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Joe Dante

Director · Known for Gremlins, Hawaii Five-0

Joseph James Dante Jr. (born November 28, 1946) is an American filmmaker, producer, editor and actor. His films—notably Gremlins (1984) alongside its sequel, Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)—often mix the 1950s-style B movie genre with 1960s radicalism and cartoon comedy. Dante's output includes the films Piranha (1978), The Howling (1981), Explorers (1985), Innerspace (1987), The 'Burbs (1989), Matinee (1993), Small Soldiers (1998), and Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003). His work for television and cable include the social satire The Second Civil War (1997), episodes of the anthology series Masters of Horror ("Homecoming" and "The Screwfly Solution") and Amazing Stories, as well as Police Squad! and Hawaii Five-0. Description above from the Wikipedia article Joe Dante, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Jackie Joseph

Cast · Known for Gremlins

Jackie Joseph (born November 7, 1934) is an American character actress, voice artist, and writer known for portraying the film characters of: Audrey Fulquard in the original The Little Shop of Horrors, Sheila Futterman in both Gremlins films, and the voice of Melody in the animated television series Josie and the Pussycats and Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space. She was a regular on The Doris Day Show portraying Doris' friend, Jackie Parker and also famously played the love interest of Ernest T. Bass on The Andy Griffith Show. Joseph was born in Los Angeles, California. She began her entertainment career as a featured performer and singer in the Billy Barnes Revues of the 1950s and '60s, with future husband and actor Ken Berry. She was married to Berry, with whom she adopted two children, from May 29, 1960, until June 1976. Joseph has since remarried; she and husband David Lawrence reside in a quiet suburb of Los Angeles. Joseph is popular with fans of the original low-budget version of The Little Shop of Horrors. Some of her television credits include appearances on such memorable shows as The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show (two appearances), That Girl, F Troop, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (four appearances), CHiPs (in a two-part episode), Full House and Designing Women. She also appeared for a week on the game show Match Game '74. In the early 1980s, Joseph helped form an organization for celebrity wives overcoming divorce. The group, which included Lynn Landon, Patti Palmer Lewis, and Carol Lawrence, went on talk shows (such as Phil Donahue's) discussing the foibles of celebrity split-ups. In recent years she has been heavily involved with the Screen Actors Guild as well as organizations providing care for stray animals. She has been a columnist for Toluca Lake's newspaper, "The Tolucan Times," where she often ends her column with the phrase, "We'll talk." Some of her good friends in Hollywood include actress Doris Day, actress and comedienne Jo Anne Worley, actor Ed Asner, announcer and voice-artist Gary Owens, and more-than-once film co-star, Dick Miller. Description above from the Wikipedia article Jackie Joseph, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia. ​

Phoebe Cates

Cast · Known for Gremlins

Phoebe Belle Cates (born July 16, 1963) is a retired American actress, model, and entrepreneur best known for her roles in several teen films, most notably Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) and Gremlins (1984). Her last movie acting role was in The Anniversary Party (2001). Cates has been married to actor Kevin Kline since 1989; they have two children.

Corey Feldman

Cast · Known for Gremlins

Corey Scott Feldman (born July 16, 1971) is an American actor, musician, and activist. He became well known during the 1980s, with roles as a youth in films such as Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984), Gremlins (1984), The Goonies (1985), and Stand by Me (1986). In 1987, Feldman starred in the horror film The Lost Boys with Corey Haim; they became known as "The Two Coreys" and went on to appear in other films together, including License to Drive (1988) and Dream a Little Dream (1989). He experienced diminishing success in the film industry as an adult, amid well publicized personal conflicts with Haim over the latter's substance abuse, and with Michael Jackson, who had befriended him during his time as a teen celebrity. He has been outspoken about sexual abuse of children and teens in the entertainment industry, identifying himself as a victim of it.

Raymond Cruz

Cast · Known for The Closer, Training Day

Raymund Cruz (born September 10, 1964) is a Native Mexican-American character actor. He is mostly known for playing military roles. His movie roles include Clear and Present Danger as Ding Chavez, The Substitute as Tom Berenger's second-in-command Joey Six, The Rock in an un-credited U.S. Marine role, From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money as Jesus, Alien Resurrection as USM Private Vincent DiStephano, and Under Siege as Ramirez. He also appeared in the gang movie Blood In Blood Out, playing the role of Chuey, a gang member from the Vatos Locos. In 2005 he played Chino In Havoc. He also appears in Gremlins 2: The New Batch, credited as "The Messenger," and in Training Day as a gang member named Sniper, the poker player who doesn't know that three-of-a-kind beats two pair. He has made guest appearances in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "The Siege of AR-558", in The X-Files Season 4 episode "El Mundo Gira" and in the second season of 24 as a thug. In the Music Videoclip from Madonna Vogue ,He also made an appearance as the father of a murdered girl in CSI. Cruz played a large distributor of methamphetamines named Tuco on Breaking Bad in 2008. He is now a regular cast member on the TV series The Closer. Cruz also had a recurring role as Paco on My Name Is Earl, and as Alejandro Perez on Nip/Tuck. Description above from the Wikipedia article Raymond Cruz, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Jonathan Banks

Cast · Known for Better Call Saul, Beverly Hills Cop, Breaking Bad

Jonathan Ray Banks (born January 31, 1947) is an American character actor in film and television. Banks dropped out of Indiana University to join a touring company as a stage manager. He went to Australia with the company and stayed on working in theatre there. In 1974, he moved to Los Angeles and performed on stage before picking up bit parts on television. Probably his best-known movie roles are in two films starring Eddie Murphy: 48 Hrs. and Beverly Hills Cop. In 48 Hrs. he plays a character who is a friend of the lead and is killed by the villain, beginning the lead characters' story. In Beverly Hills Cop, he plays a villain who kills the lead characters' friend and begins his story. Other movie roles include appearances in Armed and Dangerous, Freejack, Flipper, Airplane!, Gremlins, Murder Me, Murder You, and Under Siege 2: Dark Territory. His biggest break on television, came with the series Wiseguy, in which he played Frank McPike for four years, a role which led to an Emmy award nomination. Although his character was primarily the hero's mentor, stories occasionally featured McPike as hero. In 1981 he appeared as Dutch Schultz on the NBC series the Gangster Chronicles. He also starred on the short-lived science fiction TV series Otherworld, as Kommander Neveen Kroll and in the sitcom Fired Up. Banks has also made guest appearances on TV shows including Alias, CSI, Day Break, Highlander: The Series, Matlock, SeaQuest DSV, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Women of the House and Walker Texas Ranger. Most recently, Banks appeared in the final Season Two episodes of Dexter, and in episodes of ER, Cold Case, and Shark, Modern Family. In the second season finale of Breaking Bad, Banks appeared as a mysterious character named Mike. Banks was made a series regular for the third season.

Dick Miller

Cast · Known for Gremlins, The Terminator

Richard Miller (December 25, 1928 – January 30, 2019) was an American character actor who appeared in more than 180 films, including many produced by Roger Corman. He later appeared in the films of directors who began their careers with Corman, including Joe Dante, James Cameron, and Martin Scorsese, with the distinction of appearing in every film directed by Dante. He was known for playing the beleaguered everyman, often in one-scene appearances. Miller's main roles in films included Gremlins, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, Explorers, Piranha, The Howling, A Bucket of Blood, The Little Shop of Horrors, Not of This Earth, Chopping Mall, Night of the Creeps, The Terminator, The 'Burbs, Small Soldiers and Quake.

Glynn Turman

Cast · Known for Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Gremlins

Glynn Russell Turman, born on January 31, 1947, in New York City, is a revered American stage, television, and film actor as well as a writer, whose career spans decades. He gained early recognition for his role as Leroy "Preach" Jackson in the 1975 film "Cooley High." Turman's talent shone on Broadway, earning a Tony Award for "The Great White Hope." He's renowned for TV work in "The Wire," math professor and retired Army colonel Bradford Taylor on the NBC sitcom "A Different World," fictional Baltimore mayor Clarence Royce on the HBO drama series "The Wire" and "House of Lies." His filmography includes impactful roles in "Gremlins" and "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom." With a captivating presence, Turman continues to enthrall audiences, showcasing remarkable versatility and depth in his performances.

Robert Prosky

Cast · Known for Hill Street Blues

Robert Prosky (born Robert Joseph Porzuczek, December 13, 1930 – December 8, 2008) was an American actor. He became a well-known supporting actor in the 1980s with his roles in Thief (1981), Christine (1983), The Natural (1984), and Broadcast News (1987). Prosky's other notable movies include Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990), Hoffa (1992), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Last Action Hero (1993), Rudy (1993), Miracle on 34th Street (1994), Dead Man Walking (1995), and Mad City (1997). His most notable television role was of Sgt. Stan Jablonski on the TV police drama Hill Street Blues.

Keye Luke

Cast · Known for Gremlins

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Keye Luke (Chinese: 陸錫麒, Cantonese: Luk Shek Kee; June 18, 1904 – January 12, 1991) was a Chinese-American actor. He was known for playing Lee Chan, the "Number One Son" in the Charlie Chan films, the original Kato in the 1939–1941 Green Hornet film serials, Brak in the 1960s Space Ghost cartoons, Master Po in the television series Kung Fu, and Mr. Wing in the Gremlins films. He was the first Chinese-American contract player signed by RKO, Universal Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and was one of the most prominent Asian actors of American cinema in the mid-twentieth century.

Steven Spielberg

Director · Executive Producer · Known for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Jurassic World Dominion

Steven Allan Spielberg KBE (born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema and is the highest-grossing film director of all time. Among other accolades, he has received three Academy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards and three BAFTA Awards, as well as the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1995, an honorary knighthood in 2001, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2006, the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2009, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015, and the National Medal of Arts in 2023. According to Forbes, he is the wealthiest celebrity. Spielberg was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. He moved to California and studied film in college. After directing several episodes for television, including Night Gallery and Columbo, he directed the television film Duel (1971), which Barry Diller approved. He made his theatrical debut with The Sugarland Express (1974), also beginning his decades-long collaboration with composer John Williams, with whom he has worked for all but five of his theatrical releases. He became a household name with the summer blockbuster Jaws (1975). He continued directing acclaimed escapist box-office hits with Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), and the original Indiana Jones trilogy (1981–1989). He also explored drama in The Color Purple (1985) and Empire of the Sun (1987). In 1993, Spielberg directed back-to-back hits with the science fiction thriller Jurassic Park, the highest-grossing film at the time, and the epic historical drama Schindler's List, which has often been ranked among the greatest films ever made. He won the Academy Award for Best Director for the latter as well as for the World War II epic Saving Private Ryan (1998). Spielberg has since directed the science fiction films A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), Minority Report (2002), War of the Worlds (2005) and Ready Player One (2018); the historical dramas Amistad (1997), Munich (2005), War Horse (2011), Lincoln (2012), Bridge of Spies (2015) and The Post (2017); the comedies Catch Me If You Can (2002) and The Terminal (2004); the animated film The Adventures of Tintin (2011); the musical West Side Story (2021); and the family drama The Fabelmans (2022). Spielberg co-founded Amblin Entertainment and DreamWorks Pictures, and he has served as a producer for many successful films and television series, among them Poltergeist (1982), Gremlins (1984), Back to the Future (1985), An American Tail (1986), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), Animaniacs (1993), Freakazoid! (1995), Twister (1996), Band of Brothers (2001) and Transformers (2007). Several of Spielberg's works are considered among the greatest films in history, and some are among the highest-grossing films of all time. Seven of his films have been inducted into the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant". In 2013, Time listed him among the 100 most influential people. In 2023, Spielberg was the recipient of the first-ever Time 100 Impact Award in the US. Description above from the Wikipedia article Steven Spielberg, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Wesley Thompson

Wesley Thompson (born October 2, 1956) appeared as an Army Corpsman in the Season 11 episode of M*A*S*H titled "As Time Goes By". Wesley's other TV series guest appearances include The White Shadow, The Larry Sanders Show, Boston Legal, and Seinfeld. He has degrees in Theater Arts from San Francisco State University & UCLA. Born in Chicago, IL and raised in Pasadena, CA, Wesley began his career on the stage. He was voted Best Actor in college for his leading role in prolific playwright and director George C. Wolfe's very first play, "Up For Grabs". he's performed all over the Southland in such roles as Honey in "A Member of the Wedding" (with Virginia Capers), convicted felon Ice in Miguel Pinero's prison drama "Short Eyes", and in three long-running productions at West LA's Odyssey Theater: Filtch in Molière's "The Miser" with George Murdock, soldier McGlade in a Vietnam drama, "The Bridgehead", directed by Stephen Tobolowsky, and wisecracking relief pitcher Duke in the baseball comedy hit, "Bullpen", which moved, after its initial run, to Boston's Hasty Pudding Theater at Harvard. He has since gone on to do dozens of plays all over, but none as rewarding as his supporting role as the lovable loan shark Jumbo in the 2000 production of the romantic-comedy "Panache". It opened at the Pasadena Playhouse but within two months was swiftly moved to off-Broadway, to the Players Theater in Greenwich Village, in which The New York Times called Wesley "an electric, on-stage presence". He was a series regular on two ABC programs: He's the Mayor (1986) and Pursuit of Happiness (1987). His most recent stints include Friends (1994), Providence (1999), Just Shoot Me! (1997), Malcolm in the Middle (2000) and recurring roles on ER (1994) and Grounded for Life (2001). He has been very fortunate to have done over 200 commercials over the years. His first audition for film was for a low-budget drama intended as a documentary where the actors had to be believed as real people. The director, a young newcomer to feature filmmaking, hired him on the spot. The director, Taylor Hackford ("An Officer and a Gentleman", "The Devil's Advocate"). The film, "Teenage Father" (1978), won the Academy Award as Best Live Action Short. From there he has appeared such films as the Walter Hill film Brewster's Millions (1985) with Richard Pryor and John Candy, Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990), directed by Joe Dante and working alongside Alfre Woodard in the Ivan Passer film Pretty Hattie's Baby (1991). Other film roles include the stage manager in L.A. Story (1991) with Steve Martin; Christina Ricci's teacher, Mr. Curtis, in the Brad Silberling-directed/Steven Spielberg-produced Casper (1995); as John Travolta's boss in Desmond Nakano's White Man's Burden (1995) with Harry Belafonte and the winner of the Discovery Award at the 1999 Toronto Film Festival, Smiling Fish & Goat on Fire (1999) produced by Martin Scorsese. He was last seen with Vivica A. Fox in Two Can Play That Game (2001), written and directed by Mark Brown (writer of Barbershop (2002)). (mash wikia)

Harry Carey Jr.

Cast · Known for Gremlins

Henry George "Harry" Carey Jr. (May 16, 1921 - December 27, 2012) was an American actor. He appeared in more than ninety films including several John Ford westerns as well as numerous television series. The son of actors Harry Carey Sr. and Olive Carey, he attempted a singing career before beginning his acting career in the John Ford Stock Company. Director John Ford became a close friend and collaborator. Carey appeared in such notable Ford films as 3 Godfathers (1948), She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), The Searchers (1956), and Cheyenne Autumn (1964), some also featuring appearances by his parents. He became a respected character actor like his father. Carey made four films with director Howard Hawks: Red River (1948), Monkey Business (1952), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), and Rio Bravo (1959 - scenes cut). He also frequently co-starred with actors John Wayne and Ben Johnson, acting together in nine films each. Between 1955 -1957, Carey appeared as ranch counselor Bill Burnett in the serial Spin and Marty, seen on Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse Club. In the 1960s, Carey appeared on such western series as Have Gun - Will Travel and The Legend of Jesse James. Later film roles include George Arthur in The Long Riders (1980), Mr. Anderson in Gremlins (1984), aging biker Red in Mask (1985), Joshua Brackett in The Whales of August (1987), saloon old-timer Zeke in Back to the Future Part III (1990), and Marshal Fred White in Tombstone (1993).

Al Lewis

An American character actor best known for his role as Count Dracula lookalike "Grandpa", opposite Fred Gwynne's and Yvonne De Carlo's characters on the CBS television series The Munsters from 1964 to 1966 and its subsequent film versions. Later in life, he was also a restaurant owner, political candidate, and radio broadcaster. His acting career begins the well-documented portion of his life. He worked in burlesque and vaudeville theaters, then on Broadway in the dramas The Night Circus (1958) and One More River (1960) and as the character Moe Shtarker in the musical comedy Do Re Mi (1962). His earliest television work includes appearances on the Beverly Garland crime drama Decoy and The Phil Silvers Show. From 1959–63, he appeared in four episodes of Naked City. Lewis' first well-known television role was as Officer Leo Schnauser on the NBC sitcom Car 54, Where Are You? from 1961–63, also starring Fred Gwynne (Lewis reprised the role in the 1994 movie of the same name). In the series, Lewis first played Al Spencer the Auto Body Man in two early first-season episodes before landing the more familiar role of Officer Schnauser. But he is best remembered as "Grandpa" on The Munsters, which ran on CBS from 1964–66. In 1967, Lewis played the part of Zalto the wizard in the Lost in Space episode, Rocket to Earth. His first role in a movie was as Machine Gun Manny in Pretty Boy Floyd (1960). He had small roles in The World of Henry Orient (1964), They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969), They Might Be Giants (1971). He appeared as Hanging Judge Harrison in Used Cars (1980) and had a minor role in Married to the Mob (1988). His last film role was in Night Terror (2002). Lewis was a recurring guest on The Howard Stern Show. In 1987, during a "Howard Stern Freedom Rally" against the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that was broadcast live, Lewis repeatedly shouted "F*** the FCC!" until Stern was able to take the microphone away from him. Stern and the station were not punished for Lewis' comments. Unlike some actors, Lewis did not mind being typecast. He enjoyed acting out his "Grandpa" character—in the original costume—and got a surprising amount of mileage from such a short-lived role. "Why not?" he said. "It pays the bills." In 1991, he appeared as Grandpa Munster in an episode of Hi Honey, I'm Home on ABC. In 1991, he appeared in a low-budget New Zealand family movie called Grampire (My Grandpa Is a Vampire in the U.S. version), wearing much the same costume as he did in The Munsters. From 1987–89, Lewis hosted Super Scary Saturday on TBS in his Grandpa Munster outfit. This would later be parodied in Gremlins 2: The New Batch with the character of "Grandpa Fred" (Robert Prosky). [Biography from Wikipedia]

Scott Brady

Cast · Known for The Rockford Files, Gremlins

​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Scott Brady (September 13, 1924 – April 16, 1985) was an American film and television actor. Born as Gerard Kenneth Tierney, he was the younger brother of fellow actor Lawrence Tierney. Brady served in the Navy during World War II, where he was a boxing champ. After being discharged, he supported himself as a lumberjack, and began taking acting classes; he began his film career soon afterward. Brady specialized in tough-guy roles in films like He Walked by Night, Canon City and Johnny Guitar. He appeared twice on the long running TV western The Virginian in the 1960s. He appeared regularly on the 1970s cop show, Police Story. He played lead to Clint Eastwood's third billing in Ambush at Cimarron Pass, which Eastwood is quoted as saying was "probably the lousiest western ever made." His last film role was in the 1984 movie Gremlins. He played Shirley Feeney's father Jack Feeney in episode 32 of Laverne & Shirley which aired on February 15, 1977. He also starred in the western TV show Shotgun Slade from 1959-61. Brady died from pulmonary fibrosis at the age of 60. Other sources have the cause as emphysema. Description above from the Wikipedia article Scott Brady, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Rick Ducommun

Cast · Known for Scary Movie

Richard “Rick” Ducommun was a Canadian stand-up comedian, actor, writer and producer. He was known for his supporting turns in various films, most prominently 1989's The 'Burbs and Little Monsters. Ducommun was born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada, on July 3, 1952. He grew up on a farm and began doing stand-up comedy in his teens. He moved to Vancouver in the early 1980s and hosted the children's television show Zig Zag. Ducommun's film career began in the mid-1980s with small roles in films such as No Small Affair (1984) and A Fine Mess (1986). He had his breakthrough role in 1989 as Art Weingartner, the nosy neighbor in Joe Dante's The 'Burbs. He followed that up with a starring role in Little Monsters (1989), as the monster-fighting kid's show host. Ducommun continued to work steadily in film and television throughout the 1990s, appearing in films such as Spaceballs (1987), Die Hard (1988), Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990), and The Hunt for Red October (1990). He also had recurring roles on the television shows Amazing Stories (1985-1987) and Max Headroom (1987-1988). Ducommun's career slowed down in the 2000s, but he continued to work in film and television. He appeared in films such as Scary Movie (2000) and MVP: Most Valuable Primate (2000), and he had a recurring role on the television series Just Shoot Me! (1997-2003). Ducommun died in Vancouver on June 12, 2015, at the age of 62. He had been suffering from complications from diabetes.