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Michael Jai White

Cast · Known for Drive Through Fire, Why Did I Get Married Again?

Michael Jai White (born November 10, 1967) is an American actor and professional martial artist, who has appeared in numerous films and television series. He is the first African-American to portray a major comic book superhero in a major motion picture, having starred as Al Simmons, the protagonist in the 1997 film Spawn. White was born in Brooklyn, New York and moved as a teen to Bridgeport, Connecticut, where he graduated from Central High School in 1988. White started martial arts training at the age of seven and is now an accomplished martial artist, holding seven legitimate black belts in Shotokan, Tae Kwon Do, Kobudo, Goju Ryu, Tang Soo Do, Wushu and Kyokushin, with a specific focus in Kyokushin (although his style incorporates aspects of many different martial arts forms). His first major starring role and breakout performance was in the 1995 HBO film Tyson, as heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson. In 1997, he portrayed the eponymous character in the 1997 movie Spawn. His work in Spawn earned him a nomination for the Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Best Male Newcomer. White starred opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme in Universal Soldier: The Return. In 2001, he also starred opposite fellow martial artist Steven Seagal in Exit Wounds. In 2003, he starred in Busta Rhymes' and Mariah Carey's music video "I Know What You Want". Since 2003, in addition to his on screen roles, White has been doing voice work, including Static Shock, Justice League, and the Spawn animated series. White showcases his martial arts skills in the direct-to-DVD film Undisputed II: Last Man Standing. He also appears in Michelle Yeoh's Silver Hawk in 2004. His film, Why Did I Get Married? opened at number one at the box office on October 12, 2007. White played the role of the mob boss Gambol in the 2008 film The Dark Knight. He also starred in the film Blood and Bone and the Blaxploitation homage Black Dynamite, both released in 2009. White wrote the scripts for both Black Dynamite and his upcoming 3 Bullets in which he stars with Bokeem Woodbine. White will make his directorial debut and star in Never Back Down 2, which is slated for a 2011 release. In August 2005 he wed his girlfriend of two years, Courtenay Chatman. The couple have a daughter named Morgan Michelle who was born on December 24, 2008. Michael has two sons from a previous relationship. He is an avid chess player, as seen in his movie Blood and Bone.

Steve Austin

Cast · Known for The Expendables, Grown Ups 2

Steven James Anderson, formerly Steven James Williams, better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American film and television actor and retired professional wrestler currently signed to WWE. Austin wrestled for several well-known wrestling promotions such as World Championship Wrestling (WCW), Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and most famously, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), which later became World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2002. Billed as "The Most Popular Superstar in WWE History", he gained significant mainstream popularity in the WWF during the mid-to-late 1990s as "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, a disrespectful, beer-drinking antihero who routinely defied his boss, Vince McMahon. This defiance was often shown by Austin flipping off McMahon and incapacitating him with the Stone Cold Stunner, his finishing move. McMahon inducted Austin into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009. Austin held nineteen championships throughout his professional wrestling career, and is recognized by WWE as a six-time world champion, having held the WWF Championship on six occasions, and the fifth Triple Crown Champion. He was also the winner of the 1996 King of the Ring tournament, as well as the 1997, 1998 and 2001 Royal Rumbles. He was forced to retire from in ring competition in early 2003 due to a series of knee and neck injuries sustained throughout his career. Throughout the rest of 2003 and 2004, he was featured as the Co-General Manager and "Sheriff" of Raw. Since 2005, he has continued to make occasional appearances. In 2011, Steve Austin returned to WWE to host the reality series Tough Enough. On August 14, 2002, Austin was arrested and charged with domestic abuse. He pleaded no contest on November 25, 2002, and was given a year's probation, a $1,000 fine, and ordered to carry out 80 hours of community service.] Marshall told Fox News that Austin beat her three times and that the 2002 incident was the result of roid rage. She also stated that WWE knew of the abuse, working to conceal the bruises on her face, and kept her from revealing that Austin hit her, as it would cost the company millions of dollars. During his early years as a wrestler, Austin was a technical wrestler. However, after his neck injury against Owen Hart in 1997, he changed his style from technical to brawler. His most famous finishing move is the Stone Cold Stunner, or simply Stunner. During his time as The Ringmaster he used the Million Dollar Dream as finisher, since it was Ted DiBiase's finisher. During his time in WCW, Austin used the Stun Gun as finisher One of Austin's taunts during the Attitude Era was to show the middle finger. In August 2001, Austin cut a promo, debuting his catchphrase "What?", which is used today by fans when they want to mock wrestlers during promos

Tommy Dysart

Tommy Dysart (24 December 1935 - 7 June 2022) was a Scottish-born actor, currently resident in Australia. Dysart has been a regular fixture on Australian television for several decades, frequently appearing in guest-starring roles in drama series and comedies, and in character roles in films and miniseries. High-profile early roles included appearances in Skippy the Bush Kangaroo, Phoenix Five, and several roles in the Crawford Productions police drama series Homicide, Division 4 and Matlock Police. In the early 1980s he played what is perhaps his best-known acting role, that of vicious and corrupt prison officer Jock Stewart in Prisoner. In the storyline, after being fired from the prison service Stewart admitted to prisoner Judy Bryant that he was the one responsible for murdering her lesbian lover, fellow prisoner Sharon Gilmour. This revelation brought to a close a murder-mystery storyline in the series but launched a long-running story-arc where Bryant repeatedly escaped from prison in a succession of attempts to exact her revenge on Stewart. After this Dysart continued in guest-starring television roles in drama series and situation comedies, and appeared in many feature films. His films included The Man from Snowy River (1982), Bliss (1985), Garbo (1992), and Flynn (1996). Television roles of the 1990s included appearances in All Together Now, The Games, State Coroner, Blue Heelers, Something in the Air and Neighbours. He also provided the voice for Captain Griswald in Anthony Lucas' animated short film The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello (2005). Starting in the 1990s he appeared in a series of well remembered advertisements for the Yellow Pages where he calls a series of mechanics about his problematic Goggomobil. He was also known for playing a recurring character of a Mafia-boss like butcher in advertisements for Don's Smallgoods. In the early 2000s he continued his Goggomobil persona advertising Shannons Insurance. The concept played on the role of a person searching for the car parts as any car enthusiast would. Telstra challenged this in the Supreme Court and Shannons withdrew the advertisements, but continued with Dysart and the accent (which Dysart insisted was his own and could not change). The adverts continue and Shannons Insurance also owns several of the Goggomobil cars which feature regularly in their shows. Tommy has enjoyed a long friendship and working relationship with director/writer Frank Howson in the movies Backstage, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, What The Moon Saw, Flynn, Crime Time, The Final Stage, The Lucky Country, and their most recent collaboration is the award winning film Remembering Nigel, which also stars Tommy's wife Joan and son Kole. He was married to Australian actress Joan Brockenshire.

Kenneth Mars

Cast · Known for The Little Mermaid, Malcolm in the Middle

Kenneth Mars (April 4, 1935 – February 12, 2011) was an American actor. He appeared in two Mel Brooks films: as the deranged Nazi playwright Franz Liebkind in The Producers (1967) and Police Inspector Hans Wilhelm Friedrich Kemp in Young Frankenstein (1974). He also appeared in Peter Bogdanovich's What's Up Doc? (1972), and Woody Allen's Radio Days (1987), and Shadows and Fog (1991). Mars appeared in two seasons of Malcolm in the Middle as Otto Mannkusser, Francis's well-meaning but dimwitted boss and a German immigrant who owns a dude ranch. He voiced King Triton, Ariel's father, in the 1989 Disney animated film The Little Mermaid and its sequel, as well as its companion television series, and the Kingdom Hearts series. He also did several other animated voice-over film roles such as Littlefoot's grandfather in the Land Before Time series (up to 2008) and that of Professor Screweyes in We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story (1993), and King Colbert (Prince Cornelius's father) in Thumbelina (1994). Description above from the Wikipedia article Kenneth Mars, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Brittney Bluitt

Brittney Bluitt, a native of Dallas, Texas, has made her staple in independent film and new media work, including the Daytime Emmy-winning webseries #Washed, in which she was nominated for Best Guest Actress for her role as the fashion-forward, tough as nails, no-nonsense boss lady Claire Jackson at the 12th annual Indie Series Awards in Los Angeles, California. You can also catch Brittney in other local film projects, including the feature-length documentary Natural Hair: The Movie on Amazon Prime and Tubi. Being no stranger to the stage, Brittney began her journey into theater with Soul Rep in 2020 by portraying the role of Anarcha in the filmed version of Do No Harm written by playwright Anyika Herod-McMillan, and in 2021 she dominated in her first live theater performance, taking on her first lead role as Daughter in Soul Rep’s production of Shay Youngblood’s Shakin’ the Mess Outta Misery. Since then, Brittney has lit up the stage at Dallas Theater Center, reprising her role as Anarcha in the staged version of Do No Harm and portraying the role of “8” in Aleshea Harris’ What to Send Up When It Goes Down at Stage West Theatre in Fort Worth. Brittney attended Lancaster High School, where she found her love for the arts by majoring in dance and, shortly after graduating, performing with the Loris Beckles Dance Company in Dallas, TX. Brittney started her acting career in 2016, studying scene work and character analysis under Theresa Bell at the TBell Actors Studio.

Jenifer Lewis

Cast · Known for Strong Medicine, Cast Away, Cars

Jenifer Jeanette Lewis (born January 25, 1957) is an American film and television actress and singer. She is one of Hollywood's most familiar faces, with more than 300 appearances in film and television and was dubbed a "national treasure" by TV Guide.com. She began her career appearing in Broadway musicals and worked as a back-up singer for Bette Midler before appearing in the films Beaches and Sister Act. She delivered legendary performances as Tina Turner's mother in What's Love Got to Do With It and in The Preacher's Wife as the mother of Whitney Houston's character. She starred opposite Matt Damon in Clint Eastwood's Hereafter. For director Tyler Perry, she created unforgettable characters in Madea's Family Reunion and Meet the Browns. In the movie Cast Away, she portrayed Tom Hanks' boss. In animated films, Jenifer's uniquely recognizable voice is adored by Disney fans worldwide in roles such as "Flo" in Cars and Cars 2, and as "Mama Odie" in The Princess and the Frog. For six seasons, Jenifer portrayed "Lana Hawkins" on Lifetime's hit series Strong Medicine. She starred on the hit show Black-ish (ABC), where her hilarious portrayal of "Ruby Johnson" earned her a nomination for the 2016 Critics Choice Award. She has also written two books: The Mother of Black Hollywood and Walking in My Joy: In These Streets.

Ken Hutchison

One of the most brilliant character actors of his generation, Hollywood's loss was British television's gain with Ken Hutchison. Born in Scotland, his handsome features and cheeky expression guaranteed him a career in character roles, but his dangerous streak led him early in his career into dark, villainous roles. He was cast by Sam Peckinpah as one of the sinister villagers of Straw Dogs (1971), raping Susan George and participating in the film's closing violent siege. Peckinpah took to the actor, and the pair indulged in their love of drinking throughout the shoot, often to the frustration of those around them. Hutchison was soon offered a role in the Robert Mitchum film The Wrath of God (1972) but this was his one and only shot at the big time. Quite what went wrong is open to debate. Some say he was wary of success and got cold feet. Whether that is true or not, what certainly didn't help was his unruly behaviour which made studio execs nervous of casting him again. He returned to Britain and continued his career as an anonymous but astounding character actor. He appeared in two of John Mackenzie's Play For Today films based on Peter McDougall scripts. In Play for Today: Just Another Saturday (1975) he played the head thug of the Orange Lodge, and in Play for Today: Just a Boys' Game (1979) he played Dancer Dunnichy, an irresponsible rogue who lived for drinking and dodging responsibility, a character that seemed to echo his offscreen persona. Hutchison was a stalwart of British TV crime series at this time, appearing in series such as Shoestring (1979), Target (1977) and Jemima Shore Investigates (1983) as well as The Sweeney (1974). In fact he also played the lead villain in the movie Sweeney 2 (1978), but the script allowed him precious little opportunity to shown off his skills as an actor. In 1978 the BBC cast him as Heathcliff in a serialisation of Wuthering Heights (1978) and he brilliantly captured the rough magic of the character. In the 80s he was seen less, although he had a regular role as the boss in children's series Murphy's Mob (1982). Since then he has appeared inevitably in shows like The Bill (1984). His great strength is an incredible ability with accents, and super comic timing, but he is also excellent at conveying menace. A riveting screen presence, Hutchison is long overdue for recognition as a treasure for British drama, a talent which his own country has rarely recognised.

Ashton Kutcher

Cast · Known for The Butterfly Effect, No Strings Attached, Two and a Half Men

Christopher Ashton Kutcher (born February 7, 1978) is an American actor, model, producer, and entrepreneur. He began his acting career portraying Michael Kelso in the Fox sitcom That '70s Show (1998–2006). He made his film debut in the romantic comedy Coming Soon (1999), followed by the comedy film Dude, Where's My Car? (2000), which was a box office hit. In 2003, Kutcher moved into romantic comedies, appearing in that year's Just Married and My Boss's Daughter. In 2003, he created and produced the television series Punk'd, also serving as host for the first eight of its ten seasons. In 2004, Kutcher starred in the lead role of the psychological film The Butterfly Effect. Kutcher subsequently appeared in more romantic comedies, including Guess Who (2005), A Lot Like Love (2005), What Happens in Vegas (2008), and No Strings Attached (2011). He starred as Walden Schmidt on the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men (2011–2015). In 2013, Kutcher portrayed Steve Jobs in the biographical film Jobs. He also starred as Colt Bennett in the Netflix series The Ranch (2016–2020). Kutcher provided the voice of Elliot in Open Season (2006). Beyond entertainment, Kutcher is also a venture capitalist. He is a co-founder of the venture capital firm A-Grade Investments. At SXSW in March 2015, Kutcher announced Sound Ventures, the successor to A-Grade Investments, managing a fund backed by institutional funding. Kutcher has also successfully invested in several high technology startups. Kutcher has investments in over 60 companies, the most prominent of which include Skype, Foursquare, Airbnb, Path and Fab.com. Kutcher has invested in five startups as of August 2017: Neighborly, Zenreach, ResearchGate, Kopari Beauty, and Lemonade.

Mantan Moreland

Born just after the turn of the century in Louisiana, Mantan began running away from home at age 12 to join circuses and medicine shows, only to be brought back time and again. During these times he sharpened his comic skills and developed routines and acts that eventually became popular on the vaudeville stage, or what was then called the "chitlin' circuit." A solo performer by nature, he often teamed up with other famous comics (such as Ben Carter) to keep working, and became a deft performer of "indefinite talk" routines, where two quicksilver comics continually topped each other in mid-sentence, as if reading each other's mind (i.e., "Say, did you see...?" "Saw him just yesterday...didn't look so good"). Mantan's focus gradually shifted his trade toward film, where he initially appeared in servile bits (shoeshine men, porters, waiters). However, his talent for making people laugh couldn't be overlooked and he soon earned featured status in Harlem-styled western parodies and grade "A" comedy films playing the superstitious, ever-terrified manservant running from any kind of impending doom. Moreland's peak in movies came with his recurring role as Birmingham, the skittish chauffeur, in the "Charlie Chan" series, where he was forever forewarning his boss to stay away from an obviously dangerous case or situation. Though haunted mansions were an ideal place for setting off his stereotyped character, Mantan would be haunted in a different way by this Hollywood success in years to follow. By the 1950s, racial attitudes began to change and, with the rise of the civil rights movement, what was once considered hilarious was now interpreted as demeaning and offensive to both blacks and whites. Mantan and others, such as Stepin Fetchit, were ostracized and ridiculed by Hollywood for their past negative portrayals. It took decades for audiences to forgive and newer generations to forget the Depression-era comedy of Mantan Moreland in order for the actor to come back. In the late 1960s he managed a modest resurgence on TV and in commercials and occasional films, allowing him to work again with such comic heavyweights as Bill Cosby, Godfrey Cambridge and director Carl Reiner. It was all too brief, however, for Mantan, long suffering from ill health, died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1973, just as he was settling in to his renewed popularity. Today, audiences tend to be kinder and more understanding of Moreland, remembering him as a highly talented comic who, in the only way he knew, broke major barriers and opened the doors for others black actors to follow.

Neal McDonough

Cast · Known for The Last Rodeo, Sonic the Hedgehog, Jimmy

**Neal McDonough** (born February 13, 1966) is an American actor and producer. Known for his piercing blue eyes, platinum-blond hair, and intense screen presence, he has built an extensive career portraying principled leaders, morally ambiguous figures, and chilling villains across major film and television productions. Born in Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts, to Irish immigrant parents, McDonough grew up in Barnstable on Cape Cod. He developed an early interest in performance, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Syracuse University in 1988 before training classically at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). His defining breakthrough came with the critically acclaimed HBO World War II miniseries *Band of Brothers* (2001), where his poignant portrayal of First Lieutenant Lynn "Buck" Compton earned him international recognition. McDonough soon established himself as one of Hollywood's most dependable character actors, appearing in high-profile feature films such as Steven Spielberg's *Minority Report* (2002), the action remake *Walking Tall* (2004), *The Guardian* (2006), and Clint Eastwood's *Flags of Our Fathers* (2006). In 2011, he joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Timothy "Dum Dum" Dugan in *Captain America: The First Avenger*, later reprising the role across *Marvel's Agent Carter*, *Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.*, and the animated series *What If...?*. On television, McDonough has delivered a succession of memorable performances. He played the sinister Dave Williams in the fifth season of *Desperate Housewives* (2008 to 2009) and the ruthless Detroit mob boss Robert Quarles in the third season of FX's neo-Western crime drama *Justified* (2012), for which he earned a Critics' Choice Television Award nomination. He also portrayed the comic book supervillain Damien Darhk across the CW's Arrowverse, starring as a series regular on *Arrow* and *Legends of Tomorrow*, alongside appearances on *The Flash*. In recent years, he expanded his footprint in modern Westerns and crime dramas, portraying ruthless mogul Malcolm Beck in Taylor Sheridan's *Yellowstone*, General James Harding in *Project Blue Book*, President Dwight D. Eisenhower in *American Horror Story: Double Feature*, and powerful wind baron Cal Thresher in the second season of Paramount+'s *Tulsa King* (2024). Balancing big-budget studio projects, prestige television, and independent cinema, he remains one of the most recognizable and versatile character actors of his generation.

Richard Sakai

Producer · Director · Known for Spanglish, Taxi, The Simpsons

Richard Sakai (born January 28, 1954) is an American television and film producer. He is best known for his work on the animated sitcom The Simpsons, for which he is one of the original producers. In 1997, Sakai was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture for his work on the film Jerry Maguire (1996). Sakai began his career as an assistant to James L. Brooks in 1977. In 1984, Brooks invited Sakai to become a producer in his new film production company, Gracie Films. Sakai ultimately produced many of Brooks' films, such as Jerry Maguire, As Good as It Gets (1997), and Spanglish (2004). Sakai also produced Bottle Rocket (1996) and Riding in Cars with Boys (2001). Additionally, he was a producer for The Simpsons Movie (2007). As a television producer and director, Sakai has worked on many different shows. He has directed episodes of Taxi, Newhart, and Who's the Boss?. He has also produced episodes of The Tracey Ullman Show, The Critic, Phenom, and What About Joan? in addition to his work on The Simpsons, for which he has won several Emmy Awards. On The Simpsons, Sakai has been animated several times, most notably as: a karaoke singer in the episode "One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish"; an escaping prisoner in a commercial about "revolving door prisons" in "Sideshow Bob Roberts"; and a jazz vibraphone player in "Jazzy and the Pussycats". Sakai is currently president of Gracie Films. Description above from the Wikipedia article Richard Sakai, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

P!nk

Alecia Beth Moore-Hart (born September 8, 1979), known professionally as Pink (stylized as P!nk or P!NK, in all caps), is an American singer and songwriter. She is known for her acrobatic stage presence. At age 15, Pink formed the short-lived girl group Choice, which signed with LaFace Records in 1995, although they disbanded without major releases. Her debut studio album, Can't Take Me Home (2000), received double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Produced by label boss Babyface and influenced by contemporary R&B, the album spawned US Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 singles: "There You Go" and "Most Girls". Pink gained further recognition for her 2001 collaborative single "Lady Marmalade" from the soundtrack of Moulin Rouge!, which peaked atop 13 international charts, including the US, and earned her first Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. Pink shifted to pop rock with her second album, Missundaztood (2001), which sold over 13 million copies worldwide and yielded three Top 10 singles: "Get the Party Started", "Don't Let Me Get Me", and "Just Like a Pill". While Pink's third album Try This (2003) sold significantly less than her second album, it earned a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. Her fourth and fifth studio albums, I'm Not Dead (2006) and Funhouse (2008), saw a commercial rebound and spawned the Top 10 singles "Who Knew" and "U + Ur Hand", as well as the US No. 1 single "So What". She scored her third and fourth US No. 1 hits with "Raise Your Glass" as well as "Just Give Me a Reason" from her sixth album The Truth About Love (2012), which became her first to top the US Billboard 200. In 2014, Pink formed the collaborative folk duo You+Me with Dallas Green and released the album Rose Ave.. Her following albums, Beautiful Trauma (2017) and Hurts 2B Human (2019), saw success and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, with the former becoming the third best-selling album of that year worldwide. Her ninth and latest studio album, Trustfall (2023), peaked at No. 2 on the chart. Pink has sold more than 135 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Pink is the most-played female solo artist in the UK during the 21st century, while Billboard named Pink the Pop Songs Artist of the 2000s Decade. Her accolades include three Grammy Awards, two Brit Awards, a Daytime Emmy Award, seven MTV Video Music Awards, and two MTV Europe Music Awards. At the 63rd BMI Pop Awards, she received the BMI President's Award for "her outstanding achievement in songwriting and global impact on pop culture and the entertainment industry", and was honored with the People's Champion Award, the iHeartRadio Music Award Icon Award. Billboard named Pink the 2013 Woman of the Year at the Billboard Women in Music and honored her with the Billboard Icon Award and the Billboard Legend of Live. VH1 ranked her 10th on its list of the 100 Greatest Women in Music. In 2026, Pink was nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Barbara McNair

Barbara Jean McNair (March 4, 1934 – February 4, 2007) was an African-American singer and actress. Born Barbara Joan McNair in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Racine, Wisconsin, McNair studied music at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago. Her big break came with a win on Arthur Godfrey's TV show Talent Scouts, which led to bookings at The Purple Onion and the Cocoanut Grove. She soon became one of the country's most popular headliners and a guest on such television variety shows as The Steve Allen Show, Hullabaloo, The Bell Telephone Hour, and The Hollywood Palace, while recording for the Coral, Signature, and Motown labels. Among her hits were "You're Gonna Love My Baby" and "Bobby". In the early 60s, Barbara made several musical shorts for Scopitone, a franchise of coin-operated machines that showed what were the forerunners of today's music videos. McNair's acting career began on television, guesting on series such as Dr. Kildare, The Eleventh Hour, I Spy, Mission: Impossible, Hogan's Heroes and McMillan and Wife. McNair posed nude for Playboy in the October 1968 issue. She caught the attention of the movie-going public with her much-publicized nude sequences in the gritty crime drama If He Hollers Let Him Go (1968) opposite Raymond St. Jacques, then donned a nun's habit alongside Mary Tyler Moore for Change of Habit (1969), Elvis Presley's last feature film. She portrayed Sidney Poitier's wife in They Call Me MISTER Tibbs! (1970) and its sequel, The Organization (1971). McNair's Broadway credits include The Body Beautiful (1958), No Strings (1962), and a revival of The Pajama Game (1973). McNair starred in her own 1969 television variety series, but it lasted only one season, despite the wattage provided by A-list guests like Tony Bennett and Sonny and Cher, and offers began to dwindle. On December 15, 1976, her husband, Rick Manzi, was murdered, and Mafia boss-turned-FBI-informant Jimmy Fratianno later claimed in his book The Last Mafioso that Manzi had been a Mafia associate who tried to put a contract on the life of a mob-associated tax attorney with whom he had a legal dispute. The ensuing publicity did little to help McNair's floundering career. Her recordings include Livin' End, I Enjoy Being a Girl, and The Ultimate Motown Collection, a 2-CD set with 48 tracks that include her two albums for the label plus a non-album single and B-side and an entire LP that never was released. Into her seventies, McNair resided in the Los Angeles area, playing tennis and skiing to keep in shape on a regular basis and touring on occasion. She died on February 4, 2007, of throat cancer, survived by her husband Charles Blecka.

Brian A. Miller

Executive Producer · Known for Adventure Time, Clarence, Craig of the Creek

Eleven-time Emmy Award-winning producer of both television and film, Brian Miller served as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Cartoon Network Studios from 2000 to 2021. He opened the doors to the production facility in Burbank, California, in 2000. In this role, Miller oversaw the studio’s production of Cartoon Network original programming for both domestic and international audiences, while also managing the day-to-day operations. Miller was responsible for creating and implementing the unit-based animation production model that fostered a unique and artistically rich environment at the studio. In addition to animation, he also supervised the studio’s scripted live-action series and original TV movies produced for the network. Since joining Cartoon Network in 2000 to establish its original production facility, Miller oversaw the production of more than 3,000 episodes. Under his leadership, the studio became a leader in animation awards, earning 47 Emmy nominations in both primetime and daytime categories. Cartoon Network Studios also received numerous Annie Awards, Italy’s Pulcinella Award, and Annecy’s Cristal Award for Best Television Series, establishing itself as the most awarded television animation studio of the last decade. Beyond the internal productions, Miller also consulted on co-production deals and managed production logistics for externally produced shows. Before his time at Cartoon Network, Miller was Vice President of Production at Nickelodeon’s Animation Studio, where he opened their Burbank facility in 1998. There, he managed both domestic and international production on hit series including SpongeBob SquarePants, Hey Arnold!, and the Oh Yeah! Cartoons shorts program. Prior to Nickelodeon, Miller served as Vice President of Animation Production at Hanna-Barbera. He was responsible for both domestic and overseas production on iconic series such as Dexter’s Laboratory, The Powerpuff Girls, Johnny Bravo, Cow and Chicken, and The What a Cartoon! shorts program. Miller began his animation career in the mid-1980s at DIC Enterprises, where he started as an associate producer and eventually became Vice President of Production. Before entering the animation world, he worked in live-action television, specializing in early reality programming, including That’s Incredible! He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Radio, Television, and Film from California State University, Northridge.

Cody Dorkin

Cast · Known for Johnny Bravo, Toy Story

Cody Dorkin is a former child actor and prolific voice artist best known for voicing Jungle Boy in the classic Cartoon Network series Johnny Bravo and the What a Cartoon! shorts. In addition to his starring voice roles, he was a staple in 1990s animation and film, contributing additional voices to major productions like the original Toy Story (1995) and the DreamWorks film Antz (1998).

Ben Howard

Ben Howard is a retired British actor famous for playing cockney hardmen and squaddies. He starred in the Richard Attenborough films, Oh What a Lovely War and A Bridge Too Far, and starred in the big police series of the 60s and 70s; Z Cars, The Sweeney and Dixon of Dock Green - the latter as DC Len Clayton in the long running show's final series in 1976. Away from acting Ben designed and created the Benjyboard skateboard which is still admired by skaters to this day as a classic.

Michael Goodman

Michael Goodman (born 29 April 1948) is a former actor of stage and screen. He is best known for playing The Artful Dodger in the original production of Oliver!, on Broadway, and Joey in What a Crazy World (1963), though he lent his talents to various productions around this period before retiring from acting in his 20s. His voice can be heard in the Original Broadway Cast Recording album of Oliver! and in a deleted song from What a Crazy World called I Sure Know a Lot About Love, which is currently credited to Joe Brown on music streaming sites.

Ariel Bar Tzadok

Cast · Known for Ancient Aliens

Rabbi Ariel Bar Tzadok is a frequent guest on the History Channel's Ancient Aliens and the founder of the KosherTorah School. He is known for bridging the gap between Orthodox Jewish tradition, Kabbalah, and the modern "Ancient Astronaut" theory. His perspective is unique because he argues that what modern society calls "aliens" or "UFOs" are actually the same entities described in ancient Jewish texts as angels, demons, and the Nephilim. Core Philosophy: "We Are Not Alone" Bar Tzadok teaches that Torah and Kabbalah explicitly document encounters with non-human intelligences. He posits several key ideas: • Identical Entities: He believes that "aliens" are simply a modern, secular label for spiritual or physical beings that were well-known to the ancients. To him, an "alien abduction" might be what a Kabbalist would call a "visionary experience" or an "encounter with a Shed (demon)." • The Nephilim & Fallen Angels: He often discusses the "Watchers" (from the Book of Enoch) and the Nephilim (Genesis 6), interpreting them as extraterrestrial or interdimensional beings who interacted with and genetically influenced humanity. • Dimensional Reality: Rather than just "beings from other planets," he often describes these entities as interdimensional. He uses the Kabbalistic concept of multiple worlds (Atzilut, Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah) to explain where these beings reside and how they cross into our physical realm. • Ma’aseh Merkavah: He interprets the "Work of the Chariot" (Ezekiel’s vision) as a literal description of advanced technology or celestial craft, rather than purely symbolic poetry. Media Appearances and Works Bar Tzadok’s role on Ancient Aliens is usually to provide the "Jewish/Kabbalistic perspective" on specific topics like the Ark of the Covenant, the Mana machine, or ancient high technology. Key Books on the Subject: • Aliens, Angels, and Demons: His most prominent work on this topic, exploring extraterrestrial life through the lens of Judaism and Kabbalah. • What Torah Says About Extraterrestrial Life: An Orthodox review of UFO phenomena, close encounters, and government conspiracies. Reception In the Orthodox world, Bar Tzadok is a polarizing figure. While he is a traditionally trained Rabbi (ordained in Jerusalem), his willingness to engage with UFO culture and "Ancient Astronaut" theories is viewed by many mainstream scholars as "unconventional" or "fringe." However, he maintains that he is simply uncovering "Sitrei Torah" (secrets of the Torah) that have been hidden for centuries. Would you like me to find a list of specific Ancient Aliens episodes he has appeared in, or perhaps a summary of his views on a specific biblical object like the Ark of the Covenant?

Guy Lombardo

Gaetano Alberto "Guy" Lombardo was a Canadian-American bandleader and violinist. Lombardo formed the Royal Canadians in 1924 with his brothers Carmen, Lebert and Victor, and other musicians from his hometown. They billed themselves as creating "the sweetest music this side of Heaven." The Lombardos are believed to have sold between 100 and 300 million records during their lifetimes, many featuring the band's lead singer, Kenny Gardner. Lombardo was born in London, Ontario, to Italian immigrants Gaetano Alberto and Angelina Lombardo. His father was an amateur singer with a baritone voice, and had four of his five sons learn to play instruments so they could accompany him. Lombardo and his brothers formed their first orchestra while still in grammar school and rehearsed in the back of their father's tailor shop. Lombardo first performed in public with his brother Carmen at a church lawn party in London in 1914. Lombardo became a naturalized citizen of the United States. Although Lombardo's "sweet" big-band music was viewed by some in the jazz and big-band community of the day as "boring, mainstream pap," trumpeter Louis Armstrong regularly named Lombardo's band his favorite orchestra. Lombardo is remembered for almost a half-century of New Year's Eve big band remotes, first on radio, then on television. His orchestra played at the Roosevelt Grill in the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City from 1929 ("radio's first nationwide New Year's Eve broadcast") to 1959, and from then until 1976 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Live broadcasts (and later telecasts) of their performances were a large part of New Year's celebrations across North America; millions of people watched the show with friends at house parties. Because of this popularity, Lombardo was called "Mr. New Year's Eve". The band's first New Year's Eve radio broadcast was in 1928; within a few years, they were heard live on the CBS Radio Network before midnight Eastern Time, then on the NBC Radio Network after midnight. On December 31, 1956, the Lombardo band did their first New Year's TV special on CBS; the program (and Lombardo's 20 subsequent New Year's Eve TV shows) included a live segment from Times Square. Although CBS carried most of the Lombardo New Year's specials, there were a few years in the late 1960s and early 1970s when the special was syndicated live to individual TV stations instead of broadcast on a network. By the middle 1970s, the Lombardo TV show was facing competition, especially for younger viewers, from Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, but Lombardo remained famous among viewers, especially older ones. Even after Lombardo's death, the band's New Year's specials continued for two more years on CBS. The Royal Canadians' recording of the traditional song "Auld Lang Syne" still plays as the first song of the new year in Times Square followed by "New York, New York" by Frank Sinatra, "America the Beautiful" by Ray Charles, "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong, and "Over the Rainbow " by IZ. Lombardo and his orchestra were part of the 1934 film Many Happy Returns, and clips of his own show appeared in the 1977 film Looking for Mr. Goodbar, starring Diane Keaton. On November 5, 1977, Lombardo died of a heart attack. He has three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles.

Victor Spinetti

Victor Sinetti (born Vittorio Giorgio Andre Spinetti) was a Welsh comedy actor, author and poet. He appeared in dozens of films and stage plays throughout his 50-year career, including the three 1960s Beatles films "A Hard Day's Night", "Help!" and "Magical Mystery Tour". Born in Cwm, Ebbw Vale, Wales, Spinetti was educated at Monmouth School and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, of which he became a Fellow. After various menial jobs, Spinetti pursued a stage career and was closely associated with Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop in London, England. Among the productions were "Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be" and "Oh! What a Lovely War" (1963), which transferred to New York City and for which he won a Tony Award. Spinetti's film career developed simultaneously; his dozens of film appearances would include Zeffirelli's "The Taming of the Shrew", "Under Milk Wood", "The Return of the Pink Panther" and "Under the Cherry Moon". During his later career, Spinetti acted with the Royal Shakespeare Company, in such roles as Lord Foppington in "The Relapse" and the Archbishop in "Richard III", at Stratford-upon-Avon; and, in 1990, he appeared in "The Krays". In 2008 he appeared in a one-man show, "A Very Private Diary", which toured the UK as "A Very Private Diary ... Revisited!", recounting his life story. Spinetti was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2011 and died of the disease in June 2012.

Leon Carroll Jr.

Leon Carroll Jr. Is a retired NCIS Agent and a technical advisor for the drama series NCIS. Originally a member of the United States Marine Corps, Carroll later joined the real-life NIS/NCIS agency and worked there for two decades before retiring. After retiring, he returned to help in the aftermath of 9/11 before retiring again. Carroll later joined NCIS and now serves an adviser, advising the NCIS writers on what a real-life NCIS Special Agent would do. NCIS Director Leon Vance, who is played by American actor Rocky Carroll (no relation to Leon Carroll), is partly named after him. In addition, Vance's habit of chewing on a toothpick is inspired by Leon Carroll's real-life habit of chewing on a toothpick.

Maurice Roëves

Cast · Known for Judge Dredd

John Maurice Roëves (19 March 1937 – 14 July 2020) was a British actor. His television roles include Danger UXB (1979), The Nightmare Man (1981), the 1984 Doctor Who serial The Caves of Androzani, Days of our Lives (1986), Tutti Frutti (1987), Rab C. Nesbitt (1990), The New Statesman (1990), Spender (1991), Star Trek: The Next Generation, the BBC adaptation of Vanity Fair (1998) and EastEnders (2003). He also played Chief Superintendent David Duckenfield in the 1996 television film Hillsborough, in which his character patrolled the FA Cup semi-final in the Liverpool F.C. game where a crush (blame on loss of police control) led to the deaths of 96 fans. In 2006 he starred in the BBC docudrama Surviving Disasters, portraying Sir Matt Busby in the story of the Munich air disaster. He starred as Robert Henderson in BBC Scotland's drama River City. His film roles include Oh! What a Lovely War, Ulysses, Hidden Agenda, the 1992 version of The Last of the Mohicans, the Judge Dredd movie (1995) and Beautiful Creatures (2000). In 2003 he appeared in May Miles Thomas's film Solid Air. Description above from the Wikipedia article Maurice Roëves, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

John Boswall

John Boswall (2 May 1920 – 6 June 2011) was a British actor known for playing Emmanuel Goldstein in 1984 and Wyvern in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. Boswall was born John Stuart on 2 May 1920 in Oxfordshire, England. Prior to his career as an actor, he attended the University of Oxford and served in Burma during World War II. Boswall's television appearances included Paul Temple (1971), Wessex Tales (1973), Lady Killer (1973), Edward the Seventh (1975), The Onedin Line (1976), Love in a Cold Climate (1980), The Hound of the Baskervilles (1982), Sapphire & Steel (1982), No Place Like Home (1986), EastEnders (1990, 2002), Selling Hitler (1991), Agatha Christie's Poirot (1991), Drop the Dead Donkey (1993), Lovejoy (1993), Poldark (1996), Doctors (2000), Rome (2005) and Terry Pratchett's Hogfather (2006). Stage appearances included Edward Bond's The Fool at the Royal Court Theatre (1975),[2] Sweeney Todd at the Little Theatre, Bristol (1978–79); Oh, What A Lovely War!, A Midsummer Night's Dream (1979–80), and Kiss Me, Kate (1980–81) at the Bristol Old Vic; Henry IV, Part I (1984–85) at the Theatre Royal, Bath; Doctor Faustus (1974), Cymbeline (1974) and Camille (1985–86) with the Royal Shakespeare Company;[3] and Moliere's Bourgeois gentilhomme (1992) at the Royal National Theatre. His films included Nineteen Eighty-Four as Emmanuel Goldstein (1984), Three Men and a Little Lady (1990), The Wind in the Willows (1996), The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999), Hotel Splendide (2000), Ladies in Lavender (2004), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) and Morris: A Life with Bells On (2009).

Amanda Bynes

Cast · Known for Robots

Amanda Laura Bynes (born April 3, 1986) is a retired American actress, fashion designer and singer. Bynes appeared in several successful television series, such as All That and The Amanda Show, on Nickelodeon in the mid to late 1990s and early 2000s, and in 2002, she starred in the TV series, What I Like About You. She transitioned to a film career, starring in several films aimed at teenage audiences, including What a Girl Wants (2003), Love Wrecked (2005), She's the Man (2006), Hairspray (2007), and Easy A (2010). She decided to quit acting at age 24. Description above from the Wikipedia article Amanda Bynes, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia