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John Clark
Cinematographer · Known for GOAT
John has been in the film industry since 1994, working in live action, visual effects and animation. He specializes in Cinematography, Previs Supervision, Animation and Story Development, and has decades of experience leading vfx and animation teams teams large and small. John has had leading roles on animated movies including Surf's Up, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, The Smurfs, Hotel Transylvania, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run, Arcane and Luck. He received a prestigious Annie Award for his camera and animation work on Surf's Up after animating all the waves on the movie and personally designing all of the surfing sequences for the film. John grew up surfing in Cocoa Beach, Florida, then studied theater, art and history at the University of Central Florida. He began his career in film as an actor, but soon grew to love the cameras that were trained on him. He jumped into live action production as a PA, eventually directing commercials and CG shorts. He took an opportunity to work on a dream project at Sony Pictures on Surf's Up (John was a former competition surfer), changing his career to focus on animated features where he used his live action experience to bring authentic cinematography into CG animated film making. John lives in Los Angeles with his wife and daughter, surfs in Malibu and plays a lot of Dungeons & Dragons. - IMDb mini biography by: John T Clark
Chris Garbutt
Chris Garbutt is the Head of Story on Bad Fairies with Rikke Asbjoern. He is the co-creator, writer, director, and executive producer of both the animated interactive Netflix movie, We Lost Our Human, and the Netflix/Nickelodeon animated series, Pinky Malinky. Hailing from the north of England, Chris’ love for comics, cartoons, and storytelling has taken him from scribbling silly doodles on his bedroom floor in Yorkshire, to doing the same for studios in London, Paris, and Los Angeles. He has worked in the animation industry in feature films, TV series, commercials, and short films for over twenty years, enjoying various roles from creating, show-running, executive producing, writing, directing, production design, and art directing, to storyboarding, character design and background design. He has worked at Dreamworks, Netflix, Paramount, Disney, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Warner Brothers, Aardman, and DNEG, on animated projects such as the Gorillaz, Trolls, Puss In Boots, The Smurfs, Angry Birds, the Amazing World of Gumball, the Mr Bean Animated Series, Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends, Robotboy and Stressed Eric.
Gary Basaraba
Cast · Known for Unfaithful, The Accountant
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Gary Basaraba (born March 16, 1959) is a Canadian actor best known for playing American police officers. He appeared as Sergeant Richard Santoro on Steven Bochco's Brooklyn South and Officer Ray Heckler on Boomtown. According to the DVD commentary for the first season of the police drama Boomtown, he did most of his driving stunts in the series and he made sure he accurately portrayed police procedures. Basaraba played Heywood Broun, one of the greatest American journalists of the 20th Century, in Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle in 1994. He played Sheriff Grady Kilgore in Fried Green Tomatoes. He also played Saint Andrew in The Last Temptation of Christ, and had a role in Sweet Dreams. Basaraba played Homer Zuckerman in the remake of Charlotte's Web. Basaraba also portrayed the father, Jack Grainger, in One Magic Christmas, opposite Mary Steenburgen. Since 2007, he has appeared in the Canadian television series Mixed Blessings. Basaraba has also made three appearances in the Law & Order franchise, as a bartender in the original series titled "Point of View", as a corrections officer in the Law and Order episode "The Brotherhood" in 2004 and in the fifth season of SVU. It has been announced that Basaraba will be the voice of Hefty Smurf in the live-action/CG family film The Smurfs.
Don Lusk
Director · Known for Tom & Jerry Kids Show
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Donald Lusk (October 28, 1913 – December 30, 2018) was an American animator and director. Lusk was hired by The Walt Disney Company in 1933 as an inbetweener. His first film as an animator was 1938's Ferdinand the Bull. He worked on Pinocchio, Fantasia, Bambi, Song of the South, Melody Time, So Dear to My Heart, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty, and One Hundred and One Dalmatians. Lusk left Disney in 1960, but continued to work as an animator during the 1960s and 1970s. Aside from animation, Lusk also directed multiple cartoon films and series, including the Peanuts television specials and movies and for the Hanna-Barbera studio. His work at the latter included The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Scooby-Doo, The Smurfs, and Tom and Jerry. In the early 1990s, Lusk retired after a career which spanned some sixty years. He died on December 30, 2018, in San Clemente, California, aged 105.
J. David Stem
Writer · Known for Shrek 2
Joseph David Stem (born June 26, 1973) is an acclaimed American screenwriter and producer best known for co-writing family blockbusters like Shrek 2, The Rugrats Movie, and The Smurfs alongside writing partner David N. Weiss. Born in Durham, North Carolina, he has spent over 25 years in the industry, specializing in storytelling, creative leadership, and franchise building for major studios.
Charlie Adler
Cast · Casting · Known for Cow and Chicken, Aladdin, Goof Troop
Charles Michael "Charlie" Adler (born February 20, 1956) is an American voice actor and voice director. His most famous voice credits include The Smurfs, Brandy and Mr. Whiskers, Tiny Toon Adventures, SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron, Cow and Chicken, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, I Am Weasel and Rocko's Modern Life. Description above from the Wikipedia article Charlie Adler, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Kip King
Kip King was an American film, television and voice actor. He is the father of American television sketch comedian Chris Kattan. King was probably best known for voicing Tailor Smurf in the 1980s television cartoon series The Smurfs. Long associated with Hanna-Barbera, King provided the voice of Shecky in The Biskitts (1983). He was also in the voice casts of The Little Rascals (1982), Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo (1979-1980), Tom & Jerry Kids (1990), Droopy, Master Detective and the Flintstones TV special I Yabba-Dabba Do! (both 1993).
Peyo
Creator · Known for The Smurfs
Pierre Culliford (French: [kylifɔʁd]; 25 June 1928 – 24 December 1992) was a Belgian comics writer and artist who worked under the pseudonym Peyo([pejo]). His best-known works are the comic book series The Smurfs and Johan and Peewit, in which the Smurfs first appeared. Description above from the Wikipedia article Peyo, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Sofía Vergara
Cast · Known for Modern Family, Despicable Me 4
Sofía Margarita Vergara Vergara (born July 10, 1972) is a Colombian and American actress and model. She was the highest paid actress in American television from 2013 to 2020. Vergara rose to prominence while co-hosting two television shows for Spanish-language television network Univision in the late 1990s. Her first notable acting job in English was in the film Chasing Papi (2003). She subsequently appeared in Four Brothers (2005) and Tyler Perry's comedies Meet the Browns (2008) and Madea Goes to Jail (2009), receiving an ALMA Award nomination for the latter. In 2009, she began playing Gloria Delgado-Pritchett in the ABC comedy series Modern Family for which she was nominated for four Golden Globe Awards, four Primetime Emmy Awards, and eleven Screen Actors Guild Awards. Vergara has also had roles in the films The Smurfs (2011), New Year's Eve (2011), The Three Stooges (2012), Machete Kills (2013), Fading Gigolo (2013), Chef (2014), and Hot Pursuit (2015). She also had voice-over roles in the animated films Happy Feet Two (2011), Escape from Planet Earth (2013), and The Emoji Movie (2017). Vergara was also the highest-paid Hollywood actress in 2020. Since 2020, Vergara has been a judge on America's Got Talent.
Jayma Mays
Cast · Known for Glee
Jamia Suzette "Jayma" Mays (born July 16, 1979) is an American actress. She is known for playing Emma Pillsbury in the Fox musical series Glee (2009–2015) and for her starring roles in the films Red Eye (2005), Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009) and The Smurfs (2011). She is also known for portraying Debbie in the sitcom The Millers (2013–2014) and her recurring role as Charlie Andrews on the NBC sci-fi series Heroes (2006–2010). Mays starred as prosecutor Carol Anne Keane in the NBC sitcom Trial & Error (2017–2018).
David N. Weiss
Writer · Known for Shrek 2
David Nathan Weiss (born May 15, 1960) is an American screenwriter and film director. He is the screenwriter of All Dogs Go to Heaven and Rock-a-Doodle and co-writer of The Rugrats Movie, Shrek 2, Clockstoppers, Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Rugrats in Paris: The Movie, The Smurfs, its sequel and Disenchanted with writing partner, J. David Stem. He has also written for television shows such as Mission Hill, Cybill, and Roundhouse.
Danny Goldman
Cast · Known for The Smurfs, Robot Chicken
Best known for his role in Young Frankenstein, Mr. Goldman played numerous roles over the last 30 years including the series MASH, Mike Hammer, and as the voice of Brainy Smurf in the long-running animated series, The Smurfs.
David Rubin
Casting · Known for Margo's Got Money Troubles, Men in Black, Real Steel
David began his career as a production assistant on "Saturday Night Live". He entered the casting field as an assistant and then associate to Mary Goldberg on such films as "Ragtime", "Silkwood" and "Amadeus". David then moved to Los Angeles to team with veteran casting director Lynn Stalmaster on "The Name of the Rose", "The Big Easy" and many other films. Opening his own casting company, David was responsible for assembling the casts of such films as: "The Addams Family", "The War of the Roses", "Fried Green Tomatoes", "My Cousin Vinny", "The Firm", "Four Weddings and a Funeral", "Get Shorty", "Romeo + Juliet", "The English Patient", "Men in Black", "My Best Friend's Wedding", and "The Talented Mr. Ripley". In partnership with Richard Hicks, David cast the films "Hairspray", "Lars and the Real Girl", "Recount" (HBO), "The Smurfs" and "Game Change" (HBO), for which they received the 2012 Emmy Award. Most recently, David worked with director Jean-Marc Vallee ('Dallas Buyers Club') casting his film 'Wild' for Fox Searchlight and with Warren Beatty on his upcoming Howard Hughes film. In 2001, David was the recipient of the Hollywood Film Festival Award for Outstanding Career Achievement in the Field of Casting, presented by Sydney Pollack. In October 2002, Baz Luhrmann presented him with an Honorary Career Achievement Award from the Casting Society of America.
Joseph Barbera
Executive Producer · Director · Producer · Known for Johnny Bravo, Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo, The Flintstones
Joseph Roland "Joe" Barbera was an influential American animator, director, producer, storyboard artist, and cartoon artist, whose movie and television cartoon characters entertained millions of fans worldwide for much of the twentieth century. Through his young adult years, Barbera lived, attended college, and began his career in New York City. After working odd jobs and as a banker, Barbera joined Van Beuren Studios in 1932 and subsequently Terrytoons in 1936. In 1937 he moved to California and while working at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Barbera met William Hanna. The two men began a collaboration that was at first best known for producing Tom and Jerry and live action films. In 1957, after MGM dissolved their animation department, they co-founded Hanna–Barbera, which became the most successful television animation studio in the business, producing programs such as The Flintstones, The Huckleberry Hound Show, Top Cat, The Jetsons,Scooby-Doo, The Quick Draw McGraw Show, The Smurfs, and Yogi Bear. In 1967, Hanna–Barbera was sold to Taft Broadcasting for $12 million, but Hanna and Barbera remained head of the company until 1991. At that time the studio was sold to Turner Broadcasting System, which in turn was merged with Time Warner, owners of Warner Bros., in 1996; Hanna and Barbera stayed on as advisors.Hanna and Barbera won seven Academy Awards and eight Emmy Awards. Their cartoon shows have become cultural icons, and their cartoon characters have appeared in other media such as films, books, and toys. Hanna–Barbera's shows have a global audience of over 300 million people and have been translated into more than 20 languages.
Lucille Bliss
Cast · Known for The Smurfs
Lucille Bliss (March 31, 1916 – November 8, 2012) was an American actress, known in the Bay Area and in Hollywood as the "Girl With a Thousand Voices". Bliss lent her voice to numerous television characters, including the title character of the very first made-for-television cartoon, Crusader Rabbit, Smurfette on the popular 1980s cartoon The Smurfs, and Ms. Bitters on the Nickelodeon animated series Invader Zim. In addition to her television roles, she was known for her work as a voice actress in feature films. [biography (excerpted) from Wikipedia]
Lennie Weinrib
Cast · Known for Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo
Lennie Weinrib (April 29, 1935 – June 28, 2006) was an American actor, comedian and writer. He is best known for playing the title role in the children's television show H.R. Pufnstuf, Grimace in McDonaldland commercials, the title role in Inch High, Private Eye, the original voice of Scrappy-Doo on Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo, Hunk and Prince Lotor on Voltron, and Bigmouth on The Smurfs. He also was the voice for Timer in the "Time for Timer" ABC public service announcements in the early 1970s. Weinrib retired from acting in the 1990s and moved to Santiago, Chile. Weinrib died in a hospital near his home on June 28, 2006, after suffering a stroke.
Fred Armisen
Cast · Known for The Mitchells vs. the Machines, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Nimrods
Fereydun Robert Armisen (born December 4, 1966) is an American comedian, actor, musician, and television writer. With his comedy partner Carrie Brownstein, he co-created and co-starred in the IFC sketch comedy series Portlandia. He also co-created and starred in the mockumentary IFC series Documentary Now! and the Showtime comedy series Moonbase 8. Armisen was the bandleader and frequent drummer for the Late Night with Seth Meyers house band, the 8G Band from 2014 to 2024. He was a cast member on the late-night sketch comedy and variety series Saturday Night Live from 2002 to 2013. He voiced Speedy Gonzales on The Looney Tunes Show. He also works as a voice actor in films, such as The Smurfs (2011), The Smurfs 2 (2013), The House of Tomorrow, The Lego Ninjago Movie (both 2017), The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021), The Super Mario Bros. Movie, The Contestant (both 2023), Thelma the Unicorn (2024) and Fixed (2025). Armisen has acted in comedy films, including EuroTrip, Melvin Goes to Dinner, The Ex, and The Dictator. He is also notable for his guest-star appearances in television shows such as 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, New Girl, Broad City, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Difficult People, The Last Man on Earth, Toast of Tinseltown, Our Flag Means Death, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Modern Family, and Barry. Armisen received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Comedy Album for Standup for Drummers in 2019. He has also won two Peabody Awards, one in 2008 as part of the Saturday Night Live political satire cast and one in 2011 for Portlandia. From 2019 to 2022, he co-starred and served as writer and executive producer on the Spanish-language series Los Espookys, which he co-created. Description above from the Wikipedia article Fred Armisen, licensed under CC-BY-SA,full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Christina Ricci
Cast · Known for The Addams Family, Wednesday
Christina Ricci (born February 12, 1980) is an American actress. She is known for playing unconventional characters with a dark edge. Ricci is the recipient of several accolades, including a National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress and a Satellite Award for Best Actress, as well as Golden Globe, Primetime Emmy, Screen Actors Guild, and Independent Spirit Award nominations. Ricci made her film debut at the age of nine in Mermaids (1990), which was followed by a breakout role as Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family (1991) and its sequel. Subsequent appearances in Casper and Now and Then (both 1995) brought her fame as a "teen icon". At 17, she moved into adult-oriented roles with The Ice Storm (1997), which led to parts in films such as Buffalo '66, Pecker and The Opposite of Sex (all 1998). She garnered acclaim for her performances in Sleepy Hollow (1999) and Monster (2003). Her other credits include Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), Prozac Nation (2001), Pumpkin (2002), Anything Else (2003), Black Snake Moan (2006), Speed Racer (2008), and The Smurfs 2 (2013). Despite being known predominantly for her work in independent productions, Ricci has appeared in numerous box office hits – to date, her films have grossed in excess of US$1.4 billion. On television, Ricci appeared as Liza Bump in the final season of Ally McBeal (2002), and received acclaim for her guest role on Grey's Anatomy in 2006. She also starred as Maggie Ryan on the ABC series Pan Am (2011–12), and produced and starred in the series The Lizzie Borden Chronicles (2015) and Z: The Beginning of Everything (2017). As well as voicing characters in several animated films, Ricci provided voices for the video games The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon and Speed Racer: The Videogame (both 2008). In 2010, she made her Broadway debut in Time Stands Still.
Hank Azaria
Cast · Known for Godzilla, Love & Other Drugs, The Simpsons
Henry Albert "Hank" Azaria (born April 25, 1964) is an American actor and producer. He is known for voicing many characters in the long-running animated sitcom The Simpsons since 1989, including Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum, Superintendent Chalmers, Comic Book Guy, Snake Jailbird, Professor Frink, Kirk Van Houten, Duffman, and formerly Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Lou, Carl Carlson, among others. Azaria joined the show with little voice acting experience, but became a regular in its second season. For his work on the show, he has won four Primetime Emmy Awards. Alongside his continued voice acting on The Simpsons, Azaria became more widely known through his live-action supporting appearances in films such as Quiz Show (1994), Heat, The Birdcage (1996) (for which he won a Screen Actors Guild Award) and Godzilla (1998). He has also appeared in numerous films including Mystery Men (1999), America's Sweethearts (2001), Shattered Glass (2003), Along Came Polly (2004), Run Fatboy Run (2007), Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) and The Smurfs (2011) and The Smurfs 2 (2013). Further voice roles include Anastasia (1997), for which he won an Annie Award. His live-action television work includes recurring roles on the sitcoms Mad About You and Friends, as well as dramatic roles in the TV films Tuesdays With Morrie (1999) as writer Mitch Albom and Uprising (2001) as Jewish resistance leader Mordechai Anielewicz. For the former, Azaria received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie. He starred in the title roles in the Showtime drama series Huff (2004–2006) and the IFC sitcom Brockmire (2017–2020). His recurring role on the drama Ray Donovan earned him a sixth Primetime Emmy Award in 2016. Azaria made his Broadway debut as Lancelot in Spamalot, for which he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. He returned to Broadway in 2007, playing David Sarnoff in The Farnsworth Invention.
Sean Ringgold
Sean Ringgold was born on November 3, 1977 and raised in Rockaway Beach, Queens, New York. Before becoming an actor, he spent many years working as a Body Guard for BET's 106 and Park. He is best known for playing Shaun Evans on the popular ABC Soap Opera, One Life to Live. His current projects include Orange Is The New Black, Billions, Shades of Blue, The Breaks, and Marvel's Luke Cage. In 2009, staring as Marion "Suge" Knight, he made his big screen debut in the Notorious B.I.G. Biopic, Notorious. He has also starred in such films as American Gangster, The Smurfs and Before I Disappear. Sean can be seen in several upcoming projects, including No More Mr. Nice Guy, Wetlands and Roxanne Roxanne. His television credits include Damages, Gotham, Gossip Girl, and Ugly Betty. Sean was featured in episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Criminal Intent. He has also had roles on the popular shows 30 Rock, Are We There Yet?, Taxi Brooklyn, The Carrie Diaries, NYC 22, Blue Bloods, and 106 & Park. Alongside his work in television and movies, Sean has also appeared in numerous national advertising campaigns and commercials for brands including Budweiser, Burger King, Dr. Scholl's, Dunkin Donuts, Delta Airlines, Kia, Fiat 500 by Gucci, Nexium, Nike, Tampax, Time Warner Cable and Spike TV.
William Hanna
Executive Producer · Director · Known for Johnny Bravo, Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo, The Flintstones
William Denby "Bill" Hanna (July 14, 1910 – March 22, 2001) was an American animator, director, producer, television director, television producer, and cartoon artist, whose movie and television cartoon characters entertained millions of fans worldwide for much of the 20th century. When he was a young child, Hanna's family moved frequently, but they settled in Compton, California, by 1919. There, Hanna became an Eagle Scout. Hanna graduated from Compton High School in 1928. He briefly attended Compton City College but dropped out at the onset of the Great Depression.After working odd jobs in the first months of the Depression, Hanna joined the Harman and Ising animation studio in 1930. During the 1930s, Hanna steadily gained skill and prominence while working on cartoons such as Captain and the Kids. In 1937, while working at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Hanna met Joseph Barbera. The two men began a collaboration that was at first best known for producing Tom and Jerry and live action films. In 1957, they co-founded Hanna-Barbera, which became the most successful television animation studio in the business, producing programs such as The Flintstones, The Huckleberry Hound Show, The Jetsons, Scooby-Doo, The Smurfs, and Yogi Bear. In 1967, Hanna–Barbera was sold to Taft Broadcasting for $12 million, but Hanna and Barbera remained heads of the company until 1991. At that time the studio was sold to Turner Broadcasting System, which in turn was merged with Time Warner, owners of Warner Bros., in 1996; Hanna and Barbera stayed on as advisors.Hanna and Barbera won seven Academy Awards and eight Emmy Awards. Their cartoons have become cultural icons, and their cartoon characters have appeared in other media such as films, books, and toys. Hanna–Barbera's shows have a global audience of over 300 million people and have been translated into more than 20 languages.
Don Messick
Cast · Known for The Smurfs, Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo, Tom & Jerry Kids Show
Donald Earle Messick (September 7, 1926 – October 24, 1997) was an American voice actor, known for his performances in Hanna-Barbera cartoons.[1] His best-remembered voice roles include Scooby-Doo; Bamm-Bamm Rubble and Hoppy in The Flintstones; Astro in The Jetsons; Muttley in Wacky Races and Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines; Boo-Boo Bear and Ranger Smith in The Yogi Bear Show; Sebastian the Cat in Josie and the Pussycats; Gears, Ratchet, and Scavenger in The Transformers; Papa Smurf and Azrael in The Smurfs; Hamton J. Pig in Tiny Toon Adventures; and Dr. Benton Quest in Jonny Quest. From Wikipedia.
Neil Patrick Harris
Cast · Known for How I Met Your Mother, Gone Girl, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973) is an American actor, singer, writer, producer, and television host. Primarily known for his comedic television roles and dramatic and musical stage roles, he has received multiple accolades throughout his career, including a Tony Award, five Primetime Emmy Awards, and nominations for a Grammy Award and three Screen Actors Guild Awards. On television, he is known for playing the title character on the ABC series Doogie Howser, M.D. (1989–1993), for which he was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy, as well as Barney Stinson on the CBS series How I Met Your Mother (2005–2014, for which he was nominated for four Emmy Awards), and Count Olaf on the Netflix series A Series of Unfortunate Events (2017–2019). Harris is also known for his role as the title character in Joss Whedon's musical Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (2008) and a fictional version of himself in the Harold & Kumar film series (2004–2011). His other films include Starship Troopers (1997), Beastly (2011), The Smurfs (2011), The Smurfs 2 (2013), A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014), and Gone Girl (2014). In 2010, Harris won two awards at the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards, winning for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his guest appearance on Glee, and Outstanding Special Class Program for hosting the Tony Awards in 2009; he has won the latter award three additional times for hosting the show in 2011, 2012, and 2013. He also hosted the Primetime Emmy Awards in 2009 and 2013, and hosted the 87th Academy Awards in 2015, thus making him the first openly gay man to host the Academy Awards. In 2014, he starred in the title role in Hedwig and the Angry Inch on Broadway, for which he won the 2014 Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. Harris was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in 2010. He is married to David Burtka. In 2010, they had twins via surrogacy.
Katy Perry
Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television judge. She is known for her influence on the pop sound and style of the 2010s. Pursuing a career in gospel music at 16, Perry released her commercially unsuccessful debut album, Katy Hudson (2001), under Red Hill Records. She moved to Los Angeles at 17 to venture into secular music, adopting the stage name "Katy Perry" from her mother's maiden name. With producers Glen Ballard and Greg Wells, she recorded an unreleased album titled Fingerprints while signed to Java Records and then Columbia Records before being dropped. After this, she signed a recording contract with Capitol Records in April 2007. Perry rose to fame with her second album and major label debut, One of the Boys (2008), a pop rock record containing her debut single "I Kissed a Girl" and follow-up single "Hot n Cold", which respectively reached number one and three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The disco-influenced pop album Teenage Dream (2010) spawned five U.S. number one singles—"California Gurls", "Teenage Dream", "Firework", "E.T.", and "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)"—becoming the first album by a solo female artist to do so. A reissue titled Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection (2012) subsequently had the U.S. number one single "Part of Me". Her fourth album Prism (2013) has themes of self-empowerment and relationships. With the music videos for its U.S. number one singles "Roar" and "Dark Horse", Perry became the first artist to have multiple videos reach one billion views on YouTube. Witness (2017) featured an electropop sound with themes of liberation and a political subtext, while Smile (2020) featured themes of motherhood and self-help. She later embarked on her first concert residency titled Play in Resorts World Las Vegas, selling out multiple shows and receiving critical acclaim. Perry is one of the best-selling artists of all time, having sold over 143 million records worldwide. All of her studio albums released under Capitol have individually surpassed one billion streams on Spotify. She has nine U.S. number one singles, three U.S. number one albums and has received various accolades, including four Guinness World Records, five Billboard Music Awards, five American Music Awards, a Brit Award, and a Juno Award. Perry has been included in the annual Forbes lists of highest-earning women in music from 2011 to 2019. Her critically acclaimed Super Bowl halftime show performance is the most watched in history. Outside of music, she released an autobiographical documentary titled Katy Perry: Part of Me in 2012, and voiced Smurfette in The Smurfs film series. Perry began serving as a judge on American Idol, starting from its sixteenth season in 2018. She is also the most followed woman on Twitter, with over 100 million followers. Description above from the Wikipedia article Katy Perry, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.