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1-49 of 49
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Multi-talented and unconventional actor/director regarded by many as one of the true "enfant terribles" of Hollywood who led an amazing cinematic career for more than five decades, Dennis Hopper was born on May 17, 1936, in Dodge City, Kansas. The young Hopper expressed interest in acting from a young age and first appeared in a slew of 1950s television shows, including Medic (1954), Cheyenne (1955) and Sugarfoot (1957). His first film role was in Rebel Without a Cause (1955), quickly followed by Giant (1956) and Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957). Hopper actually became good friends with James Dean and was shattered when Dean was killed in a car crash in September 1955.
Hopper portrayed a young Napoléon Bonaparte (!) in the star-spangled The Story of Mankind (1957) and regularly appeared on screen throughout the 1960s, often in rather undemanding parts, usually as a villain in westerns such as True Grit (1969) and Hang 'Em High (1968). However, in early 1969, Hopper, fellow actor Peter Fonda and writer Terry Southern, wrote a counterculture road movie script and managed to scrape together $400,000 in financial backing. Hopper directed the low-budget film, titled Easy Rider (1969), starring Fonda, Hopper and a young Jack Nicholson. The film was a phenomenal box-office success, appealing to the anti-establishment youth culture of the times. It changed the Hollywood landscape almost overnight and major studios all jumped onto the anti-establishment bandwagon, pumping out low-budget films about rebellious hippies, bikers, draft dodgers and pot smokers. However, Hopper's next directorial effort, The Last Movie (1971), was a critical and financial failure, and he has admitted that during the 1970s he was seriously abusing various substances, both legal and illegal, which led to a downturn in the quality of his work. He appeared in a sparse collection of European-produced films over the next eight years, before cropping up in a memorable performance as a pot-smoking photographer alongside Marlon Brando and Martin Sheen in Francis Ford Coppola's Vietnam War epic Apocalypse Now (1979). He also received acclaim for his work in both acting and direction for Out of the Blue (1980).
With these two notable efforts, the beginning of the 1980s saw a renaissance of interest by Hollywood in the talents of Dennis Hopper and exorcising the demons of drugs and alcohol via a rehabilitation program meant a return to invigorating and provoking performances. He was superb in Rumble Fish (1983), co-starred in the tepid spy thriller The Osterman Weekend (1983), played a groovy school teacher in My Science Project (1985), was a despicable and deranged drug dealer in River's Edge (1986) and, most memorably, electrified audiences as foul-mouthed Frank Booth in the eerie and erotic David Lynch film Blue Velvet (1986). Interestingly, the offbeat Hopper was selected in the early 1980s to provide the voice of "The StoryTeller" in the animated series of "Rabbit Ears" children's films based upon the works of Hans Christian Andersen!
Hopper returned to film direction in the late 1980s and was at the helm of the controversial gang film Colors (1988), which was well received by both critics and audiences. He was back in front of the cameras for roles in Super Mario Bros. (1993), got on the wrong side of gangster Christopher Walken in True Romance (1993), led police officer Keanu Reeves and bus passenger Sandra Bullock on a deadly ride in Speed (1994) and challenged gill-man Kevin Costner for world supremacy in Waterworld (1995). The enigmatic Hopper continued to remain busy through the 1990s and into the new century with performances in All the Way (2003), The Keeper (2004) and Land of the Dead (2005).
As well as his acting/directing talents, Hopper was a skilled photographer and painter, having had his works displayed in galleries in both the United States and overseas. He was additionally a dedicated and knowledgeable collector of modern art and had one of the most extensive collections in the United States. Dennis died of prostate cancer on May 29, 2010, less than two weeks after his 74th birthday.- Producer
- Actor
- Writer
David A.R. White has been a working actor, director and producer in Los Angeles for over twenty years. He was raised in a small Mennonite farming community outside of Dodge City, Kansas.
At the age of 19, David moved to LA, and only six months after moving, landed a recurring role on the hit top 10, TV CBS sitcom, Evening Shade for close to four years. He played the best friend of Burt Reynolds's son. David then went on to guest appearances on such shows as: Coach, Saved by the Bell, Sisters, Melrose Place, Martial Law and many others.
In 1999, produced and starred in his first feature length film, The Moment After. The following year, he produced and starred in the groundbreaking faith based theatrical film, Mercy Streets opposite Eric Roberts, Stacy Keach and Cynthia Watros. David was nominated for a movie guide's "best actor" award for his dual roles in the film. Sony picked up both films for distribution. David kept producing and starring in films throughout the next several years.
In late 2005, David became a founding partner in the film distribution/production entity Pure Flix.
Today, Pure Flix maintains its position as the number one Faith based studio, producing and distributing more films in this genre than any other studio. David also maintains his position as one of the most prolific actors/filmmakers in the faith based arena, as he writes, directs, produces and stars in many of the films.
David has starred in over 20 films. Some of his film credits include: SIX...the Mark Unleashed, The Moment After 1,2, In the Blink of an Eye, Hidden Secrets, Holyman Undercover, Run On, Marriage Retreat, Me Again, Jerusalem Countdown (based on the best selling book that sold over 2 million units and the Revelation Road movies.
In 2012, David created, produced and starred in the UP original film, Brother White. He co-starred with Reginald Vel Johnson, Jackee, Victoria Jackson, academy award nominee Bruce Davison and Ray Wise. At the TCA's that year, David got rave reviews and became a darling, charming the critics with his real life Mennonite stories.
For his performance in Brother White, David was named a finalist in 5th Annual Cable FAX Program Awards in the category of Best Actor - Family Friendly
In 2014, David produced and Co Starred in the #1 live action independent movie of the year, God's Not Dead. He starred with Kevin Sorbo and Dean Cain in God's Not Dead. God's Not Dead maintains it's position as the 6th most profitable movie in cinema history based on it's ROI.
Also in 2014, David helped produced a new Sony Film, Mom's Night Out.
In 2015, David starred in the new action/comedy dog movie Dancer and the Dame. He starred opposite Billy Gardell. (Mike on Mike & Molly). David continues to be at the helm of Pure Flix shooting and releasing 4 theatricals films a year, and building and creating content such as Malibu Dan, the God's Not Dead franchise and David's latest, Beckman for Pureflix.com- Actor
- Editor
- Cinematographer
Nick Holmes was born on 14 August 1981 in Dodge City, Kansas, USA. He is an actor and editor, known for Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Super (2010) and The Thirst: Blood War (2008). He has been married to Virginia Madsen since 2020.- Director
- Editor
- Writer
Born October 16th, 1982 in Dodge City, KS. Award-winning filmmaker Dustin Ferguson (aka "Dark Infinity") has owned and operated several film distribution and production companies since 2007, including SoCal Cinema Studios located in Panorama City, CA. Ferguson is best known for Directing, Producing and Editing Action, Horror and Science Fiction films, namely "Nemesis 5", "Sleepaway Camp IV: The Survivor", "Beyond The Gates Of Hell," currently at 80% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and "Apex Predators". He has previously Directed Academy Award nominee, and three-time Golden Globe nominee Eric Roberts (Babylon), Golden Globe Nominee Tom Sizemore (Black Hawk Down), Best Actress Oscar Nominee and Golden Globe winner Sally Kirkland (80 for Brady), Bai Ling (The Crow), Butch Patrick (Rob Zombie's The Munsters), Vernon Wells (The Road Warrior) among many others. In the last several years he's additionally Directed over 100 music videos for such artists as "Lords of Acid", "Exhumed", "My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult" and a viral video for German-outfit "KMFDM". He's been interviewed and featured on FOX, CBS, PBS, and was featured in Variety. Dustin now resides in Murrieta. California and is represented by The Williamson Management Company.- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Michael Daniel Cassady was born in Fort Dodge, Iowa, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Love (2016), Drunk History (2013) and Doughboys (2015). He has been married to Deanna Russo since 2014. They have one child.- Producer
- Writer
- Actor
Rob Schrab was born on 12 November 1969 in Mayville, Dodge County, Wisconsin, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for The Sarah Silverman Program. (2007), Monster House (2006) and Rick and Morty (2013).- Producer
- Additional Crew
- Actor
By the early 1950s, future movie mogul Samuel Z. Arkoff was a brash 30-ish lawyer scratching out a living by representing his in-laws and the Hollywood fringe, which included many of now infamous director/angora-clad transvestite Edward D. Wood Jr.'s social circle. As a shark, Arkoff was physically imposing and capable of scaring the snot out of anyone who opposed him. One of his penny ante clients was Alex Gordon, a screenwriter who had submitted an unsolicited script to Realart Pictures, an outfit that was profitably re-releasing 20-year-old movies, often under new titles conjured up by its owner, Jack Broder. One such film, Man Made Monster (1941), had just been re-issued as "The Atomic Monster", coincidentally the same title of Gordon's screenplay. Arkoff, smelling blood in the water, paid Broder a visit and, incredibly, obtained a $500 settlement. Broder's sales manager, James H. Nicholson, was dumbfounded by Arkoff's ability to extract a dime, let alone $500, out of his notoriously tightfisted boss. He met with Arkoff and proposed a partnership, which led to the formation of American Releasing Corp. in 1954. The company's first release was Monster from the Ocean Floor (1954), a low-budget feature by 29-year-old producer'Roger Corman'. Made for less than $50,000, it netted $850,000 and Corman was brought into the fold as a silent partner. By 1955 the company was renamed American-International Pictures, generally known as AIP in the industry. Initially focusing on westerns on the premise that shooting on location was cheaper than renting space in a studio. Although the films were profitable, Arkoff was unhappy with the returns and solicited theater owners for advice on what types of films filled seats.
By the mid-'50s, thanks to television, movie audience numbers had dwindled considerably, with the key demographic now teenagers and young adults, who craved horror movies and, especially, drive-ins (where they could gather together without their parents). AIP jumped into the horror genre with both feet and made a fortune. Under the aegis of Nicholson and Arkoff, the company survived in a constricting industry by catering to the whims of the teenage trade and adapting to trends. AIP's long (350-plus) roster of kitsch classics, running the gamut from horror to rock-'n'-roll, from juvenile delinquency to Italian muscle men and from Edgar Allan Poe to Annette Funicello, have formed their own unique niche in film history. His company became infamous for clever advertising schemes that were often more entertaining than the films themselves. Arkoff never tolerated egos and his films were more often than not profitable, thanks to tight budgets and a clear understanding of the company's target market. After Nicholson's 1972 resignation, Arkoff assumed full control of the company and remained in charge until the 1979 merger with Filmways prompted his own departure. He then became the head of Arkoff International Pictures.- Lila Leeds was born on 28 January 1928 in Dodge City, Kansas, USA. She was an actress, known for Wild Weed (1949), Moonrise (1948) and Lady in the Lake (1946). She was married to Irvin Rochlin, Dean O. McCollom and Jack Little. She died on 15 September 1999 in Canoga Park, Los Angeles County, California, USA.
- Terence Goodman was born on 29 November 1950 in Fort Dodge,Iowa, USA. He is an actor, known for Ode to Billy Joe (1976), Final Rinse (1999) and Small Town Crime (2017).
- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Josh is an Award Winning Actor/Director. For over 20 years, he has been working in the business. Having Won Several Awards for Acting in Theater, Directing both TV commercials and Film. Mr. Carmichael is the creative source and founder of the "Carmichael Acting Studio" and FeatherStone Films. He continues to work as an actor and speaks to teens and adults around the country. He grew up working with his hands and learning how to fix and/or make anything. His Father PETE (The inspiration for upcoming Feature Film "PETE") was a machinist and welder. His mother Karen, a stay at home loving mother who encouraged his art and expression. While serving in the US NAVY, Mr. Carmichael was scouted by FORD Models from NYC and began his career in the fashion world. Using his earnings to immediately pay for acting classes, like Circle in the Square and Jim Jenkins - NYC, which would eventually lead to a Hollywood Film audition that would bring him to CA and change his life. Josh has since published 3 books, completed 5 screenplays, 3 short films and has starred in over 150 National Commercials.- Writer
- Producer
- Director
Mark Christopher was born on 8 July 1963 in Fort Dodge, Iowa, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for 54 (1998), Berlin and Alkali, Iowa (1995).- Thomas Heggen was born on 23 December 1919 in Fort Dodge, Iowa, USA. He was a writer, known for Mister Roberts (1955), Ensign Pulver (1964) and Mister Roberts (1965). He died on 19 May 1949 in New York City, New York, USA.
- Director
- Cinematographer
William Matthew Tilghman served as a lawman for 35 years. In his career he rode with the Earps, was a lawman in Dodge City, Kansas, and battled the Dalton gang and the Wild Bunch. In the early 1900s he became fed up with the way Hollywood glamorized the outlaws of the west and, along with his friends E.D. Nix and Chris Madsen, set out to make a movie of how it really was back then. They starred in the film, Passing of the Oklahoma Outlaws (1915), as themselves and arranged to have a member of the Dalton gang named Arkansas Tom released from prison to act as a technical consultant. They met with some difficulty in getting the film shown--theater owners didn't want to show it because there were no name actors in it. Hollywood told them to put Tom Mix in it if they wanted it to sell, but Tilghman refused.
In 1924, some businessmen from the town of Cromwell, Oklahoma, contacted Tilghman, hoping to persuade him to accept the position of town sheriff. Cromwell was a virtual cesspool of crime: bootlegging, gambling and prostitution (many of the prostitutes being underage) were among the illegal activities going on, all under the protection of a corrupt federal Prohibition agent named Wiley Lynn. Cromwell was a booming oil town, and its citizens wanted Tilghman to run the "bad element" out of town in order to preserve its future; they didn't want the town to dry up when the oil did. Tilghman was reluctant at first, but finally took the job and promised to clean up the town. He made good on his promises, closing down gambling houses, arresting bootleggers and moonshiners and sending the prostitutes home to their families. This upset those in town who were running the various crime rings, including Wiley Lynn. One night as Tilghman was having dinner with friends at Ma Murphy's restaurant, Lynn showed up. He claimed he had a warrant, and was coming in to clear out the underage girls who worked there, dancing with lonely men. He was brandishing a pistol, and according to witnesses was either drunk or high on cocaine. As Tilghman and his deputy attempted to disarm Lynn, he pulled out a .22-caliber pistol and shot Tilghman in the mid-section. He escaped, while Tilghman lay dying on the boardwalk. A doctor was summoned, and a friend fetched Tilghman's young wife and children. The doctor was unable to save him, and Tilghman died on a table in Ma Murphy's, surrounded by his friends and family (in 1925 Wiley Lynn was tried for and acquitted of Tilghman's murder, but was dismissed from federal service. In 1932 he was shot and killed by an agent of the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation).- He was born Rocco Monroe DiGrazio in Dodge City, Kansas; his father had been killed in an airplane accident a month before his birth. His mother remarried and his stepfather adopted him, changing his name to Rock Monroe Brumbaugh. At seventeen, he was wrestling all comers at county fairs; after serving in the U.S. Navy, he went professional and soon became known as one of its best known personalities. He received the nickname "Sputnik" at a television taping in Mobile, Alabama in 1957 when a female heckler called him "a Communist, a damned sputnik". Wrestling in venues in the segregated pre-Civil Rights South such as Houston, Memphis and Mobile, Monroe was one of the first professional wrestlers to wrestle against (and later with) African Americans; he later successfully formed a tag team duo with African American wrestler Norvell Austin. Monroe was a hero to African Americans in the South, particularly in Memphis, where he insisted that he play before integrated audiences and became a hero to those African Americans restricted to the balconies and "nosebleed" seats of the stadiums, theaters, and other venues scattered throughout the South, as he was the only major wrestler who treated them with respect. Upon entering the ring, Monroe would turn to the African American patrons and acknowledge their approbation, while the white patrons booed and cursed him. He was a fixture in the black community of Memphis, and in 2002 was honored with an exhibit at the Memphis Rock n Soul Museum, as one of the first to advocate the integration of public events. Married six times, he was survived by his current wife Joanne, two sons and a daughter.
- Producer
- Production Manager
- Director
Born in Dodge City, Kansas, Curtis graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in Theater and Film. Curtis began his career in TV commercials where he produced and directed nearly 200 national and regional commercials and a number of award winning documentaries and corporate image films. In 1992 Curtis formed Prelude Pictures, a joint venture with Neufeld-Rheme Production in association with Paramount Pictures, where he developed a wide slate of feature films including New Line Cinema's "Lost In Space". Douglas Curtis' extensive career in the entertainment industry covers a wide variety of films from science fiction to horror to comedy to action pictures. He recently served as Line Producer and Production Manager overseeing extensive re-shoots on IM Global's "Fifty Shades of Black". Curtis also serves Executive Producer and Unit Production Manager on Relativity Media's "Shark Night". He was also Executive Producer on a number of New Line Cinema Feature Motion Pictures including "Shoot 'Em Up", "Cellular", "Freddy vs. Jason", "Friday After Next", "All About the Benjamins" and "Next Friday". Curtis was co-producer on Zide-Perry Entertainment's "Repli-Kate", MTV/Paramount Pictures' "The Wood" and HBO's "Shadow of Doubt". Curtis also worked as a co-producer/Line Producer on Paramount Picture's "Save the Last Dance". As a producer, Curtis' credits include MGM/Rysher Entertainment's "The Eighteenth Angel", "Gunfighters Moon" and "Judicial Consent". For Trimark Entertainment Curtis produced "The Philadelphia Experiment II". For New World Pictures Curtis produced "The Philadelphia Experiment", "Black Moon Rising" and "Nice Girls Don't Explode". He both produced and directed "The Sleeping Car" and "The Hazing". He has also worked as 2nd unit director on a number of his films including "Black Moon Rising" and "Judicial Consent". Among Curtis' other credits are "Madame Claude 2", "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" and "Take This Job and Shove It".Curtis currently serves as CEO-Founder of Quarter Town Films(QTF) a newly formed Los Angeles based development and production company where he is developing a number of film projects including "The Ending" which was written and will be directed by Kristin Ellingson.- Writer
- Producer
- Script and Continuity Department
Walter Kempley was born on 15 September 1926 in Fort Dodge, Iowa, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for Happy Days (1974), Der Andro-Jäger (1982) and Die Gimmicks (1978). He died on 11 August 2001 in Sarasota, Florida, USA.- Dallas Chandler is a model, actress, and vocalist. She grew up in a small mountain town in Colorado, where she would fulfill her passion for performing through local beauty pageants, theatrical productions and singing in her choir. At the age of 18, she moved on her own to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. Dallas has appeared in music videos as well as commercials for brands such as JC Penny, Roland and Bish. In 2015 she made here theatrical debut which included performances in Absolute Vow, The Madness Within, The Great Illusion and Fatale. She has also graced the covers of Playboy and B.A.D.D magazines.
- Jay Devlin was born on 8 May 1929 in Fort Dodge, Iowa, USA. He was an actor, known for Three Days of the Condor (1975), All My Children (1970) and Law & Order (1990). He was married to Callie and Jean C Lamendola. He died on 9 November 2014 in Monroe, New York, USA.
- Brad Steiger was born on 19 February 1936 in Fort Dodge, Iowa, USA. He was a writer, known for Valentino (1977), World Beyond Death (1976) and Mysteries of Time and Space: The Truth About.... UFO's and ET's (1982). He was married to Sherry Hansen, Frances Paschal and Marilyn Ann Gjefle. He died on 6 May 2018 in Mason City, Iowa, USA.
- Shirley Mason was born on 25 January 1923 in Dodge Center, Minnesota, USA. She died on 26 February 1998 in Lexington, Kentucky, USA.
- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Mitch Brian was born on 15 October 1961 in Dodge City, Kansas, USA. He is a writer and director, known for The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023), Viper (1994) and Transformations (1988). He has been married to Joanne Brown since 25 September 1987.- Judy Parrish was born on 9 August 1916 in Fort Dodge, Iowa, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Barney Blake, Police Reporter (1948), Studio One (1948) and The Ford Theatre Hour (1948). She was previously married to John Harvey.
- Actress
- Producer
- Casting Department
Katie O'Dell was born in Fort Dodge, Iowa, USA. Katie is an actor and producer, known for The Unbreakable Boy (2025), Spoken Gospel (2019) and Unplanned (2019).- Producer
Vic Eliason was born on 14 May 1936 in Fort Dodge, Iowa, USA. He was a producer, known for In Focus (2009). He was married to Freda Mae Thomas. He died on 5 December 2015 in Brookfield, Wisconsin, USA.- Corita Kent was born on 20 November 1918 in Fort Dodge, Iowa, USA.