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Ruben Östlund

Director · Known for Triangle of Sadness

Ruben Östlund (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈrʉːbɛnˈœstlɵnd]) (born April 13 1974) is a Swedish filmmaker best known for his satirical black comedy films Force Majeure (2014), The Square(2017) and Triangle of Sadness (2022). He is the recipient of various accolades, including two Palmes d'Or, four European Film Awards and nominations for three Academy Awards. Östlund was born in Styrsö, Gothenburg, Sweden. After high school, he started working in various ski resorts in the Alps during the winter seasons. While in the Alps, he began making skiing videos for his friends, which helped him obtain a job at a local production company. He went on to study at the film school in Gothenburg, Sweden, where he graduated in 2001. He was accepted to the school based on his skiing films. Together with film producer Erik Hemmendorff, he is the co-founder of the production company Plattform Produktion, which produces his films. His first three feature-length fiction films were The Guitar Mongoloid (2004), Involuntary (2008) and Play (2011). The Guitar Mongoloid won the FIPRESCI Award at the 27th Moscow International Film Festival. Östlund's short film Incident by a Bank won the Golden Bear for Best Short Film at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival and the Grand Prix at Tampere Film Festival in 2011. In 2014, his film Force Majeure was selected to compete in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival, winning the Jury Prize. Sweden then submitted Force Majeure for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. After the Academy shortlisted but did not nominate it, Östlund released a humorous video of his response to missing the nomination list. In 2016, he was a member of the jury for the Un Certain Regard section of Cannes. In 2017, his film The Square, loosely inspired by some of his own experiences and art installation with Kalle Boman, competed at the Cannes Film Festival, where it ultimately won the Palme d'Or. Alissa Wilkinson of Vox described the film as "Burying self-referential allusions in the background and merrily poking viewers till they bruise, The Square at times feels more like longform performance art than a narrative film. It's social satire by way of art-world comedy, and no woke participant is exempt from its barbs." In 2020, he received the King's Medal in Gold for significant efforts in Swedish film. Afterwards, he pursued the project Triangle of Sadness, a satirical film about the wealthy elite, winning his second Palme d'Or in 2022. On January 23, 2023, he won Best Director at the Guldbaggens gala for Triangle of Sadness. The film won five other nominations. In January of the same year, only a day after winning the Guldbaggengala, Triangle of Sadness received Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. He was the Jury president of the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. Description above from the Wikipedia article Ruben Östlund, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Ana Otero

Cast · Known for Love in Difficult Times

The actress Ana Otero was born in Valladolid. Completed his secondary education, he enrolled at the school of theatre in Valladolid, where was taken the diploma in dramatic art, which she completed with various courses and workshops, taught by prestigious figures such as Pilar Miro or Bob McAndrew. He has worked both on television and in film and theater, being best known for his work on the small screen. On television, in 1996 participated in the series "all men are equal", giving life to the character of Yoli. This work followed, in 1999, his interpretation of Nuria in "Fellows". In 2005 she was hired to work in the SOAP "Amar en tiempos revueltos", in the role of Paloma Beltran, a businesswoman who was mistress of Fabian. Subsequently, the actress has been participating in other series, such as "Sex issue" or "The mysteries of Laura". ANA has made also some plays, like "Ephemeral love nights", "Those Blue Hills", "Better days" or "Rock 'n' Roll". His debut in the film took place in 1994, with the film "Give me fire", h ctor Carr. Sta followed by, in the year 1996, "Malena is a name of tango", directed by Gerardo Herrero. The rest of his filmography, highlight some feature films as "the love can seriously damage health", "Nobody, a winter's tale", "The voice of his master", "Reflections", "Dead flowers", "a good day have any it" or "The rose of no one". It has also participated in some short films like "Dogs in the rain", "sofa", "Gold" or "Eye tooth". ANA has been nominated twice by the actors Union Award for the best actress, one in 1997 for her role in the series "all men are equal" and the other in the year 2007 for his work on the telenovela "Amar en tiempos revueltos".

Phil Collins

Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English singer, drummer, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and later became the lead singer of the rock band Genesis and had a successful solo career, achieving three UK number-one singles and seven US number-one singles as a solo artist. In total, his work with Genesis, other artists and solo resulted in more US top-40 singles than any other artist throughout the 1980s. His most successful singles from the period include "In the Air Tonight", "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)", "One More Night", "Sussudio", "Another Day in Paradise", "Two Hearts" and "I Wish It Would Rain Down". Born and raised in West London, Collins began playing drums at the age of five. During the same period he attended drama school, which helped secure various roles as a child actor. His first major role was the Artful Dodger in the West End production of the musical Oliver!. As an accomplished professional actor by his early teens, he pivoted to pursue a music career, becoming the drummer for Genesis in 1970. He took over the role of lead singer in 1975 following the departure of Peter Gabriel. During the second half of the 1970s, in between Genesis albums and tours, Collins was the drummer of jazz rock band Brand X. While continuing to perform and record with Genesis, Collins began a successful solo career in the 1980s, initially inspired by his marital breakdown and love of soul music, releasing the albums Face Value (1981), Hello, I Must Be Going (1982), No Jacket Required (1985) and ...But Seriously (1989). Collins became, in the words of AllMusic, "one of the most successful pop and adult contemporary singers of the '80s and beyond". He became known for a distinctive gated reverb drum sound on many of his recordings. He played drums on the 1984 charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" and, in July 1985, he was the only artist to perform at both Live Aid concerts. He resumed his acting career, appearing in Miami Vice and subsequently starring in the film Buster (1988). Collins left Genesis in 1996 to focus on solo work; this included writing songs for Disney's animated film Tarzan (1999), for which he wrote and performed the songs "Two Worlds", "Son of Man", "Strangers Like Me" and "You'll Be in My Heart", the last of which earned him the Academy Award for Best Original Song. He rejoined Genesis for their Turn It On Again Tour in 2007. Following a five-year retirement to focus on his family life, Collins released his memoir in 2016 and conducted the Not Dead Yet Tour from 2017 to 2019. He then rejoined Genesis in 2020 for a second and final reunion tour, which ran from 2021 to 2022. ... Source: Article "Phil Collins" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA.

Louis Cato

“Multi-instrumentalist, producer, and singer, Louis Cato is a ball of versatility and a special brand of bright.” -Revive Music Portuguese-born, Carolina-bred, and current New York City resident Louis Cato is no stranger to planes, tour buses, recording studios, TV sets, liner-notes, and airwaves. He’s a Grammy-nominated and internationally acclaimed multi-instrumentalist, producer, and songwriter. He has recorded with Beyonce, Q-tip, John Legend and Mariah Carey, among other household names. He has toured with some of the most influential acts in music, such as Bobby McFerrin, Snarky Puppy, Marcus Miller, John Scofield, David Sanborn, and George Duke. Currently, Cato is featured nightly on CBS’s “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” as a member of Jon Batiste and Stay Human. Cato completed two semesters at Berklee College of Music, but his education and influence is deeply rooted in the gospel and contemporary Christian genres. He was raised in a musical household, drumming by age two and learning wind instruments by age twelve. Much as the Beatles are known for honing their skills during their multi-hour multi-day residencies in London pubs, Cato mastered his bass, drum, and guitar chops during a five-year period of nightly performances in the underground jazz and soul scene in Boston. It was in 2007 at the North Sea Jazz Festival where Cato first met Marcus Miller and a slew of other heavyweights he would eventually work with. Cato has an undeniable ability to craft sonic landscapes into timeless masterpieces. After two decades of lending his talents to other projects, Cato released his first solo record STARTING NOW (2016), which he also mixed and produced entirely by himself. “I set out to make an honest record, a documentation of who I am and what I do…I feel like I’ve done that.”

Eddie Matthews

Eddie Matthews was born in Des Moines Iowa, where he grew up hunting, fishing and playing baseball, where "Field of Dreams"was made. He Went to Arizona State university to college, hoping eventually to be a professional baseball player, but found out quickly he was lacking in only a couple areas, size, speed & talent or he would have been great haha. Eddie was an extra on a movie filming in Phoenix, "Used cars" in 1980, where he met some of the top veteran stunt people in the business whom said; "if you want to be in the stunt biz you must move to LA." It was then he realized, a career as a stuntman was an opportunity to be a professional athlete while getting to play a wide variety of sports. So after moving to La La Land, He quickly realized, like the thousands before him, it can takes many yrs to get one job, let alone make a living. Having a diving & trampoline background he started working with a professional high diving company doing high dive shows at Six Flags theme park in Los Angeles. Also Having a Masters degree in family counseling, and Eddie's favorite movie being "Rain Man"and "One flew over the cuckoo's nest" he started working as a counselor in various Psychiatric hospitals in LA. He also worked and lived for 5 yrs in a residential home for Autistic adults,,these were now his roommates! And it was the Rain Man movie on steroids every day for five yrs. This prepared him for any craziness that Hollyweird might throw at him.. Eddie then got a good job at Universal Studios Hollywood playing the Don Johnson character in the Miami Vice stunt show for the next 6 yrs, where he started meeting more people in the industry and began getting more frequent outside stunt jobs. And after many fights, falls & explosions later, later he was honored to be voted into the prestigious Stuntmen's Association of Motion Pictures group , where many of the older pioneers & legends of the stunt industry were still working. Now Working Over 35 yrs, Eddie has had the opportunity to stunt coordinate movies , produce a western and stunt double for such actors as; Matthew Broderick in "Ferris Bueller's Day off", Dennis Hopper in "Speed", Robert De Niro in "Casino". And many others, including Sylvestor Stallone, Chris Farley, Mar Walberg, Richard Gere, Charlie Sheen, Anthony Hopkins, Jean-Claude Van Dam, Johnny Depp, Dennis Quaid and many others. Having the opportunity to work with many celebrities, he has witnessed behind the scenes many broken lives. It became obvious, that everyone in the world whether rich or poor cannot avoid the storms and trials of life and no amount of fame, fortune or awards can bring any lastly peace or fulfillment without the peace of God. Eddie's vision & mission now is to produce and work on impactful, family friendly stories like Rain Man, Brave Heart, Forest Gump, the Sandlot etc. where unlikely people overcome great odds.

Eric Appel

Director · Known for The Breadwinner

Eric Appel (born August 13, 1980) is an American filmmaker working in television, film, and commercials. Originally from Endicott, New York, Appel attended the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, majoring in computer animation. Describing his childhood interests, Appel said, "I was always playing around with video cameras, but I was also the kid that drew cartoons. It's weird. I was so obsessed with movies and television, but nobody ever told me that I should go to film school... [W]hen I decided to go to school for animation, it felt like a no-brainer. However, when I actually went away to college, I realized that I had made a mistake (and also that I wasn't that great at drawing). I actually spent more time working on videos with my roommate, who was majoring in video production, than I did working on my own project ." While in college, Appel also began performing improv comedy after his girlfriend brought him to a "show at the University of Pittsburgh called 'Friday Nite Improvs,' where anyone from the audience could volunteer to go up on stage and perform these improv games." After moving to New York City, Appel started taking classes at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, "and it wasn't long before I was basically living at the theatre. I became very involved very quickly. [I was] taking improv classes, interning, running the lights for shows and really helping out in any way that I could so I could just be around comedy as much as possible." While still in New York, Appel got a job writing for The Andy Milonakis Show, then moved to Los Angeles for that show's third season when its production was relocated to California. He subsequently wrote for Crank Yankers and Human Giant, then went to work for the comedy website Funny or Die. "Funny or Die was such a young company when they hired me...there were about eight of us all sitting around a large dining room table on laptops. Every day a few people would disappear to go shoot some shit and then the next day they would be sitting next to you editing it. Then it would go up on the site and it would either get a million hits or nobody would watch it and it would disappear and then it was on to the next thing. Everyone there worked at their own pace and you were encouraged to just go pick up a camera and make something...I used this as an opportunity to start directing my own sketches and quickly found out that not only do I like directing more than writing, but also that I'm better at it." Appel would go on pensively direct series television, with credits including Eagleheart, NTSF:SD: SUV, The Office, New Girl, Selfie, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Son of Zorn, Die Hart and The Afterparty. In 2022, Appel made his feature directorial debut with Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, based on a Funny or Die short that he directed twelve years earlier. The film won a Critics Choice Award for Best Made for Television Movie. Description above from the Wikipedia article Eric Appel, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Diane Robin

Diane Robin (born 23 July 1966) is an Aerican actress. Although often cast as a New Yorker, Diane Robin was born in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles. Her training began in high school, with a scholarship to the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute, and she was the youngest person to have been accepted into the adult program.Diane got a manager who convinced her to sneak on to the Universal lot, and personally hand deliver her picture and resumé to a casting director. She did ,but was then thrown off the lot by a security guard. Telling the story of the fiasco to a complete stranger ,he replied "I'm an agent and don't have anyone like you." She signed with him the next day, and has gone on to appear in over 120 television and film productions. Diane has worked with Academy Award-winning actors including Holly Hunter, Robin Williams, and Jeff Bridges. Some of the legendary directors with whom she has worked include, Terry Gilliam , Peter Hyams,Chris Columbus , and Paul Verhoeven in Robocop, as Chandra in the infamous "bitches Leave " scene. She has guest starred on numerous TV shows including NCIS, Desperate Housewives, and MacGyver. She's also costarred in many Hallmark and Lifetime movies such as McBride, Mystery Woman and Annie's Point. She can be seen in Authors Anonymous with Kaley Cuoco, House of Deadly Secrets with Patty McCormack, and Lifetimes You Can't Take My Daughter with Lyndsy Fonseca. In the Indie Award-winning comedy Dating Daisy she plays one of her favorite roles, the pushy endearing mother Eleanor .She is very excited about her acclaimed comedy web series Strange Therapy, in which she stars , and wrote , on Amazon Prime. She recently completed costarring in the thriller Deadly Reunion, and has just been cast as of of the leads in The Sweepers. Always happy on a set, Diane got a license plate so there would be no ambiguity about who she is and what she loves to do. It simply reads CAST ME.

Martha Hackett

Cast · Known for Star Trek: Voyager, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Martha Hackett, born February 21, 1961, in Boston, Massachusetts, is an American actress best known for her recurring role as Seska on the television series "Star Trek: Voyager," where she appeared in thirteen episodes. She is an alumna of Harvard University/Radcliffe College and holds an MFA in Acting from the University of Southern California. Early in her Star Trek career, she auditioned for the role of Jadzia Dax in "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" but ultimately was cast as Seska, a complex Bajoran Maquis crew member who was later revealed to be a Cardassian spy. Her character's storyline included her pregnancy, which was integrated into the show due to Hackett's own pregnancy at the time. Beyond Star Trek, Hackett has had a varied career with roles across film, television, and stage. Her filmography includes movies like "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" (2014), "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" (2005), and "The Bye Bye Man" (2017). On television, she has appeared in shows such as "Days of Our Lives," "NCIS," and "Masters of Sex." Hackett has also lent her voice to video games within the Star Trek franchise. She was married to independent filmmaker Tim Disney, with whom she has two children. Martha Hackett remains active in the entertainment industry, noted for her versatility in both genre and dramatic roles across multiple media

Oliver Cotton

After training at the Drama Centre London, he has worked extensively at the Royal National Theatre playing in many productions including The Royal Hunt of the Sun, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, Oedipus, In His Own Write, Hamlet, Tamburlaine, No Man's Land, The Passion, Despatches, Half Life, The World Turned Upside Down, Julius Caesar, The Madras House, The Man With the Flower in His Mouth, Tales from the Vienna Woods, The Crucible, Piano, Troilus and Cressida, Money, Summerfolk, The Villain's Opera, Life x 3. At the Royal Court Theatre, he has appeared in The Local Stigmatic, The Duchess of Malfi, Man is Man, The Enoch Show, Erronenous Zones, The Tutor by Brecht, Lear and Bingo by Edward Bond and Piano/Forte by Terry Johnson. He was a founder member of Joint Stock appearing in their inaugural production The Speakers by Heathcote Williams. At The Royal Shakespeare Company he has played in The Marrying of Ann Leete, Henry VI, Edward IV, Richard III, The Plain Dealer, Some Americans Abroad by Richard Nelson, Brand by Ibsen. His West End appearances include The Homecoming by Harold Pinter, Children of a Lesser God by Mark Medoff, Benefactors by Michael Frayn (in whose Liberty Hall he also appeared in at the Greenwich Theatre), An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde, Life x 3 by Yasmina Reza, and Brand by Ibsen. He has also played the title role in King Lear at the Southwark Playhouse and Malvolio in Shakespeare's Globe's all-male production of Twelfth Night. His many TV appearances have included The Borgias (Cesare Borgia), David Copperfield, The Year of the French, The Play on One, Redemption, Poirot, The Camomile Lawn, Westbeach, Zorro, Sharpe's Battle, Rhodes, All Quiet on the Preston Front, Innocents, Judge John Deed, Inspector Lynley, Waking the Dead, M.I.T.: Murder Investigation Team, Beastly Games, Sensitive Skin, Midsomer Murders, Hotel Babylon. His films include Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush, The Day Christ Died, Firefox, Oliver Twist, The Sicilian, Eleni, Hiding Out, Christopher Columbus, Son of the Pink Panther, The Innocent Sleep, Phoenix Blue, The Opium War, Beowulf, Baby Blue, The Dancer Upstairs, Shanghai Knights, The Bone Collector, Raindogs, Colour Me Kubrick.

David Quantick

Writer · Known for Spider Island

David Quantick (born 14 May 1961) is an English novelist, comedy writer and critic, who has worked as a journalist and screenwriter. A former freelance writer for the music magazine NME, his writing credits have included On the Hour, Blue Jam and TV Burp. He won an Emmy Award for Veep in 2015. Quantick was born in Wortley, West Riding of Yorkshire (now South Yorkshire) on 14 May 1961, adopted, and moved at an early age with his family to Plymouth. Quantick spent the 1970s in Exmouth. Quantick went to Woodford Junior School and Plymouth College, then Exmouth Comprehensive School. He was born in 1961, in a mother-and-baby home in Wortley, Yorkshire. His mother lived in the Midlands and went to stay with an aunt In Derbyshire to conceal the fact she was pregnant. He was adopted by a family, who were living in Sheffield at the time and then moved to Plymouth. Quantick studied for a Law degree at University College London and "discovered I had no aptitude. They had these 'moot courts' - simulated a court hearings - and all I remember is dressing up in a cape like Batman." and took a Civil Service exam "to please my parents" and nearly failed" - "which was a shock". "The school I went to has a mentor system. I was asked to go back and give a talk on 'having a dream'. I told them I believe strongly that you should not have a dream." - David Quantick Quantick began writing for the music publication NME in 1983, where with Steven Wells he concentrated on comedy writing until 1995. Alongside this, he also contributed material to British comedy shows such as Spitting Image. In 1992, he joined the writing team for the Radio 4 spoof news programme On the Hour, before writing for the television follow-up The Day Today in 1994. He appeared regularly on Collins and Maconie's Hit Parade (Radio 1, 1994–1997), with his Quantick's World slot and on the weekly show, The Treatment on BBC Radio Five Live, which was an hour-long satirical news round-up. In 1995, Quantick presented a pilot show called Now What? to Carlton Television but he series was not picked up for development. He wrote with Chris Morris for Brass Eye in 1996 (broadcast in 1997) and Blue Jam (Radio 1, 1997), as well as the subsequent television version Jam (Channel 4, 2000). He also provided material for Smack the Pony (Channel 4, 1999–2001), Harry Enfield's Brand Spanking New Show (Sky One, 2000), So Graham Norton (Channel 4, 1998) and featured on Radio 4's The 99p Challenge.

Fran Ryan

​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.   Fran Ryan (November 29, 1916 – January 15, 2000) was an American character actress featured in television and films. She was born in Los Angeles, California. Fran Ryan began performing at the age of 6, at Oakland's Henry Duffy Theatre, in Northern California. She attended Stanford University for three years, and during World War II was a member of the USO entertaining troops. She performed comedy, singing and acting on stage in California and Chicago but was not to launch her television career for two decades. Her small screen debut came in an episode on Television's Batman, in 1966, followed by a bit part in Beverly Hillbillies. Ryan's best known television role was as Aggie Thompson in The Doris Day Show (in its first incarnation plotline theme), though the gig only lasted a few months. This role was cut short because she was offered the 'replacement' role on the hit series Green Acres as Doris Ziffel from 1969-1971. Fran was to replace Barbara Pepper, who by then was in poor health. Sadly, Miss Pepper died just five months later of heart ailments, on July 15, 1969. Ryan also starred on the long running TV Western series Gunsmoke during its twentieth and final season as Miss Hannah (Cobb). In 1987, she reprised the role of Miss Hannah in the TV movie Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge. Fran Ryan played the role of Sister Agatha in the soap opera General Hospital in (1979). She also did voices for cartoons such as Hong Kong Phooey, Mister T and Little Dracula. Fran starred on some TV shows for children like Sigmund and the Sea Monsters in 1975 as Gertrude Grouch, and in 1970s children's show The New Zoo Revue as Ms. Goodbody, the 1980s TV series No Soap, Radio as Mrs. Belmont, the short lived 1980s CBS TV series The Wizard as Tillie Russell from 1986-1987. Her last regular TV role was on The Dave Thomas Comedy Show. She starred in many feature films, including Flush (1977), Big Wednesday (1978), Take This Job and Shove It (1981), Pale Rider (1985), Chances Are, and in her scene-stealing cameo in 1981's Stripes, as a tortured cab fare to Bill Murray as the cabbie, in the opening scenes of the comedy film. Ryan made guest appearances on TV shows ranging from Batman, Adam-12, CHiPs, Quantum Leap, Night Court, Baywatch to The Commish. Fran Ryan was often compared to actress Marjorie Main; they looked similar to one another. Ryan died on January 15, 2000, at age 83. She is buried in the family plots alongside her mother, at the Holy Sepulchre Catholic Cemetery, in Hayward, California. Description above from the Wikipedia article Fran Ryan, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

John Milius

John Frederick Milius is an American filmmaker. He was one of the writers for the first two Dirty Harry films, received an Academy Award nomination as screenwriter of Apocalypse Now, and wrote and directed The Wind and the Lion, Conan the Barbarian and Red Dawn. He wrote a number of iconic film lines such as "Charlie don't surf" and "I love the smell of napalm in the morning," from Apocalypse Now, and the famous Dirty Harry one-liners delivered by Clint Eastwood, including "Go ahead, make my day" and "Ask yourself one question, 'do I feel lucky?' Well, do you, punk?". Milius also wrote the USS Indianapolis monologue in the film Jaws; the sequence performed by Robert Shaw. After his work on Rough Riders (1997), Milius became an instrumental force in lobbying Congress to award President Theodore Roosevelt the Medal of Honor (posthumously), for acts of conspicuous gallantry while in combat on San Juan Hill. Milius made two films featuring Roosevelt: The Wind and the Lion (where he was played by Brian Keith) and the made-for-TV film Rough Riders (where Tom Berenger took the role). The character of John Milner from the 1973 George Lucas film American Graffiti was inspired by Milius, who was a good friend of Lucas while they were at USC film school. Likewise, the character Walter Sobchak in the 1998 film The Big Lebowski, made by his friends the Coen Brothers, was partly based on Milius. The novella "Blind Jozef Pronek and Dead Souls" by Aleksandar Hemon features an episode with Milius, who is described as "sitting at a desk sucking on a cigar as long as a walking stick." In 2013 a documentary about his life, titled Milius, was released. Writer Nat Segaloff called Milius: "The best writer of the so-called USC Mafia, a tight-knit group that resuscitated—some say homogenised American cinema in the 1970s... Raised on Ford, Hawks, Lean and Kurosawa, shaped by filmmakers as disparate as Fellini and Delmer Daves, Milius favours history books over comic books, character over special effects, and heroes with roots in reality, time, place and customs. Milius' stories reflect his own deeply held ethic, which embraces the values of tradition, adventure, spiritualism, honour and an intense loyalty to friends... Although he privately chafes at his public image as a gun-toting, liberal baiting provocateur, he allows himself to be painted as such, at times even holding the brush. He plays the Hollywood game like a pro, yet sticks to his own rules; he is a romantic filmmaker who avoids love scenes; his movies contain violence, yet no death in them is without meaning." Milius himself once said: "Never compromise excellence. To write for someone else is the biggest mistake that any writer makes. You should be your biggest competitor, your biggest critic, your biggest fan, because you don’t know what anybody else thinks. How arrogant it is to assume that you know the market, that you know what’s popular today [...] Write what you want to see. Because if you don’t, you’re not going to have any true passion in it, and it’s not going to be done with any true artistry."

Jean-Claude Van Damme

Cast · Known for Minions: The Rise of Gru

Van Damme was born Jean-Claude Camille François van Varenberg in Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Brussels, Belgium, to Eliana and Eugène van Varenberg, an accountant. “The Muscles from Brussels” started martial arts at the age of eleven. His father introduced him to martial arts when he saw his son was physically weak. At the age of 12, van Damme began his martial arts training at Centre National De Karate (National Center of Karate) under the guidance of Master Claude Goetz in Ixelles, Belgium. Van Damme trained for 4 years and earned a spot on the Belgium Karate Team. He won the European professional karate association's middleweight championship as a teenager, and also beat the 2nd best karate fighter in the world. His goal was to be number one but got sidetracked when he left his hometown of Brussels. In 1976 at the age of sixteen, Jean-Claude started his Martial Arts fight career. Jean-Claude retired from martial arts in 1982, following a knockout over Nedjad Gharbi in Brussels, Belgium. Jean-Claude posted a 18-1 (18 knockouts) kickboxing record, and a semi-contact record of 41-4. He came to Hong Kong at the age of 19 for the first time and felt insured to do action movies in Hong Kong. In 1981, van Damme moved to Los Angeles. He took English classes while working as carpet layer, pizza delivery man, limo driver, and thanks to Chuck Norris he got a job as a bouncer at a club. Norris gave van Damme a small role in the movie Missing in Action (1984), but it wasn't good enough to get anybody's attention. In 1984, he got his first significant role as a villain named Ivan in the low-budget movie, No Retreat, No Surrender (1986). Then one day, while walking on the streets, Jean-Claude spotted a producer for Cannon Pictures and showed some of his martial arts abilities which led to a role in Bloodsport (1988). The movie, filmed in Hong Kong, was so bad when it was completed, it was shelved for almost two years. It might have never been released if van Damme did not help them to re-cut the film and begged producers to release it. They finally released the film, first in Malaysia and France and then into the US shot on a meager 1.5 million dollar budget, it became a US box-office hit in the spring of 1988. It made about 30 million worldwide and audiences supported this film for its new sensational action star, Jean-Claude van Damme. His good looks led to starring roles in higher budgeted movies like Cyborg (1989), AWOL: Absent Without Leave (1990), Double Impact (1991) and Universal Soldier (1992). In 1994, he scored with his big breakthrough $100 million worldwide hit Timecop (1994). But in the meantime, his personal life was coming apart. A divorce, followed by a new marriage, followed by another divorce. It began to show up in his career when his projects began to tank at the box office: The Quest (1996), which he directed; Maximum Risk (1996) and Double Team (1997). The three films made less than $50 million combined. In 1999, he remarried his ex-wife, Gladys Portugues, and restarted his lost career to attain new goals. With help from his family, he faced his problems and made movies like Replicant (2001), Derailed (2002), and In Hell (2003).

Aretha Franklin

Aretha Louise Franklin (March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the "Queen of Soul", Rolling Stone twice named her as the greatest singer of all time. With global sales of over 75 million records, Franklin is one of the world's best-selling music artists. As a child, Franklin was noticed for her gospel singing at New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan, where her father C. L. Franklin was a minister. At the age of 18, she was signed as a recording artist for Columbia Records. While her career did not immediately flourish, Franklin found acclaim and commercial success once she signed with Atlantic Records in 1966. Hit songs such as "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)", "Respect", "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman", "Chain of Fools", "Think", and "I Say a Little Prayer", propelled Franklin past her musical peers. Franklin continued to record acclaimed albums such as I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You (1967), Lady Soul (1968), Spirit in the Dark (1970), Young, Gifted and Black (1972), Amazing Grace (1972), and Sparkle (1976), before experiencing problems with the record company. Franklin left Atlantic in 1979 and signed with Arista Records. The singer appeared in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers before releasing the successful albums Jump to It (1982), Who's Zoomin' Who? (1985) and Aretha (1986) on the Arista label. In 1998, Franklin returned to the Top 40 with the Lauryn Hill-produced song "A Rose Is Still a Rose"; later, she released an album with the same name. Franklin recorded 112 charted singles on the US Billboard charts, including 73 Hot 100 entries, 17 top-ten pop singles, 100 R&B entries and 20 number-one R&B singles. Besides the foregoing, the singer's well-known hits also include "Ain't No Way", "Call Me", "Don't Play That Song (You Lied)", "Spanish Harlem", "Rock Steady", "Day Dreaming", "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)", "Something He Can Feel", "Jump to It", "Freeway of Love", "Who's Zoomin' Who" and "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" (a duet with George Michael). Franklin won 18 Grammy Awards (out of 44 nominations), including the first eight awards given for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (1968–1975), a Grammy Awards Living Legend honor and Lifetime Achievement Award. Franklin received numerous honors throughout her career. She was awarded the National Medal of Arts and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 1987, she became the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She also was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005 and into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2012. In 2019, the Pulitzer Prize jury awarded the songwriter a posthumous special citation "for her indelible contribution to American music and culture for more than five decades". In 2020, Franklin was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. .. Source: Article "Aretha Franklin" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Christopher Borg

Christopher Borg is an actor, comedian, performance artist and occasional writer/director living in Manhattan since 1999. Off-Broadway credits include originating roles in Charles Busch's "The Confession of Lily Dare" (Lucille Lortel Award Nomination "Outstanding Actor in a Featured Role") produced by Primary Stages at the Cherry Lane and "Judith of Bethulia." Other Off-Broadway credits include originating roles in “Penny Pennyworth” and “The Play About the Naked Guy.” Other notable New York credits include "The Complete & Condensed Stage Directions Of Eugene O’Neill Part II" (Drama Desk Nomination), "Locker #4173b" (New York IT Award "Outstanding Performance Art Production") and "(Not) Just a Day Like Any Other" (NY IT Award "Outstanding Ensemble") with the New York Neo-Futurists, Doric Wilson’s "Street Theater" and "A Perfect Relationship" for TOSOS, "And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little with Retro Productions (NY IT nomination for "Outstanding Featured Actor"), "Dining With Ploetz" and "Off the King's Road" at Theatre for the New City, "The Death of Griffin Hunter" at The Brick and "Modern Living" at LaMama Etc.

Tina Benko

Cast · Known for The Avengers

A highly regarded performer on the New York and national stages, Tina Benko also enjoyed regular work in films and on television, most notably in a starring role on "Flesh and Bone" (Starz, 2015).The Pittsburgh, PA native received her training at Carnegie Mellon and made her screen debut in Stephen Gyllenhaal's drama "Waterland" in 1992. Benko logged minor roles in features and on television throughout the 1990s while also appearing regularly on stage, both as an understudy in Broadway productions like "The Real Thing" (2000) and "A Day in the Death of Joe Egg" (2003) and in more substantive roles Off Broadway and at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. In 2006, she enjoyed a recurring role as Kath Parry, a former flame of Irish gangster Michael Caffee (Jason Isaacs) on "Brotherhood" (Showtime, 2006-2008), which led to supporting and guest appearances on episodic dramas like "Law & Order" (NBC, 1990-2010) and roles in major features like "The Avengers" (2012). Her stage roles, too, grew in stature, and by 2011, she was starring in an international touring production of Toni Morrison's "Desdemona" (2011) directed by Peter Sellars and earning critical praise as Titania in Julie Taylor's 2013 production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," which was filmed for a 2014 theatrical release. In 2013, Benko also earned a Lucille Lortel Award nomination for playing Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in Elfriede Jellinek's solo play "Jackie," and by the following year, had transitioned into a busy character actress, with two or three film or television credits to her name each year. Chief among these was a minor role in Woody Allen's "Irrational Man" (2015) and a turn as a series regular on "Flesh and Bone," Starz's drama set in the ballet world. Benko played Jessica, a former dancer who returns to her former ballet company to serve as its manager.

Wang Deshun

Cast · Known for Ne Zha 2

Wang began his career as a stage actor at the Changchun Theater when he was 24. However, as the entertainment industry continued to develop and theater gradually lost its popularity in Changchun, 49-year-old Wang and his family decided to move to Beijing to continue pursuing his love of theater. However, life in Beijing was tough. Unable to find traditional acting jobs, Wang began developing his own unique form of silent performance art. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, he built a name for himself in Beijing and performed overseas in places such as Germany, France, and South Korea. With his performances often involving painting himself and standing still for hours at a time Wang began hitting the gym at age 50. "I worked out for four hours a day at the time and it took me three years to make my body look like a sculpture," Wang said in an interview with the Yangtze Evening Post. According to him, he continues to work out at least two hours every day.

Archie Gouldie

Archibald Edward Gouldie was a Canadian professional wrestler. He wrestled for Stampede Wrestling for decades as Archie "The Stomper" Gouldie, with the nickname coming from the wrestler's reputation of "stomping" on his opponents, when they were down, with his black cowboy boots. He was also known by the ring name The Mongolian Stomper. Early in his career, Archie "The Stomper" Gouldie was a babyface in the Central States territory. He won the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship from Enrique Torres in St. Joseph on Dec. 20, 1963, losing it to Rocky Hamilton on Jan 31, 1964. He regained it on May 22, 1964, only to lose it to Sonny Myers June 12, 1964. He regained it yet again in 1965 from Sonny Myers, and dropped it to Bobby Shane in December in Waterloo, IA. Archie also proved himself to be an accomplished tag team wrestler, winning the NWA North American Tag Team Championship eleven times. His first reign began May 1, 1962, with his last title run coming on Oct 14, 1972. The Stomper teamed up four times with The Viking, three times with Bob Geigel, twice with Rufus R. Jones, once with Danny Little Bear, and once with Bob Ellis for a total of approximately 238 days. Gouldie held the North American heavyweight title a record 14 times between 1968 and 1984, quite a streak of longevity for that time frame. He was also the first champion, defeating former NWA World Heavyweight Champion Pat O'Connor in the tournament finals. Gouldie feuded with British mat technician Billy Robinson, among others, for the title. Although he wrestled as a heel during the majority of his Stampede tenure, Gouldie made a face turn late in 1983 after Bad News Allen turned against Gouldie and his storyline "son", Jeff, during a six-man tag team match and brutalized and injured Jeff (which led to Stampede TV host Ed Whalen to quit the company in protest); the attack led to a bloody feud which climaxed with Gouldie defeating Bad News for the Stampede North American title. Gouldie achieved most of his US fame in this territory, based in Knoxville, Tennessee. He held the NWA Southeast Heavyweight Championship a record eleven times between 1976 and 1981, winning it for the last time against Jerry Stubbs and losing it to Jos LeDuc. He feuded with Robert Fuller and Ronnie Garvin over the title. Gouldie appeared very briefly in Mid South in late-1982, saving Skandor Akbar from an attack by Buck Robley. He only wrestled one or two matches before abruptly leaving the territory. In 1992 Gouldie joined SMW, which, like Southeast, was based in Knoxville, Tennessee. At this point in his career, the Stomper was considered a babyface, teaming with former rival Ronnie Garvin in his feud with Paul Orndorff and feuding with Kevin Sullivan's latest incarnation of evil wrestlers. Gouldie defeated Rob Morgan at the first Bluegrass Brawl in Pikeville, Ky. According to several magazines, Gouldie maintained his shape by riding his bicycle almost everywhere he went, sometimes riding up to 60 miles a day. In 2011, memory issues began. On January 9, 2016, Gouldie fell and broke his hip, which required surgery. After the surgery, he never recovered and died in his sleep on January 23.

Loni Peristere

Director · Known for American Horror Story, Banshee, House of the Dragon

Loni Peristere is an American television director, producer, and former visual effects supervisor. He is well known for his work on the Starz drama Banshee; and for the FX anthology series American Horror Story. He began his career as a visual effects coordinator for the 1997 Tommy Lee Jones starrer Volcano. He worked in the department on future films, such as Cinderella, Serenity, Beyond, and One Day Like Rain. He worked in special effects for TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, and Drive. In 2014, Peristere segued into direction. Helming and producing multiple episodes of Starz's Banshee. That same year he began directing for FX's American Horror Story. He is the co-founder of visual effects studio Zoic.

Johnathan McClain

Originally from Myrtle Beach, SC, at the age of 21 Johnathan moved to Chicago where he wrote and began performing his critically acclaimed one-man show, Like It Is. The Chicago Reader proclaimed, "If we're ever to return to a day when theatre matters, we'll need a few hundred more artists with McClain's vision and courage." On the heels of its critical and commercial success, the show subsequently moved to New York where Johnathan was compared favorably to solo performance visionaries such as Eric Bogosian, John Leguizamo, and Anna Deavere Smith.

Jaime Aymerich

Jaime Aymerich Bio His TV credits include Golden Globes nominated 'Weeds', Primetime Emmy nominated 'Workaholics', and Amazon Prime's hit Emmy-nominated series 'Bosch'. Born and raised in Mexico City, Jaime is a graduate of the Academy of Dramatic Arts (Mexico). Jaime's acting skills and personal dynamics have been evident since childhood. On a day off from school, he took off without thinking and visited Televisa San Angel, Mexico's largest TV station, and asked for a job as an actor, which he got straight away. He went on to receive several television roles in the early 1990s and made a name for himself. He then pursued his acting career in theatre, earning many awards from the Dramatic Arts Center in Mexico. On stage, he starred in plays like "El Tintero" (The Inkman), "El Fin" (The End), "Quiero Vivir" (I Want to Live), and many others. Jaime further developed his acting career in sketch-comedy theatre in Mexico, receiving more awards from the Comedians' House. He moved to Los Angeles to pursue his acting career and soon landed roles both in film and television. Jaime's first critically praised television performance was of his portrayal of a young Mexican Character "Daniel" in an American Soap Opera Acapulco Bay, a Televisa-Fox production. Jaime made his film debut in A Beautiful Secret sharing the screen with Golden Globe and Academy Award winner Katy Jurado. This film earned 11 prizes in several international festivals, marking a new level of success for Mexican cinematography. For the next few years, his work would range from the Showtime series Fat Actress with Kirstie Alley to portraying a Mexican President in the action drama The Last Ship by Michael Bay. Some of his TV credits include East Los High and Prime Time Glick with Martin Short. He recently shot How to Be a Latin Lover with Salma Hayek and Raquel Welsh. Widely known within the Latin community, he stars in many Telenovelas like Amar de Nuevo, Historias de la Virgen Morena, La llamada, and El Poeta del Pueblo for Univision. Jaime is in the number one show of NBC / Telemundo - "Betty en New York" where he portrays the role of Charlie. He performed as Jorge in "The Laundromat" directed by the Oscar winner Steven Soderberg; where he acts with Meryl Streep, Gary Oldman, and Antonio Banderas. He portrayed the character of "Satan" in the series "The Daughter of God" written by successful writer Enrique Torres. Jaime shot in Cancun the TV project where he was giving life to "Pato" in the Jeff Valdez show for HBO "The Garcias". Jaime has done many animated series and movies giving his voice to different characters in projects like Bojack Horseman, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Astroboy, Early Man, Little Rooster's Egg-cellent Adventure, etc. He started his career as an Executive Producer with the Emmy Winner Netflix Show "Julie and The Phantoms" and is a partner of Aymerich Entertainment making Movies and TV Series in Hollywood and Latin America. Jaime Aymerich stars in the movie "Lo que Diga el Corazon" the story of a father who dedicates his entire life to his autistic son, but suddenly faces an enormous challenge. Jaime is currently filming the movie “Una Pareja de 4”, a comedy of affairs with a positive message to couples.

Michael Taliferro

Known for his intimidating stature, Taliferro was signed by the Washington Redskins in 1984, followed by two seasons in the USFL with the Denver Gold in 1985 and the Arizona Outlaws in 1986, finishing his career with the British Columbia Lions in the Canadian Football League the following year. His first film appearance was in the film Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit in 1993 playing the role of a 'security guard', he had also made appearances in films like Armageddon, Life which starred Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence, and Half Past Dead; in 2006, he had completed his appearance Crime/Drama film A Day in the Life, later he had died of a stroke in May. Taliferro also directed a film called Steppin: The Movie which was completed in 2007. Bear was best known for his roles in the films Bad Boys, Life, Half Past Dead, Ride or Die and Blue Hill Avenue.

John Hemphill

Cast · Known for Schitt's Creek

John Hemphill, born in 1953, is a multi-talented Canadian individual. He is not only an actor but also a writer, creator, and director. He has been associated with The Second City troupe's Toronto cast for a significant period of time. His writing contributions to SCTV brought him into contact with some of the biggest stars of Second City, including John Candy, Martin Short, Catherine O'Hara, Andrea Martin, and Eugene Levy. His most notable on-screen contribution was Happy Marsden, the host of a children's show that broadcasts from a bar. In addition to his impressive resume, he has made appearances in several television series such as RoboRoach, The Jane Show, Little Mosque on the Prairie, Maniac Mansion, and notably portrayed the character of Bob Currie in Schitt's Creek. Furthermore, he has also made his mark in television films like Hostage for a Day and Sodbusters.

William D. Gordon

Writer · Known for The Alfred Hitchcock Hour

William Douglas Gordon was an American actor, writer, director, story editor, and producer. Although he is best known for his writing credits, he acted occasionally on numerous TV series. Gordon was born in Santa Clara, California, in 1918. He started his career as a writer in 1936, writing for radio shows like The Cisco Kid, The Count of Monte Cristo and The Tommy Dorsey Show. In 1939, he began to direct TV shows, directing the first live television shows for the Don Lee Network and later he served as an infantry officer during World War II. In 1958, he acted for the first time in Maverick, appearing subsequently in TV series including Maverick, The Twilight Zone, Thriller, Peter Gunn, Law of the Plainsman, Riverboat, Rawhide, The Americans and The Virginian during the 1960s. He also worked as a script writer for shows like Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Fugitive, Bonanza, Ironside and Barbary Coast, in addition to writing the screenplay of the films Cotter and Sergeant Ryker. As a director, he directed one episode of The Richard Boone Show titled "Death Before Dishonor" and another of The Fugitive titled "A.P.B.". On March 31, 1965, he became the producer of Twelve O'Clock High, producing 47 episodes of the series, in addition to producing 32 episodes of The Fugitive between 1964 and 1966. He worked as a story supervisor of The Richard Boone Show, Bonanza, Thriller and Alfred Hitchcock Presents and directed the television game show Queen for a Day. From 1977 to 1982, Gordon, along with James Doherty, helped to produce, write and edit the TV series CHiPs. After retirement, Gordon began writing novels about the Civil War. Gordon died in Thousand Oaks, California of lung cancer aged 73