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Oblivion

2013

Jack Harper is one of the last few drone repairmen stationed on Earth. Part of a massive operation to extract vital resources after decades of war with a terrifying threat known as the Scavs, Jack’s mission is nearly complete. His existence is brought crashing down when he rescues a beautiful stranger from a downed spacecraft. Her arrival triggers a chain of events that forces him to question everything he knows and puts the fate of humanity in his hands.

James Le Gros

Cast · Known for Zodiac, Ally McBeal

James Le Gros (/ləˈɡroʊ/) (born April 27, 1962) is an American actor. He was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for his performance in Living in Oblivion.

Emma Bates

Emma Bates (born May 19, 1978) is an actress, known for Much Ado About Nothing (2012), Oblivion (2011) and 40 (2002).

Dylan Clark

Producer · Known for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Oblivion, Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Dylan Clark is an American film producer. He is best known for producing the films Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), Oblivion (2013), Patriots Day (2016), Bird Box (2018) and The Batman (2022).

Joseph Kosinski

Director · Known for F1, Oblivion, Top Gun: Maverick

Joseph Kosinski (born May 3, 1974) is an American film director. He directed the films Tron: Legacy (2010), Oblivion (2013), Only the Brave (2017), Top Gun: Maverick (2022), Spiderhead (2022), and F1 (2025). His previous work in computer graphics and computer-generated imagery (CGI) primarily involved CGI-related television commercials, including the "Starry Night" commercial for Halo 3 and the award-winning "Mad World" commercial for Gears of War.

Mark Arden

Cast · Known for Kraven the Hunter

Mark David Darwin Arden (born 31 July 1956) is a British comedian and actor, best known for his television appearances. During the 1980s, he was one half of comic double act 'The Oblivion Boys', alongside Stephen Frost. Arden was born in Newbury, Berkshire. He and Frost came to prominence in the late 1970s alternative comedy boom, and became recognisable to a national audience with regular spots on Saturday Live. In the early 1980s, they were instrumental in the forming of the long-running north London comedy show News Revue, and shortly afterwards began appearing as a pair in episodes of series such as The Black Adder and The Young Ones; they are perhaps most remembered for a series of commercials for Carling Black Label lager, one of which involved Arden and Frost appearing in the nude. Arden continued to perform with Frost in comedy clubs, although he did not follow his partner into the genre of improvisation. Nevertheless, he featured as the chauffeur Johnny Blackpool (a paranoid ex-soldier) in the partially-improv 1994 comedy film There's No Business..., opposite Raw Sex (Simon Brint and Rowland Rivron). Arden had a role as Roland 'Vaseline' Cartwright in London's Burning, appearing in the original pilot film[1] and the first two series; he has also had roles in such comedies as Blackadder II and Bottom. He and Frost also played the title roles in the surrealist police sitcom Lazarus and Dingwall. Later, Arden appeared in the 1992 film Carry On Columbus and in the 1990s series Harry Enfield and Chums. In October 1996 he played Jansson in an episode of the 6th series of Heartbeat (Snapped). Arden also has had a theatre career, appearing in Willis Hall's play The Long, the Short and the Tall in the West End.[2] He also played the inspector in An Inspector Calls at the Garrick Theatre, Pop in the musical We Will Rock You at London's Dominion Theatre, and in Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be[3] at the Theatre Royal Stratford East. Arden's television career continued in 2002 with The Estate Agents. In 2018, he appeared in several episodes of Endeavour.

Andrea Riseborough

Cast · Known for Ebenezer, Oblivion, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Andrea Louise Riseborough (born 20 November 1981) is an English actress. She made her film debut with a small part in Venus (2006), and has since appeared in more prominent roles in Brighton Rock (2010), W.E. (2011), Shadow Dancer (2012), Oblivion (2013), Birdman (2014), Nocturnal Animals (2016), Battle of the Sexes, The Death of Stalin (both 2017), Mandy, Nancy (both 2018), The Grudge, and Possessor (both 2020). For playing an alcoholic in To Leslie (2022), she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Riseborough was nominated for a BAFTA TV for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in the television film The Long Walk to Finchley (2008). She won critical acclaim for her performances in the Channel 4 miniseries The Devil's Whore (2008) and National Treasure (2016), as well as the BBC One miniseries The Witness for the Prosecution (2016). Her stage credits include Miss Julie, Measure for Measure (both 2006), and Anton Chekhov's Ivanov (2008). Description above from the Wikipedia article Andrea Riseborough, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Steve Buscemi

Cast · Known for Monsters University, Monster House, The Big Lebowski

Steven Vincent Buscemi (born December 13, 1957) is an American actor. His early credits consist of significant roles in independent film productions such as Parting Glances (1986), Mystery Train (1989), In the Soup (1992), and his breakout role as Mr. Pink in Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs (1992). Buscemi has appeared in both independent and mainstream films, including Living in Oblivion (1995), Desperado (1995), Con Air (1997), Armageddon (1998), Ghost World (2001), Big Fish (2003), and The Death of Stalin (2017). Buscemi has often collaborated with the Coen brothers, appearing in Miller's Crossing (1990), Fargo (1996), and The Big Lebowski (1998). He also appeared in supporting or cameo roles in many films with Adam Sandler, including Airheads (1994), Billy Madison (1995), The Wedding Singer (1998), Mr. Deeds (2002), and Hubie Halloween (2020). He provided voice acting roles in the animated films Monsters, Inc. (2001), The Boss Baby (2017), and Transformers One (2024). Buscemi also directed the films Trees Lounge (1996), Animal Factory (2000), and Interview (2007). Buscemi has also had an extensive career in television, notably starring in the lead role of Enoch "Nucky" Thompson in the HBO series Boardwalk Empire (2010–2014). His performance earned him two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Golden Globe and two nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award. His other television roles include Lonesome Dove (1989), The Sopranos (2004, 2006), 30 Rock (2007–2013), Horace and Pete (2016), and Miracle Workers (2019–2023).

Peter Dinklage

Cast · Known for Game of Thrones, Wicker, Pixels

Peter Hayden Dinklage (/ˈdɪnklɪdʒ/; born June 11, 1969) is an American actor. He portrayed Tyrion Lannister on the HBO television series Game of Thrones (2011–2019). He won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series a record four times. Dinklage also received a Golden Globe Award in 2011 and an Actor Award in 2020 for the role. Born in the North Jersey region of New Jersey, Dinklage studied acting at Bennington College, performing in many amateur stage productions. He made his film debut in the black comedy film Living in Oblivion (1995). He had his breakthrough with a starring role in the 2003 comedy-drama The Station Agent. Dinklage's other films include Elf (2003), Lassie and The Baxter (both in 2005), Find Me Guilty (2006), Penelope (2006), Death at a Funeral (2007), The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008), Death at a Funeral (2010), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017), The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023), The Thicket (2024), and Wicked (2024). In 2018, he appeared as Eitri in the Marvel film Avengers: Infinity War, and as Hervé Villechaize in the biopic film My Dinner with Hervé. Dinklage also provided voice acting for the video game Destiny. In 2023, he voiced Scourge in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. On television, Dinklage also starred in the series Dexter: Resurrection in 2025. Dinklage has also performed in theatre, with roles including the title character in Richard III (2003) at the Public Theatre, Rakitin in A Month in the Country (2015) at Classic Stage Company, and Cyrano de Bergerac in Cyrano at the Daryl Roth Theatre in 2019. Description above from the Wikipedia article Peter Dinklage, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Phoebe Bridgers

Cast · Known for Invention 13, Primetime

Phoebe Lucille Bridgers (born August 17, 1994) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and record producer. Born and raised in Pasadena, California, she was a member of Sloppy Jane before embarking on a solo career. Bridgers' debut studio album, Stranger in the Alps, was released in 2017 to critical acclaim. In 2020, she followed it up with her second album, Punisher, to further critical success and mainstream recognition. Bridgers received four nominations at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist. On August 14, 2026 she released her fourth album Lost Weekend. In addition to her solo work, Bridgers is also a member of the musical groups boygenius (with Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus) and Better Oblivion Community Center (with Conor Oberst). Bridgers made a cameo appearance as herself alongside band Sloppy Jane in Jane Schoenbrun's 2024 psychological horror film I Saw the TV Glow. In 2026, she made her acting debut in Lance Oppenheim's A24 thriller Primetime.

Robert Kirkman

Executive Producer · Writer · Known for Fear the Walking Dead, INVINCIBLE, The Walking Dead

Robert Kirkman (born November 30, 1978) is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for co-creating The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead, Invincible, Tech Jacket, Outcast, Oblivion Song, and Fire Power for Image Comics, in addition to writing Ultimate X-Men, Irredeemable Ant-Man and Marvel Zombies for Marvel Comics. He has also collaborated with Image Comics co-founder Todd McFarlane on the series Haunt. He is one of the five partners of Image Comics currently serving as COO, and the only one of the five who was not one of its co-founders. In 2010, Kirkman co-founded the entertainment company Skybound Entertainment in order to develop properties in traditional and new media, including comics, television, and film. The company also manages the license for The Walking Dead and Invincible. In 2018, Skybound expanded to create Skybound Games to develop video games based on its intellectual property. Kirkman is also known for creating and producing the television series' Outcast and Invincible, both adaptations of his own comic book series. He has also written a number of episodes for The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead. He is executive producer of the AMC series Robert Kirkman's Secret History of Comics, and the Korean pre-apocalyptic drama, Five Year. Description above from the Wikipedia article Robert Kirkman, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Fight Club

1999

DramaThriller

A ticking-time-bomb insomniac and a slippery soap salesman channel primal male aggression into a shocking new form of therapy. Their concept catches on, with underground "fight clubs" forming in every town, until an eccentric gets in the way and ignites an out-of-control spiral toward oblivion.

Fight Club

fight-club-550

Carly Mensch

Producer · Known for Nurse Jackie

Carly Mensch is an American playwright, television writer, and producer. She created an Off-Broadway play called Len, Asleep in Vinyl, which was later adapted into a film, Len and Company. She also created a play called Oblivion, played at the Westport County Playhouse, and All Hail Hurricane Gordo. She has written and produced for Weeds, Nurse Jackie, and Orange is the New Black. She co-created (with Liz Flahive) the Netflix series GLOW, which she currently writes and executive produces. She was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2018 for her work on GLOW. Mensch graduated from Dartmouth College in 2005 and is married to fellow Dartmouth alumnus Latif Nasser, the research director and co-host of Radiolab. Description above from the Wikipedia article Carly Mensch, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Julien Baker

Julien Rose Baker (born September 29, 1995) is an American singer and multi-instrumentalist. She has received widespread critical acclaim for her music, which often confronts issues of spirituality, addiction, mental illness, and human nature. In October 2015, she released her debut album Sprained Ankle which ended up topping many 2015 year-end lists, and its success led to features in The New Yorker and The New York Times, with various critics calling it "heartbreaking," "hypnotic," and "striking." Her second album, Turn Out the Lights, was recorded with engineer and producer Calvin Lauber at Ardent Studios in Memphis, and released on October 27, 2017, to further acclaim. Little Oblivions - Baker's third studio album was released February 26, 2021, and was preceded by additional singles "Hardline" and "Favor." In 2018, Baker formed the rock trio band boygenius along with Lucy Dacus (current partner) and Phoebe Bridgers.

Stanley Townsend

Cast · Known for The Uprising

Stanley Townsend (born August 1961) is an Irish actor. Townsend was born and brought up in Dublin. After attending Wesley College, Dublin, he studied mathematics and civil engineering at Trinity College. While there he joined the Dublin University Players, the college's Amateur Dramatic Society. He later co-founded co-operative theatre company Rough Magic with writer/director Declan Hughes and theatre director Lynne Parker, performing in numerous productions including The Country Wife, Nightshade, and Sexual Perversity in Chicago. He subsequently went on to perform in several productions at The Gate and The Abbey Theatres in Dublin. In London, he has worked with such directors as Sam Mendes in The Plough and the Stars, Richard Eyre in Guys and Dolls and Rufus Norris in Under the Blue Sky. Theatre appearances at the Royal Court include The Alice Trilogy directed by Ian Rickson and Shining City directed by Conor McPherson, for which he won an Irish Theatre Award and was nominated for the Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actor in 2004. Townsend's television work began on a number of shows for RTÉ in Dublin. Since moving to London, television appearances have included Spooks, The Commander, Hustle, Waking the Dead, and Omagh Bombing. ilm credits include Mike Newell's Into the West, Jim Sheridan's In the Name of the Father with Daniel Day-Lewis, The Van by Stephen Frears, Peter Greenaway's The Tulse Luper Suitcases, The Libertine with Johnny Depp, Paul Morrison's Wondrous Oblivion with Delroy Lindo, John Boorman's The Tiger's Tale and Michael Radford's Flawless. He currently lives in London.

Tom Cruise

Cast · Known for Digger, Eyes Wide Shut, Minority Report

Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (/ˈmeɪˌpɒθər/ MAY-poth-ər; born July 3, 1962) is an American actor and film producer. Regarded as a Hollywood icon, he has received various accolades, including an Honorary Palme d'Or, an Academy Honorary Award, and three Golden Globes, in addition to nominations for four competitive Academy Awards. As of 2026, his films have grossed more than $13.3 billion worldwide, placing him among the highest-grossing actors of all time. One of Hollywood's most bankable stars, he is consistently one of the world's highest-paid actors. Cruise began acting in the early 1980s and made his breakthrough with leading roles in Risky Business (1983) and Top Gun (1986), the latter earning him a reputation as a sex symbol. Critical acclaim came with his roles in the dramas The Color of Money (1986), Rain Man (1988), and Born on the Fourth of July (1989). For his portrayal of Ron Kovic in the latter, he won a Golden Globe Award and received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. As a leading Hollywood star in the 1990s, he starred in commercially successful films, including the drama A Few Good Men (1992), the thriller The Firm (1993), the horror film Interview with the Vampire (1994), and the sports comedy-drama Jerry Maguire (1996); for the latter, he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor and his second nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Cruise's performance in the drama Magnolia (1999) earned him another Golden Globe Award and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Cruise subsequently established himself as a star of science fiction and action films, often performing his own risky stunts. He played fictional agent Ethan Hunt in the Mission: Impossible film series (1996–2025). His other films in the genre include Vanilla Sky (2001), Minority Report (2002), The Last Samurai (2003), Collateral (2004), War of the Worlds (2005), Knight and Day (2010), Jack Reacher (2012), Oblivion (2013), Edge of Tomorrow (2014), and Top Gun: Maverick (2022). Cruise holds the Guinness World Record for the most consecutive $100 million-grossing movies, a feat achieved with eleven films released between 2012 and 2025. In December 2024, he was awarded the U.S. Navy's highest civilian honor, the Distinguished Public Service Award, in recognition of his "outstanding contributions" to the military, with his screen roles. In March 2025, he was named the recipient of the British Film Institute Fellowship, the BFI's highest honor, for his contributions to cinema. Forbes ranked him as the world's most powerful celebrity in 2006. He was named People's Sexiest Man Alive in 1990, and received the top honor of "Most Beautiful People" in 1997. Outside his film career, Cruise has been an outspoken advocate for the Church of Scientology, which has resulted in controversy and scrutiny of his involvement in the organization. An aviation enthusiast, he has held a pilot certificate since 1994. Description above from the Wikipedia Tom Cruise, article licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Sean Bean

Cast · Known for Jupiter Ascending, National Treasure, Troy

Shaun Mark Bean (born 17 April 1959) is an English actor. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Bean made his professional debut in a theatre production of Romeo and Juliet in 1983. Retaining his Yorkshire accent, he first found mainstream success for his portrayal of Richard Sharpe in the ITV series Sharpe, which originally ran from 1993 to 1997. Bean's film roles include Patriot Games (1992), GoldenEye (1995), Ronin (1998), Don't Say a Word (2001), The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–2003), Equilibrium (2002), National Treasure (2004), Troy (2004), Flightplan (2005), North Country (2005), The Island (2005), Silent Hill (2006), Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010), Black Death (2010), Jupiter Ascending (2015), and The Martian (2015). His television roles include the BBC anthology series Accused, Broken, Game of Thrones, and the ITV historical drama series Henry VIII and Legends. As a voice actor, Bean has been featured in the video games The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Sid Meier's Civilization VI, and the feature films Wolfwalkers and Mummies among others. Bean has also been the main voice over for O2 and their adverts for over 20 years having originally taken the job in 2002. In 2022, Bean won the British Academy Television Award as Leading Actor in Time, a BBC One drama.

Terence Stamp

Cast · Known for Smallville

Terence Henry Stamp (July 22, 1938 – August 17, 2025) was an English actor. After training at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London he started his acting career in 1962. He has been referred to as the “master of the brooding silence” by The Guardian. His performance in the title role of Billy Budd, his film debut, earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and a BAFTA nomination for Best Newcomer. Associated with the Swinging London scene of the 1960s – during which time he was in high-profile relationships with actress Julie Christie and supermodel Jean Shrimpton – Stamp was among the subjects photographed by David Bailey for a set titled Box of Pin-Ups. Stamp played butterfly collector Freddie Clegg in The Collector (1965), and in 1967 appeared in Far from the Madding Crowd, starring opposite Christie. His other major roles include playing archvillain General Zod in Superman and Superman II, tough guy Wilson in The Limey, Supreme Chancellor Valorum in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, transgender woman Bernadette Bassinger in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, ghost antagonist Ramsley in The Haunted Mansion, Stick in Elektra, Pekwarsky in Wanted, Siegfried in Get Smart, Terrence Bundley in Yes Man, the Prophet of Truth in Halo 3, Mankar Camoran in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and General Ludwig Beck in Valkyrie. He has appeared in two Tim Burton films, Big Eyes (2014) and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016).

Philip Martin

Philip Martin (3 July 1938 – 13 December 2020) was an English television screenwriter. He created the BBC television drama series Gangsters in the 1970s and later wrote two television serials for Doctor Who during Colin Baker's tenure as the Sixth Doctor in the 1980s. His early work included regular series such as Z-Cars in the late 1960s/early 1970s, but his most famous work is the postmodern television series Gangsters. This was an examination of race seen through an increasingly surreal vision of Birmingham's criminal underworld. Beginning as an acclaimed one-off edition of Play for Today in 1975, it was followed by two series of 6 episodes each in 1976 and 1978. Martin appeared in the series in several roles, including as himself. His later work includes Tandoori Nights (1985), Star Cops (1987), Virtual Murder (1992), several episodes of Hetty Wainthropp Investigates and Luifel & Luifel (2001). He wrote the Doctor Who serials Vengeance on Varos (1985) and The Trial of a Time Lord: Mindwarp (1986). He also wrote a script called Mission to Magnus which featured the character Sil from his previous televised serials. That script was never filmed when the show was put on hiatus in 1985. A novelised version of the script written by Martin was released by Target Books in 1990, and a Big Finish audio drama based on the serial was released in December 2009. He also wrote a Doctor Who gamebook called Invasion of the Ormazoids (1986) as part of the Make Your Own Adventure with Doctor Who range. His last contributions to the series were The Creed of the Kromon (2004) and Antidote to Oblivion (2013), as Big Finish audio releases. He also revisited the character of Sil in the independent broadcast television series from Reeltime Pictures Ltd., "Sil and the Devil Seeds of Arodor" (2019).

Lee Cornes

Cast · Known for Grange Hill

Lee Cornes is an English television actor and writer born in Worcester. A stand up comedian since 1980, he was a regular compere at London's Comedy Store throughout the 1980s and won best Stand Up Comedian at the Charrington London Fringe Awards in 1987. Cornes appeared in three series of Blackadder, in two episodes of The Young Ones and as barman 'Dick Head' in the TV show Bottom. He made an appearance in the first episode of Filthy, Rich & Catflap as a binman. Appeared in the Comic Strip episode "Slags". Appearances on Saturday Night Live. Cornes also starred in children's drama Grange Hill as Mr. Jeff Hankin (1990–2002); provided voices for characters in the children's television series TUGS, and featured in the Doctor Who story "Kinda" as the Trickster (1982). He appeared in Red Dwarf as Paranoia in the series one episode "Confidence and Paranoia". He also appeared several times in the BBC Scotland sitcom Rab C. Nesbitt, once as a DSS Clerk and again as a barman in a Highland pub. He played a major role as the harassed talent agent Dickie Valentino in the 1994 partially-improvised comedy film There's No Business..., alongside comedy duos Raw Sex (Simon Brint and Rowland Rivron) and The Oblivion Boys (Stephen Frost and Mark Arden). He appeared in the 2002 S Club Juniors video "One Step Closer." In November 2010 he appeared as Dave in Episode 6 of E4 comedy Phoneshop. He appeared as the Tooting Flasher in Matt Berry's Toast of London pilot. Appeared in Hustle. Also appearances in French and Saunders, The Lenny Henry Show, The Detectives, After You've Gone, and My Family. Stage appearances include Ken Campbell's The Warp at the Liverpool Everyman, several roles at the Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond. Figaro at The Watford Palace Theatre, as well as pantomime roles. Co-writer and performer The WOW Show at the Wyndham's Theatre. He toured Britain with Neal from the Young Ones. Cornes was one of the lead writers for Mr Bean, The Animated Series, and a writer on Cavegirl and Channel 4's Gophers!. He was a co-writer of Channel 4's animation series The Bird, and writer/storyliner on What's Up Doc?, a writer and performer on Thames TV's After Hours and joint writer on two series of The WOW Show on Radio 4. He has appeared in various children's television shows such as My Parents are Aliens, Bear Behaving Badly, Jackanory. In a 2010 interview in The Times, Cornes was cited as one of fellow comedian Sean Lock's biggest comedic influences. Lock said: "He’s not very well known but he is my main influence — he used to compere at the Comedy Store. He’s the comedians’ comedian. He used to be very unpredictable, which is a great skill in a comedian, not knowing where to go next. He also used to play the physics teacher in Grange Hill."

Zekial Marko

Zekial Marko (October 21, 1933 – May 9, 2008) was an American writer who specialised in crime stories, often under the pen name of John Trinian. He was arrested during filming of Once a Thief and spent some time in prison. He died of complications related to emphysema on May 9, 2008, in Centralia, Washington. Zekial Marko was born as Marvin Leroy Schmoker on October 21, 1933, in Monterey County, California to Ruth Halverson and Wallace Cyril Schmoker. As children, Marko and his brother, Kenn Davisl Kenn were neighbors of John Steinbeck in Salinas, California. After his parents divorced, Marko moved with his mother and brother to San Francisco. He attended grammar school there. At the beginning of WWII, Marko and his brother attended a Catholic boy's boarding school in Marin County. At the end of the war, Marko and his brother moved back with their mother and step father, Henry Davis. Kenn changed his surname to his step father's name. Marko changed his name to Zekial Marko. "Marko, a flamboyant actor (later, a Hollywood screenwriter) from Salinas, stage-managed Goodwin's opera." "Described as a troubled soul, Marko could also be brilliant and charming, and a powerful friend." "Marko ... was an integral part of a circle of Bohemians who in the mid-1960s frequented Juanita's, a saloon operated by its colorful namesake on the converted ferry, the "Charles Van Damme", docked at on the Sausalito waterfront." William Hjortsberg states that "Marko stage-managed Jack Goodwin's opera, The Pizza Pusher, that was to be performed at the festival the next day" ... "According to Goodwin, Marko "horned in and coached the poets while they rehearsed." ... "Marko made suggestions about tone, volume, tempo, and gesture." for the Six Gallery reading of Allen Ginsberg's Howl. "During the late 1950s, he did a stretch as a bartender at a Sausalito waterhole called The Tin Angel". "Born in Salinas, in 1933, Trinian settled in the Bay area, supplementing his writing in the 1950s by working as a bartender in a Sausalito waterhole, reminiscent of a character in a Don Carpenter novel. Trinian had quite a reputation at the time, not all of it laudatory. Pulp pundit Rick Ollerman calls him “one of the most realistic of the Gold Medal writers.”" "(Marko), who was pals with Richard Brautigan, Allen Ginsberg, and Jack Kerouac, (as well as most of the Beat Poets, Writers and personalities of the day), lived the lives he writes about." John Trinian, North Beach Girl/Scandal on the Sand. "Two California novels, both published in 1960. North Beach Girl is a twisted tale set in the world of San Francisco’s beatniks, and Scandal is the story of a dozen strangers thrown together on an isolated stretch of beach with a dying whale and a sadistic cop. The double reprint includes new introductions by Rick Ollerman, Ki Longfellow and Belle Marko." "Trinian's daughter, the artist Belle Marko, and a mid-volume remembrance by the novelist Ki Longfellow who, beginning when she was still a teenager, was Trinian's "soul-mate" "May, 2014: (Rick Ollerman's) In Pursuit of a Pleasant Oblivion originally appeared in North Beach Girl / Scandal on the Sand". ... Source: Article "Zekial Marko" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA.

David Goodis

David Loeb Goodis (March 2, 1917 – January 7, 1967) was an American writer of crime fiction noted for his output of short stories and novels in the noir fiction genre. Born in Philadelphia, Goodis alternately resided there and in New York City and Hollywood during his professional years. According to critic Dennis Drabelle, "Despite his [university] education, a combination of ethnicity (Jewish) and temperament allowed him to empathize with outsiders: the working poor, the unjustly accused, fugitives, criminals." Goodis was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the oldest child of William Goodis and Mollie Halpern Goodis. William Goodis was a Russian-Jewish émigré born in 1882 who had arrived in America with his mother in 1890. David Goodis's mother, Mollie Halpern, was born in Pennsylvania also into a family of Russian-Jewish émigrés. In Philadelphia, Goodis's father co-owned a newspaper dealership and later went into the textile business as the William Goodis Company. A brother, Jerome, born in 1920, died of meningitis at age three. In 1922, another brother, Herbert, was born into the family. Goodis attended Simon Gratz High School and was engaged in student affairs, editing the school newspaper, serving as student council president, and participating in athletics as a member of both the track and swim teams. He also had the distinction of being chosen valedictorian for the graduating class of 1935, delivering a speech entitled "Youth Looks at Peace". As a college student, he continued and expanded on the interests he had pursued as a high school student, contributing to the student newspaper as both writer and cartoonist. It was during this period that he purportedly tried his hand at novel writing with a book titled Ignited. The novel was never published, and no copy of it has been discovered. Goodis later claimed: "The title was prophetic. Eventually, I threw it into the furnace." Goodis graduated from Temple University in 1938 with a degree in journalism. While working at an advertising agency, Goodis started writing his first published novel, Retreat from Oblivion. After it was published by Dutton in 1939, Goodis moved to New York City, where he wrote under several pseudonyms for pulp magazines, including Battle Birds, Daredevil Aces, Dime Mystery, Horror Stories, Terror Tales and Western Tales, sometimes churning out 10,000 words a day. The first pulp story published under his own name, titled "Mistress of the White Slave King", appeared in Gangland Detective Stories (November 1939). Over a five-and-a-half-year period, according to some sources, he produced five million words for the pulp magazines. While the quantity of his output far eclipses that of his predecessors Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, unlike theirs, the vast majority of his pulp stories have never been reprinted. ... Source: Article "David Goodis" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Leslie Nielsen

Leslie William Nielsen (February 11, 1926 – November 28, 2010) was a Canadian American actor and comedian. Nielsen appeared in over one hundred films and 1,500 television programs over the span of his career, portraying over 220 characters. Born in Regina, Saskatchewan, Nielsen enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force and worked as a disc jockey before receiving a scholarship to Neighborhood Playhouse. Making his television debut in 1948, he quickly expanded to over 50 television appearances two years later. Nielsen made his film debut in 1956, and began collecting roles in dramas, westerns, and romance films. Nielsen's performances in the films Forbidden Planet (1956) and The Poseidon Adventure (1972) received positive reviews as a serious actor, though he is primarily known for his comedic roles. Although Nielsen's acting career crossed a variety of genres in both television and films, his deadpan delivery in Airplane! (1980) marked a turning point in his career, one that would make him, in the words of film critic Roger Ebert, "the Olivier of spoofs." Nielsen enjoyed further success with The Naked Gun film series (1988 – 1994), based on a short-lived television series Police Squad! in which he starred earlier. His portrayal of serious characters seemingly oblivious to (and complicit in) their absurd surroundings gave him a reputation as a comedian. In the final years of his career, Nielsen appeared in multiple spoof and parody films, many of which were met poorly by critics, but performed well in box office and home media releases. Nielsen married four times and had two daughters from his second marriage. He was recognized with a variety of awards throughout his career, and was inducted into the Canada and Hollywood Walks of Fame.