Strange and Unusual Names
Names you may not hear all the time. Unique and one of a kind names will be included.
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- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Yousef Abu-Taleb is known for Lonelygirl15 (2006), Washed Up Youtube Star (2023) and Bite Me (2010).- Mexican character actor Rodolfo Acosta (born Rodolfo Acosta Pérez) achieved his greatest success in the US, primarily as a villain in westerns. He was born in Chamizal, a section of land disputed by Mexico and Texas due to changes in the Rio Grande river which forms the border. At the time of Acosta's birth, the area was generally accepted by both Mexican and Texas governments as U.S. territory, and Acosta was born an American citizen, despite the fact that his birthplace is now in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. He served in the U.S. Navy in naval intelligence during World War II and married Jeanine Cohen, a woman he met in Casablanca during the North African campaign. They had four children. She filed for divorce when she found out Acosta was having an affair and sharing an apartment in Mexico City with actress Ann Sheridan in the 1950s.) They divorced in 1957. Rodolfo Acosta married again on September 18, 1971 to Vera Martinez and they had one child. She divorced him in 1974 a few weeks before his death at the Motion Picture and Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California. After the war, Acosta worked in Mexico in films of the great director Emilio Fernández, which led to a bit in John Ford's film The Fugitive (1947). He came to the US and was signed by Universal for a small role in One Way Street (1950). He stayed in the US and his sharp, ruthless features led him to a long succession of roles as bandits, Indian warriors and outlaws. In The Tijuana Story (1957), he actually had a sympathetic leading role, but in general he spent his career as a very familiar western bad guy.
- Actor
- Animation Department
- Composer
Tunde Adebimpe was born on 25 February 1975 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Rachel Getting Married (2008), The Invisible (2007) and Never Back Down (2008).- Writer
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Ilunga Adell was born on 27 November 1948 in the USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Sanford and Son (1972), City Guys (1997) and My Brother and Me (1994).- Actor
- Soundtrack
Jovan Adepo was born on 6 September 1988 in Oxfordshire, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Fences (2016), Overlord (2018) and Babylon (2022).- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Waris Ahluwalia is known for The Darjeeling Limited (2007), Inside Man (2006) and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004).- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Grew up in Riverside, California; graduated North High School, 1988. Attended Academy of Dramatic Art in Pasadena, California. Has been a regular performer at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles since 2000. Headlines a specialty show at the Comedy Store called "Arabian Knights" that was the brainchild of owner Mitzi Shore and features comics of Middle Eastern descent.- Spottiswoode Aitken was born on 16 April 1867 in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for The Birth of a Nation (1915), The White Circle (1920) and The Americano (1916). He was married to Marion Dana Jones. He died on 26 February 1933 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
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From Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Graduated from Brown University.
Spent a year working with acting theorist and pioneer, Jerzy Grotowski (Towards a Poor Theater).
Has taught acting on his own and alongside Andre Gregory in New York City & Vienna, Austria.
Alumnus of the Graduate Film Program at Columbia University, with a degree in directing. Winner of a New York Documentary Center's Young Documentary Filmmakers' Award, an IFP Audience Choice Award and Programming Committee's Award for Best Film at the 2003 Columbia University Film Festival.
Author of numerous plays and screenplays. Ayad was star and co-writer of The War Within (Magnolia), which was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay.
His first novel, American Dervish, is being published by Little, Brown and Company in January 2012.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Olugbenga Enitan Temitope Akinnagbe is an American actor and writer, best known for his roles as Chris Partlow on the HBO series The Wire and as Larry Brown on the HBO series The Deuce. Akinnagbe was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Yoruba Nigerian parents, and was raised in Silver Spring, Maryland. He is the second oldest of six children, with one older sister and four younger brothers, and the first in his family to be born in the United States. He attended Colonel Zadok A. Magruder High School in Rockville, Maryland. He attended Bucknell University on a wrestling scholarship, and graduated in 2000 with a degree in Political Science and English. Akinnagbe's cousin is rapper Wale.- Coit Albertson was born on 14 October 1880 in Reading, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor, known for The Carter Case (1919), Casey of the Coast Guard (1926) and The Evil Dead (1922). He was married to Helen Catechakes. He died on 13 December 1953 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
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Aki Aleong was born in Trinidad and Tobago. His distinguished career has spanned more than 60 years as an actor, singer, writer, producer, activist and martial arts and action film star.
Aki currently stars as Dr. Yuki Tano in Nico Santucci's feature film "Sarogeto" - a story revealing the complicated and emotional struggle that Japanese American Grace / Minami Stanton faces and the controversial decision she makes on this unorthodox journey of a woman's search to find peace for her family and spiritual enlightenment. It's a film filled with relevant and thought provoking subjects including depression, anxiety and suicide (accepted in Japanese culture versus Western). Sarogeto stars Ikumi Yoshimatsu, Eric Roberts, Winsor Harmon, Ruby Park, Koji Niiya, Aki Aleong, Angelica Bridges and Nikki Nikita. Much of this movie was shot in the Aokigahara Forest (Suicide Forest) in Japan and is partially subtitled in Japanese, with the majority in English. Additional locations include Tokyo, Laguna Beach, Marina del Rey and Newport Beach and the film is set for release in 2021.
Aki's career started on Broadway in "Teahouse of the August Moon" and "The Interview." He went on to star in more than 50 movies and 150 television shows and worked with such Academy Award-winners as Frank Sinatra Jr., Marlon Brando, Faye Dunaway, Joanne Woodward, Steve McQueen, Ben Kingsley, John Mills, Ernest Borgnine, Jennifer Connelly and Martin Landau. His career included working with such prominent writers and directors as William Wyler (3 time Oscar winner), John Sturges, Martin Ritt, John Milius, Lionel Chetwynd, Philip Yordan, Mark Rydell, and Nobel Peace Prize Winner Pearl S. Buck.
Aki has starred in features with the best martial artists in the world, including Cung Le in "Blizniy Boy: The Ultimate Fighter" (2007) and "Savage Dog" (2017); Bolo Yeoung in Blizniy Boy: The Ultimate Fighter"; and with Sammo Hung in "Martial Law" (1998). He worked with world-class female martial artists Cynthia Rothrock, in "Sci-Fighter" (2004). and Juju Chan, in "Savage Dog" (2017) and "Road to Hell" (2017). He worked with Scott Adkins in "Savage Dog" (2017); Darren Shahlavi in "Pound of Flesh" (2015); Gary Daniels, Al Leong and Ron Yuan in "Deadly Target" (1994); and with Gary Hudson, Jason Gedrick and Kim Delaney in "The Force" (1994).
Although he is a heroic rights activist in real life, Aki has often played villains in martial arts and action films. In "Braddock: Missing in Action III" (1988), Chuck Norris' character of Braddock, his wife and son are captured by soldiers of the sadistic Vietnamese General Quoc, played by Aki. Quoc kills Braddock's wife on the spot, and tortures Braddock and his son until he meets his death at the end of the film. Aki's numerous memorable roles include Senator Hidoshi during the first season of "Babylon 5"; Mr. Chiang in the weekly series of "V: The Series"; the Dalai Lama in "Superhero Movie" (2008); and the character of Colonel Mitamura in "Farewell to the King" with Nick Nolte.
Aki's musical talent was discovered by Frank Sinatra when they were filming together on the film "Lover's So Few". Sinatra signed Aki to his Reprise Records Label. Aki is the first Asian American to have a Top 100 record "Trade Winds", which he wrote and co-produced, on the National Charts in the US. Aki has served as a record executive and chaired the Fraternity of Recording Executives and was President of the Pan World Records and Golden Dragon publishing companies. He was the National Director of Black Promotion for Polydor/Polygram Records and also worked with Liberty/UA Records and Capitol Records. He also produced records for Columbia Records, Capitol, Liberty/UA, Arista and other prominent labels.
Aki served on the National Board of the Screen Actors Guild; was appointed National Chair of SAG'S EEOC, and was a member of the President's Diversity/Affirmative Action Task Force. He has also been Executive Director of AIM (Asians in Media), Vice President of The Media Coalition of Los Angeles and President of Media Action Network for Asian-Americans (MANAA). He received an Honorary Doctorate from New Dimensions University in 2013. Aki is the President and CEO of Mustard Seed Media Group and the Senior Advisor to Ace Studios in Hong Kong.- Actor
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Flex Alexander was born on 15 April 1970 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Snakes on a Plane (2006), One on One (2001) and The Hills Have Eyes 2 (2007). He has been married to Shanice since 14 February 2000. They have two children.- Actor
- Producer
Mahershala Ali is fast becoming one of the freshest and most in-demand faces in Hollywood with his extraordinarily diverse skill set and wide-ranging background in film, television, and theater.
He can be seen in the independent feature film, Moonlight, as well as reprising his role in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2, Gary Ross's civil war era drama The Free State of Jones, and Netflix's award-winning series House of Cards as well as Marvel's Luke Cage.
Ali's previous feature film credits include Derek Cianfrance's The Place Beyond the Pines, Wayne Kramer's Crossing Over, John Sayles' Go For Sisters, and David Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
Again on television, he appeared opposite Julia Ormond in Lifetime's The Wronged Man for which he subsequently received an NAACP Nomination for Best Actor. Ali also had a recurring role on Syfy's Alphas, as well as the role of Richard Tyler, a Korean War pilot, on the critically acclaimed drama The 4400 for three seasons.
On the stage, Ali appeared in productions of Blues for an Alabama Sky, The School for Scandal, A Lie of the Mind, A Doll's House, Monkey in the Middle, The Merchant of Venice, The New Place and Secret Injury, Secret Revenge. His additional stage credits include appearing in Washington, D.C. at the Arena Stage in the title role of The Great White Hope, and in The Long Walk and Jack and Jill. In February 2016, Ali made his New York Broadway debut in Kenny Leon's Smart People.
Born in Oakland, California and raised in Hayward, Ali received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communications at St. Mary's College. He made his professional debut performing with the California Shakespeare Festival in Orinda, California. Soon after, he earned his Master's degree in acting from New York University's prestigious graduate program.His real name
Mahershalalhashbaz Ali- Tyrees Allen was born on 31 July 1954 in Salina, Kansas, USA. He is an actor, known for RoboCop (1987), The Perfect Host (2010) and Alias (2001).
- Actor
- Music Department
- Writer
Utkarsh Ambudkar, also known by his stage name UTK the INC, is an American actor, rapper, and singer. He is known for his film roles including Pitch Perfect (2012), Blindspotting (2018), Brittany Runs a Marathon (2019), The Broken Hearts Gallery (2020), Free Guy (2021), and Tick, Tick... Boom! (2021). His television roles include The Mindy Project, White Famous, Never Have I Ever, and Ghosts. He recently appeared in the Hulu limited series The Dropout (2022). He made his Broadway debut in Lin-Manuel Miranda's improvisational hip-hop show Freestyle Love Supreme in 2019.- Mathias Cole Anderle was born on July 3, 1993 in Puyallup, Washington. He plays the male role of Collin in School gyrls directed by Nick Cannon. He moved to LA to pursue a career in music, acting and modeling after middle school. Anderle's stylistic influences include reggae, pop, rock, folk, jazz, and hip hop.He has been in music video extra for Kate Voegele and Jason Castro. He is also the spoke person for baby bottle pops.
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Lemon Andersen was born on 21 April 1975 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Inside Man (2006), The Soloist (2009) and She's Gotta Have It (2017).- Director
- Actor
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American actor-director-writer-producer Gilbert M. Anderson, father of the movie cowboy and the first Western star, was born Maxwell Henry Aronson in Little Rock, Arkansas. His parents, Esther (Ash) and Henry Aronson, were from New York. His father was from a German Jewish family, and his mother was the daughter of Russian Jewish parents. He had worked as a photographer's model and newspaper vendor before drifting into acting. He performed in vaudeville before joining forces with Edwin S. Porter as an actor and occasional script collaborator. In Porter's startling early film The Great Train Robbery (1903), Anderson played several roles (among them, the train passenger shot by bandits as he tries to escape). The success of that film prompted Anderson to begin writing, directing and starring in his own series of Westerns. In 1907 he and George K. Spoor founded Essanay Film Manufacturing Co., destined to be one of the predominant early film studios. Anderson gained enormous popularity in hundreds of Western shorts, playing the first real cowboy hero, "Broncho Billy." Writing and directing most of the films, Anderson also found time to direct a series of "Alkali Ike" comedy Westerns starring Augustus Carney. In 1916 Anderson sold his ownership in Essanay and retired from acting. He returned to New York and bought the Longacre Theatre and produced plays there, though not achieving the same kind of success he enjoyed in films. He made a brief comeback as a producer with a series of shorts starring Stan Laurel for Metro Pictures. However, a series of conflicts with the studio led him retire again after 1920. He continued to produce films as owner of Progressive Pictures into the 1950s. In his 70s, he came out of retirement for a cameo role in The Bounty Killer (1965). He had been presented with an honorary Oscar in 1957 as a "motion picture pioneer, for his contributions to the development of motion pictures as entertainment." Anderson died in 1971 at the age of 90.- Actor
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Haskell was born, raised and educated in New York City. During his college years in premed he was a professional teenage male model. In a of matter of months he was one of the highest paid, mixed race, teenage model in the city, with ads in number of national magazines including the New Yorker and Times Magazine. It was after college, Navy and graduate school Haskell auditioned for his first professional play. It was a fluke when he asked a director he had recently met "When am I going to be discovered." The play was the Cleveland premier of "No Place To Be Somebody" portraying the role of Gabe Gabriel directed by Rueben Silver. That led to a full season at the Cleveland Playhouse and then the Barter Theatre. While stage managing a play in Washington, DC Haskell auditioned for a film role at the insistence of an actor who was actually invited to meet the director and the producers. The film was "Brotherhood of Death" now a cult favorite and a favorite film of Quenten Tarantino who has shown it twice at his film festivals. In 2014 it will be re-released on DVD including an interview of Haskell. After years of doing theatre in the US and abroad Haskell was cast in the film "Kickboxer" opposite Jean Claude Van Damme. Haskell made his Off-Broadway debut in the play "Julia" by Vince Melocchi at the 59 East 59th Street Theatre. Vincent Melocchi also wrote "Lions" which premiered at the Pacific Resident Theatre and Haskell originated the role of Bisquit.- Actor
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Afa Anoai was born on 21 November 1942 in Samoa. He is an actor and producer, known for The Wrestler (2008), WWF Championship Wrestling (1972) and WXW Rage TV (1996). He has been married to Lynn Anoai since 8 July 1970. They have three children.- Actor
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Aziz Ansari was born in Columbia, South Carolina, to Fatima, a medical office worker, and Shoukath, a gastroenterologist. His family is from Tamil Nadu, India. He graduated from NYU as a business major in 2004. He graduated from the South Carolina Governor's School for Math and Science in Hartsville, SC. He previously attended Marlboro Academy, a private school in his home town of Bennettsville, SC.
Starting out in television like the hit comedy Parks and Recreation (2009), he later had bit parts in the films I Love You, Man (2009), Funny People (2009), and Get Him to the Greek (2010), among others, before co-starring in the comedy 30 Minutes or Less (2011).- Hy Anzell was born on 7 September 1923 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Deconstructing Harry (1997), Dead Bang (1989) and Ironweed (1987). He died on 23 August 2003 in Fresno, California, USA.
- Apesanahkwat is an enrolled member of the Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin. He has been elected tribal chairman of his tribe 8 times, which is unprecedented.
Apesanahkwat served in the US marine corps, and is a Vietnam combat veteran as well. Apesanahkwat is widely considered by his peers to be one of the foremost knowledgeable originators of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), which defined the Natiwell Nations' involvement in national gaming as known today.
Apesanahkwat exemplifies the attributes of a traditionalist, as well as a progressive activist who exists for the true empowerment of his people and their well-being. An experienced orator on the political and social nuances of the native experience in America, he is also a motivational speaker promoting language, culture and native spirituality, as well as education, anti-gangs, anti-smoking, drugs and alcohol rehabilitation.
An accomplished actor, Apesanahkwat has appeared in films and starred in numerous television shows. Apesanahkwat is also a champion northern traditional dancer, who competes in powwows throughout the U.S. and Canada and he is a 2nd degree Ogitchidaa (warrior) of the Three Fires Midawin (medicine lodge) society. - Actor
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Moises Arias was born on 18 April 1994 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and director, known for Ender's Game (2013), The Kings of Summer (2013) and Nacho Libre (2006).- Actor
- Producer
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Yancey Arias was born in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City. At the age of twelve his first experience in entertainment was when his grandmother threw him on stage to sing a song for a neighborhood talent show at Henry Street Settlement in downtown Manhattan.
Yancey was discovered by Professor James Green at Saint John's Prep High School in Astoria, Queens, New York. Green then introduced Yancey to Stage Door Manor in Loch Sheldrake, New York, where he studied theater under Jack Romano every summer, and in winter with fellow actors Vincent Laresca, Christian J. Meoli, and Josh Charles.
During his last two years at Moore Catholic High School in Staten Island, New York, Under the supervision of Fran Jorin and Mrs. Sparago Yancey won first-place honors in New York City on the forensics team, and took third in the nation for the drama category. Yancey went on to study theater in college at Carnegie Mellon University. On his way back to his junior year, he was discovered by the producers of Miss Saigon on Broadway and left school to join the cast for the next five years. During his years on Broadway, he continued his studies with Alan Savage, and Yancey honors that relationship greatly for having given him so much continued care and knowledge. In 2000, Yancey Joined the cast of George C. Wolfe's "The Wild Party" with Eartha Kitt, Toni Collette, and Mandy Patinkin.
During his years on Broadway, he had the opportunity to work on several TV series as a guest star. He starred in and co-produced two independent films, Destination Unknown (1997) and Home Invaders (2001), which helped pave the way to his eventual move to Los Angeles. In 2002, Yancey had the privilege to be discovered by David Mills and Allen Coulter; Mills cast him in the title role of Miguel Cadena in the hit NBC miniseries Kingpin (2003). Yancey continued to thrive in television and film. Soon after the completion of that show, he was given the opportunity to work in many projects with such greats as Edward James Olmos in American Family (2002) and Andre Braugher in Thief (2006), to name a few. Today, Yancey continues to excel as an actor in film and TV. He has added directing, writing, and producing to his experience as an artist. Recently he stared in the hit USA series "Queen Of The South" as General Cortez. Yancey is grateful to every agent and manager who has helped him over the years, such as Jean Fox of Fox and Albert Management, Jean Fox, Chris Henze at Thruline Entertainment, the Paradigm agency, APA, and now Matt Luber and April Lim at GAA . He continued his studies with Alan Savage in New York, and Catlin Adams and 'Howard Fine' (III) in Los Angeles. Yancey honors his family, mentors, and God for all the support, love, and education he has received over the years. Yancey and his wife Anna welcomed to the world their first son Jiancarlo Arias. A few years later they also welcomed to the world their daughter Giovanna Arias.- Actor
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Amir Arison was born on 24 March 1978 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for The Blacklist (2013), The Dropout (2022) and Ramy (2019).- Actor
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Desi Arnaz Jr. has lived in Boulder City, Nevada, since 1986, where he owns the Historic Boulder Theatre and helps direct non-profit Boulder City Ballet Company (BCBC) with his wife, Amy Arnaz. Boulder Theatre was built in 1932 during the construction of Hoover Dam and operated as a movie theatre until it could no longer compete with the new, modern movie theaters in Las Vegas. When it closed, Desi purchased the theatre and converted it into a live theatre where BCBC performs and where Desi has produced many shows including: "Ricci, Desi & Billy" (a new version of Dino, Desi & Billy), "An Evening with Linda Purl", Torme' Sings Torme', "The Legacy of Laughter", "An Evening with Lucille Ball" (starring Suzanne LaRusch as Lucille Ball), Michael Johnson, "A Tribute to Dean Martin" (by Ricci Martin), "Dam Short Film Festival", "Chautauqua", "The Nutcracker", "Sleeping Beauty", "Swan Lake", annual children's dance recitals from Dance Etc. and many more shows. Haley Arnaz is his wife's child from her first marriage and Desi adopted her when they married in 1987. Desi also has an older daughter, Julia, who lives on the east coast. Recently, Desi has performed "Babalu" (a show dedicated to the music of his father) with his sister Lucie Arnaz in NYC, Miami and in Washington D.C. at the Library of Congress. Most recently, Desi & Lucie appeared at the Paley Center in Beverly Hills, discussing the music of I Love Lucy (1951) and performed two of their father's songs - "Old Straw Hat" & "Cuban Pete" - with the accompaniment of Ron Abel on the piano.- Actor
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Born in Washington D.C., Ibrahim Ashmawey lived in Baltimore, Michigan, London, New York, and Egypt before finally settling in Southern California. He is the second child of four. From a young age growing up in Troy, Michigan, Ibrahim has always been passionate about film and insisted on filming all family vacations himself to explore his options with a camera. He would then watch his favorite films and try to copy the camera motions himself.
Though heavily involved in sports such as football and boxing, Ibrahim always had an interest in acting. It was after having a small role in "James and the Giant Peach" that Ibrahim really fell in love with acting. In high school, he had the lead role as Stanley Kowalski in "A Streetcar Named Desire". From then on, he would seize ever opportunity he found.
On top of taking film classes at the University of Michigan, Ibrahim founded AshmaweyFilms along with his brother Omar. Together, they wrote and shot a number of short films for AshmaweyFilms Productions as well as other production companies. Their first production was a series of commercials for a local travel agency. Soon after, they created a string of short films that got into international film festivals.
In 2010, they began writing their first full length feature, Boiling Pot, which is based on true events of racism that occurred on college campuses across the nation in 2008. With a strong cast that includes Academy Award winner Louis Gossett Jr., Emmy winner Keith David, Danielle Fishel, John Heard, M. Emmet Walsh, and Davetta Sherwood, they shot Boiling Pot in January 2013. The film has already been gaining buzz and is set to be completed in January 2014.- Actor
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Obba Babatundé is an actor, singer, dancer, director, writer and producer. Obba's breadth of work is known worldwide by audiences of all ages, and his face is one of the most recognizable in the entertainment industry. His career spans over 4 decades and he is a unique breed in today's industry as a triple-threat (and more). Obba is comfortable in the expression of various musical instruments and all forms of dance. In addition to his award-winning performances on stage and screen, he is a nationally renowned speaker and master class teacher for adult and young audiences alike.
Obba has often been referred to, and is considered a 'living legend' and is a treasured role model to actors and entertainers of all generations. Central to Obba's career is his unrelenting work ethic and his pursuit of a standard of excellence in everything he does.
Amongst Obba's many professional awards and nominations is his Daytime Emmy Award win (2016) for CBS's Bold & the Beautiful, his Emmy nominated performance in the HBO movie "Miss Evers' Boys," his Tony Award nomination for his role as "C.C. White," in the original Broadway cast of "Dreamgirls", his "Best Actor" Award win for the Musical "Sammy" from the San Diego Critic's Circle Awards, his NAACP Image Award win as "Best Actor" for his role as "Sarge" in "A Soldiers Play", the NAACP Trailblazer Award win, an NAACP Image Award-nominated performance in the HBO movie "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge," multiple Ovation Award nominations, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Peachtree Village International Film Festival.
Obba has appeared in more than 17 stage productions (several on Broadway), 33 films, 60+ television series and made-for-television movies. Presently, Obba can be seen in 4 prime-time series for; Netflix(Dear White People), Showtime (I'm Dying Up Here), Comedy Central (Detroiters) and CBS (Bold & Beautiful). Many people will remember him from his groundbreaking entry into the entertainment industry during his international tour and co-starring roll with Liza Minnelli in "Liza in Concert", which lead to his close relationship with professional mentor, Sammy Davis Jr. Obba's contributions and starring roll (as CC White) in the original production of Dreamgirls on Broadway is one of his most treasured accomplishments.
His distinct, unique speaking and singing voice can be heard in multiple ads, commercials, as well as narration for docu-dramas. His animation career includes the feature film The Wild Thornberrys, Air Bud Entertainment / Fandango Production's Pup Star movies, Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike and Disney Infinity 3.0 [1] and Rocket Power... to name a few.
Obba's writing, directing and producing skills include the Lionsgate Home Entertainment feature film "American Bad Boy" starring Katt Williams, co-producer and director roles in "Oscar's Black Odyssey," co-producer of "Dorothy Dandridge An American Beauty," co-producer of "TV in Black The First 50 Years." He was the associate producer of the horror classic film "Voodoo Dolls" and the executive producer and director of the award-winning short films "Journey" and "Clarissa's Gift. " He co-authored, directed and produced the critically-acclaimed theatrical stage play "In The Blink of An Eye."It is easy to see why Obba is often referred to as one of the busiest actors in Hollywood.
Obba has dedicated his life and career to sharing his time, expertise and creative talents with all people, be it professional or personal. He has an uncanny way of making everyone feel as if he is always speaking to them directly and personally. People have described Obba as being genuine, passionate, engaging and at times...very funny!
In addition to his on-going acting and artistic projects, Obba is constantly being asked to teach, emcee, host, serve as a keynote speaker and facilitate classes, events, festivals and projects around the world. He leaves an indelible mark everywhere he goes. Obba often says "your do is not your who." When asked to explain, he says "your do is how you affect change in your life. Your who if how you affect change in someone else's life."
Obba's journey into the entertainment industry became intentional in high school when he began writing poetry and then, while attending Brooklyn College. His pursuits deepened when he began to expand his poems into one-act plays. Simultaneously, he immersed himself into the New York theatre and dance worlds. Studying under many noted directors and choreographers like Geoffrey Holder, Bob Fossey, Michael Bennett, Hal Prince, Thelma Hill, Frank Hatchett, Henry LeTang, Louis Johnson and Titos Sompa just to name a few.
Obba learned early on in his career that being authentic and tapping into ones humanity were important to develop and inform his craft. He comes from the mindset that it is essential to deliver diverse types of artistic skills to his audiences and, always in the highest caliber possible. Be it the big screen, the small screen, or the stage. He discovered purpose and community at the same time.
Some little-known facts about Obba is that has a strong background rooted in the educational field. He was a co-founder with his brother Akin Babatundé and teacher of one of NYC's first arts-based schools (in Brooklyn, NY). Fluent in American Sign Language (self-taught), and also a horse whisperer, as well as a rodeo competitor. Obba is a dedicated father and proud grandfather.
It has been said, that Obba has a way of communicating that helps inspire, encourage and enlighten through his stories and phrases that he identifies as "Obba-isms."
"As proud as I am of all that I have done, I am even more excited about what I am to do." - Obba Babatundé- A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Bailey enrolled in college at Southern University, where he joined other students in protest demonstrations against segregation in Baton Rouge. Consequently, he was expelled because of his involvement and finished his undergraduate studies at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. Upon completing his juris doctor at Yale University in 1967, Bailey worked in New York as National Director of the Law Students Civil Rights Research Council, an organization created to assist civil rights attorneys working in the South. He then moved to the San Francisco area to practice law, and was elected to the Berkeley City Council in 1971. While he was on the City Council, Bailey's black nationalist politics was extremely controversial, resulting in his expulsion in a recall election in 1973. He returned to Memphis in 1974 and began a law practice with his brother, working as an attorney until his election to the Circuit Court of Tennessee at Memphis, where he still serves. Bailey is a founder of the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, the site where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated.
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Eion is known for his performances in the Emmy and Golden Globe winning HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, character roles in "Fight Club" , "Almost Famous", "Center Stage" and leading man opposite Antonio Banderas in HBOs "And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself". Eion was nominated for a Golden Satellite award and hailed by critics for a "beautifully understated performance that brings a striking balance to the piece". The movie's legendary writer-producer Larry Gelbart of M.A.S.H. fame was quoted in Variety as saying " I see Eion as a reincarnation of Henry Fonda. He's physically attractive and exudes an effortless sincerity, he has the whole actors ball of wax".
In September 2003, Variety Magazine honored Bailey as one of the top ten emerging actors to watch. He has appeared in Showtime's original movie, "Sexual Life", where he was voted the prestigious 'breakthrough performance of the year award' by audience members of The Phoenix International Film Festival after only twenty minutes of screen time.
Eion joined the cast of ER for half a season, and was recognized by People Magazine as one of the Fifty Most Eligible Bachelors of 2005 and US magazine named Eion and his cast mate Maura Tierney as one of the sexiest couples on television. Eion has since starred opposite Ellen Pompeo in the television movie "Life of the Party", for which he was awarded his first Emmy for 'Outstanding Performance in a 'Youth or Family Special'.
On stage, Eion has appeared in numerous plays, most notably as Alan Strang in the psychological masterpiece "Equus" at the Pasadena Playhouse. In this daring role that requires an on stage mental breakdown and prolonged full nudity, critics once again found Eion's performance to be remarkable. Variety called him "excellent as Strang" Hollywood Reporter "expert" and Drama Logue noted that "his performance moves to a profoundly moving crescendo by plays end".
More recently his turn as as Steve Knight on Showtimes "Ray Donovan" attracted attention along with an international fan following for his multi-year recurring role on ABC's "Once Upon A Time". In 2017 Eion is shooting "The Last Tycoon" for Amazon and his starring turn in the nautical-drama "Extortion" with Academy award nominee Barkhad Abdi and Danny Glover will be released by Lionsgate May 16th.- Thurl Bailey was born on 7 April 1961 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. He is an actor, known for David & Goliath (2005), The Singles Ward (2002) and Church Ball (2006).
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Alimi ("Ali - Me") dazzles as the enigmatic and debonair Marcel Dumas on the Netflix and USA Network smash hit, Queen of The South. Ballard was last seen as Dr. Robert Dubois on the acclaimed original drama series Queen Sugar from Academy Award-nominated filmmaker creator/executive producer Ava DuVernay and executive producer Oprah Winfrey on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network.
Alimi lit up the screen as Reginald Lennox III, on the ABC and Shondaland drama, THE CATCH. For three seasons Alimi portrayed Detective Kevin Crawford on CBS's Global Sensation CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Ballard may best be known for his portrayal of Special Agent David Sinclair, for six seasons as a series regular, on Tony and Ridley Scott's highly successful CBS crime drama NUMB3RS. The 2011 movie season kicked off with Alimi as Fusco in UNIVERSAL'S summer Blockbuster FAST FIVE. His tenure in Hollywood began as a series regular on the ABC sitcom SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH as The Quizmaster. Ballard had a blast recurring as Agent Gayne Levin on CBS's and TV's #1 Hit-Drama NCIS. Other series regular roles have Herbal Thought in James Cameron's cult favorite DARK ANGEL and as Matthew on the ABC sitcom ARSENIO.
An avid comic collector, Ballard was thrilled to lend his voice as Falcon for the Marvel Animated Series & Video Game SUPER HERO SQUAD. Some of his notable guest-starring roles include CRIMINAL MINDS, LUCIFER, ELEMENTARY, CASTLE, SCORPION, IN PLAIN SIGHT, HELLO LADIES, and many more. In other feature work, Ballard has graced the screen with such talent as Cuba Gooding Jr. in 20th Century Fox's MEN OF HONOR and Morgan Freeman in DreamWorks' DEEP IMPACT.
Of all the roles Alimi portrays, two reward him daily, that of Husband and Father. Ballard resides HAPPILY in Los Angeles with his Wife and two wonderful Children.- Actor
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Bambadjan Bamba is an award-winning actor, filmmaker, and immigrant rights advocate. He was born in the Ivory Coast (Cote D'Ivoire) and spent his adolescent years between Abidjan, the south Bronx, and Virginia. He studied at the Conservatory of Film and Dramatic Arts in New York City. He has worked in prominent roles on numerous hit television shows like "The Good Place," and "Grey's Anatomy," and in blockbuster films like "Black Panther," and "Suicide Squad." Bambadjan is also the owner of IvoStar Pictures an independent production company based in Los Angeles that focuses on producing African content.
In 2017 Bambadjan publicly disclosed that he was a recipient of the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA). Ever since Bambadjan has used his inspirational story to change the conversation around immigration. His writing was published on Variety, the Washington Post, NBC, CNN and he is a contributor in the New York Times bestseller "American Like Me: Reflections on life between cultures" by award-winning actress America Ferrera.
Bambadjan is also the recipient of the Courageous Advocate Award from the ACLU and the Courageous Luminary award from NILC (National Immigration Law Center). He gives talks at college campuses, events, and media outlets around the country. He serves as a board member for the African Artists Association. Website: Bambadjan.com- Joe Banana is known for Road of Death (1973).
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Isaach De Bankolé, César Award-winning actor, was born on the Ivory Coast. He was discovered on the streets of Paris while studying to be an airline pilot. He has a degree in acting from Cours Simon and a Masters in Mathematics from the Universite de Paris. Most recently, he has appeared in the films Black Panther (2018) and Shaft (2019).- Actor
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Who owns that incredible voice behind some of the world's greatest characters? It's likely it's Ogie Banks III. As the verbal embodiment of many beloved superheroes and foes, Banks breathes life into some of the worlds most iconic characters on television, anime, film and video games. With over 25 years of experience, he makes every syllable stand out with uniqueness and clarity that keeps fans coming back for more.
You can't hold talent back, as Banks has proved time and again. He is a natural entertainer -- he may be best known as a master of dynamic voice acting but has also proven himself a skilled actor, dancer, singer and writer. Ogie Banks is best known for his roles as Clawd Wolf in Monster High and Luke Cage and Miles Morales in Ultimate Spiderman. While his true passion lies in voicing well-known characters (he thrives on the interaction with his co-stars), he has also enthusiastically taken on projects in many well-known franchises such as Naruto, Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures, Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters, Red Dead Redemption II game and more.
Banks is always striving to become an even more accomplished voice actor, propelled by the incredible roles he secures. His own interest as a fan of characters such as Spiderman, Naruto, Luke Cage and Stretch Armstrong brings everything he does to a personal level. Expect to see many more great things from this iconic man behind the voice.- Actor
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Elya Baskin is a Soviet Latvia-born American actor, best-known for his work on Spider-Man 2 (2004), The Name of the Rose (1986) and Spider-Man 3 (2007). He was born on August 11, 1950 in Riga, USSR [now Latvia] as Elya Zalmanovich Baskin to Zalman and Frieda Baskin, both of Russian Jewish descent. He attended and is a graduate of Moscow's prestigious Theatre and Variety Arts College and won a Festival of Young Actors Award at the Moscow Comedy Theatre; Baskin was virtually assured of a successful career in the Soviet Union. About his choice of profession in the former USSR he has said: "In Russia, being an actor when it was still the Soviet Union was one of the most prestigious professions. It was like being a doctor here. You had to graduate from one of very few theatre schools, which were all four-year colleges. Without the degree, nobody would hire you. We worked very hard because we wanted to get through the four years and get the diploma, but after you graduate and go to the theatre, the actors don't work like actors work here. That's what fascinated me more than anything else here, how professional people were, how hard they worked, and how much harder it was to get work. In Russia we were always taught that we had the best theatre schools, but when I came here and started to work, I saw how wrong we were. You really have to be the best to get the part here."
Then he built a formidable reputation on the European stage. Baskin immigrated to the United States in 1976 when pre-perestroika emigration rules were relaxed in 1976 and he came to Hollywood, although he spoke no English. About the change from stage to screen work, he said: "In Moscow, theatre was my passion, my love, and I did very little television and film. Once I came here, I thought that because of the language barrier -I didn't know that you don't loop the films like we do in Europe- I'll try to pursue TV and films. For some reason I lost interest in theatre. Film work became so much more fascinating, the whole building of the character, no continuity, the whole camera aspect. Those are the things that really fascinated me. The language was the biggest challenge. Instead of concentrating on the development of the character, you're thinking about your mouth, about putting your tongue in the right position so people can understand you. I've worked for 20 years, and I will never be able to do a role in English like I would do it in my native tongue, and I know it. Of course, with the years it becomes easier, and more often than not I'm cast as a character with an accent."
Baskin fit the bill in Hollywood for ethnic character portrayals, especially characters with a Slavic background and an amiable demeanor. About his being stereotyped, he said: "I feel that, of course, I'm stereotyped. But what can you do? I can't imagine that some director would cast me as a sheriff from Alabama. But you can do exactly what you said: With every character, they're different people, and it's up to you what you do with them. This is your challenge. It doesn't matter how limited your piece of the pie that you can use, you always try to do the best that you can. How can I be upset for not being cast as a Southern sheriff? That's what you call acting; you try to utilize whatever you can to be a different person every time."
He achieved his international breakthrough, however, at the hands of Hollywood giant Paul Mazursky, who cast him opposite Robin Williams as the clownish Russian circus performer Anatoly in the masterful serio-comedy, Moscow on the Hudson (1984) where the actor's birdlike arm-flapping became one of the film's most poignant and memorable images. An additional collaboration with Mazursky followed, the 1989 smash Enemies: A Love Story; in the meantime, Baskin began to rack up a litany of roles in additional A-list projects, including 2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984), Vice Versa (1988), and Love Affair (1994). The Pickle (1993) re-teamed Baskin and Mazursky for a third occasion; unfortunately, it failed to match the critical or commercial success of its predecessors.
Baskin remained popular through the end of the following decade, with a memorable comedic turn as Vladimir on the sitcom Mad About You, and prominent roles in films such as Spider-Man 3 and The Dukes (both 2007). He has continued playing guest roles on TV in such series as The West Wing, Alias, The Closer, Criminal Minds, Heroes, and Cold Case.
Baskin emigrated to the United States in 1976 and became a United States citizen on April 1, 1985. He and his wife Marina have been married since 1995. They have one child, a daughter, Michelle.- Emory Bass was born on 12 August 1925 in Valdosta, Georgia, USA. He was an actor, known for 1776 (1972), Dark Shadows (1966) and Kojak (1973). He died on 4 March 2015 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.
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Balding, worried-looking character actor of the 1930's who had a strong line in lawyers, judges, sheriffs, mayors and storekeepers. He was especially effective at playing choleric or obtuse. Bates had a career in dramatic plays on Broadway spanning the years from 1925 to 1935. He began in films with Essanay in 1917. His performance in The Great Man Votes (1939), as a corrupt, incompetent mayor, was particularly noteworthy. His best role, however -- occurring well towards the end of his life -- was as the bewildered judge in My Favorite Wife (1940). Bosley Crowther (May 31) considered this a 'masterpiece of comic creation'. That same year, Bates stood out in the otherwise forgettable Men Against the Sky (1940). He died soon afterward of a heart attack.
Bates was a member of the Lambs Club in New York, America's most venerable theatrical organisation.- As the song states, "The Stars at Night are big and bright ... Deep in the Heart of Texas!" That's what Texas Battle has: heart. A heart and desire for acting.
Texas stars in the feature, WRONG PLACE, opposite Bruce Willis and Ashley Greene, in the role of 'Captain East.' Other recent roles include leads in the features BLOWBACK and HARD KILL.
His breakthrough as one of Daytime's hottest hunks on THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL jump started his career, which led to starring in DRAGONBALL for FOX opposite Justin Chattwin and Chow Yun-Fat. He also booked his first series for HBO starring opposite Lily Tomlin in 12 MILES OF BAD ROAD. Hestarred in FOX's WRONG TURN 2. Texas is also remembered from his recurring role opposite Chad Michael Murray on ONE TREE HILL. Since the success of his first studio film, COACH CARTER staring Samuel L. Jackson, which debuted in the number one spot in the box office, Texas has been on a roll. Texas starred in New Line Cinema's FINAL DESTINATION 3, where he died a very memorable death in a gym accident.
His training began at the University of Texas where he majored in Kinesiology. Upon graduation, Texas started substitute teaching before following his dreams to Los Angeles. Texas spends the vast majority of his time acting and preparing for film roles and honing his skills of the craft. His other TV credits include The Bernie Mac Show, "The Parkers" and "Committed," on NBC. His past motion picture credits include a co-starring role in The Wash. His dedication to his craft far exceeds the duration of the time he's been actively pursuing his goal of becoming a respected actor.
Texas resides in Austin, Tx - Producer
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Roko Belic is an Academy Award-nominated director known for his emotionally evocative films that take viewers to exotic places around the world. Belic was born in America to Czechoslovakian and Yugoslavian parents and was raised in Evanston, Illinois. During his childhood, his mother used a wrench to lock a broken dial on the family TV to the local PBS channel. Belic became enchanted with non-fiction programs that gave him a "window to the world," and his passion for film was born. His first filmmaking experience came in third grade with his brother, Adrian, when a friend, Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight Rises, Inception), borrowed a super-8 movie camera from his parents.
Belic attended the University of California at Santa Barbara, where he studied studio arts and foreign languages. During college, he took a year away from his studies to travel around the world among the cultures and people that would eventually become the inspiration for his work. Shortly after graduation, Belic and his brother founded the film production company Wadi Rum Films.
For his first feature, Belic was inspired by a story unfolding in the little-known Siberian republic of Tuva. Trusting his intuition, Belic purchased two cameras on credit and flew with his brother to Tuva to create the documentary feature, Genghis Blues (1999). Belic's landmark film received an Academy Award® Nomination for best documentary feature and won over 70 international film festival awards including the Sundance Audience Award.
Continuing with his passion of global cinematic journeys, Belic associate produced Beyond the Call (2006), following three American soldiers-turned-humanitarians, traveling to war zones around the world delivering life-saving aid. The following year, Belic co-produced and shot the award-winning Indestructible (2007), filmed in locations from China to Israel, following one man's search for a cure for his terminal illness.
In 2010, Belic directed the documentary Dreams: Cinema Of The Subconscious, included on the Inception (2010) Blu-Ray. Following its success, he directed The Batmobile, released on The Dark Knight Rises (2012) Blu-Ray.
For his next feature, Belic teamed up with director Tom Shadyac (Bruce Almighty, Liar Liar, The Nutty Professor), who executive produced, to make the documentary Happy (2012). Directed, written, and co produced by Belic, Happy combines powerful human stories with cutting-edge science to give audiences a deeper understanding of our most desired emotion. Happy won numerous awards and screened in 70 countries. It was the #1 documentary on iTunes for over nine weeks and achieved "All-Time Bestseller" status.
Belic recently directed the feature documentary Trust Me.
Roko Belic is sought out as a consultant for his command of story, authentic character development, and maximizing the emotional power of a film.- Actor
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Fonzworth Bentley was born on 13 February 1974 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Honey (2003), Waves (2019) and Kanye West: Fade (2016). He has been married to Faune Chambers Watkins since 10 July 2010. They have two children.- Actor
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Xander's father was a painter and his mother a school teacher who sewed, providing him with costumes (his preference over toys). School plays and Community Theater were next. An experimental theater troupe in the area (which was an offshoot from Joseph Chaikin's Open Theater in New York) took Xander under their wing when he was 16. He credits this group for shaping him as both a person and an actor, committed to taking risks and remaining open to the unknown. Xander went to Hampshire College, the progressive brainchild of Smith, Mt. Holyoke, Amherst, and the University of Massachusetts. He would continue in the theater at Hampshire, studying and doing plays at each of the other schools, all of which were there in the area.
A move to New York after college brought him access to private teachers from the Royal Academy of the Arts, the Moscow Arts Theater and HB Studios. Later in Los Angeles, Xander would spend time with Lee Strasberg at The Actor's Studio during the last years of his life.
Xander worked in Regional and Repertory Theaters in addition to off-Broadway while living in New York but, despite a classically trained theater background, he was increasingly drawn to the subtleties of film acting. A play, written by the great southern novelist Reynolds Price, called "Early Dark" had such a cinematic feel to it, that an agent saw the film acting potential in Xander and encouraged him to make the move out west.
Soon Mommie Dearest (1981) provided Xander with his film debut in the role of "Christopher Crawford", and simultaneously gave his career a slightly cultish twist. Alex Cox with Sid and Nancy (1986), James Cameron with Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), Bernard Rose with Candyman (1992), Todd Haynes with Safe (1995), Mike Figgis with Leaving Las Vegas (1995), Andrew Niccol with Gattaca (1997) all helped to further associate Xander as an actor in his own rather unusual category.
Xander's choices were often determined by the opportunity to learn from directors he admired, certainly all those listed above fell into that category. Clint Eastwood with The Rookie (1990), Ron Howard with Apollo 13 (1995), Rob Reiner with A Few Good Men (1992), Michael Mann with Heat (1995), Wolfgang Petersen with Air Force One (1997), Steven Spielberg with Amistad (1997) are obvious examples of others Xander actively sought to work with and learn from.
From obscure independent movies where Xander could play lead roles to the big budget studio movies where he might often play smaller character-driven parts, an education was taking place. Just as working with older directors like Michael Cacoyannis on The Cherry Orchard (1999) and Robert M. Young on Human Error (2004) (aka "Human Error") brought insights to ways of working that are being lost in pop cultures tendency to slide toward slickness. Not to mention bringing him to places like Bulgaria and China along the way.
Perhaps because a life in the foreign services, or espionage was seen as a road not taken, living on location in foreign countries, working as an actor, has somewhat fulfilled the impulse. As early as 1987, a film took Xander to Nicaragua while the Contra War was taking place. It was during this three month shoot on the film Walker (1987) (starring Ed Harris) that Xander got an offer to do a film with his friend, director Jon Hess, in Chile for the following three months. Taking him straight from the revolutionary left-wing Sandanistas to Pinochet's fascist, right-wing regime.
In 2001, an offer came in to play a part on a TV pilot called 24 (2001). It was another shady agent-type, and reluctant to repeat his performance from Air Force One (1997) as the turncoat secret serviceman, Xander almost passed on the job. Fortunately for him, he said yes. He met his future wife, Sarah Clarke during the first day of filming. His character, "George Mason", was just a guest star in the pilot, but the producers liked what Xander brought to it and continued to write more episodes for him. By the second season, it had become perhaps the most interesting, leveled character Xander had ever gotten to play. Sarah and Xander were married in 2002 and had their daughters, Olwyn in 2006 and Rowan in 2010.
Other favorite roles of late have been "Arlen Pavich", the middle management dweeb, in Niki Caro's North Country (2005), and the Irish hooligan/railway foreman in David Von Ancken's Seraphim Falls (2006) and, more recently, "The King of Sodom" in Harold Ramis' Year One (2009), "Sonny" in David Pomes' Cook County (2008), the recovering meth head coming out of prison to discover the life he had left (and destroyed), and crazy "Uncle Doug" in David Wike's Out There (2006) (aka "Out There").- Actor
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The character actor Herschel Bernardi was born into a theatrical family on October 30, 1923, in New York, New York. The Yiddish-language theater in the United States was centered in New York City's Lower East Side, on Second Avenue, and the Bernardi family were stage people who plied their craft in Yiddish, as did the Adler Family (Jacob and his children Luther and Stella), Paul Muni and the young Sidney Lumet. The young Herschel was a trouper and appeared on the stage as a child and as a teenager. As a teen, he appeared in the movies Green Fields (1937) and Yankel the Blacksmith (1939), which were shot in Yiddish and directed by future Hollywood B-movie director Edgar Ulmer.
The adult Bernardi, who briefly used the name "Harold" professionally in place of the more ethnic-sounding "Herschel," appeared in bit parts in Hollywood B pictures. In the early 1950s, his movie and television career suffered when he was blacklisted for alleged communist sympathies. After being cleared, Bernardi began to work steadily on TV, in the movies and on the stage.
In 1958, he made his first impact on popular American culture as Lieutenant Jacoby, the hapless policeman who was a friend of Craig Stevens's eponymous private detective Peter Gunn (1958) in Blake Edwards' influential TV series. "Peter Gunn" was heavily indebted to film noir, German expression, and California cool jazz, and the contrast of the harassed Jacoby with the coolly patrician Gunn was part of the dynamic that drove the series. For his role as Lt. Jacoby, Herschel Bernardi received his sole Emmy nomination, in 1959.
Possessed of a resonant voice, Bernardi did a lot of voice over work on television, providing the "Ho ho ho!" of the Jolly Green Giant and the voice of Charley the Tuna in TV commercials. Most famously, he used his singing voice to take over for Zero Mostel as Tevye the milkman in the Broadway musical Fiddler on the Roof (1971), which was a smash hit when it debuted in 1964. In addition to two stints on Broadway, in both the original show and the revival, Bernardi played Tevye in several road show tours. He was nominated for a Tony in the Broadway revival. He received his first Tony nomination in 1969 for playing the lead in the musical "Zorba."
Off the Broadway stage, Herschel Bernadi was a supporting character owing to his average face. Yet in 1970, Bernardi finally played a leading man in a filmed entertainment when he was cast as Arnie Nuovo, an ethnic blue-collar worker who is promoted off of the loading dock into management by an eccentric business owner. As the eponymous Arnie (1970), Bernardi was twice nominated for a Golden Globe. The series was canceled after two seasons.
Bernardi continued to find steady work as a character actor, mostly on TV. In 1976, he appeared in support of Woody Allen in Martin Ritt's The Front (1976), a movie about the Hollywood blacklist that also featured another of the Big Three Tevyes, Zero Mostel. (Both Bernardi and Mostel were beaten out for the role in the Fiddler on the Roof (1971) movie by Topol, who received an Oscar nomination in the role and took over Bernardi's place as Tevye in traveling road shows of "Fiddler on the Roof" after Bernardi's death.) Mostel, like Ritt, had been blacklisted in the 1950s.
Herschel Bernardi died on May 9, 1986, at the age of 62, still a working actor whose services had been in demand from childhood.- Actor
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Character actor Dehl Berti was born on January 17, 1921 in Pueblo, Colorado. A Chiricahua Apache, Berti was often cast as Native Americans in both films and television shows alike. After moving to Los Angeles, California as a boy, Dehl began his career in show business writing for radio while a student at Los Angeles City College. Berti eventually moved to New York City, where he acted in Broadway stage productions of "Richard III," "Thank You, Svoboda," and "The Strong Are Lonely." However, it was in the medium of television that Dehl made his strongest and most significant mark: He not only was a regular on both Buck James (1987) and Paradise (1988), but also made guest appearances on a slew of TV shows over the course of several decades. Berti died from a heart attack at age seventy on November 26, 1991. At the time of his death Dehl was survived by two sons, daughter Derya Arbas, and two grandchildren.- Actor
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Popular leading man in 1940's Hollywood who, with his suave demeanor, exotically handsome looks and well-modulated voice, was first called upon to portray mysterious or villainous characters. Soon he would be teamed with other "exotics" (e.g. Maria Montez and Sabu) in a series of escapist adventures, filmed in glorious Technicolor and set in lands of fable, which proved most popular with movie audiences of the World War II years. But with the end of the war, his career (like that of Montez) would decline. He ultimately returned to his city of birth to pursue opportunities in commercial photography.- Ankur Bhatia is an Indian actor born and raised in Bhopal, India. He has garnered acclaim for his versatile performances in film and television. With his exceptional acting skills and captivating screen presence, Ankur has become a prominent figure in the entertainment industry.
Ankur's career has been on a remarkable trajectory, with two exciting upcoming projects in his pipeline. He is set to share the screen with the acclaimed actor Shahid Kapoor in the film Bloody Daddy (2023). This highly anticipated project has created quite a buzz among fans and industry insiders, and Ankur's involvement promises to bring depth and authenticity to his character. In addition to Bloody Daddy (2023), Ankur is also starring in another exciting film titled Taali (2023), alongside the talented Sushmita Sen . The movie is eagerly awaited by audiences who are eager to witness Ankur's chemistry with Sushmita and the magic they create on-screen.
Furthermore, Ankur's most recent movie, Operation Mayfair (2023), has already made waves in the industry. Released on Netflix in May 2023, the film showcases Ankur's exceptional acting prowess as he takes on the lead role. The movie's gripping storyline and Ankur's compelling performance have garnered critical acclaim and praise from viewers. Apart from his film ventures, Ankur is also known for his work in the popular web series Aarya (2020). The first season of "Aarya" was highly acclaimed and even received a nomination at the International Emmy Awards in 2020. Ankur's portrayal of a pivotal character in the series garnered appreciation from both critics and audiences. He continued to shine in the second season, solidifying his presence as a skilled actor in the digital space.
With his upcoming projects, including Bloody Daddy (2023) and Taali (2023) along with the success of Operation Mayfair (2023) and his notable work in Aarya (2020), Ankur Bhatia is undoubtedly a rising star in the entertainment industry. His talent, dedication, and ability to bring depth to his characters have positioned him as a promising actor, and audiences eagerly anticipate his future endeavors. - Actor
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Jello Biafra is a compelling, enigmatic public speaker and musician. He has sung for many bands: his first band, Dead Kennedys, was a seminal early punk band and continues to define and influence American punk rock and its beneficiaries. A leader and follower of the "Do It Yourself" punk ethic of music production, he founded the Alternative Tentacles record label, which published the entire Dead Kennedys' catalog, and continues to publish established and emerging talent. As a practical joke, Biafra entered the San Francisco mayoral election in 1979, and came in fourth out of ten candidates. Biafra was a casualty in a right-wing U.S. cultural movement of the 1980s to censor adult content from recorded music and associated materials. Biafra was charged and exonerated in court on a charge of "Distribution of Harmful Matter to Minors", namely, an album containing a poster of "Penis Landscape" by H.R. Giger. The police raid on Biafra's home and his subsequent trial became an underlying theme of Biafra's public speeches and lyrics.- Chief John Big Tree was born on 2 June 1877 in Buffalo, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), The Avenging Arrow (1921) and Ranson's Folly (1926). He died on 6 July 1967 in Onondaga Indian Reservation, New York, USA.
- Lexie Bigham was born on 4 August 1968 in Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Dave (1993), Se7en (1995) and Drop Zone (1994). He died on 17 December 1995 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Makee K. Blaisdell was born on 15 November 1931 in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. He was an actor, known for Johnny Lingo (1969), Star Trek (1966) and Mission: Impossible (1966). He died on 21 February 1988 in Ventura County, California, USA.
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American stage actor and director who made numerous silent film appearances. Blinn was born and raised in San Francisco and attended nearby Stanford University. But his stage career had begun years before, when he made his acting debut at age six. Following his education, he resumed acting, eventually becoming a prominent figure on Broadway. He directed many of the plays he appeared in. In 1914, he made his first film and kept busy on screen and on stage for the remainder of his life. During the volatile strike of stage actors in 1919 that led to the formation of the actors' union, Actors Equity, Blinn was one of a minority of actors who sided with the opposition, the producers. He served as president of the Actors Fidelity League, which unsuccessfully fought the formation of the actors' union. During a vacation at Journey's End, his country home in Croton-on-Hudson, New York, Blinn was thrown from a horse. He appeared to be recuperating well, but the injury to his arm became infected and led to respiratory failure. He died on 24 June 1928 at 56.- Actor
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Roberts Blossom was a marvelously quirky, talented, and versatile character actor who was especially adept at portraying cantankerous old oddballs. Born in 1924 in New Haven, Connecticut, Blossom graduated from the prestigious Asheville School in 1941 and attended Harvard. Roberts initially planned on being a therapist, but eventually changed his mind and decided to become an actor instead. He made his film debut in the bizarre and little seen independent feature "The Sin of Jesus" (1961). It wasn't until he was in his late forties and early fifties that Blossom really hit his stride acting in motion pictures. Roberts gave a truly remarkable and unforgettable performance as demented middle-aged backwoods lunatic Ezra Cobb in the creepy horror cult favorite "Deranged" (1974). Other memorable film roles include an ill-fated elderly patient in "The Hospital" (1971), a sickly soldier in "Slaughterhouse Five" (1972), Paul Le Mat's ornery father in "Citizen's Band" (1977), a farmer who saw Bigfoot once in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977), a venerable old felon in "Escape from Alcatraz" (1979), a kindly next door neighbor in "Home Alone" (1990), and a grumpy small town judge in "Doc Hollywood" (1991). Blossom did guest spots on such TV shows as "Northern Exposure," "The Twilight Zone," "The Equalizer," "Moonlighting," "Amazing Stories," and "Naked City." Moreover, Blossom was also a poet (he released some of his dramatic poems on video) and a playwright who won four Obies and a Show Business Award. After retiring from acting, Roberts settled in Berkeley, California and wrote poetry. He died at age 87 in Santa Monica, California on July 8, 2011.- Actor
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Kwesi Boakye was born in Los Angeles California and is the great-grandson of a highly respected Ghana West African King. Kwesi continues to build upon his already vast acting portfolio in the city known to millions around the world as tinsel town. Kwesi was a mere babe of 10 months when he booked his first paid job in a baby video. A Baby Gap Ad followed , along with a plethora of campaigns for Tommy Hilfiger,Robinsons May, Nordstroms, Guess, Macy's, H&M and over 30 national commercials, followed the stream of good fortune and undeniable talent. At the young age of 3, Kwesi was already eligible to join SAG, which he joined when he was legally able to at 4yrs of age. In the school room and on the playground Kwesi was also making his mark as a straight "A" student and a three-sport standout in basketball, football and soccer. Kwesi champions for an Eco-friendly environment, a regular volunteer for numerous charitable causes, Kwesi designed a t-shirt for "Nextaid" foundation and donated 100% of his interest to the charity. In his own words "Healing the world one good act at a time, makes us live in a better place." A huge fan of Michael Jackson, Kwesi understands the legacy of children being the catalyst for change in order for people to live in a better world . Last but definitely not least, Kwesi is one of the most sought after young thespians in the Entertainment business.
The world clearly at his young but immensely talented fingertips, the Aries has a list of acting credits befitting of his royal ties. A body of work that includes starring alongside his favorite leading lady Academy Award nominee Taraji P.Henson and Mary J. Blige in Tyler Perry's #1 box office hit "I Can Do Bad All by Myself", Disney's "The Princess and the Frog", "40" directed by highly acclaimed Turkish director Emre Sahin, which Premiered at the 2010 Toronto Film Festival and now a lead role in the movie "Unconditional" starring alongside Lynn Collins and Michael Ealy.
Kwesi is also a Series Regular on TNT's hit series "Men of a Certain Age" as Emmy nominee Andre Braugher's son Jamie Thoreau, opposite Ray Ramano and Scott Bakula. Additionally, Kwesi has made numerous guest appearances on Hit television shows such as "The Mentalist", "Hawaii Five-O" with Sean P.Diddy Coombs, "Southland", "Community", "Hawthorne" with Jada Pinkett Smith, "Daybreak" with Taye Diggs, "Days of our Lives", "The Shield", and "Strong Medicine", He is also a series regular and voices the role of "Darwin Waterson" on the hugely popular Cartoon Network new animated series "The Amazing World Of Gumball", proving that when it comes to greatness, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.- True Boardman was born on 21 April 1880 in Oakland, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Tarzan of the Apes (1918), Stingaree (1915) and The Further Adventures of Stingaree (1917). He was married to Virginia True Boardman. He died on 28 September 1918 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
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- Soundtrack
Incisive, gravelly-voiced screen tough guy Powers Boothe was born on June 1, 1948 in Snyder, Texas, a sharecropper's son. Used to hard physical work "chopping cotton" as a youngster, he went on to become the first member of his family to attend university. He then proceeded to study acting via a fellowship with Southern Methodist University and graduated with a degree in Fine Arts. His performing career began in repertory with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
In 1974, Boothe arrived in New York after theatrical stints in Connecticut and Philadelphia. It took another five years before he made his breakthrough on Broadway as a swaggering Texas cowboy in James McLure's comedy play "Lone Star". His Emmy-winning performance as Reverend Jim Jones in the miniseries Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones (1980) led to a permanent move to Los Angeles. Lucrative screen offers followed and Boothe became firmly established as a leading actor after being well cast as Raymond Chandler's hard-boiled Philip Marlowe, Private Eye (1983), HBO's first drama series, set in 1930s Los Angeles.
Though his portfolio of characters would eventually comprise assorted sheriffs, military brass and FBI agents, Boothe appreciated the indisputable fact that bad guys were often the "last in people's minds" and playing them could be "more fun". Arguably, his most convincing (and oddly likeable) villain was snarling gunslinger Curly Bill Brocius, confronting the Earps in Tombstone (1993). He went on to tackle such complex characters as White House Chief of Staff Alexander Haig in Oliver Stone's Nixon (1995), hawkish Vice President Noah Daniels on 24 (2001) and industrialist power broker Lamar Wyatt in Nashville (2012).
One of his best remembered roles remains that of Cy Tolliver, the (fictional) owner of the (historical) Bella Union saloon and brothel, chief nemesis of Al Swearingen on HBO's Deadwood (2004). Boothe particularly enjoyed his lengthy soliloquies which reminded him of his time on the Shakespearean stage. The tall Texan with the penetrating eyes was rather gleefully (and enjoyably) over-the-top fiendish as Senator Roark in the post film noir Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014) and managed (at least near the end) to inject some humanity into the role of Gideon Malick, the sinister head of HYDRA, in Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013).
As is so often the case with actors of the 'hard-boiled school', Boothe has often been described as the very antithesis of the characters he essayed on screen. Sin City director Robert Rodriguez fittingly eulogised him as "a towering Texas gentleman and world class artist". Powers Boothe died in his sleep, in Los Angeles, at age 68 on the morning of May 14, 2017 of a heart attack after battling pancreatic cancer for six months.- Actor
- Director
Agostino Borgato was born on 30 June 1871 in Venice, Italy. He was an actor and director, known for Il ponte dei sospiri (1921), Supremo olocausto (1918) and Il cuore di Musette (1919). He died on 14 March 1939 in Hollywood, California, USA.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Chadwick Boseman was an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of T'Challa / Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe from 2016 to 2019, particularly in Black Panther (2018), and for his starring roles as several pioneering Americans, Jackie Robinson in 42 (2013), James Brown in Get on Up (2014), and Thurgood Marshall in Marshall (2017). He also had choice parts in The Express (2008), Draft Day (2014), and Message from the King (2016). Born in Anderson, South Carolina, he attended Howard University and studied at the Oxford Mid-Summer Program for acting, before moving to Los Angeles in 2008 to pursue his craft on the big screen. He died in 2020, after a four year bout with colon cancer, during which time he had starred in several of the biggest movies ever made.- Actor
- Producer
Lillo Brancato was born on 30 March 1976 in Bogotá, Colombia. He is an actor and producer, known for A Bronx Tale (1993), Crimson Tide (1995) and Renaissance Man (1994).- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Keefe Brasselle was born on 7 February 1923 in Elyria, Ohio, USA. He was an actor and producer, known for The Eddie Cantor Story (1953), A Place in the Sun (1951) and If You Don't Stop It... You'll Go Blind!!! (1975). He was married to Arlene DeMarco and Norma Jean Aldrich. He died on 7 July 1981 in Downey, California, USA.- Actor
- Composer
- Writer
Creed Bratton's talent for acting and music began at a young age. Born in Los Angeles, he grew up in the small town of Coarsegold near Yosemite, California. He attended the College of the Sequoias and Sacramento State College as a drama major. He began playing the guitar professionally as a teenager followed by a whirlwind travel experience throughout Europe in his twenties with the band The Young Californians.
As a member of the popular rock group The Grass Roots in the 1960s, Bratton appeared on numerous television shows, as well as in the Doris Day movie, "With Six You Get Egg Roll." He parted ways with the band in 1970, but continued his passion and has released six solo albums up to the present day.
While honing his acting career, Bratton also worked in front of the camera and behind the scenes as prop man, boom man, composer and grip. His film credits as an actor include "Terri", "Mask" and "Heart like a Wheel." On television, he has appeared on hit shows such as "The Bernie Mac Show", "Eight Is Enough" and "Quincy." He was cast in "The Office" doing a parody of his life as a former rock star. During his years on the series, he also appeared in several short and independent films which were accepted in numerous festivals. He still performs in clubs as a solo performer.
Bratton resides in Los Angeles.- Brecher was a 1900 graduate of the University of Heidelberg in Germany and then toured Austria and Germany acting on the stage. He also served as the chief director of the Stadts Theatre in Vienna before going to the U.S. in 1921. He became a naturalized American citizen on 9 May, 1927, along with his wife Essie and 8-year-old daughter Suse. In 1929, Brecher moved to Hollywood and appeared in foreign language versions of American films. He played in a number of horror films and espionage films during the 30s and 40s. Probably best remembered for his role in So Dark the Night (1946), Brecher died of a heart attack that same year.
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Jeffrey Beltzner was born in 1964. As a teenager he was interested in body-building and took the title Mr Teenage Pennsylvania in 1984, though he turned down the opportunity to enter Mr America. At university he met Doug Flex, who shared his interest in wrestling and together they formed the tag-team the Brat Pack, Jeff adopting the professional name Brick Bronsky. For two years he wrestled as Mr Canada but had to withdraw following a bicep injury. At this time Troma Films were making action exploitation films and starred in their 'Class of Nuke 'Em High' and its sequels. Retiring from the ring he has subsequently enjoyed a sporadic acting career in addition to going into wrestling promotion with Doug Flex.- Actor
- Producer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
From bringing dynamic characters to life on screen to producing and writing films, award winning actor Mehcad Brooks has become known in the entertainment industry for his raw and refined talent, charisma, and moving presence. This year, Mehcad can be seen starring as Jackson 'Jax' Briggs, a cybernetically-enhanced super soldier and leader of Earthrealm in Warner Bros' highly anticipated action adventure feature film "Mortal Kombat." Directed by Simon McQuaid and produced by James Wan ("Aquaman"), the film is based on the iconic video game series that centers on an extensive roster of character fighters from a variety of realms in a fictional universe battling for supremacy; the series has sold over 49 million copies, spanning over a dozen canon games and expansions, making it one of the most profitable video game franchises of all time. "Mortal Kombat" was released simultaneously in theaters worldwide, and on HBO Max on April 16, 2021.
In film, Mehcad starred in Netflix's most watched thriller of 2020, Tyler Perry's "A Fall From Grace," which in its first four months following its debut remained one of the Top 10 Most Watched titles. He also recently starred in "Nobody's Fool" (Paramount Pictures) opposite Tika Sumpter, Tiffany Haddish and Whoopi Goldberg. Additional film credits include "In the Valley of Elah" opposite Tommy Lee Jones and Charlize Theron, Disney's "Glory Road" produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, "Just Wright" opposite Queen Latifah, Common, and Paula Patton for Fox Searchlight Pictures and "About Last Night" opposite Kevin Hart, Michael Ealy, and Regina Hall for Screen Gems.
On the television front, Mehcad most recently starred in the DC Comic superhero action-adventure series "Supergirl" (The CW) opposite Melissa Benoist. The series debuted in 2015 to critical acclaim, being called "a damn good time" by The New York Observer, "bright, fun, exciting" by Forbes and "just great television" by The Los Angeles Times. For five seasons, Mehcad was a fan favorite as friend, mentor, and object of affection to Supergirl (Benoist), James "The Guardian" Olsen.
Mehcad landed his first big break in television in 2005, securing the role of Matthew Applewhite (Alfre Woodward's son) on the award-winning series "Desperate Housewives" for ABC. During his time on the show he won a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, and also secured a NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. Mehcad went on to co-star on the critically acclaimed Alan Ball HBO series "True Blood" as Benedict 'Eggs' Talley opposite Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer from 2008-2010. When his time on "True Blood" came to an end, he quickly booked a lead role on USA's drama series "Necessary Roughness," which was based on the true story of a female psychologist who worked for the New York Jets. Mehcad was a scene stealer as football player Terrence 'TK' King, a star wide receiver who becomes notorious for his frequent fumbles and regular run-ins with the law. The series ran for three seasons, from 2011-13. In between "True Blood" and "Necessary Roughness," Mehcad landed a celebrity endorsement deal with Calvin Klein, in one of the most notorious global campaigns to date, making international headlines as one of the four faces of their CK X underwear line two years in a row.
Born and raised in Austin, Texas Mehcad grew up excelling at academics while being immersed in sports, becoming an all-state basketball player. While he loved spending time on the court and in the classroom (being recognized nationally in academics), he had a deep-rooted passion for the arts, whether it was acting, playing music, producing, or writing. Upon graduating high school, he decided to forgo 26 basketball scholarships and a full academic scholarship to Yale. He decided to attend the prestigious University of Southern California to study at their School of Cinematic Arts, to further hone his craft. Early credits for Mehcad include: "Malcolm in the Middle," "Boston Public," "One on One," "Cold Case," "The Game," "Dollhouse," and "Ghost Whisperer."
While bringing characters to life remains one of Mehcad's biggest passions, his love for telling stories through music is equally important. Mehcad recently released his debut, full length album "May 20th" which was inspired by multiple near-death experiences, all taking place on May 20th and forever changing his life. "May 20th" is available on all digital platforms.- Actor
- Writer
Heywood Hale Broun was born on 10 March 1918 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for HouseSitter (1992), Omnibus (1952) and Tales of Tomorrow (1951). He was married to Jane Lloyd-Jones. He died on 5 September 2001 in Kingston, New York, USA.- Dwier Brown was born on January 30, 1959 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Sharon Center, Ohio. He is an actor best known for playing Kevin Costner's father in Field of Dreams (1989). He recently wrote a critically-acclaimed book, called "If You Build It...", a book about Fathers, Fate and Field of Dreams. He has been married to Laurie Lennon since May 31, 2009.
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Film producer, director, and actor Ewing Miles Brown, known affectionately to legions of performers and crew members in the industry as "Lucky" Brown, passed away from respiratory failure on Monday, May 27, 2019, at the age of 97. Lucky enjoyed a more than 90 year career in Hollywood. He made his acting debut in the "Our Gang ' series in the 1920's. Followed by bit parts in many films of the time period. By his late teens he was transitioning to the production side of the business and had become an editor for Emperor Films. With a brief break during World War 2 where Lucky served with distinction in the Pacific Theater as a Sargent in the US Army, he returned to Hollywood to further his career. He continued to work in the studio system until the mid 1950's both in front of and behind the camera. Working on big budget studio films such as "Shane" as an actor and directing stunts as well as shooting second unit on many of the early western television shows of the day. Becoming increasingly stifled like so many artists of the time by the studio system, Lucky struck out on his own and formed his own studio and production company called Movie Tech Studios. Movie Tech Studios offered stages, editing rooms and wardrobe rental, albeit on a small scale, this was available to many burgeoning, independent filmmakers of the 1960's and 70's. Filmmakers who, like Lucky, were thwarted by the Major Studios in their artistic endeavors. During this time Lucky was able to finance and produce his own films as well as operating a full service studio in the heart of the San Fernando Valley. Notably, he produced and directed "A Whale Of A Tale" starring William Shatner, Andy Devine and Marty Allen, a family story of one little boys adventures at California's Marine Land park. Lucky was a mentor to many up and coming filmmakers of the 1980's and 90's, as well as an enthusiastic participant both in front of and behind the camera. Still developing and creating motion pictures well into his 90's Lucky was working on "Curse of the Gorgon" at the time of his death.- Actor
- Producer
- Stunts
Vis Brown was born on 2 November 1975 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for The Lucky Ones (2008), Fatal Call (2012) and Crossing Jordan (2001). He has been married to Jenna Rice since 23 June 2012. He was previously married to Christal Vivian.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Hannibal Buress was born on 4 February 1983 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Tag (2018), Neighbors (2014) and Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017).- Actor
- Music Department
- Composer
Smiley worked on a local radio station and in Vaudeville after high school. Always interested in music, he was friends with Gene Autry and worked with him on the radio show "The National Barn Dance". When Westerns became a big draw with sound, the studios were always on the lookout for singing cowboys. In 1934, both Gene and Smiley made their debuts in In Old Santa Fe (1934). Smiley became well known as Gene's plump sidekick Frog Milhouse, and they worked together in over 80 Westerns. After Gene, Smiley provided the comic relief for other cowboy stars at Republic such as Sunset Carson and Charles Starrett (The Durango Kid). He also provided a lot of the music as he wrote over 300 western songs and sang quite a few in the films. Smiley was the first supporting actor to regularly appear on the Top Ten Western money-maker list. He became well known for his white horse with the black circle around one eye. When he used a team of white horses, as when he was 'Spec Specialist' Smiley Burnette, each white horse had one black circle around one eye. When the 'B' movie Western reign ended in 1953, Smiley retired from the screen. He made occasional appearances on television including being a regular on the music show "Ozark Jubilee (1959)". His last performance was as railroad engineer Charlie Pratt on Petticoat Junction (1963) from 1963-67.- Best known for his roles "Kirk Morris" and "Jack Farrell," with his sharp, raspy nasal voice, sneering smile and fierce look, Burns has made himself really an actor to watch. He was drawn to acting late in college. After graduating, he re-established himself in New York and landed the title role of "Don Juan" at the New York Shakespeare Festival. He made his official TV debut in a small role in ABC Afterschool Specials (1972) ( Mom's on Strike (1984)). He got memorable recurring roles as felons, like the pathological rapist "James Fitzsimmons" in several episodes of the NBC drama series Hill Street Blues (1981) and body collector "Breugel" on Max Headroom (1987). By 1988, he broke through and the landed plum role of "Kirk Morris," a member of the "One-Two-One" club on Dear John (1988), a remake of the hit British sitcom. That role brought him instant recognition. He got cast in many similar roles after that. In 1993, CBS gave him the role (another Kirk Morris-like) of "Arnan Rothman" in Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles (2001), the villainous "Cade Dalton" in the NBC miniseries The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw (1991), and as a member of the loud, bickering, feuding family in Greedy (1994) and, in 1993, he was brought in as the hateful "Pete Schmidt," the vice-president of sales, for the last season of Bob (1992). This Bob Newhart series was a huge flop, despite Newhart's winning track-record and Burns' strong performance (probably because Bob played an angry, cynical and short-tempered grump, which wasn't what he was so famous and loved for). Burns has played other Kirk-like roles, but despite his track record of playing pure scum, he managed to get a different part in Something So Right (1996) as "Jack Farrell." Jere Burns still plays the most self-deconstructing and humbling role of his career to date (somewhat akin to his "Something So Right"), as the neurotic, nervous, self-humiliating "Frank Alfonse" on Good Morning, Miami (2002).
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LeVar Burton was born on 16 February 1957 in Landstuhl, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. He is an actor and director, known for Star Trek: Generations (1994), Star Trek: First Contact (1996) and Star Trek: Insurrection (1998). He has been married to Stephanie Cozart Burton since 3 October 1992. They have one child.- Music Artist
- Actor
- Composer
Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known by his stage name Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, musician, record producer, record executive, and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes. He is best known for his outlandish style and fashion sense depicted in several innovative music videos as well as his intricate rhyming technique, rapping at high speed with heavy use of internal rhyme and half rhyme. He has received 11 Grammy Award nominations for his work.
About.com included him on its list of the 50 Greatest MCs of Our Time (1987-2007), while Steve Huey of AllMusic called him one of the best and most prolific rappers of the 1990s. In 2012, The Source placed him on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time. MTV has called him "one of hip-hop's greatest visual artists".
Busta Rhymes was an original member of Leaders of the New School. He later went on and founded the record label Conglomerate (initially Flipmode Entertainment) and production crew The Conglomerate (formerly Flipmode Squad). In November 2011, Busta Rhymes signed a deal with Cash Money Records. On July 23, 2014, Busta Rhymes announced that he left Cash Money Records due to creative differences and was no longer on Republic.
He has released nine studio albums, with the first being the 1996 platinum-selling album The Coming. His list of hit singles include "Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check", "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See", "Dangerous", "Turn It Up (Remix)/Fire It Up", "Gimme Some More", "What's It Gonna Be?", "Pass the Courvoisier, Part II", "I Know What You Want" and "Touch It".
Busta Rhymes was born Trevor George Smith Jr. in Brooklyn, New York City, New York on May 20, 1972 to Geraldine Green and Trevor Smith Sr. who are from Jamaica. At age 12, he moved to Uniondale, Long Island, and later moved to the United Kingdom, spending time in Liverpool and Morecambe, England, before returning to the United States. Rhymes attended George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School in Brooklyn with future rappers such as The Notorious B.I.G and Jay Z, as well as attending Samuel J. Tilden High School with Special Ed and Chip Fu of Fu-Schnickens. Rhymes later graduated from Uniondale High School in Long Island in 1990.
In 1989, Smith, alongside fellow Long Island natives Charlie Brown (born Bryan Higgins), Dinco D (born James Jackson) and Cut Monitor Milo (born Sheldon Scott), formed the East Coast hip hop group Leaders of the New School. The group's big break was when they became an opening act for hip hop group Public Enemy. Public Enemy's Chuck D gave Busta Rhymes and Charlie Brown their respective stage names. Leaders of the New School began recording in late 1989 and released their debut album A Future Without a Past... in 1991 on Elektra Records. In early 1992, the group appeared on A Tribe Called Quest's posse cut "Scenario". In 1993, they released T.I.M.E. (The Inner Mind's Eye). Smith gained popularity from his advanced rhymes as well as his unique style that was not common of many New York rap artists at the time. Raised by two Jamaican parents, Smith embraced his heritage in his music and image as an artist. Smith was the only member of the group to wear dreads and use Jamaican slang, or Jamaican Patois, in his raps. Smith's unique style added an element to the group that allowed for rapid success. Soon after, however, internal problems arose because of Busta Rhymes's increasing popularity, and the group broke up on the set of Yo! MTV Raps.
In the summer of 1995, Busta Rhymes began working on his solo debut album The Coming, and a month after recording was completed, he released it in March 1996. A month before the album was released, he broke out with a hit single, "Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check". Later, he started work on his second album, When Disaster Strikes, which would not be released until September 1997. It produced the hit singles "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See" and "Fire It Up".
In 1998, Busta Rhymes recorded Extinction Level Event (Final World Front). Its lead single "Gimme Some More" - which sampled Bernard Herrmann's theme from Psycho - reached No. 6 in the UK singles chart in January 1999. Busta Rhymes enjoyed further transatlantic success in April, when the single "What's It Gonna Be?!", featuring Janet Jackson, reached the US and UK Top 11. The album received prominent notice for featuring the fastest rapping Busta Rhymes has performed, particularly on a song called "Iz They Wildin Wit Us?", featuring a guest appearance by Mystikal.
In September 2009, Busta Rhymes had announced that he was working on his ninth studio album, alongside Canadian producer Boi-1da, entitled The Chemo. At the time, he stated that the project was 80% finished. In May 2010, Busta Rhymes had reportedly changed the title of his ninth album from The Chemo to Extinction Level Event 2, making his ninth effort a sequel to his 1998 album Extinction Level Event (Final World Front).
In an August 6, 2010 interview on Conspiracy Worldwide Radio, American hip hop producer DJ Premier said Busta Rhymes received over eight beats which he did not want to use but Premier hoped his next beat would be chosen for inclusion on the album. On DJ Premier's Live From Headqcourterz radio show Premier confirmed that one of his beats were to be included in E.L.E. 2. In 2010, Busta Rhymes formed his new label The Conglomerate Entertainment (With later on having rosters such as N.O.R.E., and Spliff Star). He was also featured on "C'mon (Catch 'Em By Surprise)" by Tiësto and Diplo.
In 2011, Rhymes recorded "Look at Me Now" with Chris Brown and Lil Wayne on Brown's fourth album, F.A.M.E., the song has received favorable reviews regarding Rhymes guest verse on the song, and is his highest chart entry on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 6, while reaching No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, becoming his first No. 1 on that chart. On September 7, 2011, Rhymes received six nominations for the BET Hip Hop Awards, held on October 11, 2011.
On October 24, 2006, Rhymes appeared at Manhattan Criminal Court as the district attorney's office attempted to amend previous charges against him to include weapons possession for a machete found in his car. The judge refused to add the charge and adjourned the case.
On February 20, 2007, Rhymes refused a plea deal offered by the prosecutor's office for the assault of his former driver, Edward Hatchett. The deal would have entailed six months in jail and pleading guilty to two assaults, the attack on Hatchett, and the attack on the former fan. The dispute with Hatchett is believed to have originated over back pay Hatchett felt he was owed. Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Becki Rowe offered Busta another option, pleading guilty to third-degree assault. The conditions of the proposed sentence would include five days of community service, two weeks of youth lectures and six months of anger management classes, as well as three years of probation.
On May 3, 2007, Rhymes was arrested in Manhattan for driving without a license and for driving while impaired. On March 18, 2008, a judge in New York City sentenced Rhymes to three years probation, 10 days community service, $1250 in fines (plus court costs), and to enroll in a drunken driving program.
On September 25, 2008, Rhymes was temporarily refused entry to the United Kingdom due to "unresolved convictions".
On October 14, 2009, a Brooklyn judge ordered Rhymes to pay a concert goer $75,000 in compensation for an assault which occurred in 2003.- Richard J. Butkus, "Dick", was born in Chicago, Illinois, December 9, 1942. He graduated from the University of Illinois where he was a two time All- American line backer. A first round draft pick of the Chicago Bears, Dick played for them from 1965-1973, and was named All-Pro linebacker seven times. Mr. Butkus was elected into the NFL "Football Hall of Fame" at Canton, Ohio. Many football gurus consider Dick Butkus the finest linebacker in the history of football.
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Dick Button was born on 18 July 1929 in Englewood, New Jersey, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for The Superstars (1973), The Young Doctors (1961) and 10th Winter Olympic Games (1968). He was previously married to Slavka Kahout.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Ezra Buzzington was born in Muncie, Indiana, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Law & Order True Crime (2017), Fight Club (1999) and The Artist (2011).- Director
- Actor
- Writer
Christy Cabanne was, along with Sam Newfield and William Beaudine, one of the most prolific directors in the history of American films.
Cabanne spent several years in the navy, leaving the service in 1908. He decided on a career in the theater, and became a director as well as an actor. Although acting was his primary profession, when he finally broke into the film business it was as a director. He joined the Fine Arts Co., then was employed as an assistant to D.W. Griffith. Being a published author, he found himself hired by Metro Pictures to write a serial. After that he formed his own production company, but shut it down a few years later and became a director for hire, mainly of low- to medium-budget films for such studios as FBO, Associated Exhibitors, Tiffany and Pathe. Although he worked in the rarefied atmosphere at MGM on a few occasions, he was usually to be found toiling away at the lower end of lower-level studios. In the 1930s his fortunes picked up a bit and he did quite a bit of work at Universal, but from there his career nosedived and he ended up cranking out cheap westerns, shoddy jungle pictures and limp horror films for the likes of Monogram, PRC and Screen Guild.- One of the most recognizable mob-boss faces in the movies, even though he only appeared on a handful of films, Pasquale Cajano was born in Italy in 1921. A friend of the Scorsese family, he made his screen debut on a bit part in The Age of Innocence (1993), followed by the memorable mob boss Remo Gaggi in Casino (1995).
Cajano also appeared on Where Evil Lies (1995), Big Night (1996), the acclaimed Sleepers (1996), The Impostors (1998) and again as mob boss Joe Baldassare in the comedy Analyze This (1999).
Pasquale wasn't actor by tradition, in fact he worked as a broadcaster on Italian-language radio in New York City.
He died of prostate cancer in 2000. - Actor
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- Producer
Rapper Cam'ron was born and raised in Harlem, attending Manhattan Center High School, where one of his basketball teammates was Mason "Mase" Betha, who also became a successful rapper. Though his playing earned him scholarship offers from top colleges, Cam'ron was unable to take advantage of them because of his poor academic record, and he enrolled at a small college in Texas instead. He quickly dropped out and returned to Harlem, where he became a drug dealer before turning to rap. Hooking up with the Bad Boy posse, he developed a pop-rap style similar to chief Bad Boy Puff Daddy. But Cam'ron didn't sign with Bad Boy; Mase introduced him to the Notorious B.I.G., who in turn brought in his partner Lance "Un" Rivera. Un signed Cam'ron to his Untertainment label, distributed by Epic Records. Cam'ron first attracted attention with "Pull It," which earned airplay in May 1998. "3-5-7" was featured in the movie Woo and became his first R&B chart entry in June. Then in July came "Horse & Carriage," featuring Mase. It made the R&B Top Ten and just missed hitting the pop Top 40, setting up Cam'ron's debut album, Confessions of Fire, which went gold and made the Top Ten of both the pop and R&B charts. "Feels Good" featuring Usher was another R&B chart entry in December. "Let Me Know" made the pop and R&B charts in June 1999. A year later, "What Means the World to You" heralded the release of Cam'ron's biographical sophomore album, S.D.E. (the initials standing for Sports, Drugs, and Entertainment). Cam'ron worked with Ol' Dirty Bastard, Mobb Deep's Prodigy, and producer Digga to complete the album, which was released in September 2000- Stunts
- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Tap Canutt was born on 7 August 1932 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor and assistant director, known for El Condor (1970), The Cowboys (1972) and State Fair (1962). He died on 2 June 2014 in Santa Clarita, California, USA.- Stunts
- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Starting out as a rodeo cowboy and then becoming a stuntman in silent westerns, Yakima Canutt later doubled for such stars as Clark Gable and John Wayne, among others, in such dangerous activities as jumping off the top of a cliff on horseback, leaping from a stagecoach onto its runaway team, being "shot" off a horse at full gallop and other such potentially life-threatening activities. He became expert at staging massive events involving livestock, such as cattle stampedes and covered-wagon races, as well as Indians-vs.-cavalry battles on a grand scale. Canutt's most noteworthy achievement as a second-unit director came in his staging and direction of the chariot-race sequence in William Wyler 's Ben-Hur (1959)--which, from initial planning to final execution, took two years.- Council Cargle was born on 8 February 1935 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He was an actor, known for Detroit 9000 (1973), Word of Honor (1981) and The Elevator (2001). He was married to Maggie Porter. He died on 2 January 2013 in Detroit, Michigan, USA.
- Actor
- Music Department
- Composer
Award-winning songwriter ("Stardust", "Ole Buttermilk Sky", "Georgia on My Mind"), composer, pianist, actor and singer, educated at Indiana University (LL.B). He played piano in the college bands, and later gave up a law practice for a career in songwriting. He joined ASCAP in 1931, and his chief musical collaborators included Mitchell Parish, Stuart Gorrell, Frank Loesser, Johnny Mercer, Sammy Lerner, Stanley Adams, Edward Heyman, Paul Francis Webster, Jack Brooks, Ned Washington, and Jo Trent.
His autobiographies are "The Stardust Road" and "Sometimes I Wonder". His other popular-song compositions include "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening" (Academy Award, 1951), "Washboard Blues", "Riverboat Shuffle", "Little Old Lady", "Lazybones", "Rockin' Chair", "One Morning in May", "Snowball", "Lazy River", "Thanksgivin'", "Judy", "Moonburn", , "Small Fry", "Ooh, What You Said", "The Rhumba Jumps", "Two Sleepy People", "Heart and Soul", "Skylark", "The Nearness of You", "When Love Walks By", "Daybreak", "Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief", "Ivy", "Memphis in June", "Hong Kong Blues", "I Get Along Without You Very Well", "Blue Orchids", "The Old Music Master", "How Little We Know", "The Lamplighter's Serenade", "I Walk With Music", "Come Easy Go Easy Love", "Can't Get Indiana Off My Mind", "I Should Have Known You Years Ago", "Baltimore Oriole", "Rogue River Valley", "Who Killed 'Er (Who Killed the Black Widder?)", "Moon Country", "When Love Goes Wrong", "Mediterranean Love", "Music, Always Music", "There Goes Another Pal of Mine", "Just For Tonight" and "My Resistance is Low".- Beeson Carroll was born on 21 September 1934 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for The Dain Curse (1978), Bananas (1971) and Rounders (1998). He died on 15 March 2018.
- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Scott 'Carrot Top' Thompson was born on 25 February 1965 in Cocoa Beach, Florida, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Chairman of the Board (1997), Savannah and Dennis the Menace Strikes Again! (1998).- Ric Carrott was born on 5 February 1949 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. He is an actor, known for Marathon Man (1976), Love, American Style (1969) and The Streets of San Francisco (1972). He is married to Donna Marie Walker. He was previously married to Marie Antoinette Feichtinger.
- Eloy Phil Casados was hired out of the state employment office as an extra in The Lawyer (1970), directed by Sidney J. Furie. He then was hired full time as stand-in for the leading man. This lucky break started his film making career. While studying Art at the University of New Mexico, he worked in front of and behind the camera on dozens of Hollywood movies shooting in New Mexico. His first SAG role, opposite Robert Forster, came from a walk on audition with the director on the film set of Pieces of Dreams (1970).
Casados was in Albuquerque rehearsing with Anthony Quinn when a SAG rep from Hollywood caught up with him. The SAG rep stopped the rehearsal and said Eloy had to join SAG or get off the set. Casados had no idea what SAG was. Quinn found this amusing and arranged for the producers to pay Eloy's SAG initiation fee so they could continue filming. Casados later helped co-found the first New Mexico SAG local. Casados moved to Hollywood in 1975 with the dream of working on a film written by his favorite screenwriter Dalton Trumbo. In 1977, he played the title role in Trumbo's final screenplay, Ishi: The Last of His Tribe (1978). He teamed with Academy Award winning composer Maurice Jarre to narrate an album of the Ishi soundtrack for the American Congress of Indians; for which effort Casados was inducted into the American Cowboy Hall of Fame.
Highlights of Casados's career include: was being hired by Universal Studios to read for the part of Tony Montana to audition actors with Brian De Palma for Scarface (1983). Casados played singer Louis Prima in Ron Shelton's film Cobb (1994) and appeared in eight Shelton films. Working internationally in England, he played Squanto in the BBC production of the pilgrim story The New World. He narrated at the Disney Concert Hall with conductor Victor Veneer and the California Philharmonic.
A writer, director, editor, camera operator, and artist, he was married with three daughters until his death in 2016. - Actor
- Director
- Producer
JoBe Cerny was born on 5 December 1947 in Cicero, Illinois, USA. He is an actor and director, known for My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde (2003) and Somewhere in Time (1980). He has been married to Eileen Linkowski since 21 March 1970. They have two children.- Actor
- Composer
- Director
Samrat Chakrabarti was born on 22 August 1975 in London, England, UK. He is an actor and composer, known for Little Voice (2020), The Sinner (2017) and Mr. Robot (2015).- Actor
- Composer
- Writer
Hakeem Temidayo Seriki (born November 28, 1979), better known by his stage name Chamillionaire, is an American rapper and entrepreneur.
He was the founder and an original member of The Color Changin' Click from 2001 until the group split in 2005. He began his solo career with local releases in 2002, including the collaborative album Get Ya Mind Correct with fellow Houston rapper and childhood friend Paul Wall. He signed to Universal Records in 2005 and released The Sound of Revenge under Universal. It included hit singles "Turn It Up" featuring Lil' Flip and the number-one, Grammy-winning hit "Ridin'" featuring Krayzie Bone of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. Ultimate Victory followed in 2007, which was notable for not containing any profanity. Chamillionaire is also known for his most anticipated Mixtape Messiah series, which ran from 2004 until 2009.
In 2011, Chamillionaire left Universal Records, which led to his would-be third album, Venom, going unreleased. He released his first independent extended play Ammunition in March 2012 and was noted as his first major release since he left the label. Another EP, Elevate, was released in February 2013. He states that it is going to be one of several to be released before his third studio album, and shortly after his third EP Reignfall was released in July 2013. He is working on his third studio album, Poison.
Chamillionaire is the CEO of Chamillitary Entertainment, which he founded in 2004. He joined Los Angeles-based venture capital firm Upfront Ventures in 2015 and has been focusing on his entrepreneurial career over his musical career since.- Actor
- Director
- Additional Crew
Gower Champion was born on 22 June 1921 in Geneva, Illinois, USA. He was an actor and director, known for An Evening with Julie Andrews and Harry Belafonte (1969), Lovely to Look At (1952) and Hello, Dolly! (1969). He was married to Karla Most and Marge Champion. He died on 25 August 1980 in New York City, New York, USA.- Actor
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Location Management
American film character actor who appeared in primarily comedic roles from the 1920s through the 1950s. Born Fehmer Christy Chandler (named after his uncle, well-known architect Carl Fehmer), in Kingston, New York to Colonel George F. Chandler and the former Martha Schultze (a sportswriter and daughter of Boston Symphony Orchestra conductor Carl Schultze), by the age of 12, he was appearing as a dancer and entertainer in local stage shows. His father, an army surgeon and organizer of the New York State Police, enrolled him in a military academy, The Manlius School, which he attended for three years, serving with distinction and rising to the school rank of corporal. At 16, though he was being groomed by his family for a military career, he dropped out to work on a tramp steamer and, later, to pursue work in vaudeville and to study dance at the school of famed choreographer Ned Wayburn. Chandler maintained a successful career throughout the 1920s as a dancer and comedian in vaudeville and burlesque, at times teamed with Naomi Morton, granddaughter of vaudeville and Broadway star Sam Morton. In 1930, Chandler, still billed as Fehmer Chandler, joined the cast of the Liberty Bell Filling Station radio show starring Chic Sale, as Rodney Gordon, the assistant to Wheel Wilkins (Sale), proprietor of the titular gas station. Two years later, he landed a role in the Ben Hecht-Gene Fowler Broadway play The Great Magoo. Spotting him there, film producer David O. Selznick signed Chandler, now billed under his boyhood nickname Chick, to a film contract at RKO, telling the press that Chandler was "a cross between Lee Tracy and James Cagney." Chandler, who had done behind-the-camera work for director Charles Brabin in 1923 and had appeared in at least one silent film as an actor, turned full-time to movie acting with his first films under contract, Sweepings and Melody Cruise, in 1933. He appeared mainly in supporting roles, mostly comic, in nearly 120 films over the next 36 years. Under the pseudonym Guy Fehmer, Chandler wrote a screenplay about racing called The Quitter. In 1955, Chandler was cast in the starring role of Toubo Smith in the adventure series Soldiers of Fortune, alongside John Russell as Tim Kelly. In the show, Smith and Kelly traveled the world engaging in treasure hunts, rescues, and exploration adventures. It brought Chandler his greatest fame. During the off-seasons, he toured the country in stock and musical theatrical productions such as Harvey and Annie Get Your Gun. He was also a regular on the short-lived 1961 NBC comedy series One Happy Family. In February 1925, Chandler became engaged to Ziegfeld Follies performer and Christy model Dorothy Knapp, whom he had met in his uncle Howard Chandler Christy's studio in or around 1922. Knapp broke off the engagement to pursue her career further, and Chandler then became partnered, both privately and professionally, with 17-year-old Sallie Sharon, whom he met at West Point. The pair formed a vaudeville team, but never married. On April 4, 1931, Chandler married Eugenia "Jean" Frontai, a former contract performer with David Belasco's theatrical company. They were married 57 years, until Chandler's death from a heart attack on September 30, 1988. (Jean Chandler followed her husband in death [from cancer] the next day in the same hospital, South Coast Medical Center.) The couple had no children.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Gaius Charles was born in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and director, known for Salt (2010), Friday Night Lights (2006) and The Messenger (2009).- Nathan Lee Chasing His Horse was born on 28 April 1976 in Rosebud Reservation, South Dakota, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Dances with Wolves (1990), Into the West (2005) and DreamKeeper (2003).
- Actor
- Producer
Mike Chat as his friends call him, represents a new wave of Kung Fu, with over 14 years of experience, combining Okinawan Shorei-Ryu as a 4th degree black belt, Tae Kwon Do, Chinese Wushu, Kickboxing, yoga, ballet, dance and acrobatics. Mike was inducted in the World martial Arts Hall of Fame in 1992, and has captured over 50 National and International Forms and Weapons Championships. His popularity really exploded after winning gold at the 1995 ISKA World Championchips. He won more gold medals that year in Germany and in 1996. These skills spawned his television career and he also appeared in a video clip from Cirrus; "Back on a Mission."- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Parvesh Cheena was born in Naperville, Illinois, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Barbershop (2002), Centaurworld (2021) and Transformers: Rescue Bots (2011).- Actor
- Additional Crew
Chief Thunderbird was born on 6 August 1866 in near Tongue River, Montana, USA. He was an actor, known for Laughing Boy (1934), Annie Oakley (1935) and Cyclone of the Saddle (1935). He died on 6 April 1946 in Los Angeles County, California, USA.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Feodor Chin is an LA-based actor, writer, and comedian from San Francisco, CA. As an actor, he was classically trained at UCLA, the American Conservatory Theater, and has studied with renowned acting coach, Larry Moss. He was a Maude Night performer at Upright Citizens Brigade Theater for three seasons. TV credits include Big Little Lies (2017), Good Trouble (2019), American Auto (2021), Pam & Tommy (2022), Medical Police (2020), Lethal Weapon (2016), Jane the Virgin (2014), The Affair (2014), Speechless (2016), and New Girl (2011). Animation credits include the title role in Netflix's Uncle from Another World (2022), Futurama (1999), Marvel's Hit-Monkey (2021), and Cartoon Network's Regular Show (2010). He is the voice of Zenyatta and Lee Sin in the hit video games, Overwatch (2016)/ Overwatch 2 (2022) and League of Legends (2009). He was a performer for the ABC Discovers: Los Angeles Talent Showcase (2019) and a writer for the CBS Diversity Comedy Showcase, and has never met a braised meat he didn't like. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @FeoChin.