Jim Henson Pictures cast members
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Jim Henson never thought that he would make a name of himself in puppetry; it was merely a way of getting himself on television. The vehicle that achieved it was Sam and Friends (1955), a late-night puppet show that was on after the 11:00 news in Washington DC. It proved to be very popular and inspired Jim to continue using puppets for his work. He made many commercials, developing the signature humor that Henson Productions is known for. A key reason for the success of his puppets is that Jim realized he didn't need to hide puppeteers behind a structure when they were in front of a camera. All he had to do was instruct the camera operators to focus on the puppets and keep the puppeteers out of the frame. This allowed the puppets to dominate the image and make them more lifelike. This work on puppets and television would lead to separate projects that had different goals. The first one was his work on the The Jimmy Dean Show (1963) with the character Rowlf the Dog, the oldest clearly identified character that Henson Productions still uses. This show provided an income that allowed Jim to work on a pet project. That project was Time Piece (1965), a surrealistic short about time which was nominated for best live-action short Oscar. Henson shot to prominence when he was approached to use his muppets for the revolutionary educational show Sesame Street (1969). The show was a smash hit and his characters have become staples on public television. Unforetunately, this also led to Henson being typecast as only an entertainer for children. He sought to disprove that by being part of the initial crew of Saturday Night Live (1975), but his style and that of the creative staff simply didn't jibe. It was this circumstance that encouraged him to develop a variety show format that had the kind of sophisticated humor that "Sesame Street (1969)" didn't work with. No American broadcaster was interested, but British producer Lew Grade was. This led to The Muppet Show (1976). It initially struggled both in the ratings and in the search for guest stars, but in the second season it became a smash hit and would eventually become the most widely watched series in television history. Hungry for a new challenge, Henson made The Muppet Movie (1979), defying the popular industry opinion that his characters would never work in a movie. The film became a hit and spawned a series of features which included the moody fantasy The Dark Crystal (1982), which was a drastic and bold departure from the amiable tone of his previous work. The most successful TV work in the 1980s was Fraggle Rock (1983), a fantasy series specifically designed to appeal to as many cultural groups as possible. During this time he also established the Creature Shop, a puppet studio that became renowned for being as brilliant with puppetry as ILM was at special effects. When he died all too soon in 1990, he was indisputably one of the geniuses of puppetry. More importantly, he was a man who achieved his phenomenal success while still retaining his social conscience and artistic integrity as his work in promoting environmentalism and his brilliant The Storyteller (1987) series respectively attest to.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Director
Frank Richard Oznowicz was born in Hereford, England to puppeteers Frances and Isidore Oznowicz. His family moved to Montana in 1951, eventually settling in Oakland, California. As a teenager, he worked as an apprentice puppeteer at Children's Fairyland amusement park. He is one of the primary puppeteers responsible for the development of Jim Henson's Sesame Street (1969) and The Muppet Show (1976) as well as over 75 other Muppet productions. George Lucas originally contacted Henson to play the part of Yoda in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), but he recommended Oz for the part instead. He developed the character's trademark syntax, returning to voice and puppet the Jedi Master in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) and Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999).
Oz voiced the computer-generated Yoda in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005), supporting the transition of the character's rendering to digital. In 2011, the Blu-Ray edition of The Phantom Menace replaced the puppet Yoda with CGI to match the other prequel films.
He began a career of behind-the-camera puppet and live action filmmaking by co-directing The Dark Crystal (1982) with Henson. He went on to direct The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984), Little Shop of Horrors (1986), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988), What About Bob? (1991), The Indian in the Cupboard (1995), Bowfinger (1999), The Score (2001), The Stepford Wives (2004) and Death at a Funeral (2007).- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Producer
A longtime puppet designer and performer, Goelz was picked up by Jim Henson and company to design Muppets for various television projects in the early 70's. By the time Jim Henson and Frank Oz were beginning work on "The Muppet Show", they managed to convince Dave to come work as a puppeteer. He soon began to perform and develop such memorable characters as the Great Gonzo and Dr. Bunsen Honeydew. He has gone on to become a principal Muppeteer and one of the major talents of the Jim Henson Company.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Music Department
Puppeteer, actor, musician, and master of voices, Jerry Nelson originally joined Henson & Company as a temporary replacement for Frank Oz, who had been drafted into the armed services in the 60's. He later re-joined the crew as a full-time performer in the 70's, and has since been heavily involved in almost every major Muppet project, including Sesame Street (1969), The Muppet Show (1976), Fraggle Rock (1983) and feature films. Memorable characters include "The Count", "Herry Monster", "Mumford the Magician", "Robin the Frog", "Crazy Harry" and "Gobo". Come the late 1990s, Nelson has begun to focus more on his musical career but continues his involvement in The Muppets.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Director
Richard Hunt did not have a face known to many -- his voice was known more than anything else. He was a major stronghold behind Jim Henson's "Muppets". 'Scooter', 'Janice', 'Sweetums' and a few others, were some of the "Muppets" that Richard was a performer and puppeteer of. He helped pave the way for Jim Henson and his company from the 1970s through the early 90s, until his surprising death in 1992 of AIDS.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Steve Whitmire was born on 24 September 1959 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Fraggle Rock (1983), The Muppets (2011) and Muppet Treasure Island (1996). He has been married to Melissa Whitmire since June 1978.- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Louise Gold was born on 19 August 1956 in Marylebone, London, England, UK. She is an actress, known for The Muppet Show (1976), The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) and The Dark Crystal (1982).- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Writer
Kathryn Mullen was born on 10 February 1940 in New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Fraggle Rock (1983), Between the Lions (1999) and The Muppet Movie (1979). She is married to Michael K. Frith.- Actor
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Caroll Spinney was born on 26 December 1933 in Waltham, Massachusetts, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Sesame Street (1969), The Muppet Movie (1979) and The Great Muppet Caper (1981). He was married to Debra Spinney and Janice Spinney. He died on 8 December 2019 in Woodstock, Connecticut, USA.- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Deadpan comedian Charles Sydney Grodin (originally Grodinsky) was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania of Russian/Polish ancestry and raised in a Jewish orthodox home. He attended the University of Miami but dropped out, opting instead for the life of a struggling actor. The movie A Place in the Sun (1951) was said to have steered him towards his chosen profession. In his own words: "It was two things. One is I think I developed an overwhelming crush on Elizabeth Taylor. And two, Montgomery Clift made acting look like 'Gee, well that looks pretty easy - just a guy talking.'".
After a spell with Uta Hagen (1956-59), he attended Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio before making his stage debut on Broadway in 1962. Though he appeared on screen from as early as 1954, Grodin did not make a great deal of headway in this medium until he attracted critical notice playing the small but crucial role of obstetrician Dr. C.C. Hill in Rosemary's Baby (1968). More substantial roles soon followed. His first major starring turn was in The Heartbreak Kid (1972), a black comedy written by Neil Simon and directed by Elaine May. Grodin managed to inject charm and humanity in what was essentially an egotistical central character. Film reviewer Roger Ebert praised his performance, describing the actor as a "kind of Dustin Hoffman-as-overachiever", an opinion which was echoed by Vincent Canby of the New York Times. Ironically, Grodin had earlier turned down the pivotal role in The Graduate (1967) which propelled Hoffman to stardom (he also -- probably unwisely -- spurned the role of oceanographer Matt Hooper in Jaws (1975) which instead went to Richard Dreyfuss).
Grodin's ultimate breakthrough came on the Broadway stage in "Same Time Next Year" (1975) (opposite Ellen Burstyn), a hugely successful romantic comedy about two people, each married to someone else, who conduct an extramarital affair for a single day over the course of 24 years in the same room of a northern Californian inn. Though the two leads left the show after seven months, Grodin was now much sought-after in Hollywood as a droll comic actor and cast in a string of hit comedies: Heaven Can Wait (1978), Seems Like Old Times (1980), The Lonely Guy (1984) and Midnight Run (1988). He also appeared to sterling effect in the underrated farce The Couch Trip (1988), in which he co-starred with Walter Matthau and Dan Aykroyd as the brittle psychiatrist and radio host Dr. George Maitlin. Arguably his most popular box office success was opposite the titular Saint Bernard canine in the family-oriented comedy Beethoven (1992). Despite less than enthusiastic critical reviews, the film was a hit with audiences, grossed $147.2 million worldwide and spawned a sequel.
In the mid-1990s, Grodin reinvented himself as a television host (The Charles Grodin Show (1995)) and political commentator. He made frequent guest appearances on talk shows with Carson or Letterman, typically adopting the persona of a belligerent tongue-in-cheek character to facilitate "comically uncomfortable situations on the set". Grodin was also a prolific author, both of fiction and non-fiction. An autobiography was entitled "It Would Be So Nice If You Weren't Here: My Journey Through Show Business" (1989). Charles Grodin died at age 86 of bone marrow cancer on May 18, 2021 at his home in Wilton, Connecticut.- Actress
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
- Costume Designer
British actress Dame Diana Rigg was born on July 20, 1938 in Doncaster, Yorkshire, England. She has had an extensive career in film and theatre, including playing the title role in "Medea", both in London and New York, for which she won the 1994 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play.
Rigg made her professional stage debut in 1957 in the Caucasian Chalk Circle, and joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1959. She made her Broadway debut in the 1971 production of "Abelard & Heloise". Her film roles include Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1968); Lady Holiday in The Great Muppet Caper (1981); and Arlene Marshall in Evil Under the Sun (1982). She won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for the BBC miniseries Mother Love (1989), and an Emmy Award for her role as Mrs. Danvers in the adaptation of Rebecca (1997). In 2013, she appeared with her daughter Rachael Stirling on the BBC series Doctor Who (2005) in an episode titled "The Crimson Horror" and plays Olenna Tyrell on the HBO series Game of Thrones (2011).
From 1965 to 1968, Rigg appeared on the British television series The Avengers (1961) playing the secret agent Mrs. Emma Peel. She became a Bond girl in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), playing Tracy Bond, James Bond's only wife, opposite George Lazenby. She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) at the 1988 Queen's New Years Honours for her services to drama. She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) at the 1994 Queen's Birthday Honours for her services to drama.
Dame Diana Rigg died of lung cancer on September 10, 2020, she was 82 years old.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
John Cleese was born on October 27, 1939, in Weston-Super-Mare, England, to Muriel Evelyn (Cross) and Reginald Francis Cleese. He was born into a family of modest means, his father being an insurance salesman; but he was nonetheless sent off to private schools to obtain a good education. Here he was often tormented for his height, having reached a height of six feet by the age of twelve, and eventually discovered that being humorous could deflect aggressive behavior in others. He loved humor in and of itself, collected jokes, and, like many young Britons who would grow up to be comedians, was devoted to the radio comedy show, "The Goon Show," starring the legendary Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan, and Harry Secombe.
Cleese did well in both sports and academics, but his real love was comedy. He attended Cambridge to read (study) Law, but devoted a great deal of time to the university's legendary Footlights group, writing and performing in comedy reviews, often in collaboration with future fellow Python Graham Chapman. Several of these comedy reviews met with great success, including one in particular which toured under the name "Cambridge Circus." When Cleese graduated, he went on to write for the BBC, then rejoined Cambridge Circus in 1964, which toured New Zealand and America. He remained in America after leaving Cambridge Circus, performing and doing a little journalism, and here met Terry Gilliam, another future Python.
Returning to England, he began appearing in a BBC radio series, "I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again", based on Cambridge Circus. It ran for several years and also starred future Goodies Tim Brooke-Taylor, Bill Oddie and Graeme Garden. He also appeared, briefly, with Brooke-Taylor, Graham Chapman and Marty Feldman in At Last the 1948 Show (1967), for television, and a series of collaborations with some of the finest comedy-writing talent in England at the time, some of whom - Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and Chapman - eventually joined him in Monty Python. These programs included The Frost Report (1966) and Marty Feldman's program Marty (1968). Eventually, however, the writers were themselves collected to be the talent for their own program, Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969), which displayed a strange and completely absorbing blend of low farce and high-concept absurdist humor, and remains influential to this day.
After three seasons of the intensity of Monty Python, Cleese left the show, though he collaborated with one or more of the other Pythons for decades to come, including the Python movies released in the mid-70s to early 80s - Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), Life of Brian (1979), Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl (1982), and The Meaning of Life (1983). Cleese and then-wife Connie Booth collaborated in the legendary television series Fawlty Towers (1975), as the sharp-tongued, rude, bumbling yet somehow lovable proprietor of an English seaside hotel. Cleese based this character on a proprietor he had met while staying with the other Pythons at a hotel in Torquay, England. Only a dozen episodes were made, but each is truly hilarious, and he is still closely associated with the program to this day.
Meanwhile Cleese had established a production company, Video Arts, for clever business training videos in which he generally starred, which were and continue to be enormously successful in the English-speaking world. He continues to act prolifically in movies, including in the hit comedy A Fish Called Wanda (1988), in the Harry Potter series, and in the James Bond series as the new Q, starting with The World Is Not Enough (1999), in which he began as R before graduating to Q. Cleese also supplies his voice to numerous animated and video projects, and frequently does commercials.
Besides the infamous Basil Fawlty character, Cleese's other well-known trademark is his rendition of an English upper-class toff. He has a daughter with Connie Booth and a daughter with his second wife, Barbara Trentham.
Education and learning are important elements of his life - he was Rector of the University of Saint Andrews from 1973 until 1976, and continues to be a professor-at-large of Cornell University in New York. Cleese lives in Santa Barbara, California.- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Bushy-browed, triple-chinned and plummy-voiced English actor and raconteur of wide girth and larger-than-life personality. The son of a career army officer, Morley was expected to join the diplomatic corps. As a 'compromise', he tried his hand as a beer salesman. However, bitten by the acting bug since first performing in a kindergarten play, he prevailed over the wishes of his parents and enrolled at RADA. He made his theatrical debut at London's Strand Theatre, in a 1929 production of "Treasure Island", playing the part of a pirate for $5 a week. During the next few years, Morley honed his craft by touring regional theatres, writing or co-writing the occasional play, and, when money was hard to come by, selling vacuum cleaners. For a while, he managed his own repertory company in tandem with fellow actor Peter Bull in the Cornish seaside resort of Perranporth. Morley eventually returned to the London stage in a much acclaimed performance as "Oscar Wilde", a role he took to Broadway in October 1938.
On the strength of this, he was invited to Hollywood and garnered an Oscar nomination for his first screen role as the effete, simple-minded monarch Louis XVI, in MGM's lavish production of Marie Antoinette (1938). Back in Britain, he then played the armaments millionaire Andrew Undershaft in George Bernard Shaw's Major Barbara (1941), a performance praised by Bosley Crowther as "deliciously satanic, profoundly suave and tender" (NY Times, May 15 1941). Happily managing to avoid military participation in the Second World War, Morley spent the remainder of the decade acting in such prestigious theatrical showpieces as "The Man Who Came to Dinner", and as star and co-author of "Edward, My Son". His defining performance in the play led the critic Brooks Atkinson to comment on his "studied authority ... which might sound like an affectation in an actor of inferior style"(NY Times, June 4 1992).
Morley acted on screen in a variety of very British, sometimes eccentric, sometimes giddy, often pompous, but rarely dislikeable characters. At his best, he was the expatriate Elmer Almayer, at once pitiable and overbearing, in Outcast of the Islands (1951); the Sydney Greenstreet parody Peterson in John Huston's Beat the Devil (1953); as another languid monarch, George III in the colourful period drama Beau Brummell (1954); as Oscar Wilde (1960), recreating his original stage triumph; and as a food critic in the hugely enjoyable Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? (1978). He also performed occasionally in TV movies and miniseries. His wit was much appreciated on chat shows, both in Britain and the U.S., where was a frequent and popular guest. He was also the voice of British Airways in commercials of the 70's and early 80's, promising "we'll take good care of you" -- something he did with his acting for over half a century. Robert Morley was awarded a CBE in 1957. He died as the result of a stroke in Reading, Berkshire, at the age of 84.- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Peter Ustinov was a two-time Academy Award-winning film actor, director, writer, journalist and raconteur. He wrote and directed many acclaimed stage plays and led numerous international theatrical productions.
He was born Peter Alexander Freiherr von Ustinow on April 16, 1921 in Swiss Cottage, London, the son of Nadezhda Leontievna (née Benois) and Jona Freiherr von Ustinow. His father was of one-quarter Polish Jewish, one-half Russian, one-eighth Ethiopian, and one-eighth German descent, while his mother was of one-half Russian, one-quarter Italian, one-eighth French, and one-eighth German ancestry. Ustinov had ancestral connections to Russian nobility as well as to the Ethiopian Royal Family. His father, also known as "Klop Ustinov", was a pilot in the German Air Force during World War I. In 1919, Jona Freiherr von Ustinow joined his own mother and sister in St Petersburg, Russia, where he met his future wife, artist Nadia Benois, who worked for the Imperial Mariinsky Ballet and Opera House in St Petersburg.
In 1920, in a modest and discreet ceremony at a Russian-German church in St Petersburg, Ustinov's father married Nadia. In February 1921, when she was seven months pregnant with Peter, the couple emigrated from Russia in the aftermath of the Communist Revolution. Young Peter was brought up in a multilingual family. He was fluent in Russian, French, Italian and German, as well as English. He attended Westminster College (1934-37), took the drama and acting class under Michel St Denis at the London Theatre Studio (1937-39), and made his stage debut in 1938 at the Stage Theatre Club in Surrey. He wrote his first play at the age of 19. In 1939, he made his London stage debut in a revue sketch, then had regular performances with the Aylesbury Repertory Company. The following year, he made his film debut in Hullo, Fame! (1940).
From 1942-46, Ustinov served with the British Army's Royal Sussex Regiment. He was batman for David Niven, and the two became lifelong friends. Ustinov spent most of his service working with the Army Cinema Unit, where he was involved in making recruitment films, wrote plays and appeared in three films as an actor. At that time he co-wrote and acted in The Way Ahead (1944) (aka "The Immortal Battalion").
Ustinov had a stellar film career as actor, director, and writer. Among his numerous screen acting gems were his unparalleled, Academy Award-nominated interpretation of Nero in Quo Vadis (1951) and roles in Max Ophüls's masterpiece Lola Montès (1955), Barefoot in Athens (1966), The Comedians (1967), Robin Hood (1973) and Logan's Run (1976). He also wrote and directed such brilliant films as Billy Budd (1962), Lady L (1965) and Memed My Hawk (1984). He was awarded two Oscars for Best Supporting Actor, one for his role in Spartacus (1960) and one for his role in Topkapi (1964), and received two more Oscar nominations as an actor and writer. His career slowed down a bit in the 1970s, but made a comeback as Hercule Poirot in Death on the Nile (1978) by director John Guillermin. In the 1980s, Ustinov recreated Poirot in several subsequent television movies and theatrical films, including Evil Under the Sun (1982) and Appointment with Death (1988), while his cinema work in the 1990s also includes his superb performance as Professor Gus Nikolais in George Miller's excellent dramatic film, Lorenzo's Oil (1992), a character partially inspired by Hugo Wolfgang Moser, a research scientist who had been director of the Neurogenetics Research Center at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University.
His expertise in dialectic and physical comedy made him a regular guest of talk show hosts and late-night comedians. His witty and multidimensional humor was legendary, and he later published a collection of his jokes and quotations summarizing his wide popularity as a raconteur. He was also an internationally acclaimed TV journalist. Ustinov covered over 100,000 miles and visited more than 30 Russian cities during the making of his well-received BBC television series Russia (1986).
In his autobiographies, "Dear Me" (1977) and "My Russia" (1996), Ustinov revealed his observations on his life, career, and his multicultural and multi-ethnic background. He wrote and directed numerous stage plays, successfully presenting them in several countries. His drama, "Photo Finish", was staged in New York, London and St. Petersburg, Russia, where Ustinov directed the acclaimed production, starring Elena Solovey and Petr Shelokhonov. Ustinov also served as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF and a president of WFM, a global citizens movement. Ustinov served as Rector of Dundee University for six years. He was awarded the Benjamin Franklin Medal from the Royal Society of Arts in 1957 and was knighted in 1990.
From 1971 until his death in 2004, Ustinov's permanent residence was a château in Bursins, Vaud, Switzerland. He died of heart failure on March 28, 2004, in a clinic in Genolier, also in Vaud. His funeral service was held at Geneva's historic Cathedral of St. Pierre, and he was laid to rest in the village cemetery of Bursins. He was survived by three daughters (Tamara, Pavla, and Andrea) and one son (Igor). His epitaph may be gleaned from his comment, "I am an international citizen conceived in Russia, born in England, working in Hollywood, living in Switzerland, and touring the World".- Actor
- Soundtrack
Jack Warden was born John Warden Lebzelter, Jr. on September 18, 1920 in Newark, New Jersey, to Laura M. (Costello) and John Warden Lebzelter. His father was of German and Irish descent, and his mother was of Irish ancestry. Raised in Louisville, Kentucky, at the age of seventeen, young Jack Lebzelter was expelled from Louisville's DuPont Manual High School for repeatedly fighting. Good with his fists, he turned professional, boxing as a welterweight under the name "Johnny Costello", adopting his mother's maiden name. The purses were poor, so he soon left the ring and worked as a bouncer at a night club. He also worked as a lifeguard before signing up with the U.S. Navy in 1938. He served in China with the Yangtze River Patrol for the best part of his three-year hitch before joining the Merchant Marine in 1941.
Though the Merchant Marine paid better than the Navy, Warden was dissatisfied with his life aboard ship on the long convoy runs and quit in 1942 in order to enlist in the U.S. Army. He became a paratrooper with the elite 101st Airborne Division, and missed the June 1944 invasion of Normandy due to a leg badly broken by landing on a fence during a nighttime practice jump shortly before D-Day. Many of his comrades lost their lives during the Normandy invasion, but the future Jack Warden was spared that ordeal. Recuperating from his injuries, he read a play by Clifford Odets given to him by a fellow soldier who was an actor in civilian life. He was so moved by the play, he decided to become an actor after the war. After recovering from his badly shattered leg, Warden saw action at the Battle of the Bulge, Nazi Germany's last major offensive. He was demobilized with the rank of sergeant and decided to pursue an acting career on the G.I. Bill. He moved to New York City to attend acting school, then joined the company of Theatre '47 in Dallas in 1947 as a professional actor, taking his middle name as his surname. This repertory company, run by Margo Jones, became famous in the 1940s and '50s for producing Tennessee Williams's plays. The experience gave him a valuable grounding in both classic and contemporary drama, and he shuttled between Texas and New York for five years as he was in demand as an actor. Warden made his television debut in 1948, though he continued to perform on stage (he appeared in a stage production in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman (1966)). After several years in small, local productions, he made both his Broadway debut in the 1952 Broadway revival of Odets' "Golden Boy" and, three years later, originated the role of "Marco" in the original Broadway production of Miller's "A View From the Bridge". On film, he and fellow World War II veteran, Lee Marvin (Marine Corps, South Pacific), made their debut in You're in the Navy Now (1951) (a.k.a. "U.S.S. Teakettle"), uncredited, along with fellow vet Charles Bronson, then billed as "Charles Buchinsky".
With his athletic physique, he was routinely cast in bit parts as soldiers (including the sympathetic barracks-mate of Montgomery Clift and Frank Sinatra in the Oscar-winning From Here to Eternity (1953). He played the coach on TV's Mister Peepers (1952) with Wally Cox.
Aside from From Here to Eternity (1953) (The Best Picture Oscar winner for 1953), other famous roles in the 1950s included Juror #7 (a disinterested salesman who wants a quick conviction to get the trial over with) in 12 Angry Men (1957) - a film that proved to be his career breakthrough - the bigoted foreman in Edge of the City (1957) and one of the submariners commended by Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster in the World War II drama, Run Silent Run Deep (1958). In 1959, Warden capped off the decade with a memorable appearance in The Twilight Zone (1959) episode, The Lonely (1959), in the series premier year of 1959. As "James Corry", Warden created a sensitive portrayal of a convicted felon marooned on an asteroid, sentenced to serve a lifetime sentence, who falls in love with a robot. It was a character quite different from his role as Juror #7.
In the 1960s and early 70s, his most memorable work was on television, playing a detective in The Asphalt Jungle (1961), The Wackiest Ship in the Army (1965) and N.Y.P.D. (1967). He opened up the decade of the 1970s by winning an Emmy Award playing football coach "George Halas" in Brian's Song (1971), the highly-rated and acclaimed TV movie based on Gale Sayers's memoir, "I Am Third". He appeared again as a detective in the TV series, Jigsaw John (1976), in the mid-1970s, The Bad News Bears (1979) and appeared in a pilot for a planned revival of Topper (1937) in 1979.
His collaboration with Warren Beatty in two 1970s films brought him to the summit of his career as he displayed a flair for comedy in both Shampoo (1975) and Heaven Can Wait (1978). As the faintly sinister businessman "Lester" and as the perpetually befuddled football trainer "Max Corkle", Warden received Academy Award nominations as Best Supporting Actor. Other memorable roles in the period were as the metro news editor of the "Washington Post" in All the President's Men (1976), the German doctor in Death on the Nile (1978), the senile, gun-toting judge in And Justice for All (1979), the President of the United States in Being There (1979), the twin car salesmen in Used Cars (1980) and Paul Newman's law partner in The Verdict (1982).
This was the peak of Warden's career, as he entered his early sixties. He single-handedly made Andrew Bergman's So Fine (1981) watchable, but after that film, the quality of his roles declined. He made a third stab at TV, again appearing as a detective in Crazy Like a Fox (1984) in the mid-1980s. He played the shifty convenience store owner "Big Ben" in Problem Child (1990) and its two sequels, a role unworthy of his talent, but he shone again as the Broadway high-roller "Julian Marx" in Woody Allen's Bullets Over Broadway (1994). After appearing in Warren Beatty's Bulworth (1998), Warden's last film was The Replacements (2000) in 2000. He then lived in retirement in New York City with his girlfriend, Marucha Hinds. He was married to French stage actress Wanda Ottoni, best known for her role as the object of Joe Besser's desire in The Three Stooges short, Fifi Blows Her Top (1958). She gave up her career after her marriage. They had one son, Christopher, but had been separated for many years.- Erica Creer was born in 1947 in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Circle of Iron (1978), The Great Muppet Caper (1981) and The Dogs of War (1980).
- Kate Howard is known for The Great Muppet Caper (1981), The Bourne Identity (1988) and Mad Dogs and Englishmen (1995).
- Della Finch is known for The Great Muppet Caper (1981), Play for Tomorrow (1982) and Jemima Shore Investigates (1983).
- Michael Robbins (14 November 1930 - 11 December 1992) was an English actor and comedian best known for his on-going role as Arthur Rudge in the TV sitcom and film versions of On the Buses (1969-72).
Born in London, Robbins was a bank clerk who became an actor after appearing in amateur dramatic performances in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, where he and his family lived at the time. Robbins made his television debut as the cockney soldier in Roll-on Bloomin' Death. Primarily a comedy actor, he is best remembered for the role of Arthur Rudge, the persistently sarcastic husband of Olive (Anna Karen), in the popular sitcom On the Buses (1969-73). Robbins and Karen provided the secondary comic storyline to Reg Varney's comedy capers at the bus depot. Robbins also appeared in the series film spin-offs, On the Buses, Mutiny on the Buses, and Holiday on the Buses. His other comedy credits include non-recurring roles in Man About the House, The Good Life, One Foot in the Grave, The New Statesman, George and Mildred, Hi-de-Hi! and You Rang, M'Lord?. He appeared as a rather humorously portrayed police sergeant in the TV adaptation of Brendon Chase.
As well as these comic roles, he assumed various straight roles in some of the major British television shows of the 1960s and 1970s: including Minder, The Sweeney, Z-Cars, Return of the Saint, Murder Most English, The Avengers, Dixon of Dock Green, The Bill and the 1982 Doctor Who story The Visitation.
Robbins's film credits included The Whisperers, Up The Junction, The Looking Glass War, Zeppelin and Blake Edwards' films The Pink Panther Strikes Again and Victor/Victoria'. He also had an extensive career as a radio actor, including a role in the soap opera Waggoner's Walk and the satirical 1970s show Life is What Yer Make It.
Robbins was an indefatigable worker for charity and the Catholic Stage Guild; and received a Papal Award for his services in 1987. In one of his last television appearances, in A Little Bit of Heaven Robbins recalled his childhood visits to Norfolk and spoke of his faith and love of the Shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham.
In the mid-1970s he also directed a film: How Are You?
Robbins was married to actress Hal Dyer from 1960 until he died from cancer in Caterham, Surrey, in late 1992 aged 62. Robbins was survived by his two children and four grandchildren. Hal Dyer almost 20 years later died in 2011 from a brain hemorrhage. - Joan Sanderson was a well known British television and stage actress. During several seasons at Stratford Upon Avon, she played the roles of Goneril in King Lear, Constance in King John, and Queen Margaret in Richard III. In a single season at the Old Vic she appeared in The Mousetrap, and in 1981 ended her stage career in the production of "Anyone for Denis" at the Whitehall Theatre in London's West End. She was well known for her portrayal of Doris Ewell in the television series Please Sir! (1968), and as the selectively deaf Mrs. Richards in Communication Problems (1979).
- Peter Hughes was born on 20 May 1922 in London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Evita (1996), An Englishman's Castle (1978) and The Avengers (1961). He was married to Erica Brace. He died on 5 February 2019 in London, England, UK.
- Actress
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Peggy was born in the Muswell Hill area of London and educated at Woodford Bridge School in Croydon where Peggy Ashcroft and Diana Wynyard were fellow pupils. On leaving school she worked on a womans magazine and taught speech and drama until at 30 when she approached Croydon Repertory Theatre and asked to work back stage and was taken on as an ASM then given small parts before moving on to work in rep in various parts of the country until offered Hadrian VII at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre which transferred to The Mermaid Theatre in London and then to The Haymarket and films including Twinky with Trevor Howard, She was probably best remembered for being in the Midlands daily tv serial of Crossroads which she joined in 1967 and stayed for 9 months then returned in 1970, She was unmarried- Tommy Godfrey was born on 20 June 1916 in Lambeth, South London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Love Thy Neighbour (1972), Passport to Pimlico (1949) and The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother (1975). He died on 24 June 1984 in London, England, UK.
- Katia Borg is known for The Great Muppet Caper (1981).
- Valli Kemp was born on 19 November 1950 in Kenya. She is an actress, known for Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972), The Great Muppet Caper (1981) and Riptide (1969).
- Michele Ivan-Zadeh is known for The Great Muppet Caper (1981) and Where in the World? (1971).
- Actress
- Stunts
Chai Lee was born in Canton, China. She is known for American History X (1998), The Great Muppet Caper (1981) and Mr. Hercules Against Karate (1973).- Christine Nelson was born to Jacquie and Jerry Nelson in New York in 1960. Throughout her short life, Christine battled cystic fibrosis, a disease of the exocrine glands which caused numerous lung infections and other illnesses. Her mother, Jacquie, made a career in the fashion world. Her father, Jerry, is known for his work with Jim Henson and The Muppets, and passed his performer's passion on to Christine, who aspired to become an actress after completing high school. After going to many public schools in New York and Connecticut, she attended Rye Country Day School, a prestigious private school with a strong focus on stage and drama, and briefly attended college at Emerson College in Boston, MA but was forced to withdraw because of her illness. She met and became friends with Jim Henson and The Muppets as well as many cast members of Saturday Night Live (1975), such as Gilda Radner, John Belushi and Chevy Chase. In 1981, she won a small speaking part in The Great Muppet Caper (1981), as the girl who said, "Look Dad, there's a bear!", to which her companion, played by real-life dad, Jerry, replied, "No Christine, that's a frog...bears wear hats!" Christine, after fighting her illness, valiantly, for over two decades, passed away in September, 1982.
- Stephen Garlick was born on 7 July 1959 in Swansea, Wales, UK. He is an actor, known for The Dark Crystal (1982), Look and Read (1967) and The Tomorrow People (1973).
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Born in November 1963 to working-class parents, Lisa Maxwell was raised on an East London housing estate, and as a child was encouraged by her mother to pursue her obvious talent for entertaining, enrolling at the local drama school for weekend classes. Her first big break came in the early 1980s when she fought off 3000 contenders to become co-presenter of No Limits (1985), a pioneering youth programme which featured in the BBC's early evening schedule. In years to come, she built on this success with a stint as children's presenter on Thames TV's popular "Splash", and also acted as a foil to Russ Abbot and Les Dennis, both popular comedians of their day.
By the early 1990s, Lisa had been rewarded with her own weekly entertainment series, The Lisa Maxwell Show (1991) and in 1993, she tried her luck as an actress in America, although her audition for the role of Daphne in Frasier (1993) proved unsuccessful, partly due to a misunderstanding. During her time in the US, however, she did nonetheless secure roles in numerous popular series, among them Acapulco H.E.A.T. (1993) and the crime drama Murder, She Wrote (1984). Returning to Britain, she appeared in the London stage version of Grease and starred alongside Shane Richie in the popular musical, Boogie Nights. During this period, further acting roles followed, including her appearance in the BBC series, In Deep (2001). In 2002, she joined the cast of British television's longest-running police drama, The Bill (1984), portraying Acting DI Samantha Nixon, and her character remains a central figure to plot lines. Happily settled in her private life, a daughter was born to her in 1999.- Actress
- Additional Crew
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Billie Whitelaw first appeared on the radio aged 11. She made her theatrical debut in 1950 and in films from 1953. She has made a speciality of playing intense, single-purposed women. Also, (on stage), she has appeared in many of the stranger plays by Samuel Beckett.- Actor
- Music Department
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As a young lad Percy was fascinated by the wild creatures of his native Suffolk and found his ability to imitate them made an interesting "party piece" from the age of 12. His first broadcast experience came in the BBC radio series "Vaudeville" in 1930. He made hundreds of broadcasts until his "official" retirement in 1989. He became a household name after his animal imitations in the radio shows Ray's a Laugh with 'Ted Ray' and Life of Bliss, and in later years was in constant demand by television and film companies. In 'real life' Percy was a distinguished ornithologist although he always described himself as an 'entertainer'. He could accurately imitate over 600 birds as well as making many other animal sounds. he played the whales in 'Orca (1977)', The Reindeer in 'Santa Claus (1985)' and the voice (?) of the Alien in 'Alien (1979)'.- Actor
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Actor/singer/voice artist Barry Dennen possessed a sliver-eyed, sneering look and brittle, biting diction pattern that easily recalled the earlier flamboyant villainy of actor Jay Robinson. For Dennen, this would be best represented in his cruel, no-holds-barred performance of Pontius Pilate in the rock opera sensation "Jesus Christ Superstar." In a career that lasted over five decades, his versatile resume would include a lengthy series of offbeat characterizations not only on the stage, but on film, TV, radio, video games and animated cartoons.
Born in Chicago on February 22, 1938, his family moved to Los Angeles when he was a child. After graduating from UCLA (where actor George Takei was a classmate), Barry began his career in New York City performing in workshops and on the cabaret circuit while living with and nurturing the singing career of then-girlfriend Barbra Streisand.
Having the bohemian desire to explore a wider range of professional opportunities, he decided to travel "across the pond" in 1968 and wound up settling in England. Not long after arriving, he was selected by legendary theater producer Harold Prince to create the role of the Emcee for the original West End presentation of "Cabaret." Barry's magnetic performance opposite Judi Dench as Sally Bowles earned him the Evening Standard Award for "Best Actor in a Musical." The show was preserved on a cast soundtrack album. This major success encouraged him to stay in London. In 1970, he was invited by famed producer Andrew Lloyd Webber to sing the role of Pontius Pilate on the now-heralded double disk concept album of "Jesus Christ Superstar." A year later, he found himself featured in the original Broadway production. While the controversial rock opera received mixed reviews (nominated for five Tony Awards, but won none), Dennen earned raves for his no-holds-barred, show-stopping performance of the emperor who orders the crucifixion of Jesus.
Dennen first appeared on American TV in 1968 as a guest presence on such shows as "Blue Light" and "Batman." After moving to England, he guested on several popular BBC series including "Codename," "Premiere," "Ryan International," "Hadleigh" and "Paul Temple." It was there that he also made his feature film debut in the title role of the drama The Juggler of Notre Dame (1970). He was then cast as Mendel in the international film production of Fiddler on the Roof (1971) directed by Norman Jewison. It was Barry who suggested Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) to Jewison as the director's next acclaimed film project. He took it on and Barry revisited his role as Pilate.
Throughout the 1970s and '80s, Dennen became a bi-continental actor, working both here and in England. His eerie countenance perfectly fit several offbeat films, including the horror opus Madhouse (1974) starring Vincent Price and Peter Cushing; the action comedy Brannigan (1975) starring John Wayne; the irreverent comedy spoofs The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977) and Rabbit Test (1978); the Stephen King shocker The Shining (1980); the equally eccentric sequel to "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" entitled Shock Treatment (1981); the period drama Ragtime (1981), which inspired the Broadway musical; the Eddie Murphy starrer Trading Places (1983); the superhero blockbuster Superman III (1983) and the controversial Turkish drama Memed My Hawk (1984).
He returned to Los Angeles in the mid-1980s. In addition, he had sporadic TV guest parts on such popular shows as "Remington Steele," "Hill Street Blues," "Newhart," "L.A. Law," "My Sister Sam," "Hooperman," "Murder, She Wrote," "Mr. Belvedere," "Murphy Brown" and "Amen." On the California stage, Barry appeared as the ventriloquist's dummy in "Ghetto" (Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles); the headwaiter in "She Loves Me" (Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles); Mr. Wilson in "Annie Get Your Gun" (A.C.T., San Francisco); and the Major-General in "The Pirates of Penzance" (Santa Barbara Civic Light Opera). Dennen also created the role of Bertold Brecht in the world premiere of "Silent Partners" in Washington, DC. After a decade of being away from the limelight, he was cast as the Old Actor in a 2009 production of "The Fantasticks" at the Freud Playhouse in Los Angeles. As for his most famous theatre role, he would reprise the role of Pontius Pilate in a variety of tours, special one-show productions and anniversary specials over a four-decade span.
Dennen's vocal versatility was utilized quite frequently in video games and in such animated series as "The New Adventures of Jonny Quest," "Ducktales," "Pound Puppies," "The Further Adventures of SuperTed," "The Smurfs" and "Batman: The Animated Series." In 1997, Barry published his memoir "My Life with Barbra: A Love Story," detailing his relationship with Streisand and the nightclub act he created/directed that launched her superstar career.
During his long, pronounced struggle with being gay, Barry would marry British actress Pamela Strong in 1969. They adopted two children, Timothy and Barnaby, before divorcing in 1981. He later entered into a long-term relationship with James McGachy who died of lung cancer in 2001. In June of 2017, the 79-year-old actor suffered a serious brain injury after a fall and died two months later in hospice care on September 26, 2017. A brother, Lyle, survived him.- Actor
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Michael Kilgarriff was born on 16 June 1937 in Brighton, East Sussex, England, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for The Dark Crystal (1982), The Twelve Tasks of Asterix (1976) and Dark Souls II (2014).- Thick Wilson was born on 13 February 1929 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He is an actor, known for Tommy Boy (1995), The Dark Crystal (1982) and The Dirty Dozen (1967).
- Actor
- Writer
- Script and Continuity Department
Brian Meehl was born on 24 August 1952 in Canandaigua, New York, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for The Dark Crystal (1982), The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) and Between the Lions (1999). He has been married to Cindy Meehl since September 1987. They have two children.- John Baddeley was born on 16 July 1933 in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, England, UK. He is an actor, known for The Dark Crystal (1982), Asterix and Obelix vs. Caesar (1999) and The Rise and Fall of César Birotteau (1965). He has been married to Penny Stephens since 1960.
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- Soundtrack
David Buck (17 October 1936 - 27 January 1989) was an English actor.
He starred in many television productions from 1959 until 1989. One of his earlier roles was that of Horatio Hornblower in an episode entitled "Hornblower" (1963), in the Alcoa Premiere TV series. He played Winston Smith in Theatre 625: The World of George Orwell: 1984 (1965), a remake of Nigel Kneale's adaptation of the novel. In the first two series of the ITV horror and supernatural anthology series Mystery and Imagination (1966-68) he played the series narrator Richard Beckett (from Sheridan Le Fanu's story "The Flying Dragon") whose character also became involved in some of the other stories adapted.[2] His film career included roles in Dr. Syn, Alias the Scarecrow (1963), The Sandwich Man (1966), the Hammer film The Mummy's Shroud (1967), Deadfall (1968) and Taste of Excitement (1970). He also had a role as Royal Air Force Squadron Leader David "Scotty" Scott in the film Mosquito Squadron (1969), with David McCallum, in which his character is shot down during a low-level bombing raid over Northern France in 1944 and assumed killed.
Later, he was a voice actor for the films The Lord of the Rings (1978), for which he provided the voice of Gimli, and The Dark Crystal (1982).
Buck died of cancer in 1989. At the time of his death, he was married to the actress Madeline Smith, who featured in the film version of Up Pompeii (1971) and numerous comedy programmes in the 1970s.- Charles Collingwood was born on 30 May 1943 in St. John, New Brunswick, Canada. He is an actor, known for The Dark Crystal (1982), ITV Playhouse (1967) and Hotel Babylon (2006). He has been married to Judy Bennett since 13 November 1976. They have one child.
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- Writer
Sean Barrett was born on 4 May 1940 in Hampstead, London, England, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for Labyrinth (1986), Return to Oz (1985) and The Dark Crystal (1982).- Actress
- Writer
Miki Iveria was born on 14 June 1910 in Yalta, Republic of Crimea, Ukraine. She was an actress and writer, known for The Omen (1976), The Dark Crystal (1982) and QB VII (1974). She died on 29 March 1994 in London, England, UK.- Patrick Monckton was born on 9 June 1947 in Hungary. He was an actor, known for Keeping Mum (2005), The Dark Crystal (1982) and Dracula: The Series (1990). He died on 16 December 2020 in London, England, UK.
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- Writer
- Soundtrack
Joseph O'Conor was born on 14 February 1910 in Dublin, Ireland. He was an actor and writer, known for Oliver! (1968), The Dark Crystal (1982) and The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999). He was married to Lizann Rodger and Naita Moore. He died on 21 January 2001 in London, England, UK.- Actor
- Special Effects
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Bruce Edward Hall was born on 14 April 1954 in Woodbury, New Jersey, USA. He was an actor and assistant director, known for The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984), Romper Room (1972) and Great Performances: Dance in America (1976). He died on 31 October 2003 in New York City, New York, USA.- Actress
- Producer
- Animation Department
Karen Prell was born on 26 July 1959 in Florida, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Fraggle Rock (1983), The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) and Labyrinth (1986). She was previously married to Mike Quinn.- Juliana Donald was born on 1 January 1964 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. She is an actress, known for The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984), The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) and Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979).
- Director
- Actor
- Writer
Lonny Price directed Glenn Close in Sunset Boulevard on Broadway and at the English National Opera, Sweeney Todd starring Emma Thompson and Bryn Terfel at the ENO and Lincoln Center, and Carousel at the ENO. His Broadway credits include Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill starring Audra McDonald (also for HBO and currently on the West End stage), 110 in the Shade, 'Master Harold' ... and the Boys, Sally Marr and Her Escorts (co-written with Joan Rivers and Erin Sanders), Urban Cowboy, and A Class Act (Tony nomination, Best Book, with Linda Kline). His work with the NY Philharmonic includes Company, Sondheim: The Birthday Concert (Emmy Award), and Passion. He directed television captures of his Sweeney Todd (Emmy Award), Company, Camelot, and Candide. His documentary Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened premiered at the New York Film Festival and was named one of New York Times' Top 10 Films of 2016.- Louis Zorich was born on 12 February 1924 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Fiddler on the Roof (1971), Detachment (2011) and The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984). He was married to Olympia Dukakis. He died on 30 January 2018 in New York City, New York, USA.
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Art Carney was an American actor with a lengthy career but is primarily remembered for two roles. In television, Carney played municipal sewer worker Ed Norton in the influential sitcom "The Honeymooners" (1955-1956). In film, Carney played senior citizen Harry Coombes in the road movie "Harry and Tonto" (1974). For this role, Carney won the Academy Award for Best Actor.
In 1918, Carney was born in an Irish American family in Mount Vernon, New York. His father was publicist Edward Michael Carney, and his mother was housewife Helen Farrell. Carney was the youngest of the family's six sons. He was educated at Mount Vernon High School (at the time called "A.B. Davis High School").
In the 1930s, Carney was a singer with the orchestra of big band leader Horace Heidt (1901-1986). They appeared often in radio shows, and were regulars in the pioneering game show Pot o' Gold (1939-1947). Carney had an uncredited cameo in the film adaptation "Pot o' Gold" (1941), which was his film debut.
His career was interrupted when he was drafted for World War II service. He served as an infantryman and machine gun crewman for the duration of the war. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy (1944), where he was wounded in the leg by shrapnel. Following his injury, his right leg was shorter than his left one. He walked with a limp for the rest of his life.
Following the War, Carney appeared regularly on radio as a character actor. He also served as a celebrity impersonator, imitating the voices of (among others) Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Dwight David Eisenhower. He had a recurring role as the Red Lantern in the fantasy adventure series "Land of the Lost" (1943-1948), and another as Charlie the doorman in radio and television version of the sitcom The Morey Amsterdam Show (1948-1950).
Carney was first paired with fellow actor Jackie Gleason (1916-1987) in 1950, in a comedy sketch appearing in the variety series "Cavalcade of Stars" (1949-1952). Gleason appeared as lunchroom loudmouth Charlie Bratten, and Carney as mild-mannered victim Clem Finch. Due to good chemistry between the two actors, Carney became a show regular and appeared in several other comedy sketches with Gleason. "Cavalcade of Stars" was eventually reworked into "The Jackie Gleason Show" (1952-1957), with Gleason as the lead actor and Carney as his sidekick.
The most notable of the recurring sketches was "the Honeymooners", pairing the verbally abusive Ralph Kramden (Gleason) with his optimistic best friend Ed Norton (Carney). The sketch eventually was eventually given its own series, "The Honeymooners" (1955-1956). The series only lasted for 1 season, and a total of 39 episodes. The sitcom was canceled due to low ratings, but found success in syndication. Its depiction of the American working class was popular and influenced several other sitcoms. The popular animated sitcom "The Flintstones" (1960-1966) started as a Honeymooners parody, with the character Barney Rubble based on Ed Norton.
Due to his popularity as Gleason's sidekick, Carney was offered a number of lead roles in television. He starred in the television special "Art Carney Meets Peter and the Wolf" (1958), adapted from the story "Peter and the Wolf" (1936) by Sergei Prokofiev. He was eventually given his own show "Art Carney Special" (1959-1961), which was not particularly successful.
Carney had few notable guest star roles in television during the 1960s. He played an alcoholic department store Santa Claus in the episode "The Night of the Meek" (1960) of The Twilight Zone, and portrayed the villain "The Archer" in two episodes of "Batman". He opened the 1970s by playing both Santa Claus and villain Cosmo Scam in the Christmas television special "The Great Santa Claus Switch" (1970), where he appeared alongside Jim Henson's Muppets.
Carney had suffered a career decline until the 1970s, in part due to his alcoholism. He first found success in film as the leading character "Harry and Tonto" (1974), as a lonely senior citizen who goes on a cross-country journey with his pet cat. His critical success in the role and winning an Academy Award helped revive his career. He was offered many new film roles, though few leading ones.
Among his better-known film roles were the deranged preacher John Wesley Gore in "W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings" (1975), aging detective Ira Wells in "The Late Show" (1977), senile surgeon Dr. Amos Willoughby in "House Calls" (1978), and thrill-seeking bank robber Al in "Going in Style". During this period, Carney won both the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor and the Pasinetti Award for Best Actor.
Carney had a notable role in the television film "Star Wars Holiday Special" (1978) as Trader Saun Dann, a member of the Rebel Alliance. In the 1980s, Carney was mostly reduced to minor roles again. He is better remembered as the kind-hearted farmer Irv Manders in the horror film "Firestarter" (1984) and theatrical producer Bernard Crawford in the comedy-drama "The Muppets Take Manhattan" (1984). He mostly retired from acting by the late 1980s.
Carney emerged from retirement to play the supporting role of Frank Slater in "Last Action Hero" (1993). Frank is depicted as the "favorite second cousin" of the film's protagonist Jack Slater (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger). Frank's death provided motivation for the revenge-seeking protagonist. Frank's final line in the film was "I'm outta here", and this was indeed Carney's last appearance in a film before his death.
Carney lived in retirement until 2003. He died in his sleep in November 2003, in his home near Westbrook, Connecticut. His death was attributed to unspecified "natural causes". He was 85 years old and had reportedly managed to stay sober since he originally quit drinking in 1974. He is interred at the Riverside Cemetery in Old Saybrook, Connecticut.
Carney was survived by his wife Jean Myers, who died in October 2012. Carney was the grandfather of politician Devin Carney, who served in the Connecticut General Assembly.- Actor
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Born in New York City of humble means, character player James Coco was the son of Feliche, an Italian shoemaker, and Ida (Detestes) Coco. Shining shoes as a youngster with his father, his interest in acting occurred early on as a child. At age 17 he toured with a children's theatre troupe for three years portraying Old King Cole and Hans Brinker. Intensive study with acting guru Uta Hagen led to his Broadway debut at age 29 in "Hotel Paradiso" in 1957, but he earned his first acting award, an Obie, for his performance in the 1961 off-Broadway production of "The Moon in Yellow River". He went on to win a second and third Obie for his performances in the plays "Fragments" (1967) and "The Transfiguration of Benno Blimppie" (1977). Dark, hefty and prematurely balding, he proved to be a natural on the comedy stage and in scores of commercials (notably as Willy the plumber in the Drano ads) throughout the 1960s. Other comedy theater highlights included roles in "Auntie Mame," "Everybody Loves Opal," "A Shot in the Dark," "Bell, Book and Candle" and "You Can't Take It With You".
In the late 60s he formed a strong collaboration with playwright Terrence McNally and appeared in an off-Broadway double-bill of his one-act plays (his one-act was entitled "Witness") in 1968, followed by "Here's Where I Belong" a failed 1968 Broadway musical variation of the Steinbeck play "East of Eden" that closed on opening night. Their most notable alliance occurred the following year with the play "Next," which ran more than 700 performances and earned Coco a Drama Desk award. Sixteen years later, and shortly before Coco's death, the two reunited for the 1985 Manhattan Theatre Club production of "It's Only a Play".
Coco also earned kudos for his work in Neil Simon comedies, and "The Last of the Red Hot Lovers" (1969), which was specifically written for him, earned him a Tony Award nomination as Best Actor. The two later joined forces for a Broadway revival of the musical "Little Me" and the hilarious film comedy spoofs Murder by Death (1976) and The Cheap Detective (1978), in addition to his moving support role as Marsha Mason's depressed gay actor/friend in Only When I Laugh (1981), which garnered his sole Oscar nomination.
Achieving stardom first on stage, Coco's other films were a mixed bag with more misses (Ensign Pulver (1964), Man of La Mancha (1972) (as Sancho Panza), The Wild Party (1975), Scavenger Hunt (1979)) than hits (A New Leaf (1971)). On the TV screen, Coco fronted two short-lived 1970s comedy series, Calucci's Department (1973) and The Dumplings (1976), and also appeared in daytime soaps (The Edge of Night (1956) and "The Guiding Light"). Throughout his career he played an amusing number of characters on such sitcoms as Maude (1972) and Alice (1976) and also played bathos and pathos to great effect, not only winning an Emmy for his dramatic performance on a St. Elsewhere (1982) episode but appearing opposite Doris Roberts as the brittle Van Daan couple in the TV version of The Diary of Anne Frank (1980). One of his last TV assignments was a recurring role on the sitcom "Who's The Boss?" in 1986-1987.
In his last years, Coco received attention for his culinary talents and best-selling cookbooks. The James Coco Diet, an educational book which included chapters on menu planning and behavior modification as well as choice recipes), was just one that he promoted on the talk show circuit. It is probably not a coincidence that he often played characters with extreme food issues. Suffering from obesity (5'10", 250 lbs.) for most his adult life, the talented actor died unexpectedly of a heart attack in New York City in 1987 at the age of 56, and was buried in St. Gertrude's Roman Catholic Cemetery in Colonia, New Jersey.- Actor
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- Producer
For decades, Dabney Coleman has often appeared as a smarmy, selfish, nervous person, often with money, who is mostly out for himself. He did such a good job in this type of part that he's made a career of it in film.
Dabney Wharton Coleman was born in Austin, Texas, to Mary Wharton (Johns) and Melvin Randolph Coleman. He attended the Virginia Military Institute, and studied law in Texas. Coleman has a well deserved reputation as a fine character actor, and a reliable presence for almost any role in TV and movies. Dabney Coleman's early appearances in the cinema were in The Slender Thread (1965) and Downhill Racer (1969). On TV he starred in That Girl (1966). As the 1970s approached he became a well-known character actor in television and movies, appearing in The Towering Inferno (1974), Midway (1976), and Cinderella Liberty (1973). Television seemed Dabney Coleman's forum in the 1970s as Coleman played the role of Merle Jeeter in Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (1976) and Fernwood Tonight (1977). Coleman made appearances in the popular North Dallas Forty (1979) and the Oscar-winning Melvin and Howard (1980). Dabney Coleman also became known for some satirical movies, starring in the comedy How to Beat the High Cost of Living (1980) and snatched a lead role for the TV movie Pray TV (1980). Coleman's reputation for playing world-class jerks became cemented in 1980 as the boss to Dolly Parton , Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in 9 to 5 (1980). The next year, Coleman was in very good company working with legends Henry Fonda and Katharine Hepburn in On Golden Pond (1981). Coleman's hit streak would not end there.
In 1982 Coleman landed a key role in the classic Tootsie (1982), further cementing his role as an unlikable wealthy boss in some capacity. In 1983 Coleman starred in the Cold War classic WarGames (1983). During this period he also found many parts in lesser known movies like Young Doctors in Love (1982) and Callie & Son (1981). In 1984 he starred in The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) and in 1985 he starred with Tom Hanks in The Man with One Red Shoe (1985). In 1987 the actor won an Emmy for Sworn to Silence (1987). In 1990 Coleman took two lead roles, one in the disastrous Where the Heart Is (1990), and the other in the quirky comedy Short Time (1990). In 1993 Coleman starred in the slapstick comedy Amos & Andrew (1993) (a very funny part) and in a remake of the TV show The Beverly Hillbillies (1993) as Milburn Drysdale. Coleman took an extensive line of TV movies, such films as Texan, In the Line of Duty, among others. Coleman took an unusual part in the ABC cartoon, Recess (1997), and then starred in a couple of big money grossers, the Tom Hanks comedy, You've Got Mail (1998), as Chief Quimby in Inspector Gadget (1999), and in Stuart Little (1999), both 1999.
Coleman is still very active.- Actor
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- Director
Gregory Hines was born on 14 February 1946 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor and director, known for History of the World: Part I (1981), Running Scared (1986) and Renaissance Man (1994). He was married to Pamela Koslow and Patricia Panella. He died on 9 August 2003 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actress
- Director
- Producer
Born in Portland, Maine to a musically inclined family (her mother was once an opera singer) and on stage from the age of 5, singer/actress Linda Lavin graduated from The College of William and Mary with a theatre degree.
Linda pounded the New York pavements in the early 1960s searching for work following some stock roles in New Jersey, and gradually made a dent within the New York musical comedy scene with roles in "Oh, Kay!" (1960), "A Family Affair," (1962), "It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman" (1966) (her standout number was "You've Got Possibilities") and "On a Clear Day, You Can See Forever" (1966). She also won kudos for her straight acting roles in "Little Murders" (1969 Drama Desk award) and "Last of the Red Hot Lovers" (1969 Tony nomination). A one-time member of Paul Sills' Compass Players comedy troupe back in the late 1950s, she served as a replacement in Sills' "Story Theatre" Broadway production in 1971.
Television beckoned in the 1970s and utilized her singing talents in a small-screen version of Damn Yankees! (1967) starring Phil Silvers and Lee Remick. After a one-season false start as Detective Janice Wentworth on the sitcom Barney Miller (1975), it did not take long for the talented lady to become a household name in another. As the titular waitress/mother in the sitcom Alice (1976), based on the award-winning film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) starring Oscar winner Ellen Burstyn, Lavin won deserved stardom. During the nine seasons (1976-1985) the show was on the air, she nabbed two Golden Globe awards and an Emmy nomination. Ever the singer, she even warbled "There's a New Girl in Town" over the opening credits of the show to the delight of her fans.
Following this success, Linda lavished her attentions once again on the stage. She earned renewed respect, in addition to several critic's awards, for her diversified Broadway work in "Broadway Bound" (1987 Tony award), "Death Defying Acts" (1995 Obie award), "The Diary of Anne Frank" (1998 Tony nomination: as the high-strung Mrs. Van Daan) and "Tales of the Allergist Wife" (2000 Tony nomination). She later appeared in a PBS-TV version of Collected Stories (2002) and in 2010 revived it on Broadway, earning a Tony nomination for her efforts. She has also occasionally directed for the stage.
Linda was married and divorced twice to actors -- Ron Leibman and Kip Niven -- and in 2005 married her third husband, actor Steve Bakunas, who is also an artist and musician. After her "Alice" heyday, the actress would again return to series work, albeit the short-lived Room for Two (1992) and Conrad Bloom (1998).
Millennium credits include penetrating/amusing TV work on "The Sopranos," "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," "The O.C.," "Madame Secretary," "Santa Clarita Diet" and "Room 104," plus regular roles on three comedy series -- Sean Saves the World (2013), 9JKL (2017) and Yvette Slosch, Agent (2020) (title role). As for stage work, Linda returned to Broadway where she received fine reviews for her starring role in Carol Burnett's autobiographical play "Hollywood Arms" (2002) portraying Burnett's grandmother. The piece was co-written by Burnett's late daughter, Carrie Hamilton. Linda also received excellent reviews in "Collected Stories" (2010). Subsequent Broadway shows included brief runs of "The Lyons" (2012) and "My Mother's Brief Affair."- Writer
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Joan Rivers is an American talk show host, comedian, writer and actress from Brooklyn, New York. She voiced Dot Matrix from Mel Brooks' Spaceballs. She has portrayed in several films and shows such as Shrek 2, Look Who's Talking, The Smurfs and Iron Man 3. She passed away in September 2014 at Manhattan, New York.- Actor
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Elliott Gould is an American actor known for his roles in M*A*S*H (1970), his Oscar-nominated performance in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969), and more recently, his portrayal of old-time con artist Reuben Tishkoff in Ocean's Eleven (2001), Ocean's Twelve (2004) and Ocean's Thirteen (2007). Gould was born Elliott Goldstein on August 29, 1938 in Brooklyn, NY, to Lucille (Raver), who sold artificial flowers, and Bernard Goldstein, a textiles buyer in the garment industry. His family were Jewish immigrants (from Romania, Belarus, and Russia).
Gould's portrayal of Trapper John in Robert Altman's M*A*S*H (1970) marked the beginning of perhaps the most prolific period of his career, highlighted by such roles as Philip Marlowe in Altman's The Long Goodbye (1973) and Robert Caulfield in Capricorn One (1977).
On television Gould has the distinction of having hosted Saturday Night Live (1975) six times and helmed E/R (1984), a situation comedy set in Chicago about a divorced physician working in an emergency room, which aired for one season. He also co-starred in the series Nothing Is Easy (1986) about a couple raising an adopted Chinese boy.
Gould appeared regularly on television and in film throughout the 1980s and the 1990s, including cameos in The Muppet Movie (1979) and The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984). His most prominent recent television role was a recurring part on Friends (1994), on which he played Monica and Ross Geller's father Jack. More recently he voiced the character of Mr. Stoppable on the Disney Channel animated series Kim Possible (2002). In film Gould received critical acclaim for his portrayal of an older mobster in Warren Beatty's Bugsy (1991), and make a noteworthy appearance in American History X (1998). His next major TV role will be in Showtime's drama Ray Donovan (2013) starring Liev Schreiber.
Gould has been married three times, twice to Jennifer Bogart, and once to Barbra Streisand. He has three children.- Actress
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Liza Minnelli was born on March 12, 1946, the daughter of Judy Garland and movie director Vincente Minnelli. She was practically raised at MGM studios while her parents worked long hours there and she made her film debut at 14 months of age in the movie In the Good Old Summertime (1949). Her parents divorced in 1951 and, in 1952, her mother married Sidney Luft, with sister Lorna Luft and brother Joey Luft subsequently being born. Her father, Vincente Minnelli, later married Georgette Magnani, mother of her half-sister Christiane Nina "Tina Nina" Minnelli.
At 16, Liza was on her own in New York City, struggling to begin her career in show business. Her first recognition came for the play "Best Foot Forward" which ran for seven months in 1963. The following year, Judy invited Liza to appear at a show with her at the London Palladium. This show sold out immediately and a second night was added to it. Liza's performance in London was a huge turning point in both her career and her relationship with her mother. The audience absolutely loved Liza and Judy realized that Liza was now an adult with her own career. It was at the Palladium where Liza met her first husband, Peter Allen, a friend of Judy's.
Liza won a Tony award at age 19 and was nominated for her first Academy Award at age 23 for the role of Pookie Adams in The Sterile Cuckoo (1969). Other dramatic roles followed and, in 1972, she won an Oscar for her performance as Sally Bowles in the movie Cabaret (1972). The 1970s were a busy time for Liza. She worked steadily in film, stage, and music. She and her good friend Halston were regulars at Studio 54, the trendiest disco club in the world. Marriages to filmmaker Jack Haley Jr. and Mark Gero, a sculptor who earned his living in the theater, followed. Each marriage ended in divorce.
Over the past years, her career has leaned more towards stage performances and she has a long list of musical albums to which she continues to add. She teamed with Frank Sinatra in his "Duets" CD, and Sammy Davis Jr. joined them for a series of concerts and TV shows that were extremely well-received.
She has had to deal with tabloid stories of drug abuse and ill-health and has had a number of high profile stays at drug-rehabilitation clinics. Her hectic schedule may have slowed down in recent years, but she still has a large following of immensely loyal fans who continue to cheer her on.- Actress
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"Want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing." If you have not heard of Brooke Shields before, this tagline from her Calvin Klein Jeans ad had to grab your attention. Not that she has not had a previously noteworthy resume. She was born on May 31, 1965 in New York City, to Teri (Schmon) and Frank Shields. At age 12, she starred as a child prostitute in Pretty Baby (1978). Could this movie even be made today? It was considered risky and controversial in 1978. It was followed by another blockbuster, the romance adventure drama The Blue Lagoon (1980). Brooke has proved herself to be so much more than her early films. Her broad range of work as an adult would be quite an achievement for anyone, especially given how difficult transitioning from child actor to adult often is.
She has never stopped working, whether it be a Bob Hope Christmas special, her own sitcom Suddenly Susan (1996) or as an author. She also managed to work on a degree from Princeton University. She has received a number of awards during her career, most notably The People's Choice award for 1981 through 1984 in the category of Favorite Young Performer. In 1997, she was honored again with The People's Choice award for Favorite Female Performer in a New Television Series in 1997 for her work in Suddenly Susan (1996). In her personal life, she was married in 1997 to tennis player Andre Agassi and was devastated when they divorced two years later. She married for the second time in 2001 to Chris Henchy. She has been open about using fertility treatments to become pregnant with their daughter, Rowan, born in 2003.
When suffering debilitating depression after the birth of her daughter, she made the decision to put her feelings down on paper. Her book, "Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression," takes a hard, honest look at what she and many other women experience after childbirth. She still lives in New York City, and is still sought after for work in movies, television, and on stage. Pretty nice list of achievements for the once Calvin Klein jeans girl.- Actress
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The daughter of William and Lillie Mae Westerman, her father died of tuberculosis when she was ten years old. Her mother then moved the family to Los Angeles.
She suffered a skull fracture in an auto accident when she was 14. While recuperating, she was given a Charlie McCarthy doll to cheer her up. Little did she know she'd later marry Charlie McCarthy creator, famous comedian and ventriloquist, Edgar Bergen.
Graduated from Los Angeles High School, where she was a pom-pom girl. At 19, Frances was in the audience of Edgar Bergen's radio program as the guest of a member of his staff. Sitting in the front row, her long legs caught the attention of the 39-year-old star, who asked to meet her. They were married in Mexico after a year of long distance courtship.- Actor
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Ed Koch was born on 12 December 1924 in Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for We Own the Night (2007), The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) and The First Wives Club (1996). He died on 1 February 2013 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.- Producer
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John Landis began his career in the mail room of 20th Century-Fox. A high-school dropout, 18-year-old Landis made his way to Yugoslavia to work as a production assistant on Kelly's Heroes (1970). Remaining in Europe, Landis found work as an actor, extra and stuntman in many of the Spanish/Italian "spaghetti" westerns. Returning to the US, he made his feature debut as a writer-director at age 21 with Schlock (1973), an affectionate tribute to monster movies. Clad in a Rick Baker-designed gorilla suit, Landis starred as "Schlockthropus", the missing link. After working as a writer, actor and production assistant, Landis made his second film, The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977), in collaboration with the Zucker brothers and Jim Abrahams. Landis rose to international recognition as director of the wildly successful National Lampoon's Animal House (1978). With blockbusters such as The Blues Brothers (1980), Trading Places (1983), Spies Like Us (1985), Three Amigos! (1986) and Coming to America (1988), Landis has directed some of the most popular film comedies of all time. Other feature credits include Into the Night (1985), Innocent Blood (1992) and the comedy/horror genre classic An American Werewolf in London (1981), which he also wrote. In 1986, Landis and four others were acquitted of responsibility for the tragic accident that occurred in Landis' segment of Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983) in which actor Vic Morrow and two child actors were killed. The film also included segments directed by Joe Dante, George Miller and Steven Spielberg. In 1983 Landis wrote and directed the groundbreaking music video of Michael Jackson's Michael Jackson: Thriller (1983), created originally to play as a theatrical short. "Thriller" forever changed MTV and the concept of music videos, garnering multiple accolades including the MTV Video Music Awards for Best Overall Video, Viewer's Choice, and the Video Vanguard Award - The Greatest Video in the History of the World. In 1991 "Thriller" was inducted into the MVPA's Hall of Fame. In 1991, Landis collaborated again with Jackson (I) on Michael Jackson: Black or White (1991), which premiered simultaneously in 27 countries with an estimated audience of 500 million. Although it was not the first motion picture or music video to do so, "Black or White" popularized the use of "digital morphing", where one object appears to seamlessly metamorphoses into another; the project raised the standard for state-of-the-art special effects in music videos. Landis has also been active in television as the executive producer (and often director) of the Ace- and Emmy Award-winning HBO series Dream On (1990). Other TV shows produced by his company, St. Clare Entertainment (St. Clare is the patron saint of television), include Weird Science (1994), Sliders (1995), Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show (1997), Campus Cops (1995) and The Lost World (1998). In 2004 the Independent Film Channel broadcast his feature-length documentary about a used-car salesman, Slasher (2004). Deer Woman, an original one-hour episode written by Landis and his son Max Landis, inaugurated the Masters of Horror (2005) series in the fall of 2005 on Showtime. "Masters of Horror" also features one-hour episodes by John Carpenter, Roger Corman, Tobe Hooper, Don Coscarelli, Mick Garris, Dario Argento and Larry Cohen.
A sought-after commercial director, Landis has worked for a variety of companies including Direct TV, Taco Bell, Coca Cola, Pepsi, Kellogg's and Disney. He was made a Chevalier dans l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government in 1985, awarded the Federico Fellini Prize by Rimini Cinema Festival in Italy and was named a George Eastman Scholar by The Eastman House in Rochester, New York. Both the Edinburgh Film Festival and the Torino Film Festival have held career retrospectives of his films. In 2004 Landis received the Time Machine Career Achievement Award at the Sitges Film Festival in Spain. Sent as a filmmaker/scholar by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences, Landis has lectured at many film schools and universities including Yale, Harvard, NYU, UCLA, UCSB, USC, Texas A&M, The North Carolina School of the Arts, University of Miami and Indiana University. He has also acted as a teacher and advisor to aspiring filmmakers at the Sundance Institute in Utah. Additionally, he edited Best American Movie Writing 2001 (Thunder's Mouth Press, NY, 2001). Born in Chicago, Illinois, Landis moved to Los Angeles soon after his birth. He is married to Deborah Nadoolman, an Oscar-nominated costume designer, and President of the Costume Designers Guild, with whom he has two children.- Vincent Sardi Jr. was born on 23 July 1915 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984), My Favorite Year (1982) and Kraft Theatre (1947). He was married to Adelle Rasey, Carolyn Euiller and June Keller. He died on 4 January 2007 in Berlin, Vermont, USA.
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Gates McFadden was born on 2 March 1949 in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Star Trek: Picard (2020), Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) and Labyrinth (1986). She is married to John Talbot. They have one child.- Actor
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Cyril Jenkins was born on 28 October 1916 in Wales, UK. He was an actor, known for The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984). He was married to Edith. He died on 28 August 2008 in New Jersey, USA.- Producer
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- Graham Brown was born on 24 October 1924 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Clockers (1995), Malcolm X (1992) and The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984). He died on 13 December 2011 in Englewood, New Jersey, USA.
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Martin P. Robinson was born on 9 March 1954 in Dearborn, Michigan, USA. He is an actor and director, known for Sesame Street (1969), Little Shop of Horrors (1986) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990). He has been married to Annie Evans since 9 August 2008.- Actress
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Sally Kellerman arrived quite young on the late 1950s film and television scene with a fresh and distinctively weird, misfit presence. It is this same uniqueness that continued to make her such an attractively offbeat performer. The willowy, swan-necked, flaxen-haired actress shot to film comedy fame after toiling nearly a decade and a half in the business, and is still most brazenly remembered for her career-maker in the irreverent hit Korean War dramedy M*A*S*H (1970), for which she received supporting Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. From there, she went on to enjoy several other hallmark moments as both an actress and a vocalist.
California native Sally Clare Kellerman was born in Long Beach on June 2, 1937, to Edith (née Vaughn), a piano teacher, and John Helm Kellerman, a Shell Oil Company executive. Raised along with her sister in the San Fernando Valley area, Sally was attracted to the performing arts after seeing Marlon Brando star in the film Viva Zapata! (1952). Attending the renowned Hollywood High School as a teenager, she sang in musical productions while there, including a version of "Meet Me in St. Louis." Following graduation, she enrolled at Los Angeles City College but left after a year when enticed by acting guru Jeff Corey's classes.
Initially inhibited by her height (5'10"), noticeably gawky and slinky frame and wide slash of a mouth, Kellerman proved difficult to cast at first but finally found herself up for the lead role in Otto Preminger's "A"-level film Saint Joan (1957). She lost out in the end, however, when Preminger finally decided to give the role of Joan of Arc to fellow newcomer Jean Seberg. Hardly compensation, 20-year-old Sally made her film debut that same year as a girls' reformatory inmate who threatens the titular leading lady in the cult "C" juvenile delinquent drama Reform School Girl (1957) starring "good girl" Gloria Castillo and "bad guy" Edd Byrnes of "777 Sunset Strip" teen idol fame, an actor she met and was dating after attending Corey's workshops. Directed by infamous low-budget horror film Samuel Z. Arkoff, her secondary part in the film did little in the way of advancing her career.
During the same period of time, Sally pursued a singing career and earned a recording contract with Verve Records. The 1960s was an uneventful but growing period for Kellerman, finding spurts of quirky TV roles in both comedies ("Bachelor Father," "My Three Sons," "Dobie Gillis" and "Ozzie and Harriet") and dramas ("Lock Up," "Surfside 6," "Cheyenne," "The Outer Limits," "The Rogues," "Slattery's People" and the second pilot of "Star Trek"). Sally's sophomore film was just as campy as the first, but her part was even smaller. As an ill-fated victim of the Hands of a Stranger (1962), the oft-told horror story of a concert pianist whose transplanted hands become deadly, the film came and went without much fanfare.
Studying later at Los Angeles' Actors' Studio (West), Sally's roles increased toward the end of the 1960s with featured parts in more quality filming, including The Third Day (1965), The Boston Strangler (1968) (as a target for serial killer Tony Curtis) and The April Fools (1969). Sally's monumental break came, of course, via director Robert Altman when he hired her for, and she created a dusky-voiced sensation out of, the aggressively irritating character Major Margaret "'Hot Lips" Houlihan. Her highlighting naked-shower scene in the groundbreaking cinematic comedy M*A*S*H (1970) had audiences ultimately laughing and gasping at the same time. Both she and the film were a spectacular success with Sally the sole actor to earn an Oscar nomination for her marvelous work here. She lost that year to the overly spunky veteran Helen Hayes in Airport (1970).
Becoming extremely good friends with Altman during the movie shoot, Sally went on to film a couple more of the famed director's more winning and prestigious films of the 1970s, beginning with her wildly crazed "angelic" role in Brewster McCloud (1970), and finishing up brilliantly as a man-hungry real estate agent in his Welcome to L.A. (1976), directed by Alan Rudolph. Sally later regretted not taking the Karen Black singing showcase role in one of Altman's best-embraced films, Nashville (1975), when originally offered. Still pursuing her singing interests, she put out her first album, "Roll with the Feelin'" for Decca Records in 1972.
Films continued to be a priority and Sally was deemed a quirky comedy treasure in both co-star and top supporting roles of the 1970s. She was well cast neurotically opposite Alan Arkin in the Neil Simon comedy Last of the Red Hot Lovers (1972) and again alongside ex-con James Caan as a sexy but loony delight in Slither (1973), a precursor to the Coen Bros.' darkly comic films. She also co-starred and contributed a song ("Reflections") to the Burt Bacharach/Hal David soundtrack of the Utopian film Lost Horizon (1973), a musical picture that proved lifeless at the box office. More impressive work came with the movies A Little Romance (1979) as young Diane Lane's quirky mom; Foxes (1980) as Jodie Foster's confronting mother; Serial (1980), a California comedy satire starring Martin Mull; That's Life! (1986), a social comedy with Jack Lemmon and Julie Andrews; and Back to School (1986), comic Rodney Dangerfield's raucous vehicle hit.
Sally's films from the 1980s on were a mixed bag. While some, such as the low-grade Moving Violations (1985), Meatballs III: Summer Job (1986), Doppelganger (1993), American Virgin (1999) and Women of the Night (2001) were beneath her considerable talents, her presence in others were, at the very least, catchy such as her Natasha Fatale opposite Dave Thomas' Boris Badenov in Boris and Natasha (1992); director Percy Adlon's inventive Younger and Younger (1993), which reunited her with MASH co-star Donald Sutherland, and in Robert Altman's rather disjointed, ill-received all-star effort Ready to Wear (1994) in which she played a fashion magazine editor.
When her film output waned in later years, Sally lent a fine focus back to her singing career and made a musical dent as a deep-voiced blues and jazz artist. She started hitting the Los Angeles and New York club circuits with solo acts. In 2009, Kellerman released her first album since "Roll with The Feelin'" simply titled "Sally," a jazz and blues-fused album. Along those same lines, Sally played a nightclub singer in the comedy Limit Up (1989) Kellerman's seductively throaty voice has also put her in good standing as a voice-over artist of commercials, feature films, and television.
Among her offbeat output in millennium films were prime/featured roles in the soft-core thriller Women of the Night (2001), written and director by Zalman King, in which she played a lady deejay (she also gets to sing); the real estate musical Open House (2004) in which she played an agent (who gets to sing again); the Florida senior citizens' romantic comedy Boynton Beach Club (2005); the comedy Night Club (2011) where friends and residents start a club in a retirement home; the social dramas A Place for Heroes (2014) and A Timeless Love (2016); and the family dramedy The Remake (2016).
Divorced from Rick Edelstein, Kellerman married Jonathan D. Krane in 1980 and the couple adopted twins, Jack and Hanna. Sally was also the adoptive mother of her niece, Claire Graham. Her husband died unexpectedly in August 2016; less than three months later, daughter Hanna died from heroin and methamphetamine use. Sally died on February 24, 2022 in Los Angeles.- Actor
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Noel MacNeal is a puppeteer and singer from Harlem who is well-known for portraying Bear from Bear in the Big Blue House. He has also portrayed Bear in video games, a spin-off show and a live show at Disney theme parks. He also did puppetry for The Puzzle Place, Sesame Street and many more.- Writer
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Brian Hohlfeld started his career writing feature films, with credits including the 1991 Paramount film "He Said, She Said," starring Kevin Bacon, and the perennial Lifetime cable movie On the Second Day of Christmas, with Mary Stuart Masterson and Mark Ruffalo. He contributed uncredited rewrites to several films including The Mighty Ducks and Elmo in Grouchland. A member of the Writers Guild of America since 1986, Brian worked for Universal, Warner Brothers, TriStar, Columbia, Touchstone, and New Line studios, where he wrote or re-wrote over 30 feature scripts and developed projects with directors Ron Howard, Richard Benjamin, Jonathan Kaplan, Brian Henson, and Ken Kwapis, and producers Brian Grazer, Jerry Weintraub, Joe Roth, and Maurice Sendak.
Brian moved into animation working on Disney's Winnie-the-Pooh franchise, writing the theatrical releases "The Heffalump Movie" and "Piglet's Big Movie." He then created and was Executive Producer of the Disney Jr. pre-school show "My Friends Tigger and Pooh," and also served as E.P. for "A Poem Is..." a series of interstitials designed to introduce pre-schoolers to poetry using classic Disney animation. "For A Poem Is...," Brian had the privilege of directing celebrity narrators including Viola Davis, Jennifer Garner, Alfred Molina, Katie Holmes, and Jessica Alba.
For Hasbro Studios' Brian co-developed Transformers: Rescue Bots, which became the longest-running animated Transformers show ever with 104 episodes. Over the course of its four seasons he served as Executive Producer, Supervising Producer, and Story Editor.
As a freelancer he has written countless other episodes for animated shows ranging from "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic" to "Sunny Day" to "Stretch Armstrong." He won a 2008 Humanitas Award for writing the "Tigger and Pooh" episode "Eeyore's Sad Day," and was nominated for the same award 10 years later for the "My Little Pony: FiM" episode "Surf and/or Turf." He has also been nominated for four Daytime Emmy awards and an Annie Award.- Actress
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Laraine Newman is a founding member of The Groundlings. After seeing her in The Groundlings, Lorne Michaels cast her in a Lily Tomlin Special and later as an original cast member of Saturday Night Live (1975). She has worked from directors ranging from Woody Allen to Guillermo del Toro. She has a thriving animation career and has written for the food magazine One For The Table, McSweeney's, The Believer, The Jewish Journal, Huffington Post and Esquire. She in on the board of San Francisco's long running alternative comedy festival Sketchiest and has appeared there since 2012. She appears regularly in the Drama Desk Award winning show Celebrity Autobiography. She has two daughters and lives in her home town of Los Angeles.- Actor
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Edward Harry Deezen is an American actor and comedian. A native of Cumberland, Maryland, he initially began his career as a stand-up comedian before moving to California, where he would quickly become known for his roles as "nerd" characters in films including the Grease movies, Midnight Madness (1980), I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978), and WarGames (1983). He is also known for his various voice acting roles across multiple movies and TV series, most notably as Mandark in Dexter's Laboratory (1996), the Know-It-All Kid in The Polar Express (2004), and Ned in Kim Possible (2002).- Actress
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Cathy Silvers (born May 27, 1961) is an American actress and author, and the daughter of legendary actor/comedian Phil Silvers. She is best known for her role as boy-crazy teenager Jenny Piccolo in later seasons of the TV sitcom Happy Days. Cathy is the author of Happy Days Healthy Living, Random House and owner of Healthy Living Organic Food business.- Actor
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Paul Bartel was born in Brooklyn in 1938. He decided he wanted to direct animated movies when he was 11 and by 13 had spent a summer working at New York's UPA animation studio. He majored in theater arts at UCLA, and received a Fulbright scholarship to study film direction in Rome, producing a short that was presented at the 1962 Venice Fiom Festival. He later was hired by Roger Corman's brother, Gene, to direct a low-budget horror featured called Private Parts (1972). Roger Corman hired him as a second unit director on Big Bad Mama (1974), which led to his directing Death Race 2000 (1975). He could not persuade Corman to finance his pet project, Eating Raoul (1982). The $500,000 black comedy was made after his parents sold their New Jersey home and gave him the money. Shot in 22 days, mostly weekends, over the course of a year, Eating Raoul (1982) starred Bartel and Mary Woronov as gourmet cannibals who lure sex swingers to their apartment, smack them with a skillet, rob them and use the proceeds to buy a restaurant.- Actress
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Performer, actress, singer and author Sandra Bernhard appeared as a series regular in season three of the immensely popular FX Television/Ryan Murphy show "POSE" reprising her role as brassy but caring Nurse Judy Kubrack, who works with H.I.V. / AIDS patients, following a memorable season one guest appearance and hugely successful second season. Bernhard has also done a special guest appearance on Ryan Murphy's "American Horror Story: Apocalypse", highlighting a successful, decades long television career.
She is also currently in her fifth year hosting her weekly radio show Sandyland on Sirius XM's Radio Andy channel 102, for which she won a broadcasting Gracie Award.
A pioneer of the one-woman show, Bernhard brings a completely unique and raucous mix of cabaret, stand-up, rock-n-roll, and social commentary to her live stage performances. Just last year she celebrated the 10 year anniversary of her iconic annual holiday shows at Joe's Pub in New York City, while she also continues to tour throughout the country and overseas.
Extremely notable past live stage shows, which she has performed both on and off-Broadway, include Without You I'm Nothing, I'm Still Here, Dammit, Everything Bad and Beautiful, and #blessed.
Bernhard's film credits include The King of Comedy, for which she was awarded Best Supporting Actress by the National Society of Film Critics, Track 29, Hudson Hawk, Dinner Rush, and the live performance film Without You I'm Nothing. Past television credits include Two Broke Girls, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Broad City, Difficult People, You're the Worst, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Will &Grace, The Sopranos, The Larry Sanders Show and Roseanne. Music albums include I'm Your Woman (Polygram, 1986), Excuses for Bad Behavior (Epic, 1994) and the world music album Whatever It Takes (Mi5, 2009). She has written three books: May I Kiss You on the Lips, Miss Sandra?, Confessions of a Pretty Lady, Love, Love and Love.- Actor
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Candy was one of Canada's greatest and funniest character actors. His well-known role as the big hearted buffoon earned him classics in Uncle Buck (1989) and Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987). His career has handed him some dry spells but Candy always rebounded.
Born in Newmarket, Ontario, in the year 1950, Candy was the son of Evangeline (Aker) and Sidney James Candy. His mother was of Ukrainian and Polish ancestry. Candy found his passion for drama while attending a community college. In 1971 Candy made his TV debut in an episode of Police Surgeon (1971) co-starring Sharon Farrell, John Hamelin, and Nick Mancuso. Candy then found a number of bit parts in other Canadian television shows and also in such small films as Tunnel Vision (1976) and Find the Lady (1976). However, his big success came at the age of twenty-seven, when he became part of the comedy group "Second City" in Toronto. Alongside such soon-to-be Canadian stars as Catherine O'Hara (one of Candy's lifelong friends), Eugene Levy, Rick Moranis, and Harold Ramis, Candy was also part of the television show the group inspired. SCTV (1976) earned Candy a reputation for his quirky humor and his uncanny imitations of others.
After the television series, Candy appeared alongside fellow Canadian Dan Aykroyd in the Steven Spielberg flop 1941 (1979). However, other jobs followed and Candy landed a role, once again with Aykroyd, in the successful classic The Blues Brothers (1980). Candy played a parole officer who is part of the chase after Jake and Elwood Blues. The film was a hit and Candy followed up accordingly.
Candy acted in the smash hit Stripes (1981) where he played a dopey, overweight recruit affectionately nicknamed 'Ox'. After the success of Stripes (1981), Candy returned to the Second City with the other former stars, in SCTV Network (1981). Candy also hosted "Saturday Night Live" before landing himself a role in the Ron Howard film Splash (1983), a romantic comedy about a mermaid who washes ashore and learns to live like a human. Candy played a sleazy womanizing brother to the character played by Tom Hanks. The film was a bigger success than even Stripes (1981) and a number of people have said that Splash (1983) was his breakout role.
He took a second billing in the comedic film Brewster's Millions (1985) where a man must spend thirty million in order to inherit three hundred million from his deceased relative. Candy played the man's best friend, who accidentally gets in the way as much as helping out. Candy continued making films tirelessly, including the film Armed and Dangerous (1986) where he and Eugene Levy play characters who become security guards.
1987 was an especially good year to Candy, giving him two classic roles: Barf the Mawg in the Mel Brooks comedy Spaceballs (1987) and the bumbling salesman Del Griffith alongside Steve Martin's uptight character in the John Hughes film Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987). The latter film is a golden classic and is one of Candy's greatest films. He followed up immediately with The Great Outdoors (1988), once again alongside Dan Aykroyd. Candy landed another classic role in the film Uncle Buck (1989) which was about a bumbling uncle who must look after his brother's three children.
Although he was in the smash hit Home Alone (1990), Candy's career fell into a slump, turning out unsuccessful films in the early nineties. This caused him to change his strategy by taking more serious roles. The first of these serious roles was the corrupt lawyer Dean Andrews in the 'Oliver Stone' film JFK (1991). The film was a big success, and Candy moved on from this victory to make the film Cool Runnings (1993) about the first Jamaican bobsled team.
Candy was well known for his size, six feet two and weighing around 300 pounds. However, he was very sensitive about the subject and in the nineties tried to lose weight and quit smoking. He was aware that heart attacks were in his family: both his father and his grandfather died of heart attacks and Candy wanted to prevent that happening to him as best he could.
In the mid-nineties Candy filmed the Michael Moore comedy Canadian Bacon (1995) then went to Mexico to film the western spoof Wagons East (1994). It was in Mexico that Candy had a heart attack and passed away in March 1994. Canadian Bacon (1995) was released a year after his death and is his last film.
Candy was loved by thousands of people who loved his classic antics in Splash (1983) and The Great Outdoors (1988). He was well-known for his roles in Stripes (1981) and Uncle Buck (1989) and he himself never forgot his Canadian background.- Actor
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- Producer
Chevy Chase was born Cornelius Crane Chase on October 8, 1943 in Lower Manhattan, New York, to Cathalene Parker (Browning), a concert pianist and librettist, and Edward Tinsley "Ned" Chase, an editor and writer. His parents both came from prominent families, and his grandfathers were artist and illustrator Edward Leigh Chase and Admiral Miles Browning. His recent ancestry includes English, Scottish, Irish, and German.
His grandmother gave him the nickname "Chevy" when he was two years old. Chase was a cast member of Saturday Night Live (1975) from its debut until 1976, and then embarked on a highly successful movie career. He scored in the 1980s with hits such as Caddyshack (1980), Vacation (1983) and its sequels, Fletch (1985) and Fletch Lives (1989). All his films show his talent for deadpan comedy. Sadly, his career generally worsened through the 1990s, starring in disappointments such as the mediocre Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992), and Cops and Robbersons (1994). More recently, Community (2009) marked a return for him, as he played a regular role for the first four seasons.- Actor
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- Producer
Joe Flaherty was born on 21 June 1941 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Happy Gilmore (1996), Back to the Future Part II (1989) and Detroit Rock City (1999). He was married to Judith Ann Dagley. He died on 1 April 2024 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.- Music Artist
- Music Department
- Actor
Jennings, a singer, songwriter and guitarist, recorded 60 albums and had 16 No. 1 country singles in a career that spanned five decades. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in October 2001. With pal Willie Nelson, Jennings performed duets like "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys", "Luckenbach" and "Good Hearted Woman". Those 1970s songs nurtured a progressive sound and restless spirit embraced later by Travis Tritt, Charlie Daniels, Steve Earle and others. His resonant, authoritative voice also was used to narrate the popular TV show The Dukes of Hazzard (1979). He sang its theme song, which was a million seller. "I aimed the narration at children and it made it work," he said in a 1987 AP interview. He traditionally wore a black cowboy hat and ebony attire that accented his black beard and mustache. Often reclusive when not on stage, he played earthy music with a spirited, hard edge. Combined, Jennings had a well-defined image that matched well with his history of battling record producers to do music his way. About his independence, he said: "There's always one more way to do something-- your way." Some of his album titles nourished his brash persona: "Lonesome, On'ry and Mean," "I've Always Been Crazy," "Nashville Rebel," "Ladies Love Outlaws" and "Wanted: The Outlaws." He often refused to attend music awards shows on grounds performers should not compete against each other. Despite those sentiments, Jennings won two Grammy awards and four Country Music Association awards. He did not attend his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame last year. In 1959, his career was nearly cut short by tragedy. He was scheduled to fly on the light plane that crashed and killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper. Jennings gave up his seat on the plane to The Big Bopper, who was ill and wanted to fly rather than travel by bus with those left behind. He and Holly were teen-age friends in Lubbock, Texas, and Jennings was in Holly's band. "Mainly what I learned from Buddy was an attitude," Jennings said. "He loved music, and he taught me that it shouldn't have any barriers to it." Born in Littlefield, Texas, Jennings became a radio disc jockey at 14 and formed his own band not long afterward. By the early 1960s Jennings was playing regularly at a nightclub in Phoenix. In 1963, he was signed by 'Herb Alpert''s A&M Records, then was signed by RCA in Nashville shortly thereafter by Chet Atkins. Once in Nashville, he and Cash became friends and roommates. His hit records began in the mid-1960s and his heyday was the mid-1970s. About his outlaw image, he said: "It was a good marketing tool. In a way, I am that way. You start messing with my music, I get mean. As long was you are honest and up front with me, I will be the same with you. But I still do things my way."- Writer
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Born in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, Dave was the eldest son of John and Moreen Thomas. John Thomas (deceased) was a PHD in Philosophy (Duke), noted medical ethicist, head of Philosophy Department at McMaster University, and author of several books including: "Matters of Life and Death," "Well and Good," "Medical Ethic and Human Life." Moreen Thomas (living) was a church organist for 30 years and noted composer of church music. Brother, Ian Thomas is a noted Canadian musician and composer whose songs have been covered by bands like America, Chicago, Air Supply (Russell Hitchcock & Graham Russell), Bette Midler, and Manfred Mann.
Starting his career at ad agency McCann Erickson, after one year, Dave became the head writer of the Coca-Cola account. He then moved from the Toronto office to New York at the request of agency client Coca-Cola. Dave left advertising after three years to work at Second City Company in Toronto with Dan Aykroyd, John Candy, Gilda Radner, and Eugene Levy. He subsequently co-founded NBC's critically acclaimed comedy series SCTV (1976), along with co-stars Harold Ramis, Catherine O'Hara (I), Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, and John Candy. During the show's five-year run, Dave won an Emmy Award, 4 Emmy nominations for his comedy writing, an ACTRA Award for Best Variety Performer and the Earl Grey Award in 1993.
With Rick Moranis, Dave co-created the infamous McKenzie Brothers and co-starred in the cult hit comedy film Strange Brew (1983) (MGM). Strange Brew won the Golden Reel Award for the highest box office grossing movie in Canada in 1983. The duo won Gold and Platinum Albums and a Grammy nomination. Since the film's release in 1982, the McKenzie Brothers have become a 20-year-plus enduring franchise, and Thomas and Moranis have licensed the characters to the following companies -- NBC, CBC, Polygram, MGM, Pizza Hut, Mr. Lubbe, Miller Brewing, Molsons Brewing, Todd McFarlane Toys and Disney.
Dave has written, directed, produced, and co-starred in television shows for all the major networks -- most notably The Dave Thomas Comedy Show (1990) (CBS) and Grace Under Fire (1993) (ABC). He was co-creator and co-executive producer of America's Funniest People (1990) (ABC). He wrote and directed the M.O.W. Ghost Mom (1993) (Fox) starring Jean Stapleton and Geraint Wyn Davies and starred in the M.O.W.'s Kids in the Woods (Disney) and Picture Perfect (1995) (ABC). He has voiced animated shows like The Simpsons (1989), Duckman, Catdog, Dilbert, Animaniacs, Justice League of America for Warners and Tarzan for Disney. He has appeared in numerous feature films, including Stripes with Bill Murray and Harold Ramis, Spies Like Us (1985) (Dave was also co-writer with Aykroyd) with Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd, The Experts (1989) (Dave directed) starring John Travolta and Kelly Preston, Boris & Natasha with Sally Kellerman, Coneheads with Dan Aykroyd, and most recently Rat Race with John Cleese, Whoopi Goldberg, and Cuba Gooding Jr.. In 2001, Dave played a featured role in the theatrical features Who's Your Daddy and Call Me Irresponsible (Norstar). Dave is currently voicing a major role along with Joaquin Phoenix and Rick Moranis in the upcoming full-length Disney animated feature Bears due for theatrical release in 2004. In 1996, Mr. Thomas wrote a book, "SCTV Behind the Scenes". It is currently in its second printing. Mr. Thomas' production company, Maple Palm Productions, produced an Ace nominated comedy special for Showtime entitled The Time Travels of Henry Osgood starring Bronson Pinchot, Catherine O'Hara (I), John Candy, Martin Short, and Joe Flaherty, a special for CBS in 1990 entitled "Standup at Forty" starring Gary Shandling, Bonnie Hunt, Martin Short, George Plimpton and Richard Belzer. In 1992 Maple Palm produced another comedy special, this time for ABC entitled "Inside American's Unsolved Mysteries". In 1994, Maple Palm produced a reality pilot for ABC entitled Family Challenge (1995). ABC elected not to pick up the series, so Maple Palm produced 130 hour-long episodes of Family Challenge (1995) for the Family Channel with Woody Fraser. In 1999, Maple Palm Productions and Dave Thomas produced Ambushed (1998) a movie for HBO, starring Courtney B. Vance, Virginia Madsen, and David Keith, directed by Ernest R. Dickerson. Ambushed (1998) was the highest rated television show in its time slot when it first aired in 1999. Currently, Dave is a partner in Animax Interactive, an online production company creating sponsored interactive content and designing Web Pages for such companies as Ford, Twentieth Century Fox, Warner Brothers and Verizon. Dave lives in Malibu, California with his wife Kim and four children John, Emily, Harry and Charlie.- Actress
- Additional Crew
Born deaf, she was a founding member of the National Theater of the Deaf in 1963. In 1974, she received the AMITA--the Italian-American Award for her work on television. Best known for playing Linda on Sesame Street (1969) for over 20 years--the longest-running role on American television for a person with a differing ability.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Emilio Delgado was an actor and singer, best known for his 44 years in the role of "Luis" on Sesame Street from 1971-2015 and had the unofficial distinction of having played the same role on U.S. television longer than any other Mexican American actor. He was born in Calexico, California and spent his early childhood living across the border in Mexicali, Mexico in a large extended family.
He started working at an early age in Mexicali shining shoes and working in his uncle's bicycle repair shop. As a U.S. citizen, he crossed the border daily into the United States to attend elementary school in Calexico, California, where he first began performing in school plays and musicals. He graduated from Glendale High School in Los Angeles, where his interest and passion for theater and music increased. After graduation he received a scholarship to study acting in Hollywood with Russian actress Eugenie Leontovich. He continued his theater studies at Glendale College and CalArts (California Institute of the Arts) while also performing as a folk singer, guitarist and singing traditional Spanish boleros with Mexican trios.
In 1968 Emilio began working as a professional actor in the Emmy Award winning PBS series Cancion De La Raza (Song of The People) KCET-LA. In 1971, the producers of Sesame Street expanded their cast to include Latinos and cast Emilio as Luis. Landing the role of "Luis" was very meaningful to Emilio because it offered a positive portrayal of a Mexican American on television. He can claim the longest running part for a Mexican American actor in a continuing television series for his 44 years on Sesame Street.
In addition to Sesame Street, Emilio was cast by Joe Papp in 1972 to understudy Raul Julia in Two Gentlemen of Verona at the St. James Theatre on Broadway. Emilio starred in the lead role of Quixote Nuevo in four cities: CalShakes Berkeley, Hartford Stage, Huntington Theatre Boston & The Alley Theatre in Houston from June 13, 2018 to February 9, 2020; written by award winning playwright, Octavio Solis. Quixote Nuevo is a contemporary adaptation of the Cervantes classic, first premiering in 2018 at California Shakespeare Theater in Berkeley. Other theater credits include Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, INTAR Theatre, Round House Theatre in Bethesda, MD, Manhattan Theatre Source and King Claudius in the Asolo Repertory Theatre production of Hamlet: Prince of Cuba.
He appeared in several television classics and was a recurring cast member on the Lou Grant Show and appeared in Hawaii 5-0, Quincy, Police Story and co-starred in I Will Fight No More Forever. More recent television and film appearances include The Get Down, House of Cards, A Case of You, Law & Order, Criminal Intent, Law & Order: SVU, The Michael J. Fox Show and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and many other television and film appearances. In voice over work, you can hear his voice in The Bravest Knight, Red Dead Redemption II and Audible.
Emilio enjoyed the pleasure of being an occasional guest singer with the world popular band Pink Martini at venues such as Carnegie Hall, The Hollywood Bowl and made other guest appearances with the band in Portland, Seattle, and Montreal. He recorded 'Sing', a duet with China Forbes on the Pink Martini album Splendor in the Grass.
Awards he has received include, The Impact Award 2000 from the National Hispanic Media Coalition, The HOLA Ilka Award in 2005 and in 2009 he and the cast of Sesame Street were present to receive the Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award for Sesame Street's 40 years on the air. October 15, 2019 he was honored by New York's Mayor Bill de Blasio proclaiming October 15, 2019 as Emilio Delgado Day in New York City, taking place at Gracie Mansion in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.
He has contributed his time to organizations such as the United Farm Workers, Head Start, The 52nd Street Project and Project Sunshine.
On December 10, 2020, Delgado was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. He passed away from the disease on March 10, 2022 at the age of 81. He is survived by his wife Carole and his two children.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Best known for her role of Susan on the children's show Sesame Street (1969), Loretta Long has also worked as a schoolteacher and has a Ed.D. in education from the University of Massachusetts. Before joining "Sesame Street" as one of the original 1969 cast members, Ms. Long was in another public-television production called "Soul." She was also involved in summer stock productions of Sweet Charity, Guys and Dolls, and Milk and Honey.- Actress
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Sonia Manzano was born on 12 June 1950 in New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Sesame Street (1969), Follow That Bird (1985) and The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland (1999). She has been married to Richard Reagan since 1986. They have one child.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Bob McGrath was born on 13 June 1932 in Ottawa, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Follow That Bird (1985), Sesame Street (1969) and Sesame Street: Put Down the Duckie (1988). He was married to Ann Logan Sperry. He died on 4 December 2022 in New Jersey, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Roscoe Orman was born on 11 June 1944 in Bronx, New York, USA. He is an actor, known for Follow That Bird (1985), The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland (1999) and Striking Distance (1993). He has been married to Kimberley LaMarque Orman since 28 December 2012.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Alaina Reed-Hall was born on 10 November 1946 in Springfield, Ohio, USA. She was an actress, known for 227 (1985), Death Becomes Her (1992) and Cruel Intentions (1999). She was married to Tamim Amini, Kevin Peter Hall and Richard Hannum Cook. She died on 17 December 2009 in Santa Monica, California, USA.- Additional Crew
- Special Effects
- Actor
Kermit Love was born on 7 August 1916 in Spring Lake, New Jersey, USA. He was an actor, known for The Muppet Movie (1979), Sesame Street (1969) and Follow That Bird (1985). He died on 21 June 2008 in Poughkeepsie, New York, USA.- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Casting Director
Alyson Court was born on 9 November 1973 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She is an actress and casting director, known for Resident Evil: Degeneration (2008), X-Men: The Animated Series (1992) and Resident Evil: Code: Veronica (2000). She was previously married to Erik Suzuki.- Actor
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- Director
Benjamin Barrett is known for Badsville (2017), Licorice Pizza (2021) and Super Fighting Tian Cai (i).- Editor
- Editorial Department
- Producer
Richard E. Campbell is known for College Life (2009), Unknown Soldier: Searching for a Father (2005) and 16 and Pregnant (2009).- Liston Bates is known for Follow That Bird (1985).
- Tawny Richard was born on April 17, 1977 to Trudy Topornicki and Tom Richard in Toronto, Ontario as the oldest of three children: her sister is Tristin Richard, and her brother is Tyler Richard. Richard's parents divorced and her mother remarried to Terry Parker.
Richard's only acting role was at the age of 7 in Follow That Bird (1985), where she played a little girl who sees Big Bird backstage and calls Hooper's Store.
Richard was an avid hockey and soccer player, and an accomplished gymnast, cheerleader, and member of the student council, prom committee, and track team at Humberside Collegiate in Toronto.
On July 29, 1996, Tawny Richard was killed in a car crash while driving to her family's house on Georgian Bay. - Adrian McCalla was born on 17 May 1979 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is an actor, known for Follow That Bird (1985).
- Tanya Marie Cook is known for Follow That Bird (1985).
- Shawna Stoll is known for Follow That Bird (1985) and Doctor Duck's Super Secret All-Purpose Sauce (1986).
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- Additional Crew
- Writer
- Actor
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Bob Stutt is known for Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (2007), The Big Comfy Couch (1992) and Fraggle Rock (1983).