Meet Wally Sparks 1997 premiere
Wednesday January 22nd, Fairmont Century Plaza The Century Plaza, 2025 Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles, CA 90067
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Rodney Dangerfield was born Jacob Cohen on November 22, 1921 in Deer Park, Suffolk County, Long Island, New York. He was the son of Dorothy "Dotty" (Teitelbaum) and Phillip Cohen, who performed in vaudeville under the name Phil Roy. His father was born in New York, to Russian Jewish parents, and his mother was a Hungarian Jewish immigrant. Rodney began writing jokes at the age of fifteen, and started performing before he was 20. He took his act to the road for ten years, his stage name was "Jack Roy". While working as a struggling comedian, Rodney Dangerfield worked as a singing waiter. His first run at comedy was to no avail.
Rodney Dangerfield married Joyce Indig, in 1949 and had two children: Brian and Melanie. During the 1950s, Rodney was an aluminum siding salesman, living in New Jersey. The comedian made another attempt at stand-up comedy, this time as Rodney Dangerfield. In 1961, Rodney divorced from his wife.
When he appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show" (The Ed Sullivan Show (1948)), Rodney Dangerfield made Ed Sullivan laugh. Few people ever provoked any kind of reaction out of the legendary Ed Sullivan. Dangerfield had the image of a lovable disgruntled every-man type that became a hit all across nightclubs in the 1960s. Dangerfield also made many appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962) and The Dean Martin Show (1965) in the 1970s.
Rodney Dangerfield snatched a minor supporting part in the movie, The Projectionist (1970), in 1971. By the mid 1970s, he had cemented his image as a comedian constantly tugging at his red tie, always proclaiming he gets no respect. His big break came with many appearances on Saturday Night Live (1975), bringing himself to a much wider audience and proving hysterical on many occasions. In 1980, Dangerfield became a cornerstone of American comedy with the classic Caddyshack (1980).
Here, he played "Al Czervik", a rich golfer who was a basically nice guy who was extremely outspoken and very obnoxious. His character was often unhappy with the rich snobbery he was around, and he takes on the rich people that are so snobby to him.
The average guy that his character portrayed was an instant hit, and a formula that Dangerfield often stuck with. Also, in 1980, Rodney came out with a popular comedy album, "Rappin Rodney".
The album earned Dangerfield a Grammy for best comedy album. The next movie on Rodney's agenda was Easy Money (1983), a comedy that showed him as an insulting working class person who suddenly becomes a millionaire. The movie was also a big hit. Dangerfield became very sparse in his roles on TV and film about this time. The year 1986 saw the comedy, Back to School (1986), his biggest film to date. The comedy was one of the first to gross over 100 million. In 1994, Dangerfield starred in his first dramatic role in the successful Oliver Stone film, Natural Born Killers (1994).
He played an abusive father who drove one of the killers crazy. His part was critically-acclaimed. In 1995, Dangerfield entered the world of cyberspace, becoming the first entertainer to have a website on the world-wide web. In 1997, he starred in Meet Wally Sparks (1997), a political and talk show satire which was poorly received. In 2000, Dangerfield starred as "the Devil" in Little Nicky (2000). The movie was potentially a huge hit, but was a failure by most accounts. Dangerfield took a very small part, but was top-billed in the direct-to-video The Godson (1998), and starred in the direct-to-video link=tt0216930]. But it has not been all smooth sailing for this comedian. In 1997, he admitted to a lifelong bout with depression and, on his 80th birthday, had a mild heart attack. He has major fans from all kinds of people from all different backgrounds. Dangerfield had made a record 70 appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962), and had discovered many struggling comedians, including Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Carrey, Roseanne Barr, Robert Townsend, Sam Kinison and Tim Allen.
The comedian owned a legendary nightclub in Manhattan called "Dangerfield's". In the 1990s, he made highly-publicized appearances on The Simpsons (1989), In Living Color (1990), Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist (1995), Home Improvement (1991), Suddenly Susan (1996), among others.
In 1993, he married Joan Dangerfield (aka Joan Child), a woman thirty years younger than him, and a Mormon.
He died on October 5, 2004, after falling into a coma following heart surgery.- Producer
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Joan Dangerfield founded the Rodney Dangerfield Institute at Los Angeles City College in 2017 and serves as the honorary chair of its star-studded advisory board. She is also president of Paper Clip Productions and Dangerfield Entertainment and provides exclusive consulting services to secure US artists and branded interactive exhibitions for private and government-owned companies in China, including Starclouds Entertainment led by the founder of Wanda Cinema. In 2012, Ms. Dangerfield hosted a reception at her Hollywood Hills home for the Official Chinese Delegation's US visit attended by government leaders and top executives from Tianjin Innovative Finance Investment Company, The Yintai Group, and China Investment Corporation.
Ms. Dangerfield served as Chairman of the Board (2014-2018) of ROCKDOME, Inc., an immersive exhibition technology company with proprietary patents currently developing multi-use entertainment venues intended to reinvent the live concert experience in strategic markets around the world.
In early 1995, Ms. Dangerfield developed a website for her husband, the legendary comedian Rodney Dangerfield, earning him the distinction of being the first celebrity to own and control his official site which featured daily jokes streamed in "Real Audio" format. The following year, Mr. Dangerfield was listed as one of the "Top 100 Most Influential People On The Internet" by Website Magazine - ahead of Bill Gates and Al Gore.
Ms. Dangerfield is the creative force behind a redesign of Rodney's website launched on his birthday in 2013 which earned him a prestigious international Webby Award for exhibiting remarkable achievement in the Best Navigation/Structure category. His site was also one of five nominees for Best Celebrity Website, along with Beyoncé and Kanye West. In 2018, Ms. Dangerfield announced that Rodney was nominated for another Webby Award. He lost to Stephen Colbert in the Best Celebrity/Fan Social category.
Ms. Dangerfield co-produced a two-hour documentary about Rodney's life for A&E in 2006. She has other Rodney-related projects currently in development.
Ms. Dangerfield's philanthropic passions involve her in a number of causes. She has served on the board of UCLA's Department of Neurosurgery since its inception in 2004. She is also affiliated with such organizations as the Los Angeles City College Foundation, American Cinematheque, Creative Coalition, National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture, and the International Festival & Event Association. She previously served on the board of the Western Division of the American Friends of Hebrew University.- Actor
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James Howard Woods was born on April 18, 1947 in Vernal, Utah, the son of Martha A. (Smith) and Gail Peyton Woods, a U.S. Army intelligence officer who died during Woods' childhood. James is of Irish, English, and German descent. He grew up in Warwick, Rhode Island, with his mother and stepfather Thomas E. Dixon. He graduated from Pilgrim High School in 1965, near the top of his class. James earned a scholarship to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; dropping out during his senior year in 1969, he then headed off to New York with his fraternity brother Martin Donovan to pursue aspirations to appear on the stage. After appearing in a handful of New York City theater productions, Woods scored his first film role in All the Way Home (1971) and followed that up with meager supporting roles in The Way We Were (1973) and The Choirboys (1977).
However, it was Woods' cold-blooded performance as the cop killer in The Onion Field (1979), based on a Joseph Wambaugh novel, that seized the attention of movie-goers to his on-screen power. Woods quickly followed up with another role in another Joseph Wambaugh film adaptation, The Black Marble (1980), as a sleazy and unstable cable-T.V.-station owner in David Cronenberg's mind-bending and prophetic Videodrome (1983), as gangster Max Bercovicz in Sergio Leones mammoth epic Once Upon a Time in America (1984), and scored a best actor Academy Award nomination as abrasive journalist Richard Boyle in Oliver Stone's gritty and unsettling Salvador (1986).
There seemed to be no stopping the rise of this star as he continued to amaze movie-goers with his remarkable versatility and his ability to create such intense, memorable characters. The decade of the 1990s started off strongly with high praise for his role as Roy Cohn in the television production of Citizen Cohn (1992). Woods was equally impressive as sneaky hustler Lester Diamond who cons Sharon Stone in Casino (1995), made a tremendous H.R. Haldeman in Nixon (1995), portrayed serial killer Carl Panzram in Killer: A Journal of Murder (1995), and then as accused civil rights assassin Byron De La Beckwith in Ghosts of Mississippi (1996).
Not to be typecast solely as hostile hoodlums, Woods has further expanded his range to encompass providing voice-overs for animated productions including Hercules (1997), Hooves of Fire (1999), and Stuart Little 2 (2002). Woods also appeared in the critically praised The Virgin Suicides (1999), in the coming-of-age movie Riding in Cars with Boys (2001), as a corrupt medico in Any Given Sunday (1999), and in the comedy-horror spoof Scary Movie 2 (2001). A remarkable performer with an incredibly diverse range of acting talent, Woods remains one of Hollywood's outstanding leading men.- Actor
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Scott 'Carrot Top' Thompson was born on 25 February 1965 in Cocoa Beach, Florida, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Chairman of the Board (1997), Savannah and Dennis the Menace Strikes Again! (1998).- Actor
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Michael Manning Weatherly, Jr. was born on July 8, 1968 in New York City, to Patricia Ruth (Hetherington) and Michael Manning Weatherly, Sr. Raised in Fairfield, CT, he left college to pursue a career in acting. He also had a great passion for music, and played in a band while pursuing his acting career. He began acting professionally and landed his first job as Theo Huxtable's roommate on The Cosby Show (1984) and a role in the independent film Trigger Happy (2001) opposite Rosario Dawson. This led to numerous guest spots on television and brought him to Los Angeles, where he landed a regular role in the FOX series Significant Others (1998). He met director Whit Stillman, who cast him in The Last Days of Disco (1998) opposite Chloë Sevigny. Michael also starred as Christina Applegate's ex-husband on the series Jesse (1998) and had roles in The Specials (2000) opposite Rob Lowe, Venus and Mars (2001) opposite Lynn Redgrave and Gun Shy (2000) opposite Liam Neeson and Sandra Bullock.
In 1995 he married actress Amelia Heinle, who appeared with him in The City (1995) and Loving (1983). Unfortunately, their marriage ended in divorce in 1997, despite the birth of their son August in 1996. Michael resides in Los Angeles. Weatherly married internist Dr. Bojana Jankovic on September 30, 2009. The couple live in Los Angeles with their two children, a daughter Olivia, and a son Liam.- Producer
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Jay Leno began his career in night clubs, where he worked 300 nights a year before hitting it big in 1992 with his own late-night talk show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992). By that time he had appeared on television, acted in a few films (American Hot Wax (1978)) but hit paydirt with his late-night television appearances (he made a record number of visits to [error]); for several years, he served as Johnny Carson's permanent guest host on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962). A big, sweet guy with a very good comedy routine, he vied with David Letterman to inherit Carson's seat when Johnny retired in 1992. His victory was well-publicized, but empty, though he did gain a measure of revenge when his show beat Letterman's for the Emmy in 1995. Though he consistently lost in the ratings to Letterman except on special occasions, like Hugh Grant's first TV appearance after his encounter with Divine Brown, he surged ahead in 1996, as CBS plunged further into oblivion.- Actor
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Born in South Amboy, New Jersey, Greg Evigan grew up in Sayreville. While in high school he won acclaim as Cornelius Hackl in Hello Dolly, which won the New Jersey High School Musical Contest. One month after graduating from Sayreville War Memorial High School in 1971, Greg auditioned for and won a part in the Broadway show "Jesus Christ Superstar." He also joined the cast of a touring company, playing the lead in the musical "Grease".
Since the mid-1970s, he has amassed over 100 acting credits. His two most famous television roles were, B.J. and the Bear (1978) and My Two Dads (1987). Both series were initially successful but suffered sharp ratings declines and only lasted three seasons. Evigan sang the opening theme on both series. He is also known for TekWar (1994) and Masquerade (1983), which were both short-lived series.
His three children are also in the entertainment industry. His daughters Briana Evigan and Vanessa Evigan are actresses and his son Jason Evigan is a singer/songwriter.- Actor
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Bob Saget was an American actor, stand-up comedian, and television host from Philadelphia. His best known role was playing pater familias Danny Tanner on the hit sitcom "Full House" (1987-1995). He played the character again in the sequel series "Fuller House" (2016-2020). Saget served as the original host of the long-running clip show "America's Funniest Home Videos" from 1989 to 1997. Saget voiced the narrator in the hit sitcom "How I Met Your Mother" (2005-2014), depicted as an older version of main character Ted Mosby.
In 1956, Saget was born to a Jewish family in Philadelphia. His parents were supermarket executive Benjamin Saget and hospital administrator Rosalyn "Dolly" Saget. The Saget family eventually moved to Norfolk, Virginia. Bob received his early religious education at Temple Israel, a synagogue of Norfolk which adhered to Conservative Judaism. He was reportedly a rebellious student.
Saget spend part of his high school years in Los Angeles, where he befriended veteran comedian Larry Fine (1902-1975). He attended a Philadelphia high school during his senior year. He was originally interested in a medical career but his English teacher Elaine Zimmerman convinced Saget to aspire to an acting or filmmaking career instead.
Saget received his college education at the "Center for the Performing and Cinematic Arts", a college associated with the Temple University of Philadelphia. One of his student films won a merit award at the Student Academy Awards. He graduated college with a Bachelor of Arts in 1978. He had already started performing in comedy clubs during his college years.
In 1978, Saget intended to take graduate courses at the University of Southern California. He dropped out due to health-related problems. He almost died due to a gangrenous appendix, costing him a loss of confidence. He decided afterwards to lose some weight, in the belief that it would improve his health.
Following his graduation, Saget spend about a decade working mostly as a comedian. He appeared in minor acting roles in both films and television. In 1987, Saget was performing comedy bits for the short-lived non-fiction show "The Morning Program". The show offered a mix of "news, entertainment and comedy", but was canceled due to low ratings.
Saget's big break came when he was chosen to portray widowed father Danny Tanner in the sitcom "Full House" (1987-1995). The series depicted Danny's efforts to raise three young daughters, with the assistance of his best friends. The show suffered from poor viewership in its first season, but attracted a family audience due to its portrayal of the struggles associated with parenting. By its third season, it was ranked among Nielsen's Top 30 shows. Saget became a household name, and the series lasted for 8 seasons and 192 episodes. The series was eventually canceled due to its increasing production costs. Its rating had remained high until its final episode.
In 1989, Saget was chosen as the host of the clip show "America's Funniest Home Videos". The show featured humorous homemade videos which were submitted by its viewers, often highlighting physical comedy, pranks, or unusual behavior by children and pets. While the show was popular with viewers, Saget himself was increasingly frustrated with its repetitive format. When his contract for the show expired in 1997, Saget was not interested in negotiating for a renewal.
In 1996, Saget directed the dramatic television film "For Hope". The film depicted the struggles of a woman who is slowly dying due to being afflicted with scleroderma, an autoimmune disease with no known cure. Saget was reportedly inspired by the life and death of his sister Gay Saget, who had died due to scleroderma. The film received high ratings in its debut.
In 1998, Saget directed the comedy film "Dirty Work". It depicted two half-brothers who offer to perform revenge schemes for paying clients, but have a personal grudge against a man who reneged on a deal with them. The film under-performed at the box office, but gained a cult following due to its reputation as a "gag-fest".
From 2001 to 2002, Saget had the starring role of Matt Stewart in the sitcom "Raising Dad". The premise of the series was that widowed father Matt Stewart was trying to raise two daughter, while pursuing a teaching career at his eldest's daughter's high school. Despite the series having a similar concept to "Full House", it failed to find an audience. It lasted for a single season.
In 2005, Saget was cast as the narrator in the sitcom "How I Met Your Mother" (2005-2014). The premise of the series was that middle-aged Ted Mosby narrates his life story (and the life stories of his best friends) to his son and daughter. The series repeatedly implied that Ted was an unreliable narrator, who either embellished or censored aspects of his various stories. The series was quite popular, lasting for 9 seasons and 208 episodes.
In 2007, Saget directed the direct-to-video parody film "Farce of the Penguins". The film was a full-length parody of the documentary film "March of the Penguins" (2005), featuring penguins conversing about their love lives. It featured the voices of several then-popular actors, including several of Saget's former co-stars from "Full House".
In 2009, Saget was cast in the main role of Steve Patterson in the sitcom "Surviving Suburbia". The premise of the series was that the members of a suburban family have problems in interacting both with each other, and with their new neighbors. The series only lasted a single season, and struggled with low ratings.
In 2014, Saget published his memoirs under the title "Dirty Daddy". In 2016, a sequel series to "Full House" was introduced under the title "Fuller House". It featured the lives of two of Danny Tanner's daughters, and Danny's grandchildren. Saget played the recurring role of Danny for 15 episodes. The sequel series lasted for 5 seasons. This was Saget's last major role in a sitcom. He continued, however, to regularly host television events.
In January 2022, Saget was in Florida for a stand-up tour. On January 9, Saget was discovered dead in his hotel room at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando, located south of Orlando, Florida. He was 65-years-old. His autopsy revealed that the cause of death was blunt head trauma from an accidental blow to the back of his head, likely from a fall. He had died in his sleep. He was buried at the Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery, next to the graves of his parents and his sister. Mourners honored Saget by offering donations to the charity "Scleroderma Research Foundation" (SRF), since Saget had long served in its board of directors. Saget is gone, but his popularity endures due to his acting and directing roles in several popular films and television shows.- Actor
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John Henson started acting when he was eight years old and tried everything he could--even singing and dancing. It was at Boston University that he began performing improvisational comedy. He loved the adrenaline rush it gave him so he quit school at the age of 20 to do stand-up full time.- Actress
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Deborah Anne Mazar Corcos (born August 13, 1964) is an American actress and television personality, known for playing sharp-tongued women. She began her career with supporting roles in Goodfellas (1990), Little Man Tate (1991) and Singles (1992), followed by lead roles on the legal drama series Civil Wars and L.A. Law.
Beginning in 2014, she has had a starring role in the Cooking Channel series, Extra Virgin, along with her husband Gabriele Corcos. She is also known for her role as press agent Shauna Roberts on the HBO series Entourage and stars as Maggie Amato on TV Land's Younger.
Mazar was born in Jamaica, Queens, New York City, the daughter of Nancy and Harry Mazar. Her father was born in the Latvian SSR, Soviet Union, to a Jewish family, but raised Roman Catholic. She had no knowledge of her father's ancestry until her twenties. Mazar's parents annulled their marriage shortly after she was born, and she spent her early life in the country in upstate New York with her mother. As a teenager, she relocated to Long Island, where she lived with her godparents.
Mazar worked various odd jobs, including selling jewelry at Fiorucci with Linda Ramone and Joey Arias, later as a dental assistant, and at a nightclub.
While working at Danceteria, Mazar met Madonna. She hired Mazar to do her makeup for the music video for "Everybody". She also originated the hair and makeup for the play Speed-the-Plow.
Mazar began her career as a hip hop b-girl in New York City. Her first television appearance was on the pilot for a hip hop television dance show, Graffiti Rock in 1984. She appeared in five of Madonna's music videos - "Papa Don't Preach", "True Blue" (both 1986), "Justify My Love" (1990), "Deeper and Deeper" (1992) and "Music" (2000).
Mazar has played a number of minor supporting roles in a variety of films, including Sandy, a friend of Henry Hill's mistress in Goodfellas (1990); The Doors (1991); a small role in Spike Lee's Malcolm X (1992); Bullets Over Broadway (1994); and as Spice (of Sugar and Spice, with Drew Barrymore as Sugar) in Batman Forever (1995). She gained her first real following from playing a character on Civil Wars in the early 1990s. When that series was can-celled her character was brought over as a recurring role between 1993 and 1994 season of the TV drama L.A. Law.
She played the villain Regina, a modern-day Cruella de Vil, in the family film Beethoven's 2nd (1993). She has appeared in independent films Inside Monkey Zetterland and Nowhere and her short-lived sitcom, Temporarily Yours. She appeared as the genie in the Space Monkeys' music video, "Sugarcane".
Mazar appeared on a Friends episode in its eighth season ("The One Where Rachel Has a Baby, Part One"). Mazar played "Doreen, the Evil Bitch," a crazed pregnant woman who shares a hospital room with Rachel. In the 1999 docudrama film The Insider she played character Lowell Bergman's assistant Debi. From 2000-02 she played Jackie on the television drama That's Life. She provided the voice of Maria Latore in the video games Grand Theft Auto III (2001) and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004).
From 2004 to 2011, she had a supporting role on Entourage as press agent Shauna Roberts. She also had a recurring role on the sitcom Living with Fran, playing Fran Drescher's character's cousin, Merrill. She did a two-episode stint on the television series Ugly Betty as fraudster Leah Stillman.
Mazar was a contestant on the ninth season of Dancing With the Stars. She was partnered with Maksim Chmerkovskiy and finished in twelfth place. She was eliminated in the third week (October 6, 2009). In 2012, Mazar played Jessica, a glamorous, leather-clad villainies in Home Alone: The Holiday Heist.
Mazar began appearing on a Cooking Channel cooking/reality show television series in January 2011. She, her husband Gabriele Corcos, and their two daughters star in the series, which depicts their lives, and showcases their own recipes. The show is scripted. The show has had four seasons as of June 2014. In 2015, Mazar and her husband started another series on the Cooking Channel entitled Extra Virgin Americana where they travel the U.S., road trip style, with their children and family friend searching for great food.
Beginning in 2015, Mazar has starred in Younger with Sutton Foster and Hilary Duff as Maggie. The series met critical acclaim and began filming its fifth season in February 2018.
Mazar appeared in the 2nd season of The $100,000 Pyramid reboot on ABC on August 6, 2017. In the main game, she helped her contestant get 7 clues in only 15 seconds causing host Michael Strahan to say, "I think that's the quickest round we've ever had, 15 seconds!"
In 2018 she played Ava Gardner in the Spanish period comedy-drama television series Arde Madrid, telling the story of the period which the American actress spent in Madrid during Francoist Spain.- Actress
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Cindy Williams was born Cynthia Jane Williams in Van Nuys, California on August 22, 1947. The Leo was 5'4" and, during her first years on Laverne & Shirley (1976), weighed a dainty 105 lbs. The brown haired, blue-eyed female was born the daughter of Francesca Bellini and Beachard Williams. Her father was an electronic technician, and Cindy grew up in reduced circumstances. She had one sister, Carol Ann Williams, and an older half-brother, Jim from her mother's first marriage.
As a child, she dreamed of being an actress. She used to create and perform her own plays and, as she grew, she wished that one day, Debbie Reynolds would see her in one of those amateur shows and whisk her away and put her in a film. Another thing that brought show business into her life was her alcoholic father's imitations of comics like Jackie Gleason and Milton Berle. She worked as a waitress, while she auditioned for commercials, television guest spots, and feature films. Her first step to fame was a movie in which she tap danced with Gene Kelly. She stepped on Kelly's foot, leaving her "really embarrassed". She landed important film roles early in her career.
Famed director George Cukor cast her in Travels with My Aunt (1972). Her next big role was for George Lucas in American Graffiti (1973), as Ron Howard's girlfriend, for which she earned a BAFTA nomination as Best Supporting Actress. That led to Francis Ford Coppola casting her in The Conversation (1974). The three instant-classic films should have propelled her into movie stardom, but her career inexplicably hit a lull. She couldn't go back to working as a waitress, because she was too well-known.
She was set up in a writing team with Penny Marshall and the girls were called by Penny's brother, Garry Marshall, to do a stint as two fast girls on Happy Days (1974). The public received them so warmly that Cindy and Penny soon got their own show and was referred to everywhere as "Shirley Feeney".
She earned a Golden Globe nomination as Best Actress in 1978. She left the show in 1982, pregnant with daughter Emily. She was married to Bill Hudson, who had previously been married to actress Goldie Hawn. Williams later gave birth to a son, Zachary, in 1986. She went on to make a few movies and co-produced "The Father Of The Bride" movies with Hudson. They divorced in 2000.
She did Jenny Craig commercials and acted on guest spots on the TV show For Your Love (1998) and reunited with Penny Marshall several times on television. In 2015, her memoir, Shirley, I Jest! (co-written with Dave Smitherman), was published.
Cindy Williams died, aged 75, following a brief, undisclosed illness, in 2023.- Actor
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Alan Rachins was born on 3 October 1942 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Showgirls (1995), L.A. Law (1986) and Dharma & Greg (1997). He has been married to Joanna Frank since 11 March 1978. They have one child.- Actor
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Enduring, strong-featured, and genial star of US cinema, Burt Reynolds started off in T.V. westerns in the 1960s and then carved his name into 1970s/1980s popular culture, as a sex symbol (posing nearly naked for "Cosmopolitan" magazine), and on-screen as both a rugged action figure and then as a wisecracking, Southern type of "good ol' boy."
Burton Leon Reynolds was born in Lansing, Michigan. He was the son of Harriette Fernette "Fern" (Miller) and Burton Milo Reynolds, who was in the army. After World War II, his family moved to Riviera Beach, Florida, where his father was chief of police, and where Burt excelled as an athlete and played with Florida State University. He became an All Star Southern Conference halfback (and was earmarked by the Baltimore Colts) before a knee injury and a car accident ended his football career. Midway through college he dropped out and headed to New York with aspirations of becoming an actor. There he worked in restaurants and clubs while pulling the odd TV spot or theatre role.
He was spotted in a New York City production of "Mister Roberts," signed to a TV contract, and eventually had recurring roles in such shows as Gunsmoke (1955), Riverboat (1959) and his own series, Hawk (1966).
Reynolds continued to appear in undemanding western roles, often playing a character of half Native American descent, in films such as Navajo Joe (1966), 100 Rifles (1969) and Sam Whiskey (1969). However, it was his tough-guy performance as macho Lewis Medlock in the John Boorman backwoods nightmare Deliverance (1972) that really stamped him as a bona-fide star. Reynolds' popularity continued to soar with his appearance as a no-nonsense private investigator in Shamus (1973) and in the Woody Allen comedy Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask (1972). Building further on his image as a Southern boy who outsmarts the local lawmen, Reynolds packed fans into theaters to see him in White Lightning (1973), The Longest Yard (1974), W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings (1975) and Gator (1976).
At this time, ex-stuntman and longtime Reynolds buddy Hal Needham came to him with a "road film" script. It turned out to be the incredibly popular Smokey and the Bandit (1977) with Sally Field and Jerry Reed, which took in over $100 million at the box office. That film's success was followed by Smokey and the Bandit II (1980) and Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 (1983). Reynolds also appeared alongside Kris Kristofferson in the hit football film Semi-Tough (1977), with friend Dom DeLuise in the black comedy The End (1978) (which Reynolds directed), in the stunt-laden buddy film Hooper (1978) and then in the self-indulgent, star-packed road race flick The Cannonball Run (1981).
The early 1980s started off well with a strong performance in the violent police film Sharky's Machine (1981), which he also directed, and he starred with Dolly Parton in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982) and with fellow macho superstar Clint Eastwood in the coolly received City Heat (1984). However, other projects such as Stroker Ace (1983), Stick (1985) and Paternity (1981) failed to catch fire with fans and Reynolds quickly found himself falling out of popularity with movie audiences. In the late 1980s he appeared in only a handful of films, mostly below average, before television came to the rescue and he shone again in two very popular TV shows, B.L. Stryker (1989) and Evening Shade (1990), for which he won an Emmy. In 1988, Burt and his then-wife, actress Loni Anderson, had a son, Quinton A. Reynolds (aka Quinton Anderson Reynolds), whom they adopted.
He was back on screen, but still the roles weren't grabbing the public's attention, until his terrific performance as a drunken politician in the otherwise woeful Striptease (1996) and then another tremendous showing as a charming, porn director in Boogie Nights (1997), which scored him a Best Supporting Actor nomination. Like the phoenix from the ashes, Reynolds resurrected his popularity and, in the process, gathered a new generation of young fans, many of whom had been unfamiliar with his 1970s film roles. He then put in entertaining work in Pups (1999), Mystery, Alaska (1999), Driven (2001) and Time of the Wolf (2002). Definitely one of Hollywood's most resilient stars, Reynolds continually surprised all with his ability to weather both personal and career hurdles and his almost 60 years in front of the cameras were testament to his staying ability, his acting talent and his appeal to film audiences.
Burt Reynolds died of cardiac arrest on September 6, 2018, in Jupiter, Florida, U.S. He was eighty two.- Actor
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David Ogden Stiers was born in Peoria, Illinois, to Margaret Elizabeth (Ogden) and Kenneth Truman Stiers. He moved with his family to Eugene, Oregon, where he graduated from North Eugene High School in 1960. At the age of twenty, he was offered $200 to join the company of the Santa Clara Shakespeare Festival for three months. He ended up staying for seven years, in due course playing both King Lear and Richard III. In 1969, he moved to New York to study drama at Juilliard where he also trained his voice as a dramatic baritone. He joined the Houseman City Center Acting Company at its outset, working on such productions as The Beggar's Opera, Measure for Measure, The Hostage and the hit Broadway musical The Magic Show for which he created the character 'Feldman the Magnificent'. He lent his voice to animated films, with Lilo & Stitch (2002) being his 25th theatrically-released Disney animated film. He was also an avid fan of classical music and conducted a number of orchestras, including the Yaquina Chamber Orchestra in Newport, Oregon, where was the principal guest conductor.
His other theatrical work included performances with the Committee Revue and Theatre, the San Francisco Actor's Workshop, The Old Globe Theatre Festival in San Diego and at the Pasadena Playhouse in Love Letters with Meredith Baxter. As a drama instructor, he worked at Santa Clara University and also taught improvisation at Harvard. In addition to his long-running role in M*A*S*H (1972), Stiers' work on television also included the excellent mini-series North & South: Book 1, North & South (1985), North & South: Book 2, Love & War (1986), The First Olympics: Athens 1896 (1984) and roles in such productions as Anatomy of an Illness (1984), The Bad Seed (1985), J. Edgar Hoover (1987), The Final Days (1989), Father Damien: The Leper Priest (1980) and Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry (1986). Among his screen credits were The Accidental Tourist (1988), The Man with One Red Shoe (1985), Creator (1985), Harry's War (1981), Magic (1978) and Oh, God! (1977).
Above all, the prodigious talent that was David Ogden Stiers will be most fondly remembered as the pompous, ever-so articulate Major Charles Emerson Winchester III in M*A*S*H. He had found that taking on the role was -- from the beginning -- an easy choice. Stiers saw and loved the movie version. Moreover, he had a fond regard of fellow actor Harry Morgan (who played the character of Colonel Potter) as a kind of fatherly role model. In retrospect, Stiers viewed his experiences with the show as a career highlight, saying "No matter how much you read about the M*A*S*H company, the evolution of it, the quite beautiful human stance it takes, you will not know how much it means ". In his spare time on the set he often annoyed the security guards by skateboarding at 25 miles an hour and "cheerfully thumbing his nose at them".
David died of bladder cancer on March 3, 2018, in Newport, Oregon. He was 75.- Lisa Thornhill was born on 30 September 1966 in Hardinsburg, Kentucky, USA. She is an actress, known for The Family Man (2000), After the Sunset (2004) and Veronica Mars (2014).
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Glenn Harris began acting at the age of 2 in 1985 and enjoyed a fun career up through his teenage years. He attended the USC school of Cinema Television-Production in Los Angeles, CA earning his B.A. with a minor in business administration in 2005. This experience reinvigorated his love for filmmaking from a different point of view.
Outside of filmmaking, he earned his pilot's license in 2012.
He is currently based in Brooklyn, NY where he works as both a photographer and filmmaker.
He looks back on his years as a child actor fondly, and utilizes his past experience now when directing actors. He loves that he has been able to maintain a life-long career in cinematic arts.- Eamonn Roche was born on 29 February 1968. He is an actor, known for The Mask (1994), Days of Our Lives (1965) and The Young and the Restless (1973).
- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Lenny Clarke was born on 16 September 1953 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Fever Pitch (2005), Halloween Kills (2021) and Here Comes the Boom (2012). He has been married to Jennifer Miller since 19 October 1996.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Rita McKenzie was born on 25 February 1946 in Woodbridge, New Jersey, USA. She was an actress, known for Meet Wally Sparks (1997), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1998) and I Might Even Love You (1998). She was married to Dennis Pflug and Scott Stander. She died on 17 February 2024 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actor
- Director
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Mark L. Taylor was born on 25 October 1950 in Houston, Texas, USA. He is an actor and director, known for Innerspace (1987), Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989) and Arachnophobia (1990). He is married to Judy Taylor. They have two children.- Producer
- Actor
- Writer
At the tender age of 15, Gilbert Gottfried began doing stand-up at open mike nights in New York City and, after a few short years, became known around town as "the comedian's comedian". After spending several years mastering the art of stand-up comedy, producers of the legendary NBC late-night comedy show Saturday Night Live (1975) became aware of Gottfried and, in 1980, hired him as a cast member. It was not until a few years later that his notoriety began after MTV hired him for a series of improvised and hilarious promos for the newly formed channel. This led to several television appearances on The Cosby Show (1984).
Gottfried's work in television soon led to roles in film. Most notable was his improvised scene as business manager "Sidney Bernstein" in Beverly Hills Cop II (1987). The New York Daily News critic wrote that "Gilbert Gottfried steals the picture with a single scene". Aside from his glowing reputation in comedy clubs, Gottfried gained a reputation as the king of quirky roles in both movies and television. He appeared in such movies as Problem Child (1990), Problem Child 2 (1991), Look Who's Talking Too (1990), and The Adventures of Ford Fairlane (1990). He was also the host of the very popular late night movie series Up All Night (1989).
After his performance as the wise cracking parrot "Iago" in the Disney classic Aladdin (1992), Gottfried became one of the most recognizable voice-over talents. His signature voice was heard in several commercials, cartoons and movies, including the frustrated duck in the AFLAC Insurance commercials. Gottfried was the voice of Digit in the long-running PBS series Cyberchase (2002).
Gottfried was a regular on the new Hollywood Squares (1998) and was a frequent guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992) and Howard Stern on Demand (2005). He appeared in the hit comedy documentary The Aristocrats (2005), with Entertainment Weekly opining that, "out of the 101 comedians who appear on screen, no one is funnier - or more disgusting - than Gilbert Gottfried".
"Gilbert Gottfried Dirty Jokes" was recently released on both DVD and CD, featuring 50 non-stop minutes of Gottfried telling the funniest and filthiest jokes, ever. The show was filmed live at the Gotham Comedy Club in New York City. Also featured on the DVD are some of the funniest bonus features ever, including wild stories, indignant ranting and celebrity impressions. For this live performance, Gottfried put aside political correctness and fires an onslaught of jokes that know no boundaries. At the end of the show, Gottfried told what is known among comedians as the "Dirtiest Joke of All Time", the basis for The Aristocrats (2005). He was one of the most sought-after comedians, and regularly performed live to sold-out audiences across North America.
Gottfried died of ventricular tachycardia at the age of 67, leaving behind his wife, his two children, and his sister, Karen.- Actress
- Producer
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Benevolent, sweet-faced, actress and comedienne Julia (Anne) Sweeney, who was born on October 10, 1959 in Spokane, Washington, is normally identified with one single, highly unappetizing androgynous character. This sniveling, chunky-framed, springy-haired, plaid shirt-wearing, grotesque-looking character named Pat was the basis of many hilarious sketches that toyed with revealing his/her true gender.
Julia, the oldest of five children born to an Irish-Catholic federal prosecutor, demonstrated an early talent for mimicry but downplayed any interest in performing for serious college studies. With a prep school education, she first came into contact with the show business arena following graduation. Behind the scenes she worked for five years as an accountant for Columbia Studios in Los Angeles.
Finally developing the courage to realize her dream, she started taking classes on a whim at the famed Groundlings Theater. After fine-tuning her skills in improv, character development and sketch-writing, Julia was escalated to the big time appearing on such TV shows as "Brothers," "Hard Time on Planet Earth" and "Not Necessarily the News, she hit an early peak when she was selected to join Saturday Night Live (1975) in 1990 as a featured player.
Though she became a regular cast member the following season and found an instant audience rapport with her creepy Pat character, the comic gifts were vastly underused, which seemed to be the case for many of its distaff team at the time. "Pat" would outshine practically everything else she did on the show, including her timid wallflower type named "Mea Culpa," whose character became the basis of a stage show co-written by Julia and actor/writer/husband Stephen Hibbert called "Mea's Big Apology" in 1992. During her SNL stay, she managed some outside work with small roles in the comedy Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (1992) the SNL related feature film Coneheads (1993) and the drama Pulp Fiction (1994).
Highly discouraged, Julia parted ways with SNL in 1994 and worked up a feature film version of It's Pat: The Movie (1994) while her irons in the fire were hot. She co-wrote the script with Hibbert and co-starred with Dave Foley who played Pat's equally androgynous partner "Chris." The feature film did not generate great buzz, however, as it was basically a one-joke premise stretched to the limit.
Life turned extremely dark for Julia at this point. Divorced from Hibbert, brother Michael developed lymphoma. She and her family vainly tried to nurse him back to health. Following his death, Julia herself was forced to fight a life-threatening illness -- cervical cancer. The whole process triggered an outpouring of writing which evolved into a hit one-woman stage show entitled, "God Said, Ha!" Applauded for its candor, wit and humorous handling of such painful subjects, the monologue debuted in San Francisco in 1995, and was playing Broadway by November of the following year.
Eventually Julia contributed a few character cameos in such films as Stuart Saves His Family (1995) starring SNL alumni Al Franken; the Rodney Dangerfield slapstick vehicle Meet Wally Sparks (1997); and former SNL Chevy Chase's lampoon entry Vegas Vacation (1997). Preserving her applauded stage work on film, she wrote and directed God Said, 'Ha!' (1998), with Quentin Tarantino in the producer's chair. While embracing this second career-defining moment, Julia won an Audience Award at the New York Comedy Festival in 1998 for her efforts, and earned a Grammy nomination for the CD version.
Following work on such popular TV sitcoms as "Hope and Gloria," "3rd Rock from the Sun," "George & Leo" (recurring) and "Suddenly Susan," Julia went on to complete a trilogy of personal sojourns on stage into the millennium. "In the Family Way" (2003) recounted her experience adopting a daughter as a single parent, and "Letting Go of God" (2004) traced her religious roots from devout Catholic to atheist.
Other comedy film roles have included her Mom role as Beth Newton in Beethoven's 3rd (2000) and Beethoven's 4th (2001), Clockstoppers (2002) and a voice in the animated feature Monsters University (2013). On TV, she had another Mom role in the TV high school comedy series Maybe It's Me (2001) and appeared in guest parts in "According to Jim," "Frasier" and "Sex and the City," plus recurring roles on Shrill (2019) and Work in Progress (2019).- Actor
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George Wallace was born on 21 July 1952 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Batman Forever (1995), The Ladykillers (2004) and The Wash (2001).- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Sandy Helberg was born in Frankfurt, Germany, and grew up in Toledo, Ohio. He moved to New York where he studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute with John and Lee Strasberg and the Neighborhood Playhouse with Sanford Meisner. Sandy then went on to co-create the improvisational group, The Downtown Express, that played the Bitter End, the Improv, and had a home theater in Greenwich Village, where they did performed almost every night. When arriving in Los Angeles, Sandy became one of the original member of the Groundlings.- Actor
- Composer
- Producer
Sir Mix A Lot was born on 12 August 1963 in Seattle, Washington, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Charlie's Angels (2000), The Do-Over (2016) and Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003).- Actor
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- Additional Crew
Tony Danza is an American actor, perhaps best known for starring on some of television's most beloved and long-running series, including "Taxi" (1978-1983) and "Who's the Boss?" (1984-1992).
Danza was born in Brooklyn, New York to Anne (Cammisa), a bookkeeper, and Matty Iadanza, a garbageman. His mother was an Italian immigrant, and his father was also of Italian descent. He grew up in Malverne, Long Island and received a wrestling scholarship to the University of Dubuque in Iowa, where he earned a bachelor's degree in history education. Before finding a teaching job, he earned his living as a professional boxer and envisioned himself as the next Rocky Graziano. Changing his name to "Dangerous" Tony Danza, he entered the New York Golden Gloves in 1975. Shortly afterward, on Aug. 13, 1976, he started his professional boxing career. Fighting as a middleweight, Danza became a crowd favorite for his walk-in slugging style. He compiled a record of 9-3 with nine knockout victories, seven in the first round.
During a gym workout, Tony was discovered for the part of Tony Banta on the ABC TV show Taxi (1978). Danza still hoped to be a world champion and scored knockouts in 1978 and 1979, but when he was unable to secure a title shot, he retired from boxing and totally dedicated himself to his acting career. "Taxi" was critically acclaimed, earning him a place in television history and making him a household name. He followed "Taxi" with a starring role in the classic ABC comedy series Who's the Boss? (1984), which ran for eight seasons and broke all syndication records. He became known for his lovable sitcom persona.
Danza received an Emmy nomination for a guest-starring role in The Practice (1997) and acclaim for his performance in the Broadway revival of "The Iceman Cometh" by Eugene O'Neill. He also starred in the comedy series Hudson Street (1995) and The Tony Danza Show (1997), for which he was executive producer. His additional television credits include an acclaimed performance opposite George C. Scott and Jack Lemmon in the remake of the film classic 12 Angry Men (1997), and the television movies The Garbage Picking Field Goal Kicking Philadelphia Phenomenon (1998), Noah (1998), The Girl Gets Moe (1997), North Shore Fish (1997), and Deadly Whispers (1995).
Among his motion-picture credits are Angels in the Outfield (1994), She's Out of Control (1989), A Brooklyn State of Mind (1998), Glam (1997), and Illtown (1996). He also wrote, directed, and starred in the short film Mamamia (1995).
Eventually Tony explored his love for the stage, and among his many stage credits is his exciting run on Broadway in Mel Brooks' hit musical "The Producers", playing Max Bialystock (2006-2007), and his reprise of the role in the Las Vegas production at Paris Las Vegas (2007).
For his theatrical debut in "Wrong Turn at Lungfish" (1993), he earned an Outer Critic's Circle Award nomination. Other stage credits include the critically acclaimed "The Iceman Cometh", opposite Kevin Spacey, Arthur Miller's Tony Award-winning play "A View from the Bridge", and "I Remember You". Most recently, Tony returned to the stage in the pre-Broadway run of the much-buzzed-about and highly-acclaimed smash hit musical "Honeymoon In Vegas", which he starred in at the Paper Mill Playhouse along with Tony Award nominee Rob McClure ("Chaplin"), and Brynn O'Malley ("Annie"). With music and lyrics by Tony Award winner, Jason Robert Brown ("Parade", "The Last Five Years"), the musical is written by Andrew Bergman ("Fletch", "The Freshman", "Blazing Saddles", "Soap Dish", "The In-Laws") and based on his hit Castle Rock/New Line comedy of the same title. Both the show and Tony's performance received amazing reviews, including a love letter from The New York Times that compares Tony's performance to "the cooler-than-cool spirit" of Frank Sinatra.
He garnered accolades performing in his song-and-dance stage show, which debuted in Atlantic City in 1995. He later took it on the road to major venues throughout the country, from Las Vegas to New York.
In 2013, Tony returned to the big screen and received great buzz and fantastic reviews for his performance as Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character's father in Gordon-Levitt's much-buzzed-about and acclaimed directorial debut, "Don Jon". The film, which stars Gordon-Levitt, Danza, Julianne Moore, Brie Larson, and Scarlett Johansson, was released in theaters in the fall of 2013.
In 2009-2010, Tony took on his most challenging role yet: teaching tenth-grade English at Philadelphia's Northeast High School. His experience working as a real teacher was taped and aired on A&E last year in the form of the critically-acclaimed seven-part documentary series, Teach.
In September 2012, Crown Publishers (a division of Random House) released Tony's book, "I'd Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had: My Year as a Rookie Teacher at Northeast High", a much-buzzed-about and critically acclaimed reflection of his experience teaching for a year. The book premiered on the New York Times Best Sellers list at number 16 and stayed on the list for two months. The paperback edition hit bookstores in September of 2013. In 2010, AARP The Magazine, the definitive voice for 50+ Americans and the world's largest-circulation magazine with more than 35 million readers, presented Tony with their Inspire Award. The Inspire Awards pay tribute to extraordinary people who inspire others to action through their innovative thinking, passion and perseverance. In December of 2012, Tony was among the iconic celebrities who participated in the Weinstein Company's historic concert for Hurricane Sandy Relief at Madison Square Garden. He was featured in the documentary about the concert, released by the Weinstein Company in the fall of 2013, in which Tony reminds people of the forgotten motto of America, "E pluribus unum", or "out of many one", or as Tony's father would say "we're all in this together, pal".
With great belief in the spirit of that motto, Tony participates in many charity efforts. In April 2013, USAToday honored Tony at their annual National Make A Difference Day Awards for his commitment to helping others through his numerous charity efforts.
Danza is married to Tracy Robinson and has three children.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Though he has appeared in numerous films, he is best known for his work co-hosting or anchoring television programs, including on ABC's Over the Edge, Fox's Beyond Tomorrow, Paramount's Hard Copy and Telepicture's Extra and Westinghouse Broadcasting's Evening Magazine.
He has also co-produced and co-written two documentaries with his wife, Garland Waller: No Way Out But One and The Silent Soldier and the Portrait.- Writer
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After 14 years on The Howard Stern Radio Show (1998), John Melendez did 10 years on NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992). Besides being the Tonight Show's nightly announcer and a staff writer, Melendez appeared in the show's comedy sketches and did correspondent pieces.
Melendez, who began with Howard Stern's show as an intern in college, landed on the air almost immediately because of his stuttering abilities. During his years with Stern, Melendez gained national acclaim and recognition as "Stuttering John", with his daring and irreverent gonzo-ambush interview style and prominent personality. In addition to interviewing countless celebrities at special events as a field reporter, he also conducted man-on-the-street interview segments, and regularly participated in sketch pieces for the show. He was a regular writer for the Stern Show throughout his tenure. Segments of the radio show were videotaped and televised as the nationally syndicated and highly rated E! television show Howard Stern (1994).
Aside from his notable work with Leno and Stern, Melendez's feature film credits include Howard Stern's Private Parts (1997), Dude, Where's My Car? (2000), Meet Wally Sparks (1997), Airheads (1994), and Osmosis Jones (2001). On television, he is credited with appearances on the reality series I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! (2003) and Celebrity Fear Factor (2006), had guest-starring roles on Wings (1990) and Baywatch Nights (1995), and was the voice of "Bob" in the animated series Tripping the Rift (2004) on the Sci-Fi channel. In 2008, Melendez wrote, produced, and starred in his own full-length feature One, Two, Many (2008).- Actress
- Producer
Karen "Duff" Duffy is an American writer, model, television personality, and actress. She is a certified hospital chaplain, a former Coney Island Mermaid Queen, and one of People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" in 1993. In 1995, Duffy was diagnosed with a rare form of the disease sarcoidosis called neurosarcoidosis. Since then, she's written two books about her experience living with chronic pain and is a member of the Alliance for the Ethical Treatment of Pain Patients.- Actor
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Lewis Arquette was born on 14 December 1935 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Little Nicky (2000), Waiting for Guffman (1996) and Tango & Cash (1989). He was married to Brenda Denaut. He died on 10 February 2001 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actress
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- Soundtrack
Lesley-Anne Down was born on March 17, 1954 and raised in London, England. With the help of her father, she began modeling at age 10, acting in commercials, and winning several beauty contests. By the time she was 15, Down had completed four films and was voted "Britain's Most Beautiful Teenager". Lesley-Anne first gained international popularity as Georgina Worsley in the British series Upstairs, Downstairs (1971), which became a hit on PBS in the United States. She has starred in films, including The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976), A Little Night Music (1977), The Betsy (1978), The Great Train Robbery (1978), Hanover Street (1979), Rough Cut (1980) and Sphinx (1981). She starred in the television movies The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1982), Arch of Triumph (1984), Indiscreet (1988), and in the miniseries The Last Days of Pompeii (1984) and North & South: Book 1, North & South (1985).
Lesley-Anne appeared for six episodes as Stephanie Rogers in the prime-time television series Dallas (1978), on the CBS Network. Her previous daytime experience included roles as Olivia Richards in Sunset Beach (1997) and Lady Sheraton in Days of Our Lives (1965). She also made guest appearances on the television series The Nanny (1993) and Diagnosis Murder (1993). On stage, she has appeared in "Hamlet" and a musical version of "Great Expectations". As for her career, Lesley-Anne has earned Golden Globe Award nominations, German Bravo Awards, the British Best Actress Award, the Rose D'or Best Soap Opera Actress Award and the covers of numerous publications throughout the world, including Life Magazine. She was awarded the 2006 TV Soap Golden Boomerang Award for the most Popular Supporting Female for her role as Jackie Marone Knight on The Bold and the Beautiful (1987).
Lesley-Anne Down met her husband, cinematographer Don E. FauntLeRoy, while filming North & South: Book 1, North & South (1985). They live in Malibu, California with their son, George-Edward FauntLeRoy. She also has a son, Jackson Friedkin, from her earlier marriage to director William Friedkin and two stepchildren, Season FauntLeRoy and Juliana FauntLeRoy, from Don's previous marriage. When she's not on the set, Down prefers to spend her free time with her children and animals. She has an extensive collection of Victorian children's books, which she has collected since age 15.- Actor
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Michael Rooker was born on April 6, 1955 in Jasper, Alabama. When he was thirteen, his parents divorced and he went with his mother to live in Chicago. He caught the acting bug while attending college, and began appearing in local stage productions. On first breaking into film, his intensity and "don't-mess-with-me" good looks were highlighted to chilling effect as he title character in Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986), filmed in 1986 but, due to its controversial nature, not released until 1990. Since that widely noticed and highly praised performance, much of his career has been spent playing brutes, villains and psychopaths. However, his occasional turns as a "good guy" are always well-acted and a welcome change for a talented actor too often typecast.
2017 marks an exciting time for Rooker, as he starred in two films premiering just two months of each other. On March 17, audiences saw Rooker in Blumhouse Tilt's indie horror thriller The Belko Experiment (2016). The film is the terrifying yet humorous look at a group of employees that become guinea pigs in a company-wide experiment that leads them to either kill their fellow employees or be killed themselves. Returning to his indie roots, Rooker starred as maintenance worker, Bud Melks, one of the employees trapped in the office building, who may or may not be able to kill his fellow staff member. On May 5, Rooker reprised his role as Yondu in the highly anticipated sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017). The film follows the same group of galactic underdogs saving the universe to a stellar soundtrack. Rooker's breakout performance earned him critical acclaim, as audiences were introduced to a more dramatic Yondu. The film went on to earn over $145 million domestically its opening weekend and has surpassed its predecessor by grossing over $850 million worldwide.
Rooker made his film debut, playing the title role in Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986), a film based on the confessions of serial killer Henry Lee Lucas. It was here that audiences were first introduced to Rooker's impeccable ability to channel a character's idiosyncrasies and subtleties. He has also starred in some of the most iconic films, such as Mississippi Burning (1988), Sea of Love (1989), JFK (1991), Tombstone (1993) and Jumper (2008) to name a few. In August 2014, Rooker starred in one of the most memorable franchises in the Marvel Universe, Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), as Yondu, the blue-skinned renegade space pirate and surrogate father to Peter Quill. The film went on to gross over $700 million at the worldwide box office and spent five weekends atop the box office, more than any other film in the Marvel Universe.
On the television front, Rooker is best known for his series regular role as Merle Dixon on AMC's hit series The Walking Dead (2010). Audiences loved to hate the ill-tempered redneck hunter and were sad to see him killed off the series in season three. Rooker has completed a variety of stints on some of the most prominent series on television: Criminal Minds (2005), CSI: Miami (2002), Las Vegas (2003), Law & Order (1990) and Archer (2009), among others. Additionally, Rooker's talents go beyond both film and television. He adds his voice to various video games, including The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, and Lollipop Chainsaw.- Music Artist
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Michael Bolton, the multiple Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and social activist, has sold more than 65 million albums and singles worldwide. He continues to tour the world every year, all while writing, recording and taping for a wide array of projects spanning music, film, television and branded entertainment. Known for his soulful voice and poignant lyrics, his timeless charm and good looks have also earned him a spot in several "People Magazine's Sexiest Man" issues, including slots in the "Sexiest Man Alive" issue. Bolton remains committed to humanitarian causes, especially through the Michael Bolton Charities as well as other philanthropic organizations.
Michael was born Michael Bolotin in New Haven, Connecticut, to Helen (Gubin) and George Bolotin.. He has a brother, Orrin, and a sister, Sandra. His grandparents on both sides were Russian Jewish immigrants.
Bolton's signature success was seized with the album Soul Provider, selling more than 12.5 million copies world-wide, and showcasing several chart-toppers including the #1 hit single "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You," which earned Michael his first Grammy. This pivotal album also includes the hit singles "When I'm Back on My Feet" Again," "How Can We Be Lovers," "Soul Provider," and of course the Grammy-nominated "Georgia on My Mind."
Soon after, Bolton released the #1 album Time, Love & Tenderness, which has sold over 16 million copies world-wide, and features his Grammy Award-winning vocal performance of the #1 blockbuster hit "When A Man Loves a Woman." This album also produced the hit singles: "Love Is a Wonderful Thing," "Time, Love and Tenderness" and "Missing You Now," as well as the Dylan co-write "Steel Bars."
Bolton followed this up with a collection of soulful classics on Timeless, delivering the hit singles "To Love Some Somebody" and "Reach Out I'll Be There." Timeless sold over 7 million copies worldwide. From his next album, The One Thing, came Michael's massive single "Said I Loved You...But I Lied," which spent 12 weeks at #1 on the AC charts and earned him another Grammy-nomination.
In recognition of his artistic achievements, Michael won 2 Grammys for Best Pop Male Vocal Performance (nominated four times), 6 American Music Awards, and a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. As a songwriter, he has earned over 24 BMI & ASCAP Awards, including Songwriter of the Year, 9 Million-Air awards, and the Hitmakers Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Internationally renowned, Michael has recorded and performed with musical icons that have inspired and influenced his own career. He joined Luciano Pavarotti on stage in a highly praised rendition of "Vesti La Giubba," and pays homage to the Italian tenor when performing the aria "Nessun Dorma" at each of his concerts while on tour. He has sung with Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras and Renee Fleming and played guitar with BB King. Bolton earned a Grammy-nomination for "Georgia on my Mind," and was invited to sing the classic song to Ray Charles when Ray was honored at the International Jazz Hall of Fame Awards in 1997.
A diverse and prolific songwriter, Bolton has worked with some of the greatest songwriters and producers of our time, including Lady Gaga, Diane Warren, Desmond Child, David Foster, Walter Afanasieff, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, John "Mutt" Lange, Dann Huff, A.R. Rahman, Phil Ramone, and Ne Yo, among others. He is one of the very few artists to have co-written with the legendary Bob Dylan, resulting in the mega hit, "Steel Bars." Michael has penned songs that have been recorded and performed by a diverse list of over 100 artists, ranging from country western legend Conway Twitty to hip hop superstar Kanye West featuring Jay Z and John Legend. Other greats who have performed Bolton's songs include Mark Anthony, Wynonna Judd, Joe Cocker, Peabo Bryson, Kenny Rogers, and Patti LaBelle. Michael has written #1 hit singles impacting the careers of artists such as Laura Branigan ("How Am I Supposed to Live Without You"), KISS ("Forever"), Barbra Streisand ("We're Not Making Love Anymore"), Cher ("I Found Someone"), and Kenny G ("By the Time this Night is Over").
Michael has always balanced a love for writing new songs with a passion for covering the classics. On his breakthrough album The Hunger, Bolton authored the #1 single "That's What Love is All About" and sang his chart topping version of Otis Redding's "(Sittin' On) the Dock of the Bay," which was a hit on four radio formats. That album was certified double Platinum and shipped 4 million copies worldwide.
To date, Michael has seen nine studio albums rank in the Top Ten, with 9 #1 singles. His most recent album Songs of Cinema, a selection of iconic film soundtrack songs, was released alongside an original Netflix production Michael Bolton's Big Sexy Valentine's Day Special, which ranked among the network's top fifty best comedies upon debut.
Michael has always been attracted to a wide array of musical categories, from Sinatra favorites (Bolton Swings Sinatra), to classical arias (My Secret Passion), which achieved #1 on the classical charts for 6 consecutive weeks. His most recent studio album features an authentic approach to Motown and soulful classics, as well as original songs written in the same vein.
Michael's songs and performances have been featured in numerous television and film soundtracks, including the Oscar-nominated theme song "Go the Distance" from Walt Disney's blockbuster animated film Hercules and the recent Russell Crowe film Fathers & Daughters. He also executive produced the documentary Terror at Home addressing Domestic Violence in America, and was Emmy-nominated for writing the title song "Tears of The Angels". Michael is completing a feature-length documentary, Gotta Keep Dreamin about the 21st Century Renaissance of Detroit.
Bolton was first drawn to Detroit to explore Hitsville USA, the roots of his greatest musical influences, but what he realized there was so much more. Told through the eyes of Michael's own discovery over the course of filming for 3 years, the film celebrates the golden age of Detroit - featuring its native entertainment legends like Francis Ford Coppola, Jerry Bruckheimer, Aretha Franklin, Smokey Robinson, Alice Cooper and many more - and reveals the landscape of the new Detroit being built by entrepreneurial moguls Dan Gilbert, Michael Ilitch, Big 3 as well as young innovators across new industries. The comeback of Detroit is poised to be the greatest turnaround story of American history. This is the story of the American Dream.
Michael became a viral sensation in The Lonely Island's Emmy nominated video, "Captain Jack Sparrow" that launched on Saturday Night Live and has racked up nearly 160 million views on YouTube. He then partnered with Funny Or Die to release a spoof on the cult-classic Office Space. Bolton continued his comedic appearances in several episodes of CBS's hit series Two and a half Men, the hit Fox network show Glee, HBO's hit series Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, and has ongoing campaigns with American Greetings. In his autobiography, "The Soul of it All" (Hachette/Center Street), Bolton states he is just teeing off on the back nine of his career.
For his dedication to social activism, Michael has been honored with several Humanitarian awards - including the Martin Luther King Award granted by the Congress of Racial Equality (C.O.R.E.), the Lewis Hine Award from The National Child Labor Committee, the Muhammed Ali Humanitarian Award, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor from the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations, and the Frances Preston Lifetime Achievement Award. Michael is especially proud of the initiatives carried out by his own foundation, the The Michael Bolton Charities, now in its 24th Year of advocating on behalf of women and children at risk.- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Geraldo Rivera was born on 4 July 1943 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Contact (1997), Grumpier Old Men (1995) and Primary Colors (1998). He has been married to Erica Levy since 10 August 2003. They have one child. He was previously married to C.C. Dyer, Sherri Rivera, Edie Vonnegut and Linda Coblentz.- Producer
- Actress
- Writer
Firebrand Roseanne Barr has long been one of America's funniest and most controversial comedians.
She was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Helen (Davis), a cashier and bookkeeper, and Jerome Hershel "Jerry" Barr, a salesman. Her family was Jewish, and had moved to the U.S. from Russia, Lithuania, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. She dropped out of high school when she was seventeen, and, after a car accident, was admitted to a mental institution, claiming she was having nightmares and memory loss. She left the institute less than a year later. At seventeen, she gave birth to her first daughter, Brandi Brown, and gave her up for adoption. She began working at a restaurant as a dishwasher and waitress. Her hilarious comments to the customers she waited on led her to doing stand-up comedy at the restaurant. She married Bill Pentland and they had three children together, Jessica, Jennifer, and Jacob Pentland.
Roseanne worked doing stand-up comedy until her August 23, 1985 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962) thrust her into the limelight. In 1987, HBO offered her a show of her own, On Location: The Roseanne Barr Show (1987). It was canceled after a short time. In 1989, Roseanne starred opposite Meryl Streep and Ed Begley Jr. in She-Devil (1989). Though her first picture wasn't as successful as she might have hoped, her sitcom, Roseanne (1988), debuted in 1988 and ran for 9 seasons on ABC, co-starring John Goodman. It dealt with real-life issues in a lower middle-class working family. During its first season on ABC, it leaped to #2 in the ratings. After the sitcom's first season, Roseanne gained notoriety when she gave a screeching, crotch-grabbing performance of "The Star Spangled Banner" at a baseball game.
When Roseanne divorced her first husband, Bill Pentland, after 16 years of marriage in 1990 and married Roseanne (1988) co-star Tom Arnold only four days later, her sitcom was already beginning its downward spiral. In 1991, she started to be billed as Roseanne Arnold. Around this time, she began to claim that she, as well as her siblings, had been physically and sexually abused as a child. Both her siblings and parents denied the charges, and lie detector tests used on Roseanne's parents came back negative. The court battles led to ten years of estrangement with her parents and siblings. Her marriage with Arnold lasted four years before she filed for divorce from him for physical abuse and domestic violence. It is still not known if the accusations were true. Although she insisted that he hit her, she admits that he never abused her three children from her previous marriage:
In 1996, she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and won, but she was not there to accept it. Luckily, Tom Arnold's exit from "Roseanne" happened towards the end of the sixth season, allowing the show to have an almost smooth ending. However, after the sixth season of Roseanne (1988), the plots started to run dry and ratings began to drop. During the season following her divorce, she insisted on being billed as simply "Roseanne." After Roseanne (1988) was canceled, she went on Broadway to play "The Wicked Witch of the West" in "The Wizard of Oz" to rave reviews.
On Valentine's Day 1995, Roseanne married former bodyguard Ben Thomas. With Thomas, she had her tubal ligation surgery reversed in order to become pregnant with her fifth child, Buck Thomas. In 1997, she slowly began being billed as "Roseanne Thomas", as in the last 11 episodes of Roseanne, as executive producer (she was still "Roseanne" in the cast credits). She guest-starred in The Nanny (1993) as Roseanne Thomas in late 1997. In 2002, she filed for divorce against Thomas for the second time (the first time, in 1998, she dropped the suit), accusing him of being disturbed and claiming that he threatened to run off with their son.
After the divorce, she began to study the Kabballah, a form of Jewish mysticism, and those around her said she became amazingly centered and stable. In the 2000s, she ended the feud with her parents and siblings and went back to being billed as Roseanne Barr. Today, Roseanne Barr Pentland Arnold Thomas spends her time with her family in her home in El Segundo, California.
Always outspoken, Roseanne began commenting on politics in earnest in the 2000s, and unsuccessfully ran for the Green Party's presidential nomination in 2012. She was subsequently chosen as the Peace and Freedom Party's candidate for President of the United States in '12, receiving 61,971 votes in the general election, and placing sixth. Her run is depicted in the documentary Roseanne for President! (2015).
Initially a left-leaning liberal, she became considerably more right-wing throughout the 2010s. Her show Roseanne returned for a tenth season in 2018, to blockbuster ratings, but was canceled after Roseanne sent a racially-offensive tweet that capped off a longer run of incendiary comments.- Producer
- Writer
- Actor
Jerry Springer was born on 13 February 1944 in Highgate, London, England, UK. He was a producer and writer, known for Domino (2005), Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) and Ringmaster (1998). He was married to Margaret 'Micki' JoAnn Velten. He died on 27 April 2023 in Evanston, Illinois, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Talk-show host and songwriter ("Because We're Young", "Hearts Are Wild"), composer, author, actor and singer, educated at New York University (BS) and a two-year Law School student. He was a program director and announcer at WPOP in Hartford, Connecticut, and later made several records under his birth name. Joining ASCAP in 1960, his other popular-song compositions include "Now I Lay Me Down to Cry", "Ballad of Billy Brown", "Flattery", and "Don't Mention My Name".- Actress
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Sally Jessy Raphael was born on 25 February 1935 in Easton, Pennsylvania, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for The Addams Family (1991), The Equalizer (1985) and The Guru (2002).- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Alana Stewart was born on 18 May 1945 in San Diego, California, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Delivered (2011), Wasted in Babylon (1999) and Evel Knievel (1971). She was previously married to Rod Stewart and George Hamilton.- Producer
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Rolonda Watts is a journalist, talk show host, actor, producer, writer, and voice-over talent.
Her name, face, and now even her distinctive voice are known by audiences everywhere, thanks to her work in radio, television, and film. Most viewers know Rolonda Watts from her internationally syndicated talk show, Rolonda (1994). Produced by King World and Watts Works Productions, the talker ran for four successful seasons. Rolonda was also part owner and supervising producer of the show.
Ro began her television career as a local news reporter in Greensboro, North Carolina, before moving on to larger markets. She landed a reporting and anchoring job at the New Jersey Network before joining WNBC-TV in New York, where she also anchored the local morning news cut-ins for the Today (1952) Show. While at WNBC-TV, Ro received an Emmy nomination for her "Live Spot News Coverage" of a deadly train crash. She later moved on to WABC-TV in New York to anchor, report, and moderate "Eyewitness News Conference," the station's weekly political forum.
Ready to spread her wings outside of local news, Ro gained national exposure and attention when she became host of Lifetime Television's talk show, "Attitudes." There, she received a Cable Ace nomination for "Best Talk Show." After that, the award-winning journalist went on to tackle news around the world, joining the "Inside Edition" news magazine team as senior correspondent, weekend anchor, and producer. Still bitten by the talk show bug, Ro jumped at the opportunity to host her own show when TV legend Roger King of King World Productions made her an offer she couldn't refuse.
Rolonda has also taken "The Ro Show" to radio, having worked with the Greenstone Media Network, which is offering pod casts of some of her most remarkable radio moments. (Visit: RadioRolonda.com).
She has also hosted other television reality shows, including "Lie Detector" for PAX-TV.
With that distinctive, warm, and recognizable voice, Rolonda has also emerged as one of the leading voice-over talents in America. She is the Announcer of "The Judge Joe Brown Show," as well as for the new game show, "Temptation." She is also the voice of Professor Wiseman in the animated television series, "Curious George." for Universal Studios. Ro also recently became one of the animated voices of Disney.
In commercials, Ro is the voice of Boeing, Wells Fargo Bank, Tropicana, Southwest Airlines, Big Lots, Children's Hospital, Wendy's, Aleve, and Alka Seltzer - and more.
From New York to Hollywood, Rolonda has demonstrated her comedic and dramatic talents in various television and feature films, including JAG (1995), The West Wing (1999), The District (2000), Boston Public (2000), Yes, Dear (2000), Sister, Sister (1994), My Wife and Kids (2000) and many more. She has also appeared in the daytime drama series Days of Our Lives (1965) and The Bold and the Beautiful (1987), In fact, she returns to Days of Our Lives (1965) in January 2008 in the recurring role as the sassy law shark, attorney "Cameron Reese". (See Ro's theatrical resume).
In film, Ro has worked with some of Hollywood's most talented directors, including Spike Lee, John Landis, Charles Winkler and the late Carrie Hamilton, who cast Ro in the role of Dorothy Dandridge, portraying the Hollywood legend the hour before her death.
New York City and Newark, NJ each established an official "Rolonda Day" for her journalistic, community, and humanitarian works. She has served on the Board of Directors for Literacy Volunteers of New York City, the Board of Advisors for the Rahway State Prison's Lifers Group, the Board of Advisors for New York University School of Dentistry, and the Board of Advisors for the United Negro College Fund. She has volunteered as a tutor for H.E.L.P. - the Hollywood Education and Literacy Project. She is a member of Women in Film, AFTRA, and SAG. The Spelman College Alumna Association awarded Ro for her community service. And the McDonald's Corporation honored her as a "Broadcast Legend".
A Southern girl from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Ro was graduated Magna Cum Laude from Spelman College in Atlanta, where she double-majored in Theatre Arts and English. She holds a Master of Science degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Rolonda also holds an honorary doctorate in Humane Letters from Winston-Salem State University.
Rolonda is CEO/President of her own production company, Watts Works Productions. She and her Boxer, Jack, and her cat, Wolfe, reside in Los Angeles.- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Timothy Allen Dick was born on June 13, 1953, in Denver, Colorado, to Martha Katherine (Fox) and Gerald M. Dick. His father, a real estate salesman, was killed in a collision with a drunk driver while driving his family home from a University of Colorado football game, when Tim was eleven years old. His mother, a community service worker, remarried her high school sweetheart, an Episcopalian deacon, two years after Tim's father's death. He was raised with his many siblings and step-siblings. When Tim was young, his family moved to Birmingham, Michigan.
In high school, his favorite subject was shop, of course, and after high school, he attended Western Michigan University and graduated with a degree in Television Production in 1975. In 1978, he was arrested on drug charges and spent two years in jail. Upon his release, he had a new outlook on life and on a dare from a friend, started his comedy career at the Comedy Castle in Detroit. Later, he went on to do several cable specials, including, Comedy's Dirtiest Dozen (1988) and Tim Allen: Men Are Pigs (1990). In 1991, he became the star of his own hit television series on ABC called Home Improvement (1991). While continuing to film his television series throughout most of the 1990s, he starred in a string of blockbuster movies, including The Santa Clause (1994), Toy Story (1995), Toy Story 2 (1999) and Galaxy Quest (1999). In August 1996, he developed and unveiled his own signature line of power tools, manufactured by Ryobi. On top of all that, he has his own racing team, Tim Allen/Saleen RRRRacing. In May 1999, he ended his series Home Improvement (1991) after eight seasons and in 2001, he filmed such movies as Big Trouble (2002) and Joe Somebody (2001).- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Noted these days for his dashing, sporting, jet-setting playboy image and perpetually bronzed skin tones in commercials, film spoofs and reality shows, George Hamilton was, at the onset, a serious contender for dramatic film stardom. Born George Stevens Hamilton in Memphis, TN, on August 12, 1939, the son of gregarious Southern belle beauty Anne Lucille (Stevens) Potter Hamilton Hunt Spaulding, and her husband (of four), George William "Spike" Hamilton, a touring bandleader. Moving extensively as a youth due to his father's work (Arkansas, Massachusetts, New York, California), young George got a taste of acting in plays while attending Palm Beach High School. With his exceedingly handsome looks and attractive personality, he took a bold chance and moved to Los Angeles in the late 1950s.
MGM (towards the end of the contract system) saw in George a budding talent with photogenic appeal. It wasted no time putting him in films following some guest appearances on TV. His first film, a lead in Crime & Punishment, USA (1959), was an offbeat, updated adaptation of the Fyodor Dostoevsky novel. While the film was not overwhelmingly successful, George's heartthrob appeal was obvious. He was awarded a Golden Globe for "Most Promising Newcomer" as well as being nominated for "Best Foreign Actor" by the British film Academy (BAFTA). This in turn led to an enviable series of film showcases, including the memorable Southern drama Home from the Hill (1960), which starred Robert Mitchum and Eleanor Parker and featured another handsome, up-and-coming George (George Peppard); Angel Baby (1961), in which he played an impressionable lad who meets up with evangelist Mercedes McCambridge; and Light in the Piazza (1962) (another BAFTA nomination), in which he portrays an Italian playboy who falls madly for American tourist Yvette Mimieux to the ever-growing concern of her mother Olivia de Havilland. Along with the good, however, came the bad and the inane, which included the dreary sudsers All the Fine Young Cannibals (1960) and By Love Possessed (1961) and the youthful spring-break romps Where the Boys Are (1960), which had Connie Francis warbling the title tune while slick-as-car-seat-leather George pursued coed Dolores Hart, and Looking for Love (1964), which was more of the same.
Not yet undone by this mixed message of serious actor and glossy pin-up, George went on to show some real acting muscle in the offbeat casting of a number of biopics -- as Moss Hart in Act One (1963), an overly fictionalized and sanitized account of the late playwright (the real Moss should have looked so good!), as ill-fated country star Hank Williams in Your Cheatin' Heart (1964), and as the famed daredevil Evel Knievel (1971).
The rest of the '60s and '70s, however, rested on his fun-loving, idle-rich charm that bore a close resemblance to his off-camera image in the society pages. As the 1960s began to unfold, he started making headlines more as a handsome escort to the rich, the powerful and the beautiful than as an acclaimed actor -- none more so than his 1966 squiring of President Lyndon B. Johnson's daughter Lynda Bird Johnson. He was also once engaged to actress Susan Kohner, a former co-star. Below-average films such as Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding! (1967), A Time for Killing (1967) and The Power (1968) effectively ended his initially strong ascent to film stardom.
From the 1970s on George tended to be tux-prone on standard film and TV comedy and drama, whether as a martini-swirling opportunist, villain or lover. A wonderful comeback for him came in the form of the disco-era Dracula spoof Love at First Bite (1979), which he executive-produced. Nominated for a Golden Globe as the campy neck-biter displaced and having to fend off the harsh realities of New York living, he continued on the parody road successfully with Zorro: The Gay Blade (1981) in the very best Mel Brooks tradition.
This renewed popularity led to a one-year stint on Dynasty (1981) during the 1985-1986 season and a string of fun, self-mocking commercials, particularly his Ritz Cracker and (Toasted!) Wheat Thins appearances that often spoofed his overly tanned appearance. In recent times he has broken through the "reality show" ranks by hosting The Family (2003), which starred numerous members of a traditional Italianate family vying for a $1,000,000 prize, and participating in the second season of ABC's Dancing with the Stars (2005), where his charm and usual impeccable tailoring scored higher than his limberness. On the tube he can still pull off a good time, whether playing flamboyant publisher William Randolph Hearst in Rough Riders (1997), playing the best-looking Santa Claus ever in Very Cool Christmas (2004), hosting beauty pageants or making breezy gag appearances. In 1989 he started a line of skin-care products and a chain of tanning salons.
Into the millennium, he has had featured roles in the "opera singer trio reunion" comedy Off Key (2001) also starring Joe Mantegna and Danny Aiello; the offbeat underground film Reflections of Evil (2002); the comedy romps The L.A. Riot Spectacular (2005) and Melvin Smarty (2012); the political drama The Congressman (2016); the family dramedy Silver Skies (2016); and the romantic comedy Swiped (2018). On TV, he enhanced several programs including "Nash Bridges," "Pushing Daisies," "Hot in Cleveland" and "Grace and Frankie." He also had a recurring role on the series American Housewife (2016). Beginning in the summer of 2016, Hamilton appeared in TV commercials as the "Extra Crispy" sun-tanned version of KFC's Colonel Harland Sanders. He later played the Colonel on an episode of "General Hospital."
George managed one brief marriage to actress/TV personality Alana Stewart from 1972 to 1975 (she later married and divorced rock singer Rod Stewart), the pair have a son, actor Ashley Hamilton, born in 1974. Another son, George Thomas Hamilton, born in 2000, came from his involvement with Kimberly Blackford.- Director
- Actor
- Producer
Peter Baldwin was born on 11 January 1931 in Winnetka, Illinois, USA. He was a director and actor, known for Stalag 17 (1953), The Wonder Years (1988) and The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970). He was married to Terry Lee Finkel, Emi De Sica and Lois Cederberg. He died on 19 November 2017 in Pebble Beach, California, USA.- Producer
- Writer
- Director
Leslie Greif was born on 30 July 1954 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for The Offer (2022), Hatfields & McCoys (2012) and Sun Records (2017).- Writer
- Producer
- Actor
Originally from Bergenfield New Jersey, Harry was into movies at a young age turning his back yard into a film studio shooting dozens of super 8 action and horror films. By the age of 17 Harry had won the New Jersey Institute of Technology's Film Award presented to him by legendary director Otto Preminger.
Harry moved out to Hollywood and created a stand-up comedy act at the world famous Comedy Store. He quickly made a name for himself in the comedy circuit headlining in Las Vegas and other major venues around the country. He was in big demand as an opening act for such stars as Gloria Estafan, Liza Minelli, The Beach Boys, the Pointer Sisters, Chuck Berry and Rodney Dangerfield.
Harry received a lot of "Respect" from the man who "gets none", when Rodney featured Harry in two of his HBO specials. Harry's love for the movies really paid off when he co-wrote and co-produced three of Rodney Dangerfield's movies. "Ladybugs" for Paramount Pictures, "Meet Wally Sparks" for Trimark, and "My Five Wives" co-starring Andrew Dice Clay and SNL's Molly Shannon, for Artisan . In all three films Harry worked closely with legendary Director Sidney Furie through every aspect of the filmmaking process.
In 2001 he made his feature directing debut with, "The 4th Tenor", a romantic opera comedy, starring Rodney Dangerfield and Robert Davi released by Warner Bros. He followed that in 2002 with, "Back by Midnight", a prison comedy starring Randy Quaid, Kirstie Alley, Harland Williams, Dangerfield, and a whole cast of colorful comedians.
In 2004 Warner Brothers and Franchise Pictures hired Harry to write and direct the family comedy "Funky Monkey" (aka "Hairy Tale") The film stars Matthew Modine, Jeffery Tambor, Roma Downey, Tommy Davidson, and a Chimpanzee skilled in karate. Harry directed "CLOUD 9" a sexy beach volley ball comedy written and produced by Al Ruddy, Oscar winning producer of the Godfather and Million Dollar Baby. The film stars, Burt Reynolds, D.L. Hugley and Gabrielle Reese.
Harry is also an Executive producer and co-writer of "Funny Money" a wild farce starring Chevy Chase, Penelope Ann Miller, Armand Assante, Chris Mc Donald and Robert Loggia. The film made its world premiere at the 2006 "Aspen Comedy Arts Festival". Harry made the jump to the horror genre directing, "Soul's Midnight", a gothic vampire tale starring Armand Assante, produced by Oscar winning producer Gray Frederickson, ("Godfather 2", "Apocalypse" Now) He followed that with the award winning teen supernatural thriller, "Fingerprints". The film stars a hot young cast, Leah Pipes, (Sororitey Row) Kristen Cavalari (Laguna Beach) Josh Henderson (Desperate Housewives, Dallas) Andrew Lawrence, Lou Diamond Phillips, and Sally Kirkland. Harry is currently an executive producer and show runner on "The Jadagrace Show" and recently wrapped producing "Sleeping Around", a sexy comedy starring Jessie Bradford (Bring it on, Swim Fan) Michael McKean (Best In Show, A MIghty Wind) Tammin Sursock (Pretty Little Liars) Bryan Callen (The Hangover) Wendi Mclendon Covey (Bridesmaids)
Acting is also another of Harry's achievements. Since moving to Hollywood Harry has appeared in several films and television shows. He landed a feature role in Francis Ford Coppola's romantic comedy "Peggy Sue Got Married" starring Kathleen Turner and Nicolas Cage. Harry was cast as a member of Nicolas Cage's singing group alongside fellow comedian Jim Carrey. He also appeared opposite Demi More in the sci-fi cult film, "The Seventh Sign", and wrote himself small parts in "Ladybugs" and "Meet Wally Sparks".
In 1988, after only several years in the business, then NBC chief Brandon Tartikoff signed Harry to a network development deal. Out of that came several TV pilots, one a spin off from the hit series "Family Ties".- Composer
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Michel Colombier was born on 23 May 1939 in Lyon, Rhône, France. He was a composer, known for Man on Fire (2004), Against All Odds (1984) and The Golden Child (1986). He was married to Dana Colombier. He died on 14 November 2004 in Santa Monica, California, USA.- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Born in Los Angeles on Nov. 15, 1926, Kline, with the help of his dad, landed a job in the camera department at Columbia Pictures after he graduated from high school in 1943. He worked as a slate boy on Cover Girl (1944), starring Rita Hayworth and Gene Kelly. Richard is the fourth member of my family to be a part of the ASC. His father was cinematographer Benjamin H. Kline (Danger Street, Fireside Theatre, dozens of Westerns), and his uncles were, Phil Rosen, co-founded the American Society of Cinematographers in 1919 and served as its first president, and Sol Halperin who also served as president.
Kline assisted and operated on more than 200 motion pictures before becoming a director of photography in 1963, after which he compiled 46 feature credits. He is a product of the Hollywood studio-system heyday of the 1940s, '50s and '60s, an invaluable link to a time when filmmakers could focus almost exclusively on practicing their craft and improving with each picture. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1944, stationed at the Photo Science Laboratory in Washington, D.C., before shipping out to the Pacific theater, where he stayed until mid-1946. After returning to the States, he began working as an assistant at Columbia. His first assignment upon his return became one of his most memorable assisting during the shooting of Orson Welles' The Lady From Shanghai.
As a cinematographer, Kline earned Academy Award nominations for the lavish 1968 musical Camelot and the 1976 remake of the epic King Kong. His other credits include Hang 'em High, The Boston Strangler, The Andromeda Strain, The Mechanic, Soylent Green, Battle for the Planet of the Apes, Mr. Majestyk, The Fury, Who'll Stop the Rain, Star Trek - The Motion Picture, Breathless, Body Heat, All of Me and The Competition.
Based on the hit Broadway musical, Camelot was shot on location in Spain and on expansive sets built on the Warner Bros. lot. The picture would be one of Kline's greatest challenges. The scope was overwhelming at times. Winter forest set, built on Stage 8, was immense required more than 400 10K lamps. However, Kline's reliance on mere candlelight for the film's soft-lit wedding between Arthur (Richard Harris) and Guenevere (Vanessa Redgrave) proved equally tricky, in part because the producers didn't believe real candles would actually read on film,Kline using more than 1,000 candles for the scene. The actors were supposed to walk through darkness, surrounded by all these candles, before kneeling and taking their vows. Employing a team of 30 prop men to simultaneously light the candles, while Kline doubled the wicks' effectiveness by placing mirrors in strategic positions around the set. To add a mystical glow to the proceedings, he placed an 8'x8' pane of glass in front of the camera at a 30-degree angle. Then, behind the camera, he beamed light onto a 20'x20' white flat, which was reflected by the glass into the lens. Onscreen, shot through the glass, the royal couple seemed to pass through a warm aura of mysterious illumination that was softened even more by a hint of gauze diffusion. Kline controlled colors and contrast on the picture by pre-flashing his negative, a technique he had heard about but never used. Because the process opened up the shadows slightly, he used far less fill than usual. Pre-flashing also muted the colors a bit, lending the realm of Camelot a burnished, more naturalistic look.- Editor
- Editorial Department
- Producer
Raúl Dávalos was born in Havana, Cuba. He was an editor and producer, known for Dreamcatcher (2003), Silverado (1985) and Benny & Joon (1993). He was married to Cindy Fret. He died on 23 October 2017 in Burbank, California, USA.