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Melissa George

Cast · Known for In Treatment, Mulholland Drive

Melissa Suzanne George (born 6 August 1976) is an Australian film and television actress who has worked in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Melissa is perhaps best known for her role as Angel Parrish on the Australian soap opera Home and Away. The show was followed for appearances in the series, including Roar and Thieves. Melissa also has appeared in the hit shows Alias and In Treatment. Her film debut was in the neo-noir science fiction feature Dark City (1998), and later was cast in supporting roles in the films The Limey (1999) and David Lynch's drama Mulholland Dr. (2001). Other film appearances include the remake of The Amityville Horror (2005), the thriller Turistas (2006), and the vampire horror 30 Days of Night (2007). She has earned critical acclaim recently for her starring role in the psychological horror Triangle (2009). Description above from the Wikipedia article Melissa George, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Amy Ryan

Cast · Known for Goosebumps, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), In Treatment

Amy Beth Dziewiontkowski (born May 3, 1968), known professionally as Amy Ryan, is an American actress. She has been nominated for an Academy Award and Golden Globe for her performance in Gone Baby Gone (2007) and is also known for her roles in the HBO series The Wire, playing Port Authority Officer Beadie Russell; In Treatment, playing psychiatrist Adele Brousse; and The Office, playing human resources representative Holly Flax. Ryan was born in Queens, New York City. She is the daughter of Pam, a nurse, and John, a trucking business owner. Ryan is her mother's maiden name. She is of English, Irish, and Polish descent. Growing up in the 1970s, Ryan and her sister delivered the Daily News by bike. At a young age, Ryan attended the Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Center in upstate New York. At 17, she graduated from New York's High School of Performing Arts. Hired for the national tour of Biloxi Blues right out of high school, Ryan worked steadily off-Broadway for the next decade.

Michael A. Allowitz

Director · Known for The Vampire Diaries

Michael A. Allowitz (born 1964) is an American television director and producer. He is well known for his work on The CW's The Vampire Diaries and The Originals. He began his illustrious career in first assistant directing with the 1992 film The Prom. He would work in the same capacity on such other features as: Saints and Sinner, Slums of Beverly Hills, Cruel Intentions, and Bring It On Again. He worked as first AD on the TV series The Comeback and In Treatment, before going on to serve in the position on his seminal series The Vampire Diaries. After serving as first AD on Diaires for 27 episodes, Allowitz sieged to director. He has helmed 11 episodes of the series, including "Christmas Through Your Eyes". He has gone on to direct for sister series The Originals, Containment, Freakish and The Flash.

Embeth Davidtz

Cast · Known for Schindler's List, In Treatment, The Amazing Spider-Man

Embeth Jean Davidtz (born August 11, 1965) is an American-born South African actress and director. She has appeared in movies such as Schindler's List, Matilda, Bridget Jones's Diary, and The Amazing Spider-Man, and in the television series In Treatment, Californication, and Mad Men. In 2024 Davidtz made her directorial debut with Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight, an adaptation of the best-selling memoir of the same name by Alexandra Fuller about growing up on a farm in Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe. The film had its Canadian premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Davidtz was born on August 11, 1965, in Lafayette, Indiana, to South African parents John and Jean, while her father was studying chemical engineering at Purdue University. The family later moved to Trenton, New Jersey, and then to South Africa when Davidtz was nine years old Davidtz has Dutch, English, and French ancestry. She had to learn Afrikaans before attending school classes in South Africa, where her father took up a teaching post at Potchefstroom University. Davidtz graduated from The Glen High School in Pretoria in 1983 and studied at Rhodes University in Grahamstown. In 1992, Davidtz played the part of Sheila in Sam Raimi's Army of Darkness alongside Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams. The third movie in the Evil Dead franchise would eventually become a big cult classic worldwide. In 1993, Davidtz played the role of Helen Hirsch in Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List. In 1995, Davidtz had a central role in the fact-based film Murder in the First, and the Merchant Ivory Productions Feast of July.

Alison Pill

Cast · Known for Get Jiro, Star Trek: Picard, Trap

Alison Pill is a Canadian actress and a former child actress. Pill began her career at age 12, appearing in numerous films and television series. She transitioned to adult roles and her breakthrough came with the television series The Book of Daniel (2006). That same year, she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance in The Lieutenant of Inishmore (2006). Pill had prominent roles in the films Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (2004), Plain Truth (2004), Milk (2008), Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010), Midnight in Paris (2011), Hail, Caesar! (2016), Vice (2018), the television series In Treatment (2009), The Pillars of the Earth (2010), The Newsroom (2012–2014), American Horror Story: Cult (2017), Star Trek: Picard (2020–2022), Devs (2020), and Them (2021).

Sergio Castellitto

Cast · Known for Conclave, The Gentlemen

Sergio Castellitto (born August 18, 1953) is an Italian actor, film director, and screenwriter. Sergio Castellitto was born in Rome in 1953, to parents from Molise and Abruzzo, Southern Italy. After graduating from the Silvio D'Amico National Academy of Dramatic Art in 1978, he began his theatrical career in Italian public theater with Shakespeare's Measure for Measure at the Teatro di Roma and with roles in other plays such as La Madre by Brecht, Merchant of Venice, and Candelaio by Giordano Bruno. At the Teatro di Genova he starred in the roles of Tuzenbach in Chekhov's Three Sisters and Jean in Strindberg's Miss Julie, both under the direction of Otomar Krejka. In the coming years, he also starred in such theatrical productions as L'infelicità senza desideri and Piccoli equivoci at the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto. He also appeared in Barefoot in the Park by Neil Simon. During his years in the theatre, he worked alongside many famous actors, including Luigi Squarzina, Aldo Trionfo, and Enzo Muzii. Castellitto began his film career in 1983 beside Marcello Mastroianni and Michel Piccoli in The General of the Dead Army by Luciano Tovoli. He interpreted many films like Sembra morto...ma è solo svenuto directed by Felice Farina, Piccoli equivoci by Ricky Tognazzi and Stasera a casa di Alice by Carlo Verdone. He became more famous with the films The Great Pumpkin by Francesca Archibugi and The Star Maker by Giuseppe Tornatore. In the late 1980s, Castellitto appeared in several Italian television miniseries, including Un siciliano in Sicilia (1987), Cinque storie inquietanti (1987), Piazza Navona (1988), Cinéma (1988), and Come stanno bene insieme (1989). He also appeared in the miniseries Victoire, ou la douleur des femmes (2000). Success arrived with the films La famiglia, L'ultimo bacio, Caterina in the Big City, My Mother's Smile, Mostly Martha, and especially with Don't Move, written by his wife Margaret Mazzantini. Other films that he interpreted include Il regista di matrimoni by Marco Bellocchio and La stella che non c'è by Gianni Amelio. In France, Castellitto played the male lead opposite Jeanne Balibar in Jacques Rivette's Va savoir (2001). His most recent accomplishment as an actor has been in his role as Padre Pio: Miracle Man, arguably the defining role of his career. The first film that he directed is Libero Burro, followed by Don't Move. He played the role of the antagonist, King Miraz, in the film The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. His most recent film as director was Twice Born, which played at the Toronto Film Festival (2012), where it was not well received by much of the English speaking press. Most recently, Castellitto appeared in the television series In Treatment in the role of Giovanni. Castellitto is married to Margaret Mazzantini with four children, one of these is Pietro, actor and film director himself. Source: Article "Sergio Castellitto" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Susan Misner

Cast · Known for The Americans, FBI: Most Wanted

Susan Misner (born February 8, 1971) is an American dancer, television and film actress. Misner portrayed the doomed Grace Davidson on the ABC soap opera "One Life to Live" from March 12, 1999 to November 17, 1999. In 2002, Misner appeared in the film "Chicago", performing the renowned "Cell Block Tango" as Liz, 'Pop' with Catherine Zeta-Jones, Denise Faye, Deidre Goodwin, Ekaterina Chtchelkanova and Mýa Harrison. Misner has guest-starred on many TV series, including three of the series in the Law & Order franchise — Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001/2005), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2002) and Law & Order (2006) — as well as both CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2002) and CSI: Miami (2004). Misner appeared as Theresa on Rescue Me in 2006 and 2007, and later as Gretchen Martin in the 2007 miniseries The Bronx Is Burning. She appeared in two episodes of the hit CBS procedural Without a Trace during the 2004-2005 television season. She portrayed Alison Humphrey in several 2007 episodes of The CW series Gossip Girl and Sergeant Burnett in New Amsterdam (2008). In 2010, she played the girlfriend of therapist Paul Weston in the series In Treatment. Starting in 2013, she portrayed Sandra Beeman in The Americans, in the main cast for two seasons and a recurring role for two others. Following that, she appeared as the main character Dr. Nora White in Shut Eye and recurring roles in two seasons (2016, 2018) of Billions, season 2 (2019) of Jack Ryan, and season 6 (2024–25) of FBI: Most Wanted.

Blair Underwood

Cast · Known for Longlegs, In Treatment, L.A. Law

Blair Underwood (born August 25, 1964) is an American television and film actor. He is perhaps best known as headstrong attorney Jonathan Rollins from the NBC legal drama L.A. Law, a role he portrayed for seven years. He has gained critical acclaim throughout his career, receiving numerous Golden Globe Award nominations, three NAACP Image Awards and 1 Grammy Award. His feature film debut was the 1985 movie Krush Groove. His 1985 appearance on The Cosby Show landed him a short stint on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live, which eventually led to his performance on the TV series L.A. Law, where he appeared from 1987 to 1994. Underwood broke into film with roles in Just Cause (1995), Set It Off (1996) and Deep Impact (1998). He also had a supporting role as a geneticist in the film Gattaca. In 2000, he played the lead role in the short-lived television series City of Angels. In 2003, he guest starred in four episodes on the HBO series Sex and the City playing Cynthia Nixon's love interest. In 2004, he played the role of Roger De Souza opposite Heather Locklear in NBC's LAX. He gained acclaim as the sexy grade school teacher in the CBS sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine opposite Julia Louis-Dreyfus for two years. In 2007, he guest starred in an episode of the NBC series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. His also had a role as recurring character Alex in the HBO series In Treatment. Also in 2007, Underwood co-authored the novel Casanegra: A Tennyson Hardwick Novel with husband-and-wife team Steven Barnes and Tananarive Due. He's also had recurring roles on Dirty Sexy Money, NBC's The Event, Ironside, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Quantico. He has received three NAACP Image Awards, for his film work in Rules of Engagement, and his television work in L.A. Law, City of Angels, Murder in Mississippi and Mama Flora's Family. He was voted one of People's "50 Most Beautiful People" in 2000, and one of TV Guide's "Most Influential Faces of the 90s".

Peter McNamara

Peter McNamara, born in London and attended the National Youth Theatre and trained at LAMDA. Possibly best known as Ralph Passmore, the nemesis of Tucker Jenkin's in Tucker's Luck (1983), the spin off series of Phil Redmond's Grange Hill (1978). Peter was known for his fantastic singing voice in many theatre musical productions including South Pacific. He started out his long list of jobs as a supporting artist, working on such films as Quadrophenia (1979), The Shining (1980), Chariots of Fire (1981) and Star Wars (1977), before being cast in Grange Hill (1978). He worked frequently with Christopher Menaul who cast him as a Chelsea skinhead Rory in The Treatment (1984) and previously Tucker's Luck (1983). He became a well respected character actor in a career that eventually spanned four decades, he was often called upon to play the menacing hard-man and when Denzel Washington came to London to work on For Queen & Country (1988), Peter was asked to show him around and guide him on the Cockney accent. In 1990, Peter starred as Kenno in the controversial football hooligan film, Arrivederci Millwall (1990), one of the first films to tackle that subject. He went onto play Jimmy Cadogan in the children's TV series; Oasis (1993) in 1993 and a spot on 99-1 (1994) which reunited him with Arrivederci Millwall (1990) director Charles McDougall. Despite his hard-man roles Peter often played in a lot of comedy TV shows including Desmond's (1989) and Harry Enfield and Chums (1994). In 1995, he appeared in Funny Bones (1995) with Lee Evans, Jerry Lewis, Oliver Platt and Oliver Reed. Then in 1996 he was seen in the series No Bananas (1996) as DS Howard. He was in both the film and TV series of London's Burning (1988) and played recurring roles in numerous other British TV shows including Thief Takers (1995), The Bill (1984), Trial & Retribution (1997), Silent Witness (1996) and Casualty (1986). In 2002, he appeared as Frederick Michael Argyle in The Gathering (2002) where he acted alongside Christina Ricci, Ioan Gruffudd and Stephen Dillane. In 2004, he appeared in an extraordinary experimental drama documentary called Pissed on the Job (2004), Peter played a heavy drinker who was also a teacher, the film which can be seen online is a great example of his work, his subtle performance is extremely realistic in this damning piece about the dangers of alcohol. He showed up as a vampire drug dealer in the film Dead Cert (2010) in 2010 and had been working on some low budget films in the latter years of his career that sadly never got released due to budget and various technical issues. His last credit Dinklebrain (2012) was not the last film he made, rumour has it that he was very much actively making some independent short films, which hopefully will emerge in the near future. Sadly, Peter McNamara died in May 2018 at the age of 57 and he was cremated at Enfield Crematorium on 14th June 2018, a week after what would have been his 58th birthday. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Shona M

Matthew Newton

Cast · Known for Farscape

Matthew Joseph Newton (born 22 January 1977) is an Australian actor, writer, and director. His acting career was interrupted by treatment in a psychiatric unit for bipolar disorder after several serious incidents of domestic violence and assault which were widely reported in the Australian media. Newton has since relocated to New York City, where he has resumed his directing and acting career.

Dimitri Diatchenko

Cast · Known for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

A native of San Francisco, Dimitri Diatchenko attended Newton North High School in Newton, Massachusetts. After high school, he attended Stetson University in Deland, Florida where he was a scholarship music student, majoring in classical guitar. After completing the Bachelors program, he matriculated to Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida where he continued with his acting and music studies in the Masters program. His first acting experience was as the lead in the play, Foxfire, by Hume Cronin, where he played the country music star, Dillard Nations. Diatchenko continued to develop his acting skills both on stage and on camera in Florida-based projects from 1990 - 1996, while studying with Ken Stilson and George Judy. Some of these projects include the award-winning short films, Third on a Match, Used Cars and Goiter Boy. . In April of 1996, as Dimitri was graduating with his Masters degree from Florida State University, he landed a small role as a Navy Seal in Ridley Scott's Demi Moore starer G.I. Jane. After that break, Diatchenko moved out to Los Angeles and officially started his professional acting career. In addition to his acting, Diatchenko continues to perform as a master classical guitarist. As a soloist, he has four guitar CDs in release. His original composition for solo guitar, entitled, "Tango en Paraiso" is featured on the soundtrack for his film, Remarkable Power. Mel Bay Publications has published this piece in "Master Anthology of New Classic Guitar Solos, Vol. 1." Dimitri has also performed on the soundtrack of the film he co-stars in, Clubhouse and performs his arrangement of Hungarian Dance No. 5 by J. Brahms with a Django gypsy jazz treatment in the film, Repossessed. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Dimitri Diatchenko

Ricki Lake

Ricki Pamela Lake (born September 21, 1968) is an American television host and actress. She is known for her lead role as Tracy Turnblad in the 1988 film Hairspray, for which she received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead. She is also known for her talk show, Ricki Lake, which was broadcast internationally from September 1993 until May 2004. When the show debuted, she was 24 and credited as being the youngest person to host a syndicated talk show at the time. In late 2012, Lake began hosting a second syndicated talk show, The Ricki Lake Show. The series was canceled in 2013 after a single season, but Lake won her first Daytime Emmy Award for the project. She also starred in other Waters films including Cry-Baby, Cecil B. Demented, and Serial Mom. She starred in Mrs. Winterbourne, Cabin Boy, Last Exit to Brooklyn, Cookie, and Inside Monkey Zetterland. She joined the cast of the Vietnam War drama series China Beach as a Red Cross volunteer, Holly "the Donut Dolly" Pelegrino, for the show's third season. She also had a recurring role on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens as Doug's sister Stephanie. She also had a cameo in the 2007 film Hairspray as a talent agent and sang "Mama I'm A Big Girl Now" with Nikki Blonsky and Marissa Jaret Winokur for the film's end credits. In 2008, her documentary about home birth and midwifery, The Business of Being Born, was released. She also jointly wrote a book, Your Best Birth, on the world of natural childbirth and birthing options, along with Abby Epstein and Jacques Moritz, which was published in 2009. Lake and Epstein also launched MyBestBirth.com, an online social network, powered by Ning, intended to allow parents and medical professionals to dialogue about varying birthing options and resources. She returned to television on May 11, 2009, succeeding Sharon Osbourne as host for the third season of VH1's Charm School. On November 10, 2010, Lake joined fellow talkers Phil Donahue, Sally Jessy Raphael, Geraldo Rivera, and Montel Williams as guests of Oprah Winfrey on The Oprah Winfrey Show, marking the first time those hosts appeared together on one show since their respective programs left the air. She competed on the 13th season of Dancing with the Stars. She was partnered with three-time champion Derek Hough and cited Kirstie Alley's appearance as an inspiration to do the show. In October 2019, she began competing in The X Factor: Celebrity. In March 2018, at SXSW, Lake and Epstein premiered their documentary film Weed the People, examining the use of cannabis as medicine and its status as a Schedule I prohibited drug in the United States. The film focused in particular on the use of cannabis in the treatment of pediatric cancer.

Barry Dennen

Cast · Known for The Shining

​Barry Dennen (February 22, 1938–September 26, 2017) was an American actor, singer, and writer. Dennen was born in Chicago, Illinois. In New York City from 1960 to 1963, he had a relationship with Barbra Streisand, including living together for a year, during which time he helped her develop the nightclub act that began her successful career as a singer and actress. He moved to London for fifteen years and in 1968 landed the starring role of the master of ceremonies in the London version of Cabaret. In 1970, he played Pontius Pilate on the album of Jesus Christ Superstar, and he played the same role in the Broadway production (1971). In the same year, he played Mendel in Norman Jewison's film of Fiddler on the Roof. According to Dennen's website, he suggested to Jewison that he direct a film of Superstar. Jewison did so, and Dennen played Pilate again (1973). He was the voice actor who portrayed the Chamberlain SkekSil in The Dark Crystal. He has also done voice work on such cartoons as DuckTales, Batman: The Animated Series, The Pirates of Dark Water, Animaniacs, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Since that time Dennen has had a variety of small parts on American television shows and films, including: Batman; Superman III; The Kentucky Fried Movie; The Shining; Galtar and the Golden Lance; Tales from the Darkside and Titanic. He played auto dealer Irwin Lapsey in Shock Treatment, the sequel toThe Rocky Horror Picture Show. He has also done voices for many video games, including Fatman in Metal Gear Solid 2, Police Chief Bogen in Grim Fandango, Mimir in the recent video game Too Human, Dean Domino in Fallout: New Vegas expansion "Dead Money", and the Dark One in The Mark of Kri. He wrote the screenplay for an episode of Amazing Stories titled "The Secret Cinema" (1985) and cowrote an episode of The Comic Strip Presents... titled "Demonella" (1993). His autobiographical book, My Life With Barbra: A Love Story (1997), deals with their relationship and with his gradual realization that he was a homosexual. Description above from the Wikipedia article  Barry Dennen, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Ken Loach

Director · Known for The Wednesday Play

Kenneth Charles Loach (born 17 June 1936; Nuneaton) is a retired British film director, screenwriter and producer. His humanist values and socialist political views are evident in his film treatment of social issues such as poverty (Poor Cow, 1967), homelessness (Cathy Come Home, 1966), and labour rights (Riff-Raff, 1991, and The Navigators, 2001). Kenneth Charles Loach was born on 17 June 1936 in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, the son of Vivien (née Hamlin) and John Loach. He attended King Edward VI Grammar School and at the age of 19 went to serve in the Royal Air Force. He read law at St Peter's College, Oxford and graduated with a third-class degree. As a member of the Oxford University Experimental Theatre Club he directed an open-air production of Bartholomew Fair for the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford, in 1959 (when he also took the role of the shady horse-dealer Dan Jordan Knockem). After Oxford, he began a career in the dramatic arts. Loach's film Kes (1969) was voted the seventh greatest British film of the 20th century in a poll by the British Film Institute. Two of his films, The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006) and I, Daniel Blake (2016), received the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, making him one of only nine filmmakers to win the award twice.

Andy Whitfield

Cast · Known for Spartacus

(from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) Andy Whitfield (died 11 September 2011) was a Welsh-Australian actor and model. He was best known for his leading role in the Starz television series Spartacus: Blood and Sand during 2010. Career Whitfield was born in Amlwch, Anglesey, Wales. He studied engineering at the University of Sheffield, England and worked in Lidcombe, New South Wales, Australia as an engineer before settling in Sydney in 1999. He appeared in several Australian television series, such as Opening Up, All Saints, The Strip, Packed to the Rafters, and McLeod's Daughters. Whitfield gained his first prominent role in the Australian supernatural film Gabriel. He also starred in the 2010 television series Spartacus: Blood and Sand, which was filmed in New Zealand. He portrays a version of the historical Spartacus, although in this retelling he is a conscripted soldier condemned to death who defeats all four of his executioners and is thereby recycled as a gladiator. The actual Spartacus, like this fictional version, was destined to lead a rebellion against the Romans (the Third Servile War). Whitfield also appeared in the Australian thriller The Clinic starring opposite Tabrett Bethell (of Legend of the Seeker fame) which was shot in Deniliquin. In August 2010, Whitfield teamed up with Freddie Wong and created a 2-minute YouTube video named "Time Crisis", based on the game Time Crisis. Whitfield made a brief, uncredited voice-only appearance in the prequel mini-series Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, which premiered on 21 January 2011. Illness and death In March 2010, Whitfield was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and began undergoing treatment immediately in New Zealand. This delayed production of season two of Spartacus: Vengeance. While waiting for Whitfield's treatment and expected recovery, the network produced a six-part prequel, Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, with only a brief uncredited voiceover from the actor. Although declared cancer-free, only two months later he suffered a recurrence of the disease later in the year and was ultimately compelled to abandon the role. Starz recast Australian actor Liam McIntyre as Whitfield's successor. Whitfield died of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in Sydney, Australia, on 11 September 2011, 18 months after his initial cancer diagnosis.

Helmut Fischer

In 1972 he played in the Bavarian Television's first episode of the Tatort series, as assistant to then-time Inspector Veigl (played by Gustl Bayrhammer). When Veigl was "retired" in 1981, Fischer was "promoted" to Commissioner Ludwig Lenz and as such he solved a total of seven cases until 1987. In 1974 Helmut Fischer, in his favourite café Münchner Freiheit met director Helmut Dietl. The latter recognised his friend's true talent and in 1980 gave him a major role in the TV series Der ganz normale Wahnsinn in which Fischer for the first time got to play a manquéed playboy. The final breakthrough came in 1983 with Helmut Fischer's series Monaco Franze - der ewige Stenz. Again Helmut Dietl was the director, Patrick Süskind cooperated on the scripts to almost all episodes. In the series, which has now reached cult status among fans, Fischer alongside Ruth Maria Kubitschek, Karl Obermayr and Erni Singerl in inimitable way embodied an easygoing dandy, charmer and ladies' men, who always manages to master awkward situations with a sheepy smile. Famous sayings by the character role like "A bisserl was geht immer (Anything goes)" were adapted into daily language use. Matching this, Fischer also recorded a successful single titled "Spatzl (Schau wia i schau)) (Sweetheart (Look like I'm looking))". From now on, the actor was busy with roles whose character were always based on Stenz though. Until the end of his life Fischer kept assuring that the figure of Monaco Franze had nothing to do with his real life. In the mid-1980s, Fischer played with Thomas Gottschalk and Michael Winslow in the two Zärtliche Chaoten films, from 1987 to 1992 he could be seen as "Josefbärli" along Veronika Fitz and Ilse Neubauer in the series Die Hausmeisterin (The House Keeper). Fischer enjoyed his last success in the series Ein Schloß am Wörthersee (A castle on theWörthersee), where he played the absentminded estate manager Leo Laxeneder, and as the fictitious mayor of Hohenwaldau, Peter Elfinger in Peter and Paul alongside Hans Clarin. In 1993 Helmut Fischer was diagnosed with cancer. He kept this diagnosis largely secret, only his wife Utta knew about it. In 1996, the actor underwent treatment by the well-known and controversial cancer specialist Julius Hackethal. In November he celebrated his 70th anniversary with a great number of friends and colleagues. At the occasion the told the press: "Das Leben macht sich ja mehr und mehr aus dem Staub (Life is more and more buzzing off)". Eight months later Fischer, to the surprise of the common public, died in Chiemgau. More than 1,000 people participated in the funeral service at the mortuary of Munich's northern cemetery and the subsequent funeral at the Bogenhausen cemetery (gravesite no. 2-4-2) on 19 June 1997. In his funeral speech Munich's Lord Mayor Christian Ude, a friend and neighbour of Fischer, said: "... Populär war er in ganz Deutschland - in München wurde er geliebt. (He was popular throughout Germany - in Munich, he was loved.)"

Nazanin Boniadi

Cast · Known for Homeland, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

Nazanin Boniadi was born in Tehran, Iran, at the height of the Iranian Revolution; her parents relocated to London shortly thereafter. She performed violin and ballet as a young girl. She attended a private high school and later moved to the United States where she earned a bachelor's degree, with honors, in biological sciences from the University of California, Irvine. At UCI, she won the Chang Pin-Chun Undergraduate Research Award for molecular research involving cancer treatment and heart transplant rejection. She was also Assistant Editor-in-Chief of MedTimes, UCI's undergraduate medical newspaper. Nazanin Boniadi is rapidly making her mark in both film and television. She co-starred as CIA analyst Fara Sherazi on seasons three and four of the Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning drama Homeland (2011), for which she shared a 2015 SAG Award nomination in the Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series category. Boniadi appeared in the 2016 MGM-Paramount remake of Ben-Hur. Directed by Timur Bekmambetov, the film stars Ms. Boniadi in the female lead role of Esther opposite Jack Huston, Morgan Freeman and Toby Kebbell. She will next appear in a leading role opposite Armie Hammer and Dev Patel in Anthony Maras's Hotel Mumbai. Among her many television credits, Boniadi portrayed Nora, a relatively longstanding love interest to Neil Patrick Harris's Barney Stinson, in seasons six and seven of How I Met Your Mother (2005). She also appeared as the notorious Adnan Salif in season three of Shonda Rhimes' hit political drama Scandal (2012). She will next star alongside J.K. Simmons in the original Starz series Counterpart (2017), created by Justin Marks and Executive Produced by Morten Tyldum. On film, Boniadi appeared as Amira Ahmed in Jon Favreau's Iron Man (2008) and portrayed a young mother, Elaine, in Paul Haggis' The Next Three Days (2010). She also has several independent features to her credit. Born in Tehran at the height of the Iranian Revolution, Boniadi's parents relocated to London, England, shortly thereafter, where she was raised with an emphasis on education. While she was involved in theatre early in life, Boniadi later decided she wanted to become a physician. She moved to the United States at the age of 19 to attend the University of California, Irvine, where she received her Bachelor's Degree, with Honors (Dean's Academic Achievement and Service Award) in Biological Sciences, and won the "Chang Pin Chun" Undergraduate Research Award for her work in heart-transplant rejection and cancer research. Switching gears to pursue her first love, Boniadi then decided to study acting, which included training in Contemporary Drama at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London under the supervision of dramaturge Lloyd Trott. Boniadi is fluent in both English and Persian. She is a dedicated human rights activist. Boniadi served as a spokesperson for Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) 2009-2015, and continues to partner with the non-profit as an AIUSA Artist of Conscience.

Nabil Shaban

Nabil Shaban (1953-2025) was born in Amman, Jordan and arrived in England when he was three for treatment for his osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle-bone disease). He spent the next six years in hospital and seven in a children's home. In 1980, he and Richard Tomlinson founded Graeae (pronounced Grey Eye), a professional theatre company of disabled performers. A writer and performer with many film and television credits, he was probably best known to television viewers for his role as ruthless businessman Sil in the Doctor Who stories 'Vengeance on Varos' and 'The Trial of a Time Lord' (BBC, 1985 + 1986).

Allison Hayes

Born Mary Jane Hayes in Charleston, West Virginia, she was in the class of 1948 at Calvin Coolidge High School. Hayes won the title of Miss District of Columbia. She went on to represent D.C. in the 1949 Miss America pageant. Although she did not win the competition, it provided her with the opportunity to work in local television before moving to Hollywood to work for Universal Pictures in 1954. Taking the name Allison Hayes, she played small roles in a handful of films at Universal for a couple of years. In 1955 she filed a lawsuit against the studio over injuries she sustained while filming her second picture, SIGN OF THE PAGAN. Universal released Hayes from her contract, and she was subsequently signed by Columbia Pictures. After appearing in a handful of Columbia films including COUNT THREE AND PRAY, MOHAWK, and WOLF DOG, Hayes was given in the lead role in ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN (1958). The film would eventually gain a cult following and become the performance for which she is best known. However, it did not escalate Hayes's career at the time. For several years she remained consistently employed in movies and on television (including an extended stint on the soap opera "General Hospital" and several appearances on her friend Raymond Burr's "Perry Mason" series). By the mid-1960s, though, Allison Hayes's career was all but over and she was beset by health problems. She would later admit that the pain of her illness led her to contemplate suicide, and that her symptoms were not taken seriously by doctors. After reading about metal poisoning in factory workers and recognizing the similarity of the symptoms described to her own, she hired a toxicologist to test a calcium supplement she'd been using for an extended time. The tests revealed that the pills contained an extreme amount of lead, and that Hayes was likely suffering from lead poisoning. She mounted a campaign to pressure the Food and Drug Administration into banning the supplement, but her condition deteriorated to the point of total incapacity. In 1976 she was diagnosed with leukemia, and began regular cancer treatment. Allison Hayes died February 26, 1977 at the UCSD Medical Center in La Jolla, California, just short of her 47th birthday. In a letter that arrived after her death, the FDA informed her of amendments being made to the laws governing the importation of nutritional supplements, largely as a result of her advocacy.

Julie Barclay

Julie Gibbs was born in Hertfordshire in August 1961. She has one brother, Graham, who joined the army when she was 13. Her mother Jenny was a corsetier/sales assistant and her father was in public relations before being ordained as an Anglican vicar. Julie attended Woodmansterne Primary school in Streatham, where she was keen on all aspects of dance and drama and ice skating. She moved to Aylesbury to attend the Grammar School where she developed her love of acting until she was 16. She moved to Sychdyn in Clwyd, North Wales and joined the Sixth form at Mold Alun Comprehensive School and The Clwyd Youth Theatre performing in plays in the community and at Theatr Clwyd where she worked as an usherette and in theatre admin before studying Acting at Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff in 1981-1984. Julie began working in stand-up comedy to apply for her Equity Card through 1985/86 and then joined the Sherman Theatre Company in Cardiff for 3 productions: A murder mystery musical - Something Afoot and two Christmas productions written by Mike James - The Amazing Mr Toad and The Emperors New Clothes. She toured Britain with Hull Truck Theatre Company with an award winning production of Salt The Earth by John Godber which went on to represent Britain at the International Theatre Festival in New York in 1989, having won a coveted Fringe First award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1988. After working on two further Christmas productions at Northcott Theatre, Exeter and at Leeds Playhouse, Julie worked in Denmark through 1990 with The English Speaking Theatre Company of Copenhagen. She returned to Wales to begin a successful run in various comedy radio productions including as a regular guest panellist for Weekending on BBC radio 4 and various Light Ent comedy plays. She enjoyed voicing animated films and worked extensively in post-production dubbing for foreign language films. In 1995 Julie returned to studying and gained a PG qualification in Lecturing in FE/HE and went on to teach Performing Arts at Coleg Glan Hafren and at Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama for BA Actors and Young Actors Studio - returning to the place where she studied. Julie married Martin Barclay , a university lecturer, and had sons Lewis and Tommy in 1999 and 2003 returning to her first love acting in 2005. Julie toured south Wales with Theatr Na'Nog introducing secondary school children to Shakespeare. She also worked with local theatre companies Theatr Iolo and Theatr Y Byd and developed new writing as an actor and director with On The Edge company produced by Michael Kelligan. In 2007 Julie began to work in TV/film alongside her theatre and teaching work. She made several appearances for Black Rat Productions - including performances in Romeo and Juliet, Boeing Boeing ,Loot and Spanish Lies for Grassroots Productions written and directed by Frank Vickery. Julie developed skills adapting literature for the stage - Fresh Apples, a wonderful collection of short stories by Rachel Trezise was adapted by Julie in 2010 and she directed A Kind of Alaska by Harold Pinter for Be:Spoken Theatre. In 2014 Julie was cast in an award winning production 'Maudie's Rooms written and directed by Louise Osborn. In the same year when Julie was 52 she was diagnosed with breast cancer and following 6 months of successful treatment happily returned to work.

Brendan Burns

Producer/Screenwriter/Actor has worked extensively in film, television and the theater, opposite such luminaries as Robert DeNiro, Tommy Lee Jones, Marisa Tomei, Kathleen Quinlan and Stephen Hopkins to name a few. Paramount Pictures optioned Burns original screenplay, "VTV" with William Sackheim producing and Burns receiving the rewriting assignment. Burns developed "The Atomic Veteran", a MOW based on the original play for Jaffe/Braunstein Films. Mr. Burns' original screenplay, "Devil Jocks" was optioned by James Keach and Emerald Eyes Productions with Burns executive producing. His story and treatment "Hidden Valor" - "Women of the SOE", was first optioned by the producing team of Sanford/Pillsbury. As a stage producer, Brendan, through special arrangement with Joseph Papp, moved the Lincoln Center Production of Michael Dorn Moody's Obie Award-winning play, "The Shortchanged Review" to the Coronet Theatre in Los Angeles for its West Coast premiere. The production received wide acclaim from LA critics and went on to win eleven awards ranging from production design, performance, to two Best Production awards for Burns. Brendan was company manager and later co-producer of Arthur Miller's, "After the Fall" by special arrangement with Mr. Miller himself. Victor French and Julie Cobb headed the cast with Harris Yulin directing. The production received a host of honors including the LA Drama Critics Circle Best Actress award for Ms. Cobb and a nomination for Best Production of the Year. Brendan produced and directed the premiere of "Time Will Tell", written by Bart Burns & Timothy C. Burns at the Company of Angels Theatre. The show opened to rave reviews and garnered numerous awards. scottburnsproductions

Jiang Wenli

Cast · Known for Farewell My Concubine

Jiang Wenli was born in a highbrow family. Her father was a railroad engineer, her mother was a railroad telephone operator, and her parents love literature and art. Since Wenli was a little girl, her father taught her to read famous book and painting, and listen to famous songs. When she was 5 years old, she dreamt about being a gymnast, so her mother sent her to study dance and gymnastics. However, since her stature didn’t fit the standard of a gymnast, the coach of Bengbu city gymnastic team refused to regard her as a formal team member. After that, she spent five years to practice as an informal team member of the gymnastic team. At the age of 17, she took the college entrance examination and regard going to normal university as her goal. However, she got accepted by a water conservation secondary school because her score was five points lower than the acceptance line of the normal university. In 1986, she graduated from the secondary school and starts to work in Bengbu City Water Company. Her job was to design ways of water transportation for residents. Nevertheless, she was not satisfied with her current life and decided to go to Beijing in 1988 and start her new life. Without any preparation, she got accepted by Beijing Film Academy. After become a student of film academy, there were countless film companies inviting her to play role in their films. Her first role was a nursery school teacher in a TV series named The Lily on Cliff, and this TV series won the Feitian TV Awards of that year. Also, she was a candidate for Best Supporting Actress Reward. After this, she played Shuixiu in a movie named Li Li Yuan Shang Cao, and this film won the award from French film festival. The last film of her college period was The Story of Xing Hua, and she played the girl named Xing Hua. After graduate from college, she went to America for a long time and then returned to China to continue her career. After came back to China, she played a role in Miaomiao Liu’s movie *Who you think you are. In 1993, she played an important role which is Chengyi’s mother in movie Farewell My Concubine，and this movie won the Best Movie Award at French Cannes Film Festival of that year. In 1999, she played a 20 episode TV series named Lead by the Hand, and this helped her won the highest honor of Chinese TV industry, Best actress from both Golden Eagle Awards and Feitian TV Awards. In 2000, based on the outstanding performance in film Team Spirit，she won the best actress from Huabiao Film Awards. In 2001, movie The treatment made her career even more successful. In 2011, the TV series When Happiness Knocks became a huge success in her career. This TV series is broadcasting on CCTV-1, which is the most important channel in China. Also, the average audience rating was 3%, which is on the top of other TV series in the whole country.

Jessie Barr

Jessie Barr is a writer/director based in L.A. with roots in theater, independent film + comedy. A multi-hyphenate filmmaker and commercial director born in Washington D.C. she danced with The Washington Ballet before cutting her teeth as an actor in NYC’s Off-Broadway scene. Jessie’s filmmaking is humanistic, sensual, and darkly funny, centering on characters in moments of rupture where desire, shame, and love collide. Her production company, Enfants Bizarres, is committed to the raw energy and revolutionary ethos of punk filmmaking, championing humanistic stories that explore the erotic, subvert gender norms, and center the unruly. Jessie recently directed the viral sensation Fight Dirty (2026), a YA action romance streaming on CandyJar app, Roku, and AppleTV, and was profiled in The Hollywood Reporter. Her spec commercial for Laneige Lip Mask is a runaway hit with 5.4 million views. Jessie is currently developing a Shakespeare adaptation with Academy Award-winning prod co. Caviar (War Pony, Sound of Metal). Her latest short film, Sylvia, starring Jena Malone (Love Lies Bleeding, Neon Demon, The Hunger Games), will World Premiere at the Palm Springs International ShortFest 2026. The film was made possible with support from Modern Silent Shorts and Isabella Rossellini. Jessie is a 2025 Djerassi Artist in Residence, 2024 Half Initiative directing fellow (Ryan Murphy Program), and 2021 Sundance Episodic Lab fellow. The series she co-created went on to be developed with Warner Bros. Television and Tall Baby Productions. Jessie’s work has screened globally at festivals including Deauville, Berlinale, Tribeca, Mar Del Plata, and been featured by The National Board of Review, The New York Times, Short of the Week, Vimeo Staff Pick, and USA Today. Jessie’s critically acclaimed, award-winning feature debut, Sophie Jones, premiered in competition at the Deauville Film Festival and was released by Oscilloscope Laboratories, earning a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and streaming on Showtime. The film is executive produced by Nicole Holofcener. Roger Ebert hailed it as “Superb." Variety called it "A fully realized portrait of grief that's universal," and The Playlist praised it as "Coming-of-age at its best. A quiet, brilliant film.” As a performance artist, Jessie appeared with Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova in PUSSY RIOT SIBERIA (2025) at MOCA. Jessie’s personal cancer chronicle, Serving Cunt debuted at SADE Gallery in Los Angeles (2024), featuring original films, installations, and photography as a way to process her bladder cancer diagnosis, treatment, and healing. Selected Clients: Garnier, Savannah Rose Studio. Grant recognitions include: MOS Silent Film Grant Recipient (2025), PEN America Writer's Grant Recipient (2020), and Oregon Film Grant Recipient (2019).

Dick Clair

Dick Clair was born Richard Jones in San Francisco, California. He served in the military for two years from 1955 to 1957. He never married or had children. In the early 1970s, Clair performed husband-and-wife comedy routines for The Ed Sullivan Show and The Dean Martin Show with his writing partner Jenna McMahon. Clair was a screenwriter for episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Bob Newhart Show in addition to his Emmy Award winning writing for the comedy-variety TV program The Carol Burnett Show. With Jenna McMahon he wrote and produced the television sitcoms It's a Living, The Facts of Life, and Mama's Family. Clair was active as an early member of the Cryonics Society of California in the 1960s. In 1982 he contributed $20,000 to the cryonics organization Trans Time so that a husband and wife could remain cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen. He was diagnosed with AIDS in 1986. When he was hospitalized in 1988 he faced opposition from the hospital and the State of California concerning his desire for cryonics treatment. The ensuing court battle (Roe v. Mitchell, with Clair as "John Roe") ended victoriously, establishing the legal right of persons to be cryonically preserved in the state of California. Clair died on December 12, 1988, of multiple AIDS-related infections at the age of 57. He was cryopreserved at the Alcor Life Extension Foundation. -from wikipedia