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Stand and Deliver

1988

Jaime Escalante is a mathematics teacher in a school in a hispanic neighbourhood. Convinced that his students have potential, he adopts unconventional teaching methods to try and turn gang members and no-hopers into some of the country's top algebra and calculus students.

Mark Phelan

Cast · Known for Stand and Deliver

Mark Phelan is an actor and writer, known for Sea of Love (1989), Another 48 Hrs. (1990) and Stand and Deliver (1988).

Lydia Nicole

Cast · Known for Stand and Deliver

Lydia Nicole is a veteran actress, writer, and producer best known for her work in "Stand and Deliver," "A Rose Grows in Spanish Harlem," and "Making The Five Heartbeats." A pioneer in creating content for and about underrepresented communities, she also hosts the empowering podcast Acting Smarter Now, where she champions the business and mindset tools actors need to thrive.

Amanda Donohoe

Cast · Known for L.A. Law

Amanda Donohoe (born 29 June 1962) is an English actress. She first came to public attention at age 16 for her relationship with pop singer Adam Ant, appearing in the music videos for the Adam and the Ants singles "Antmusic" (1980) and "Stand and Deliver" (1981) during their four-year relationship. After making her film debut in Foreign Body (1986), she co-starred in Castaway (1986) with Oliver Reed followed by two Ken Russell films: The Lair of the White Worm (1988) and The Rainbow (1989). Donohoe later moved to the United States, where she appeared in films and in television series, which included winning a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress during her two years (1990–1992) as C.J. Lamb on the NBC drama series L.A. Law.

Lou Diamond Phillips

Cast · Known for Stand and Deliver, Stranger Things: Tales from '85, Numb3rs

Lou Diamond Phillips is an American film, television, and stage actor as well as director and writer. His breakthrough role came when he starred as Ritchie Valens in the film La Bamba. His other best known film roles are as Jose Chavez y Chavez in Young Guns I and II, Angel Guzman in Stand and Deliver for which he earned a supporting actor Golden Globe Award nomination, Hank Storm in Renegades, Jesse Rainfeather Goldman in Sioux City in which he was also director, Staff Sergeant John Monfriez in Courage Under Fire, Roy Knox in Brokedown Palace, and Wanda in Hollywood Homicide. He has also starred in many TV movies. His best known TV roles are as Lt. Gil Arroyo on Prodigal Son, Henry Standing Bear on Longmire, Col. David Telford on Stargate Universe, Agent Ian Edgerton on Numb3rs, and John Kanin on Wolf Lake. He voices for animated series as Chief Bill Bayani on Firebuds, Victor Delgado on Elena of Valor, and Surak on The Lion Guard. He's had recurring roles on TV shows including Trese, Blindspot, Blue Bloods, Goliath, NCIS: New Orleans, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Ranch, Southland, George Lopez, and 24. He has starred as himself on Cougar Town and You're the Worst. He's also guest starred on a number of shows including Bull, The Cleaning Lady, Search Party, Criminal Minds, Graves, Training Day, Ironside, Chuck, Psych, Law & Order: SVU, The Handler, The Twilight Zone (2002), Spin City, The Outer Limits, Tales from the Crypt, Miami Vice, and Dallas (1985). He earned a Tony Award nomination for his role in The King and I. Outside of acting, he has become notable for finishing 186th in the 2009 World Series of Poker World Championships "No Limit Texas hold 'em" main event.

Andy Garcia

Cast · Known for Ocean's Eleven, Stand and Deliver, The Godfather Part III

Andrés Arturo García Menéndez (born April 12, 1956) is an American actor, director, producer, and musician. He first rose to prominence acting in Brian De Palma's The Untouchables (1987) alongside Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, and Robert De Niro. He continued to act in films such as Stand and Deliver (1988), and Internal Affairs (1990). He then co-starred in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather Part III (1990) as Vincent Mancini, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He continued to act in Hollywood films such as Stephen Frears' Hero (1992), the romantic drama When a Man Loves a Woman (1994), and the action thriller Desperate Measures (1998). In 2000, he produced and acted in the HBO television film, For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story (2000), where he received a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award nominations. He also starred in Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's Eleven (2001) and its sequels, Ocean's Twelve (2004) and Ocean's Thirteen (2007). In 2005, García directed and starred in the film The Lost City alongside Dustin Hoffman and Bill Murray. He also starred in New York, I Love You (2008), the dramedy City Island (2009), the romantic comedy At Middleton (2013), and the crime thriller Kill the Messenger (2014). He has had supporting roles in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, Book Club, The Mule, the HBO television movie My Dinner with Hervé (all 2018), and the title role in the Father of the Bride remake (2022). In 2005, he won both a Grammy and a Latin Grammy Award for producing Cuban musician Cachao's record ¡Ahora Sí!. Description above from the Wikipedia article Andy Garcia, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Edward James Olmos

Cast · Known for Stand and Deliver, Blade Runner, Miami Vice

Edward James Olmos (born February 24, 1947) is an American actor, director, producer, and activist. He is best known for his roles as Lieutenant Martin "Marty" Castillo in Miami Vice (1984–1989), actor in and director of American Me (1992), William Adama in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica (2004–2009), teacher Jaime Escalante in Stand and Deliver (1988), and Detective Gaff in Blade Runner (1982), and its sequel Blade Runner 2049 (2017). In 2018, he played the father of two members of an outlaw motorcycle club in the FX series Mayans MC. For his work in Miami Vice, Olmos won the 1985 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film. For his performance in Stand and Deliver, Olmos was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. He is also known for his roles as patriarch Abraham Quintanilla in the film Selena, narrator El Pachuco in both the stage and film versions of Zoot Suit, and the voice of Chicharrón in Coco. Over the course of his career, Olmos has been a pioneer for more diversified roles and images of Hispanics in the U.S. media. His notable direction, production, and starring roles for films, made-for-TV movies, and TV shows include Wolfen, Triumph of the Spirit, Talent for the Game, American Me, The Burning Season, My Family/Mi Familia, Caught, 12 Angry Men, The Disappearance of Garcia Lorca, Walkout, The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit, American Family, and Dexter. Description above from the Wikipedia article Edward James Olmos, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Rosanna DeSoto

Cast · Known for Stand and Deliver

​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.   Rosanna DeSoto (born September 2, 1950) is a Mexican-American actress who has performed in films and television. She is best known for her role in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country as Azetbur, the daughter of Klingon Chancellor Gorkon. Her other film roles include La Bamba (1987) as Ritchie Valens' mother Connie Valenzuela; Stand and Deliver (1988); and Family Business (1989) as the wife of Vito McMullen (Dustin Hoffman). DeSoto's first television role was in the series A.E.S. Hudson Street (1978) as Nurse Rosa Santiago. She starred in the short-lived series The Redd Foxx Show (1986). She has made guest appearances on many TV series, including Cannon, Kung Fu, Barnaby Jones, Barney Miller, Melrose Place, The Bold and the Beautiful and Law & Order. Description above from the Wikipedia article Rosanna DeSoto, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Vanessa Marquez

Cast · Known for Stand and Deliver

Vanessa Marquez was born on December 21, 1968 in Los Angeles County, California. She decided that she wanted to be an actress after she first saw The Wizard of Oz (1939) when she was only 3 or 4. She made her film debut as Ana Delgado in Stand and Deliver in 1988. In the Nineties Miss Marquez was very much in demand as an actress, appearing in such films as Twenty Bucks (1993), Bound by Honor (1993, also known as Blood In, Blood Out), and Father Hood (1993). On television she guest starred on such shows as Wiseguy, Seinfeld, Nurses, and Melrose Place. She appeared in the first three seasons on the hit TV show ER in the role of Nurse Wendy Goldman. Vanessa Marquez died on August 30, 2018 in South Pasadena, California.

Dana Snyder

Cast · Known for Little Big Awesome, Clash of the Thundermans

Dana Snyder is an American actor, voice artist, and stand-up comedian. He is widely recognized for his distinct, high-energy vocal delivery across prominent animated networks like Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, Disney, and Nickelodeon and is best known for playing Master Shake on the Aqua Teen Hunger Force show, and the film Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie. Snyder can also be recognized as the voice of Gazpacho on the series Chowder, the voice of The Alchemist on The Venture Bros and Todd on G4's Code Monkeys.

Bob Newhart

Cast · Known for The Rescuers

George Robert Newhart (September 5, 1929 – July 18, 2024) was an American comedian and actor. Newhart was known for his deadpan and stammering delivery style. Beginning his career as a stand-up comedian, he transitioned his career to acting in television.

Martin Mull

Cast · Known for Clue, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Danny Phantom

Offbeat funnyman Martin Mull was born in Chicago, Illinois, the oldest of three children, and raised in Ohio. The blond-maned, blue-eyed comedian with the sad, droopy mustache first came in contact with the arts by honing in on his innate talents as a painter. In order to pay his art school tuition, he started organizing bands. At around the same time, he discovered that stand-up comedy was another way to allow his creative juices to flow. Martin's early recognition as a humorist led to a recording contract, and, over the years, he would be Grammy-nominated several times for a number of eccentric comedy albums. His gimmick and allure came in the form of a dry, humorless delivery and a bland, highly conservative-looking demeanor, which masked a sly, witty and ultra-hip philosophy. Gaining popularity in the 1970s, he finally broke into TV with the cult soap opera parody "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" (1976) in which he played Garth Gimble, a volatile wife abuser whose comeuppance occurred in the form of an aluminum Christmas tree (impaled) in his home closet. Martin was so popular on the show that he was resurrected in the spin-off series "Fernwood 2 Night" (1977) as twin brother Barth Gimble, who was a co-host of the town's television program along with Fred Willard's Jerry Hubbard character. After this peak, Martin became a sought-after guest on the talk show circuit, not to mention variety specials and TV movies. He tried his hand at producing and starring in his own sitcom "Domestic Life" (1984) but the series failed. He also added his special brand of merriment to films over the years, some of them being decent, such as FM (1978), Serial (1980), Mr. Mom (1983) and Clue (1985) in the role of the tweedy-looking Colonel Mustard, while most have been either formula schtick or just plain drivel, as in Take This Job and Shove It (1981), Rented Lips (1988), which he produced and wrote, Cutting Class (1989), Far Out Man (1990) with Cheech & Chong, and Mr. Write (1994). Martin's first passion has always been art and the distinguished multi-media artist's work has been showcased in galleries throughout the world. He also authored the book "Painting, Drawing and World," which is a compilation of ten years of his work. Mull is married to a composer and musician, Wendy, and they have a daughter. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Gary Brumburgh

Bob Hope

Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, and entertainer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films — 54 in which he starred. These included a series of seven Road to... musical comedy films with Bing Crosby as Hope's top-billed partner. In addition to hosting the Academy Awards show 19 times, more than any other host, Hope appeared in many stage productions and television roles and wrote 14 books. The song "Thanks for the Memory" was his signature tune. Hope was born in the Eltham district of southeast London. He arrived in the United States with his family at the age of four, and grew up near Cleveland, Ohio. After a brief stint in the late 1910s as a boxer, Hope began his career in show business in the early 1920s, initially as a comedian and dancer on the vaudeville circuit, before acting on Broadway. Hope began appearing on radio and in films starting in 1934. He was praised for his comedic timing, specializing in one-liners and rapid-fire delivery of jokes that were often self-deprecating. He helped establish modern American stand-up comedy. Between 1941 and 1991, Hope made 57 tours for the United Service Organizations (USO), entertaining active duty U.S. military personnel around the world. In 1997, the United States Congress passed a bill that made Hope an honorary veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces. Hope appeared in numerous television specials for NBC during his career and was one of the first users of cue cards. Hope retired from public life in 1998 and died on July 27, 2003, at the age of 100.

Franklyn Ajaye

Cast · Known for Goof Troop

Franklyn Ajaye (born May 13, 1949) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and writer. His nickname is "The Jazz Comedian" for his distinctive jazz-inflected style of delivery, timing, and use of silence. He released a series of comedy albums starting in 1973 and has acted in film and television shows from the 1970s through the present, including as a primary character in the 1976 ensemble comedy Car Wash and a supporting role in Sam Peckinpah's Convoy (1978).

Katie Lam

Katie Jane Lotte Lam is a British Conservative politician and former banker who has been Member of Parliament for Weald of Kent and Opposition Assistant Whip since 2024. Lam's paternal grandfather's family is of Dutch Jewish descent and her paternal grandmother's family were from Germany and included a left-wing senator representing Saxony. Her grandmother's family fled from Nazi Germany as refugees to England, escaping political persecution. Most of her grandfather's family was killed in the Holocaust though a few survivors also came to the UK as refugee. Her father's parents met while delivering leaflets for the Labour Party in the 1940s. Lam frequently references these stories of her ancestors. In her maiden speech in UK parliament she said "[Britain] saved my family and saved the free world”. In other speeches she has again remarked how the UK saved her ancestors: “I stand here only because this country offered them hope when tyranny had taken everything else.” She became a special adviser to Boris Johnson in 2019 after meeting Andrew Griffith at the Conservative Party conference. Working as Johnson's deputy Chief of Staff she became known for her work ethic and regularly slept at her desk during the COVID-19 pandemic. She left the Johnson administration in early 2021 after an incident where Carrie Johnson's dog, Dilyn was about to urinate on Lam's handbag and Lam had to intervene. Lam became infamous in October 2024 when interviewed for The Sunday Times she said "a large number of people in this country who came here legally, but in effect shouldn’t have been able to do so. It’s not the fault of the individuals who came here; they just shouldn’t have been able to do so. They will also need to go home." In September 2024 during a debate in Westminster hall she said "It is our sacred duty to put them first, and to act in their interests and their interests alone." This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Katie_Lam, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

Lewis Black

Cast · Known for Inside Out, Inside Out 2, The Daily Show

Lewis Niles Black (born August 30, 1948) is an American stand-up comedian, author, playwright, social critic and actor. He is known for his comedy style, which often includes simulating a mental breakdown, or an increasingly angry rant, ridiculing history, politics, religion, trends and cultural phenomena. He hosted the Comedy Central series Lewis Black's Root of All Evil, and makes regular appearances on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart delivering his “Back in Black” commentary segment. When not on the road performing, he resides in Manhattan. He also maintains a residence in Chapel Hill, N.C. He is currently the spokesman for Aruba Tourism, appearing in television ads that aired in late 2009 and 2010. He was voted 51st of the 100 greatest stand-up comedians of all time by Comedy Central in 2004. Description above from the Wikipedia article Lewis Black, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Nate Bargatze

Cast · Known for The Breadwinner

Nathanael Bargatze (/bɑːrˈɡɛtsi/ bar-GET-see; born March 25, 1979) is an American stand-up comedian. He has been called a clean comedian and noted for his deadpan, monotone delivery. Bargatze was the highest-grossing stand-up comic in 2024, with over a million tickets sold across his shows. Description above from the Wikipedia article Nate Bargatze, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Mark Mitchell

Mark Mitchell (born 29 September 1954) is an Australian actor, comedian and contemporary artist, best known for his character Con the Fruiterer. Mitchell trained as a teacher of English - B.A. (Melb) Dip.Ed (S C V Rusden) - Mark taught middle and senior English for 5 years before deciding to follow his heart into performance. His entry into the entertain-ment world, dressed as the Devil, required him to deliver singing telegrams! Oddly enough this venture lasted only two weeks. Deciding that he was ready for stand-up comedy, Mark soon realized that perhaps stand-up comedy was not ready for him, but he persevered with it for almost six years before concluding that the corporate sector offered more intriguing opportunities for comedic addresses around focused themes. The huge success of The Comedy Company (1988-1990) during the late 1980s brought Mark Mitchell, larger than life, into the homes of all Australians. His character portrayal of a Greek fruiterer named CON endeared him not only to many Australians, but also to the Greek community. Mark soon found himself in demand from both local and international film and tele-movie including The Munsters' Scary Little Christmas (1996), Like Mother Like Son: The Strange Story of Sante and Kenny Kimes (2001), Blonde (2001), On the Beach (2000), Child Star: The Shirley Temple Story (2001) and Inspector Gadget 2 (2003).

Demetri Martin

Cast · Known for We Bare Bears

Demetri Evan Martin is an American comedian, actor, director, cartoonist and musician. He was a contributor on The Daily Show. In stand-up, he is known for his deadpan delivery, playing his guitar for jokes, and his satirical cartoons.

Emo Philips

Cast · Known for Adventure Time

Emo Philips (born Philip Soltanec, February 7, 1956) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, writer and producer. His stand-up comedy persona makes use of paraprosdokians spoken in a wandering falsetto tone of voice. The confused, childlike delivery of his material produces the intended comic timing in a manner invoking the "wisdom of children" or the idiot savant. (From Wikipedia)

Edie McClurg

Cast · Known for Frozen, The Little Mermaid, A Bug's Life

Edie McClurg (born July 23, 1951) is an American actress, voice actress, stand-up comedian, and opera singer. She has performed in nearly 90 films and 55 television episodes, often portraying characters with a cheery Midwestern accent. McClurg was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri on July 23, 1951, to Mac, a mailman, and Irene McClurg, an FAA secretary. She has an older brother, Bob, who is also an actor. McClurg attended the University of Missouri–Kansas City in the mid-1960s, where she also taught radio for eight years. She earned a master's degree from Syracuse University. McClurg's onscreen debut was in the 1976 Brian De Palma horror film "Carrie" as Helen Shyres, one of Carrie's classmates. The following year, she was a member of the cast of "The Richard Pryor Show". In 1980, she was a regular performer on "The David Letterman Show" in the persona of Mrs. Marv Mendenhall. She also had a role in "Elvira, Mistress of the Dark", in which she plays the Town Council President Chastity Pariah. She also had a minor role in "Cheech & Chong's Next Movie". Having been a member of San Francisco's improv comedy the Pitcshel Players, she moved to Los Angeles and joined the Groundlings troupe. She worked with fellow Groundling player [[Paul Reubens]] on his first play "The Pee-wee Herman Show", in which she appeared in 1981 as "Hermit Hattie". McClurg has appeared in almost 90 films and 55 television episodes, usually typecast as a middle-aged, somewhat stubborn, and dim-witted Midwesterner. McClurg is known for a number of roles, including Mrs. Burns in "A River Runs Through It", Grace in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", Lucille Tarlek on "WKRP in Cincinnati", Lynn in "She's Having a Baby", Willamae Jones in the television remake of "Harper Valley PTA", Mrs. Patty Poole on "The Hogan Family" (originally "Valerie"), Bonnie Brindle on "Small Wonder", Marge Sweetwater in "Back to School", the car rental agent in "Planes, Trains and Automobiles", Mrs. Violet Bleakman on "Clifford the Big Red Dog", and Mrs. Beeker on "7th Heaven". She guest starred as Barri's mother in an episode of "Campus Ladies". She portrayed one of the wicked stepsisters in the Faerie Tale Theatre production "Cinderella." McClurg appeared on several game shows, including "Match Game", "The $25,000 Pyramid", "Password Plus", and "Super Password". McClurg contributed assorted voices for "The Jetsons", "The Snorks", "Life with Louie", "A Bug's Life", "Justin & the Knights of Valour", "Cars" and "Cars 2". She voiced Carlotta in "The Little Mermaid", Mary in "Wreck-It Ralph", Molly in "Home on the Range", Miss Right in "The Secret of NIMH", the Dragon in the "Nightmare Ned" video game, Barsa in "Kiki's Delivery Service", Fran on "Higglytown Heroes", Mrs. Claus in "Holidaze: The Christmas That Almost Didn't Happen", Grandma Taters in "The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius", Violet Stimpleton in "Rocket Power", Bea's mother in "Fish Hooks", Winnie Pig in "Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation", Aunt Ruth in "Bobby's World" and Trudi Traveler in an episode of "Wander Over Yonder". Continuing her passion for performing improvised comedy, McClurg is a player with Spolin Players.

Ken Dodd

Sir Kenneth Arthur Dodd was born on 8 November 1927 in a former farmhouse in Knotty Ash, a suburb of Liverpool, to Arthur Dodd and Sarah (née Gray); where his parents lived. He had an older brother, William and a younger sister, June. He went to the Knotty Ash School and sang in the local church choir of St John's Church, Knotty Ash. He was to live in Knotty Ash all his life, dying in the house in which he was born, and often referred to the area—as well as its mythical "jam butty mines" and "black pudding plantations"—in his act. He then attended Holt High School, a grammar school in Childwall, Liverpool, but left at the age of 14 to work for his father, a coal merchant. Around this time he became interested in show business after seeing an advert in a comic: "Fool your teachers, amaze your friends—send 6d in stamps and become a ventriloquist!" and sending off for the book. Not long after, his father bought him a ventriloquist's dummy and Ken called it Charlie Brown. He started entertaining at the local orphanage, then at various other local community functions. His distinctive bucked teeth were the result of a cycling accident after a group of school friends dared him to ride a bicycle with his eyes closed. Aged 18, he began working as a traveling salesman and used his work van to travel to comedy clubs in the evenings. He gained his big break at age 26 when, in September 1954, he made his professional show-business debut as Professor Yaffle Chucklebutty, Operatic Tenor and Sausage Knotter at the Nottingham Empire. He later said, "Well at least they didn't boo me off". He continued to tour variety theatres up and down the UK, and in 1955 he appeared at Blackpool, where, in the following year, he had a part in Let's Have Fun. His performance at the Central Pier was part of a comedy revue with Jimmy James and Company. Also on the same bill were Jimmy Clitheroe and Roy Castle. Dodd first gained top billing at Blackpool in 1958. Dodd was described as "the last great music hall entertainer". His stand-up comedy style was fast and relied on the rapid delivery of one-liner jokes. He said that his comic influences included other Liverpool comedians like Arthur Askey, Robb Wilton, Tommy Handley and the "cheeky chappy" from Brighton, Max Miller. He interspersed the comedy with occasional songs, both serious and humorous, in an incongruously fine light baritone voice, and with his original specialty, ventriloquism. Part of his stage act featured the Diddy Men ("diddy" being local slang for "small"). At first, an unseen joke conceived as part of Dodd's imagination, they later appeared on stage, usually played by children. Dodd worked mainly as a solo comedian, including in a number of eponymous television and radio shows and made several appearances on BBC TV's music hall revival show, The Good Old Days. Although he enjoyed making people laugh, he was also a serious student of comedy and history and was interested in Sigmund Freud and Henri Bergson's analysis of humour. Occasionally, he appeared in dramatic roles, including Malvolio in William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night on stage in Liverpool in 1971; on television in the cameo role of 'The Tollmaster' in the 1987 Doctor Who story Delta and the Bannermen.

Jim Allen

James Allen was a socialist playwright from Miles Platting, Manchester, Lancashire, best known for his collaborations with Ken Loach. Allen began to write during his time as a miner. In 1958, he was involved in the launch and publication of The Miner. In 1964, he submitted a script to Granada TV, and was taken on as a scriptwriter for the soap opera Coronation Street (1965–67), a series for which he had little sympathy. His later play, The Talking Head (1969), recounts the experience of a talented writer driven to a nervous breakdown by the pressure of "episode delivery dates". Allen's first play, The Hard Word (1966), directed by Ridley Scott, was broadcast as part of the Thirty-Minute Theatre series on BBC 2. It was followed by The Lump (1967), the first fictional work directed by Jack Gold, who had begun his career on documentaries, and broadcast as part of The Wednesday Play drama anthology series. Both plays were based on his experiences in the building trade, and The Lump features an activist worker who frequently quotes Lenin and Jack London, establishing the political nature of Allen's work which was to continue throughout his career. Allen was introduced to Ken Loach in 1967 by Loach's regular collaborator at the time, producer Tony Garnett] who had produced The Lump. The first of Allen's plays to be directed by Loach was The Big Flame (1969), again for The Wednesday Play series. The play depicts a strike among the dockers of Liverpool, led by a Trotskyite docker against the wishes of the established union; the strike is violently broken by the army and police. In 1975, Allen wrote, Garnett produced, and Loach directed Days of Hope, Allen's best-known work. A serial of four episodes, it tells the story of the British Labour movement between the Great War in 1916 and the General Strike of 1926. The series' depiction of the British Army was the subject of much hostile criticism in the press at the time. Allen also wrote five plays (The Rank and File (1971), A Choice of Evils (1977), The Spongers (1978), United Kingdom (1981) and Willie's Last Stand (1982)) for the BBC's Play for Today drama series, and several episodes of the Granada series Crown Court (1975–76). With Loach as director, Allen wrote the screenplays for three feature-length films: Hidden Agenda (1990), which portrays the murder of an American civil rights activist in Belfast, Raining Stones (1993), a kitchen-sink tragicomedy set in Middleton, near Manchester, and, Allen's final dramatic work, Land and Freedom (1995), telling the story of an idealistic young Communist from Liverpool who joins the Government forces in the Spanish Civil War. Allen was diagnosed with cancer in February 1999, and died the following June.

Parker McKenna Posey

Actress, designer, philanthropist, and curator. After 17 years in the entertainment industry, it is safe to say this young woman is more than what meets the eye. Parker originates from humble beginnings in Los Angeles, CA where she started developing her acting skills at the tender age of four. In her words, Constantly honing in on her craft, she has developed a skill-set that doesn't just put her in front of the camera, but behind the scenes as well. A multi-faceted talent from writing to acting and singing, Parker has made herself the total pack- age. However, her journey does not stop there. Away from the entertainment industry, she has established herself as a young philanthropist. Spending the past six years with the Stand Up to Cancer Foundation, Parker has dreams of creating her very own non-profit organization that will help others in need. When Parker does have a moment to herself aside from her career, it almost always is dedicated to traveling. Immersing herself into cultures around the world has not only given her unforgettable memories but also broadened her view on society. A common theme Parker has picked up along the way, women empowerment. Whether it is on camera, behind the scenes or in the community; It is obvious Parker aspires to positively impact lives. Consistently being selective of the work she accepts and deliberate in the path she has planned for herself. A woman on a mission is the best way to describe this budding star, a journey she would love for you all to join her on. - IMDb mini biography by: Amber Yeshpaul