles in Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999), 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), American Beauty (1999) and Nurse Betty (2000), and in the made-for-TV movie ...First Do No Harm (1997), among others.
Among her stage work, Janney has played in a revival of Arthur Miller's "A View From the Bridge" on Broadway opposite Anthony LaPaglia, which earned her a Tony Award nomination, and a Drama League Award for outstanding artist for the 1997-98 season. She played in Noel Coward's "Present Laughter" opposite Frank Langella, which earned her the Outer Critics Circle Award and an Actors' Equity award. Janney also appeared in the New York Shakespeare Festival's production of "The Taming of the Shrew."
In 1999 Janney became part of the original cast of the acclaimed TV series The West Wing (1999) where she played the President's press secretary who eventually gets promoted to the White House Chief of Staff. Her impressive work during the seven seasons of that renowned series earned her four Emmys and two SAG Awards.
With her reputation becoming more broadly established during her work on "The West Wing" Janney won more substantive roles in feature films, in the acclaimed The Hours (2002) where she was Meryl Streep's lesbian lover, and in How to Deal (2003) where she played Mandy Moore's mother.as Barbra (voice, Willy's mother)- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Anthony Marc Shalhoub was born and raised in Green Bay, Wisconsin. His father, Joseph Shalhoub, who owned a grocery chain, emigrated from Lebanon to the United States as an orphan at age ten, later marrying Shalhoub's mother, Helen (Seroogy), who herself was born in Wisconsin, to Lebanese parents. When Tony was six, he was introduced to the theater, in a school production of "The King and I". He graduated from Green Bay East High, and then graduated with a Bachelor's degree in drama from the University of Southern Maine before progressing to the Yale School of Drama, which he left with a Master's degree in Fine Arts.
After a time in the American Repertory Theatre, he moved to Broadway where he met his future wife, Brooke Adams, whom he married in 1992. She had an adopted daughter, Josie, who was three years old at the time that Tony and Brooke married. Tony adopted Brooke's own adopted child, Josie Lynn (born 1989) when she was eight. In 1994, the couple adopted another daughter, Sophie (born 1993). Tony's first audition after arriving in Los Angeles was for Italian cabdriver Antonio Scarpacci in the long-running sitcom Wings (1990), which also starred Tim Daly and Steven Weber.
Tony next had roles in Men in Black (1997), Men in Black II (2002), Galaxy Quest (1999) and Thir13en Ghosts (2001). However, his biggest break came, playing the obsessive-compulsive detective Adrian Monk in Monk (2002). The series made him a star and earned him four straight Emmy Award nominations between 2003 and 2006, for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. Tony won the award in 2003, 2005 and 2006, proving how popular he has become after the success of "Monk", which has been both brilliant and popular work during all its seasons.as Gary (voice, Willy's father)- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Comedian, actor and United States Marine Corps Reserve Lieutenant Colonel Robert Allen Riggle, Jr. was born April 21, 1970 in Louisville, Kentucky, to Sandra (Shrout) and Robert Allen Riggle, who worked in insurance. Riggle has amassed notable television credits and has also earned roles in many feature films, including The Lorax (2012) and 21 Jump Street (2012). After graduating from the University of Kansas with a B.A. in Theater and Film, Riggle joined the Marines and earned a Master's degree from Webster University in Public Administration. Riggle had intentions of becoming a Marine Corps pilot, but eventually left the military to pursue a career in comedy. A featured cast member on Saturday Night Live (1975) during the 2004/2005 season, Riggle then joined Comedy Central's The Daily Show (1996) in 2006 as a correspondent. Riggle's numerous television appearances, including credits on Arrested Development (2003), Chappelle's Show (2003), 30 Rock (2006) and The Office (2005) would lead to big-screen roles in Step Brothers (2008), The Hangover (2009) and The Other Guys (2010). When he is not on set or traveling across the United States performing stand-up comedy, Rob Riggle lives in Los Angeles.as Reilly the Boss (voice)- Actor
- Stunts
Owen Atlas is an actor and an award winning martial artist. He is known for his roles in featured films such as The Starling and Breathing Happy. And for starring in Netflix' Little Evil. As well as for playing the Young Kikiwaka on the Disney Channel's Bunk'd.
Owen is an athlete who enjoys performing his own stunts and working with animals especially dogs, horses, reptiles and birds of prey.as Young Wonka (voice, 10 years old)- Actress
- Soundtrack
Sadie Sandler was born on 6 May 2006 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Pixels (2015), Hotel Transylvania (2012) and Bedtime Stories (2008).as Young Rosie (voice, 10 years old)- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Writer
Renée Victor is an American actress best known for her extraordinary role as the wisecracking, feisty Lupita in the landmark television series "Weeds." She received considerable acclaim for her role as the cagey and crafty housekeeper, hurling clever barbs at unsuspecting characters, avoiding any hint of a stereotype. Before and since, Renée remains an indelible presence for her pageant of other widely diverse and memorable character roles in motion pictures, television, theater and radio. Whether comedy or drama, Renée carefully and artfully pursues the challenge of roles that exude bravura, honesty, and a keen attention for authenticity. Renée has worked alongside many of Hollywood's elite including Robert Duvall, Christopher Walken, William Hurt, Josh Brolin, Gena Rowlands, Mary Louise Parker, Scarlett Johansson and more. In addition to acting, Renée has also garnered a wealth of accolades in other performing disciplines including singing, dancing, choreography, animation, voice-over, interpreter-translator, television program host, and segment producer.
Early Years
Renée was born in San Antonio, Texas. Both parents were working professionals and raised their children in a traditional Catholic family environment. From grammar school studies through high school she attended San Antonio's prestigious all-girls St. Teresa's, St. Mary's and Divine Providence Academies. She excelled academically as an honor student, was class president numerous times and voted most talented girl throughout high school. Although she excelled academically, she had already exhibited an early interest in performing and pursued these studies throughout her education. Her dancing debut in the San Antonio production in the opera Carmen at the age of 10, set her future and it was a prophetic start.
Early Career
Renée's professional career as a singer/dancer began in Las Vegas at the Stardust Hotel and her subsequent acclaimed work throughout the celebrated Nevada circuit was a preamble to her succeeding stage-work in Europe, Latin America, the Far East, Australia and New Zealand. Renée's international success as performer lead to repeated contracts around the world, setting the stage for more critically-acclaimed television appearances, cabaret engagements, commercials and finally a stint hosting a popular television variety show in Australia.
Expanding Horizons
After her Australia and New Zealand successes Renée returned to Los Angeles and hosted KTLA's popular talk show, "Pacesetters." At the same time, she continued singing in local venues and was a popular choice for a wide range of choreography assignments. Other surprisingly diverse career paths include translator-interpreter for the 1984 Summer Olympics at the Los Angeles International Broadcasting Center; translating and adapting a program for the California Museum of Science and Industry on AIDS, hosted by Edward James Olmos; and translating the "The Nutcracker Suite" into Spanish for the BBC of London. She was also segment producer for the "Paul Rodriguez Show"; narrated "The Art of the Pacific Rim-Meso American Art" for the L.A. County Museum of Art; and "La Ofrenda - The Day of the Dead," a Women in Films entry at the Los Angeles Film Festival. While journalist/reporter for Pacifica Radio KPFK she produced and hosted a special on world acclaimed award-winning novelist Carlos Fuentes. Other credits include vocals for commercial jingles for RC Cola, Hoffy Hot Dogs and Twin Dragon Chinese Cookies. An unforgettable moment in her singing career was the creative collaboration she shared with famed Latin jazz pianist Eddie Cano ("A Taste of Honey") when she retained him as her accompanist for a six-month singing engagement. Reflected Renée: "This was a very special moment in my singing experience."
Acting
Film
Renée then set her sights on acting and she soon began landing some very choice roles. Other notable parts include the Hispanic-Evangelical interpreter in Robert Duvall's critically acclaimed "The Apostle" holding her own, literally side-by-side, with one of America's most beloved and greatest actors. Impressed with her work in "The Apostle," Duvall subsequently cast Renée in two of his other films, including "Assassination Tango" and "A Night in Old Mexico."
Renée has always chosen her roles with care and her instincts were right in "Libertad." For her title role in the indie film, Renée received the Best Actress Award at the Napa Valley Film Festival, portraying the strong family matriarch battling to keep her fractured family together. Director Miguel Najera said: "Without Renée's magnificent performance in my first film, 'Libertad,' it would not have received the accolades that it did. Her portrayal of Libertad, a strong, independent woman tempered with tenderness, personified how the Mexican female spirit survived in a man's world. Her presence filled the screen and the hearts of all those fortunate enough to witness how effortlessly she moved them from laughter to tears to triumph."
Inarguably, even industry notables continue to praise Renée Victor's work. Director Frank Aragon: "Renée Victor's many portrayals create magical moments when actress and character fuse absolutely. She so deftly balances the humor and drama in an astonishing style. Renée unleashes colorful, quirky personas that tickle the funny bone of anyone who might recall her many roles. She often steals the scene but always steals your heart."
Other film roles include the superstitious grandmother Irma in Paramount's 2014 release "Paranormal Activity 5: The Marked Ones," in which she breaks up the horror with a key, much needed comic relief scene. The foremost online horror weekly "Lighting Bug's Lair" acknowledged her all-Spanish performance as "rewarding" and "pitch perfect, conveying everything the audience wants to know without the need for translation." So, it's no surprise then, that after seeing her dying scene midway through the film, Paramount executives decided her presence should remain in the final cut, adding, "She cannot die. She's too lovable and the audience won't accept it."
Television & Radio
Renée performed on public radio, KCRW, for the prestigious Los Angeles Theater Classics "The Play's the Thing," In addition to her role as Lupita, Renée's other television work includes the recurring role of the heartfelt Florina Lopez in "ER." Other performances include the tragic grandmother Regina in "Major Crimes," a witch in Lifetime's Series "The Witches of East End," "Children's Hospital," "Women's Murder Club," "All You've Got," "Strong Medicine," "Mister Sterling," "Elian Gonzales" and many more. More recent television series include "Snowpiercer," "Undone," "Gentified," "Vida," (her supporting performance was submitted for Emmy consideration), the award-winning You Tube series "Dead to Me," and "All Rise," In addition to her role as Lupita in "Weeds," other roles include the heartfelt role of Florina Lopez in E.R. and her flair for broader comedy is a stand-out as the colorful Consuela Hernandez in "Tyler Perry's House of Payne." In 2021, Renée started her first season on the Amazon series "With Love," Amazon's one-hour romantic comedy series from Gloria Calderón Kellett's GloNation Studios and Amazon.
"Weeds"
When Renée landed her signature role as "Weeds" irrepressible Lupita, her presence and personality made the producers not only extend her role and gave her character some of the best lines, but her unique delivery made those lines special and memorable. Her spin on only three simple words "the coffee table," was devastating and the critics noticed.
"Renée Victor, as Nancy's maid, is the best lippy servant since Rosario on Will & Grace (1998) wrote Terry Morrow of the Scripps Howard News Service. New York Post's TV critic Linda Stasi wrote: "Lastly [and bestly] there's 'Lupita' (Renée Victor) the Botwin's housekeeper ("I'm nobody's maid") who delivers some of the funniest lines on television in the last 10 years. And I mean that!" She later wrote "Thank God Lupita (Renée Victor), who had the best line in all of television last season (the one about the coffee table), is back, and by episode two, she's had two more potentially best lines. The woman's a comic genius and I love her so." Referring to her classic coffee table quip in "Weeds," co-star Kevin Nealon (after her priceless delivery) asked her "What's it like not only delivering the best line in the show but one that's become a TV classic?"
Stage
After her considerable career in front of a live audience, Renée extended her acting into critically-acclaimed roles in several theatrical venues. On her performance at San Jose Repertory Theater's production of "My Visits with MGM," Victor opens the play singing the classic and heartfelt Valentina, torch style, a capella. Victor's rendition was a special moment setting the entire mood of the play. Judith Green of the San Jose Mercury News wrote: "Renée Victor, a tiny, joyous, enchanting performer gives Grandmother Marta enough fizz for a magnum of champagne and has a special beauty appropriate to a play that takes place largely in the faded colors of the past. She is also an accomplished dancer, which she puts to good use here to the delight of the audience." On her repeat performance of "My Visits with MGM" at Milwaukee Repertory Theater, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinal's Damien Jacques wrote: "Renée Victor gives Marta Grande an amazing amalgam of warmth, humor, strength and sexiness." In the play "Our Lady of The Tortilla" at the Phoenix Theater, Julie Amparano of the Arizona Republic wrote: "Victor's performance is a highlight. With a surprised naïveté Victor plays Dolores as a Hispanic version of Edith Bunker."
Voiceover
Renée is equally acclaimed as a voice-over artist including the English voice of Helena in Ingmar Bergman's "Fanny and Alexander"; Ginger in Federico Fellini's "Ginger & Fred"; the Spanish voice of the female gargoyle in Disney's "the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Also, "Valentino, "Undone," "Fairfax" and the reptilian voices in Bethesda Softworks 2011 award-winning video game, "Skyrim: The Elder Scrolls V, Victor."
Unquestionably the complex and pivotal character of Abuelita in the highly-anticipated Disney-Pixar release "Coco," represents a major step in Renee's voice-over goals. Her Abuelita character provides the necessary dramatic impetus in driving the story forward and providing other characters needed motivations. With its ability to maintain a mature story line without compromising its entertainment value and signature Disney humor, "Coco" is widely considered one of animation's greatest films. It's not surprising that voice-over work of this caliber has been and continues to be a tremendous source of personal and professional satisfaction for Renee.
Studies
Renée has studied at the University of Texas, the American Film Institute, Jackie Cowgill of AADA, Improv with Gary Austin, Shirley Prestia, Kip King , the Sydney Conservatory of Music, Columbia School of Broadcasting and the Hollywood Scriptwriter's Institute.
Personal Life
The multi-lingual Renée is single, enjoys movies, theater, museums,, music and. travel and poetry, especially Pablo Neruda, Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz & Michael Hannon. When she isn't giving dance instruction by request and her schedule allows, she continues to study and remains very active in all forms of dance art. It's no additional surprise that long ago her tango friends bestowed her with the title "La Maestra" while those in salsa circles affectionately dubbed her "La Reina."
She incorporates her flair for the dramatic with her culinary creativity, her tiny hands preparing extravagant dishes for small intimate gatherings for friends and family. Her most important and lasting creation though, are daughters Margo and Raquel with whom she enjoys an especially deep relationship.as Grandma Wonka (voice)- Producer
- Writer
- Actor
Bill Maher was born William Maher in New York City, New York, and grew up in River Vale, New Jersey. His father, William Aloysius Maher Jr., who was of Irish Catholic descent, was a radio announcer and news editor. His mother, Julie (Berman), was a nurse, who was of Jewish descent. Maher was raised in his father's Catholic faith. While attending Cornell University, he decided to try stand-up comedy. His first stand-up routine was in a Chinese restaurant on Route 17 in Paramus, New Jersey. He soon landed a regular gig at Catch a Rising Star in New York City. After a few years, he became a regular host at the club and was spotted by a scout for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962). Maher made numerous appearances on the show, and Carson had been a hero of his since childhood, but he always felt constrained by the rules of network television. During this time, he appeared in films and made guest appearances on numerous sitcoms.
In 1993, Maher was offered his own talk show by Comedy Central. Maher developed the show as a round table discussion on current events. Politically Incorrect (1993) premiered to critical acclaim and attracted major celebrities as well as politicians and pundits. In 1997, the show moved to ABC where it aired to continued success. On September 17, 2001, Maher made controversial comments regarding the terrorists who orchestrated the September 11 attack on the US. Sponsors pulled their ads and affiliates refused to air the show. ABC canceled the show in 2002, citing "low ratings". Maher had been nominated for 11 Emmys for his work on the show. In 2003, he was able to continue his television work with a similar program on HBO titled Real Time with Bill Maher (2003). He remains single and lives in Los Angeles.as The Narrator (voice)- Writer
- Producer
- Director
Don Hall was born on 8 March 1969 in Glenwood, Iowa, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Meet the Robinsons (2007), Big Hero 6 (2014) and Raya and the Last Dragon (2021).Director/Writer- Director
- Animation Department
- Producer
Byron Howard was born on 26 December 1968 in Misawa, Japan. He is a director and producer, known for Zootopia (2016), Encanto (2021) and Tangled (2010).Director/Writer- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Nathan Greno was born in Kenosha, Wisc., on the southwestern shores of Lake Michigan. As a child, he developed a love for drawing, which quickly evolved into a passion for visual storytelling. Influenced by comic books and newspaper comic strips, he started filling tablets of paper full of sketches. He began creating his own characters, his own worlds and story lines. It was his frequent trips to the local movie theater that planted the seed for a future career at Walt Disney Animation Studios. He made sure to see all of Disney's classic animated films on the big screen. Animation was quickly becoming his favorite form of visual storytelling, so at the ripe old age of 8, he just knew he wanted to work for Disney.
Greno devoted himself to discovering all there was to know about the art of animation. He continued to create his own characters, crudely animating them in the pages of his school textbooks. In 1989, a family trip to Walt Disney World gave him his first real glimpse of animators at work. It was there that he watched the artists breathe life into their characters and he was more determined than ever to continue on his path to joining the Disney family. He went on to attend the Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, Ohio.
In 1996, Greno's portfolio was accepted by Walt Disney Animation Studios in Florida. His career started as a clean-up animation artist on "Mulan." Having never lost his affinity for storytelling, he soon became obsessed with the storyboarding process at the studio. He realized that storyboarding was similar to the comic books and comic strips he grew up reading and creating.
Pursuing his new interest, Greno joined the story department in 1998. He was part of the story team on short film "John Henry" and feature-length "Brother Bear." He relocated to California in 2003, where he continued to work in the story department and in a variety of other capacities. He served as a screenwriter, story artist and voice actor on "Meet the Robinsons" and was then promoted to head of story on "Bolt." In that role, he oversaw the story of the film, managed the story crew and their sequences, while also storyboarding. He made his directorial debut with the short film, "Super Rhino," which was featured as an exclusive on the "Bolt" Blu-Ray/DVD. He also lent his voice talent to Dasher the Reindeer in Disney's 2009 animated holiday special "Prep and Landing."
Greno went on to direct the 2010 hit "Tangled," Walt Disney Animation Studios' 50th animated feature, with fellow director Byron Howard. According to John Lasseter, chief creative offices for Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios, Greno and Howard created a movie that can sit on the shelf next to classic Disney animated films, while also being an entertaining roller coaster ride for modern audiences. In 2012, the Greno and Howard once again joined forces for "Tangled Ever After," a short film and continuation of the "Tangled" story that saw the kingdom abuzz over the royal wedding of Rapunzel and Flynn Rider.
Since, Greno has contributed to Walt Disney Animation Studios' two Academy Award®-winning feature length films, as an additional story artist on "Frozen" (2013) and a creative advisor for "Big Hero 6" (2014). Greno resides in the hills of Los Feliz, Calif., just down the street from Walt Disney's old house, with his fiancée Colie. His favorite film of all time is and always will be "Dumbo."Screenwriter- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Clay Kaytis made his directing debut for Rovio Animation and Sony Pictures with The Angry Birds Movie (2016). Based on the number-one app of all time, the film grossed $352M worldwide and was Sony's #1 film of 2016. He followed this with The Christmas Chronicles (2018), which was Kaytis' first live-action film. The Kurt Russell starrer was viewed over 20 million times in its first week of release on Netflix. Next was a project very near to his heart, two animated Peanuts specials for AppleTV+: Snoopy Presents: For Auld Lang Syne (2021), which he co-wrote, and the Emmy nominated Snoopy Presents: To Mom (and Dad), with Love (2022). His latest film A Christmas Story Christmas (2022) (HBOMax), also Kaytis' first feature screenwriting credit, reunites the entire child cast of A Christmas Story (1983), 39 years after the original film's 1983 release.
Kaytis developed his talent as a film maker at Walt Disney Animation Studios, starting as an intern in the Talent Development Program in 1994. Kaytis animated on hand-drawn films including Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, Mulan, Tarzan, Fantasia 2000, The Emperor's New Groove and Treasure Planet. In 2004, Kaytis transitioned to CG animation to animate on Chicken Little and Meet the Robinsons and was quickly promoted to Supervising Animator on Rhino, the hamster, for Bolt. For his work developing Rhino's CG fat rolls for the screen, Kaytis was awarded a U.S. Patent and Disney Inventor Award for his invention of a "distance based mesh deformer." Kaytis strongly influenced the culture and artistic standards at Disney as Head of Animation on the film Tangled, which set a new standard for CG animation. Next, Kaytis designed and directed the end credit titles for Wreck-it Ralph. He also worked on the academy award wining and record-breaking feature, Frozen and was Head of Animation on the short, Tangled Ever After. During his career at Disney, Kaytis was fortunate to work with legendary animators and film makers including John Lasseter, Glen Keane, Eric Goldberg and Ken Duncan. Kaytis has also directed commercials (for the film Hop) and the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park ride The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash. Kaytis was one of the first podcasters, creating The Animation Podcast in 2005, a series of interviews with animation legends that, although now dormant, is enjoyed by students, professionals and fans of animation worldwide. Kaytis has been nominated for an Annie Award, and two Visual Effects Society Awards. Together with his wife Monica Lago-Kaytis, they run their production company Frogbot Films, developing and producing live-action and animated films and TV series.Screenwriter- Producer
- Additional Crew
- Executive
Clark Spencer was born and raised in Seattle Washington, before he moved to Massachusetts to study at Harvard University. After graduating from Harvard in 1985 with a degree in history, he worked with Bankers Trust Company on Wall Street. He graduated from Harvard Business School in 1990. He then went on to work at the Walt Disney Studios, where he was hired as a senior business planner. He worked his way up the Disney ladder, and was involved in the purchase of Miramax Films.
Spencer joined Disney Feature Animation in 1993 as the director of planning. He worked his way up the ladder again, and by 1996 was the senior vice president of finance and operations for the department. In 1998 he moved to work at the Florida animation studio, where he produced his first film, Lilo & Stitch (2002).Producer- Producer
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Although born in Hollywood, John and his twin sister Johanna were raised in Whittier near Los Angeles. His parents were Jewell Mae (Risley), an art teacher, and Paul Eual Lasseter, a parts manager at a Chevrolet dealership. His mother's profession contributed to his interest in animation and particularly the Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck cartoons which he would watch on television. It was when he was in High School that he realized that he could have a career in animation and he wrote to the Walt Disney Studios but nothing happened then In 1975 the Disney company started an animation course at Calarts - The California Institute of the Arts- and John, with encouragement from his mother, was one of the first to sign up. He and his class mates, who included the future animators and directors Brad Bird, and Tim Burton were taught by some of Disney's veteran animators such as Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas. During his time there John produced two animated shorts - Lady and the Lamp (1979) and Nitemare (1980) - which both won the Student Academy Award for Animation. On graduating in 1979 John was taken on as an animator at the Disney Studios. In 1983, while working on Mickey's Christmas Carol some friends invited him to see some footage of Tron that they were working on using CGI and he immediately saw the potential of it to enhance animated films. John and a colleague made a short test film and satisfied with the result and full of enthusiasm started work on a feature without consulting their superiors who when they found out about it canceled it and sacked John. Having made contacts in the computer industry he was quickly taken on by Lucasfilm which was bought by Steve Jobs for $5 million with a further $5 million invested as working capital and the company renamed Pixar. John soon convinced Steve that the future lay in computer animation by bringing his desk lamp to life in the short 'Luxor Jr' which was shown at a computer graphics conference and got a standing ovation. The first computer animated feature soon followed in the form of 'Toy Story' winning John an Oscar for Special Achievement to go with one he got for Animated Short Film - Tin Toy. He's also had Oscar nominations for Animated Feature - Monster Inc and Cars, Original Screenplay -Toy Story, Animated Short Story - Luxor Jr while the short Knick Knack was selected by Terry Gilliam as one of the best 10 animated films of all time. In 2008, he was honored with the Winsor McCay Award, - the lifetime achievement award for animators. He oversees 3 animation studios - Pixar, Disney Animation and DisneyToon He spent 9 year (2005 - 2014) on the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, only relinquishing his seat due to term limits. He was presented with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood in November 2011.Executive Producer- Writer
- Actor
- Director
Chris Williams was born on 23 April 1968 in Missouri, USA. He is a writer and actor, known for Frozen (2013), Big Hero 6 (2014) and The Sea Beast (2022). He has been married to Astrid Sealey since 10 July 2004. They have two children.Supervising Producer- Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
Michael Giacchino is an American composer of music for films, television and video games.
Giacchino composed the scores to the television series Lost, Alias and Fringe, the video game series Medal of Honor and Call of Duty and many films such as The Incredibles (2004), Star Trek (2009), Up (2009), Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), Jurassic World (2015), Inside Out (2015), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) and Coco (2017).
For his work on Up he earned an Academy Award for Best Original Score.Composer