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Krzysztof Piesiewicz

Executive Producer · Known for Possible Love

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Krzysztof Piesiewicz (October 25, 1945 - May 14, 2026) was a Polish lawyer, screenwriter, and politician, who was a member of the Polish Parliament and head of the Ruch Społeczny (RS) or Social Movement Party. Piesiewicz studied law at Warsaw University and began practicing in 1973. Through the late 1970s he became increasingly involved in political cases, defending opponents of the Communist regime, serving as a legal advisor for Solidarity, and assisting in the successful prosecution of the murderers of Jerzy Popiełuszko. In 1982 he met the film director Krzysztof Kieślowski, who was planning to direct a documentary on political show trials in Poland under martial law. Piesiewicz agreed to help, though he doubted whether an accurate film could be made within the constraints of the judicial system; indeed, the filmmakers found that their presence in court seemed to be affecting the outcomes of cases, often improving the prospects of the accused, but making it hard to capture judicial abuses. Kieślowski decided to explore the issue through fiction instead, and the two collaborated for the first time as writers on the feature film No End, released in 1984. Piesewicz returned to his law career, but remained in touch with Kieślowski and three years later persuaded him to create a series of films based on the Ten Commandments. This series, The Decalogue, explored the filmmakers' mutual interest in moral and ethical dilemmas in contemporary social and political life, and achieved (belated) critical acclaim around the world. Their later collaborations, The Double Life of Véronique and Three Colors (Blue, White, Red), focused on metaphysical questions of personal choice and appeared relatively apolitical, though the latter series was based on Piesiewicz's idea of dramatizing the French political ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity in the same way they had previously dramatized the Ten Commandments. Piesiewicz was credited as co-writer on all of Kieślowski's projects after No End, the last of which was Nadzieja, directed by Stanislaw Mucha after Kieślowski's death. He has begun writing a new series of films, The Stigmatised; the first of these, Silence, was directed by Michał Rosa and released in 2002. Piesiewicz's career in electoral politics began in 1989, when he began working in the Social Movement for Solidarity Electoral Action (RS AWS) party, originally the political wing of the Solidarity union and the leading party in the center-right AWS coalition. In 1991 he was elected to the Polish Senate, served for two years, then returned in 1997. In 2002, RS AWS changed its name to RS and elected Piesiewicz as its leader. He was a Roman Catholic.

Charlie Barnett

Cast · Known for Miami Vice

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Charlie Barnett (September 23, 1954 – March 16, 1996) was an American actor and comedian. Barnett was born in Bluefield, West Virginia. He first made a name for himself in the late 1970s and early 1980s, performing several shows of raunchy comedy a day at outdoor parks in New York City, most notably in Washington Square Park, where he competed for crowds with musicians, frisbee players, jugglers and other entertainers. Flautist/driver Ruben Riera agrees, Charlie was one of the only street performers able to "fill the fountain" (an amphitheatre in a large circular fountain) in Washington Square Park. In September 1980, Barnett auditioned for Saturday Night Live and producer Jean Doumanian was ready to hire him; however, Barnett was self-conscious about his poor reading skills and he skipped a follow-up reading. Barnett's spot in the cast was ultimately given to Eddie Murphy.Barnett was jealous and resentful of Murphy for several years, although in 1983, he told Jet magazine, "“Now that I'm making it, I watch Saturday Night Live every Saturday.” Barnett went on to appear in film and on television. In the 1983 comedy film D.C. Cab, he played the role of Tyrone. He had a recurring role on the hit 1980s TV series Miami Vice as Neville 'Noogie' Lamont. He also appeared on Def Comedy Jam in 1993. Although the episode was not aired on TV, the DVD release of Def Comedy Jam contains an extra DVD with "2 Raw 4 TV", which has a Barnett performance. Barnett's last film role was in 1996 in the film They Bite. Comedian Dave Chappelle has acknowledged Barnett as an influence and mentor. At one point Chappelle had expressed interest in doing a biopic on Barnett. Comedian Dave Chappelle has acknowledged Barnett as an influence and mentor. At one point Chappelle had expressed interest in doing a biopic on Barnett. Death Having contracted HIV through heroin abuse, Barnett eventually died from complications of AIDS on March 16, 1996.

Gloria Gaynor

Gloria Gaynor (née Fowles; born September 7, 1943) is an American singer, best known for the disco era hits "I Will Survive" (1978), "Let Me Know (I Have a Right)" (1979), "I Am What I Am" (1983), and her version of "Never Can Say Goodbye" (1974). Gaynor was born Gloria Fowles in Newark, New Jersey, to Daniel Fowles and Queenie Mae Proctor. Her grandmother lived nearby and was involved in her upbringing. "There was always music in our house", Gaynor wrote in her autobiography I Will Survive. She enjoyed listening to the radio, and to records by Nat King Cole and Sarah Vaughan. Her father played the ukulele and guitar and sang professionally in nightclubs with a group called Step 'n' Fetchit. Gloria grew up a tomboy; she had five brothers and one sister. Her brothers sang gospel and formed a quartet with a friend. Gaynor was not allowed to sing with the all-male group, nor was her younger brother Arthur, as Gloria was a girl and he was too young. Arthur later acted as a tour manager for Gaynor. The family was relatively poor, but Gaynor recalls the house being filled with laughter and happiness, and the dinner table being open to neighborhood friends. They moved to a housing project in 1960, where Gaynor attended South Side High School; she graduated in 1961. "All through my young life I wanted to sing, although nobody in my family knew it", Gaynor wrote in her autobiography. Gaynor began singing in a night club in Newark, where she was recommended to a local band by a neighbor. After several years of performing in local clubs and along the East Coast, Gaynor began her recording career in 1971 at Columbia Records. Gaynor was a singer with the Soul Satisfiers, a jazz and R&B music band, in the 1960s. She recorded "She'll Be Sorry/Let Me Go Baby" (for the first time as Gloria Gaynor) in 1965, for Johnny Nash's "Jocida" label. Her first real success came in 1973 when she was signed to Columbia Records by Clive Davis. The fruit of that was the release of the flop single "Honey Bee". Moving on to MGM Records she finally hit with the album Never Can Say Goodbye, released in 1975. The first side of the album consisted of three songs ("Honey Bee", "Never Can Say Goodbye", and "Reach Out, I'll Be There"), with no break between the songs. This 19-minute dance marathon proved to be enormously popular, especially at dance clubs. All three songs were released as singles via radio edits and all of them became hits. The album was instrumental in introducing disco music to the public, "Never Can Say Goodbye" becoming the first song to top Billboard magazine's dance chart. It was also a hit on the mainstream Pop Charts, peaking at No. 9, and on the R&B Charts, reaching No. 34 (the original version by The Jackson 5 had been a No. 2 hit on the Hot 100 in 1971). It also marked her first significant chart success internationally, making it into the Top 5 in Australia, Canada, Germany and the UK. The song would go on to be certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry, and subsequently gold in the US. ... Source: Article "Gloria Gaynor" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Laura Pausini

Laura Pausini (born 16 May 1974) is an Italian singer. She rose to fame in 1993, winning the newcomer artists' section of the 43rd Sanremo Music Festival with her debut single "La solitudine", which became an Italian standard and an international hit. Her self-titled debut album was released in Italy on 23 April 1993 and later became an international success, selling two million copies worldwide. Its follow-up, Laura, was released in 1994 and confirmed her international success, selling three million copies worldwide. Pausini has released fifteen studio albums, two international greatest hits albums and one compilation album for the Anglophone market only. She speaks four languages: English, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese. She mostly performs in Italian and Spanish, but has also recorded and sung songs in Portuguese, English, French, German, Latin, Chinese, Catalan, Neapolitan, Romagnol and Sicilian. Pausini appeared as a coach on both the Mexican and Spanish versions of international reality television singing competition franchise The Voice, was a judge on the first and second series of La banda, and is likewise a judge on the Spanish version of international franchise The X Factor. In 2016, she debuted as a variety show presenter, hosting the television show Laura & Paola, with actress Paola Cortellesi. In 2004, AllMusic's Jason Birchmeier considered Pausini's sales "an impressive feat for someone who'd never really broken into the lucrative English-language market". In 2014, FIMI certified Pausini's sales of more than 70 million records with a FIMI Icon Award, making her the fourth best-selling female artist in Latin music, and the best-selling female non-Spanish speaking Latin music artist. Throughout her career, she has won numerous music awards in Italy and internationally. In 2006, she won a Grammy Award, receiving the accolade for Best Latin Pop Album for the record Escucha. In 2021, she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song with "Io sì (Seen)" from the film The Life Ahead. The single also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, making it the first Italian-language song to win the award. She has been honoured as a Commander Order of Merit of the Italian Republic by President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi and as a World Ambassador of Emilia Romagna. The elder of two daughters, Laura Pausini was born in Faenza, in the Province of Ravenna to Fabrizio Pausini and Gianna Ballardini. She grew up in Solarolo, a small comune in the same region. Her father is a former pianist who also played as a sessionman for ABBA's Frida Lyngstad and entered a band whose members later founded the Italian pop group Pooh. After becoming a piano bar artist, he encouraged Pausini to start performing as a singer. Her first live performance was on 16 May 1985, when she sang together with her father in a restaurant in Bologna. Since then, her father started giving her singing lessons and she continued to perform alongside him in local piano bars. In the meanwhile, she also started singing in a church choir. ... Source: Article "Laura Pausini" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Ryan Wynott

Ryan had a passion for performing from a very early age, whether in church plays or the family living room. For his 6th birthday he asked his parents for acting classes and was trained at Young Actors Space under the direction of Nora Eckstein. It is through this acting class that he was spotted by a talent agent and began acting professionally. He takes singing, hip-hop and other dance classes. He is also athletic and excels in soccer. Ryan has recently taken up horseback riding for an upcoming Hallmark movie entitled: "Love's Christmas Journey". He also enjoys jumping and flipping on his trampoline, playing video games, making Flip videos, and just hanging with his friends. Most recently, he has been seen starring in the NBC drama series "The Cape", Ryan also landed roles on HBO's "Tell Me You Love Me," ABC's "Flash Forward," the pilot "Hank," as well as the feature film "Brothers Solomon."

Sidow Sobrino

Sidow Sobrino - The World's No. 1 Superstar®, born Diego Hernan Sobrino Guillermo in Merida, Mexico in 1975, is an award-winning multimedia personality, singer-songwriter, actor, and producer. His lineage, a captivating blend of French, Spanish, Portuguese, Greek, English, and Mexican heritage, adds depth to his enigmatic persona. Despite lacking support from major labels, Sobrino's unparalleled talent and unwavering determination have propelled him to the pinnacle of pop culture, making him the internet's most sought-after celebrity. His music catalog is distributed through The Orchard, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. Sobrino has garnered international acclaim through his original albums and standout acting roles on television and in Hollywood films. Sobrino cemented his place in TV history during the reality show El Ticketero when he made a daring move, mooning the main character, a traffic enforcement officer. Impressed by his boldness, producer Fernando Moreno offered him a significant role - entertaining the public Monday through Friday as one of the celebrity judges alongside Katalina Viana in Dale a la Botella (English: Spin the Bottle), a game show hosted by Gabriela Mia in 2008. His versatility shines brightly, evident in his audacious exploits on reality TV and his memorable portrayals of film characters, such as Dr. Smith in "Del infierno a la gloria," further solidifying his status in entertainment lore. Beyond the spotlight, Sobrino's influence extends to art and fashion. He's graced magazine covers, collaborated with the Tom of Finland Foundation, and served as a muse for acclaimed artists like Sherwin Carlquist and Rick Castro. Sobrino's partnership with Freedom Reigns underscores his impact on the fashion scene. Despite his global fame, Sobrino remains a figure of mystery, granting few interviews and keeping his personal life private. In 2013, he faced a diagnosis of bipolar disorder type 2 and depression, leading him to turn to theater and spirituality for solace and healing. In 2019, Sobrino celebrated a significant personal milestone with his marriage to Richard Sidow-Sobrino. The private ceremony, held in Las Vegas at The Little Vegas Chapel, was followed by a joyous evening attending a live Cher show at the MGM Grand Hotel. The couple now divides their time between the United States and Europe, cherishing moments with their beloved dogs and indulging in shared interests such as fitness, literature, and travel. Through it all, Sobrino's resilience, faith, and creative brilliance continue to inspire millions worldwide.

David J. Cork

David J. Cork is an actor, writer, singer and film maker from Indianapolis, Indiana. As a child, David was a member of the Indianapolis Children's Choir, allowing him to sing at Carnegie Hall and the Sydney Opera House at an early age. Once at Broad Ripple High School, David began exploring acting and soon after started performing in community theater. David began his college career at Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia. Midway though his second year, he transferred to New York University's Tisch School of the Arts where he completed his BFA in Acting. Since arriving in New York City, David has not only appeared in numerous commercials, plays, television shows, and movies, but became a pioneer in actors creating their own work. His first written work, Bi: The Webseries, featured David as the lead role and received public attention once featured in publications like The Huffington Post, NBC OUT and Now This. Since then, David has gone on to appear in more productions including Gun Hill (BET), Mapplethorpe (HULU), The Breeding (HBO NYLFF 2018), WuTang: An American Saga (HULU), City on a Hill (SHOWTIME), and was a member of ABC’s Discover Showcase in 2019. David has made it his mission to take on and create work that is connected to further exploring the complexities of Black men and people of color. David is currently in post production on No Homo | No Hetero, a documentary exploring the lives of sexually fluid black men and recently began making strides as an HIV/AIDS activist, working to create community events evoking Black “pozitivity.” It is through his art and service that David strives to connect all of humanity to the beauty their vulnerability.

Hasaan Gilmer

Hasaan Gilmer was born in Philadelphia, raised in Brooklyn, NYC by his grandmother. While living in Brooklyn, Hasaan discovered his love for drawing and sports. Baseball and basketball was a big part in Hasaan's life until he met rapper Foxy Brown who introduced him to the music industry and took him on the road with her while touring. Hasaan has made television appearances on Rap City: The Bassment, 106 & Park, music videos, DVDs, etc. Living the rap star lifestyle, Hasaan noticed it wasn't what it seemed making a minor set back. Hasaan discovered acting as a great way to express himself through something positive. He studies with Meisner acting coach Ron Millkie (Friday the 13th). His style of acting is fresh and charming with an edge. With Ron Millkie's teachings and a life changing meeting with actor Gbenga Akinnagbe, Hasaan went on to land roles in theatre, film and continues to share his craft with the world.

Gareth Bryn

Gareth was born in 1978. From an early age he showed a keen interest in making films. Gareth cut his teeth shooting films on his parents HI8 camcorder and editing them tape to tape. When a theatre was built in the neighbouring town, through a drama workshop he discovered a talent for acting. This led him to study at Paul McCartneys "Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts". At the time, LIPA was a 24hr creative hub. It encouraged its students to cross over into all disciplines, so while studying acting Gareth also played in bands, produced and directed for the first time. Gareth worked extensively in TV, film and in the West end but it took him 7 years to realise he was on the wrong side of the camera. It was in 2005 that he bought a minDV camera and and made his first short film, writing, filming, editing and composing the score. The film "Waking Sleep" received success on Kevin Spaceys Trigger Street before being bought by a Welsh producer who commissioned a welsh language version. Following the success of the film Gareth was made an offer of becoming a trainee director on a new Tv series. In 2006 Gareth won a Welsh BAFTA for his work on the show and has since been nominated a further 7 times. Gareth has always been inspired by the likes of Robert Rodriguez and his shoot from the hip mentality. He is an experienced vfx artist and editor and runs his own post production facility. "I've always tried to make myself indispensable. Budgets get lower but expectations get higher. I want to give the writer the freedom to create a world where anything is possible without having to worry too much about limiting their imagination because of budget. As a director, being across the edit and the VFX is hugely liberating." - IMDb Mini Biography By: Cinematic

Hwang Jung-min

Cast · Known for Hope, The Wailing

Hwang Jung-min (황정민) is a South Korean actor. He was born on September 1, 1970 and began his career in musical theatre, making his acting debut in Line 1 in 1995. He then starred in various musicals and plays in Daehangno such as "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Cats". Despite a career on stage, Hwang had difficulty transitioning to film. He went through a long struggle for recognition, with people saying he "didn’t have the right face for film." He even considered giving up his dream, but stuck to his conviction about walking the path of acting. Hwang said, "After becoming interested about the stage and how it feels to be that person on stage, I've never thought of anything else. That I never swayed -- that is one thing I can say with confidence." His big break came when he was cast in Waikiki Brothers, a 2001 film that was a sleeper hit in Korea. In his role as a hopeless drummer, Hwang left a strong impression and earned favorable reviews, with director Im Soon-rye calling him "an uncut gemstone." It was in 2005 that Hwang became a household name, portraying a naive farmer in love with an AIDS-stricken prostitute in the hit melodrama "You Are My Sunshine". Hwang explains that he was "moved by the tale of the genuine love between two people. I agreed with the director's idea of showing it as pure love, like an uncut gem, without sloppily adding to it or embellishing it." When he accepted the best actor award at the Blue Dragon Film Awards for his performance in You Are My Sunshine, many were moved by his now-famous speech: "All I did was add a spoon to a dinner table that had already been prepared by others."

Lana Young

Cast · Known for Southpaw

Lana comes from the beautiful island of Bermuda where her love for acting began. As a little girl sitting in the movie theater watching ORCA, she thought, I want to be up on that screen. But making a living as an actor in a small Island like Bermuda is not an option. So, she got caught up in the corporate world and found herself navigating the challenges of being a 20 something woman working on a trading desk at an investment company full of men. She sought out sanity and solace in the local theatre world and her love for acting bloomed. At 28 the universe intervened and decided it was time to change course and she found herself in Boston. There she was cast in her first film, a one woman show and an adaptation of Checkov's "The Lady With The Pet Dog" at the Leland Center all while still working in the corporate world. But these life changing acting opportunities set her on the path of acting as a career. After a life changing event, she decided that she had the gift of a fresh, new start and decided that this was the time to pursue acting for real. At 33 she moved to London where she received her Masters in Acting at the Arts Educational School of London. Some of her performances while there include Phyllis in Bernard Shaw's "The Philanderer", Lady 'you know who' in that Scottish Play by Shakespeare, Lona Hessel in an adaptation of Iben's "Pillars of The Community" and "The Graduate" at The New Vic Theatre with Charity Wakefield. She then moved to Los Angeles where she fell into the arms of the Classical Theatre Lab and spread her wings. It was a difficult time in her fledgling career. It was early 2000s and casting wasn't very representative of what the world actually looked like and as a mixed race actress in her 30s, auditions were very few and far between. In her 5 years there, she managed to book her first TV gig on Zoey 101, her first National commercial (Cricket Wireless with Jessica Sanchez) and an exciting supporting role in the independent film "Beginners" with Christopher Plummer and Ewan McGregor. But it wasn't enough to keep her fire alive and it was time to take a break and regroup. She moved to Charlottesville VA and opened an acting school for kids and adults called the Hollywood Theatre Lab (teaching life skills through acting). It was an exciting time. Charlottesville welcomed her with open arms and the school grew rapidly with so much support. She was able to keep the machine well oiled by working on indie films shot there.

Elisabeth Ness

Elisabeth Ness is an award-winning actor, writer, producer, editor, and creative entrepreneur. Striving to make a positive impact on the world through entertainment onstage, onscreen, and in voice-over, the Yale alumna created the hit comedy series Redheads Anonymous -- www.redheadsanonymous.com -- and co-founded Good Porpoise Productions, LLC, which specializes in making socially-conscious fictional narratives, and mini-documentaries for non-profits. Her work has been called "especially funny" (NY Times), "razor-sharp" (Washington Post), and "hilarious" (Times Herald-Record and the Catskill Chronicle); awards include 'Best Actress in a Sitcom' and 'Best Sitcom Screenplay' (Rome Web Awards), and nominations for the 'Raindance Discovery Award' (London), 'Best Lead Actor (Female) Award (Blackbird Film Fest), and 'Best Actress Award' (Miami Web Fest). Elisabeth has been seen as Sara on CBS's show Bull; onscreen at Tribeca, Cannes Select, SoHo International Film Festival, and in national commercials; and been heard as a voice for Rockstar Games, the YMCA, and Bud Light, among others. She has appeared onstage at venues such as Williamstown Theatre Festival, Lincoln Center, Ars Nova, Atlantic Theater, Inwood Shakespeare, and Signature Theatre. Her singing can be found on numerous albums, including the award-nominated Broadway Records Original Studio Cast Album of the musical Like You Like It. She will be featured in two upcoming Netflix projects, as well as the film June starring Aaron Kwok. Behind the scenes, Elisabeth produced the award-nominated short En Route; associate-produced NYCIFF 'Best TV Pilot' Award-winner The Grid; co-wrote and produced the short films Julie & Riley and Best Friends Forever; and produced, directed, and wrote song parodies for a cabaret at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, among other projects. When not performing, producing, or causing redheaded mischief, Elisabeth runs a monthly 'salon' for women entrepreneurs in the entertainment industry, edits sizzle reels and films, plays piano, and conducts a ninety-person choir. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous

Leah McCormick

Leah McCormick is an actress, voiceover artist, host, and musical comedienne. She has successfully built a career out of making audiences feel as welcomed and cared for as they are captivated and entertained. Born and raised in the beach cities just outside of Los Angeles, Leah's passion and aptitude for performance started early. As a young girl, she adored and excelled in the theater arts. Following her artistic instincts in her teenage years, she sang, danced, and acted her way through high school. In her college years, she took to developing the business side of her talents through earning a degree in Marketing and Product Development from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. As Leah pursued a career in the fashion industry, her love for performing remained a constant and her accessibly stunning style, commercial appeal, and marketing instincts flourished. She went on to train at prestigious conservatories while acting in various projects. It wasn't long before her voiceover success took center stage, prompting her to dedicate her time and energy to a full-time acting career. She founded her own production company, McCormick Entertainment, shortly afterwards. Over the years, this multi-faceted performer has appeared in feature films, television, and commercials and is actively involved in theatre, singing, and improv comedy. In the world of voiceover, Leah's uniquely encouraging voice can be heard in hundreds of radio and television ads for esteemed brands such as: McDonald's, Target, Microsoft, Whole Foods Markets, Hilton Hotels, Nordstrom, P. F. Chang's China Bistro, Honda, YMCA, and Celebrity Cruises just to name a few. You can also hear her voice work in a variety of video games, television series, and both live action and animated feature films. She is well known for live announcing The 2017, 2016, and 2015 CMT Artists of the Year Awards in addition to The 2016 CMT Music Awards, and voice matching Disney's beloved character "Anna" from the hugely successful "Frozen" franchise. Leah not only loves to warmly inspire and invigorate every project she lends her talent to, but she believes in doing the same for her community as well. She continues to work, train, and give back through nonprofit organizations that center around children and the arts. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Leah McCormick

David Longstreth

Composer · Known for The Legend of Ochi

David Longstreth (born December 17, 1981) is an American singer and songwriter. He is the lead singer and guitarist for the band Dirty Projectors. Longstreth was born in Southbury, Connecticut. Longstreth attended Yale University and majored in music shortly before dropping out halfway through his second year. He stated that "he rarely ventured out of his dorm room. He found himself completely absorbed in making his own music, though there wasn’t really anyone to play it for." After dropping out, he moved in with his brother in Portland, Oregon, and worked on his first album, The Graceful Fallen Mango, which he released in 2002. Shortly after completing the album, Longstreth returned to Yale to finish his degree and began making music under the Dirty Projectors title. He proceeded to record multiple records under the name during his time at Yale. In 2015, he contributed to "FourFiveSeconds," a collaborative song by Rihanna, Kanye West, and Paul McCartney. That same year, he composed a classical composition called "Michael Jordan." It was composed for the New York group Ensemble LPR. He also contributed to the orchestral arrangement for the song "Time, As a Symptom" on the album Divers by American musician Joanna Newsom. In 2016, he produced the album Azel by Nigerien musician Bombino and collaborated on the Solange release, A Seat at the Table. In January 2025, he released a David Berman covers EP. Longstreth is the younger brother of American painter, musician, and internet radio personality Jake Longstreth. Description above from the Wikipedia article David Longstreth, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Roy Ward Baker

Director · Known for Minder, The Avengers, The Saint

Roy Ward Baker was an English film director born in London on 19 December 1916. His best known film is A Night to Remember which won a Golden Globe for best foreign English language film in 1959. His later career was varied, and included many horror films and television shows. Baker's early career, from 1934 to 1939, was spent working for Gainsborough Pictures, a British film production company based in Islington, North London, famous for its prestige productions. His first jobs were menial - making tea for crew members, for example - but by 1938 he had risen through the ranks to work as assistant director on Alfred Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes. He served in the army during World War II, until transferring to the Army Kinematograph Unit in 1943 in order to make better use of skills developed in his pre-war career producing documentaries and teaching materials for troops. One of his superiors at the time was novelist Eric Ambler. It was he who gave Baker his first big break directing The October Man, from an Ambler screenplay, in 1947. Ambler also adapted Walter Lord's A Night to Remember for Baker's 1958 screen version. During the early 1950s, Baker worked for three years in Hollywood where he directed Marilyn Monroe in Don't Bother to Knock (1952) and Robert Ryan in 3D film noir Inferno (1953). He returned to the UK for the latter part of the decade, but defected to television in the early 1960s. He directed episodes of The Avengers, The Saint and The Champions - all adventure series created with an eye on the American market. The low-budget ethic of television production made him well-suited to his next career move into cheaply produced but lavish-looking British horror films. He directed, amongst others, Quatermass and the Pit (1967) The Vampire Lovers (1970) and Scars of Dracula (1970) for Hammer, and Asylum (1972) for Amicus. In the latter part of the 1970s he returned to television, and throughout the 1980s continued to work in Television.  He retired in 1992.

Patric Knowles

Reginald Lawrence Knowles (11 November 1911 – 23 December 1995) was an English film actor who renamed himself Patric Knowles, a name which reflects his Irish descent. He appeared in films of the 1930s through the 1970s. He made his film debut in 1933, and played either first or second film leads throughout his career. In his first American film, Give Me Your Heart (1936), released in Great Britain as Sweet Aloes, Knowles was cast as a titled Englishman of means. While making The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936) at Lone Pine, California, he befriended Errol Flynn, whose acquaintance he had made when both were under contract to Warner Bros. in England. Since that film, in which Knowles played the part of Capt. Perry Vickers, the brother of Flynn's Maj. Geoffrey Vickers, he was cast more frequently as straitlaced characters alongside Flynn's flamboyant ones, notably as Will Scarlet in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). Both actors starred as well in Four's A Crowd, also in 1938. More than two decades after Flynn's death, biographer Charles Higham sullied Flynn's memory by accusing him of having been a fascist sympathizer and Nazi spy. Knowles, who had served in World War II as a flying instructor in the RCAF, came to Flynn's defense, writing Rebuttal for a Friend as an epilogue to Tony Thomas' Errol Flynn: The Spy Who Never Was (Citadel Press, 1990) ISBN 080651180X. Knowles was a freelance film actor from 1939 until his last film appearance in 1973. In the 1940s, he was known for playing protagonists in a number of horror films, including The Wolf Man (1941) and Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman (1943). Knowles was also cast as comic foils in a number of comedies such as Abbott and Costello's Who Done It? (1942) and Hit The Ice (1943). He also appeared opposite Jack Kelly in a 1957 episode of the television series Maverick called "The Wrecker", which was based on a Robert Louis Stevenson adventure and co-starred James Garner. Knowles was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame and wrote a novel called Even Steven (Vantage Press, 1960) ASIN B0006RMC2G. He was cremated. His ashes were either given to a friend or family. Description above from the Wikipedia article Patric Knowles, licensed under CC-BY-SA,full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Alkaio Thiele

Cast · Known for Spidey and His Amazing Friends

Alkaio (Al-KAY-oh) Thiele is a 12-year old actor, singer, and beatboxer from the San Francisco Bay Area and has been musical since he could make noise. At two years old he tied a shoebox around his neck and transformed into Disney's youngest marching drummer in his own reenactment of the Soundsational Parade! Every microphone (or even a look-alike) sent him into a rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" or "The Star-Spangled Banner." Alkaio dabbled in performing arts at different points through his childhood, but it wasn't until he found I Can Do That! Performing Arts Center and was cast in their main stage High School Musical production, that he developed and decided to pursue a passion for acting. His deep emotion and introspection following his final performance led him to this conclusion: he never wanted that feeling to end. Within 3 months of making the decision to professionally pursue acting, he booked back-to-back feature film roles. His charisma, improvisation, and humor have made him an asset to each production and he has enjoyed the wide variety of--and the new friendships from--each new opportunity. When Alkaio isn't acting he is playing team sports, singing or beatboxing, biking, hiking the California landscape, or playing out front with the neighborhood kids until the streetlights come on.

Stephen Hendry

Stephen Gordon Hendry MBE (born 13 January 1969) is a Scottish retired professional snooker player and a current commentator and pundit. One of the most successful players in snooker history, he turned professional in 1985, aged 16, and rose rapidly through the snooker world rankings, reaching number four in the world by the end of his third professional season. He won his first World Snooker Championship in 1990, aged 21 years and 106 days, making him the sport's youngest world champion, a record he still holds. He won seven world titles between 1990 and 1999, setting a new modern-era record that stood outright until Ronnie O'Sullivan equalled it in 2022. His nine seasons as world number one were the most by any player under the annual ranking system used until 2010.

Randall Kaplan

Cast · Known for Beavis and Butt-Head

Randall Kaplan was drawn into uncanny territory at a very young age and has since used it to fuel his work. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Randall was always very sensitive to his surroundings, and the thoughts and feelings they would give him. Much of what frightened or deeply disturbed him as a child he now uses as inspiration for his art. He’s worked in multiple mediums—spanning live action film, animation, painting and illustration. Back in 2009, his short horror films made in college were compiled into the anthology ‘Beneath the Flesh’, distributed by Pathfinder Pictures. Upon the release of the DVD, Turner Classic Movies said on their website of the films; “Kaplan expertly blends the uncanny, grotesque, and the touching”. That’s something he’s continued to strive for in all of his work. A few years back, he began animating a feature length horror film by hand called ‘Boxhead’. He has honed his skills as an artist, animator and filmmaker throughout the film’s development and continued execution. This process also has awakened an obsession and love of painting. He has had a few solo shows exhibiting his work and was included in group shows in several Los Angeles bars and galleries. Randall continues to work as a freelance illustrator, designer, animator and video editor while creating original pieces and making ‘Boxhead’.

Samuel Goldwyn

Samuel Goldwyn (born Szmul Gelbfisz), also known as Samuel Goldfish, was a Polish American film producer. He was most well known for being the founding contributor and executive of several motion picture studios in Hollywood. In 1916, Goldwyn partnered with Broadway producers Edgar and Archibald Selwyn, using a combination of both names to call their movie-making enterprise Goldwyn Pictures. Seeing an opportunity, Samuel Gelbfisz then had his name legally changed to Samuel Goldwyn, which he used for the rest of his life. Goldwyn Pictures proved successful but it is their Leo the Lion trademark for which the organization is most famous. On April 10, 1924, Goldwyn Pictures was acquired by Marcus Loew and merged into his Metro Pictures Corporation. Despite the inclusion of his name, Goldwyn had no role in the management or production at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Before the sale and merger of Goldwyn Pictures in April 1924, Goldwyn had established Samuel Goldwyn Productions in 1923 as a production-only operation (with no distribution arm). Their first feature was Potash and Perlmutter, released in September 1923 through First National Pictures. Some of the early productions bear the name Howard Productions, named for Goldwyn's wife Frances Howard. For 35 years, Goldwyn built a reputation in filmmaking and developed an eye for finding the talent for making films. William Wyler directed many of his most celebrated productions, and he hired writers such as Ben Hecht, Sidney Howard, Dorothy Parker, and Lillian Hellman. (According to legend, at a heated story conference Goldwyn scolded someone —in most accounts Mrs. Parker, who recalled he had once been a glove maker— with the retort: “Don't you point that finger at me. I knew it when it had a thimble on it!” During that time, Goldwyn made numerous films and reigned as the most successful independent producer in the US. Many of his films were forgettable; his collaboration with John Ford, however, resulted in Best Picture Oscar nomination for Arrowsmith (1931). William Wyler was responsible for most of Goldwyn's highly lauded films, with Best Picture Oscar nominations for Dodsworth (1936), Dead End (1937), Wuthering Heights (1939), The Little Foxes (1941) and The Best Years of Our Lives (1948). The leading actors in several of Goldwyn films, especially those directed by William Wyler, were also Oscar-nominated for their performances. Throughout the 1930s, Goldwyn released all his films through United Artists, but beginning in 1941, and continuing almost through the end of his career, Goldwyn released his films through RKO Radio Pictures. Goldwyn died at his home in Los Angeles in 1974 from natural causes, at the probable age of 94. He was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California. In the 1980s, Samuel Goldwyn Studio was sold to Warner Bros. There is a theater named after him in Beverly Hills and he has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1631 Vine Street.

Stephanie Filo

Editor · Known for Daredevil: Born Again

Stephanie Filo, ACE is a four-time Emmy Award-winning film and television editor, Peabody Award recipient, and ACE Eddie Award winner. Based in Los Angeles, California, and Sierra Leone, West Africa, she is also a passionate activist committed to global social justice. Filo serves on the board of Girls Empowerment Sierra Leone, a feminist organization supporting girls aged 11–16. She is also a co-founder of End Ebola Now, launched in 2014 to raise awareness about the Ebola crisis through artistic community activism. Beyond her editorial work in film and television, Filo dedicates much of her time to producing and editing social justice campaigns and documentaries, with a strong focus on women's and girls' rights worldwide. Her work has included collaborations with the United Nations, the International Labour Organisation, and the Obama White House Task Force's It’s On Us campaign to combat campus sexual assault. Her activism and creative work have been featured in Forbes, Entertainment Tonight, Al Jazeera, Yahoo, Telegraph UK, and more. Filo earned an Emmy nomination for the Mental State episode Ageing Out, addressing youth aging out of foster care, and won an Emmy for Separated, which tackled ICE deportations—making her and collaborator Nzinga Blake the first Sierra Leonean women to win an Emmy. In 2021, she made history with HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show, as part of the first all-Women of Colour editing team to win the Emmy for Outstanding Picture Editing for Variety Programming. She repeated history in 2022 as a member of the first all-Black editing team to win both an Emmy and an ACE Eddie for the same show. In 2023, she became the first picture editor—and the first Black editor—nominated for three different series in a single Emmy season. She received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for her work on the acclaimed feature film We Grown Now.

Gloria Estefan

Gloria María Milagrosa Estefan (née Fajardo García; born September 1, 1957) is a Cuban-American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. Estefan is a four-time Grammy Award winner and a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, and has been named one of the Top 100 greatest artists of all time by both VH1 and Billboard. Estefan's record sales exceed 100 million worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. A contralto, Estefan started her career as lead singer of Miami Latin Boys, which was later renamed Miami Sound Machine. She and Miami Sound Machine earned worldwide success with their 1985 single "Conga", which became Estefan's signature song. The group followed this with a number of hit singles throughout the decade, including "Anything for You", "1-2-3", "Bad Boy", and "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You". The group was redubbed as Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine with the release of their 1987 album Let It Loose, and in 1989, Estefan rose to solo stardom with her debut solo album, Cuts Both Ways. In March 1990, Estefan sustained a life-threatening cervical fracture of her spine when her tour bus was involved in a crash near Scranton, Pennsylvania. She underwent an emergency surgery and made a full recovery. The following year, Estefan launched her comeback with a worldwide tour and album, Into the Light. Estefan's 1993 Spanish-language album, Mi Tierra, won the first of her three Grammy Awards for Best Tropical Latin Album. The album was also the first Diamond album in Spain. Estefan's catalog of international solo hits includes "Don't Wanna Lose You", "Get On Your Feet", "Coming Out of the Dark", "Turn the Beat Around", "You'll Be Mine (Party Time)", and "Heaven's What I Feel". Estefan has been awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Las Vegas Walk of Fame and was a Kennedy Center Honors recipient in 2017 for her contributions to American cultural life. Estefan won an MTV Video Music Award, was honored with the American Music Award for Lifetime Achievement and has been named BMI Songwriter of the Year. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and has received multiple Billboard Music Awards. She is also a recipient of the 2015 Presidential Medal of Freedom, which was conferred by the then-President of the United States, Barack Obama. Billboard has listed Estefan as the third-most successful Latina and 23rd-greatest Latin Artist of all time in the U.S., based on both Latin albums and Latin songs chart. Hailed as the "Queen of Latin Pop" and "Mother of Latin Pop" by the media, she has amassed 38 number one hits across Billboard charts, including 15 chart-topping songs on the Hot Latin Songs chart. ... Source: Article "Gloria Estefan" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA.

Madonna

Cast · Known for Who's That Girl

Madonna (born Madonna Louise Ciccone; August 16, 1958) is an American recording artist, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983. She followed it with a series of albums in which she found immense popularity by pushing the boundaries of lyrical content in mainstream popular music and imagery in her music videos, which became a fixture on MTV. Throughout her career, many of her songs have hit number one on the record charts, including "Like a Virgin", "Papa Don't Preach", "Like a Prayer", "Vogue", "Frozen", "Music", "Hung Up", and "4 Minutes". Critics have praised Madonna for her diverse musical productions while at the same time serving as a lightning rod for religious controversy. Her career was further enhanced by film appearances that began in 1979, despite mixed commentary. She won critical acclaim and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for her role in Evita (1996), but has received harsh feedback for other film roles. Madonna's other ventures include being a fashion designer, children's book author, film director and producer. She has been acclaimed as a businesswoman, and in 2007, she signed an unprecedented US $120 million contract with Live Nation. Madonna has sold more than 300 million records worldwide and is recognized as the world's top-selling female recording artist of all time by the Guinness World Records. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), she is the best-selling female rock artist of the 20th century and the second top-selling female artist in the United States, behind Barbra Streisand, with 64 million certified albums. In 2008, Billboard magazine ranked Madonna at number two, behind only The Beatles, on the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists, making her the most successful solo artist in the history of the Billboard chart. She was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the same year. Considered to be one of the "25 Most Powerful Women of the Past Century" by Time for being an influential figure in contemporary music, Madonna is known for continuously reinventing both her music and image, and for retaining a standard of autonomy within the recording industry. On May 4, 2024, with a free concert which was live streamed at the Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in front of 1.6 million people, Madonna broke the record for the most attended stand-alone concert by any artist, and the all-time highest attended concert by a female artist.

Miloš Forman

Director · Known for Amadeus, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Jan Tomáš "Miloš" Forman (/ˈmiːloʊʃ/; Czech: [ˈmɪloʃ ˈforman]; February 18, 1932 – April 13, 2018) was a Czech and American film director, screenwriter, actor, and professor who rose to fame in his native Czechoslovakia before emigrating to the United States in 1968. Forman was an important figure in the Czechoslovak New Wave. Film scholars and Czechoslovak authorities saw his 1967 film The Firemen's Ball as a biting satire on Eastern European Communism. The film was initially shown in theatres in his home country in the more reformist atmosphere of the Prague Spring. However, it was later banned by the Communist government after the invasion by the Warsaw Pact countries in 1968. Forman was subsequently forced to leave Czechoslovakia for the United States, where he continued making films, gaining wider critical and financial success. In 1975, he directed One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) starring Jack Nicholson as a patient in a mental institution. The film received widespread acclaim, and was the second in history to win all five major Academy Awards: Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, Actor in Leading Role, and Actress in Leading Role. In 1978, he directed the anti-war musical Hair which premiered at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival. In 1981, he directed the turn of the century drama film, Ragtime, which was known for its large ensemble cast. The film went on to receive 8 Academy Award nominations. His next feature was a period biographical film, Amadeus (1984), based on the life of famed classical musician Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart starring Tom Hulce, and F. Murray Abraham. The film was both a critical and financial success earning 11 nominations with 8 wins including for Best Picture, and another win for Forman as Best Director. In 1996, Forman received another Academy Award nomination for Best Director for The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996). Throughout Forman's career he won 2 Academy Awards, 3 Golden Globe Awards, Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival, Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, a British Academy Film Award, a César Award, David di Donatello Award, and the Czech Lion. Description above from the Wikipedia article Miloš Forman, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.