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Christopher Stracey
Composer · Known for Anyone but You, One Night Only
Christopher Stracey is known for Anyone But You (2023), Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022) and Manodrome (2023).
Ilana Wolpert
Writer · Known for Anyone but You
Ilana Wolpert is known for Anyone But You (2023), High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (2019) and I'm in Love with the Dancer from My Bat Mitzvah.
Mia Artemis
Cast · Known for Anyone but You
Mia Artemis is known for Anyone But You (2023), Sweet Tooth (2021) and The Secrets She Keeps (2020).
Sydney Sweeney
Cast · Known for Anyone but You, The Housemaid, Euphoria
Sydney Bernice Sweeney (born September 12, 1997) is an American actress. She gained early recognition for her roles in Everything Sucks!, The Handmaid's Tale, and Sharp Objects in 2018. She received wider acclaim for her performances in the drama series Euphoria (2019–2026) and the first season of the anthology series The White Lotus (2021), both of which earned her nominations for Primetime Emmy Awards. In film, Sweeney garnered critical acclaim for her performances in the drama film Reality (2023) and for her portrayal of professional boxer Christy Martin in the biopic Christy (2025), and has also appeared in the box office hits Anyone but You (2023) and The Housemaid (2025). Her other film credits include Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019), Madame Web (2024), and Immaculate (2024).
Ester Dean
Cast · Known for Ice Age: Continental Drift, Trolls World Tour
Born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, but raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Ester Dean was the youngest of five children raised by her single mother Hester, in a low-income household. At a young age Dean learned how to channel her pain into her music, writing and channeling her emotions into songs. Creative writing served as Dean’s self-therapy, helping her cope with a hard life of poverty and bullying (inside and outside her home). Dean took to writing and singing as an escape from her small Oklahoma town with no glimpses of a positive future. At the age of 15, Dean and her sister Deandria moved to Omaha, Nebraska; leaving her older siblings in Tulsa. The separation made Dean dig deeper for a connection, finding solace in music and the local music scene. Singing in every studio, writing for local rappers and producers, Dean unknowingly grass-rooted herself. Learning the ins and outs of her talent and creativity, at 20 years old Dean made a bold move and left Omaha with only $500 in her pocket. She drove 18 hours, alone, to Atlanta, Georgia with dreams of breaking into the music industry. She sang for anyone who would listen. While at a Gap Band concert, music producer Tricky Stewart overheard Dean singing in the crowd along with the band. He immediately asked her to set up a meeting. While going through her catalog of songs, Tricky was impressed by not only her voice but also her songwriting ability. He signed her to a small publishing deal that allowed Dean to grow and connect with other known writers and producers. This opportunity provided Dean with the tools, tricks, and skills to writing potential Top 40 songs. Although her time with Tricky was a significant point in her career, Dean eventually parted ways and relocated to Los Angeles, California. Upon relocating to Los Angeles, Dean began to build a name in the songwriting world. She was eventually introduced to Polow da Don, and later signed to Zone 4 Records/Interscope Records. In 2009 Dean released her first single, "Drop It Low", which peaked at number 38 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming her first US Top 40 single. Dean's big break came when she collaborated with super producers Stargate, creating her first number one single, Rihanna’s "Rude Boy". She went on to write "What's My Name", "Where Have You Been" and several other Rihanna hits, as well as Katy Perry's "Firework" and Nicki Minaj’s "Super Bass". She would go on to be named ‘The Song Machine’ in John Seabrook's The New Yorker article. Outside of music, Dean has been able to establish herself as a voice-over talent. She landed roles in Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012) and Rio (2011). After making a great impression in the voice-over world, Dean was asked to audition for a small part in an upcoming movie about a girl A cappella group. She jumped at the chance to audition and landed the role of Cynthia Rose in the hit movie Pitch Perfect (2012), which also lead to her co-starring in Pitch Perfect 2 (2015).
Paddy Kondracki
Cast · Known for The Incomer
I am a writer who has worked freelance for the past 3 years doing work for BBC’s online websites and for independent production companies. My slate includes mostly comedy but I am branching into drama works specifically a TV series set in Glasgow based on my experience of being an outreach youth worker and working with hard to reach young people. I am part of a sketch troupe specialising in work themed around mental health called Alternative Sanity Bureau. We have videos (see below for link) and done various live shows (1 at the Glasgow Comedy Festival). I have myself recently been diagnosed with a mild bipolar disorder called Cyclothymic disorder so I have a personal interest in trying in the groups goal of attempting to bring some light and humour to mental health topics in order to get people talking. If we lift some of the stigma that’s great if we merely get people talking in a more way about mental health then we will be very pleased. In terms of participatory projects I am particularly keen to continue working with projects around mental health and happy to get involved in other peoples projects or for others to join our group. Also as a youth worker I am interested in projects that involve young people from marginalised or hard to reach backgrounds. I have 10 years experience as an outreach and detached youth worker and so can provide training to anyone who needs it for a small cost.
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.
Larry Oliver
Larry Richard Oliver, was an American professional wrestler, known as "Crippler" Rip Oliver, who had success in NWA Pacific Northwest Wrestling (PNW). In Pacific Northwest Wrestling, he set a record for holding the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship more than anyone. Oliver also had many titles in tag team competition, holding the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship and the NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship a combined 18 times. In 1985 Chris Adams allowed his tag team partner Gino Hernandez to defend the WCCW Television Championship against Billy Jack Haynes, where he lost that title, but Oliver defeated and severely injured Billy to win the television title soon thereafter. After wrestling in PNW, Oliver began to wrestle for the World Wrestling Federation, and worked mainly as a jobber. During his run, Oliver appeared once on Saturday Night's Main Event XVIII, going by the name of Super Ninja, challenging The Ultimate Warrior for the WWF Intercontinental Championship. During his many title reigns Oliver faced many wrestlers such as Rocky Johnson, Brett Sawyer, Billy Jack Haynes, Buddy Rose, Bobby Jaggers, Stan Stasiak, Larry Hennig, Curt Hennig, Brian Adams, Jay Youngblood, Steve Regal, Roddy Piper, Tom Zenk, and Buzz Sawyer. After leaving the WWF Oliver would return to PNW in 1990. He wrestled his last match on October 12, 1991, losing the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship to Demolition Crush. In July 2016, Oliver was part of a class action lawsuit filed against WWE which alleged that wrestlers incurred traumatic brain injuries during their tenure and that the company concealed the risks of injury. The suit was litigated by attorney Konstantine Kyros, who has been involved in a number of other lawsuits against WWE. US District Judge Vanessa Lynne Bryant dismissed the lawsuit in September 2018. In early 2020, it was revealed that Oliver had entered into hospice care due to end-stage heart failure. He died on March 5, 2020, surrounded by his family.
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.
James Hazeldine
British actor James Hazeldine was a well-known face both on British Television and on Stage. Best known for his role as Mike "Bayleaf" Wilson in the ITV drama, London's Burning (1988), many real-life firefighters thought Bayleaf was the character who closely and accurately portrayed your average real-life firefighter, a credit to his acting abilities. A meticulous performer, he was well-known for researching every part he played, and firmly believed that by accurately portraying a character the audience would feel much more involved in and enveloped by the performance. He played the role continuously for seven years from the serial's inception in 1988. (The character's sobriquet stemmed from a culinary bent for complex recipes). In a career spanning three decades, he also guested in such series as 'Boon' and 'Miss Marple', and, in the late 1980s, played the manager of the electrics company in Central's early-evening situation comedy, Young, Gifted and Broke (1989). In 1995, Hazeldine's character was written out of London's Burning of the actor's own volition, but he remained with the programme as a director. In years to come, he expanded his directing talents to encompass other UK drama serials, among them TV's The Knock (1994) and Heartbeat (1992). His acting CV also included sporadic film appearances, such as Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982). Although renowned as a television performer, he was also a respected stage actor, having trained with the Royal Shakespeare Company and, at one time, acted on Broadway alongside Glenda Jackson. He was rehearsing for his role as Sigmund Freud in a new stage play, 'The Talking Cure', when he became ill. In 2002 he appeared in the controversial drama, Shipman, which re-enacted events surrounding the murderous killing spree of Dr Harold Shipman, Britain's most prolific serial killer. Hazeldine assumed the role of Detective Inspector Stan Egerton, the man charged with leading the investigation into the deranged doctor's crimes. Determined that the dramatization should be as authentic as possible, Hazeldine even met with the retired policeman to ensure a realistic portrayal of the diligent law enforcer. Ironically, while the Shipman drama was in production, the real-life Mr. Egerton died suddenly and prematurely of a coronary disorder. James Hazeldine died on 18 December 2002, aged 55. There will never be anyone quite like him again, British Television mourned the loss of a truly great actor, director and personality.
Patricia Owens
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Patricia Owens (17 January 1925, Golden, British Columbia - 31 August 2000, Lancaster, California) was a Canadian-born American actress, working in Hollywood. She appeared in about 40 films and 10 TV episodes in a career lasting from 1943 to 1968. Canadian-born actress Patricia Owens moved to England with her parents in 1933, and ten years later, at age 18, she made her motion-picture debut in Val Guest's musical comedy Miss London Ltd. The following year, she had a small role in Harold French's social satire English Without Tears. Her career continued in this manner for the next few years, Owens getting ever-larger roles in generally better movies (though not always—the same year in which she worked in the Launder-Gilliat production of The Happiest Days of Your Life, one of the funniest movies ever made in England, she also appeared in the abysmal Old Mother Riley, Headmistress). Her career took a giant step upward when she was seen by a 20th Century Fox executive while performing in a theatrical production of Sabrina Fair and was offered a screen test. The result was a contract with the studio and a move to Hollywood. Her first American film was Island in the Sun (1957) for Fox, and then Owens was loaned out to Warner Bros. to play opposite Marlon Brando in the drama Sayonara (1957), one of the most critically acclaimed movies of the year. Owens spent the rest of 1957 working mostly on loan-out, but it was a 1958 Fox production that secured her place in motion picture history—as Helene Delambre, the wife of scientist Andre Delambre in The Fly (1958), co-starring with David Hedison and Vincent Price. Owens carried much of the film's story and drama, which were told in flashback from her character's point-of-view. The Fly was one of the most successful science fiction movies of the decade; the image of Owens unmasking her stricken husband and screaming at what she sees—and the shot of her horrified visage seen in a "fly's eye" view—became one of the defining moments in the genre. Unfortunately for Owens, she never got another movie half as good as The Fly, from Fox or anyone else, and in 1961 was reduced to working in the threadbare, backlot POW/jungle chase drama Seven Women from Hell. Owens made occasional television appearances, on series such as Perry Mason and Burke's Law, but these were relatively infrequent. Owens also starred in one of the 17 episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents directed by Hitchcock himself, "The Crystal Trench" (1959). By 1965, she was working in Black Spurs, one of producer A.C. Lyles' B-Westerns, renowned for their use of aging genre stars, and Owens retired from movies after portraying Richard Egan's love interest in the low-budget espionage thriller The Destructors (1968). Her last professional appearance was in a 1968 episode of Lassie. She was the third wife of screenwriter and producer Sy Bartlett. Description above from the Wikipedia article Patricia Owens (actress), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia
Benjamin Clementine
Cast · Known for The Gentlemen, Dune
Benjamin Sainte-Clémentine (born 7 December 1988) is a British composer, musician and actor. Born and raised in London, Clementine later moved to Paris, where he experienced homelessness for a time. After moving back to London, he released his debut album At Least for Now, which won the 2015 Mercury Prize. In February 2019 he was named a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government, in recognition of his contribution to the arts. A number of critics have described him as becoming one of the great singer-songwriters of his generation, and the future sound of London, whilst struggling to place his music in any one genre. Clementine's compositions are musically incisive and attuned to the issues of life but also poetic, mixing revolt with love and melancholy, sophisticated lyricism with slang and shouts, and rhyming verse with prose monologues. He often performs topless and barefoot onstage, dressed entirely in black or dark grey, with a long, wool trench coat. The youngest of five children, Benjamin Clementine grew up in Edmonton, London, with his strict Roman Catholic grandmother. After she died, he moved in with his parents. The family acquired a piano when Clementine was 11, and Benjamin played it when he could, but his father, who had hoped his son would study law, forbade him to spend time with musical instruments. Clementine could not read sheet music, but in a few months, he started imitating the work of classic composers Erik Satie and Claude Debussy, learned from listening to Classic FM on the radio after "becoming bored" with pop music, and continued to play discreetly for the next five years until his parents' divorce. Clementine left school at 16, following which he had a dispute with his family and ended up in Camden Town, London, homeless and in psychological and financial difficulties. He relocated to Paris at age 19, where he spent a number of years busking and playing in bars and hotels in Place de Clichy while sleeping on the streets. He eventually moved to a hostel in Montmartre, where he paid €20 to live in a ten-man bunk-bed room. For the next three years he wrote and composed songs, and playing a half-broken guitar and a cheap keyboard he had acquired. During this period he developed into a cult figure in the Parisian music scene. After four years of living as a vagabond, he was discovered by an agent, who later introduced him to Matthieu Gazier, who would go on to become Clementine's manager for a period of time. In 2012, whilst playing a gig at the Festival de Cannes, he met Lionel Bensemoun, a business mogul in France, and together set up the record label 'Behind' so that Clementine could record and publish his music. He eventually came to the attention of the French press, who described him as "la révélation anglaise des Francos" ("the English revelation of the "Francofolies" festival"). He was then invited to the Rencontres Trans Musicales of Rennes in France in December 2012 where he performed for the first time on a large stage, and played four nights consecutively. Clementine eventually signed a joint music license contract between Capitol, Virgin EMI and Barclay. ... Source: Article "Benjamin Clementine" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Carol Cummings
Carol Cummings got into the porn business later than some of her peers, but she proved she could match anyone’s wildness in front of the camera. Armed with the ability to act and a nearly rabid sexuality, Carol performed in more than one hundred films in the three years she was in the business. Retiring in 1991.
Ayana Workman
Ayana Workman's first gig was an impromptu performance with tap genius Savion Glover. She was three years old. Savion asked the audience if anyone wanted to come up on stage and dance with him. Ayana's hand shot straight up like a rocket. Always prepared, she had her tap shoes with her. Of course, it didn't hurt that her parents were legendary jazz bassist Reggie Workman -- a veteran of the John Coltrane Quartet -- and Maya Milenovic Workman, an internationally renowned dancer and choreographer. Unlike her classmates, Ayana's daycare was in dance studios and recording studios, where she grew her chops as a dancer and musician, learning how to play the guitar, the piano and the African djembe drum. But at age 9, she pivoted again, and decided she was going to be an actor. A New York City native, it was only logical that her first professional gig in her early 20s was playing Juliet in the Public Theatre Mobile Unit's production of Romeo and Juliet, traveling around to prisons, homeless shelters, and community centers throughout New York's boroughs. She buttressed her stage resume with roles in plays like Hamlet, Macbeth, The Winter's Tale, and Julius Caesar. On top of that, she's performed on international stages including the National Theatre in Slovenia and London's legendary Globe Theatre. These days, she works in television and film, having guest roles in shows like Marvel's Jessica Jones, Person of Interest, and the film Rustin, playing the role of activist Eleanor Holmes, who is now a delegate from the District of Columbia to the US House of Representatives. "Rustin is a film that chronicles the incredibly vital and important story of Bayard Rustin, a critically important African-American leader in social movements for civil rights, socialism, nonviolence, and gay rights. Rustin worked with A. Philip Randolph and Martin Luther king on the March on Washington Movement, in 1963, to press for an end to racial discrimination in employment. That's why this role was a dream come true for me. Telling stories about my country's black history -- particularly about people most Americans have never heard of -- is as much of a privilege as it is a necessity. Art moves people in ways no activism or political campaign ever could. The power of film as a medium is undeniable, and I feel like my journey down this path has just begun."
Eythor Gudjonsson
Cast · Known for Hostel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Eyþór Guðjónsson (born February 5, 1968), often anglicized as Eythor Gudjonsson, is an Icelandic actor. He stands 6'3" (1.91 m) tall. He got his first big role in the 2005 horror movie Hostel, where he plays an Icelandic backpacker named Óli, famous for his catchphrase "King of the Swing", traveling through Europe with American backpackers Paxton (Jay Hernandez) and Josh (Derek Richardson) where they get lured to a Slovakian hostel with a gruesome secret. Eli Roth wrote the role of Óli for Eyþór. He had never acted a single day before "Hostel," but Roth found him so charismatic and charming he created the role to prove to the world that anyone could be a movie star if they had the right charisma. Eyþór proved to be very popular with audiences and critics in America and around the world. Hostel was written and directed by Eli Roth, and produced by Quentin Tarantino. Quentin Tarantino and Eyþór are good friends and Quentin Tarantino has visited Iceland several times, meeting his friend and enjoying the Icelandic culture and atmosphere. Eyþór was an assistant producer on Hostel: Part II. Eyþór opened an activity park in Reykjavik in 2009. Eyþór is also producing and hosting his own television show for families, which launched 18 September 2009. Description above from the Wikipedia article Eyþór Guðjónsson, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Myrna Fahey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Myrna Fahey (12 March 1933 - 6 May 1973) was an American actress best known for her role as Maria Crespo in Walt Disney's Zorro, and as Madeline Usher in the film version of Edgar Allan Poe's, The Fall of the House of Usher. She appeared in episodes of 37 television series from the 1950s into the 1970s, including Bonanza, The Time Tunnel, Maverick, Perry Mason, and Batman . Fahey also became the subject of death threats while dating Joe DiMaggio in 1964. The FBI determined the threats came from a patient at the Agnew Mental Hospital in San Francisco, who could not bear to see DiMaggio with anyone other than Marilyn Monroe, who died in 1962. Fahey complained in a 1960 interview that she was being typecast in 'good girl' roles because of what directors called her 'moral overtones' and wanted to play darker and more complicated characters. She'd worked in many Westerns in the late 1950s, usually in the role of the sheriff's daughter, including an appearance on Marshall Dillon in 1957 (the episode entitled: Innocent Broad), which later became Gunsmoke. Her image branched out in the 1960s, helped by House of Usher and a role on the Boris Karloff-hosted TV series Thriller that same year entitled 'Girl With A Secret'. Even her Western parts became darker. After a rough love scene in Bonanza in which she cut her lip, the cast presented her with an award for 'Best Slapper in a Filmed Series'. Fahey's most sustained television work was a starring role in the one-season (1961-62) series Father of the Bride. The series was based upon a film of the same name starring Elizabeth Taylor, and Fahey likely got the role because, as one newspaper reviewer pointed out, she "looks enough like Liz Taylor to be her sister". Fahey was not flattered by the comparison, however, telling one interviewer "the fact that I'm supposed to look like Elizabeth Whats-Her-Name had nothing to do with my getting [the part], because we don't really look alike I don't think, we just happen to have the same colorings." Fahey wanted to be released from the show even before it came up for renewal, reportedly feeling too much emphasis was being placed on the "father" character and not enough on her "bride" In 1966, she played Blaze in the Batman episodes "True or False Face" and "Holy Rat Race". Fahey was born in Carmel, Maine, near Bangor in 1933, but grew up in Southwest Harbor near Bar Harbor, Maine, where she was a cheerleader at Pemetic High School. She began competing in local beauty pageants in the early 1950s. She acted one season at the Pasadena Playhouse before breaking into TV, and became an avid skier in California. She invested in stocks and one of her contracts stipulated that she have a stock ticker in her dressing room. Besides Joe DiMaggio, she also dated George Hamilton. She died on 6 May 1973 at age 40 at St. Johns Hospital, Santa Monica, California, after a long battle with cancer. She is buried in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Bangor, Maine Description above from the Wikipedia article Myrna Fahey, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Rudy Vallee
Rudy Vallee started his career as a saxophone player and singer and later became a band leader. In the 1920s and early 30s he had a hit radio program, The Fleishmann's Yeast Hour (where he was hated by his cast and crew due to his explosive ego-driven personality). In the early 1930's he was ranked with the likes of Bing Crosby and the tragic Russ Columbo in the Hit Parade. A huge hit on radio in 1933 with his program, initially known as 'The Fleischmann's Yeast Hour,' Vallee was considered a slave driver by his staff. He was known to instigate fist fights with virtually anyone who got on his nerves. During the run of his show he slugged photographers, threw sheet music in the faces of pianists' heads and if provoked, would sock hecklers in the nose. While audiences loved him, he was hated by most of his staff. As a very popular star in night clubs and on records, as well as in movies, he helped other singers like Alice Faye - who was for a while his band singer - and Frances Langford to start their careers. In his early movies he often played the romantic lead, but he switched later to stuffy and comic parts. He also appeared on Broadway. The mid-60's Broadway hit "How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" was filmed in 1967 with him in his original Broadway role.
Ion William Croitoru
was a Canadian professional wrestler. He was born and raised in Ontario, Canada. To wrestling fans, Croitoru is better known by his ring names, Johnny K-9, Bruiser Bedlam, and Taras Bulba. He competed in several Canadian wrestling promotions, including Stampede Wrestling, and later wrestled for New Japan Pro Wrestling, Smoky Mountain Wrestling, and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). He wrestled as a jobber in the WWF, but he was booked to win titles in several other promotions. Croitoru was also known for his history of legal problems. He was a member of Satan's Choice, a biker gang. He was convicted of assault, trafficking cocaine and bombing a police station. In 2005, Croitoru was arrested for the murder of lawyer Lynn Gilbank and her husband Fred. After a lengthy investigation, the charges were dropped in June 2006 because of insufficient evidence. He worked as a security guard in Vancouver, British Columbia, until being arrested in May 2009 for conspiracy to commit murder. On January 24, 2011, Croitoru was charged with first degree murder in connection with the 2008 killing of Jonathan Barber in Burnaby, British Columbia. On May 15, 2009, Croitoru was arrested, along with seven other members of the United Nations gang. They were charged with conspiracy to commit murder for allegedly plotting to kill the Bacon Brothers and other members of the Red Scorpions gang. On January 24, 2011, Croitoru was charged with first degree murder in connection with the execution of Jonathan Barber and the attempted murder of Barber's girlfriend Vicky King, then 17, in Burnaby on May 9, 2008. In July 2013, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder, and the murder charges were stayed. He was sentenced to 13 years in prison, which was reduced to four years and eight months after factoring in time served. In January 2015, he applied for parole, stating that he had agreed to help with the murders to impress members of the United Nations gang, but that he did not intend to kill anyone. The application was denied.[46] On September 1, 2016, Croitoru was released to live in a halfway house and was ordered not to have any contact with gangsters or criminals. Personal life Croitoru was born to Romanian parents in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.[48] Before entering professional wrestling, Croitoru played junior hockey for the Kitchener Rangers in the Ontario Hockey League. He was not drafted to the National Hockey League, however, and he decided to pursue professional wrestling instead. He was an accomplished weightlifter, and he once bench pressed 625 pounds. While awaiting his murder trial, he ran a home renovation business until he was unable to secure a bank loan to cover business expenses. After closing the business, he supported himself by working as a used car salesman. Croitoru lived in Vancouver, British Columbia with his common-law wife Tracy Edwards He had most recently worked as a bodyguard for Lion's Gate Entertainment, providing protection for such entertainers as Jack Nicholson and Cyndi Lauper. He also had a brief acting career, appearing in a movie titled Oklahoma Smugglers, in which he portrayed a wrestler, and such television shows as Reaper. Croitoru had three children: Johnny, Blaise, and Tia Death Croitoru died on February 21, 2017, at a federal halfway house in Toronto at the age of 53.
Charles Manson
Charles Milles Manson (November 12, 1934 – November 19, 2017) led the California-based Manson Family cult based in the late 1960s. Some cult members committed a series of nine murders at four locations in July and August 1969. In 1971, Manson was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder for the deaths of seven people, including film actress Sharon Tate. The prosecution contended that while Manson never directly ordered the murders, his ideology constituted an overt act of conspiracy. Before the murders, Manson had spent more than half of his life in correctional institutions. While gathering his cult following, Manson was a singer-songwriter on the fringe of the Los Angeles music industry, chiefly through a chance association with Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys, who introduced Manson to record producer Terry Melcher. In 1968, the Beach Boys recorded Manson's song "Cease to Exist", renamed "Never Learn Not to Love" as a single B-side, but without a credit to Manson. Afterward, Manson attempted to secure a record contract through Melcher, but was unsuccessful. Manson would often talk about the Beatles, including their 1968 self-titled album. According to Los Angeles County District Attorney, Vincent Bugliosi, Manson felt guided by his interpretation of the Beatles' lyrics and adopted the term "Helter Skelter" to describe an impending apocalyptic race war. During his trial, Bugliosi argued that Manson had intended to start a race war, although Manson and others disputed this. Contemporary interviews and trial witness testimony insisted that the Tate–LaBianca murders were copycat crimes intended to exonerate Manson's friend Bobby Beausoleil. Manson himself denied having instructed anyone to murder anyone. Manson's notoriety as an emblem of insanity, violence, and the macabre influenced pop culture. Recordings of songs written and performed by Manson were released commercially, starting with Lie: The Love and Terror Cult (1970). Since his incarceration, various musicians have covered some of his songs. Although originally sentenced to death in 1971, his sentence was commuted to life with the possibility of parole after the California Supreme Court invalidated the state's death penalty statute in 1972. He served his life sentence at the California State Prison, Corcoran and died at age 83 in late 2017. Description above from the Wikipedia article Charles Manson, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Rand Brooks
Arlington Rand Brooks Jr. (September 21, 1918 – September 1, 2003) was an American film and television actor. Brooks was born in Wright City, Missouri. He was the son of Arlington Rand Brooks, a farmer. His mother and he moved to Los Angeles when he was four, though he continued to spend summers in Wright City. Brooks continued to make visits to his hometown of Wright City into the 1950s, up to and following the death of his father in 1950. His mother and his grandfather were actors. After leaving school, Brooks got a screen test at MGM and was given a bit part in Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938). His big fame came with his part as Charles Hamilton in Gone with the Wind (1939), a role which he later admitted he despised; he wanted to play more macho parts. He made $100 per week under contract at MGM, but when he was on loan to Selznick International Pictures for Gone with the Wind, he made $500 per week. After Gone With the Wind, he had relatively small parts in other movies including Babes in Arms, then a regular role as Lucky in the Hopalong Cassidy series of Westerns in the mid-1940s; Brooks succeeded Russell Hayden in the role. Among the films, which starred William Boyd as Hopalong, were Hoppy's Holiday, The Dead Don't Dream, and Borrowed Trouble. He received positive notice for his work in Fool's Gold, with Variety reporting that he did "an excellent job." In edited, half-hour versions of some of the films, he appeared in 12 of the 52 episodes of the Hopalong Cassidy television series. In 1948, he co-starred with Adele Jergens and Marilyn Monroe in the low-budget, black-and-white Columbia Pictures film, Ladies of the Chorus. Brooks became the first actor to share an on-screen kiss with Monroe, who in a few years was one of the world's biggest movie stars. Filmed in just 10 days, the film was released soon after its completion. Variety called his performance in the 1952 film The Steel Fist "capable." Television brought new opportunities, again often in Westerns. He played Cpl. Randy Boone in the 1950s television series, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin. Brooks had guest roles in 1950s Western series, including Mackenzie's Raiders, The Lone Ranger, Maverick, Gunsmoke, and Bonanza. He appeared twice on the syndicated adventure series, Rescue 8, as well as on CBS's Perry Mason courtroom drama series. In 1962, he directed and produced a movie about brave dogs, Bearheart, but the film was entangled in legal troubles due to his business manager's involvement in crimes such as forgery and graft. The film was finally released in 1978, under the title Legend of the Northwest. After he left show business, Brooks ran a private ambulance company in Glendale, California. He commented that he "died in more pictures than almost anyone" and that though he was never very big in show business, he was willing to return to it. Brooks sold the ambulance company in 1994, and retired to his ranch in the Santa Ynez Valley, where he bred champion Andalusian horses. He attended a Gone with the Wind reunion for Clark Gable's birthday, along with Ann Rutherford and Fred Crane, in Cadiz, Ohio, in 1992. On September 1, 2003, Brooks died in Santa Ynez, California.
Matthew Scurfield
Cast · Known for Raiders of the Lost Ark
Matthew Scurfield is an actor and the eldest child of author George Scurfield and his wife Cecilia. His autobiography, I Could Be Anyone, was published in 2008.
Timothy Eulich
Born and raised in St. Louis Missouri, Timothy never had the opportunity to meet anyone who worked professionally in film and television. He did, however, love creating action films with his parents old cameras. What some called procrastination, others saw as a developing craft. When he got caught editing one of his super 8 films in the basement instead of studying for calculus midterms, his supportive parents agreed that a career in the creative arts was probably best for this young man. While attending the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, he began training in fencing and martial arts. After graduating with a BFA in Theater, he moved to New York City where he made a name for himself as a highly sought after fight choreographer for theater, opera and ballet companies all over the United States. During this time, he got his SAG card doing stunts on a small feature film. That was when everything changed. He packed up his car and drove to Hollywood where he devoted all of his time, energy and resources in pursuit of a newly realized dream... to be a professional stuntman. After many years of professional credits as a performer, Timothy found the support of a few great mentors who began helping him transition into stunt coordinating. It was a natural progression for him and he particularly loved being part of the creative process. He has since been designing action sequences for television and feature films.
Raymond Mason
During Raymond Mason’s 20 years of acting in the ITV soap opera Crossroads, he played five different roles. “I don’t think anyone ever noticed,” he said, “and I don’t put it down to versatility.” For trained actors in the days when there was just a handful of drama colleges and fewer vocational courses, the pool of talent was by definition smaller. Many performers found themselves appearing more than once in the same programmes. For Raymond, the roles that he played on British television over 40-odd years numbered more than 1,000, and he appeared in scores of commercials at home and overseas. One of the reasons for Raymond’s success was that he was comfortable in a supporting role and, crucially, adept at not stealing a scene. Through a combination of timing and practised self-effacement he allowed the main star, or joke, to shine. Modest about taking the credit, he effectively enabled the skit. In the late 1960s and 1970s, when comedy was spread across just three TV channels, Raymond appeared in Saturday-night programmes including The Morecambe & Wise Show — he described the double act as “a joy”, The Two Ronnies and alongside Frankie Howerd, Les Dawson and the like. In a 1979 episode of Fawlty Towers called The Kipper and the Corpse, his character attempts to retrieve his hat while Basil is trying to hide the body of a deceased guest. John Cleese later described him as “one of my favourite actors”. The middle child between an older and a younger sister, Raymond was born in 1924 in Great Bridge, Staffordshire, and brought up in Tettenhall near Wolverhampton. His exposure to light entertainment started at an early age as his father, George, who had fought in the First World War, played the piano and organ, wrote his own compositions and was a local bandleader. After shutting up the fish and chip shop in Wolverhampton that he owned with his wife, Elizabeth, George would stuff a keyboard glockenspiel into his bike’s front carrier and set off
Steve Mack
I'm an extremely outgoing, friendly Australian guy, with a terrific (sometimes warped!) sense of humor. I'm comfortable talking with anyone from any walk of life, sharing and learning experiences along the way. I pride myself on both my professionalism & extremely easy going nature on set. Gaining extensive knowledge of working in the film industry, beginning in 1986, where, as an already established Professional Photographer / Photojournalist, I learned Film, TV & Video Production at (then) Queensland College of Art Film School. Mostly I chose to work behind the camera & as crew, on all aspects of film, TV & video production, I also enjoyed Acting when I could. Sporadically still acting now & then in the ensuing years, after digressing in my professional & business choices; I returned to acting and producing / directing several of my own films. Performing in well over 200 various productions and corporate roles since 2014, including feature films and voiceover work. I have also producing well over 1000 Youtube videos as a content creator since 2006, for others to enjoy. Additional Skills Include: Extensive firearms experience & Safety Officer on all calibers of Pistols, Shotguns & Rifles (including Military) : Formerly licensed & employed to carry both concealed & unconcealed firearms. Martial Arts Training - Various Disciplines Member : Australian Screen Industry Network (ASIN)