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Clayton Rohner |
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Clayton Rohner is an American actor. He made his film debut in the comedy Just One of the Guys (1985), and had subsequent roles in the horror films April Fool's Day (1986), Bat 21 (1988), I, Madman (1989), and The Relic (1997). He had a recurring role on the television series Murder One (1996–1997) and Day Break (2006–2007). In 2006, Clayton guest starred in the television series Bones, and in 2017, Rohner guest-starred on the series Ozark
He is known for his role as Rick Morehouse in the 1985 comedy movie Just One of the Guys. He also starred in the 1986 film Modern Girls as Clifford and Bruno X. He is a main character in the 1994 film Caroline at Midnight. Other credits include the films April Fool's Day, Destroyer, The Relic, and The Human Centipede 3 (Final Sequence). Clayton starred in the short-lived science fiction series E.A.R.T.H. Force and G vs E, and in the 2005 film Formosa.
Rohner appeared on the TV series Murder One as Detective Vince Biggio from 1996 to 1997. His television guest appearances include Miami Vice, Beverly Hills, 90210, Charmed, Crossing Jordan, Angel, and Weeds. In the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Too Short a Season," Rohner played the elderly Starfleet Admiral Mark Jameson, who administers an alien medicine to himself and rapidly de-ages; his wife was played by Marsha Hunt. Director Rob Bowman later noted that working with Rohner on the episode was "a real treat," adding that the two spent extensive time off-camera developing the character of Jameson. Rohner also appeared in the award-winning series Into the West and The X-Files (season 6, episode 8). He also appeared in the TV role of Jared Pryor in the short-lived ABC midseason replacement Day Break. |
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Garrett Morris |
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Garrett Morris is an American actor, comedian and singer. He was part of the original cast and was the first black cast member of the sketch comedy program Saturday Night Live, appearing from 1975 to 1980.
He also played Jimmy on The Jeffersons (1983–1984). Morris had one of the starring roles, as Junior "Uncle Junior" King, on the sitcom The Jamie Foxx Show, which aired from 1996 to 2001. Morris also had a starring role as Earl Washington on the CBS sitcom 2 Broke Girls, from 2011 to 2017.
He is also known for his role in the sitcom Martin as Stan Winters, from 1992 to 1995, until he suffered an injury. Also, he made two guest appearances on The Wayans Bros. in season one, episode one as himself and again on episode ten as the brothers' uncle Leon (1995). He played a concerned teacher in the film Cooley High (1975), Slide in Car Wash (1976), and Carl in The Census Taker (1984).
In 2024, Morris was honored with his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Morris had written a play that Lorne Michaels read and liked, which got Morris hired on as a writer for a program he was developing for Saturday night. Morris was asked about bringing in black actors to potentially serve as cast members, such as asking Bill Duke. Duke wasn't cast, but a suggestion by ones who were cast led Michaels to view a film that had Morris in it, Cooley High, which Morris later stated "played a hand" in getting him cast on Saturday Night Live, as produced by Michaels.
One of Morris' best known characters on SNL was the Dominican baseball player Chico Escuela. Chico spoke only limited and halting English, so the joke centered on his responding to almost any question with his catch phrase: "Baseball... been berra berra good... to me". Another recurring bit, used in the newscast segment Weekend Update, involved Morris being presented as "Headmaster of the New York School for the hard of hearing" and assisting the newscaster by shouting the main headlines, in a parody of the then-common practice of providing sign language interpretation in an inset on the screen as an aid to the deaf viewer.
Morris, then at 38, was the eldest of the original cast members when SNL debuted in 1975. As such, he is also the eldest surviving cast member.
In 1985, he guested on Murder, She Wrote as Lafayette Duquesne.In 1986, Morris began playing Arnold "Sporty" James, on the NBC cop drama Hunter, starring Fred Dryer and Stepfanie Kramer through 1989] Morris appeared in Married... with Children as Russ, one of Al's poker buddies, in "The Poker Game", in a 1987 season 1 episode and again in the season 3 episode "Requiem for a Dead Barber". He also appeared in the 1992 horror comedy Severed Ties starring Oliver Reed.
Morris also had regular roles on Diff'rent Strokes, The Jeffersons, Hill Street Blues, 227, and Roc. He also appeared in an episode of Who's the Boss, "Sam's Car" (1989), playing the role of Officer Audette.[He was a regular cast member on The Jamie Foxx Show, playing Jamie's uncle, Junior King.
In 1998, Morris appeared as himself in the fourth episode of the fifth season of the TV series, Space Ghost Coast to Coast. In 2002, Morris made a cameo appearance on an episode of Saturday Night Live hosted by Brittany Murphy. In 2006, Morris reprised his role as "Headmaster of the New York School for the Hard of Hearing" in a cameo on the TV series Family Guy, in the episode "Barely Legal."
In August 2008, Morris played the role of Reverend Pratt in the family comedy drama film, The Longshots, starring Ice Cube and Keke Palmer.
In 2011, Morris had a cameo role as a Catholic priest on the episode "Three Boys" on the Showtime series Shameless. He was cast as Earl in the CBS comedy 2 Broke Girls, which premiered on September 19, 2011.
In 2018, Morris appeared in the NBC show This Is Us. |
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Gerald Okamura |
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Gerald Okamura is an American actor, martial artist, and stuntman, known for appearing in numerous action films. He has acted in both mainstream blockbusters like Big Trouble in Little China (1986) and B-movies such as Samurai Cop (1991)
He began studying judo at the age of 13. He enlisted in the United States Army after graduating high school, where he was deployed to South Korea and was introduced to taekwondo. After his discharge, he moved to Los Angeles, where he enrolled in Jimmy H. Woo's San Soo school, eventually earning a 5th-degree black belt
Okamura began doing stunts in 1975, getting his first credited role in 1980. Since then he has appeared in 39 feature films, notably Big Trouble in Little China, Samurai Cop, Samurai Cop 2: Deadly Vengeance, Ninja Academy, 9½ Ninjas!, Ring of Fire, Blade, and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Other roles he's played are Kai-Ogi in Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers, a sensei in Power Rangers Wild Force, and Chao Chong in VR Troopers. |
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Janine Turner
1st Ever Hollywood Show! |
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Janine Turner is an American actress best known for her roles as Maggie O'Connell in the television series Northern Exposure, as Jessie Deighan in the feature film Cliffhanger, and as Katie McCoy in Friday Night Lights
In 1978, the 16-year-old Turner left home to pursue a modeling career with the Wilhelmina Modeling Agency in New York City. She began her acting career in 1980 in Hollywood, appearing in several episodes of Dallas. In October 1981 Turner could be seen in a television commercial for Buf-Puf body sponge. She continued to make guest appearances on television shows throughout the 1980s before landing the role of Laura Templeton on General Hospital.
By 1986, Turner had become frustrated by the quality of the roles she was getting. As she told the Chicago Tribune five years later, "I was always working, but I wanted to do more serious roles and knew that I had the talent. I had to get away from Hollywood." Disregarding her agent's advice, Turner moved to New York in order to hone her craft, studying in Manhattan with Marcia Haufrecht of the Actors Studio.
Cast as Maggie O'Connell in 1990, Turner's work on Northern Exposure earned her an Emmy nomination in 1993 and three consecutive Golden Globe nominations from 1992 to 1994. Accolades aside, the role itself was a positive experience for Turner, following the "damsel in distress" roles that had all but driven her from Hollywood in the first place. "I've found my ideal character in Maggie," she told the Tribune. "She's smarter and stronger than all the men she meets." Turner's own move from Hollywood to New York was mirrored by Maggie's, from her affluent Grosse Pointe community to the remote fictional backwater of Cicely, Alaska. Turner said about Maggie that "She went against the grain and challenged herself by moving to Alaska
After her breakthrough in Northern Exposure, Turner appeared in the action film Cliffhanger opposite Sylvester Stallone. She next appeared as June Cleaver in a Leave It to Beaver film adaptation of television's original Leave It to Beaver, then in Stolen Women: Captured Hearts, and Dr. T & the Women with Richard Gere. She also appeared in No Regrets and numerous movies of the week.
In 2008, Turner began a 12-episode run on the NBC television series Friday Night Lights. She portrayed Katie McCoy, mother of a talented high school football quarterback
In 2015, Turner portrayed the wife of Anthony Hopkins' character in Solace
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Jerry Houser |
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Jerry Houser is an American former actor. He is best known for his role as Oscar "Oscy" Seltzer in Summer of '42 and its sequel, Class of '44, as Dave "Killer" Carlson in Slap Shot, and as Wally Logan, the husband of Marcia Brady, in various Brady Bunch spin-offs throughout the 1980s and 1990s
From 1971 to 2006, he appeared in many films, TV series, animated series, and commercials. Some of his most notable appearances are Summer of '42, Slap Shot with Paul Newman,] and in the Brady Bunch spin-offs as Marcia's husband, Wally Logan.
On television, Houser portrayed Muff on We'll Get By, orderly Haskell on The New Temperatures Rising Show,Steve Frazier, Maude Findlay's nephew, in the Maude episode "Maude's Nephew", and Jeremy Fenton on It Takes Two. He also provided the voices of Grizzle on Zazoo U, Sully on Danger Rangers,: Scrawny Guard in Disney's Aladdin, and Bartholomew on The Gary Coleman Show
Bad Company — Arthur Simms
Summer of '42 — Oscar "Oscy" Seltzer
Class of '44 (1973 film) — Oscar "Oscy" Seltzer
Barnaby Jones — Monte
The F.B.I. — Cliff Tetlow
Seems Like Old Times — Gas Station Attendant
Miracle on Ice — Les Auge
Slap Shot — Dave "Killer" Carlson
We'll Get By — Muff Platt
M*A*S*H — Danker
The Brady Brides — Wally Logan
A Very Brady Christmas — Wally Logan
The Bradys — Wally Logan
McGee and Me! — Phillip "Phil" Monroe Sr.
Magic — Taxi Driver
S.O.S. Titanic — Daniel Marvin
Years of the Beast — Gary Reed
Scooby-Doo Meets the Boo Brothers — Meako
Nick & Noel — Nick
Annabelle's Wish — Slim
Charlotte's Web 2: Wilbur's Great Adventure — Mr. Zuckerman
The Smurfs — Additional voices
The Biskitts — Shiner
Transformers — Sandstorm
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero — Sci-Fi
Tom & Jerry Kids — Urfo, Dragoon
TaleSpin — Badger Goon
Darkwing Duck — Ham String
Goof Troop — Duke, Spud, Beast
Disney's Aladdin — Scrawny Guard, additional voices
Droopy, Master Detective — Additional voices
I Yabba-Dabba Do! — Bamm-Bamm Rubble
Hollyrock-a-Bye Baby — Bamm-Bamm Rubble
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance — Hank Pym
Darkness Before Dawn — Jellyfish
Adventures in Odyssey — Ben Shepard and Jellyfish
Secret Adventures — Mr. Toaster
As Told by Ginger ― Principal Milty
A Pup Named Scooby-Doo - Al from Al's Skate Shop - "Scooby Dude"
Danger Rangers — Sully
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance — Hank Pym |
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John O'Hurley |
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John O'Hurley Jr. is an American actor, comedian, author, game show host and television personality. He is known for his portrayal of J. Peterman on the NBC sitcom Seinfeld, and was the sixth host of the game show Family Feud from 2006 to 2010. He also hosted To Tell The Truth from 2000 to 2002 in syndication
On Seinfeld, O'Hurley played J. Peterman, a fictionalized version of catalog-company entrepreneur John Peterman, from 1995 until the show's end in 1998. O'Hurley invested in the relaunch of The J. Peterman Company, and since 1999 has been part owner and member of the board of directors.
He was a contestant on the first season of the television show Dancing with the Stars which aired during the summer of 2005. O'Hurley and his dance partner Charlotte Jørgensen made it to the final competition, which he lost to ABC soap opera star Kelly Monaco.
After fans alleged that Monaco's victory was a set-up, the network announced that O'Hurley, Monaco and their professional dancing partners would face off in a special "grudge match" episode broadcast September 20, 2005. Unlike the first episode, viewer vote solely determined the outcome as opposed to a combination between the three professional judges and the viewer votes.
O'Hurley and Jørgensen emerged as the winners. The rematch earned $126,000 for Golfers Against Cancer charity.
O'Hurley made two guest appearances on Baywatch in 1992 and 1994, in two different roles. The first was as villainous yacht club president Fred Adler in "Masquerade," and again as a grieving father named Bill in "Red Wind." In 2003, he played the role of Roger Heidecker on the UPN television series The Mullets
O'Hurley returned to the Baywatch universe in a 1995 Baywatch Nights episode "Bad Blades," playing the villainous Kemp, in a roller hockey themed episode. He also co-starred on the short-lived sitcom A Whole New Ballgame, had a role as Ralph Stafford on the Murder She Wrote episode "Nailed", and guest-starred in an episode of Drake & Josh
O'Hurley has been the host of Purina's annual National Dog Show every Thanksgiving since 2002
In March 2007, he took the lead role in the Wynn Las Vegas's production of Spamalot, in which he plays King Arthur. In July 2008, he reprised his role as King Arthur in the Los Angeles production of Spamalot at the Ahmanson Theatre. In June 2013, he once again reprised the role of King Arthur in Spamalot at The Muny Theater in St. Louis, Missouri. He starred on Broadway and on National Tour as Billy Flynn in Chicago. He has hosted the Mrs. America and Mrs. World Pageants.
He is one of the guest speakers in the Candlelight Processional at Epcot in Walt Disney World. O'Hurley is the voice of the owner of the Cow and Corset bar in the Fable II videogame for the Xbox 360. He also replaced Frank Welker as the "Phantom Blot" for Mickey Mouse Works and Disney's House of Mouse.[5] He has also provided the voice of King Neptune XIV on SpongeBob SquarePants and done voice-over work for radio stations, including WBEN-FM in Philadelphia, KPKX in Phoenix (as "Jim Peakerman"), KMAX in San Francisco (as "J.J. Maxwell"), and WARH in St. Louis (as "Simon Archer"). He is also the voice of Coors Light commercials for more than 10 years.
O'Hurley guest-starred in an episode of The Emperor's New School called "Malina's Big Break", and in 2010, guest-starred on Wizards of Waverly Place as Captain Jim-Bob Sherwood.
From 2008 to 2015 he voiced Roger Doofenshmirtz, Heinz Doofenshmirtz's brother, in Phineas and Ferb. He also played in the award-winning 2000x dramatic series produced by the Hollywood Theater of the Ear for National Public Radio.
O'Hurley was a guest star on multiple episodes of the soap opera All My Children during its last month on ABC, in September 2011, playing Kit Sterling, a producer who approaches Erica Kane to make a movie based on the new book she has just written.[6][7] He previously appeared as Dr. James Grainger in three episodes of The Young and the Restless in 1990, and acted in the soap opera Loving as Keith Lane / Jonathan Matalaine.
In 2015, he had a recurring role as Dr. Christopher Neff on Devious Maids.
He also provided the voice for Victor the Villain on the children's animated TV series Wallykazam!.
From 2000 to 2002, he hosted a revival of To Tell the Truth. In 2004, he hosted the limited-run game show The Great American Celebrity Spelling Bee. On September 11, 2006, O'Hurley replaced Richard Karn as the fifth host of Family Feud. He hosted the show for four seasons, before departing the show at the beginning of 2010. He was replaced by fellow comedian and film star Steve Harvey. He stated in a 2017 interview with Fox News that he agreed that it became less family-friendly and admitted that as one of the reasons why he left the show. He also said:
Interestingly, on May 13, 1985, 21 years before becoming the host of Family Feud, O'Hurley appeared on a celebrity edition of Family Feud during "Guys & Dolls" Week. This makes him one of only a small number of individuals to have both hosted and been a contestant on the same game show. |
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Joyce Hyser |
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Joyce Hyser is an American former actress. She is best known for her role in the 1985 cult classic Just One of the Guys and for her recurring role in L.A. Law. In 2012, Hyser turned her focus to writing and producing screenplays, and her last screen role was in 2014's The Wedding Pact.
Hyser appeared in various films in the early 1980s, the last of which was the 1985 comedy Just One of the Guys. She then mainly guest-starred in television series, including a recurring role in L.A. Law as Allison Gottlieb, the girlfriend of Jimmy Smits's character.
She was featured prominently in the music video for "I Can Dream About You" by Dan Hartman. She was also featured in the music video for the 1994 song "Pincushion" by ZZ Top, a single from their 1994 album Antenna.
Hyser has been a spokeswoman for the Harold Robinson Foundation, which provides a free summer camp for inner city and underprivileged children. In 2011, Hyser appeared in a small role in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as a woman who masquerades as a man.
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Katherine Barrell |
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Katherine Barrell is a Canadian actress, writer, producer, and director. She is best known for her role as Sheriff Nicole Haught in the Syfy supernatural weird West television series Wynonna Earp. In 2020, she joined the cast of the fantasy comedy-drama television series Good Witch as Joy Harper
Barrell's television work includes made-for-TV movies Poe (2011) as Rowena, and Girls Night Out (2017) as Sadie. Guest appearances include Lost Girl in the episode "Table for Fae" (2012) as Maisie; Murdoch Mysteries in episodes "Murdoch in Toyland" (2012) as Marley Rosevear, and "The Murdoch Appreciation Society" (2014) as Ruby Rosevear; Saving Hope in the episode "Can't You Hear Me Knocking?" (2015) as Dixie Kolesnyk. Along with her role as Sheriff Nicole Haught in Wynonna Earp, Barrell appears in Workin' Moms in the recurring role of Alicia Rutherford.
Film roles include Jaqueline Gill in The Scarehouse (2014), Mary in My Ex-Ex (2015),and Victoria Burns in Definition of Fear (2015)
Barrell's ensemble film Dissecting Gwen, based on her own story, won the 2017 Best Screenplay Award by Women in Film & Television – Toronto,and was awarded Best Comedy Short by the 2017 Canadian Diversity Film Festival.
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Martin Klebba |
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Martin Klebba is an American actor and stunt performer. He has a form of dwarfism called acromicric dysplasia; he is 4 feet 1 inch (1.24 m) Klebba is best known for his role as Marty in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. He made his first role in a cameo in Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes (2001)
Klebba was an occasional guest on The Howard Stern Show in the 1990s and early 2000s, and was given the nickname "Marty the Midget".
Klebba has acted in various productions, most notably the Pirates of the Caribbean series as Marty, a dwarf pirate member of Jack Sparrow's crew. The character was originally named "Dirk", but someone, possibly director Gore Verbinski, named the character after Klebba. First appearing in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Klebba reprised the role in the sequels Dead Man's Chest, At World's End, and Dead Men Tell No Tales. On the role, Klebba was quoted in saying he is a normal man who fell into the franchise, one stunt turned into four out of five films.
In 2003, Klebba played the ring announcer in Cradle 2 the Grave. In 2009, Klebba played the role of "Count Le Petite" in All's Faire in Love, a romantic comedy set at a Renaissance fair. He has also been in low budget horror/comedy films Feast II: Sloppy Seconds and Feast III: The Happy Finish as Thunder.
He has numerous stunt credits as well including Hancock, Zombieland, Bedtime Stories, Evan Almighty, Meet the Spartans, Epic Movie, and Van Helsing. Wearing motion capture pajamas, Klebba stood in for the Dimorphodon who grapples with Owen Grady in Jurassic World
Klebba starred as Friday, one of the seven dwarfs, in the 2001 television film Snow White: The Fairest of Them All. In 2003, Klebba starred as Hank Dingo in the Comedy Central television film Knee High P.I.. He also made an appearance as a demon in the Charmed episode "Witch Wars" (2004). He has also appeared in iCarly and Drake & Josh as Nug Nug.
Klebba made many appearances as Randall Winston in the television series Scrubs. He starred in the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode "The Chick Chop Flick Shop" (2007) as Dickie Jones and in the CSI: NY episode "Uncertainty Rules" (2010) as Calvin Moore. Also in 2010, Klebba guest starred as Hibachi in Pair of Kings, a Disney TV series. He played Todd Moore in the Bones episode "Dwarf in the Dirt" (2010).
Klebba has also been featured on the TLC reality show, Little People, Big World, with his friend Amy Roloff. He and his wife are featured in one episode of VH-1's I'm Married to a....
In 2011, Klebba appeared on The Cape as a series regular named "Rollo". He also appeared once again as one of the Seven Dwarfs in Mirror Mirror (2012).
In 2025, Klebba provided the voice and facial capture for Grumpy, one of the seven dwarfs, in the 2025 remake of Snow White
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Oliver Conant |
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Oliver Conant is an American actor, director, writer, known for his early role in the coming-of-age film Summer of '42 (1971) he began performing as a young actor in both film and stage productions during the early 1970s.
Conant appeared as Benjie in Summer of '42, a role that marked his entry into film, and reprised a similar character in its sequel Class of '44 (1973). He made his Broadway debut in Finishing Touches (1973), playing Kevin Cooper, and later performed in productions such as Elizabeth Rex at Nicu's Spoon Theater in 2008. Shifting focus to directing, writing, and dramaturgy, he has worked primarily in Off-Off-Broadway and non-commercial theater, staging new works and revivals
His directing credits include Dietrich Rides Again (world premiere in 2017, with subsequent performances), Four by Jack (2016), a revival of the non-musical Kimberly Akimbo, and A Journey through War and Plague (2022) at Theatre for the New City. Conant is particularly noted for his experience with heightened language texts, First Folio Shakespeare productions, outdoor and church-based Shakespeare, avant-garde classics, and new plays blending seriousness with humor.
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Toni Hudson |
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Toni Hudson is an American actress, who has appeared in films and on television. She appeared in the 1985 film Just One of the Guys as Denise.
She has made guest appearances on TV shows like The Greatest American Hero, T.J. Hooker, Knight Rider, The A-Team, and The Love Boat
Year
Title
Role
Notes
1982
Young Doctors in Love
Bunny
1983
Cross Creek
Tim's Wife
1984
Places in the Heart
Ermine
1985
Prime Risk
Julie Collins
1985
Just One of the Guys
Denise
1985
School Spirit
Rita
1986
Nothing in Common
Receptionist
1987
Uninvited
Rachel
Video
1990
Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III
Sara
Credited as Tom Hudson
2001
Cahoots
2002
Out of These Rooms
Julie
2016
Nessie & Me
Mom
2019
Angels Never Cry
Counselor
2020
Charlie's Christmas Wish
Jill Frost
2022
The Next 24 Hours
Mrs. Denise Johnson
2023
Assassin's Fury
Agent Crampton
Television
Year
Title
Role
Notes
1982
Capitol
Girl in Station
1 episode
1983
The Greatest American Hero
Girl at Video Game
Episode: "Wizards and Warlocks"
1983
T. J. Hooker
Dorothy 'Star' Taylor
Episode: "Sweet Sixteen and Dead"
1985
Knight Rider
Maxine Fleming
Episode: "Knight by a Nose"
1985
The A-Team
Dana Harmon
Episode: "Blood, Sweat, and Cheers"
1985
The Love Boat
Rita
Episode: "Good Time Girls"
2018
Rock Fashion Art
Customer
1 episode
2021
Journey of the Tiger Amulet
Lacey Brooks
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Anne Ramsay |
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Anne Ramsay is an American actress best known for her role as Lisa Stemple on Mad About You, for which she shared a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Best Ensemble in a Comedy series.
She is well known for her role in the 1992 beloved film, A League of Their Own, where she played the Helen Haley. |
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Bailee Madison
1st Ever Hollywood Show! |
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Bailee Madison is an American actress
In 2010, Madison starred in her first leading role in the supernatural horror film Don't Be Afraid of the Dark. She starred alongside Katie Holmes and Guy Pearce, portraying the role of Sally Hurst, a lonely withdrawn child who is sent to live with her father and his new girlfriend. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3+1⁄2 stars out of 4, calling it "a very good haunted house film" and adding that it "milks our frustration deliciously."
In 2011, Madison portrayed Maxine Russo in some episodes of Wizards of Waverly Place at the time when Max Russo was turned into a girl.
In 2013, Madison began playing Hillary on the TV sitcom Trophy Wife, replacing Gianna LePera who played the character in the pilot.
In 2014, she began playing the recurring role of Sophia Quinn in the ABC Family drama The Fosters.
In 2015, she began playing Grace Russell, the daughter of Cassie Nightingale, in the Hallmark series Good Witch. Madison continued in the role until the end of the fifth season in 2019.
In 2017, it was announced that Madison would star in an adaptation of Rachel Bateman's novel Someone Else's Summer.
In 2018, Madison portrayed the role of Kinsey, a rebellious child in the slasher film The Strangers: Prey at Night. She starred alongside Christina Hendricks and Martin Henderson, as her parents. Although the film received a mixed response from critics, Madison's performance was praised and was relatively successful at the box office.
Liars, a spin-off of the 2010 television series of the same name, to critical acclaim. In 2024, Madison signed a deal with Red Van Records, releasing her first single, "Kinda Fun", on January 12,and her second single, "Chiller", on July 26. In April 2026, Madison signed with TFC Management
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Barbara Eden |
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Barbara Eden is an American actress, singer, and producer best known for her starring role as Jeannie in the sitcom I Dream of Jeannie (1965-1970). Other notable roles include Roslyn Pierce opposite Elvis Presley in Flaming Star (1960), Lieutenant (JG) Cathy Connors in Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961) and a single widowed mother, Stella Johnson, in the film Harper Valley PTA (1978). Due to the success of the film, Eden reprised her role as Stella Johnson in a two-season television series, Harper Valley PTA.
Eden's first public performance was singing in the church choir, where she sang the solos. As a teenager, she sang in local bands for $10 (roughly equivalent to $157 in 2021) a night in night clubs. At age 16, she became a member of Actor's Equity, and studied singing at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and acting with the Elizabeth Holloway School of Theatre. She graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in San Francisco in the Spring Class of 1949 and studied theater for one year at City College of San Francisco. As Barbara Huffman, she was elected Miss San Francisco in 1951 and she also entered the Miss California pageant.
Eden began her television career as a semiregular on The Johnny Carson Show in 1955 She also made featured appearances on shows such as The West Point Story, Highway Patrol, Private Secretary, I Love Lucy, The Millionaire, Target: The Corruptors!, Crossroads, Perry Mason, Gunsmoke, December Bride, Bachelor Father, Father Knows Best, Adventures in Paradise, The Andy Griffith Show, Cain's Hundred, Saints and Sinners, The Virginian, Slattery's People, The Rogues, and the series finale of Route 66. She guest starred in four episodes of Burke's Law, playing different roles each time. She was an uncredited extra in the movie The Tarnished Angels with Rock Hudson, in partnership with 20th Century Fox studios. She then starred in the syndicated comedy TV series How to Marry a Millionaire. The series is based on the 1953 film of the same name.
Film director Mark Robson, who later directed Eden in the movie From the Terrace, took note of Eden's performance in a play with James Drury. and wanted her to work for 20th Century Fox studios. Her screen test was the Joanne Woodward role in No Down Payment (1957). Although she did not get the role, the studio gave Eden a contract. She did a screen test for the role of Betty Anderson in the 1957 film version of Peyton Place, but Terry Moore got the role. She had minor roles in Bailout at 43,000; Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?; and The Wayward Girl, then became a leading lady in films, starring opposite Gary Crosby, Barry Coe, and Sal Mineo in A Private's Affair. She had a co-starring role in Flaming Star (1960), with Elvis Presley.
The following year, she played in a supporting role as Lt. Cathy Connors in Irwin Allen's Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. She starred in The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm, a Cinerama film directed by George Pal for MGM, and another Irwin Allen production for 20th Century Fox, Five Weeks in a Balloon (1962). She was the female lead in the 1962 Fox comedy Swingin' Along, starring Tommy Noonan and Peter Marshall, in their final joint screen appearance. She did a screen test with Andy Williams for the 20th Century Fox movie State Fair, but did not get the role
Her last film for 20th Century Fox was The Yellow Canary (1963). She left Fox and began guest starring in television shows and acting in films for MGM, Universal, and Columbia. She played supporting roles over the next few years, including The Brass Bottle and 7 Faces of Dr. Lao
n 1965, producer Sidney Sheldon signed Eden to star in his upcoming fantasy sitcom I Dream of Jeannie for NBC. After various brunette starlets and beauty queens unsuccessfully tried out for the role, Eden was approached by Sheldon, who had seen her in The Brass Bottle and had received numerous recommendations for Eden from various colleagues. Eden played Jeannie, a beautiful genie set free from her bottle by astronaut and United States Air Force Captain (later Major) Anthony "Tony" Nelson, played by Larry Hagman..
Eden played this role for five years and 139 episodes. Additionally in eight episodes, Eden donned a brunette wig to portray Jeannie's evil sister (also named Jeannie) who lusts after Tony Nelson, and in two episodes played Jeannie's hapless mother
After Jeannie, Eden starred in an unaired pilot, The Barbara Eden Show, as well as another pilot, The Toy Game. Her first TV movie was called The Feminist and the Fuzz. Although she is best known for comedy, most of these films were dramas, as when she starred opposite her Jeannie co-star Larry Hagman in A Howling in the Woods (1971).
In The Stranger Within (1974), Eden played housewife Ann Collins, a woman impregnated by extraterrestrials. Later, Eden played a policewoman-turned-private detective investigating the disappearance of a missing heiress, in the critically acclaimed TV movie Stonestreet: Who Killed the Centerfold Model? (1977). She starred in and co-produced, with her own production company (MI-Bar Productions), the NBC-TV romantic comedy movie The Secret Life of Kathy McCormick (1988). She also starred in and produced the romantic comedy TV movie Opposites Attract (1990), co-starring John Forsythe.[citation needed]
In 1978, she starred in the feature film Harper Valley PTA, based on the popular country song. This led to a namesake television series in 1981. In both the movie and the TV series, Eden played the protagonist Stella Johnson. It was a comedy version of Peyton Place, with Anne Francine playing wealthy villainess Flora Simpson Reilly] In one episode, Stella dressed in a blue and gold genie costume, and in another she played both Stella and her cousin Della Smith (similar to Jeannie's evil twin-sister character). It debuted January 16, 1981, winning 11 of its 13 time slots during the first season. It was renamed simply Harper Valley when it began its second season on October 29, 1981. During this time, Eden also became the spokeswoman for L'eggs pantyhose, and appeared in a series of print ads and TV commercials for the brand from 1979 to 1983
From April 3 through September 16, 1984, Eden starred in the Lee Guber and Shelly Gross national production of the John Kander and Fred Ebb Tony Award-winning musical comedy Woman of the Year, playing the role of Tess Harding Craig, alongside Don Chastain (as Sam Craig), and Marilyn Cooper. In 1990, Eden played a recurring role as a billionairess seeking revenge against J.R. Ewing in five episodes of the final season of Dallas, as the captivating character LeeAnn de la Vega, reuniting her with Hagman. In her final episode, the character admits that her maiden name is Nelson (a production gag, as "Nelson" was the surname of Hagman's character and Eden's character's married name in I Dream of Jeannie). In 1991 she starred in the stage play Same Time, Next Year with Wayne Rogers, and reprised her role of Jeannie in a television movie-of-the-week. In 1993, she starred in an 11-city national tour of the play Last of the Red Hot Lovers with Don Knotts.
Eden starred in such musical comedies as Nite Club Confidential (playing the role of Kay Goodman, in 1996), The Sound of Music, Annie Get Your Gun, South Pacific with Robert Goulet, The Pajama Game with John Raitt, and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes playing Lorelei Lee. She has been a musical guest star in many variety television shows, including 21 Bob Hope specials, The Carol Burnett Show, The Jonathan Winters Show, The Jerry Lewis Show, This Is Tom Jones, Tony Orlando and Dawn, and Donny and Marie. She released an album titled Miss Barbara Eden in 1967 on Dot Records.
In March 2006, Eden reunited with her former co-star Larry Hagman for a publicity tour in New York City to promote the first-season DVD of I Dream of Jeannie. They appeared together on Good Morning America, The View, Access Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight, Martha, and Showbiz Tonight, among other shows.
In March 2006, Hagman and Eden again reunited, this time onstage in New York for Love Letters at the College of Staten Island, and at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. This was Eden's first return-visit to the academy since appearing in the 1956 Ziv Television Programs, The West Point Story. Eden starred in the play Love Letters with Hal Linden in 2006, and a guest-starring role on the Lifetime series Army Wives, written and produced by her niece Katherine Fugate. In December 2008 she began filming the TV movie Always and Forever for the Hallmark Channel, which aired in October 2009.
In May 2013, Eden appeared with former US President Bill Clinton, Elton John, and Fergie at the opening ceremony of the 21st Life Ball in Vienna, where Eden wore her famous Jeannie harem costume. In late 2013, Eden was cast in the movie One Song, filmed in Excelsior, Minnesota.
Eden has also done voice work for the animated children's television series Shimmer and Shine
In 1990, Eden played a recurring role as a billionairess seeking revenge against J.R. Ewing in five episodes of the final season of Dallas, as the captivating character LeeAnn de la Vega, reuniting her with Hagman. In her final episode, the character admits that her maiden name is Nelson (a production gag, as "Nelson" was the surname of Hagman's character and Eden's character's married name in I Dream of Jeannie).
In March 2006, Eden reunited with her former co-star Larry Hagman for a publicity tour in New York City to promote the first-season DVD of I Dream of Jeannie. They appeared together on Good Morning America, The View, Access Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight, Martha, and Showbiz Tonight, among other shows
In March 2006, Hagman and Eden again reunited, this time onstage in New York for Love Letters at the College of Staten Island, and at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. This was Eden's first return-visit to the academy since appearing in the 1956 Ziv Television Programs, The West Point Story. in 2006, and a guest-starring role on the Lifetime series Army Wives,
In May 2013, Eden appeared with former US President Bill Clinton, Elton John, and Fergie at the opening ceremony of the 21st Life Ball in Vienna, where Eden wore her famous Jeannie harem costume In late 2013, Eden was cast in the movie One Song, filmed in Excelsior, Minnesota.
Eden has also done voice work for the animated children's television series Shimmer and Shine.
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Beverly Adams Sassoon |
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Beverly Adams Sassoon is a Canadian-American actress
she moved with her family to Burbank, California after the war where, as a teen, she competed in and won beauty contests before becoming an actress .She began working as a model while she was a student at Valley State College.
Adams, who initially wanted to become a doctor, had a weekend job in a dress shop while she worked during the week as secretary to a Superior Court judge in Los Angeles. When the dress shop had a fashion show televised, Adams modeled some of the dresses. An advertising man saw her modeling on that broadcast and invited her to make a commercial at a local television station. Ozzie Nelson was at the station at the same time, and he invited her to play a bit part in an episode of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
Adams appeared in various guest roles in television series of the 1960s, including a recurring role on the Dr. Kildare TV series. She was selected for Columbia Pictures' New Talent Program and was signed to a contract where she appeared on several Screen Gems television series and several films, including the recurring role of Lovey Kravezit in the Matt Helm movies starring Dean Martin.
After appearing uncredited in two films with Elvis Presley, Roustabout and Girl Happy, she played the redheaded Cassandra in How to Stuff a Wild Bikini
During her retirement from acting, Adams, going by her married name of Beverly Sassoon, published several books and served as a spokeswoman for Vidal Sassoon, Inc
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Billy Gray |
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Billy Gray is an American actor. He acted in more than 200 movies. He acted with stars such as Humphrey Bogart, Doris Day, Bob Hope, William Holden, Michael Rennie, Judith Anderson, Pat O'Brien and Barbara Stanwyck He did not attend school and was educated by teachers hired by the film studios, often having class in tents set up on studio lots.
He portrayed a young Jim Thorpe in Jim Thorpe – All-American and starred in the science fiction film The Day the Earth Stood Still. He portrayed Tagg "Bull's Eye" Oakley, younger brother of Annie Oakley in the pilot episode of Annie Oakley. He starred in the television series Father Knows Best and was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. His father died when he was 16, while he was working on the show.] He was cast as Plato in Rebel Without a Cause but because a delay in shooting interfered with his commitment to Father Knows Best he had to give up the role. |
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Bitty Schram |
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Bitty Schram is an American actress best known for playing Sharona Fleming in the television series Monk and for playing Evelyn Gardner in the film A League of Their Own (1992).
The role that initially brought her note was that of Evelyn Gardner, the Rockford Peaches' right fielder, in the Penny Marshall film A League of Their Own. Her character was the recipient of the classic admonition by manager Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks), "There's no crying in baseball!"
During 1993-95, she appeared in the original Broadway production of Neil Simon's Laughter on the 23rd Floor
In 2002,Schram landed a major role opposite Tony Shalhoub on the USA Network series Monk.
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Brian Krause |
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Brian Krause is an American actor. He is known for his role as Leo Wyatt on The WB television series Charmed (1998–2006) and for portraying the lead role of Charles Brady in the 1992 horror film Sleepwalkers
Krause landed his first role in 1989 as a student in the TV series TV 101. He then starred in the made-for-TV-movie Match Point, the CBS Schoolbreak Special "American Eyes", and An American Summer, before landing his first major role as Richard Lestrange, Jr. in the film Return to the Blue Lagoon (1991). He was a co-star in the Bandit series prior to his most notable role of Leo Wyatt, in The WB Network series Charmed (1998–2006). Krause originally auditioned for the role of Andy Trudeau but was cast as Piper's handyman/white lighter love interest.
Due to budget restrictions in the eighth season (2005–06), he only appeared in the first 10 episodes and last two episodes. After Charmed, he has appeared in made-for-TV-movies and TV shows such as Mad Men (episode 2x12 The Mountain King), The Closer (episode 4x01 Controlled Burn), and Castle (episode 3x03 Under the Gun) |
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Brinke Stevens |
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Brinke Stevens is an American actress. Stevens initially pursued a career as a marine biologist prior to becoming an actress, earning an undergraduate degree in biology from San Diego State University before studying marine biology at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Unable to find employment in the field of biology, Stevens began modeling in Los Angeles in 1980, and she worked as a film extra.
Her first major film role was in the slasher film The Slumber Party Massacre (1982). She went on to appear in a number of horror films, including Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama (1988), Nightmare Sisters (1988), Grandmother's House (1988), and Mommy (1995).
As a teenager, she was a fan of Star Trek, and frequently attended sci-fi-themed conventions. In 1974, Stevens attended San Diego Comic-Con and won first place in the first Masquerade Ball. She remained involved in running the masquerade at Comic-Con for years after her win.
Stevens subsequently relocated with her then-husband, comic illustrator Dave Stevens (whom she met in college) to Los Angeles in 1980, and served as a model for the character of Betty in Stevens' comic series Rocketeer. After the couple divorced in 1981, Brinke, unable to find employment in the field of biology, began working as a film extra for income.Photographer Dan Golden saw a photograph of her in costume, and hired her for a non-speaking role in the student film Zyzak Is King (1980); he also later photographed her for the cover of the first issue of Femme Fatales (1992).
While leaving a modeling agency, Stevens stopped by an office door to look at film posters on the walls. The occupant, Jacob Bressler, told her to enter and asked for her portfolio. On the basis of that, he cast her in an uncredited, non-speaking role in ...All the Marbles (1981). Stevens' first speaking role was as Linda Dawn Grant in The Slumber Party Massacre (1982), a role she reprised in Cheerleader Massacre (2003).
Stevens has appeared in more than 100 feature films, primarily in the genres of horror, science fiction, and fantasy film. She has gained notoriety as a scream queen.
In addition to acting, Stevens has co-written a number of screenplays, co-produced two documentaries, and served as an onset decorator. She co-wrote Teenage Exorcist (1991), in which she also appeared.
Stevens portrayed Julie Quinn, mother of serial killer Wayne Montgomery, in the 2007 horror film Head Case. She reprised her role in the three sequels, 2009's The Ritual, 2010's Post-Mortem, and 2013's Head Cases: Serial Killers in the Delaware Valley.
Stevens is depicted in the horror novel Bad Moon Rising, the third installment of Jonathan Maberry's "Pine Deep" trilogy, alongside Jim O'Rear, Tom Savini, and Debbie Rochon, published in 2008.loody: The Women of Horror and appeared in the 2013 remake of Die Sister, Die!. Alongside regular co-stars Linnea Quigley, and Michelle Bauer, Stevens appeared in and was a main subject for the 2011 documentary Screaming in High Heels: The Rise & Fall of the Scream Queen Era and its 2020 follow up Screaming in High Heels: The Reunion. |
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Camryn Manheim
1st Ever Hollywood Show!! |
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Camryn" Manheim is an American actress who first came to attention with her off-Broadway one-woman show, Wake Up, I'm Fat, in 1994. She is known for her portrayals of Ellenor Frutt on The Practice (1997–2004), Gladys Presley in the 2005 miniseries Elvis, Delia Banks on Ghost Whisperer (2006–2010), "Control" on Person of Interest (2013–2015), Lieutenant Cosgrove on Stumptown (2019–2020) and Kate Dixon on Law & Order (2022–2024).
Manheim's film credits include Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997), Happiness (1998), What Planet Are You From? (2000), Scary Movie 3 (2003), Twisted (2004), Dark Water (2005), An Unfinished Life (2005), and Cop Car (2015).
She is the recipient of a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, in addition to three Screen Actors Guild Award nominations
Manheim worked for a while as a sign language interpreter at hospitals. Her knowledge of sign language was used on The Practice, in the Law & Order episodes "Benevolence" (1993) and "Castle in the Sky" (2024), and in her role as a child behavioral psychologist in the movie Mercury Rising.
Manheim's breakthrough was her one-woman show Wake Up, I'm Fat, which played off-Broadway at Classic Stage Company in 1994. She adapted the show into a book of the same name, which was published by Broadway Books in 1999.
In 1999, Manheim won an Emmy for her work on The Practice. In 1999, she was awarded the Women in Film Lucy Award.
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David Lawrence |
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David Lawrence Mandel played Samantha and Darrin's son Adam Stephens as a child in seventeen episodes (1970-1972). He shared the role with his brother, Greg Mandel. He was credited as David Lawrence
Although only David Lawrence's name is shown in the credits on Bewitched (1964), the role of Adam Stephens was actually played by David and his twin brother Greg. It was a convention in television shows that babies and toddlers were played by twins, since the law required that child actors can work for only a certain time on television, and having twins play one character meant that workload for each child was cut in half. David and Greg Lawrence were discovered by an enterprising agent who had called pediatricians in California to see if they knew of any six-month old twins for an episode of "Get Smart."
A pediatrician in Sherman Oaks told the agent that he knew of "absolutely gorgeous, small-for-their-age, nine-month-old twins." He offered to call their adoptive mother to see if she would be interested in a meeting with the agent. The mother sent the agent pictures of the twins. Even though, "Get Smart" was canceled, the agent knew she could get work for the twins based on their photogenic qualities. They were soon in demand for commercials and landed every role that they auditioned, such as for Listerine, Pillsbury, and Southwestern Bell.
Meanwhile, the producers of "Bewitched" had done an exhaustive search throughout the state of California for a set of twins to play Adam, the warlock son of witch Samantha and her mortal husband Darrin. When they saw the Lawrence boys, they fell for the twins' dark hair, blue eyes, rosy cheeks, cleft chins, and great smiles. What gave the twins an edge was that they had [the] same quizzical quirk in their eyebrows that Elizabeth Montgomery had. Once cast, the boys enjoyed working on the show and even fought over whose turn it was to be in the scene. Though Montgomery was very busy on the set playing Samantha and Serena and raising her own three children, she still found time to play with her television children.
Because of time constraints on television, the character of Adam was shown in small moments. The twins' biggest episode was "Adam, Warlock or Washout?", where Samantha and her parents were worried that Adam has not shown any talent for witchcraft. Samantha's father Maurice puts a spell on Adam, where he gets to fly. The twins enjoyed filming the episode, because they were wired to fly and because they worked with actor Maurice Evans who played Maurice. The viewers were happy with the episode when Maurice takes the spell off of Adam, at which time, he does show a genuine talent for witchcraft. The twins were troupers, since they both had ear infections and raging fevers when they filmed the episode.
Once the final season of "Bewitched" ended, the twins' parents decided to retire them from show business and just be regular kids. With the exception of the Emmy-nominated television movie, Victory at Entebbe (1976) with Elizabeth Taylor, Anthony Hopkins, and Kirk Douglas, the boys did not act in any other program.
When they were fourteen years old, they said that they found out that their biological parents were actor Tony Curtis and beauty queen Peggy Potter, and once they were born, they were soon adopted.
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Dominique Swain |
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Dominique Swain is an American actress. She first came to attention as the title character in Adrian Lyne's 1997 adaptation of Lolita, alongside a supporting role in John Woo's Face/Off also released in the same year. She worked predominantly in independent cinema throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s with credits including Girl (1998), The Intern (2000), Tart (2001), and Pumpkin (2002). Next she was in Alpha Dog (2006), Road to Nowhere (2010), and a succession of films in the action, thriller, and horror genres.
In 1995, at the age of 15, Swain was chosen from 2,500 girls to play the title role of Dolores "Lolita" Haze in Adrian Lyne's controversial screen adaptation of the 1955 novel, Lolita. Released in 1997, the film earned positive reviews from critics with New York Magazine calling it "superior" to the Stanley Kubrick version from 1962,and Caryn James of The New York Times writing that Swain's performance was "extraordinary,"
Also in 1997, Swain appeared as John Travolta's rebellious teenage daughter, Jamie, in John Woo's commercially successful action thriller Face/Off, with a positive review from Entertainment Weekly highlighting her chemistry with Travolta Next, she headlined the 1998 drama Girl, in which she portrayed a high-schooler determined to lose her virginity. Writing for Variety, critic David Stratton called it a "well-cast, modestly effective pic" with "a bright, intelligent performance" by Swain
Speaking of finding it hard to secure roles in the wake of Lolita, a matter she attributed to typecasting, Swain later commented, "I turned down stuff specifically because of nudity, because it doesn't take a whole lot of class to yank your clothes off... I had a body double in Lolita [so] I think the goal was 'Let's see what she really looks like.' They were sending me scripts with no substance to them
Swain had prominent roles in various independent films throughout the early 2000s—The Smokers, The Intern, Pumpkin, and New Best Friend—and worked on three occasions with Brad Renfro—Happy Campers, Tart, The Job—prior to his death. In 2006, she starred as aspiring dancer Lori Gunderson in Totally Awesome, a parody of 1980s teen movies. She played the supporting role of Susan Hartunian in Alpha Dog, the closing night film at 2006's Sundance Film Festival. A crime drama based on the murder of Nicholas Markowitz, Swain's character was inspired by Natasha Adams-Young, a key figure in the real case who was granted legal immunity in exchange for her testimony in court
In 2007, Swain headlined the supernatural horror film Dead Mary, which Fangoria felt was successful in setting itself apart from other entries in the genre. Her performance in the 2010 thriller Road to Nowhere was lauded, which Kevin Thomas described as a "stylish, shimmering neo-noir" in his review for the Los Angeles Times
After lead roles in the straight-to-video action films The Girl from the Naked Eye, Nazis at the Center of the Earth, Skin Traffik, and Sharkansas Women's Prison Massacre, Swain starred in the 2016 thriller The Wrong Roommate; her first of several appearances in The Wrong... series, an anthological group of Lifetime television films
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Frankie Avalon
SATURDAY ONLY |
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Frankie Avalon, is an American singer, actor and former teen idol. He had 31 charting U.S. Billboard singles from 1958 to late 1962, including number one hits, "Venus" in 1959 and "Why" in 1960.
Avalon started appearing in films in the 1960s; he is well-known for having appeared in the Beach party films of this decade and for supporting roles in the 1960 western The Alamo and in the 1978 musical film Grease. In the latter film, he sings the song "Beauty School Dropout".
In December 1952, Avalon made his American network television debut playing the trumpet in The Honeymooners "Christmas Party" sketch on The Jackie Gleason Show. Two singles showcasing Avalon's trumpet playing were issued on RCA Victor's X sublabel in 1954.His trumpet playing was also featured on some of his LP songs as well. As a teenager, he played with Bobby Rydell in Rocco and the Saints.
In 1959, "Venus", which was a number one single for five consecutive weeks, and "Why" went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100. "Why" was the first number one hit of the 1960s.
Avalon had 31 charted U.S. Billboard singles from 1958 to late 1962, including "Just Ask Your Heart" (U.S. No. 7), "I'll Wait for You" (U.S. No. 5), "Bobby Sox to Stockings" (U.S. No. 8), and "A Boy Without a Girl" (U.S. No. 10). He was less popular in the UK, but did still manage four chart hits with "Why", "Ginger Bread", "Venus" and "Don't Throw Away All Those Teardrops". Most of his hit songs were written and/or produced by Bob Marcucci, head of Chancellor Records. Avalon concentrated on his acting career which detracted from his recording career, and "Why" of 1959 would be Avalon's final top 10 hit.
Avalon's first film was a short appearance in Jamboree (1957), playing a trumpet and singing "Teacher's Pet".
In the late 1950s, teen idols were often given roles in films, supporting older male stars in order to attract a younger audience, such as Ricky Nelson in Rio Bravo (1959). Alan Ladd's daughter was a Frankie Avalon fan, who recommended that he co-star with her father in the Western Guns of the Timberland (1960). Avalon sings two songs, "The Faithful Kind" and "Gee Whiz Whillikins Golly Gee"; both were released as singles.
Rushes for Timberland were seen by John Wayne, who was looking for a young actor to play the (fictitious) role of "Smitty" in his passion project, The Alamo (1960). Avalon was cast in his second dramatic part. After making the film Wayne told the press: "We're not cutting one bit of any scene in which Frankie appears. I believe he is the finest young talent I've seen in a long time." "Mr Wayne said I was natural as far as acting goes," said Avalon. He added: "My ambition when I was ten years old was to have my own band like Harry James. I never expected anything like this... I'd like to be identified as a singer, dancer, and actor. I don't want to be just one thing."
Avalon was now in demand as an actor. He provided the singing voice for the lead character in the English-language version of a Japanese musical anime, Alakazam the Great (1960), which was done at the behest of the US distributor, American International Pictures. It was the first in what would be a long association with that company.
For Irwin Allen, Avalon had a small role and sang the title song in the science fiction adventure film, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961), a solid commercial hit. He had a supporting role in a comedy, Sail a Crooked Ship (1961).
Avalon was teamed with Ray Milland in the science fiction film, Panic in Year Zero! (1962), written by Lou Rusoff. Samuel Z. Arkoff of American International Pictures (AIP) said Avalon and Milland were teamed together because "they both have particular types of followers and the combination adds up to an attraction"
For AIP, Avalon made a war film with Tab Hunter, Operation Bikini (1963), singing a few songs in flashback. At MGM, he played the lead in an adventure film set in Africa, Drums of Africa (1963).
Of more significance for Avalon's career was a project originally written by Rusoff, Beach Party (1963). This cheerful pop rock-and-roll musical comedy starred Annette Funicello and was directed by William Asher. Arkoff said AIP originally wanted Fabian Forte to co-star with Funicello, but when he proved unavailable, they went with Avalon; it was a big hit and led to several sequels. Filmink wrote "Avalon's warm persona and slightly cartoonish vibe were ideal for the beach party movies, with their in-jokes, double-takes, songs and silliness."
Avalon received an offer to appear in a swashbuckler set in 10th century Spain about Fernán González of Castile, The Castilian (1963). This was followed by the Beach Party sequel, Muscle Beach Party (1963), which proved to be popular. Even more so was the third in the film series Bikini Beach (1964), where Avalon had a dual role. In August 1964, Avalon announced he had signed to make 10 films in five years for AIP.
Pajama Party (1964) was the unofficial fourth film in the series; it was a science fiction spoof in which Avalon ceded the leading man duties to Tommy Kirk, retaining a cameo. He was back as the leading man in Beach Blanket Bingo (1965). He later recalled: "That's the picture of mine that I think people remember best, and it was just a lot of kids having a lot of fun ... a picture about young romance and about the opposition of adults and old people ... also fun because we got to learn how to fake skydive out of an airplane."
Avalon also appeared in nearly two dozen TV episodes, including ABC's The Bing Crosby Show and The Patty Duke Show, appearing often as himself. Later, he became a national television spokesperson for Sonic Drive-In. In 1965, he appeared in the Combat! TV series episode "Brother, Brother" as a childhood friend of Pfc. Kirby, played by Jack Hogan. Avalon and Tuesday Weld supported Bob Hope in the comedy film, I'll Take Sweden (1965) for Edward Small.
According to Filmink AIP gave "Avalon three terrific non-beach chances in 1965–the studio really looked after him with a series of roles that were utterly perfect for the singer." These were Ski Party, Sergeant Deadhead, and Dr Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine. Ski Party teamed him with Dwayne Hickman and was copy of Some Like It Hot (1959). Sergeant Deadhead (1965) was a military comedy with Avalon in another dual role. He had a cameo on How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965). The box office performance of these last few films was disappointing, especially Sergeant Deadhead, for which sequels had been planned. More popular was AIP's Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (1965), a comedy with Vincent Price and Hickman. This was liked well enough to justify a sequel, although Avalon did not appear; Fabian Forte took over the Avalon role. In January 1966, Avalon said he no longer wanted to make beach films. "Even a seagull leaves the beach from time to time, and I'm getting a little sick of sand."
AIP tried to find a new starring formula for Avalon, casting him as a stock car driver in Fireball 500 (1966), alongside Fabian and Funicello, for director William Asher. It was a medium financial success and led to other AIP stock car films, though none had Avalon starring in them. For Harry Alan Towers and AIP he played the lead role in The Million Eyes of Sumuru (1967), and also had a solid role in Skidoo (1968), a comedy from Otto Preminger. In England, he was in AIP's The Haunted House of Horror (1968).
In 1976, Avalon updated his song "Venus" with a new disco treatment. Materializing as a character called Teen Angel, his performance of "Beauty School Dropout" in the hit 1978 film of the musical Grease introduced Avalon to a new generation of viewers. Frankie Valli, who had turned the role down in favor of singing the theme song, noted that both he and Avalon earned substantial profits and a boost in their careers from their work on the film
The 1980 film The Idolmaker, written by Ed Di Lorenzo and directed by Taylor Hackford, was a thinly-disguised biography of Avalon ("Tommy Dee" in the film) as well as 1950s teenage star Fabian Forte (called "Caesare" in the film), along with songwriter/producer Bob Marcucci (called "Vinnie Vacarri").
Avalon also appeared in the Happy Days episode "Poobah Doo Dah" playing himself where he sings his hits "Venus" and "Why".
Avalon had the idea of returning to beach party films with Funicello. He hired several screenwriters and shopped the screenplay around town, eventually managing to set up the project at Paramount Pictures. Back to the Beach (1987) was a moderate success.
In 1989, Avalon and Funicello appeared as themselves in cameo roles, out jogging the streets in Troop Beverly Hills. Not long afterward Funicello retired, having been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
Avalon made a cameo appearance as himself with Robert De Niro in the 1995 film, Casino
Avalon has starred in stage productions of Grease in the role of Teen Angel and in Tony n' Tina's Wedding as a caricature of himself. In 2001, he appeared as himself in the Sabrina the Teenage Witch episode 'Beach Blanket Bizarro.'
Additionally, in 2007, he performed "Beauty School Dropout" with the four remaining female contenders (Kathleen Monteleone, Allie Schulz, Ashley Spencer, and winner Laura Osnes) for the role of Sandy on the NBC television reality show Grease: You're the One that I Want!.
On April 8, 2009, Avalon performed on American Idol.
As part of a long-running concert tour, Avalon has toured with fellow Philadelphian early 1960s teen idols Fabian and Bobby Rydell under the banner "Dick Fox's Golden Boys".
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Hayley Mills
1st Ever Hollywood Show! |
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Hayley Mills is an English actress. A daughter of Sir John Mills Bell and younger sister of actress Juliet Mills, she began her acting career as a child and was hailed as a promising newcomer, winning the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer for her performance in the British crime drama film Tiger Bay (1959), the Academy Juvenile Award for Disney's Pollyanna (1960) and Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress in 1961.
During her early career, Mills appeared in six films for Walt Disney, including her dual role as twins Susan and Sharon in the Disney film The Parent Trap (1961). Her performance in Whistle Down the Wind received a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best British Actress and she was voted the biggest star in Britain for 1961.
She also played in more mature roles. For her success with Disney, Mills received the Disney Legend Award. She has continued to make films and TV appearances during adulthood, including a starring role in the UK television mini-series The Flame Trees of Thika in 1981, the title role in Disney's television series Good Morning, Miss Bliss in 1988, and as Caroline, a main character in Wild at Heart (2007–2012) on ITV in the UK. She published her memoirs, Forever Young, in 2021
Bill Anderson, one of Walt Disney's producers, saw Tiger Bay and suggested that Mills be given the lead role in Pollyanna (1960). The role of the orphaned "glad girl" who moves in with her aunt catapulted her to stardom in the United States and earned her a special Academy Award of Juvenile Oscar, the last person to win the accolade. Because she could not be present to receive the trophy, Annette Funicello accepted it on her behalf. Disney subsequently cast Mills as twins Sharon and Susan who reunite their divorced parents in The Parent Trap (1961). In the film, she sings "Let's Get Together" as a duet with herself. The song was a hit around the world, reaching number 8 in the US.
Mills received an offer to make a film in Britain for Bryan Forbes, Whistle Down the Wind (1961), about some children who believe an escaped convict is Jesus. It was a hit at the British box office and she was voted the biggest star in Britain for 1961. Mills was offered the title role in Lolita by Stanley Kubrick, but her father turned it down. "I wish I had done it", she said in 1962. "It was a smashing film. Mills returned to Disney for an adventure film, In Search of the Castaways (1962), based on a novel by Jules Verne. It was another popular success, and she was voted the fifth biggest star in the country for the next two years.
In 1963, Disney announced plans to film an adaptation of Dodie Smith's novel Capture the Castle, with Mills in the role of Cassandra. Disney ended up dropping the project while still retaining film rights to the book when the novelist and the selected screenwriter Sally Benson did not get along; Mills grew too old for the part before the project could be revived. Her fourth movie for Disney did less well than her previous Disney films but was still successful: Summer Magic (1963), a musical adaptation of the novel Mother Carey's Chickens. Ross Hunter hired her for a British-American production The Chalk Garden (1964), playing a girl who torments governess Deborah Kerr. Back at Disney she was in a film about jewel thieves, The Moon-Spinners (1964), getting her first on screen kiss from Peter McEnery. Mills had a change of pace with Sky West and Crooked (1965), set in the world of gypsies, written by her mother and directed by her father, but it was not commercially successful.
In contrast, her last film with Disney, the comedy That Darn Cat! (also 1965), did very well at the box office
During her six-year run at Disney, Mills was arguably the most popular child actress of the era. Critics noted that America's favourite child star was, in fact, quite British and very ladylike. The success of "Let's Get Together" (which hit No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, No. 17 in Britain, No. 1 in Mexico, and No. 29 in Canada also led to the release of a record album on Disney's Buena Vista label, Let's Get Together with Hayley Mills, which also included another hit song, "Johnny Jingo" (Billboard No. 21, 1962; Canada No. 19. In 1962, British exhibitors voted her the most popular film actress in the country A third single, "Castaway", reached No. 14 in Canada.
In her 2021 autobiography, Forever Young: A Memoir, Mills reflected on the high points of her early career while also discussing her struggles with self-esteem and an eating disorder. She wrote that she had declined roles in Doctor Dolittle and Stanley Kubrick's Lolita because they were inconsistent with the image cultivated during her years with Disney. Although she acknowledged the opportunities afforded by her contract with Walt Disney, she stated that it had restricted her access to a broader range of roles and had, in time, affected her confidence in her own abilities. At age 20, she declined a new Disney contract, believing that the roles assigned to her by the studio had become repetitive. She also wrote that, at 21, she had lost most of her Disney earnings as a result of a 90 percent tax rate imposed by the Inland Revenue in England. Her appeal to recover the funds was unsuccessful, and she recalled that she had feared following the path of Judy Garland by becoming, in her words, a "studio asset".
Post-Disney film career
Following her departure from Disney, Mills continued her film career with a series of diverse roles. For Universal Pictures, she starred alongside her father, John Mills, in The Truth About Spring (1965), which also featured Disney regular James MacArthur. While the film achieved modest success, her next role was in The Trouble with Angels (1966), which proved to be a major box office hit. In the film, directed by Ida Lupino, Mills portrayed a mischievous student at a Catholic boarding school opposite Rosalind Russell.
That same year, she provided the voice of the Little Mermaid in the Rankin/Bass animated feature The Daydreamer (1966). Mills subsequently starred in The Family Way (1966), directed by Roy Boulting. The film, which explored the challenges of a newlywed couple, was noted for its mature themes and featured a musical score by Paul McCartney with arrangements by Beatles producer George Martin. During the production, Mills began a romantic relationship with Boulting; the two married in 1971.
In 1967, Mills appeared in Pretty Polly, a romantic drama set in Singapore, opposite Indian film star Shashi Kapoor. She next starred in the psychological thriller Twisted Nerve (1968), reuniting with The Family Way co-star Hywel Bennett. The controversial film, directed by Boulting, attracted attention for its unsettling themes. She followed this with the romantic comedy Take a Girl Like You (1970), co-starring Oliver Reed, and made her West End stage debut in a 1970 production of The Wild Duck.
Mills continued her collaboration with Boulting in Mr. Forbush and the Penguins (1971), stepping into the lead female role after the original actress was replaced during production.In 1972, she again starred opposite Bennett in Endless Night, a mystery-thriller based on the novel by Agatha Christie, featuring Britt Ekland, George Sanders, and Per Oscarsson. Throughout the mid-1970s, Mills took on roles in several British and international productions, including What Changed Charley Farthing? (1974), Deadly Strangers, and The Kingfisher Caper (both 1975), the latter co-written by Boulting.
Following The Kingfisher Caper, Mills significantly reduced her feature film work but continued to act in occasional roles over the ensuing decades. She appeared as Miss Quinton in the television adaptation Appointment with Death (1988), and as Sally Ryan in the horror anthology film After Midnight (1990). In 1994, she contributed her voice to the animated feature A Troll in Central Park, portraying the character Hillary.
In the 2000s, Mills took part in independent productions, including 2BPerfectlyHonest (2004), in which she played Terri, and the short film Stricken (2005), where she portrayed Hildy. She later appeared in the family adventure Mandie and the Cherokee Treasure (2010) as Mary Elizabeth Taft, adapted from the Mandie book series, and in the drama Foster (also known as Angel in the House, 2011) as Mrs. Lange.
Mills continued to appear sporadically in film thereafter. In 2021, she played Celia Towers in the time-travel drama Last Train to Christmas, and in 2023, she portrayed Karen Walters in Arthur’s Whisky.
In 2024, Mills appeared in a major American theatrical release in a supporting role as FBI profiler Dr. Josephine Grant in M. Night Shyamalan's psychological thriller Trap. Her casting in the film was highlighted by Shyamalan and in media coverage as a notable and unexpected return for the actress. Trap marked Mills's first major role in a mainstream American film in nearly 60 years, following her performance in The Trouble with Angels (1966).
Mills's post-Disney career was marked by a conscious shift toward more adult and diverse roles. As one critic observed, "She was a movie star for about a decade... a genuine, old-school, above-the-title movie star: listed in box-office polls, the focus of a carefully-protected public image, signatory to a long-term contract with a studio who would try to craft vehicles for her. In fact, you could make an argument that Hayley Mills was one of the last stars for whom that last factor applied, at least in English-speaking cinema".
Television resurgence and reception
In 1981, Mills returned to acting with a starring role in the UK television mini-series The Flame Trees of Thika, based on Elspeth Huxley's memoir of her childhood in East Africa. The series was well received, prompting her to accept more acting roles. She then returned to the United States and made two appearances on The Love Boat in 1985 and an episode of Murder, She Wrote in 1986.
Always welcomed at Disney, Mills narrated an episode of The Wonderful World of Disney, sparking renewed interest in her Disney work. In 1985, she was originally considered to voice Princess Eilonwy in Disney's animated feature film The Black Cauldron but was later replaced by the veteran British voice actress Susan Sheridan. Later, she reprised her roles as twins Sharon and Susan for a trio of Parent Trap television films The Parent Trap II, Parent Trap III, and Parent Trap: Hawaiian Honeymoon. She also starred as the title character in the Disney Channel-produced television series Good Morning, Miss Bliss in 1987. The show was cancelled after 13 episodes and the rights were acquired by NBC, which reformatted Good Morning, Miss Bliss into Saved by the Bell without any further involvement from Mills. In recognition of her work with The Walt Disney Company, she was awarded the Disney Legends award in 1998.
Mills recalled her childhood in the 2000 documentary film Sir John Mills' Moving Memories, which was directed by Marcus Dillistone and produced by her brother Jonathan.In 2005 she appeared in the acclaimed short film Stricken, written and directed by Jayce Bartok. From 2007 to 2012, she appeared as Caroline in the ITV1 African veterinarian drama Wild at Heart; her sister Juliet Mills was a guest star in the drama, which was the first time they had appeared on screen together.
In 2010, Mills appeared in Mandie and the Cherokee Treasure, based on one of the popular Mandie novels of Lois Gladys Leppard. In 2011, she starred in the film Foster with Toni Collette. Mills guest-starred in episodes of Midsomer Murders and Moving On in 2014. In 2019, she had a role in the television series Pitching In set at a holiday park in Wales. In 2021, Mills played Michael Sheen's mother in the film Last Train to Christmas, and in 2022 she had a recurring role in the television thriller series Compulsion
In February 2023 Mills appeared in the fifth series of the ITV crime drama Unforgotten as Lady Emma Hume. In September 2023, Mills appeared in an episode of The Wheel of Time. |
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Jaime Pressly
1st Hollywood Show Appearance! |
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Jaime Elizabeth Pressly is an American actress and model.
Known for her role as Joy Turner on the NBC sitcom My Name Is Earl (2005–2009), she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and received nominations for two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Golden Globe Award, a Satellite Award, and four Gold Derby Awards (winning once). She has appeared in such films as Can't Hardly Wait (1998), Inferno (1999), Not Another Teen Movie (2001), The Karate Dog (2004), and I Love You, Man (2009). For her portrayal of Jill Kendall on the CBS sitcom Mom (2014–2021), she was nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
She spent her childhood and early teenage years training as a gymnast, which led her to modeling jobs At age 14, she appeared on her first cover, Teen Magazine, and became the spokesmodel for the International Cover Model Search. At 15, she dropped out of school and went to Japan on a modeling contract. She succeeded in having herself legally emancipated from her parents at 15 so she could travel to Japan, as neither of her parents could make the trip
After making an uncredited appearance in Baywatch in 1995, followed by filming a cameo in the film Mercenary in 1996, Pressly starred as Violet, a vengeful seductress, in the 1997 direct-to-DVD film Poison Ivy: The New Seduction, the third installment of the Poison Ivy series. After a small role in the teen cult classic Can't Hardly Wait, television appearances followed, with guest roles in the short-lived Push and Mortal Kombat: Conquest. She went on to play one of the leads in Jack & Jill, which aired for two seasons, from September 26, 1999, to April 15, 2001, on The WB. Pressly headlined the independent film Poor White Trash (2000), playing scheming gold-digger Sandy Lake, and appeared in three 2001 theatrical releases aimed at a teenage audience, which despite varying degrees of success, helped her receive more exposure. The parody film Not Another Teen Movie, most notably, featured her as Priscilla, a high school cheerleader opposite Chris Evans, while she took on the roles of a young wife in the sex comedy Tomcats and that of a Southern love interest in the comedy Joe Dirt, opposite David Spade.
In 2002, Pressly starred as a college student trapped in a haunted island in the independent horror film Demon Island. Felix Vasquez of Cinema Crazed regarded it as a guilty pleasure and stated: "[She] does what she can with her character and comes off as a rather charming character". She next portrayed a crazed, motorcycle-riding criminal in the action thriller Torque (2004), alongside Ice Cube. In a profile, The New Yorker, describing this phase of her career, asserted: "She is typically cast on the strength of her looks and her Southern sassiness, and she has had girlfriend roles in several forgettable teensploitation flicks"
Between 2005 and 2009, Pressly played Joy Turner, the pessimistic, cold-hearted, stubborn and vain ex-wife of a small-time thief, in the NBC sitcom My Name Is Earl, which was a success with critics and audiences. She garnered nominations for a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award, and in 2007, she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on the show. Pressly once called her role her "greatest release" and thanked creator Greg Garcia for restoring her faith in the business. She remarked: "[The series] came at a time when I was questioning whether this was the path I wanted to continue following. I was tired of living out of my suitcase, coming and going all the time. I wanted a little normalcy in my life."
During the early run of My Name Is Earl, Pressly produced and took on the role of a homicidal magazine editor in the independent film Death to the Supermodels (2005), a role she compared to that of Reese Witherspoon in Election. In his review for the film, Scott Weinberg of DVDTalk.com, wrote: "Jaime Pressly is a funny, funny woman. To those of you My Name Is Earl fans who are just now discovering the juicy talents of the perpetually sneering, eye-rolling, attitude machine known as Jaime Pressly, I'd recommend you check out her work in flicks like Ringmaster, Tomcats, Joe Dirt, Torque, and Not Another Teen Movie. Basically, if we were giving out an award for "the consistently best thing in a series of generally atrocious comedies," Jaime would be walking home with that prize, no sweat. Regardless of how bad the movie is [...] Jaime always seems like a kooky and kinetic cartoon character who somehow figured out how to become flesh & blood. Yes, she's sexy and all that, but Jaime Pressly is also funny, and that just amplifies all her other assets".
In DOA: Dead or Alive (2006), a British-German martial arts action film based on a Japanese video game franchise of the same name, Pressly starred as one of four female fighters working together to uncover the secret that the organizer of an invitational martial arts contest is trying to hide. While the film was relatively successful on some markets, it only found a limited audience in North America. In 2006, she also hosted the first annual VH1 Rock Honors, and an episode of Saturday Night Live, and guest-starred on MADtv, playing Hillary Clinton in a parody of My Name Is Earl, "My Name Is Dubya", in which George W. Bush (Frank Caliendo) makes a list of all the bad things he has done in the past and rectifies them one by one. She voiced a bird in the animated comedy film Horton Hears a Who! (2008)
In I Love You, Man (2009), Pressly starred opposite Paul Rudd and Jason Segel, as the best friend of a bride-to-be and one half of a volatile married couple. The film received critical acclaim and was a box office success, grossing US$92 million worldwide. Rolling Stone found her "terrific" in her role, asserting: "Her battles with [her on-screen husband] have genuine comic bite"
The ABC Family television film Beauty & the Briefcase (2010), co-starring Hilary Duff, featured Pressly as a primary editor at Cosmopolitan magazine. The premiere received 2.4 million viewers attracting a strong female audience that drove the network to an all-time high in viewers Smoke Screen, another 2010 television film, saw her star as a reporter finding herself in the middle of a murder investigation when she wakes up next to a dead body. In 2010, Pressly also guest-starred in two episodes of the CBS comedy Rules of Engagement, as a possible surrogate mother for Jeff and Audrey (Patrick Warburton and Megyn Price).
In 6 Month Rule (2011), an independent film released for limited theaters and digital markets, Pressly played what was described as a "harridan of an ex-fiancée" by the New York Times. She appeared in the interactive educational children's musical comedy The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure (2012), as a flamenco dancer riding a giant flying sombrero. Budgeted at US$20 million, the film only made US$445,000 in more than 2,000 screens during its opening weekend. Pressly next had regular roles in two short-lived series. The Fox sitcom I Hate My Teenage Daughter (2011–2012) saw her portray a mother fearing her daughter is turning into the kind of girl who tormented her in high school, while the TV Land comedy Jennifer Falls (2014) featured her as a single mother, who after being fired from a high-paying job, becomes a waitress in her brother's bar.
Pressly obtained leading roles in three 2014 film releases. In A Haunted House 2, Pressly starred as a mother of two and one half of an interracial couple, alongside Marlon Wayans. She had known Wayans for 15 years prior filming and the project marked the first time they worked together. Describing the process, she said: "It was a match made in heaven. It really was. We're both high energy, and we both like to do something new every take, and when you do comedy like this, where you get to improv the majority of the time, it's about trying to one-up each other, and that makes for a really great comedy". The film was panned by critics, but was a decent box office success. She starred opposite singer Robin Thicke in the romantic comedy Making the Rules, which was filmed in 2012.] Finders Keepers, a television horror film, saw Pressly play a divorced mother whose life is thrown into turmoil when her young daughter becomes obsessed with an evil doll left behind by the previous owners.
From 2014 to 2021, Pressly portrayed Jill Kendall, a wealthy socialite and alcoholic, in the CBS sitcom Mom.Mom was met with widespread critical acclaim and ran for eight seasons. Created and executive produced by Chuck Lorre, the show followed a group of women recovering from addiction.On August 4, 2022, Fox announced that Pressly had joined the cast of the sitcom Welcome to Flatch as a series regular for the second season
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Jan Smithers |
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Jan Smithers is an American former actress, model and singer. She is best known for playing Bailey Quarters on the CBS sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati (1978–1982)
Smithers made her mark as a successful fashion model before embarking on an acting career. She was the co-lead singer of the early 1970s band Hot Cup of Friends which featured Christopher Mancini (the son of Henry Mancini)
Smithers, in her early 20s, won a role in the 1974 feature film, Where the Lilies Bloom, about a household of children surviving in the Appalachian Mountains. In 1978, she got her biggest break, landing a role on the situation comedy, WKRP in Cincinnati, playing Bailey Quarters
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Jennifer O'Neill |
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Jennifer O'Neill is a Brazilian-born American model, and former actress. After moving to the United States as an infant, she first came to prominence as a teenaged model, and for her spokesperson work for CoverGirl cosmetics, which began in 1963 and spanned three decades. She made her feature-film debut in the comedy film For Love of Ivy (1968), followed by a lead role in Howard Hawks's Western film Rio Lobo (1970).
O'Neill's breakthrough role came in Robert Mulligan's period drama Summer of '42 (1971), in which she portrayed the wife of an army serviceman during World War II who becomes the subject of a teenaged boy's romantic attraction. The same year, she starred in Otto Preminger's Such Good Friends. In the mid-1970s, she appeared in several Italian films, including Luchino Visconti's final feature, The Innocent (1976), and Lucio Fulci's giallo horror film The Psychic (1977). She later starred in David Cronenberg's cult horror film Scanners (1981), and in the short-lived television series Cover Up (1984–1985).
Since the 1990s, O'Neill has occasionally appeared in film and television, including roles in the independent film Doonby (2013) and the Rachel Scott biopic I'm Not Ashamed (2016).
After her family's relocation to New York City, two of O'Neill's neighbors suggested that she model: "That appealed to me, because then I could buy my own horse and no one could take anything away from me again. So I strolled into Eileen Ford’s agency, and she signed me on the spot."[8] By age 15, while attending the prestigious Dalton School in Manhattan, she began appearing on the covers of Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and Seventeen, earning $80,000 ($851,000 today) in 1962. Commenting on O'Neill in 1965, Diana Vreeland said: "O'Neill is a dream. She has great distinction."
O'Neill largely used her modeling income to fund her equestrian endeavors,which afforded her to purchase her own horse, named Alezon. When O'Neill was 15 years old, though, the horse balked before a wall at a horse show, throwing her, causing her to fracture her neck and lower spine in three places. The injury resulted in her suffering lifelong back pain. O'Neill eventually dropped out of the Dalton School at age 17
In 1963, O'Neill signed a contract with CoverGirl cosmetics, marking the beginning of a 30-year career as a spokesperson for the company. O'Neill is listed in the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History's Center for Advertising History for her long-standing contract with CoverGirl cosmetics as its model and spokesperson in ads and television commercials.
In 1968, O'Neill landed a small role in the comedy film For Love of Ivy. In 1970, she played her first lead role in the Howard Hawks film Rio Lobo co-starring John Wayne. She had a supporting role in Otto Preminger's Such Good Friends (1971) starring Dyan Cannon and Ken Howard.
In the 1971 film Summer of '42, O'Neill played Dorothy Walker, the early-20s wife of an airman who has gone off to fight in World War II. She stated in a 2002 interview that her agent had to fight to even get a reading for the part, since the role had been cast for an "older woman" to a "coming of age" 15-year-old boy, and the director was only considering actresses over the age of 30. The film was a box-office success and went on to attract a cult following.
In 1972, she co-starred with Tom Jones in David Winters's television special The Special London Bridge Special. The same year, she starred in the crime thriller The Carey Treatment (1972), and the drama Glass Houses, the latter of which was filmed in 1970. This was followed by a lead role in Lady Ice (1973) opposite Donald Sutherland and Robert Duvall.
O'Neill next had a leading role in the psychological horror film The Reincarnation of Peter Proud (1975), co-starring with Michael Sarrazin and Margot Kidder, and directed by J. Lee Thompson.The same year, she appeared opposite Elliott Gould in the Ted Post-directed comedy Whiffs
By the mid-1970s, O'Neill had forged a career in Italy, first starring in Luigi Zampa's drama The Flower in His Mouth (1975) opposite James Mason, which was shot on location in Sicily. The following year, she starred in Luchino Visconti's final directorial feature, The Innocent, and subsequently starred in Lucio Fulci's The Psychic (1977), portraying a clairvoyant whose visions lead to the discovery of a murder.
She was in the movie Caravans (1978) with Anthony Quinn, Christopher Lee and Michael Sarrazin.
She was originally cast in the Disney film The Black Hole (1979), but was told she needed to cut her hair because it would be easier to film the zero-G scenes. She gave in, drinking wine during the haircut and leaving noticeably impaired. She lost the part after a serious car crash on the way home. O'Neill was instead cast in the action martial arts film A Force of One (1979), co-starring with Chuck Norris
1980–1990: Subsequent film and television
O'Neill starred opposite David Carradine in the aviation-themed drama Cloud Dancer (1980), followed by a lead role in David Cronenberg's science-fiction horror film Scanners (1981), portraying a woman who leads an oppositional group against a malevolent private military company creating biokinetic and psychokinetic humans.
When her movie career slowed, O'Neill took roles in series television. She starred in NBC's short-lived 1982 primetime soap opera Bare Essence and played the lead female role on the 1984 television series Cover Up. On October 12, 1984, Jon-Erik Hexum, O'Neill's co-star in the Cover Up television series, mortally wounded himself on the show's set, unaware that a gun loaded with a blank cartridge could still cause extreme damage from the effect of expanding powder gases. He died six days later.
O'Neill continued to appear in film and television throughout the late 1980s, including in the drama film I Love N.Y. (1987) and in the Perry Mason television film Perry Mason: The Case of the Shooting Star (1986).
In 1991, O'Neill starred in the thriller film Committed, portraying a nurse who discovers the fellow staff at the psychiatric hospital where she has been hired are in fact inmates. She later starred opposite James Brolin in The Visual Bible: Acts (1994), which depicts the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament.
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Juliet Mills |
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Juliet Mills is an English and American actress. The daughter of actor Sir John Mills and older sister of actress Hayley Mills, she began her career as a child actress and was nominated at age 18 for a Tony Award for her stage performance in Five Finger Exercise in 1960. She progressed to film work and then to television, playing the lead role on the sitcom Nanny and the Professor in the early 1970s. She received Golden Globe Award nominations for her work in this series and for her role in the film Avanti! in 1972. She won an Emmy Award for her performance in the television miniseries QB VII.
In 1983, Mills joined The Mirror Theater Ltd's Mirror Repertory Company, performing in repertory productions such as Rain, Paradise Lost, Inheritors and The Hasty Heart throughout their seasons. From 1999 until 2008, she starred as Tabitha Lenox on the television soap opera Passions, for which she was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award.
Mills was born on 21 November 1941 in London during World War II, though her parents, the actor John Mills and playwright Mary Hayley Bell, soon moved the family to the country to be away from the Luftwaffe bombing raids. She is the elder sister of the actress Hayley Mills and director Jonathan Mills.
Because of her parents' careers, Mills grew up surrounded by famous actors, including Rex Harrison, David Niven and Marlon Brando. She recalled her childhood in the 2000 documentary film Sir John Mills' Moving Memories, written by her brother. Her godmother was actress Vivien Leigh, and her godfather was playwright Noël Coward.She attended the Elmhurst Ballet School, in Camberley, Surrey.
As a child, Mills appeared as an extra in various films, including a role as Freda's 11-week-old baby in the 1942 film In Which We Serve, starring her father. In 1955, aged 14, while boarding at Elmhurst Ballet School, she appeared in a starring role as Alice in a London stage production of Alice Through the Looking Glass at the Chelsea Palace Theatre.
Her first major film role came in 1958, when she was 16, as Pamela Harrington in the Peter Shaffer play Five Finger Exercise. The show ran one year in London, and then moved to the Music Box Theatre on Broadway. In 1960, Mills was nominated for a Tony Award as "Best Featured Actress" for her performance as Pamela.
In 1961, Mills appeared as a stowaway, dressed as a man but the daughter of a ship's gunner, in episode 2 of Sir Francis Drake. This was one of her first TV appearances, and was echoed by an almost identical role in the 1964 film Carry On Jack
In the 1960s, Mills would appear both in films and on television. She had a role in the film, The Rare Breed with James Stewart and Maureen O'Hara, and on television series such as The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Ben Casey and 12 O'Clock High. She has stated that the highlight of her film career was Avanti! (1972), directed by Billy Wilder, in which she starred opposite Jack Lemmon and for which she received a Golden Globe Award nomination in 1973.In 1974, Mills starred alongside fellow English actor Richard Johnson in the Italian horror film Beyond the Door, playing the role of Jessica Barrett, a woman who becomes demonically possessed after an unplanned pregnancy. The movie was a major success, making over $15 million at the box office, though the producers were sued by Warner Bros due to similarities to The Exorcist. Mills also appeared in a two-part 1978 episode of the TV series The Love Boat, playing Barbara Danver, wife of Alan Danver, played by Dan Rowan
In 1969, Mills was cast in the American television series Nanny and the Professor, which premiered on ABC in January, 1970. Mills played Phoebe Figalilly, a nanny with seemingly magical powers, reminiscent of Mary Poppins. Mills has stated that she herself believes in magic, witches and fairies: "There's a lot more, you know, in the aether and around us ... We have guides, and we have angels taking care of us ... I believe in metaphysics, in a big way." She was again nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 1971 for the same role. Despite strong ratings, the series ran only for two seasons, in 1970 and 1971. After the show was moved from a timeslot near The Partridge Family and The Brady Bunch, two highly successful sitcoms, to a different night of the week, ratings fell eventually leading to its cancellation.
In 1974, Mills won an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Comedy or Drama Special" for her performance in the miniseries adaptation of QB VII. During the 1974–75 television season, she also had a recurring role as Dr. Claire Hanley on NBC's Born Free. In 1980, Mills returned to the stage, starring in The Elephant Man, with Maxwell Caulfield, who became her third husband.
In 1999, Mills was cast on the daytime drama Passions as Tabitha Lenox, a witch who was burned at the stake in the 17th century. Initially, the character wished harm on other people, but in a June 2007 episode, the character was declared a "good witch".Mills was nominated for her first Daytime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Lead Actress" for the role.
Passions ended in August, 2008. In 2009, Mills joined the cast the ITV drama Wild at Heart, playing Georgina, the sister of a character played in the previous series by her real-life sister Hayley. She also guest-starred in two episodes of Hot in Cleveland as Philipa Scroggs, the mother of Joy (played by Jane Leeves) |
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Karen Sharpe-Kramer |
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Karen Sharpe-Kramer was born in San Antonio, Texas, and was an acclaimed actress for over twenty years, enjoying decades in the film and entertainment industry. She is a Golden Globe winner and an Emmy Nominee, was a guest star in over ninety television shows and ten motion pictures, is a renowned pioneer of live television. Karen was put into ballet shoes as a youngster. Her initial excursion to California was, at age 12, with the interest of becoming a professional ice skater, but the lure of becoming a professional actress intervened. Her training as a teenager in the theater paid off and, in 1952, she appeared in Stanley Kramer's production of "The Sniper " directed by Edward Dmytryk. Her role consisted solely of three lines delivered while sitting on a drugstore stool and ordering a cherry phosphate. Although she did not personally meet Kramer at the time, it would be a foreshadow of a future lifelong relationship.
Not"- Juanita Moore Productions.
In her salad days, she paid the rent and more as a billboard model and graced such popular magazine covers "Cosmopolitan" and "Pageant." On film, MGM featured her as Janice Rule's kid sister in "Holiday for Sinners" opposite William Campbell Producer Hal Roach gave her a break by featuring her in the popular "White Rain" commercials, where she danced her way to fame across the tops of rows of shampoo bottles. She was Modern Screen Magazine's Golden Key Award winner as 1952's "Star of Tomorrow." Columbia Pictures picked up on this recognition and placed her in the Hugo Haas melodrama "Strange Fascination" (1952). Monogram Pictures offered her a starring role in "Army Bound", which led to her being cast in Walter Mirisch's cult programmer, "Bomba and the Jungle Girl" also in 1952, with Johnny Sheffield, who played "Boy" in the Tarzan series. He played Bomba to Karen's "Jungle Girl." The John Payne western "The Vanquished" followed, for Paramount Pictures. The film also starred Jan Sterling, who went on to appear with Karen in a couple of other major films and became a close friend and mentor.
After filming the crime drama "Mexican Manhunt" (1953) starring George Brent, for Allied Artists, Karen received the biggest break of her young career. Director William A. Wellman cast her in the Wayne-Fellows-Warner Brothers epic airline disaster film "The High and the Mighty" (1954). An all-star ensemble, it featured Karen as "Nell Buck', a young bride opposite John Smith as her new husband "Milo." Karen's standout performance garnered her the 1954 Golden Globe Award for "New Star of the Year" (1954). The film's star and producer John Wayne put her under contract to his new company, Batjac. Sharpe was then loaned out to Ida Lupino's company for "Mad at the World" (1955) Karen then co-starred in United Artists' "Man with the Gun" opposite Robert Mitchum. Cast in Batjac's "Man in the Vault" (1956) Sharpe went on loan again, this time for Columbia's war picture, "Tarawa Beachhead" (1958). During the 1950's, against concerns of the studios, but with the encouragement of John Wayne, he advised Sharpe to "do anything and everything you can to grow as an artist", Karen took Wayne's advice to heart and made herself available for television.
Karen was cast as the female lead in the prestigious Hall of Fame, the first hour-long live telecast "The Life of Moses." She starred in Playhouse 90,Studio One ,Matinee Theater, General Electric Theater, Climax!, Lux Playhouse among others., Life Magazine called her "the busiest actress in television" in the 1960's. Karen excelled at comedy with appearances in "Abbott & Costello- The Honeymoon House," "The Smothers Brothers," "Gomer Pyle" and more. She was well known for her stellar acting in the Western genre, including Aaron Spelling's first television series, "Johnny Ringo," "Gunsmoke," "The Wild Wild West," "Rawhide," opposite Clint Eastwood "The Dakotas," "Laramie," "Stagecoach West," "Bonanza," "Overland Trail," "The Texas Trackdown," "The Range Rider," "Death Valley Days," She also appeared in episodes of classic TV shows " The Loretta Young Show," "Perry Mason," "Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse," "77 Sunset Strip," "Mike Hammer," "Conflict" with Dennis Hopper,” The Man From U.N.C.L.E", "Yancy Derringer," and "Hawaiian Eye" among others.
Following a hiatus from Hollywood, while straightening out family estate matters, Karen was cast in the 2nd episode of the iconic television series "I Dream of Jeannie" (1965) starring Barbara Eden. Sharpe was excellent as "Melissa Stone" as Larry Hagman's fiancé, and " Jeannie's" nemesis. It was during this time that comedy legend Jerry Lewis signed Karen to play opposite him as his leading lady "Julie Blair" in the Paramount comedy " The Disorderly Orderly." (1964) It was during this time she had a chance encounter with Stanley Kramer, who was directing "Ship of Fools" (1965) on the lot. She eventually married the legendary Mr. Kramer in 1966, giving up her flourishing acting career to work alongside her husband as a producer. Their first collaboration was the landmark, Oscar-winning classic "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner/" starring Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Sidney Poitier, introducing Hepburn's niece, Katharine Houghton, whom Karen was instrumental in casting in the movie. Stanley taught her the ropes, and she worked alongside him on all his later films. Karen didn't take credit because she wanted to earn her own respect. She raised four children, including her two daughters with Mr. Kramer, Katharine "Kat" Kramer, named for her Godmother Katharine Hepburn, and Jennifer Kramer. She founded The Stanley Kramer Library, and her own production company KN'K Productions Inc, co-founded along with her actress daughters. Karen has produced and/or executive produced numerous films, including the award-winning short film "Nakusa" written directed and starring Jennifer Kramer. as well as a box set with Sony Pictures of the Stanley Kramer Film Collection Volume 1. She produced and hosted the "special features" section, organizing interviews and commentary from Steven Spielberg, Tom Brokaw, Taylor Hackford, Harrison Ford, the late Quincy Jones, and more. The participating talent waived their fees and greatly revere the Kramer Legacy.
In 2001, Karen established the prestigious Stanley Kramer Award at the Producer's Guild of America, and the Stanley Kramer Fellowship in Directing at UCLA School of Film/Television. As a producer of live events, Karen produced both the 40th and 50th Anniversaries of "It's A Mad Mad Mad World" at the Cinerama Dome , the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, The Egyptian Theatre as well as the 50th Anniversary of "Judgment At Nuremberg,", the 40th Anniversary of "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?", the Stanley Kramer Centennial Celebration Opening Night and three month long retrospective at the Billy Wilder Theatre both at UCLA's Billy Wilder Theatre She has also introduced her late husband's films, and is a fixture on panels, with Stanley Kramer films, as well as her own film historian,
When the Tribeca Film Festival honored Kramer's first film "So This Is New York" as part of their "Restored and Rediscovered" series, established by Martin Scorsese and restored by the Film Foundation, Karen took the stage with Mr. Scorsese to introduce the film and participate in the panel/Q and A. Karen co-produces the international cinema series "Kat Kramer's Films That Change The World". She is a long-time member of the Producer's Guild and has been a member of various guilds including SAG-AFTRA and The Television Academy.
Karen has received numerous awards as a producer and for keeping the Stanley Kramer Legacy alive. In 2017, she received the "first” UNITY Award from the Women's Image Network. She accepted the Icon Award for the late Sidney Poitier from the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) and the organization has since created the Karen and Stanley Kramer "Social Justice" Award during awards season. Karen is a consulting producer on the new stage adaptation of Stanley Kramer's "High Noon" written by Eric Roth. Karen co-produced the "High Noon" re-make starring Tom Skerritt for TBS. She is the Board Chair for the non-profit "Forget Me |
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Kristin Bauer |
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Kristin Bauer is an American film and television actress, notable for her roles as vampire Pamela Swynford De Beaufort on the HBO television series True Blood, Jerry's girlfriend Gillian ("man hands") on Seinfeld, and as Maleficent in the ABC series Once Upon a Time
In 1995, Bauer van Straten had her first regular role in a television series, as Maggie Reynolds on The Crew. Other recurring roles include Geneva Renault in Total Security, Candy Cooper in That's Life, Rebecca Colfax in Dirty Sexy Money, and Belinda Slypich in Hidden Hills. Perhaps her best known film role was in Dancing at the Blue Iguana in 2000. Bauer van Straten played a porn star appearing as the featured act at a Los Angeles strip club and performed an extended nude dance.
In 2001, she starred in the award-winning short film Room 302, and in 2004 she had a minor role in the film 50 First Dates, which starred Adam Sandler. In the animated series Justice League, she supplied the voice of the superhero Mera.
She has also made a number of guest appearances in several television shows, including LA Law, Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond, Dark Angel, Two and a Half Men, Star Trek: Enterprise, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Desperate Housewives, and George Lopez. She famously appeared in a Seinfeld episode (The Bizarro Jerry) as Gillian, Jerry's girlfriend with "man hands", although the actual "man hands", seen only in close-ups, belonged to a member of the production crew.
From 2008 to its conclusion in 2014, Bauer van Straten played the vampire Pamela Swynford De Beaufort on the HBO fantasy drama series, True Blood.On December 8, 2009, TV Guide confirmed she had been promoted from recurring status to a series regular.
In 2011, she was cast in the fantasy television series Once Upon a Time as the evil fairy Maleficent (the wicked fairy godmother, using the name from Disney's Sleeping Beauty), the rival of the Evil Queen of Snow White.
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Lainie Kazan |
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Lainie Kazan is an American actress and singer. She was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for St. Elsewhere and the 1993 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for My Favorite Year. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her role in My Favorite Year (1982). Kazan played Maria Portokalos in My Big Fat Greek Wedding and its sequel film My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2. She also played Aunt Frida on The Nanny.
Kazan made her Broadway debut in 1961 with the musical The Happiest Girl in the World. She appeared the following year in another musical, Bravo Giovanni, and understudied Barbra Streisand for the lead role of Fanny Brice in Funny Girl (1964). When Streisand could not perform due to a throat condition, Kazan took her place in a matinee and evening performance for one day of the show's run. Her popularity increasing, Kazan posed nude for the October 1970 issue of Playboy, which was reused in Pocket Playboy #4, issued in 1974. Her appearance in the magazine opened the door for her to headline and operate two different Playboy Jazz Clubs. Overseen by Hugh Hefner, the clubs were named Lainie's Room West and Lainie's Room East, each on opposite coasts, with the first one located in Los Angeles and the other in Manhattan. Her Playboy photographs inspired the look of Jack Kirby’s superheroine Big Barda
Along with appearing in numerous supper clubs across the country, Kazan guest-starred on Dean Martin’s variety series 26 times. Other television work includes a recurring role as Aunt Frieda on the Fran Drescher sitcom The Nanny, the mother of Kirstie Alley's character on Veronica's Closet, and various guest roles, including one on St. Elsewhere that resulted in an Emmy nomination. Her other television work has included The Paper Chase, Columbo, Touched by an Angel, and Will & Grace.
Kazan played Maria Portokalos, the mother of Toula Portokalos (Nia Vardalos) in the films My Big Fat Greek Wedding and My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2. Following the first film in the franchise, Kazan was featured in My Big Fat Greek Life, a short-lived series based on the film. Other recent film work includes the mother of Adam Sandler’s character in I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. Although the scene was deleted in the feature film, it is included on the DVD in the special features section. Kazan appeared as singer Ava St. Clair with Kevin James in two episodes of The King of Queens.
In the Ugly Betty episode "Fire and Nice," Kazan played Dina Talercio, the mother of Bobby (Adam Rodriguez), who becomes the character's brother-in-law In 2010, Kazan joined the cast of Desperate Housewives for season 7. She played the role of Mrs. Maxine Rosen, a self-employed business owner and neighbor to Susan Delfino. |
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Marcia Gay Harden
1st Ever Hollywood Show!! |
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Marcia Gay Harden is an American actress. Her accolades include an Academy Award, a Tony Award, and nominations for four Primetime Emmy Awards.
Harden's breakthrough came in 1990 with the Coen brothers' film Miller's Crossing. She received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Pollock (2000) and Mystic River (2003), winning for her portrayal of artist Lee Krasner in the former. Her other notable film credits include The First Wives Club (1996), Flubber (1997), Space Cowboys (2000), Mona Lisa Smile (2003), and the Fifty Shades film series (2015–2018).
Harden made her Broadway debut in 1993, starring in Tony Kushner's epic play Angels in America for which she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play. She returned to Broadway in 2009 in Yasmina Reza's comedic play God of Carnage, with her performance earning her the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play.
Harden's television credits include guest roles in the HBO series The Newsroom (2013–2014) and the ABC series How to Get Away with Murder (2015–2020), as well as main roles in the CBS series Code Black (2015–2018) and So Help Me Todd (2022–2024). She received Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her guest roles in the crime drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2005) and the Apple TV+ series The Morning Show, and supporting role in the television film The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler (2009).
Harden's first film role was in a 1979 student-produced film at the University of Texas. Throughout the 1980s, she appeared in several television programs, including Simon & Simon, Kojak, and CBS Summer Playhouse. She appeared in The Imagemaker (1986), her first film screen role, in which she played a stage manager. She appeared in the Coen brothers' Miller's Crossing (1990), a 1930s mobster drama in which she first gained wide exposure. Even so, at the time, living in New York City, she had to go back to doing catering jobs "because I didn't have any money".
Harden debuted on Broadway in the role of Harper Pitt (and others) in Tony Kushner's Angels in America in 1993. The role earned her critical acclaim and she received a Tony Award nomination
Harden played actress Ava Gardner alongside Philip Casnoff as Frank Sinatra in the 1992 made-for-TV miniseries Sinatra. Throughout the 1990s, she continued to appear in films and television. Her notable film roles include the Disney sci-fi comedy Flubber (1997), a popular hit in which she co-starred with Robin Williams; the supernatural drama Meet Joe Black (1998), playing the under-appreciated daughter of a tycoon (Anthony Hopkins, co-starring Brad Pitt); Labor of Love (1998), a Lifetime television film in which she starred with David Marshall Grant; and Space Cowboys (2000), an all-star adventure-drama about aging astronauts
In 2000, Harden won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of painter Lee Krasner in the biographical film Pollock. In 2004, she received a second Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the mystery crime drama Mystic River.
Harden guest-starred as FBI undercover agent Dana Lewis posing as a white supremacist in "Raw", an episode of the popular crime drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. This role earned Harden her first Emmy Award nomination for best guest actress in a drama series in 2007. She reprised the role in the series' eighth-season premiere and again in the 12th-season episode "Penetration" as a rape victim.
Harden appeared in several 2007 films, including Sean Penn's Into the Wild and Frank Darabont's The Mist (opposite Thomas Jane and Laurie Holden), based on the novella by Stephen King. Also in 2007, she shared top billing with Kevin Bacon in Rails & Ties, the directorial debut of Alison Eastwood. Harden played a woman who has a mastectomy in Home (2008). (Her character in Rails & Ties also had a mastectomy.) Scenes in both films required her to bare her breasts, with the missing breast removed using computer-generated imagery. In Home, her co-stars include her daughter, Eulala Scheel. Harden starred in the Christmas Cottage, a story of the early artistic beginnings of the painter Thomas Kinkade
Harden appeared as a regular on the FX series Damages as a shrewd corporate attorney opposite Glenn Close and William Hurt in 2009. She received a 2009 Emmy nomination for her role in The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler, a TV film also starring Oscar-winner Anna Paquin. She was a Best Supporting Actress in a TV Movie/Miniseries nominee and lost to Shohreh Aghdashloo. If she had won this Emmy, Harden would have entered the elite group of "triple-crown" actors, those who have won the profession's three highest honors: the Academy Award (film), the Tony Award (stage), and the Emmy Award (television).
Harden co-starred with Elliot Page and Drew Barrymore in 2009's Whip It, which proved a critical success. She also appeared in the comedy The Maiden Heist (2009) with Christopher Walken and Morgan Freeman.
Harden returned to Broadway in Yasmina Reza's God of Carnage, co-starring with James Gandolfini, Hope Davis and Jeff Daniels, in 2009. All three actors were nominated for a Tony Award; Harden won Best Actress in a Play.
Harden reunited with her former Broadway co-star Jeff Daniels as a new cast member on HBO's series The Newsroom in 2013. She played Christian Grey's mother, Grace Trevelyan Grey, in the Fifty Shades film series from 2015 to 2018. Also in 2015, she began a starring role in the TV series Code Black. She stars in the 2022 CBS drama So Help Me Todd, since renewed for a second season.
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Maxwell Caulfield |
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Maxwell Caulfield is a British actor. He has appeared in Grease 2 (1982), Electric Dreams (1984), The Boys Next Door (1985), The Supernaturals (1986), Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat (1989), Waxwork 2 (1992), Gettysburg (1993), Empire Records (1995), The Real Blonde (1997), The Man Who Knew Too Little (1997), and in A Prince for Christmas (2015). In 2015, Caulfield toured Australia with his wife Juliet Mills and sister-in-law Hayley Mills in the comedy Legends! by Pulitzer Prize winner James Kirkwood. He voiced James Bond in the video game James Bond 007: Nightfire (2002).
He made his New York City debut in Hot Rock Hotel (1978) after moving from the UK to the United States, and the following year made his stage debut in Class Enemy (1979), in which he played the lead role; he won a Theatre World Award for his performance He made his Los Angeles debut in Hitting Town (1980) and appeared in The Elephant Man (1980)
Caulfield has appeared on Dynasty (1985–1986), The Colbys (1985–1987), Murder, She Wrote (1988–1991), Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990), The Rockford Files (1996), Spider-Man (1995–1998), Casualty (2003–2004), Emmerdale (2009–2010) and NCIS (2013). He guest-starred on Modern Family (Season 4, Episode 16, "Bad Hair Day") playing Claire's ex-boyfriend and college professor. |
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Megan Cavanagh |
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Megan Cavanagh is an American actress, who is best known for portraying Marla Hooch in A League of Their Own and the voice of Judy Neutron in Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius and The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius.
Cavanagh made her film debut in Penny Marshall's A League of Their Own starring Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, and Lori Petty. Film critic Vincent Canby of the New York Times praised the film writing ""A League of Their Own" is one of the year's most cheerful, most relaxed, most easily enjoyable comedies. It's a serious film that's lighter than air, a very funny movie that manages to score a few points for feminism in passing." He went on to list Cavanagh as among "the excellent supporting players",
Following her film debut, Cavanagh was cast in two Mel Brooks' comedies. The supporting roles were Broomhilde in Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993) and Essie in Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995). Other films include supporting roles in For Richer or Poorer (1997) starring Tim Allen, Kirstie Alley, and Jay O. Sanders, and Disney's That Darn Cat starring Christina Ricci and Doug E. Doug.
She voiced Judy Neutron and Sasha Vortex in the 2001 Oscar-nominated animated feature Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius
Cavanagh was featured in the short-lived second season of Bob (1993) and played the recurring role of Trudy McHale, who married Al Borland in the series finale, on the sitcom Home Improvement starring Tim Allen, Patricia Richardson and Earl Hindman (1998–99).
She reprised the role of Judy Neutron in The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius and several TV movies including The Jimmy Timmy Power Hour, Jimmy Neutron: Win, Lose and Kaboom, and The Jimmy Timmy Power Hour 2: When Nerds Collide. She also voiced Slog in Tak and the Power of Juju and Hilary Higgenbottom in The Mighty B!.
She appears in the American sitcom Friends as Luisa the ex-classmate of Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) and Monica (Courteney Cox) who works for animal control. She is only in one episode.
Cavanagh makes an appearance in Season 3, Episode 4 of Will and Grace entitled "Girl Trouble." She plays Terry. |
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Michelle Bauer |
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Michelle Bauer is an American actress, model, and scream queen.
Bauer was Penthouse magazine's "Pet of the Month" for July 1981 and also appeared in other adult magazines during the early to mid-1980s,
Bauer starred in the adult film Café Flesh (1982) under the name of Pia Snow. She states that she was happy to appear in the film and on the covers of other films with an X rating, but insisted on a double for the sex scenes. Bauer appeared in several other adultfilms under her Pia Snow moniker, including Bad Girls (1981), Nightdreams (1981)
Bauer's Penthouse centerfold appearance led to acting for the Playboy Channel and a film try-out for director Fred Olen Ray. Ray liked her audition, and offered her the part if she would be willing to dye her hair black. Her first B movie was The Tomb (1986), it would be the first of many. Along with Linnea Quigley and Brinke Stevens, Bauer became one of the most prominent B-movie scream queens in the late 1980s.In addition to multiple films for Ray, she has worked with cult directors David DeCoteau, Jesús Franco and Zalman King and shared the screen with genre stars such as Sybil Danning, Monique Gabrielle, Julie Strain, Lina Romay, George Kennedy, David Carradine, Gunnar Hansen, Paul Naschy and Erik Estrada.
Her career is one of the main subjects of the 2011 documentary Screaming in High Heels: The Rise and Fall of the Scream Queen Era by director Jason Paul Collum. She returned for the 2020 follow-up short Screaming in High Heels: The Reunion which again reunited her with Quigley and Stevens
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Nancy Kwan |
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Nancy Kwan is a Chinese-American actress whose career benefited from Hollywood's casting of more Asian roles in the 1960s, especially in comedies. She was considered an Eastern sex symbol in the 1960s
Except during World War II, Kwan had a comfortable early life. Cared for by an amah a woman who looks after children, Kwan owned a pony and spent her summers in resorts in Borneo, Macao, and Japan.An affluent man, her father owned a several-acre hilltop property in Kowloon. In her youth, she was called "Ka-shen". She wrote in 1960 that as an eight-year-old, her fortune-teller "predicted travel, fame, and fortune for me"
When Kwan was 18, she pursued her dream of becoming a ballet dancer by attending the Royal Ballet School in London. She studied performing arts subjects such as stage make-up and danced every day for four hours. Her studies at the Royal Ballet School ran concurrently with her high-school studies. Because Kwan's high school had deep connections with nearby theatre companies, Kwan was able to take small parts in several of their productions. Upon graduating from high school, she took a luxurious trip to France, Italy, and Switzerland. Afterwards, she travelled back to Hong Kong, where she started a ballet school.
Early career
Stage producer Ray Stark posted an advertisement in the Hong Kong Tiger Standard (later renamed The Standard) regarding auditions for the character Suzie Wong for a play. The ad asked applicants to present their pictures, résumés, and proportions. Kwan submitted her application and actually met Stark in a film studio that her father had constructed. After auditioning for Stark, she was asked to screen test to play a character in the then-upcoming film The World of Suzie Wong. Stark preferred Kwan over the other applicants because she "would have more universal acceptance". Another applicant, French actress France Nuyen, played the stage version of the role and had been called a "businessman's delight" by a number of reviewers. Stark disliked this characterization, as well as "happy harlot" characters such as Melina Mercouri in Never on Sunday. Stark wanted an Asian actress because reshaping the eyes of a white actress wouldn't look authentic. He also praised Kwan's features: an "acceptable face" and "being alluringly leggy [and] perfectly formed".
For each screen test, Kwan, accompanied by her younger sister, was chauffeured to the studio by her father's driver. Stark characterized Kwan's first screen test as "pretty dreadful" but one that hinted at her potential. After four weeks of training with drama teachers, including hours of lessons with Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright–screenwriter John Patrick, Kwan's second screen test was a significant improvement.
Although she had not yet become an actress, Stark said, there was a "development of her authority". Once, upon viewing her screen test, Kwan said, "I'm a terrible girl" and "squealed with embarrassment"; acting as a prostitute was a vastly different experience from her comfortable life in Hong Kong. The reaction prompted Stark to forbid her from viewing the dailies. Kwan did a third screen test after four months had passed, and he producers couldn't decide whether to choose Kwan or Nuyen.
Owing to Kwan's lack of acting experience, at Stark's request she travelled to the United States, where she attended acting school in Hollywood and resided at the Hollywood Studio Club, a chaperoned dormitory with other apprentices actresses. She later moved to New York. Kwan signed a seven-year contract with Stark's Seven Arts Productions at a starting salary of $300 a week, even though she was not given one, or any particular role.] In 2005, Edward S. Feldman and Tom Barton characterized Kwan's wages and her employment as "indentured servitude". In a retrospective interview, Kwan told Goldsea that she had no prior acting experience and that the $300 a week salary was "a lot of money to me then".
When The World of Suzie Wong began to tour, Kwan was assigned the part of a bargirl. In addition to her small supporting character role, Kwan became an understudy for the production's female lead, France Nuyen. Though Stark and the male lead William Holden preferred Kwan despite her somewhat apprehensive demeanor during the screen test, she did not get the role. Paramount favored the more accomplished France Nuyen, who had been widely praised for her performance in the film South Pacific (1958) Stark acquiesced to Paramount's wishes. Nuyen received the role and Kwan later took Nuyen'a place on Broadway. In a September 1960 interview with Associated Press journalist Bob Thomas, , leaving an opening for Kwan to ascend to the lead female role in the touring production. In 1959, one month after Nuyen was selected for the film role and while Kwan was touring in Toronto, Stark told her to screen test again for the film. Kwan responded to his phone call from London, asking, "How can I come? I'm in this show." To provide a pretext for Kwan's sudden hiatus from the touring production, Stark sent a cablegram to her superiors saying her father had become ill and had been hospitalized. Kwan later recalled in an interview about three years later, "So I went to the manager and told him a lie. It was not very nice, but what could I do?" After Kwan accepted the role, the Broadway play producer sued her for leaving with little notice.
Nuyen, who was in an unstable relationship with Marlon Brando, had a nervous breakdown and was fired from the role because of her erratic behavior.The film's director, Jean Negulesco, was fired and replaced by Richard Quine. Kwan, who had never previously been in a film, got the part by beating out over 30 actresses from Hollywood, France, Japan, Korea, and the Philippines. On February 15, 1960, she began filming the movie in London with co-star William Holden.
During the filming, Kwan's only trouble was a lingerie scene. Robert Lomax, as played by Holden, tears off her Western dress and says, "Wear your own kind of clothing! Don't try to copy some European girl!" Director Richard Quine was displeased with Kwan's underclothes: She wore a full-slip rather than a half-slip and bra. Finding the attire too modest and unrealistic, he asked Stark to talk to Kwan. Stark discovered Kwan taking refuge in her dressing room, sobbing hysterically . He warned her, "Nancy, wear the half-slip and bra or you're off the picture. France Nuyen is no longer in it, remember? If you're difficult you'll be off it too. All we want to do is make you the best actress possible." Kwan bashfully returned to the set after lunch having made the requested wardrobe changes and acting as if the events of the morning's shoot had never happened.
Owing to Kwan's evident Eurasian appearance, the film's make-up artists attempted to make her look more Chinese. They plucked her eyebrows and sketched a line across her forehead. In movies where Kwan plays Asian roles, the makeup artists reshaped her brown eyes. Gossip columnist Hedda Hopper wrote that Kwan, as a Eurasian, does not look fully Asian or European. Hopper wrote that the "scattering of freckles across her tip-tilted nose give her an Occidental flavor".The production spanned five months, an unusually lengthy shoot for that time
The World of Suzie Wong was a "box-office sensation". Critics lavished praise on Kwan for her performance. She was given the nickname "Chinese Bardot" for her unforgettable dance numbers. Kwan and two other actresses, Ina Balin and Hayley Mills, were awarded the Golden Globe for the "Most Promising Newcomer–Female" in 1960. The following year, she was voted a "Star of Tomorrow". Scholar Jennifer Leah Chan of New York University wrote that Suzie provided an Asian actress—Kwan—with the most significant Hollywood role since actress Anna May Wong's success in the 1920s.
Following The World of Suzie Wong, Kwan was totally unprepared for fame. While she was purchasing fabric in a store on Nathan Road, she found people staring at her from the window. Wondering what they were staring at, it suddenly struck her that she was the focus of attention Kwan remarked that in Beverly Hills, she could walk without attracting attention. She reasoned, "[It] is better in America because America is much bigger, I guess". When people addressed her father after watching the film, they frequently called him "Mr. Wong", a name that really annoyed him. Kwan said in a 1994 interview with the South China Morning Post that even decades after her film debut and despite her having done over 50 films in the interim, viewers continued to send her many letters about the film. and adorned in a dazzling cheongsam, while showing a "deliciously decadent flash of thigh", became an iconic image. Similarly attired, Kwan appeared on the cover of Life magazine's October 1960 issue, cementing her status as a sex symbol for the 1960s. Nicknamed the "Suzie Wong dress", the cheongsam in the portrait spawned thousands of copycat promotional projects. In a 1962 interview, Kwan said she "loved" the cheongsam, calling it a "national costume". She explained that it "has slits because Chinese girls have pretty legs" and "the slits show their legs
Many Chinese and Chinese-Americans were upset after seeing the depiction of Chinese women as promiscuous. Tom Lisanti and Louis Paul write that the wave of unfavorable media attention drove filmmakers to try to capitalize on the attention and create an even bigger production for Kwan's next film. In 1961, she starred in Flower Drum Song playing a similar role. The film was distinguished for being the "first big-budget American film" with an all-Asian cast. Kwan did not have any songs in the musical; the vocals for Linda Low were performed by B. J. Baker. Comparing Suzie Wong and Flower Drum Song, she found the latter much harder because the girl she played was "more go-getter". Her prior ballet education provided a strong foundation for her role in Flower Drum Song, where she had much space to dance.
After starring in The World of Suzie Wong and Flower Drum Song, Kwan experienced a meteoric rise in fame. Scholar Jennifer Leah Chan of New York University chronicled the media attention Kwan received after starring in two Hollywood films, writing that Kwan's fame peaked in 1962. In addition to being featured on the cover of Life magazine, Kwan was the subject of a 1962 article in McCall's, entitled "The China Doll that Men Like".
As a Hollywood icon, Kwan lived in a house atop Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles. She drove a white British sports car and danced to Latin music. She enjoyed listening to Johnny Mathis records and reading Chinese history books.[10] In 1962 (when she was 22), Kwan was dating Swiss actor Maximilian Schell. In an interview that year, she said she did not intend to get married until she was older, perhaps 24 or 25. She said a number of Americans married just to leave home or to "make love". Kwan said this was problematic because she found dialogue and an ability to appreciate and express humor important in a marriage: "You can't just sit around and stare at walls between love-making."[32]
In 1961, Kwan offered to work as a teacher for King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. The infantry was training for military deployment in Malaya (now part of Malaysia), and the regiment's commanders believed that the infantrymen should be taught the Chinese language and how to handle chopsticks. Captain Anthony Hare announced that the infantry needed a teacher – an attractive one. He later acknowledged that he specified that the teacher "must be attractive" so that more soldiers would attend the sessions. Kwan, in Hollywood at the time, replied via cable: "Please consider me a candidate as Chinese teacher for Yorkshire Light Infantry. I am fluent in Chinese, fabulous with chopsticks, and fond of uniforms." Captain Hare commented, "Miss Kwan is too beautiful. I think she would be too much of a distraction." Her belated interest was not considered as the infantry had already accepted the application of another Chinese woman.
In 1963, Nancy Kwan's long hair, famous from The World of Suzie Wong, was chopped into a sharp modernist bob by Vidal Sassoon for the film The Wild Affair, at the request of director John Krish Her bob cut in the film drew widespread media attention for the "severe geometry of her new hairstyle". Sassoon's signature bob became known as "the Kwan cut", "the Kwan bob", or just "the Kwan"; photographs of Kwan's new hairstyle appeared in both the American and British editions of Vogue
Kwan's success in her early career couldn't be replicated in later years, due to the cultural nature of 1960s America. Ann Lloyd and Graham Fuller wrote in their book The Illustrated Who's Who of the Cinema: "Her Eurasian beauty and impish sense of humor could not sustain her stardom". Her later films were more varied, comprising movie and television roles in the US and Europe.Kwan discovered that she had to journey to Europe and Hong Kong to escape the ethnic typecasting in Hollywood that limited her to largely Asian roles in spite of her Eurasian appearance
Her third movie was the British drama film The Main Attraction (1962) with Pat Boone. She played an Italian circus performer who was Boone's love interest. While she was filming the movie in the Austrian Alps, she met Peter Pock, a hotelier and ski instructor, with whom she immediately fell in love. She reflected, "The first time I saw that marvelous-looking man I said, 'That's for me.'" After several weeks, the two married and took up residence in Innsbruck, Tyrol, Austria. Kwan later gave birth to Bernhard "Bernie" Pock.[40] In December 1963, Pock was constructing a luxury hotel in the Tyrolean Alps. During Christmas of that year, Nancy Kwan visited that location and was able to participate in several pre-1964 Winter Olympics events despite being busy with work. Her contract with film production company Seven Arts led her to travel around the world to film movies. She found the separation from her son, Bernie, who was not yet a year old, difficult. She said, "He's coming into a time when he's beginning to assert his personality." Fair-skinned and blue-eyed, Bernie more strongly resembled his father.
Kwan met Bruce Lee when he choreographed the martial arts moves in the film The Wrecking Crew (1969) As part of Kwan's role in the film, she fought Sharon Tate's character by throwing a flying kick. Her martial arts move was based not on karate training, but on her background in dance. Author Darrell Y. Hamamoto noted that this "ironically" tweaked Kwan's "dragon-lady role" number by notably replacing Kung Fu with Western dance moves. She became close friends with Lee and met his wife and two children. In the 1970s, both Kwan and Lee returned to Hong Kong, where they remained friends.
She did not stop working, starring as Dr. Sue in the film Wonder Women (1973). While in Hong Kong, Kwan founded a production company, Nancy Kwan Films, which made ads largely targeted at the Southeast Asian market. In the 1980s, she returned to the United States, where she played characters in the television series Fantasy Island, Knots Landing and Trapper John, M.D.. |
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Omar Benson Miller
1st Ever Hollywood Show! |
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Omar Benson Miller is an American actor. He is known for his work as Walter Simmons on CSI: Miami (2009–12), as Charles Greane on Ballers (2015–19), as the voice of Raphael on Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2018–20) and its 2022 film, the CBS comedy series The Unicorn (2019–21), and Cornbread in Sinners (2025)
Miller's biggest role was in the 2008 movie Miracle at St. Anna. He also has played minor roles in various television shows and movies, including Sex, Love & Secrets, American Pie Presents: Band Camp, Get Rich Or Die Tryin', 8 Mile, The Express: The Ernie Davis Story, Transformers, and Shall We Dance, as well as Obstacles (2000). He was a CSI: Miami regular. Starting on October 5, 2009, he appeared on the crime drama as Walter Simmons, a Louisiana native and art theft specialist. |
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Patti Pelton |
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A highly-regarded award winning, creative and strategic industry professional. Patti Pelton has extensive experience both in front of and behind the camera. Her impressive roster of film, TV and stage experience was launched when she was cast as one of the Rockford Peaches in the classic film A League of Their Own, directed by Penny Marshall.
She is known for New Amsterdam (2018), Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018) and CSI: NY (2004). |
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Paul Shortino |
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Paul Shortino is a legendary American rock vocalist whose powerful voice and commanding stage presence helped define the hard rock and heavy metal scene of the 1980s and beyond. Best known as the lead singer for Rough Cutt and later Quiet Riot and for playing “Duke Fame” in Rob Reiner’s 1984 Mockumentory: “This Is Spinal Tap.”
Shortino has built a career spanning more than four decades, earning recognition as one of rock’s most respected and underrated vocalists. Born in Ohio, Shortino first rose to prominence on the Los Angeles rock scene with Rough Cutt, a band managed early on by Wendy Dio and closely associated with the late Ronnie James Dio. Rough Cutt quickly became a standout act of the Sunset Strip era, featuring future members connected to bands such as Ozzy Osbourne, Dio, and Ratt.
In 1987, Paul Shortino joined Quiet Riot as the replacement for Kevin DuBrow, recording the self-titled album “QR” and touring internationally with the band. Though his tenure with Quiet Riot was brief, his soulful, blues-infused vocals earned praise from fans and fellow musicians alike, with many considering his work among the strongest performances of the era. Throughout his career, Shortino has collaborated with some of rock’s most iconic artists and projects, including the all-star charity recording “Hear ’n Aid” alongside legends such as Rob Halford, Geoff Tate, and Don Dokken. He has also fronted bands including Bad Boyz, King Kobra, and Shortino, while continuing to record and perform around the world.
Beyond music, Paul gained cult recognition appearing in the classic mockumentary film “This Is Spinal Tap” as “Duke Fame” and later introduced his voice to a new generation of fans through Sega’s Sonic Adventure series, performing the character theme “E.G.G.M.A.N.” . for Dr. Eggman.
Today, Paul Shortino continues to perform internationally, captivating audiences with the same raw energy, authenticity, and unmistakable voice that made him a staple of the golden era of rock. He is also featured as one of the powerhouse performers in “Icons of Classic Rock”, bringing fans an unforgettable live celebration of classic rock’s greatest hits and legendary voices. Revered by longtime fans and rediscovered by new generations, Paul Shortino remains one of the true voices of classic hard rock. |
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Rachel Sterling |
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Comedic actress Rachel Sterling began her training at the Piero Dusa Acting Conservatory in Santa Monica California. Her years at the conservatory laid the foundation that would lead to a love and respect of the fundamentals of theater.
Originally known for being a pin up model and music video vixen, appearing first in Playboy’s College girl issue, then appearing in videos for Kid Rock, Dr. Dre, Shaggy, Sugar Ray, Ja Rule, Velvet Revolver, No Doubt, Wyclef Jean, Enrique Iglesias, Nas, Third Eye Blind, Lil Kim, Blink 182, Chief Wakil, Limp Biszket, Saliva, and George Michael. The transition to film and television came with her debut as Cherry in the comedy film TomCats, followed by her series regular role on the Comedy Central series The Man Show staring Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Carolla.
Shortly after a 5 episode run as the On The Red Carpet correspondent for ShowTime, an offer came to join Robin Antin’s original Pussycat Dolls live at the Viper Room. This opportunity would change her life forever. After years of working the showgirl circuit before coming to Hollywood, burlesque became second nature to Rachel. It was a dream come true becoming the Dolls burlesque solo artist. Her performance in the bath tube and Champagne glass have been often imitated but never duplicated. Under Jimmy Iovine at Interscope Records, The Pussycat Dolls transformed from a burlesque revue to pop girl band group originally having 12 members including Carmen Electra. The opportunity to appear in a small role in The Wedding Crashers along side Vince Vaughn would guide Rachel back to her original path toward acting. Rachel would leave the Dolls to pursue acting. Returning years later for 6 months as the Headliner at The Pussycat Doll Lounge at Caesars Palace.
The success of The Wedding Crashers coupled with the notoriety of being an original Pussycat Doll landed Magazine features and covers globally for Maxim, FHM, Stuff, Esquire, Front, Frank 151, and in various photography art books. Most notable is her work with Ellen Von Unwerth, Nick & Adam Hayes as well as close friends Estevon Oriol, Patrick Hoelck, and Scott Cann. During this time Rachel toured America and Canada as the burlesque headliner coupled with famous DJs at numerous nightclubs, theaters, events and even Hugh Hefner’s famous Playboy Mansion.
After honing her improv chops at Upright Citizens Brigade, Rachel quickly found a place on The Carpet Brothers along side Will Ferrell as Bianca Jaguar, and as Madam Caramel for 2 seasons on Reno 911. It was this role that got Hugh Hefner’s attention and the celebrity pictorial for Playboy Magazine. Proving once and for all that personality counts.
Her time studying at the John Rosenfeld Studios was time well spent and, soon after, landed her television roles on Wilfred, How I Met Your Mother, Entourage, Workaholics, House MD, True Blood & 90210. Rachel also makes a cameo along side Chelsea Handler in Fun Size and makes her debut into the horror world in indie film The No Vacancy. This past year Rachel not only posed images with photographer Tibor Glob for clothing companies Want My Look and Stephanie Costello couture, but made a cameo on Australia’s Dancing With The Stars with her partner Damian Whitewood ,as well and landing an invitation to appear on NBC’s Truth Be Told staring Vanessa Lachey, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Bresha Webb, and comedian Tone Bell.
Rachel also performs stand-up comedy, notably at Laugh Factory, The Comedy Store, and the Improv. The former Pussycat Doll uses her unconventional upbringing and experiences in Hollywood as the basis for her anecdotal comedy. Rachel’s observational and topical humor brings the audience on a joy ride into her world of Hollywood glamour, mental health issues, life lessons, several marriages, and her troubling addiction to celebrity gossip.
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Rae Dawn Chong |
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Rae Dawn Chong is a Canadian-American actress. She made her big screen debut appearing in the 1978 musical drama film Stony Island, and in 1981 starred in the fantasy film Quest for Fire, for which she received the Genie Award for Best Actress.
Chong later starred in films Beat Street (1984), American Flyers (1985), The Color Purple (1985), Commando (1985), Soul Man (1986), The Principal (1987), Tales from the Darkside (1990), Time Runner (1993), and Boulevard (1994). She is the daughter of comedian and actor Tommy Chong.
After acting in a few television roles, Chong's second feature film was Quest for Fire (1981), for which she won the Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in 1983. Other notable roles have been in the films Choose Me (1984), Beat Street (1984), The Color Purple (1985), and Commando (1985). She appeared with her father in Cheech & Chong's The Corsican Brothers (1984) and Far Out Man (1990). In 1985, Chong played the love interest in Mick Jagger's video "Just Another Night"
At 19 years old, Chris Pratt was waiting tables at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company restaurant in Maui when he was scouted by Chong; she cast him in her directorial debut, the short horror film Cursed Part 3, which was filmed in Los Angeles in 2000.
On television, Chong starred opposite Adrian Pasdar in the science fiction drama series Mysterious Ways from 2000 to 2002. later she starred in the first season of Lifetime comedy-drama series Wild Card opposite Joely Fisher. The following years, she appeared in a number of independent movies. She returned to television appearing in 2 episodes of Better Things in 2016, and 2 episodes of 9-11(2018-19). In 2021, she played Betty Currie in the FX series Impeachment: American Crime Story.
In 2021, Chong was honored with the "Invisible Woman Award" from the Women Film Critics Circle for "Supporting performance by a woman whose exceptional impact on the film dramatically, socially or historically, has been ignored" for her performance in the drama film The Sleeping Negro.
In 2022, Chong portrayed Florence de Pointe du Lac in the AMC series Interview with the Vampire
British-American rapper-producer MF DOOM recorded a song titled "Rae Dawn". It was released under the alias Viktor Vaughn, as a single from his third studio album Vaudeville Villain (some releases list the title as "Raedawn"). The reference to Chong appears in the lyrics: "New drink, named it after Chong daughter".[16]
Rapper Redman mentions Chong in his 1994 song "Winicumuhround". |
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Shotgun Tom Kelly |
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Thomas Joseph Irwin , known professionally as "Shotgun Tom" Kelly, is an American radio and television personality. He is a two-time Emmy award winner, Billboard Air Personality of the Year winner, an inductee into the California Music Hall of Fame (2023)and recipient of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Born in San Diego, Kelly worked at KDEO, KPRI, KGB, KCBQ, KOGO KBZS and KFMB-FM[5] before replacing the late Don Steele in the afternoon slot at Los Angeles oldies station KRTH-FM, K-Earth 101. In August 2015, he was taken off the air and became KRTH's "Ambassador," doing personal appearances throughout Southern California. He eventually returned to the air as a weekend host and exited KRTH in November 2016.In September 2018, he debuted and continues on SiriusXM Satellite Radio's
Thomas Joseph Irwin was born in San Diego, California at Mercy Hospital, also spending his childhood years in San Diego. He attended Our Lady of the Sacred Heart and Saint John of the Cross parochial schools for his elementary years. He attended Mount Miguel High School and was the announcer for the morning bulletin.In high school, he joined Junior Achievement which had a radio show on KOGO.
At ten, his mother, La Von Irwin (née Driscoll), mentioned to Kelly that there was a disc jockey doing a radio show in a shopping center in Lemon Grove, California. The disc jockey was Frank Thompson on KOGO-AM, who saw the young Kelly looking through the window and interviewed him on the air. Following that experience, Kelly became fascinated with radio shows, even putting together his own mock radio studio in his bedroom.
A few years later, 13 year-old Kelly went to other radio stations and watched the disc jockeys on the air. He visited Radio KDEO where he met program director "Sunny Jim" Price, who wanted to get a teenager's opinion of a song he was considering adding to the playlist. Price played the song for Kelly, who liked it. The song was "California Dreamin'" by The Mamas & The Papas. Radio KDEO was the first station in the country to play it. Price gave him his first job at a radio station helping with remote broadcasts.
In 1966, at the age of 16, Kelly was hired by Program Director George Manning to work on Sunday mornings at KPRI-FM 106.5 in San Diego, playing "beautiful music" and standards. Every Sunday morning, he also did a children's radio show, "The Uncle Tommy Show", and played recordings from Disney Records. After high school, he attended the William B. Ogden Radio Operational Engineering school. He graduated in 1969 with his FCC First Class radio license and went to work at KYOS in Merced, California.
At 21, Kelly worked at KACY in Port Hueneme, California using the name Bobby McAllister. There, he met DJ Dave Conley who named him Bobby "Shotgun" McAllister. Less than a year later, he and Dave moved to radio station KAFY in Bakersfield, California playing music "standards". Kelly wanted to use his real name, but the general manager did not like the name Irwin, and asked him to change his last name on the air to Kelly. Dave Conley suggested the name "Shotgun," from Bobby "Shotgun" McAllister, and they ended up using the name "Shotgun Tom" Kelly. In addition to radio, Kelly took a weekend job at television station KERO, and did a television kid's show as NEMO the Clown.
In 1971, Kelly was offered an opportunity to return to San Diego when Charlie Van Dyke hired him at Boss Radio 136/KGB. Less than a year later, he was hired by Buzz Bennett to work at KCBQ.In 1972 he returned to 136/KGB.
Shortly thereafter, he joined Buzz Bennett for a job at KRIZ in Phoenix.] He returned to San Diego and was on air weekday afternoons at KCBQ. It was while at KCBQ that Kelly started wearing his trademark ranger hat
During this time, he was asked to host the kids' TV game show "Words-A-Poppin" airing on KGTV Channel 10 in San Diego, and syndicated to other cities. He won an Emmy for Words-A-Poppin' that same year
In 1976, Kelly hosted a local television show in San Diego called, "Disco 10," which aired on KGTV on Saturdays at 12:30pm. As they would on the more popular, nationally syndicated, "American Bandstand", local high school kids would dance on Disco 10, then get to watch themselves on television at a later date.
In 1976, Kelly was hired by Bobby Rich to be the morning man at KFMB-FM, known as "B-100". He won the 1976 Billboard Magazine Air Personality of the Year Award and remained at B-100 for the next four years. In 1978, he won a second Emmy for Words-A-Poppin'.
While at B100, Kelly was offered a position at KUSI-TV as a booth announcer/on camera children's TV host with cartoons on The KUSI Kids Club. He hosted the KUSI Kids Club for 12 years.
In November 1987, Congressman Duncan Hunter invited Kelly to the White House to meet President Ronald Reagan While visiting, he presented the President with one of his trademark ranger hats, which President Reagan donned for a photo op.
In 1989, Mark Larson hired Kelly at KFMB-AM to do a radio show from David Cohn's Corvette Diner in Hillcrest and at The T-Bird Diner in Escondido.
In 1993, Kelly was hired to work at KBZT K-Best-95 in San Diego. In September 1997, he was hired to succeed the late Real Don Steele and work in afternoon drive at KRTH K-Earth 101.
On August 28, 2010, Kelly hosted the dedication of a monument at the former site of the KCBQ building and its six, 200-foot towers. The event was attended by over 400 of the radio station's fans and former on-air personalities.
On April 4, 2026, Kelly was inducted into the California American Entertainment Hall of Fame, along with Verdine White, Wimberley Bluegrass Band, and Cannibal and the Headhunters.
Kelly has appeared on several television stations since the early 1970s. In 1970, he took a weekend job at television station KERO, Bakersfield to host a Saturday morning television kids show as NEMO the Clown. In 1972, he was asked to host Words-A'Poppin', a game show for kids. The show aired in San Diego on KGTV Channel 10, and was also syndicated in several other cities. Kelly went on to win two Emmy Awards as host for the show
That same year, Kelly was invited to host the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon and he would serve as its host for more than 30 years. In 1982, he was offered a position at KUSI-TV as a booth announcer and on-camera host for The KUSI Kids Club. Tom would continue as host of the show for 12 years. He has also served as station announcer for WFLX-TV FOX 29 in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Kelly has also appeared on the Southern California-centric show Storage Wars.
Kelly's voice is featured in the motion picture Déjà Vu, starring Denzel Washington and on America's Most Wanted and Spike TV's 1000 Ways to Die.
He also did voice work for his hometown San Diego Chargers and his voice could be heard on the Jumbotron during Chargers home games.
Kelly is heard on Fred Falke's song "Radio Days"
Hollywood Walk of Fame
On April 30, 2013, Kelly was honored with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.His star is located adjacent to another K-Earth personality, The Real Don Steele.
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Tammy Locke |
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Tammy Locke is an American actress and performer, known for her work as a child actor in The Monroes and other films and TV series
Tammy Locke (born September 19, 1959) is an American actress and performer, known for her work as a child actor in The Monroes and other films and TV series
In the 26-episode ABC television series The Monroes, broadcast in 1966 and 1967, Locke, aged six, played Amy Monroe, the youngest of a group of siblings who had to care for themselves in northwestern Wyoming in the Wild West. She was described by the Christian Science Monitor as "an especially endearing little dumpling" for her performance in the series which was filmed at 20th Century Fox television in Century City, California. Locke was unpredictable and "tumultuous" on set, giving a live frog as a gift to the show's hairdresser. But also, despite her young age, Locke worked on the set on a par with everyone.
While filming Once a Thief she objected to a scene where she comforted her wounded, blood-soaked and dying father, on the grounds that, "I've got new clothes on and my mother will be very mad if they get dirty". On one occasion she responded to directorial criticism by pulling on the director's beard. In 1967, she played the role of Elizabeth Baker on the Gunsmoke series in the episode "Baker's Dozen".
Locke's final film appearance as a child actor was in Hang 'Em High which starred Clint Eastwood. Her acting work also included television commercials and voiceover recordings. As an adult, she worked as a roller derby skater, radio presenter, and as a singer including with the band The California Express, whose last album was produced by Tex Williams in 1981
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Tanya Lemani |
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Tania Lemani played Kara in the Star Trek: The Original Series second season episode "Wolf in the Fold". She filmed her scenes on Monday 3 July 1967 at Desilu Stage 10.
Tania was born in Iran to Russian parents. When she was 13 years old, her family came to America where Lemani began her career with a classical ballet dance troupe, but when she traveled to Las Vegas in search of more work, she was offered a job as a belly dancer, not a ballet dancer. She ultimately got her own show in Vegas, as well as offers to dance on television and film. She also began receiving more serious acting roles after a member of her show's audience offered her a role in the pilot for Alexander the Great, starring William Shatner in the title role (although the pilot failed to be picked up as a series). Regardless, Lemani retired from acting in 1969.
One of her earliest film appearances came in the 1964 comedy A Global Affair, which also featured Nehemiah Persoff and fellow TOS guest actress Barbara Bouchet. She went on to appear in such films as Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round (in which she, Sabrina Scharf, Vic Tayback, and George D. Wallace appear unbilled, along with billed actors Michael Strong and Phillip Pine) and Gambit (with Roger C. Carmel, Arnold Moss, John Abbott and Vic Tayback) in 1966. She also had a supporting role in Joseph Sargent's 1968 drama To Hell with Heroes, along with William Marshall and Sid Haig, written by Harold Livingston. In total, she had roles in nearly twenty films. |
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Tara Reid |
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Tara Reid is an American actress. Her film roles established her status as a sex symbol in the late 1990s.
In film, Reid was the lead ensemble role as Vicky Lathum in the American Pie film series (1999–2001; 2012). Her other notable lead film roles include Urban Legend (1998), Body Shots (1999), Josie and the Pussycats (2001), Van Wilder (2002), My Boss's Daughter (2003) and Alone in the Dark (2005). She had supporting roles in the films The Big Lebowski (1998), Cruel Intentions (1999), Dr. T & the Women (2000), and Just Visiting (2001).
In television, Reid had recurring roles as Ashley on the soap opera Days of Our Lives (1995) and Danni Sullivan on the NBC series Scrubs (2003–2005). She had a co-lead role as secondary protagonist April Wexler in the Sharknado television film series (2013–2018). Reid hosted her own reality series on E!, titled Taradise (2005–2006)
Reid began acting at age six.She appeared in the game show Child's Play and appeared in commercials for Jell-O, McDonald's, Crayola, and Milton Bradley. As a teenager, she was on Saved by the Bell: The New Class.
After moving to Hollywood in 1997, Reid transitioned to movies, landing a role in 1998's The Big Lebowski. Though the film disappointed at the box office, grossing only $17 million in the United States, it became a cult film. Later that same year, she appeared in a larger role in a more financially successful film, Urban Legend, where she portrayed a sexy radio host and which grossed just under $40 million in the United States and led to two sequels, though neither included Reid. In 1999, she appeared in a tiny role in Cruel Intentions. Reid achieved mainstream success when she portrayed the role of the virginal Vickie in American Pie (1999), which grossed over $100 million in the United States. The film also marked her first film to reach number one at the box office. In 2001, she reprised the role in American Pie 2, which opened to $45 million and grossed over $145 million in the United States, almost 50% more than its predecessor. Reid did not return for American Wedding (2003), but did reprise the character in the fourth theatrical film in the series, American Reunion (2012).
Following the success of American Pie 2, Reid starred in several commercial and critical misfires, including Josie and the Pussycats and Van Wilder. She also starred as the youngest daughter of a Texas gynecologist in Robert Altman's Dr. T & the Women, alongside Richard Gere. She returned to the small screen as a recurring character on the NBC sitcom Scrubs, appearing in 11 episodes of season three. Shortly thereafter, she appeared alongside Ashton Kutcher in My Boss's Daughter, for which she was nominated for both Worst Supporting Actress and Worst Screen Couple at the 2004 Golden Raspberry Awards.
In 2005, she co-starred in infamous German filmmaker Uwe Boll's Alone in the Dark with Christian Slater. Her mispronunciation of "Newfoundland" became a popular Internet catchphrase. The film was panned by critics and Reid received a Razzie Award nomination for Worst Actress. Reid signed on to host the E!'s Wild On Tara Reid (later renamed Taradise), a program that showcased high-society vacations and hot spots] The show premiered on August 10, 2005
On August 18, 2011, Reid was the second housemate to enter the British reality series Celebrity Big Brother 8. On September 2, she received the fewest votes and became the third celebrity to be evicted from the house.[citation needed]
In October 2011, Reid appeared in Jedward's music video for "Wow Oh Wow" In 2014, she appeared in their music video for "Ferocious".
In 2013, she appeared in the hit Syfy film Sharknado which spawned five sequels in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. Other projects Reid appeared in during the mid-2010s included comedy spoof The Hungover Games, horror film Charlie's Farm, the Bollywood film Tie the Knot, and the television series The Big Big Show with Andrew Dice Clay and Tom Green.
In 2019, Reid guest-starred as herself in an episode of The Boys where she attended a comic convention with Billy Zane.
In 2023, she appeared in 2 episodes of Special Forces: World's Toughest Test
Reid has appeared on the cover of magazines including CosmoGirl, Rolling Stone, Seventeen, Maxim, Playboy, Stuff, and FHM. |
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Tracy Reiner |
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Tracy Reiner is an American former actress. She is known for her roles in When Harry Met Sally..., Masque of the Red Death, A League of Their Own, and Apollo 13
She is the biological daughter of actress and director Penny Marshall and Michael Henry. Her mother was married for 10 years to Rob Reiner, who adopted her and raised her. , Reiner's paternal grandparents are actor and comedian Carl Reiner and actress Estelle Reiner. She is filmmaker Garry Marshall's niece. Reiner attended the Lycée Français de Los Angeles, where she created the school's first prom at The Beverly Hills Hotel in 1980. She graduated in 1982.
Reiner starred in the 1989 film Masque of the Red Death as Lucretia. She has appeared in nearly 30 films, among them Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986), Die Hard (1988), When Harry Met Sally... (1989), A League of Their Own (1992), and Apollo 13 (1995).
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Vicki Lawrence |
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Vicki Lawrence is an American actress, comedian, and pop singer. She is best known for her character Mama (Thelma Harper). Lawrence originated multitudes of characters beyond Mama on CBS's The Carol Burnett Show from 1967 to 1978, the variety show's entire series run.
In The Carol Burnett Show's 7th season, Lawrence debuted her famed Mama role on a comedy sketch called The Family. Only created as a one-off skit, The Family's unexpected success with audiences led to it having recurring installments for the final 5 seasons of the program. With Lawrence portraying the character of a cold, unaffectionate, widowed elderly mother to the neurotic, misfortunate Eunice (played by Burnett despite Lawrence being 16 years younger), The Family bred some of The Carol Burnett Show's most famed blooper moments.
The success of The Family skits eventually spun off into Lawrence landing her own television sitcom, Mama's Family, her character becoming the focal point and Mama's traits expanding and evolving dramatically. Continuing Mama's evolution, Lawrence has hosted an untelevised stand-up comedy routine since 2001, "Vicki and Mama: A Two Woman Show." Moreover, Lawrence has made numerous post-Mama's Family guest TV show appearances in her famed Mama role.
In 1973, Lawrence became a one-hit wonder songstress, landing on the U.S. chart with "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia". It reached number one on both the United States and Canada charts. Lawrence has multiple Emmy Award nominations, winning one in 1976. She is also a multiple Golden Globe nominee, all for The Carol Burnett Show. Most recently, Lawrence starred in the Fox sitcom series The Cool Kids from 2018 to 2019.
As a comedian and actress, Lawrence is known for her work on The Carol Burnett Show, of which she was a part from 1967 to 1978. She was the only cast member, except for Burnett herself, who stayed on the show for the entire 11 seasons. After The Carol Burnett Show ended in 1978, Lawrence and her husband Al Schultz moved with their children to Maui, Hawaii, but after a few years, returned to Los Angeles, where they have remained.
Her portrayal of the Mama character on The Carol Burnett Show's "The Family" sketches was so popular that NBC subsequently created the sitcom Mama's Family, elaborating on the Mama character. (Burnett reprised the Eunice Higgins character for the sitcom from time to time.) The series ran from 1983 to 1985 on NBC; after its cancellation from NBC, it was renewed from 1986 to 1990 in first-run syndication. The show was more successful in the renewed version. She also reprised the Mama character on stage for Vicki Lawrence & Mama: A Two-Woman Show.
Lawrence has made appearances on other programs, such as the sitcoms Laverne & Shirley, Major Dad, Roseanne, Hannah Montana, and Yes, Dear. Between the NBC and syndication runs of Mama's Family, Lawrence starred in the 1985 comedy pilot Anything for Love, which aired as a special on CBS that summer and co-starred Lauren Tewes and Rebeca Arthur. Lawrence has also appeared with Burnett, Korman, and Tim Conway in the Burnett show retrospectives that were broadcast in 1993, 2001, and 2004. Lawrence played Sister Mary Paul (Sister Amnesia) in the TV special based on Nunsense Jamboree that originally aired on TNN in 1998.
Lawrence played Mamaw Stewart (the mother of Robby Ray Stewart and grandmother of Jackson and Miley Stewart) in the hit Disney series Hannah Montana alongside Billy Ray Cyrus and his daughter Miley Cyrus.
Lawrence played as Mama in an Ohio commercial, promoting a constitutional amendment that would permit casino gambling in Ohio. Lawrence played Dan's old high-school flame, Phyllis, in an episode of Roseanne. She also appeared in a special celebrity-edition episode of the Anne Robinson version of The Weakest Link. Playing for a charity, she made it to the final two but ended up losing to Ed Begley, Jr. |
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Postponed Celebrities |
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Michael Oliver
POSTPONED! |
Click to read the full biography
Oliver is best known for his role as "Junior" in the movie Problem Child and its sequel Problem Child 2. He also played Sam Dalton In Dillinger and Capone in 1995
His first job was as a model in a Sears catalog. At age 6, he appeared in a Chevron commercial where he wore glasses and had his voice dubbed over. After seeing Oliver in the Chevron commercial, a casting agent for the film Problem Child tracked Oliver down and cast him in the role days later.
When Problem Child was released in 1990, Oliver's appearance reminded people of a young Ron Howard as "Opie Taylor" in the Andy Griffith Show. It became a "surprise hit," spawned two sequels and an animated series. Problem Child 2 followed in 1991; however, the script was considered not in par with the original and repeatedly resorted to adult language, thus limiting the film's overall appeal Michael Oliver retired from acting when he was 15. In 2015, it was reported that Oliver was happy with his private life away from the celebrity scene and had said he was enjoying "a nice, quiet existence" although he expressed he was grateful for the time he had spent in the spotlight as a child star.
On a 2011 episode of the radio show Loveline, Oliver called in while former co-star Gilbert Gottfried was guest hosting. In 2012, Oliver, along with the cast and crew of Problem Child and Problem Child 2, reunited for a photoshoot supporting the John Ritter Foundation.
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