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Vince DiCola

Composer · Known for Rocky IV, The Transformers: The Movie

Vincent Louis DiCola is a composer, keyboardist and arranger best known for his work on the "The Transformers: The Movie," "Staying Alive" and "Rocky IV" soundtracks. Vince also pioneered the use of sequencers on his soundtrack recording for "Rocky IV," one of the first to exploit the Fairlight CMI and Synclavier II computers' sequencing capabilities.

Dolph Lundgren

Cast · Known for Rocky IV, Expend4bles, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

Hans "Dolph" Lundgren (born 3 November 1957) is a Swedish-American actor, director, and martial artist. He is best known for his roles in action films, particularly in the 1980s and 1990s, including iconic characters such as Ivan Drago in Rocky IV (1985) and He-Man in Masters of the Universe (1987).

Brigitte Nielsen

Cast · Known for Beverly Hills Cop II, Rocky IV

Brigitte Nielsen (born Gitte Nielsen; July 15, 1963) is a Danish actress, model, singer, and television personality, who began her acting career with appearances in the 1985 films Red Sonja and Rocky IV. She is also known for her marriage to Sylvester Stallone (1985-1987) and subsequently appeared with him in the 1986 film Cobra. She then was noted for her widely publicized breakup with Stallone in 1987, and her subsequent relationship with New York Jets defensive end Mark Gastineau from 1988 to 1990. She's also known for her relationship with rapper Flavor Flav in 2005. She began her career modeling for Greg Gorman and Helmut Newton. She then acted in the 1985 films Red Sonja and Rocky IV, later returning to the Rocky series in Creed II (2018). Nielsen married Sylvester Stallone, with whom she starred in the 1986 film Cobra. She played a villain in Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) and starred as the Black Witch in the 1990s Italian film series Fantaghirò. She later built a career starring in B-movies, hosting TV shows, and appearing on reality shows. Her exploits were well-covered in the entertainment media in the 1980s, and the world press started referring to her as an "Amazon"  because of her tall stature (verified by the Guinness Book of World Records at six feet, or 1.82 meters).  She first commented on her stature and used the term "Amazonian" to describe herself in 1985. She later built a career appearing in B-movies, and in the 2000s, for appearing on reality shows such as The Surreal Life, on which she met and began a relationship with rapper Flavor Flav. In 2008, she appeared on the reality show Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, which depicted her and several other celebrities dealing with recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. She's been married 5 times, Sylvester Stallone was her second husband. She has 5 children: a son with her first husband, a son with NY Jets football player Marc Gastineau, 2 sons with her fourth husband, and a daughter (at the age of 54) with her fifth husband, who is 15 years younger. In her 2011 book, she revealed having had an affair with Arnold Schwarzenegger (he verified this in 2020) during the filming of Red Sonja (1985), after Schwarzenegger had just started a relationship with Maria Shriver. Besides her native Danish, she is fluent in English, German and Italian. Description above from the Wikipedia article Brigitte Nielsen, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia​

Mark De Alessandro

Cast · Known for Rocky IV

Mark De Alessandro is an American SAG-AFTRA stunt coordinator, stuntman, character actor, and action director with over 30 years of experience and credits in 400+ feature films, television shows, and commercials. He graduated from Tarleton State University and Sam Houston State University, and has served as the personal stunt double and stunt coordinator for Sylvester Stallone since 1982, appearing in over 30 of Stallone's films including the Rocky and Rambo series. He has also doubled for Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, Adam Sandler, Charlie Sheen, and Michael Caine, among others. He was part of the original cast of American Gladiators (1989–1990) and has received SAG Stunt Ensemble nominations for Titanic, Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Amazing Spider-Man, as well as a Taurus World Stunt Award nomination for Rocky Balboa. He has been married to fellow stuntwoman Chandra De Alessandro since 2000. His notable acting credits include Nefarious (2023) (Sean Patrick Flanery, Jordan Belfi), What Josiah Saw (2021) (Robert Patrick, Scott Haze), Colombiana (2011) (Zoe Saldana, Michael Vartan), Super (2010) (Rain, Emile Hirsch), Spider-Man (2002) (Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst), Soldier (1998) (Jason Statham, Christian Slater), Daylight (1996) (Harrison Ford, Courtney Love), Lionheart (1990) (Steven Seagal, Michael Dudikoff), and Rocky IV (1985) (Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren). As a stunt coordinator he has worked on Rocky Balboa (2006), Cliffhanger (1993), Get Carter (2000), and Nefarious (2023), and performed stunts on Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007), The Maze Runner (2014), Starship Troopers (1997), and Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995).

John G. Avildsen

Director · Known for Rocky

John Guilbert Avildsen (December 21, 1935 – June 16, 2017) was an American film director. He won the Academy Award for Best Director in 1977 for Rocky. Other films he directed include Joe, Save the Tiger, Fore Play, The Formula, Neighbors, For Keeps, Lean on Me, The Power of One, 8 Seconds, Inferno, Rocky V and the first three The Karate Kid films. Avildsen was born in Oak Park, Illinois, the son of Ivy (née Guilbert) and Clarence John Avildsen. He was educated at The Hotchkiss School and New York University. After starting out as an assistant director on films by Arthur Penn and Otto Preminger, John Avildsen received his first success with the low budget feature Joe (1970) which received critical acclaim for star Peter Boyle and moderate box office business. This was followed by another critical success, Save the Tiger (1973), that was nominated for three Oscars, winning Best Actor for star Jack Lemmon. Avildsen's greatest success was Rocky (1976), garnering ten Academy Award nominations and winning three, including Best Picture and Best Director. He later directed what was expected to be the series' final installment, Rocky V (1990). His other films include Cry Uncle! (1971), Neighbors (1981), The Karate Kid (1984), The Karate Kid Part II (1986), The Karate Kid Part III (1989), Lean on Me (1989) and 8 Seconds (1994). Avildsen was the original director for both Serpico (1973) and Saturday Night Fever (1977), but was fired over disputes with producers Martin Bregman and Robert Stigwood, respectively.

Sean Albertson

Editor · Known for Rambo, The Devil's Mouth

Sean grew up in the arts, and the entertainment industry in New York; his father a musician, chef, and film editor. His mother was a Production Manager and Assistant Director. Sean's start in entertainment was as a young child, acting and playing music. He was involved in plays and small roles in television and feature films, where he got to be an extra in the academy award winning film, KRAMER VS. KRAMER. Musically, Sean was drawn to percussion and singing. He played with several bands in both capacities. Later, these talents were transmuted into the art and craft of film editing. An ever evolving student of the art of story telling, Sean's passions and talents have led him to writing and producing as well, with a keen eye toward directing. Now he has 30 years of filmmaking experience with more than 70 credits across a vast array of material, including Television movies, series, Feature Films, award winning mobile content, and more. Some credits include films such as WARRIOR, ROCKY BALBOA, RAMBO IV, TRUTH OR DARE, & FANTASY ISLAND . He has edited Television shows such as E-RING, COLD CASE, HEROES and THE VAMPIRE DIARIES.

Maja Ivarsson

Maja Ivarsson is a Swedish singer and lead vocalist of the Swedish indie rock band The Sounds.

Ivan Mallon

Actor best known for his role as Clark on Nickelodeon's School of Rock.

Will Forte

Cast · Known for Haunted Hotel, The Breadwinner, Gravity Falls

Orville Willis Forte IV (/ˈfɔːrteɪ/ FOR-tay; born June 17, 1970) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He was a cast member and writer on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live for eight seasons from 2002 to 2010. During his time on the show, he played a recurring character that led to a feature film adaptation, MacGruber (2010), and a streaming limited series in 2021. Forte also created and starred in the sitcom The Last Man on Earth (2015–2018). He received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations for the series: two for acting and one for writing. After obtaining a history degree from the University of California, Los Angeles and becoming a financial broker like his father, Forte changed his career path to comedy and took classes with the improv group The Groundlings. Before joining Saturday Night Live, he worked as a writer and producer on 3rd Rock from the Sun and That '70s Show. Forte played various roles in comedy before starring in the drama film Nebraska (2013). He has provided voice work for the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs films (2009–2013), My Life as a Courgette, Get Squirrely (2016), Luis & the Aliens (2018), The Willoughbys and Scoob! (2020), also voicing Eddy in Disney XD's Lab Rats, and Abraham Lincoln in Clone High (2002–2003, 2023–2024), The Lego Movie films (2014–2019), Michelangelo and Lincoln: History Cops (2014), America: The Motion Picture (2021), Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (2023) and Sausage Party: Foodtopia (2024–present). Description above from the Wikipedia article Will Forte, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

French Stewart

Cast · Known for 3rd Rock from the Sun, Mom

French Stewart (born Milton French Stewart IV) is an American actor and voice actor. He is best known for his role as Harry Solomon on the 1990s sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun, as well as his roles as Marv Murchins in Home Alone 4, Inspector Gadget in Inspector Gadget 2, and Chef Rudy on the CBS sitcom Mom. Stewart toured in regional theatre for seven years before breaking into television with the role of Razor Dee, a spaced-out DJ on the final season of The New WKRP in Cincinnati in 1992. In 1996, he was cast on 3rd Rock from the Sun, which lasted for six seasons, and where Stewart was noted for his talents at physical comedy and his characteristic "squinting" facial expression. During 3rd Rock's height of popularity, he appeared in numerous commercials and as a spokesperson for the beverage Clamato. His major film credits include Stargate (1994), Leaving Las Vegas (1995), The Poison Tasters (1995), Magic Island (1995) Glory Daze (1996), McHale's Navy (1997), Love Stinks (1999), Clockstoppers (2002), and Wedding Daze. His animation credits include the voice of Bob in the short-lived animated series God, the Devil and Bob (2000), and as Icarus in Disney's animated series Hercules (1998).

Frank Black

Black Francis (born Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV on April 6, 1965) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the influential alternative rock band Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Black Francis. Following the band's breakup in 1993, he embarked on a solo career under the name Frank Black. After releasing two albums with 4AD, he left the label and formed a backing band, Frank Black and the Catholics. He reformed the Pixies in 2004 and continues to release solo records and tour as a solo artist, having re-adopted his current stage name in 2007. His vocal style has varied from a screaming, yowling delivery as lead vocalist of the Pixies to a more measured and melodical style in his solo career. His cryptic lyrics mostly explore unconventional subjects, such as surrealism, incest and Biblical violence, along with science fiction and surf culture. His use of atypical meter signatures, loud-quiet dynamics and distinct preference for live-to-two-track recording in his career as a solo artist give him a distinct style within alternative rock. As frontman of the Pixies, his songs (such as "Where Is My Mind?" and "Debaser") received praise and citations from contemporaries, including Radiohead's Thom Yorke and Nirvana's Kurt Cobain. Cobain once said that "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was his attempt at trying to "rip off the Pixies". However, in his solo work and records with the Catholics, he received fewer popular and critical accolades. Description above from the Wikipedia article Black Francis, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.​

Ab-Soul

Herbert Anthony Stevens IV (born February 23, 1987), better known by his stage name Ab-Soul, is an American hip hop recording artist from Carson, California. Signed to Top Dawg Entertainment and Interscope Records, Stevens was a member of hip hop supergroup Black Hippy along with fellow West Coast rappers and label mates Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar and ScHoolboy Q.

Colin Stetson

Composer · Known for Hereditary, Mayday, The Menu

Colin Stetson (born March 3, 1975) is an American saxophonist, multireedist, and composer based in Montreal. He is best known as a regular collaborator of the indie rock acts Arcade Fire, Bon Iver, Bell Orchestre, and Ex Eye. In addition to saxophone, he plays clarinet, bass clarinet, French horn, flute, and cornet. Stetson has released various solo releases, including his debut and subsequent albums New History Warfare Vol. 1, 2, & 3, a collaborative studio album with violinist Sarah Neufeld entitled Never Were the Way She Was (2015), Sorrow: A Reimagining of Henryk Górecki's 3rd Symphony(2016), and All This I Do for Glory (2017). Since 2013, Stetson has contributed the scores to several films and television series. Description above from the Wikipedia article Colin Stetson, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Wes Bentley

Cast · Known for American Beauty, Interstellar, The Shards

Wesley Cook "Wes" Bentley (born September 4, 1978) is an American film actor known for his roles as Ricky Fitts in American Beauty (1999) and Seneca Crane in The Hunger Games (2012). Bentley was one of four subjects in the documentary My Big Break (2009), which covered his fame after American Beauty and struggles with substance abuse. Rebuilding his career, he starred in the premier of Venus in Fur by David Ives in the off-Broadway production in 2010, whose run was extended. Description above from the Wikipedia article Wes Bentley, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Jeremy Blewitt

Cast · Known for Leviticus

Jeremy is an Australian actor from Sydney. His most recent roles include 2023 releases The Clearing (2023) directed by Jeffrey Walker (Modern Family, Young Rock) and Gracie Otto (Heartbreak High) for Wooden Horse/Egeria TV/ Disney+ Star Originals/Hulu and The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart (2023) directed by Glendyn Ivin (Penguin Bloom, Puberty Blues) for Amazon Studios, Endeavour Content and Made Up Stories. In 2021 he played a lead role in short film Mate (2021), which has been recognised with an array of awards internationally, including the prestigious Grand Prix at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival. Additional credits Jeremy has collected as a leading man include Celestial Bodies (2022), Balaclava Lane (2022), and 'The Dam'. As a writer, director and producer, Jeremy was awarded in 2022 youth short film competition Me, My Culture and I. Having also co-written short films The Disposed (2019) and No Road to Neom (2020), Jeremy continues to develop his own screenplays. Also a keen musician, Jeremy has written and recorded an EP with former band 3IQ, a short film score and theme music for a children's television project. He enjoys producing hip-hop, electronic and rock music in his spare time.

Zach Bryan

Born in Japan and raised on the flats of Oklahoma, nostalgia evoking songs in all genres from the singer-songwriter to his new trend of alternative rock go everywhere from heartland to heartbreak. His music inspirations are derived from acts like Bon Iver, Otis Redding, Kings of Leon, Gillian Welch and Jason Isbell. He has actively discussed always trying to be a crossroad between all of them. After serving eight years on active duty in the Navy and planning to stay there, he released an acoustic album with his naval peers in a one bedroom Air Bnb in Jacksonville, Florida. It was there his life would change forever landing him offers from every record label from East to West. He then stayed in the Navy for another year and a half. After conflict’s in his own mind about staying in the Navy or pursuing music started to arise, the United States Navy thought it would be best to honorably discharge him to pursue music. From his sold out shows at 1,000 cap venues to 70,000 cap stadiums, his meteoric rise as a songwriter and the catalog he has constructed through the last five short years; it seems he will be writing and recording for a long time. His most recent release was on October 16th with his, ‘Young Manhood & Other Donatable Organs.’ In 2027 you can find him on tour with his band made up of his best friends from Oklahoma and a few friends added along the way. Find him at a stadium near you.

Tobias Forge

Cast · Known for Back to the Beginning: Ozzy's Final Bow

Tobias Jens Forge is a Swedish musician. He is the frontman, leader, primary songwriter, and sole continuous member of the masked rock band Ghost, performing live as their vocalist under the stage name Papa V Perpetua (previously as Papa Emeritus "Papas" I through IV and Cardinal Copia).

Çetin Tekindor

Cast · Known for Yalı Çapkını

Çetin Tekindor graduated from Ankara State Conservatory in 1970. He made his theatrical debut with the play "IV. Murat". He taught "Stage and Diction" at Hacettepe University State Conservatory, and later continued this role at Bilkent University's Theatre Department until 1998. He gained wider recognition for voicing the character of Police Chief Stewart McMillan, played by Rock Hudson, in the TRT television series "McMillan and Wife" which aired from 1976-1977. He later became a well-known figure in the 1983 television series "Küçük Ağa" directed by Yücel Çakmaklı. His first appearance on the big screen was in the film "Kaçamak" (1987), directed by Başar Sabuncu, in which he shared the lead roles with Müjde Ar. While acting in theatrical plays and providing voiceovers for foreign films and TV series broadcast on TRT, he also appeared in TV series such as Dönemeç (1988) and Önce Canan (1988), and in TV films such as Son Türbedar (1996) and Kerem (1999). Following this, he took on a significant role as Sinan, nicknamed "King" in the highly successful TV series Yılan Hikayesi (1999). This was followed by the TV series Tutku Çemberi (2000), Üzgünüm Leyla (2002), and Çaylak (2003). In the same year, he won the Best Actor award at the 2003 Ankara Film Festival for his role in his second feature film, Karşılaşma. Also in 2003, the TV series Bir İstanbul Masalı achieved considerable success on television. In 2004, he starred in the TV series Şeytan Ayrıntıda Gizlidir, adapted from Ahmet Ümit's crime novel of the same name. That same year, he starred in two feature films. The first was "Anlat İstanbul," a film with five different stories by five different Turkish directors, and the second was "Babam ve Oğlum," directed by Çağan Irmak, which achieved great box office success in Türkiye. In this film, where he portrayed Hüseyin Efendi, a village headman from İzmir, Tekindor won Best Actor Awards at the 27th SİYAD Turkish Cinema Awards and the 13th ÇASOD Awards. Tekindor continues to work in film and television acting.

Lemmy Kilmister

Ian Fraser Kilmister (24 December 1945 – 28 December 2015), better known as Lemmy Kilmister or simply Lemmy, was an English musician. He was the founder, lead singer, bassist and primary songwriter of the rock band Motörhead, of which he was the only continuous member, and a member of Hawkwind from 1971 to 1975. Lemmy made appearances in film and television, including 1990 science fiction film Hardware and the 1987 comedy Eat the Rich, for which Motörhead also recorded the soundtracks including the title song. He also appears in the 1994 comedy Airheads (in which he is credited as "Lemmy von Motörhead") and in several movies from Troma Entertainment, including the narrator in 1996's Tromeo and Juliet and as himself in both Terror Firmer and Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV. His last role was portraying the President of the United States in Return to Nuke 'Em High (2013).

Kristen Johnston

Cast · Known for 3rd Rock from the Sun, Mom

Kristen Johnston studied acting at the Atlantic Theater Company Acting School in New York City. She won two Emmys for her role on 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996). She has appeared on many other television shows, including Ugly Betty (2006), ER (1994), Bored to Death (2009) and, perhaps most memorably, as the party girl whose famous final words were "I'm so bored I could die" on Sex and the City (1998). She's currently, on television, on TV Land's hit series, The Exes (2011), which is now in its fourth season. Just a few of Johnston's many stage credits are "So Help Me God!" (Drama desk nomination), "The Women", "Aunt Dan & Lemon", "Love Song" on the West End, as well as starring in three "Shakespeare in Central Park" productions, "Much Ado About Nothing", "12th Night", and "The Skin of our Teeth". She is a long-time member of The Atlantic Theater Company, and her roles over the years have included "The Lights" (Drama Desk Nomination) and "Scarcity". Kristen's film credits include Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999), the 2nd Austin Powers film (as "Ivana Humpalot"), Finding Bliss (2009), Bad Parents (2012), Bride Wars (2009), L!fe Happens (2011), Vamps (2012), Strangers with Candy (2005), and the upcoming independent film, Lovesick (2014), with Matt LeBlanc. Johnston teaches acting at The Atlantic Theater Company's Acting School at NYU. She founded an organization called SLAM, whose goal is the creation of a desperately needed sober high school in New York City. Johnston's first book was a New York Times Bestselling memoir, entitled "GUTS: the endless follies and tiny triumphs of a giant disaster".

Tim Armstrong

Timothy Ross Armstrong is an American musician, singer, songwriter, producer, and actor. Known for his distinctive hoarse and soulful voice, he is the singer/guitarist for the punk rock band Rancid and hip hop/punk rock supergroup Transplants. Prior to forming Rancid, Armstrong was in the ska punk band Operation Ivy. In 1997, along with Brett Gurewitz of the band Bad Religion and owner of Epitaph Records, Armstrong founded Hellcat Records. In 2012, through his website, Armstrong started releasing music that influenced him, along with stripped-down cover songs of his own under the name Tim Timebomb. Armstrong is also a songwriter for other artists. Armstrong won a Grammy Award for his work with Jimmy Cliff and Pink, and has also worked with Joe Walsh and the Interrupters. At the age of five, Armstrong met Matt Freeman while playing Little League Baseball. They grew up a few blocks apart in Albany, California, where Armstrong lived with his mother, father, and older brother, Jeff. Freeman and Armstrong formed bands many years later based on their shared love of bands such as the Clash and the Ramones. They both went to Albany High School. Armstrong's relationship with Bikini Kill drummer Tobi Vail inspired the Rancid song "Olympia, WA" from ...And Out Come the Wolves. He was married to musician Brody Dalle from 1997 to 2003. They met in 1995, when Dalle was 16 and Armstrong was 30, after Rancid and Dalle's band Sourpuss both played Summersault Festival in Australia. In 1997, when Dalle was 18, she moved to Los Angeles to live with Armstrong, and she formed the band the Distillers. The couple separated in 2003, after Armstrong saw a picture of Dalle kissing Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme in an issue of Rolling Stone magazine; she and Homme would later marry. Homme claimed he received death threats from Armstrong's fans. Dalle claimed Armstrong was very controlling of her and it took her three years to leave him. Some of Rancid's songs on 1998's Life Won't Wait ("Who Would've Thought", "Corazón de Oro") detail Armstrong and Dalle's relationship, and songs on 2003's Indestructible ("Fall Back Down", "Ghost Band", "Tropical London") deal with Armstrong's feelings about his divorce. Armstrong's cousin, Scott, was the guitarist for Canadian punk band Desperate Minds, but they did not know each other until they were introduced at a show in Chicago in 1988 by John Jughead of Screeching Weasel

Vitamin C

Cast · Known for Scary Movie 2

Colleen Ann Fitzpatrick (born July 20, 1969), better known by her stage name Vitamin C, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, and actress. She began her career as an Ivory soap baby and child actress, appearing in John Waters' film Hairspray (1988), and continued to appear in minor roles in films before starting the alternative rock band Eve's Plum in 1991. In 1999, Fitzpatrick embarked on a solo career under the name Vitamin C, releasing her eponymous debut album Vitamin C (1999), which was certified Platinum by the RIAA. Singles from the record include "Graduation (Friends Forever)" and the Top 20 single "Smile". Her second album, More (2001) spawned the singles "As Long as You're Loving Me" and "The Itch". She appeared in the horror film Dracula 2000 (2000), and made cameo appearances in Get Over It (2001) and Scary Movie 2 (2001). She also appeared as a panelist on the spoof talent series The WB's Superstar USA in 2004. She was ranked No. 76 on the Maxim Hot 100 Women of 2001. In March 2012, Fitzpatrick was appointed as Vice President of Music at Nickelodeon. Since early 2019, Fitzpatrick has served as a music executive for Netflix.

Mark Knopfler

Composer · Known for The Princess Bride

Mark Freuder Knopfler OBE (born August 12, 1949) is a British songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He was the lead guitarist, singer, and songwriter for the rock band Dire Straits, which he co-founded with his younger brother, David Knopfler, in 1977. Described by Classic Rock as a virtuoso, Knopfler is a fingerstyle guitarist and was ranked 27th on Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". As of 2009, he and Dire Straits had sold more than 120 million records. A four-time Grammy Award winner, Knopfler is the recipient of the Edison Award, the Steiger Award and the Ivor Novello Award, as well as holding three honorary doctorate degrees in music from universities in the United Kingdom. Knopfler was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Dire Straits in 2018.

John Nicolella

Director · Known for Miami Vice

John Joseph Nicolella (May 28, 1945 – February 21, 1998) was an American film and television director and producer. He is best known for his work on the 1980s television series Miami Vice. Nicolella began his career working as an assistant director on the Ivan Passer-directed film Born to Win (1971). Other films soon followed, the Paul Newman-directed film The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1972), Crazy Joe (1974) starring Peter Boyle, Sweet Revenge (1976) starring Stockard Channing and Sam Waterston and Time Square (1980). He was also as a production manager on the films Saturday Night Fever (1977), Curse of the Pink Panther (1983) and co-produced Easy Money starring Rodney Dangerfield, Joe Pesci, and Jennifer Jason Leigh. In 1984, he joined the production crew of Miami Vice directing a number of episodes until 1987. He continued working with the show's star Don Johnson directing the music video short film for Johnson's song "Heartbeat" from the album of the same name. They reunited again when Nicolella served as executive producer for eight episodes of Nash Bridges. Nicolella's other directorial television credits include M.A.N.T.I.S., Crime Story, Leg Work, Gabriel's Fire, Dark Justice, Melrose Place, Key West, Marker and Super Force. He also directed a number of television films, most notably Mike Hammer: Murder Takes All (1989) and Rock Hudson (1990), as well as all four of the Vanishing Son films. He also directed the theatrical features Sunset Heat (1992) and Kull the Conqueror (1997), his final directing credit before his death in 1998.