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- Sanjeeda Sheikh is a multifaceted talent in the Indian entertainment industry, renowned for her prowess as an actor, dancer, and presenter. Born in Kuwait City, Kuwait, she proudly hails from Ahmedabad, Gujarat. After completing her Bachelors in Arts, she ventured into the world of entertainment and made an indelible mark.
The journey of Sanjeeda Sheikh in the world of television began with her debut in "Kyaa Hoga Nimmo Kaa" (2006-07), where she portrayed the female protagonist. Her compelling performances continued with notable roles in popular shows such as "Kayamath," "Piya Ka Ghar Pyaara Lage," "Kundali Bhagya," "Naagin 3," "Kumkum Bhagya," and more.
Sanjeeda showcased her dancing prowess when she participated in the dance reality show "Nach Baliye 3" in 2007, paired with her husband Aamir Ali. Over the years, she further demonstrated her passion for dance by participating in and hosting various dance-related programs like "Zara Nachke Dikha 2," "Power Couple," and "Nachle Ve with Saroj Khan."
In addition to her television success, Sanjeeda Sheikh has ventured into the digital space with her web-series debut in "Gehraiyaan" (2017). She has also graced numerous music videos, adding a captivating dimension to her artistic portfolio with hits like "Bas Ek Baar," "Ajnabee," "Tum Aaoge," "Sajda Karu," "Kalla Sohna Nai," and "Ruka Hoon."
Sanjeeda's cinematic journey has seen her exhibit her acting finesse in a variety of films, including "Baghban" (2003), "Poonniyin Selvan" (Tamil Film), "Pankh," "Ashka" (Punjabi Film), "Nawabzaade," "Taish," and "Kaali Khuhi."
Beyond her professional achievements, Sanjeeda Sheikh embarked on a personal milestone when she tied the knot with actor Aamir Ali on 2 March 2012. Their family expanded with the arrival of their daughter through surrogacy. With an illustrious career spanning television, film, web-series, and dance, Sanjeeda Sheikh continues to captivate audiences with her talent and versatility. - Actor
- Producer
- Director
Ramón Rodríguez was born on 20 December 1979 in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico. He is an actor and producer, known for Will Trent (2023), Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) and Battle Los Angeles (2011).- Actress
- Soundtrack
Jenny Agutter was born on December 20, 1952, in Taunton, Somerset, England, UK. The daughter of an army officer, she spent her childhood traveling and living in different countries. Her film career began at the age of 12 in East of Sudan (1964), which was quickly followed by Ballerina: Part 1 (1966) and Ballerina: Part 2 (1966), and A Man Could Get Killed (1966). Other films and television appearances in her early career include Gates to Paradise (1968), Long After Summer (1967), Star! (1968), I Start Counting (1970), The Great Inimitable Mr. Dickens (1970), and The Wild Duck (1971).
In 1970, she appeared in what was her real big break as a child star: The Railway Children (1970), as "Bobbie". The next year, Hollywood called and she spent several years there, appearing in such works as The Cherry Orchard (1971), Walkabout (1971), and The Snow Goose (1971) with Richard Harris, for which she received an Emmy Award. She also appeared in the critically acclaimed A War of Children (1972) and Shelley (1972).
In 1976, Jenny really came to the attention of US film audiences with her starring role in the science-fiction classic Logan's Run (1976) with Michael York. Though not a critical favorite, it was a huge box-office success and spawned a television series. She also starred alongside Richard Chamberlain in a well-received made-for-TV version of the famous Dumas tale The Man in the Iron Mask (1977) and turned in a solid performance in the WW II thriller The Eagle Has Landed (1976) with Michael Caine and Donald Sutherland. The next year, she starred in Peter Shaffer's weighty Equus (1977) as "Jill Mason", alongside Richard Burton. Among her other TV and film work during the 1970s were Dominique (1979), School Play (1979), and The Riddle of the Sands (1979).
In 1981, she played "Desdemona" opposite William Marshall in The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice (1981). Other Shakespeare performances include "King Lear", Love's Labour's Lost (1985) as "Rosaline" for the BBC and Romeo & Juliet (1993) as "Lady Capulet". During this time, she was in numerous films and television series, including Sweet William (1980), Beulah Land (1980), The Survivor (1981), Amy (1981), and one of the films for which she is most fondly remembered, An American Werewolf in London (1981). She also appeared in This Office Life (1984), Secret Places (1984), Silas Marner (1985), Dark Tower (1987), Miss Right (1982), and King of the Wind (1990).
In the 1990s, she concentrated mainly on television, with roles in TECX (1990); Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less (1990); Red Dwarf (1988); The All New Alexei Sayle Show (1994); The Buccaneers (1995); And the Beat Goes On (1996); September (1996) with Edward Fox, Michael York, Virginia McKenna, and Jacqueline Bisset; A Respectable Trade (1998) with Warren Clarke, Anna Massey, and Richard Briers. Her theatrical films during this period included Darkman (1990) with Liam Neeson; and Blue Juice (1995) with Sean Pertwee, Ewan McGregor, and Catherine Zeta-Jones. She also appeared as "Mrs. Bruce" in two feature-length episodes of the popular ITV series Bramwell (1995) in which she starred with Jemma Redgrave. She has also made several guest appearances in TV shows such as The Red Dwarf (1998); Boon (1986); The Equalizer (1985) with Edward Woodward; The Twilight Zone (1985); Magnum, P.I. (1980) and The Six Million Dollar Man (1974).
Jenny married to Johan Tham in August 1990. They have one son Jonathan, born in December 1990 and live in Cornwall, England, UK. Her particular love is charity work for The Diabetic Association and NCH Action for Children - a charity which provides home and other help for homeless children - with which she has been involved for many years.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Jonah Hill was born and raised in Los Angeles, the son of Sharon Feldstein (née Chalkin), a fashion designer and costume stylist, and Richard Feldstein, a tour accountant for Guns N' Roses. He is the brother of music manager Jordan Feldstein and actress Beanie Feldstein. He graduated from Crossroads School in Santa Monica and went on to The New School in New York to study drama.
He began writing and performing in plays while at college in New York, and managed to get himself introduced to Dustin Hoffman, through whom he got an audition for his first film role in I Heart Huckabees (2004). A succession of increasingly high-profile film and TV parts followed until he eventually landed one of the starring roles in the teen hit, Superbad (2007). Continuing to write and act, more roles followed as well as popular appearances on US TV talk shows.- Joyce Hyser was born on 20 December 1957 in New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for Just One of the Guys (1985), This Is Spinal Tap (1984) and The Hollywood Knights (1980). She is married to Jeff Robinson.
- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Nicole de Boer began her acting career as a child in her hometown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. A shy child, she one day came home and, to the astonishment of her family, told them she had gotten the lead in the play "The Wizard of Oz". With the blessing of her parents, her grandmother helped her to find an agent and shortly afterward, she made her television debut in a Christmas Special starring Red Skelton and Vincent Price. Throughout her childhood, Nicole was active in commercials and theatre.
At age seventeen, she was cast as a series regular in the CBC drama 9B (1988). Nicole's numerous television credits include: Beyond Reality (1991), First Resort, Catwalk (1992), The Kids in the Hall (1988), The Outer Limits (1995), PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal (1996), Maniac Mansion (1990) and Mission Genesis (1997). On film, she was featured in Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy (1996), co-starred in National Lampoon's National Lampoon's Senior Trip (1995) with Matt Frewer and Tommy Chong and was in the critically received sci-fi horror film Cube (1997). While filming the series Dooley Gardens (1999) in Newfoundland, she got the call and was cast in the seventh and final season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993), replacing Terry Farrell as the symbiont host Ezri Dax.- Actress
- Director
- Additional Crew
Melanie Neige Scrofano is a Canadian actress. She is known for playing Mrs. McMurray on the Crave comedy series Letterkenny, Rebecca on the CBC comedy-drama series Being Erica, October on the Showcase mockumentary series Pure Pwnage, and Tia on the CTV fantasy-drama series The Listener. From 2016 to 2021, Scrofano starred as the title character on the Syfy modern Western drama Wynonna Earp. In 2019, she played Emilie in the comedy horror film Ready or Not.- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Blanche Baker is an actress of stage, screen and television. Born Blanche Garfein in New York, her mother is actress Carroll Baker, who won a Best Actress Oscar nomination for Baby Doll (1956), several months after baby Blanche arrived. Her father is stage director Jack Garfein, who later went on to direct movies and teach acting.
After attending Wellesley College, she took her mother's surname and made her television debut in the miniseries Holocaust (1978), for which she won an Emmy Award. Baker made her movie debut in The Seduction of Joe Tynan (1979), an A-List production featuring Alan Alda at the height of his popularity and another "Holocaust" co-star at the start of her career, Meryl Streep. She then appeared as the Holy Mother in the TV movie, Mary and Joseph: A Story of Faith (1979).
Then came "Lolita."
In 1980-81, the 24-year-old Baker originated the role of the preteen "nymphet" loved by a pedophile in Edward Albee's stage adaption of Nabokov's classic novel. The show was picketed during out-of-town tryouts and in New York by feminists outraged by the show's depiction of pedophilia. More importantly, the show was pilloried by outraged critics in its out-of-town tryouts, giving "Lolita" a bad word of mouth.
After 31 previews, the troubled production opened on Broadway on March 19, 1981 and closed after only 12 performances.
She never appeared on Broadway again, despite critics calling her performance "breathtaking" and "beguiling."
Blanche Baker has continued to work steadily in television and on the silver screen but has never again approached the heights she did in her early twenties.- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Todd Phillips is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter.
Growing up on Long Island, New York, Todd Phillips fell in love with feature film teen comedies made in the 1980s, and claims they were his biggest influence in becoming a filmmaker. While studying film at New York University, he made a documentary called Hated (1994), using his credit cards to finance the filmâEUR(TM)s $13,000 budget. About an excessive punk rocker, GG Allen, the student film won an award at the New Orleans Film Festival and went on to be released both theatrically and on DVD. Phillips' next project was a documentary called Frat House (1998), which followed the trials of young men trying to get accepted into a fraternity. The film won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, but soon became banned from public viewing when the young men involved objected, and lawyers for their families stepped in.
While working on a commercial for Pepsi, Phillips met comedian Tom Green. He was writing the screenplay for his new film, Road Trip, and asked Green if he would be in it. Green agreed on the spot, and Phillips went on to make his first fictional movie, an homage to the types of films he grew up with. Road Trip was made on a budget of $15.6 million, and nearly made the money back in its opening weekend despite mixed reviews, most of which agreed it was in bad taste, with some finding that funny while others found it offensive.
Phillips continued on in the same genre with Old School (2003), about three grown men who try to return to their frat boy days. Phillips says, "Things go in cycles and right now people use the term gross out of comedy a lot and I find it very dismissive. I think it's very easy to be gross and very hard to be funny. The ones that work are actually very funny at their root. I, as a director, want to stick with comedies for a little while. It's the movies I grew up on and the stuff I like to see."
Phillips' next project was action comedy Starsky & Hutch, based on the hit television series that ran from 1975 to 1979. The film, starring Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller, is also set in the '70s. He's hoping to turn another '70s TV show, The Six Million Dollar Man, into a feature film starring Jim Carrey, but in the meantime, filmed the comedy School for Scoundrels (2006), starring Jon Heder and Billy Bob Thornton. His next film, The Hangover 2009, was an enormous success, spawning a 2011 sequel that he also directed. In between those two movies he directed Robert Downey Jr. and Hangover star Zach Galifianakis in the comedy Due Date 2010.
More recent films include The Hangover Part II (2011), The Hangover Part III (2013), and War Dogs (2016).
Move away from his favorite genre, he next took on the film Joker (2019), starring Joaquin Phoenix in the title role. The film debuted to much acclaim, and both Joaquin and Phillips received numerous award nominations, including Best Director nods for Phillips from the Academy Awards, Golden Globes and the BAFTAs.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Versatile character actor Paul Ritter was born Simon Paul Adams in Gravesend, Kent on 20 December 1966. Whilst not from a show business family, he had strong thespian connections as his mother was a class-mate of comic actor Bernard Cribbins and his father attended the same school as the great comedian and writer Eric Sykes; whom Paul would portray in the TV drama 'Tommy Cooper: Not Like That, Like This.' In the last decade of the twentieth century and beginning of the 2000s he built up an enviable roster of stage roles, working with the National Theatre in 'The Royal Hunt of the Sun', 'All My Sons', 'Coram Boy', 'The Hot-House', 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night- time' and more recently as John Major in 'The Audience'. For the Royal Shakespeare company he took part in a host of classical plays including 'Troilus and Cressida' and 'The White Devil' and in 2009, along with co-stars Amanda Root, Jessica Hynes and Stephen Mangan, he was nominated for a Tony award when the Old Vic's revival of 'The Norman Conquests' played on Broadway. In the second decade of the twenty-first century he became one of television's most welcome ubiquitous actors in such varied parts as a Scots vicar in 'Mapp and Lucia', a mother-dominated gay spy in 'The Game', in police dramas 'Vera' and 'No Offence' and as Pistol in the BBC's adaptation of 'Henry IV', for which performance the Telegraph newspaper described him as 'an actor destined for greatness soon'. However, he was arguably best known for playing eccentric, usually shirtless Martin Goodman hosting his 'bambinos' for their 'Friday Night Dinner' in the Channel 4 sitcom of that name. Paul, succumbing to a brain tumour, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family on 5th April 2021 at the age of 54.- Actor
- Director
- Soundtrack
Bob Morley was born on 20 December 1984 in Kyneton, Victoria, Australia. He is an actor and director, known for The 100 (2014), Love Me (2021) and Home and Away (1988). He has been married to Eliza Taylor since 5 May 2019. They have one child.- Actress
- Soundtrack
One is certainly hard-pressed to think of another true "bad girl" representative so closely identifiable with film noir than hard-looking blonde actress Audrey Totter. While she remained a "B"-tier actress for most her career, she was an "A" quality actress and one of filmdom's most intriguing ladies. She always managed to set herself apart even in the most standard of programming.
Born to an Austrian father and Swedish mother on December 20, 1917, in Joliet, Illinois, she treaded lightly on stage ("The Copperhead," "My Sister Eileen") and initially earned notice on the Chicago and New York radio airwaves in the late 1930s before "going Hollywood." MGM developed an interest in her and put her on its payroll in 1944. Still appearing on radio (including the sitcom "Meet Millie"), she made her film bow as, of course, a "bad girl" in Main Street After Dark (1945). That same year the studio usurped her vocal talents to torment poor Phyllis Thaxter in Bewitched (1945). Her voice was prominent again as an unseen phone operator in Ziegfeld Follies (1945). Audrey played one of her rare pure-heart roles in The Cockeyed Miracle (1946). At this point she began to establish herself in the exciting "film noir" market.
Among the certified classics she participated in were The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) in which she had a small role as John Garfield's blonde floozie pick-up. Things brightened up considerably with Lady in the Lake (1946) co-starring Robert Montgomery as detective Philip Marlowe. The film was not well received and is now better remembered for its interesting subjective camera technique. Audrey's first hit as a femme fatale co-star came on loanout to Warner Bros. In The Unsuspected (1947), she cemented her dubious reputation in "B" noir as a trampy, gold-digging niece married to alcoholic Hurd Hatfield. She then went on a truly enviable roll with High Wall (1947), as a psychiatrist to patient Robert Taylor, The Saxon Charm (1948) with Montgomery (again) and Susan Hayward, Alias Nick Beal (1949) as a loosely-moraled "Girl Friday" to Ray Milland, the boxing film The Set-Up (1949) as the beleaguered wife of washed-up boxer Robert Ryan, Any Number Can Play (1949) with Clark Gable and as a two-timing spouse in Tension (1949) with Richard Basehart.
Although the studio groomed Audrey to become a top star, it was not to be. Perhaps because she was too good at being bad. The 1950s film scene softened considerably and MGM began focusing on family-styled comedy and drama. Audrey's tough-talking dames were no longer a commodity and MGM soon dropped her in 1951. She signed for a time with Columbia Pictures and 20th Century Fox as well but her era had come and gone. Film offers began to evaporate. At around this time she married Leo Fred, a doctor, and instead began focusing on marriage and family.
TV gave her career a slight boost in the 1960s and 1970s, including regular roles in Cimarron City (1958) and Our Man Higgins (1962) as a suburban mom opposite Stanley Holloway's British butler. After a period of semi-retirement, she came back to TV to replace Jayne Meadows in the popular television series Medical Center (1969) starring Chad Everett and James Daly. She played Nurse Wilcox, a recurring role, for four seasons (1972-1976). The 70-year-old Totter retired after a 1987 guest role on "Murder, She Wrote." Her husband died in 1996. On December 12, 2013, Audrey Totter died at age 95 in West Hills, California.- Music Artist
- Actress
- Composer
JoJo was born Joanna Noëlle Levesque on December 20, 1990 in Brattleboro, Vermont and raised in Foxborough, Massachusetts to Diana Lynn Levesque (née Blagden) & Joel Maurice Levesque. She has Polish, English, Irish & Scottish ancestry on Diana's side and French-Canadian ancestry on Joel's side. Her mother, a church soloist and theatre performer, would sing hymns when JoJo was a baby. She grew up being a big fan of Whitney Houston, Etta James, Aretha Franklin & Ella Fitzgerald. A few years later she wanted to show her talent to the world and found an audition for Kids Say the Darndest Things (1998). She appeared at the audition and was allowed into the episode on the spot. Then, at Bill Cosby's request, she performed Respect for the audience, and got an amazing response from Cosby. That's when the calls started pouring in. First Oprah Winfrey asked her to appear on her super-popular talk show, followed by the Republican National Convention, the Boston Celtics, and Rosie O'Donnell. However, it was at the 2001 Gospelfest that she brought an entire crowd to its feet. Next she auditioned for America's Most Talented Kids (2003) competition. She didn't win, but she met a man named James Womack, who introduced her to an executive at Da Family Entertainment. She signed with them, and was offered two contracts before finding her match with Blackground Records. Before her single, Leave (Get Out) came out she toured with the prince of R'n'B, Mr Usher himself. Finally, her single came out and went directly to the top of the American charts.- Kathryn is best known for her portrayals of "Karen McCluskey" on Desperate Housewives (2004) on ABC and of "Mrs. Landingham", secretary to the President (Martin Sheen), on the critically-acclaimed NBC drama, The West Wing (1999). She has also recurred on Dharma & Greg (1997), and guest-starred on many hit television series, such as Becker (1998), Arli$$ (1996), Ally McBeal (1997), Providence (1999), Scrubs (2001) and over twenty other prime-time shows. Kathryn will also be seen later this year on ABC's daytime drama, General Hospital (1963). Her credits are impressive for any actor, let alone one that only began the craft at age 42.
Although only put into action well into her middle years, Kathryn's dream began in her twenties, when her mother died of cancer in 1963. While dying in the hospital, her mother shared that her biggest regret was not following her dreams. Kathryn vowed, at that moment, that she would someday pursue her own dream of acting.
At the time, she was entering into a new career as a psychiatric nurse in a medium security wing for disturbed teenagers. Through that job, she met and married a psychiatrist, gave birth to two boys and settled down as a suburban housewife in Lake Forest, Illinois, a well-to-do suburb of Chicago. But Kathryn never forgot her dream of acting, something that she never had time to pursue in-between caring for her children and husband. In 1980, her husband's alcoholism led Kathryn to a divorce and a difficult situation; a single mother with two young sons. Rather than lose hope, she took the opportunity to change her life forever and follow her lost dream.
Kathryn took classes at Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago and performed at community theaters all over Northern Illinois. By day, she supported her family hanging wallpaper and painting the mansions of Lake Forest, working as a sales person for a Welcome Wagon company and using her contacts to book film and print locations in the houses she was painting. By night, Kathryn was improving her skills and moving from community theater to semi-professional theater. Her first break was in 1991. Disney held a cattle call for street performers for Disney World. After standing in line for five hours, Kathryn got the part and moved shop to Orlando, Florida. Though she was living behind an adult arcade in the "tourist unfriendly" part of Buena Vista, Kathryn was finally earning her living through performance and loving it. The part only lasted for a year and, once again, Kathryn was forced to supplement her acting income with other work -- bar-tending and catering during the day, theater at night. Though the acting gig was over, the move to Florida proved one thing to Kathryn...she had the talent to make it as an actor. She did it once and she could do it again. Unfortunately, it took her two and half years to realize it wouldn't happen in central Florida.
In December 1995, Kathryn again packed a truck and drove to Hollywood. Although she didn't have an agent and had no contacts, Kathryn never hesitated following her dream. In only five months, she landed her first part...two lines in Family Matters (1989). In the six years since then, she has appeared in over a dozen plays, six movies, eleven national television commercials, two pilots, ten drama series and over twenty sitcoms. From her many roles, Kathryn is recognized as one of Murphy Brown (1988)'s secretaries, Frasier (1993)'s agent's mother and the bingo buddy to Drew Carey's girlfriend, on The Drew Carey Show (1995). But it is her portrayal of "Mrs. Landingham", the foil, friend and secretary to Martin Sheen's "President Bartlet" on The West Wing (1999) that propelled her into the spotlight she truly deserves. She followed that up with her last huge roll as Karen McCluskey for 8 seasons on ABC's Desperate Housewives (2004), which won her two Emmy awards. Joosten made a guest appearance on CBS daytime soap The Bold and the Beautiful as part of the show's 6000th episode, which featured several other real-life lung cancer survivors discussing their experiences. She was named the national spokesperson for the Lung Cancer Profiles campaign on behalf of Pfizer. Joosten died of lung cancer on the morning of June 2, 2012. Her death happened 20 days after the onscreen death of her character Karen McCluskey on the final episode of Desperate Housewives. The hit show ended its eight-year run on ABC last month with a series finale in which Joosten's character passed away. Her character's battle with brain cancer was a story line in the show. - Producer
- Writer
- Script and Continuity Department
Dick Wolf was born on 20 December 1946 in New York City, New York, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for Law & Order (1990), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) and Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001). He has been married to Noelle Lippman since 17 June 2006. They have two children. He was previously married to Christine Marburg and Susan Scranton.- Actor
- Music Artist
Blake Roman was born on 20 December 1999. He is an actor and music artist, known for Hazbin Hotel (2019), Blue Bloods (2010) and The Broadway Show with Tamsen Fadal (2021).- John Spencer was born John Speshock III in Paterson, New Jersey, the only son of Mildred (Benzeroski), a homemaker and occasional waitress, and John Speshock, a truck driver. He grew up near Paterson, New Jersey, and left at age 16 to attend the Professional Children's School. In 1963, he landed a recurring role on The Patty Duke Show (1963). After that ended, he attended Fairleigh Dickenson University and later New York University, but dropped out to return to acting. John had been an acknowledged alcoholic, who remained sober ever since getting therapy. He had quit smoking in 1999, which he described as "hell on earth". He passed away of a heart attack on December 16, 2005. He will be missed.
- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Jillian Rose Reed moved from her hometown of Northville, Michigan to Los Angeles, California to pursue a career in TV & Film. Growing up in musical theater, the stage was Reed's second home from the time she starting singing and dancing at age three, until she left for Hollywood at age thirteen. Already deemed an established voiceover and commercial actress in the Midwest region, Reed was passionate about her craft, and knew she was destined for a Hollywood career in entertainment .... what followed has been a very successful career that has gained her professional recognition as an award winning television actress.
Reed is still fondly remembered for her 2008-2009 breakout role as Goth Girl Symonne in the Showtime series Weeds, playing alongside Hannah Marks, Alexander Gould, and Hollywood great Mary Louise Parker. This recurring role gained Reed recognition as an up and coming young Hollywood actress, and led her to her memorable five season series regular role on MTV's award winning original scripted series Awkward. Reed played fan favorite Tamara Kaplan, the feisty and sassy no-filter bestie to Jenna Hamilton, played by Ashley Rickards. This role earned Reed a Young Artist nomination for Lead Actress for Best Performance in a TV series. Reed's youngest brother, actor Robbie Tucker guest starred alongside Reed in a Season 2 episode of Awkward, which was exciting and memorable for both actors. Reed starred in her first feature film My Super Psycho Sweet 16, followed by Asylum Films cult favorite Age of Dinosaurs playing daughter to Treat Williams, feature film Confessions of a Womanizer with Andrew Lawrence and Gary Busey, and her latest film Sharon 123.
Reed continues to be recognized for her comedy roles such as 'Duh Girl' Kelly in NBC's Community playing opposite Joel McHale, Chevy Chase and Lisa Rinna, The Middle guest starring as Eden Sher's snarky frenemy Shannon, competitive Abbey on Disney Channel's Jessie starring alongside Debby Ryan, guest star role of Tessa in Disney's Pair of Kings ... and Reed's TV debut role on Nickelodeon's Zoey 101, and Supah Ninjas. Reed has also enjoyed memorable guest star roles on HBO's Hung, VH1's Daytime Divas starring with Vanessa Williams, Awesomeness TV's Foursome and Love Daily, Jack Black's Ghost Ghirls and the FOX Network's Lucifer.
Reed continues to voice the role of spunky Naomi, Princess Elena's BFF in Disney's animated television series Elena of Avalor airing on the Disney Channel.
Reed is an advocate for The American Diabetes Foundation supporting her older brother living with Type 1 diabetes, and the millions of others faced with the challenges of this disease. Jillian is also a celebrity board member for the non-profit organization Breaking the Chains Foundation ... helping to heighten the awareness of the many challenges of eating disorders that plague our Hollywood community and beyond.- Writer
- Actor
- Producer
Conner O'Malley was born on 20 December 1986 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is a writer and actor, known for Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022), How to with John Wilson (2020) and Palm Springs (2020). He has been married to Aidy Bryant since 28 April 2018.- Actor
- Soundtrack
John Hillerman, who most famously played the impeccably urbane Englishman Jonathan Quayle Higgins III (VC !) -- Tom Selleck's sophisticated majordomo in Magnum, P.I. (1980) --, was of French, German and Austrian descent, raised in a small Texas town and educated at a Catholic high school. He majored in journalism at the University of Texas, enlisted in the Air Force and spent the period from 1953 to 1957 stationed at Ft. Worth. There, he unexpectedly landed a choice role in a community theatre production of "Death of a Salesman" and discovered acting to be to his liking. Having a photographic memory benefited Hillerman greatly, as it enabled him to learn his lines quickly. He professed to be able to memorize a page of dialogue in the space of a minute. There remained the problem of his Texas accent, however. Following demobilization, he traveled to New York where it took him a year to lose his drawl, studying elocution under the tutelage of voice coach Fanny Bradshaw (who encouraged him to listen to recordings of Laurence Olivier reciting "Hamlet"). All the while, Hillerman lived the life of a typical struggling actor, having taken up residence in a lower East Side tenement and living on home-made turkey soup. After fifteen years of stage work and with a meager $700 to his name, he decided to try to change his luck by making the journey to Hollywood.
His first major break came when he was picked for a small part in Peter Bogdanovich's The Last Picture Show (1971)). From then on he was rarely out of work, although initially tasked with only smallish supporting roles. By the mid-70s, after memorable back-to-back turns in Blazing Saddles (1974) and Chinatown (1974), Hillerman had established his credentials. His first opportunity to shine in a recurring TV role was as pompous radio sleuth Simon Brimmer ("Policemen snoop, without a glimmer. To solve the case, call Simon Brimmer...") who persistently got it all very wrong in TV's Ellery Queen (1975). A self-declared Anglophile with a solid acting background in plays by Noël Coward, he fairly jumped at the chance to portray Selleck's genteel sidekick Higgins in "Magnum" which was to become his personal favorite and career-defining role.- Actress
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Counted amongst the sexiest women in the glamour world, English model Lucy Pinder has graced the covers of some of the hottest British publications such as 'FHM,' 'Nuts,' 'Loaded,' and the 'Daily Star.' She had already been modeling for a few years when she first decided to go for topless photo-shoots and this decision of hers proved to be a turning point in her career. Blessed with a curvaceous figure, she sent ripples across the fashion world with her sizzling hot topless pictures which catapulted her to the status of a supermodel in no time. Her successful modeling career paved the way for a television career as well and she was bombarded with numerous offers to appear on television shows. After making her first appearance on Living TV's series 'I'm Famous and Frightened!,' she went on to appear on Sky Sports as a celebrity soccerette on 'Soccer AM' and as a contestant on a special edition of the 'Weakest Link.' Soon enough, she became a presenter on the 'Nuts TV live show' which further enhanced her popularity.
Back in the early 2000s, Lucy Katherine Pinder was just another young college gal who did not have any specific ideas about what her future was supposed to look like. She was led into the world of modeling purely by a stroke of destiny. Lucy, like other girls, loved to sunbath on the beaches in summer and it was during some such instance in 2003 that she caught the eye of freelance photographer Lee Earle. Impressed by the busty figure of the young girl, he asked her if she would pose for him. She did, and the resultant photographs led to a professional modeling contract with 'Daily Star.' Comfortable with her body, and confident in her demeanor, she soon became a very popular swimsuit model, often posing in risqué and skimpy bikinis. While getting admired for her beautiful big breasts was nothing new to Lucy, initially she refrained from posing topless. She finally shed this inhibition in 2007 and first appeared topless in 'Nuts' that year. Her topless pics sent her fans into frenzy and her popularity peaked at newer heights! The Australian magazine 'Ralph' even declared that she had the "Best Breasts in the World!" By this time she had ventured into television as well and had built a name for herself as a TV personality too. As a successful model and TV personality, she confidently seized the opportunity to appear in films too and has appeared in movies, such as Strippers vs Werewolves (2012), The Seventeenth Kind (2014) and Age of Kill (2015).
Lucy founded her humanitarian foundation Busty Brains. Lucy is active in charity programs as well. Lucy is an eager supporter of charities like Cat protection, MCAC (Male Cancer Awareness Campaign), Tiger Time, Help for Heroes which supports the troops and much more. Lucy was an ambassador for Kick for life, a charity that fought poverty and disease in Third World countries taking football as a medium. Many people may know Lucy Pinder as a model and an actress but she is a philosopher as well. At the age of 21, Lucy graduated from Cambridge taking along with her a Philosophy degree. Lucy published her groundbreaking study on how men tend to objectify and personify a woman's body parts. Llucy also discovered that men do not listen to women while they talk, instead, they focus on one or several of her desirable body parts.
Lucy Pinder is not only recognized as a model but also as an actor. Lucy has been seen in a few films and has made many TV appearances in Dream Team, Book at Bedtime with Lucy Pinder, Celebrity Big Brother and many more.- Colin Woodell was born in San Francisco, California, USA. He is an actor, known for The Continental (2023), The Flight Attendant (2020) and Ambulance (2022).
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Anoop Desai was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, with family roots in Gujarat, India and South Africa. His family moved to Chapel Hill, NC where he excelled in theater, improvisation, choir, and as an All-State trumpet player. As an undergraduate at the University of North Carolina concentrating in American Studies and Political Science, Desai became somewhat of a campus celebrity for his visibility as a soloist in the a cappella singing group the Clef Hangers. After graduating with honors, he auditioned for American Idol and finished in the Top 6 of that show in 2009.
In 2011, Desai began exclusively releasing and writing pop music under the pseudonym TOTEM, so named as an homage to his short stint as a graduate student in cultural anthropology at UNC. He guest starred and sang on numerous TV talk shows and variety shows and performed in venues of all sizes, from small clubs, to Lollapalooza, to big arenas. Music he has written and/or performed has generated over 50 million streams on Spotify.
Desai began studying acting with Lisa Pelikan at HB Studios, Matt Newton at MN Studio, and Tim Phillips after moving to New York City in 2017.
In 2018, Desai was offered a role in the Broadway developmental Lab of The Secret Garden directed by Warren Carlyle. Desai was also a principal performer in Songs of Drew Gasparini at Feinstein's/54 Below. He made his Off-Broadway debut in MCC Theater's 2019 world premiere musical The Wrong Man, directed by Thomas Kail. As a member of the ensemble, he was the winner of the 2021 Chita Rivera Award.
Desai's first on-screen role was in the 2020 pilot of the Apple TV+ series Little Voice created by Sara Bereilles. He also had a guest starring role in the Showtime series Billions. In 2021, he played a recurring role opposite Natasha Lyonne in the Netflix dark comedy, Russian Doll and appeared in a guest starring role in the hit CBS series, Evil. In 2022 and 2023, Desai played a major recurring role, 'Djinn' in season 4 and 5 of the FX comedy series, What We Do In The Shadows, where many of his scenes included improvisation. Desai was praised as "a standout" for his role as Raj in the Hulu limited series Under the Bridge (2024) along with Lily Gladstone, Riley Keough, and Archie Panjabi.
Desai made his feature film debut in a supporting role in The Adults (2023) opposite Michael Cera. In 2024, Desai filmed a supporting role in the A24 film Babygirl, starring Nicole Kidman.
Anoop was married in 2019 to Anna Desai. They live in Brooklyn, New York.- Actor
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Joel Gretsch was born on 20 December 1963 in St. Cloud, Minnesota, USA. He is an actor and director, known for Push (2009), Minority Report (2002) and The 4400 (2004). He has been married to Melanie Shatner since 5 September 1999. They have two children.- Actor
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Michael Badalucco, a Brooklyn native, got his start in the entertainment industry at a very young age, going to work with his father Giuseppe, a Sicilian-born immigrant, who worked as a carpenter on movie sets. In 1963, during the filming of Fail Safe starring Henry Fonda, a photo of a young boy was needed. Eight-year old Badalucco posed for the picture, and thus began his acting career. He went on to Xaverian H.S. and got his first taste of theatre there in musicals like A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum and dramas like Shaw's St. Joan. He began his formal acting studies at the State University of New York at New Paltz. It was there that he cut his teeth on stage, performing in over 20 plays. He graduated with a B.A. in Theatre Arts in 1976. In 2003, his alma mater conferred upon him an honorary degree of Doctor of Fine Arts, citing his "extraordinary success while never losing perspective on what is important in life." His first speaking role was in the feature film Raging Bull, directed by Martin Scorsese, which led to additional roles in movies such as Broadway Danny Rose, directed by Woody Allen. Throughout the 1990's, Badalucco appeared in a series of memorable supporting roles in such acclaimed films as Miller's Crossing, Sleepless in Seattle, Jungle Fever, The Professional, and Mac. His performance in the romantic comedy One Fine Day,prompted star Michelle Pfeiffer to recommend Badalucco to her husband,David E. Kelley, for a role in his ABC television series The Practice. Not only did Badalucco get the part, but his performance as Jimmy Berluti would ultimately serve as his breakout role. In 1999 he received the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Next, on the big screen, he portrayed serial killer David Berkowitz in Spike Lee's Summer of Sam. He then stepped into the shoes of notorious gangster George "Baby Face" Nelson for the throwback Coen Brothers comedy, O Brother, Where Art Thou? and appeared in their subsequent film, The Man Who Wasn't There. He continues to pursue his craft on television, stage and screen. In addition to Badalucco's love of acting, he has been involved with a number of charitable organizations which include The Jimmy Fund and The Little Sisters of the Poor. In 2003, Habitat for Humanity of Los Angeles presented him with the Building Hope Award. He received the Heart of the City Award from Heartshare Human Services of New York in 2005. In 2013, he was inducted into the Diocese of Brooklyn Hall of Fame. Mr. Badalucco is privileged to support Italian-American causes through his work with the National Italian American Foundation and Arba Sicula, an organization which preserves, studies, and promotes the language and culture of Sicily. He is also a proud member of the New York Athletic Club, Tiro A Segno of New York, and The Italian American Marching Club of New Orleans, where he has served as Grand Marshal of its annual parade in honor of St. Joseph.- Actress
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Irene Marie Dunne was born on December 20, 1898, in Louisville, Kentucky. She was the daughter of Joseph Dunne, who inspected steamships, and Adelaide Henry, a musician who prompted Irene in the arts. Her first production was in Louisville when she appeared in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at the age of five. Her "debut" set the tone for a fabulous career. Following the tragic death of her father when she was 12, she moved with her remaining family to the picturesque and historic town of Madison, Indiana, to live with her maternal grandparents at 916 W. Second St. During the next few years Irene studied voice and took piano lessons in town. She was able to earn money singing in the Christ Episcopal Church choir on Sundays. After graduating from Madison High School in 1916, she studied until 1917 in a music conservatory in Indianapolis. After that she accepted a teaching post as a music and art instructor in East Chicago, Indiana, just a stone's throw from Chicago. She never made it to the school. While on her way to East Chicago, she saw a newspaper ad in the Indianapolis Star and News for an annual scholarship contest run by the Chicago Music College. Irene won the contest, which enabled her to study there for a year. After that she headed for New York City because it was still the entertainment capital of the world. Her first goal in New York was to add her name to the list of luminaries of the Metropolitan Opera Company. Her audition did her little good, as she was rejected for being too young and inexperienced. She did win the leading role in a road theater company, which was, in turn, followed by numerous plays. During this time she studied at the Chicago Music College, from which she graduated with high honors in 1926. In 1928, Irene met and married a promising young dentist from New York named Francis Dennis Griffin. She remained with Dr. Griffin until his death in 1965.
Irene came to the attention of Hollywood when she performed in "Show Boat" on the East Coast. By 1930 she was under contract to RKO Pictures. Her first film was Leathernecking (1930), which went almost unnoticed. In 1931 she appeared in Cimarron (1931), for which she received the first of five Academy Award nominations. No Other Woman (1933) and Ann Vickers (1933) the same year followed.
In 1936 (due to her comic skits in Show Boat (1936)), she was "persuaded" to star in a comedy, up to that time a medium for which she had small affection. However, Theodora Goes Wild (1936) was an instant hit, almost as popular as the more famous It Happened One Night (1934) from two years before. From this she earned her second Academy Award nomination. Later, in 1937, she was teamed with Cary Grant in The Awful Truth (1937). This helped her garner a third Academy Award nomination. She starred with Grant later in My Favorite Wife (1940) and Penny Serenade (1941).
Her favorite film was Love Affair (1939) with Charles Boyer, a huge hit in a year with so many great films, and a role for which she was again nominated for an Academy Award. Howevever, it was the tear-jerker I Remember Mama (1948) for which she will be best remembered in the role of the loving, self-sacrificing Norwegian mother. She got another nomination for that but again lost. This was the picture in which she should have won the Oscar.
She began to wean herself away from films toward the many charities and public works she championed. Her last major movie was as Polly Baxter in 1952's It Grows on Trees (1952). After that she only appeared as a guest on television. Irene knew enough to quit while she was ahead of the game and this helped keep her legacy intact.
In 1957 she was appointed as a special US delegate to the United Nations during the 12th General Assembly by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, such was her widespread appeal. The remainder of her life was spent on civic causes. She even donated $10,000 to the restoration of the town fountain in her girlhood home of Madison, Indiana, in 1976, even though she had not been there since 1938 when she came home for a visit. She died of heart failure on September 4, 1990, in Los Angeles, California.- The daughter of a United Press executive, Mala Powers attended the Max Reinhardt Junior Workshop as a kid and fell in love with acting the first time she set foot on a stage. She made her film debut in Universal's 1942 Tough As They Come (1942) before actress Helene Thimig (Max Reinhardt's wife) convinced her to continue studying rather than become a child actress. Powers worked in radio ("Cisco Kid", "Red Ryder", "This Is Your F.B.I.", "Lux Radio Theater", "Screen Guild on the Air") and met actress Ida Lupino while working on the latter show; Lupino auditioned and approved Powers for the top role in Outrage (1950), made by Lupino's Filmmakers production company. Powers' promising career was derailed by illness in the early '50s; when she resumed work, it was as the "B queen" of Westerns and sci-fi flicks (and much TV). For many years she has been lecturing on and teaching the Michael Chekhov acting technique throughout the U.S.
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Dylan Wang Hedi is a Chinese actor best known for his leading role in his debut television series Meteor Garden (2018), and for his breakthrough role in Love Between Fairy and Devil (2022). Wang was raised in Leshan, Sichuan, China. He graduated from the Sichuan Southwest College of Civil Aviation Flight Attendant program. In 2017, he participated in the Youku variety show Super Idol, and subsequently made his acting debut in television series Meteor Garden. He has since starred in several drama series such as Ever Night 2 (2020) , The Rational Life (2021), Love Between Fairy and Devil (2022), Unchained Love (2022-2023), and Only for Love (2022). Besides acting, Wang has appeared as a regular cast member in several reality and variety programs, including 50km Taohuawu (2021) and Hello, Saturday (2022).- Jang Hyuk was born on 20 December 1976 in Busan, South Korea. He is an actor, known for Windstruck (2004), The Slave Hunters (2010) and Shine or Go Crazy (2015). He has been married to Yeo-Jin Kim since 2 June 2008. They have three children.
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Blonde Pamela Austin was born Pamela Joan Akert in Omaha, daughter of Chester William Akert (1918-90) and his wife Virginia May (née Moon). She spent her pre-teens in Europe, where her father was stationed with the Air Force. Pamela studied singing and ballet in Hungary and Germany. Once her family returned to the United States, she continued to attend further dance classes at Sacramento State College. As a 17-year old, Pamela made her stage debut in the Broadway musical revue La Plume de Ma Tante (billed as a 'light soprano'). In 1961, she got her first gig in Hollywood in a nightclub act with Tony Martin. This expanded into a six months-long nationwide tour.
That same year, she began acting in films and is perhaps best remembered in that medium for her two appearances opposite Elvis Presley (both as girls named Selena, in Blue Hawaii (1961) and Kissin' Cousins (1964)). Her career gained momentum thanks to a series of TV and newspaper commercials for the automobile manufacturer Dodge. Dubbed the "Dodge Rebellion Girl", she featured in some twenty ads until her replacement by a 23 year-old in 1967. During the remainder of the 60s and 70s, Pamela made guest appearances in TV shows of diverse genres. She was featured several times in comedy skits, as well as song-and-dance routines on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967). The peak of her career was a starring role as the perennial damsel-in-distress in the zany slapstick comedy The Perils of Pauline (1967). It was based on the classic 1914 cliffhanger serial with Pearl White and inspired by the over-the-top antics of the 1960s Batman (1966) series. Intended as a TV pilot, it failed to gain traction, either commercially or with critics. Pamela had another lead, as amiable schoolmarm Betsy Potter in the cultish comedy western Evil Roy Slade (1972).
Pamela was briefly married (1963-64) to NFL defensive player Charley Britt of the Los Angeles Rams. Her second, also short-lived (1965-67), husband was Hollywood press agent Guy McElwaine. From 1974 until his death in 2019, she was married to the aeronautical engineer, MIT graduate and founder of Tre Corporation Leopold S. Wyler.- Amanda Swisten was born on 20 December 1978 in New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for The Girl Next Door (2004), American Wedding (2003) and Quintuplets (2004).
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With an English father and a Danish mother, Allan Hyde was born and raised in Copenhagen, Denmark. Allan began studying acting at the age of 11 and soon after was cast in Cameron Macintosch's production "Les Miserables".
Allan's big breakthrough came when Oscar-winning director Allan Ball reunited a worldwide cast for the acclaimed HBO's television series "True Blood" where he played a crucial character named Godric.
In Denmark, Allan's first TV role was in the mini-series "Album", followed up by "Kødkataloget" as well as starring in "Heartless", "Dicte" and "Below the Surface". Other TV productions include "Those Who Kill","Lærkevej" and the Norwegian series "Implosion".
In 2008, Allan starred in the short film "The Awakening" which was nominated for an Oscar. Furthermore, he has participated in a wide selection of feature films such as "Father of four", "Where had all the good men gone?" and the epic saga "The Shamer's Daughter" where he plays one of the leading roles.
On the Danish theatre scene, Allan performed in the hit musical "Grease" which run over two seasons and later on he played Bobby in "Saturday Night Fever"
Allan explored other creative passions when he wrote, directed and starred in the English-language short film "Stupid Clown" after directing two Danish short films: "Rickshaw" and "Friendship". In 2020, he has written, directed and played in the TV-series "Cold Hawaii" with his colleague Aske Bang.- Beautiful California-born Angel Tompkins started her career out as a Chicago-area model before attempting an on-camera career in the late 60s. She made an assured (major) film debut as the seductive blonde who comes between husband and wife Elliott Gould and Brenda Vaccaro in the comedy I Love My Wife (1970). An irreverent vehicle for Gould, who was in the initial stages of his euphoric post-M*A*S*H (1970) super stardom, Angel experienced almost Bo Derek-like attention as Gould's mistress and earned a Golden Globe nomination for "Best Newcomer" in the process. The camera obviously loved her and she immediately went into a slew of projects, but the quality was nowhere to be found after such a promising start.
Prime Cut (1972) at least co-starred Gene Hackman and Lee Marvin with newcomer Sissy Spacek in a featured role, but it bordered on trashy entertainment. Angel's "Clarabelle" character did warrant some attention when Playboy magazine featured some nude scenes in their pages. Little Cigars (1973) has a minor cult following today but is no great shakes. Angel again played a mistress, this time a mobster's gal, who joins a band of little people and robs banks and casinos. Such teasing sexploitation films as How to Seduce a Woman (1974) and The Teacher (1974), the latter co-starring the now-grownup Dennis the Menace (1959) Jay North, and violence-prone flicks including The Don Is Dead (1973), The Farmer (1977) and The Bees (1978) did not help in the long run.
On TV, Angel played a season on the short-lived Search (1972), and showed up in scores of guest spots as either a fetching diversion or fetching part of the action in such shows as The Wild Wild West (1965), Mannix (1967), Task Force: Part I (1976), Knight Rider (1982) and Simon & Simon (1981). She continued into the 80s but her filming remained standard. Playing a stripper who divorces Charles Bronson in Murphy's Law (1986), later film appearances include the action-filled Relentless (1989), Crack House (1989) and Extreme Honor (2001). A dedicated SAG board member all these years, Angel's multiple runs for the presidency have thus far been unsuccessful. - Audie Rick was born on 20 December 2015 in California, USA. He is an actor, known for Kenobi: A Star Wars Fan Film (2019), Citadel (2023) and 1883 (2021).
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George Roy Hill was never able to 'hit it off' with the critics despite the fact that 2 of his films - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), and The Sting (1973) - had remained among the top 10 box office hits by 1976. His work was frequently derided as 'impersonal' or lacking in stylistic trademarks. Andrew Sarris famously referred to it as 'idiosyncratic, odious, oiliness'. Hill, himself didn't help his own cause by shunning the limelight, avoiding appearances on chat shows and often keeping the press off his sets.
In a rare interview for a book by Edward Shores in 1983, he declared: "I find publicity distasteful, and I don't think it does the picture any good to focus on the director" (LA Times, Dec. 28 2002). Conversely, Hill was 'commercially reliable', a winner with the public and with the academy, picking up an Oscar and a Director's Guild Award for "The Sting" and a BAFTA for "Butch". At his best, Hill was an 'actor's director': a gifted storyteller, with a powerful sense of narrative, and a nostalgic flair for detail. His world was inhabited by individualists, often outsiders, or loners, harbouring unattainable ideals or fantasies, or trying to escape from the realities of a humdrum existence. According to biographer Andrew Horton, Hill framed "a serious view of life in a comic-ironic vein, manipulating genres for his own purposes" (A. Horton, "The Films of George Roy Hill", p.7).
Hill was born to a wealthy Roman Catholic family of Irish background (owners of the Minneapolis Tribune) and educated at private school, followed by graduate studies in music at Yale under the auspices of composer Paul Hindemith. While at university, he became involved with the Yale Dramatic Society and was at one time elected its president. After his graduation, he served as a transport pilot with the U.S. Marines for the duration of World War II. Hill was recalled as a night fighter pilot for the Korean War, rising to the rank of major. From this, Hill developed a lifelong passion for flying which often reflected in his films (he held a pilot's license from the age of seventeen and later acquired a 1930 Waco biplane, which he took on spins in his spare time -- whenever he was not indulging his other favourite pastimes of reading history or listening to recordings of Johann Sebastian Bach). In 1949, he gained his B.A. in literature from Trinity College, Dublin.
Remaining in Ireland, Hill first acted on stage with Cyril Cusack's company, making his debut in "The Devil's Disciple" at the Gaiety Theatre. He then appeared on Broadway in "Richard II" and "The Taming of the Shrew". After Korea, he divided his time between writing/directing live anthology TV (1954-59) and directing plays on and off Broadway (1957-62).
Hill's cinematic breakthrough came with Period of Adjustment (1962), featuring an up-and-coming Jane Fonda (Hill had previously directed the original Tennessee Williams play on Broadway, featuring Barbara Baxley in the Fonda part). After eliciting strong performances from both Geraldine Page and Wendy Hiller in his filming of Lillian Hellman's Toys in the Attic (1963), he followed up with a moderately successful comedy The World of Henry Orient (1964) which centred around a second rate pianist (Peter Sellers) as the object of fantasies by 2 teenage girls. This films put him on the map.
However, his fourth film, Hawaii (1966), shot at the cost of $15 million (a little bit more than $100 million, adjusted for inflation), was a critical and box office failure, though quickly redeemed by the exuberant Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), one of the best musicals of the 1960's (and possibly the zaniest ever made!). It was Hill's next pair of films - using the same pair of actors - which was to firmly cement his place at the top.
Hill was instrumental in securing the serendipitous pairing of Paul Newman with Robert Redford for the first of his two massive box office hits: "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid". He tenaciously fought studio executives who envisaged more seasoned performers like Jack Lemmon and Warren Beatty (or, possibly, Steve McQueen) in the respective parts. Hill's military discipline and predilection for stubbornness prevailed, while it was Newman who worked on Hill in setting the humorous tone for the picture. "Butch and Sundance" effectively reinvigorated the western genre. The Newman-Redford chemistry resumed with the best caper comedy of its day, "The Sting", which was inspired by the exploits of Fred and Charlie Gondorf, famous practitioners of the 'big store' confidence racket in the early 1900's. Complete with a clever trick ending, this was, arguably, Hill's crowning achievement.
To lend the film authenticity, Hill used very little camera movement and shot the picture in the 'flat-camera' style so typical of Warner Brothers gangster films of the 30's and 40's. The inter-titles - with drawings reminiscent of The Saturday Evening Post - helped lend the film a bit of 'retro-cachet' as well. Aided by Henry Bumstead's elaborately constructed, 'aged' sets, rotogravure cinematography by Robert Surtees and costumes by Edith Head, the film grossed some $68.4 million (almost $315million, adjusted for inflation, in '17) during its initial run. It went on to garner seven Oscars.
Sadly, none of Hill's later efforts ever came close to emulating these successes, not even a pet project -- The Great Waldo Pepper (1975) -- for which Hill provided the original story (about a pioneer flying ace (Redford) whose quest to prove himself is stymied by progress and changing values). Slap Shot (1977), a drama about minor league ice hockey, was another near miss. It failed to find mass audience support despite the star power of Paul Newman, mainly because of its excessive violence and crass language. However, it gained something of a cult following among sports enthusiasts in later years. Hill sadly rounded off his career with a lame duck farce, misleadingly titled Funny Farm (1988).
By then, Hill had left Hollywood to teach drama at Yale. He also donated original materials, including story boards, interviews, stills, scene sketches and set designs from the making of "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and Slaughterhouse-Five (1972) to the Sterling Memorial Library in New Haven, Connecticut. One of few entirely unpretentious, self-effacing film makers whose directness and confrontational manner unnerved actors (Newman and Redford excepted!) and studio execs alike, Hill died in New York from Parkinson's Disease on December 27, 2002.- Music Artist
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Bugzy Malone was born on 20 December 1990 in Manchester, England, UK. He is a music artist and actor, known for The Gentlemen (2019), Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (2023) and Bugzy Malone: Moving (2016).- Writer
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He studied fine arts in Paris in 1990-1992. In 1993 he won the award for Best Screenplay from the Educational Institute of Screenwriting with "A Painter and A Criminal Condemned to Death". After two more screenplay awards, he made his directorial debut with Crocodile (1996) ("Crocodile"). Then he went on to direct Wild Animals (1997) ("Wild Animals"), Birdcage Inn (1998) ("Birdcage Inn"), The Isle (2000) ("The Isle") and the highly experimental Real Fiction (2000) ("Real Fiction"), shot in just 200 minutes. In 1999, Address Unknown (2001) ("Address Unknown") was selected by the Pusan Film Festival's Pusan Promotion Plan (PPP) for development.- Actor
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Brian O'Halloran was born on 20 December 1969 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Clerks (1994), Mallrats (1995) and Clerks II (2006).- Jacqueline Pearce was born on 20 December 1943 in Byfleet, Surrey, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Blake's 7 (1978), David Copperfield (1974) and Doctor Who (1963). She was married to Drewe Henley and Michael Rudman. She died on 3 September 2018 in Lancashire, England, UK.
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George Lamb is one of television's hottest new presenting talents and a regular on Channel 4, T4 and E4 Music. He's also been fortunate enough to interview some of the biggest names in music and film, including 50 Cent, Gwen Stefani, Keifer Sutherland, Ian Brown, and Lindsay Lohan, to name but a few. Not bad for someone who has only been presenting for 12 months!
Central to George's success is his knowledge and expertise in the fields of music and film.
Prior to his current career George was an accomplished band manager responsible for the careers of dance music maestros the Audio Bully's and current solo sensation, Lily Allen. Having spent such a great deal of time within the industry George finds it easy to talk to a wide variety of artists and win them over with his laid back confidence and depth of knowledge.
As the son of well-known actor Larry Lamb, George also has a keen interest in film. Again his insider knowledge of the subject enables him to speak to actors and actresses on a level that few other presenters can.- Actor
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Victor DiMattia was born on 20 December 1980 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. He is an actor and director, known for The Sandlot (1993), Cool as Ice (1991) and Dennis the Menace (1987). He is married to Whitney DiMattia.- Actor
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Chris Robinson was born on 20 December 1966 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Ladder 49 (2004), He's Just Not That Into You (2009) and Raising Helen (2004). He has been married to Camille Johnson since January 2020. He was previously married to Allison Bridges, Kate Hudson and Lala Sloatman.- Born Mary Eileen "Mimi" Chesterton (nicknamed Mimi by her friends and family) in St. Paul, Minnesota, titian beauty Claudia Jennings was raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1966, she moved to Evanston, Illinois, the first suburb north of Chicago just south of the Wisconsin state line, where she graduated high school in 1968.
After joining the Hull House theater company in Chicago, she took a job as a receptionist at the offices of Playboy magazine in September 1968. Photographer Pompeo Posar asked her to test, and with a potential $5,000 check at stake -- enough for a ticket to Hollywood -- she agreed. She eventually appeared as a Playmate in November 1969, and later as 1970 Playmate of the Year. Re-naming herself Claudia Jennings to avoid family embarrassment due to posing in the nude, she became the most perennially popular Playmate of the 1970s, as well as the number one female star of "Drive-In" movies such as The Unholy Rollers (1972) and 'Gator Bait (1973). Her first film role was with the film Jud (1971), a low-budget, socially conscious, independent film about a Vietnam soldier's return home. While the film came and went without much notice, it encouraged Claudia to go into the acting business full time.
From 1970 to 1975, she lived with songwriter/producer Bobby Hart but, after their split, her personal life began to spiral. She began using drugs and soon got a reputation for being unreliable. As her cocaine use began to escalate, her career from this point began to flounder.
One of her last theatrical film roles was a co-starring part in the little-seen Canadian racetrack drama Fast Company (1979). After narrowly missing the role of Kate Jackson's replacement on Charlie's Angels (1976) to Shelley Hack in May 1979, she began a tumultuous relationship with Beverly Hills realtor Stan Herman. Following their split later that summer, Jennings turned her life around and tried to quit drugs and drinking, but sadly died before she could continue performing in better films. On the morning of October 3, 1979, she was at the wheel of her VW convertible in Malibu on the Pacific Coast Highway, and drifted across the center divider, colliding head-on with a pickup truck near the intersection of Topanga Canyon Boulevard. She died a few minutes later before paramedics could arrive and get her to a nearby hospital. She was 29. - Actress
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Johanna Liauw was born on 20 December 1993 in San Diego, California, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Tall Girl 2 (2022), Crossbow Creek and Sometimes I Dream of Wandering.- Producer
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Myriam Emilie Francois was born on 20 December 1982 in Camden, London, England, UK. She is a producer and actress, known for Sense and Sensibility (1995), Paws (1997) and Finding Alaa (2023).- Actor
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Alexandre Willaume was born on 20 December 1972 in Hellerup, Denmark. He is an actor, known for The Wheel of Time (2021), 1899 (2022) and Tomb Raider (2018).- Actor
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Born and raised in Karachi, Pakistan, Iqbal Theba came to the US as a college freshman at the University of Oklahoma, Norman. While in college in Oklahoma, Iqbal studied Civil Engineering and eventually obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Construction Engineering Management. After realizing his true passion was acting, Iqbal returned to the University of Oklahoma to study acting. Thoroughly enjoying his time in Oklahoma (he is a true Sooner football fan) and after leaving college, Iqbal decided to move to New York City to pursue his love of acting. After struggling in New York for over two years, Iqbal decided to make the move to Los Angeles in hopes of more acting work. Broke and not knowing anyone in Los Angeles, Iqbal stayed with friends in San Bernardino until he could save up enough money to finally move full-time to Los Angeles.
Once in Los Angeles, things started to turn around for Iqbal. He soon found a niche acting in television commercials. His first big commercial was for the Wherehouse Music Chain, where he sang the Chris Isaak song "Wicked Game". This was followed by commercials for McDonald's, Burger King, Subway, AT&T, Sprint, American Express, Capital One, Holiday Inn, Kellogg's Cereal, Tostitos, Got Milk, and many others. Iqbal was the first South Asian to have appeared in dozens of mainstream national commercials in the '90s. It was through these television commercials that he was able to get his SAG card, which opened the door to more mainstream television and film opportunities.
Iqbal's big television break came after booking a role on the NBC pilot "Death and Taxes" (his second job in Los Angeles as an actor). Although the pilot wasn't picked up, this led to numerous co-starring and guest-starring roles in television and film, including work on TV shows such as "L.A. Law", "Living Single", "Mad About You", and "Seinfeld". Over the next 10 years, Iqbal continued to hone his craft and work guest starring on television shows such as "Ellen", "Caroline in the City", "Everybody Loves Raymond", "Friends", "King of the Hill", "The West Wing", "Judging Amy", "Alias", "Arrested Development", and "Weeds", to name a few, as well as recurring roles on "The George Carlin Show", "Sister, Sister", "Rosanne", "Married With Children", "Family Matters", "ER", "JAG", and "Life With Bonnie". Some of Iqbal's film work includes "Indecent Proposal", "Driven", "BASEketball", "Dancing at the Blue Iguana", "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" and "Playing for Keeps".
After successfully establishing himself as one of the hardest working actors in Hollywood, Iqbal's big break came from his being cast as Principal Figgins in the hugely successful FOX television series "Glee". Although originally written for a Caucasian, Iqbal won the role and has in the process brought his own unique perspective to the character. As the beleaguered principal of William McKinley High School, Principal Figgins tries to walk the tightrope between being fair with teacher Will Schuster (Matthew Morrison) while being constantly blackmailed and harassed by coach Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch). In addition to "Glee", Iqbal is also simultaneously starring in the NBC series "Community" playing Danny's dad.
2010 has proven to be a busy and successful year for Iqbal. He started the year off by winning a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards for his work on "Glee", continues filming new episodes of "Glee" and "Community", and is looking at several feature film offers. In addition to his acting career, Iqbal enjoys spending time with his wife Humera and their two children and traveling. His favorite writer is Anton Chekov, his favorite movie is "2001: A Space Odyssey", and works with his favorite charity, Edhi Foundation.- Actor
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Trained at Drama Centre London. Known for television, film and stage, including Heathcliff in ITV's Wuthering Heights, John Morrison in RNT's Men Should Weep, Mark Antony in Young Vic's Julius Caesar. Writes, directs and produces, including feature film Pimp, BBC Doctors and CH4 Brookside. Coach and Teacher of acting workshops online and in studio.- Actress
- Producer
- Music Department
Nazriya Nazim was born on 20 December 1994 in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. She is an actress and producer, known for Bangalore Days (2014), Neram (2013) and Ohm Shanthi Oshaana (2014). She has been married to Fahadh Faasil since 21 August 2014.- Writer
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- Editor
Joe Cornish was born on 20 December 1968 in London, England, UK. He is a writer and director, known for Attack the Block (2011), Ant-Man (2015) and The Kid Who Would Be King (2019).