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- Actress
- Writer
Noémie Schmidt was born on 18 November 1990 in Sion, Valais, Switzerland. She is an actress and writer, known for The Student and Mister Henri (2015), Coda (2012) and The Awakening of Motti Wolkenbruch (2018).- Actress
- Soundtrack
The quintessential jet-set Euro starlet, Ursula Andress was born in the Swiss canton of Berne on March 19, 1936, one of six children in a strict German Protestant family. Although often seeming icily aloof, a restless streak early demonstrated itself in her personality, and she had an impetuous desire to explore the world outside Switzerland. (For instance, she was tracked down by Interpol for running away from boarding school at 17 years old.) The stunning young woman found work as an art model in Rome and did walk-on parts in three quickie Italian pictures before coming to Hollywood in 1955 and getting nowhere professionally; a four-month fling with rising star James Dean brought her good publicity but not much else. That same year, still just 19, she met and had an affair with fading matinée idol John Derek, who left his wife Pati Behrs and two kids for Ursula even though she spoke almost no English at the time. In 1957 they eloped to Las Vegas, and the new bride put her acting aspirations on hold for a few years thereafter.
1962 saw the relatively unknown Swiss beauty back on the set, playing opposite Sean Connery in the first movie version of Ian Fleming's fanciful "James Bond" espionage novels, Dr. No (1962). Andress' role as bikini-clad Honey Ryder was somewhat brief, and her Swiss/German accent so thick that her entire performance had to be dubbed by a voiceover artist. Nevertheless, her striking looks and smoldering screen presence made a strong impression on moviegoers, immediately establishing her as one of the most desired women in the world and as an ornament to put alongside some of the most bankable talent of the era, such as Elvis Presley in Fun in Acapulco (1963) and Dean Martin in 4 for Texas (1963). In 1965, she was one of several European starlets to co-star in What's New Pussycat (1965) -- a film that perhaps sums up mid-'60s pop culture better than any other -- written by Woody Allen, starring Allen and Peter Sellers, with music by Burt Bacharach, a title song performed by Tom Jones and much on-screen sexual romping.
Andress appeared in many more racy-for-their time movies in both the United States and Europe, including The 10th Victim (1965), in which she wore a famously ballistic bra, and The Blue Max (1966), where she was aptly cast as the sultry, insatiable wife of an aristocratic World War I German general. She was also featured in Casino Royale (1967), a satirical foray into the world of James Bond, and gave a sparkling performance in the T&A-filled crime caper Perfect Friday (1970). Roles as a prostitute kidnapped by outlaws in Red Sun (1971), a stewardess living on the edge in Loaded Guns (1975), and a bombshell nurse hired to titillate a doddering millionaire to death in The Sensuous Nurse (1975) all provided plenty of excuses to throw her clothes to the wind. In Slave of the Cannibal God (1978), she was notoriously stripped and slathered in orange paint by a pair of nubiles. Then she took on the sophisticated role of Louise de la Valliere, slinky, conspiratorial mistress of King Louis XIV (Beau Bridges) in The Fifth Musketeer (1979).
As for her personal life, Andress separated from Derek in 1964 and got divorced two years later, after falling in love with French superstar Jean-Paul Belmondo on the Malaysian set of Up to His Ears (1965). (Ron Ely, John Richardson and Marcello Mastroianni kept her company during the interim.) The relationship with Belmondo hit a wall in 1972, and she was next attached to her leading man from Stateline Motel (1973), Italian heartthrob Fabio Testi. When that didn't work out, Andress jumped into the dating pool, sporadically involved with a host of Lotharios including (but by no means limited to) Dennis Hopper, Franco Nero, John DeLorean and Ryan O'Neal. In 1979, she began what would be a long-term romance with Harry Hamlin, her handsome young co-star from Clash of the Titans (1981) (in which she was cast, predictably, as "Aphrodite"). While subsequently traveling in India, Andress' belly began to swell out of her clothing, and she felt very nauseous. What at first seemed a severe case of "Delhi Belly" turned out to be pregnancy, her first and only, at age 43. Hamlin encouraged her to have the baby, and on May 19, 1980, the international sex symbol gave birth to a boy named Dimitri Hamlin amid much hoopla.
After the birth of her son, Andress scaled back her career, which now focused on slight European productions, as she was raising Dimitri in Italy. This meant turning down a big-budget Mel Brooks film in lieu of Red Bells (1982) (starring old flame Nero). Occasional television stints on the soap opera Falcon Crest (1981) and critically lauded miniseries Peter the Great (1986) helped maintain her visibility as an actress. Dumped by Hamlin in 1983, she started seeing Fausto Fagone, a Sicilian student three decades her junior, in 1986. In 1991, she met a new man when things dwindled with Fagone -- karate master Jeff Speakman. Since the breakup of that relationship, her love life has gone undocumented. She last worked on a film in 2005. Apparently retired from acting, Ursula makes the rounds of charity events and pops up on foreign talk shows every now and then. She divides her time between family in Switzerland, friends in Virginia and Spain, and her properties in Rome and L.A.- Souheila Yacoub was born in Geneva to a Flemish mother and a Tunisian father. She devoted her childhood and adolescence to sports and joined the Swiss National Rhythmic Gymnastics Team as an elite athlete. She attended a theatre and dance school in Geneva, then obtained a scholarship and went to Paris to take part in the "classe libre" at the Cours Florent before entering the Conservatoire National Supérieur d'Art Dramatique. Soon, Lebanese-Canadian director Wajdi Mouawad offered her a role in the multi-lingual play, TOUS DES OISEAUX. Souheila charmed the press as well as the public: her career was launched, and the cinema world was quickly very interested in the actress. For her supporting role in CLIMAX by Gaspard Noé, which premiered in Cannes 2019, she was selected as Revelation for the Académie des César. In 2020, she was cast in LE SEL DES LARMES by Philippe Garrel which premiered at the Berlinale, and recently in DE BAS ÉTAGE by Yassine Qnia. In 2019, Yacoub appeared for the first time as one of the leads in a high profile drama series LES SAUVAGES directed by Rebecca Zlotowski and in 2020 in the Arte/Hulu epic war series NO MAN'S LAND directed by Oded Ruskin. ENTRE LES VAGUES by Anaïs Volpé, in which Yacoub plays the leading role and DE BAS ÉTAGE were both screened in Cannes' Directors Fortnight in 2021. In 2022, she will feature in Cédric Klapisch's dance-based film EN CORPS and in Alice and Benoît Zeniter's first feature film AVANT L'EFFONDREMENT.
- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Kat Graham is an actress, singer, dancer and producer. Working across a variety of genres in film, television and music, she is one of most accomplished and versatile young talents working today.
Graham was recently seen in the 70s period crime thriller "The Poison Rose" opposite Morgan Freeman and John Travolta. Graham plays Freeman's daughter, a club owner and singer suspected of murder, while Travolta plays a hard-drinking L.A. private eye who takes the case. Previously she starred in Netflix's "How It Ends" as Samantha. The film, follows a man (Theo James) and his estranged father-in-law's (Forest Whitaker) desperate race to save his pregnant wife, Samantha, after a mysterious apocalypse. Graham made history lending her voice to Nickelodeon's animated television show, "Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" as the first African-American April O'Neil.
Graham can be seen as the female lead in RZA's "Cut Throat City" starring Ethan Hawke, Wesley Snipes, Terrence Howard, and Eiza Gonzalez scheduled for release summer 2020. The film tells the story of a heist set in New Orleans' lower ninth ward after Hurricane Katrina. Graham who stars in Mark Amin's period drama "Emperor" with Dayo Okeniyi, Bruce Dern and James Cromwell following the true tale of Shields Green, a runaway slave who helped spark the civil war, is scheduled for release August 2020. Graham also stars in Netflix's "Operation: Christmas Drop" with Alexander Ludwig. The film, scheduled for release November 2020, follows a congressional aid played by Graham, on a mission to shut down the Christmas Drop mission. Operation Christmas Drop is a real life air force mission that started in 1952 that serves as training for the U.S. Air Force. It has since become the longest-running U.S. Department of Defense mission in full operation, and the longest-running humanitarian airlift in the world. In addition to the "Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" series and accompanying Netflix 2021 film, Graham's 2020 animation releases will also include Dreamwork's and Hulu's "Trolls", as well as "Robot Chicken".
Graham starred as Jada Pinkett in the highly anticipated Tupac Shakur biopic "All Eyez on Me," released by Lionsgate. She has also starred in Lionsgate's "Where's the Money?" a comedy about a guy who must pledge a fraternity to recover a stash of stolen money, both released in 2017. Graham can also be seen as the lead in Netflix's holiday hit film "The Holiday Calendar" with Quincy Brown. Graham made her television debut in 2002 on Disney Channel's popular teen comedy "Lizzie McGuire." She starred as Bonnie Bennett, considered to be her breakout role, in the CW's "The Vampire Diaries." The show premiered in 2009 and her award winning performances throughout the series received praise from fans and critics alike. The supernatural drama ran for eight seasons. She also appeared on a number of hit television shows for Disney, Fox, CBS and ABC. Other notable film credits include "17 Again", "The Roommate," "Addicted", and the starring role in "Honey 2."
Graham has also produced and sold multiple film and television projects including the series "Breaking the Record" with Disney's Maker Studios. She is set to star in and produce a biopic about iconic Motown singer Tammi Terrell produced with Brad Krevoy. She is currently producing "The Consciousness Collective", a doc series and podcast presented by Deepak Chopra, slated for 2020.
A talented singer and music producer, Graham released her second album, "Love Music, Funk Magic," in 2017 which she worked on with Babyface and Prince. She released her debut EP "Against the Wall" in May 2012 after signing with A&M/Octone/Interscope records, and her first single, "Put Your Graffiti On Me", reached over 7 million views on VEVO and hit #5 on the Billboard Dance Chart. She has had multiple Billboard/Chart top fives including "Sometimes", and the Prince penned "If Eye Could Get UR Attention". Her debut album "Roxbury Drive," which included her single "Secrets" featuring Babyface, was released in 2015. Graham, who has a degree in recording engineering, produced the 90s-inspired album with Jean-Yves "Jeeve" Ducornet and co-wrote the entire album with Babyface.
A trained dancer, Graham has appeared in music videos for a myriad of artists including Grammy winners Pharrell, Missy Elliot, John Legend, Nelly, Diddy and Usher. She has also performed on tracks with Snoop Dogg and Will.I.Am, and toured with the Black Eyed Peas on their 2007 world tour as Will.I.Am's artist.
Graham has served as the face of many campaigns and endorsements for brands such as Wet 'N Wild, Degree, Samsung, Avon, Bing, Ford, Aquafina, Abercrombie, Nivea, Armani Exchange and Fanta. Graham is currently a L'Oreal Ambassador, the face of Foster Grant and the new Dior campaign.
Born in Geneva, Switzerland, Graham is a strong advocate for human rights. Her PSA short film for Black Lives Matter landed her an Emmy nomination for best PSA short. Graham is particularly passionate about the plight of refugees worldwide. As such, Graham became a High Profile Supporter of the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees) in 2013. In 2019, she also became a Goodwill Ambassador for Rotary International, another organization providing key support and services on the global stage. In addition to her work with refugees, Graham is a council member for GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation), Governor for the Recording Academy's Atlanta Chapter, as well as co-founder of the Modern Nirvana Wellness Group.- Melia studied contemporary dance, and drama in the UK. Soon after her drama studies she landed her first role in the Neil Jordan-created TV series The Borgias (Showtime) as Bianca Gonzaga, playing alongside Jeremy Irons. She went on to work in television hits such as The Bible (History) and Guardians of the Galaxy (Marvel), as well as art-house films Committed (S.Kliris) and Suspension of Disbelief (M.Figgis).
Following these Melia relocated to Los Angeles, California. She went on to become a series regular on the hit TV show Tyrant (FX Networks) for two seasons. She then appeared in Amazon Studios' The Last Tycoon, starred in the film The Last Note by award-winning director Pantelis Voulgaris, before returning to television in Salvation (CBS) and Filthy Rich (Fox). Most recently she can be seen in Mammals by Jez Butterworth (Prime Video) and Emily in Paris (Netfix). - Swiss-born Welsh-American actress Kate Burton is the daughter of Welsh actors Richard Burton and Sybil Williams. She graduated Brown University (1979), majoring in Russian studies and European history. She served on the board of 'Production Workshop', the university's student-run theater group. She earned her master's at Yale Drama School (1983). She received an honorary doctorate from Brown University (2007). Her dedicated stage, film and television work earned a number of awards and nominations.
- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Sofia Milos starred opposite David Caruso on the international hit show "CSI: Miami" as Yelina Salas, sister-in-law and impossible love of Horatio Caine, from seasons 1 to 8 (2003-2010).
Milos has over 237 hours of television on the air, as well as on film.
more recently Sofia recurred on Robert Zemeckis's "Project Bluebook" as the dangerous spy Daria.
She starred as Homeland Security Agent Bianca La Garda, in the action-packed international TV drama "The Border" (2007-2010), for which she won a nomination at the Monte Carlo International Television Festival. Sofia Milos also hosted the Award Show in Monaco in 2012 with French host Bernard Monteil.
The role which first garnered her the international notice, was her strong performance in the critically acclaimed HBO series "The Sopranos". Sofia Milos recurred as mob boss, Annalisa Zucca, who goes toe-to-toe with Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini). With this role she showed that she possesses the ability to be strong and powerful, while still remaining feminine and vulnerable and it's these kind of performances for which she won an Artistic Achievement Award in 2010 in Banff and a Hellenic Times Award, in 2009 in NYC.
Milos is now part of a stellar cast of the series "Gravesend" (2022).
Born in Zurich, Switzerland to a Greek mother and an Italian father, Milos's family still resides in Rome. Blessed with a variety of international influences, she is now fluent in Italian, French, German, English, Greek, and Spanish and holds an Italian and a US passport.
Some other powerful roles are her character on "Chicago Justice", as defense attorney Mary Willis, opposite Phillip Winchester and Jon Seda, directed by Eriq La Salle. Also guest starring in "Criminal Minds Beyond Borders", opposite Gary Sinise in the episode "Pankration" (2017), Sofia stars in the thriller, "The Stranger Inside" and co-starred in the French series "Section De Recherche", speaking fluent French as well as co-starring in German TV film "Tatort", as detective Abbey Lenning, speaking Swiss German.- Actor
- Stunts
- Director
Daniel Bernhardt was born on the 31st August 1965 in Worblaufen, Bern in Switzerland.
After finishing high school, he studied architectural design for four years and graduated in Bern. At the same time he opened a martial arts school with his brother. After completing his studies, Daniel moved to Paris and started to work as model. He worked for such designers as Montana, Mugler, Boss,Cerruti, Versace, Jaene Barnes and was published in the magazines Vogue, Elle, Max, Interview, Cosmopolitan and later, he established himself as a international Top Model.
Later, Bernhardt moved to New York where he was cast to co-star with Jean-Claude Van Damme in Bruce Weber's TV spot "Looking for Kicks" for Gianni Versace. Producer Marc Di Salle who launched Van Damme's carrier with Bloodsport and Kickboxer, discovered Daniel Bernhardt and cast him to star in the sequel Bloodsport II (1996) which was his debut, opposite such actors as Pat Morita and James Hong, including comic relief big guy Donald Gibb and Taekwondo champion Philip Tan.
The same year, a sequel Bloodsport III (1996) was released, again with Morita and James Hong, including John-Rhys Davies, and 9th degree black belt Taekwondo master Hee II Cho. From that point, Daniel began his career as action star on low budget films. His next films were Future War (1997), opposite Robert Z'Dar, Black Sea Raid (1997), True Vengance (1997), with Miles O'Keeffe and Beverly Johnson and Perfect Target (1997) with Robert Englund and Brian Thompson.
After these films, Daniel's interest in acting became bigger and he started to study acting in Los Angeles under Harry Mastrogeorge. So, he continued with G2 (1998), again with James Hong, Bloodsport 4: The Dark Kumite (1999), the last one in the series, this time against Brazilian JuJutsu champion Stefanos Miltsakakis. He appeared on TV series "Mortal Kombat: Conquest", as Siro, and it was followed by Global Effect (2002) and a mega hit "Matrix" sequel Matrix Reloaded (2003), where he appeared as upgraded agent Johnson, where he had an awesome fighting scene with Laurence Fishburne on the large truck, he has worked with other great names in this film, such as Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Monica Bellucci, Lambert Willson and Jada Pinket Smith.
He also lent his voice to agent Johnson in Enter The Matrix video game. The same year he filmed an action independent film, titled The Librarians (2003), where he co-starred with William Forsythe, Burt Reynolds, Erika Eleniak, Andrew Divoff, Amaury Nolasco, Christopher Atkins, Ed Lauter and Matthias Hues (whom he had a fight in the film). He worked on Children of Wax (2005), The Cutter (2005), opposite Chuck Norris and Joana Pacula, Ultimate Champion (2009) and Foodfight! (2009).
Bernhardt is married to Lisa Stothard. He became a father to his first daughter, with Lisa, on May 15, 2003, the night after the premiere of The Matrix Reloaded (2003), and said in a TV interview that it is no question what has been more important in his life: The birth of his daughter changed his attitude towards responsibility and love forever.- Actor
- Director
- Cinematographer
Bruno Ganz was an acclaimed Swiss actor who was a prominent figure in German language film and television for over fifty years. He is internationally renowned for portraying Adolf Hitler in the Academy Award-nominated film Downfall (2004).
Ganz was born in Zürich, to a Swiss mechanic father and a northern Italian mother. He decided to pursue an acting career by the time he entered university. He debuted at the theatre in 1961, and gained a reputation as a reflective, charismatic and technically brilliant stage actor. In 1970, he and Peter Stein founded the theatre company 'Schaubühne' in Berlin, Germany. On stage, Ganz portrayed Dr. Heinrich Faust in Peter Stein's staging of Faust, Part One and Faust, Part Two in 2000.
In cinema, Ganz became one of the best-known and most acclaimed actors in the German language, collaborating with many of the most respected European actors and directors of his time. He also starred in international features that reached a global audience. His film debut was The Gentleman in the Black Derby (1960). He also starred in Unknown (2011), The Counselor (2013), and The Party (2017).
Ganz died from cancer on 16 February 2019 at his home in the village of Au, in Wädenswil, Switzerland.- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Marthe Keller was born on January 28, 1945 in Basel, Switzerland. She studied ballet as a child but stopped after a skiing accident at age 16. She changed to acting, and worked in Berlin at the Schiller Theatre and the Berliner Ensemble.
Keller's earliest film appearances were in Funeral in Berlin (1966) (uncredited) and the German film Wilder Reiter GmbH (1967). She appeared in a series of French films in the 1970s, including Un cave (1972), La raison du plus fou (1973) and And Now My Love (1974). Her most famous American film appearances are her Golden Globe-nominated performance as Dustin Hoffman's girlfriend in Marathon Man (1976) and her performance as an Arab terrorist who leads an attack on the Super Bowl in Black Sunday (1977). Keller also acted with William Holden in Billy Wilder's romance drama Fedora (1978). She appeared alongside Al Pacino in the auto racing film Bobby Deerfield (1977). Her later films included Oci ciornie (1987), with Marcello Mastroianni.
Keller has appeared in Europe and America in plays, directed opera and as a speaker on classical music in the last twenty years. For example, in 2001, Keller appeared in a Broadway adaptation of Abby Mann's play "Judgment at Nuremberg" as Mrs. Bertholt (the role played by Marlene Dietrich in the 1961 Stanley Kramer film version). She was nominated for a Tony Award as Best Featured Actress for this performance.
In addition to her work in film and theatre, Keller has developed a career in classical music as a speaker and opera director. She has performed the speaking role of Joan of Arc in the oratorio "Jeanne d'Arc au Bûcher of Arthur Honegger" on several occasions, with conductors such as Seiji Ozawa and Kurt Masur. She has recorded the role for Deutsche Grammophon with Ozawa (DG 429 412-2). Keller has also recited the spoken role in Igor Stravinsky's "Perséphone". She has performed classical music melodramas for speaker and piano in recital. The Swiss composer Michael Jarrell wrote the melodrama "Cassandre", after the novel of Christa Wolf, for Keller, who gave the world premiere in 1994.
Keller's first production as an opera director was "Dialogues des Carmélites", for Opéra National du Rhin, in 1999. This production subsequently received a semi-staged performance in London that year. She has also directed "Lucia di Lammermoor" for the Washington National Opera and for the Los Angeles Opera. Her directorial debut at the Metropolitan Opera was in a 2004 production of "Don Giovanni". Keller has one son, Alexandre de Broca, from her relationship with director Philippe de Broca.- Actress
- Producer
Maya Stojan was born on 28 June 1986 in Geneva, Switzerland. She is an actress and producer, known for Castle (2009), Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013) and Fatal Affair (2020).- Actress
Aomi Muyock was born on 14 January 1989 in Canton Ticino, Switzerland. She is an actress, known for Love (2015), Jessica Forever (2018) and Orfeo.- Actress
- Composer
Carla Juri was born in 1985 in Locarno, Switzerland. She is an actress and composer, known for Blade Runner 2049 (2017), Wetlands (2013) and Brimstone (2016).- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Handsome, soulful-eyed, exotic-looking leading man Vincent Perez is known for his grand and glossy French pictures, exuding a sexy stare and irresistible charm that has swept Gallic women off their feet for over two decades.
Perez was born in Lausanne, Switzerland, to a German mother and a Spanish businessman father. From the classical theatre stage (Paris Conservatoire, L'Ecole des Amandiers) and in works ranging from Shakespeare to Chekhov, Perez became an instant romantic idol after pairing opposite slightly older femme stars Jacqueline Bisset in La maison de jade (1988) and Catherine Deneuve in the Oscar-winning film Indochine (1992). His true cinematic breakthrough, however, came as the callow, vacuous lover "Christian" opposite Gérard Depardieu's Cyrano de Bergerac (1990). The film is considered these days the definitive version of the Edmond Rostand classic.
With this phenomenal European success, the lithe, moody heartthrob branched out internationally, finally making his American film debut in The Crow: City of Angels (1996), taking over the vengeful title role from the late Brandon Lee who was accidentally killed in the original. The sequel proved lackluster and the U.S. has since been surprisingly and sadly unresponsive. This may be in part due to his subsequent American movies, which have included the passionless I Dreamed of Africa (2000), Bride of the Wind (2001) and Queen of the Damned (2002) with the late musical star Aaliyah.
Continuing into the millennium, Perez has remained an overseas art-house favorite and has graced scores of international films including the title role in the romantic French adventure Fanfan (2003); the Italian drama La felicità non costa niente (2003); the French/Swiss comedy co-production Welcome to Switzerland (2004); the Swedish action drama Arn: The Knight Templar (2007); the French dramas Tomorrow at Dawn (2009), Monsieur Papa (2011), A Butterfly Kiss (2011) and Kto porwal bociany? (2011); the Irish drama The Price of Desire (2015); the Australian romantic dramedy Ladies in Black (2018); and the U.S. action adventure The Aeronauts (2019).
Perez has been married to model/actress Karine Silla since 1998 and they have three children, including one set of twins). Sylla also has a child by Perez's ex-co-star Gérard Depardieu.- Actress
- Producer
Sandra Hess was born in Zurich, Switzerland. She began modeling and working on television commercials when she was just 15. After completing high school, she entered the University of Zurich to study law but quickly decided it wasn't the right direction for her. She came alone to the US to pursue an acting career. Once settled in Los Angeles, she began taking acting classes. Her first break was in the hit comedy Encino Man (1992), playing a cavewoman to Brendan Fraser's caveman character. She later landed the lead role in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997). She enjoyed the action aspects of that project and, since then, has found herself happily cast in other action roles, such as the lead in the telefilm Nick Fury: Agent of Shield (1998) (in which she played a villain), based on the Marvel comic, and guest spots in the series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993), Sliders (1995) and SeaQuest 2032 (1993). Sandra has been a regular on Pensacola: Wings of Gold (1997), where she plays Alexandra "Ice" Jensen, one of the few women in the squadron and a member of the Nuggets with the "Sharpshooters." In her infrequent free time, she enjoys yoga, working out, and hiking with Gracie, a stray dog she saved from the streets of Los Angeles.- Jenny Boyd was born in Sion, Switzerland and holds dual English and U.S. citizenship. She trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) graduating with an honors degree in Acting. She is best known for her portrayal of Lizzie Saltzman in Legacies (2018-2022). She was raised in Oregon and now lives between Los Angeles and London.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Turkish television and film actor. He is also a Goodwill Ambassador by Life Without Cancer Society in Turkey. Arduç was born in Switzerland on 9 October 1987 to a family of Albanian immigrants. At age of 8 years old, Arduç together with his family moved to Istanbul, Turkey. He has an older brother Onur Arduç and a younger brother Mert Arduç. He started his career as TV series and film actor in 2011.- Actor
- Soundtrack
David Bennent is the son of actor Heinz Bennent and former dancer Diane Mansart. His sister Anne is also an actress. David was born September 9, 1966 in Lausanne, Switzerland and has lived in Germany and France as well. He has worked throughout the world. At the age of 11, he portrayed Oskar Matzerath in the Oscar winning film The Tin Drum (The Tin Drum (1979)). He went on to appear in other films such as a TV production for Endspiel (1996), audio projects and many theater productions. His heart seems to be in the theater where classical and modern literature comes together with the actors and actresses inspired by it.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Jake Canuso was born on 13 January 1970 in Zurich, Switzerland. He is an actor and writer, known for The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Fyre Rises (2024) and Flyboys (2006).- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Baran bo Odar was born on 18 April 1978 in Olten, Switzerland. He is a writer and director, known for Who Am I (2014), Dark (2017) and The Silence (2010).- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Composer
Hoyte Van Hoytema was born in Horgen, Switzerland. Van Hoytema is a Dutch-Swedish director of photography known for his work on The Fighter (2010), Her (2013), Interstellar (2014), and Dunkirk (2017). Van Hoytema always wanted to be a filmmaker, therefore he wished to attend a film school in The Netherlands, but was rejected twice. After the rejection, Van Hoytema worked in a soap factory, carpentry factory and even played in a band. Hoyte and his brother decided to go to Poland to visit their roots, considering their grandpa was Polish. He eventually went on to attend the Polish film school in Lodz, which has been attended by other notable film makers, with the most notable being Andrzej Wajda, Roman Polanski, and Krzysztof Kieslowski. At the later stages of Hoyte's education at the Lodz film school, Kieslowski was a professor there, who even supervised one of Hoyte's last projects. Hoyte left the Lodz film school early without having received a degree, but with many credentials. He started out with making documentaries. He later met someone who asked him to shoot a very low-budget film in Norway, which he accepted to do. This let Hoyte to film another film in Norway which was led by a a producer who was very active in Sweden. The producer offered Hoyte to work on a television show and another feature film. This started off Hoyte's career. He started to become a notable film maker in Sweden. His film 'Let the right one in' made him more known internationally.- Producer
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Giorgio A. Tsoukalos is a Swiss-born writer, ufologist, television presenter and producer. He is a proponent of the pseudo-archaeological theory that ancient alien astronauts interacted with ancient humans. He is best known for his appearances on the television series Ancient Aliens. Tsoukalos also hosted the H2 series In Search of Aliens, which ran for one season in 2014.
In 2021 he appeared as himself on the television series Resident Alien.- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Edoardo Ponti was born on 6 January 1973 in Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. He is a director and writer, known for The Life Ahead (2020), Between Strangers (2002) and Human Voice (2014). He has been married to Sasha Alexander since 11 August 2007. They have two children.- Elisabeth Müller was born on 18 July 1926 in Basel, Switzerland. She was an actress, known for The Power and the Prize (1956), Viktoria (1957) and Alle Tage ist kein Sonntag (1959). She was married to Kurt Grigoleit. She died on 11 December 2006 in Sempach, Kanton Luzern, Switzerland.
- Actress
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She attended business school, after graduating from which she turned to acting. Pulver quickly received his first major roles in the theater. In 1949 she celebrated her film debut in "Swiss Tour" alongside Simone Signoret, Cornel Wilde and Heinrich Gretler. In 1954 the actress made her breakthrough with the Swiss production "Uli, the Knecht". This success was followed in 1955 by the sequel film "Uli, the Tenant". In the same year she played in "I often think of Piroschka", which also made her popular in Germany. This film was directed by Kurt Hoffmann. From 1957 Hoffmann also directed Pulver's trilogy of the so-called Spessart films: These included "Das Wirtshaus im Spessart" (1957), for which she received the silver film ribbon as best actress, "Das Spukschloss im Spessart" (1960) and "Magnificent Times in the Spessart" (1967). In 1957, Pulver took part in her first film adaptation of a Thomas Mann novel in "Confessions of the Imposter Felix Krull" alongside Horst Buchholz.
In 1959 she appeared in front of the camera alongside Nadja Tiller for the film adaptation of Mann's novel "The Buddenbrooks". The first highlight in Pulver's career was the 1960 film "The Glass of Water" by Helmut Käutner, in which she played alongside Gustav Gründgens. Pulver now became, alongside Maria Schell, one of the most popular actresses in German post-war films. In 1960 she presented one of her brilliant roles alongside Curd Jürgens in "Gustav Adolf's Page". In 1961, Pulver starred in the famous Hollywood film "One, Two, Three!" by Billy Wilder. In the same year she married the actor Helmut Schmid. She also appeared in front of the camera for "The Young General" and "Lafayette". Pulver also gained great audience sympathy for her collaboration with the German film star Heinz Rühmann, alongside whom she appeared in the humorous films "Dr. med. Hiob Prätorius" and "Hocus Pocus or: How do I make my husband disappear...?" in 1965. was to be seen. The actress has also appeared in successful roles in films and on the theater stage in international productions.
She received a Golden Globe nomination in 1963 for her role in "State Affairs." However, she failed to achieve a breakthrough in America. She couldn't accept the offer to play the lead role alongside Charlton Heston in "El Cid". The role was successfully cast with Sophia Loren. In the 1970s, Pulver appeared in films such as "Monika and the Sixteen-Year-Olds" and "I Think My Hat is Burning." She also starred in series such as "Hooper's Last Hunt" and "The Old Man: A Suitcase". One of her most popular jobs of these years, however, was hosting the children's show "Sesame Street". The actress's family life was overshadowed by tragic events: her daughter committed suicide in 1989 and her husband died in 1992 after 31 years of marriage. In 1995, Pulver took on another film role in "Everything Lies". In the same year she presented her last major performance in the Hera Lind novel adaptation "Das Superweib" alongside Veronica Ferres and Heiner Lauterbach.
In 1998, Pulver published her memoirs under the title "Stay a little longer". The sequel to her autobiography followed in 2001 under the title "... if you still laugh. Diary of my life". Lieselotte Pulver, meanwhile, became a five-time Bambi award winner. At the "Golden Camera" award ceremony in 2007, she was honored for her life's work. In 2008, Pulver was honored with the Swiss Television Prize. In 2018 she received the sixth Bambi for her life's work and in 2021 the honorary award of the Swiss Film Prize.- Lia Beldam was born on 17 June 1944 in Zurich, Switzerland. She was an actress, known for The Shining (1980). She was married to George Beldam and Frank Manning. She died on 23 August 2021.
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Joel Basman was born on 23 January 1990 in Zürich, Switzerland. He is an actor and producer, known for The Awakening of Motti Wolkenbruch (2018), Papillon (2017) and The Monuments Men (2014).- Additional Crew
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H.R. Giger was born on 5 February 1940 in Chur, Switzerland. He was a director, known for Alien (1979), Alien vs. Predator (2004) and Aliens (1986). He was married to Carmen Maria Scheifele and Mia Bonzanigo. He died on 12 May 2014 in Zurich, Switzerland.- Actress
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Sonja Kinski is a model and actress of American nationality. She is the daughter of actress Nastassja Kinski and producer Ibrahim Moussa, and granddaughter of actor Klaus Kinski.
Kinski was born in Geneva, Switzerland, on March 2, 1986.
Her film debut was All God's Children Can Dance (2008). She also starred in Diamond on Vinyl (2013), Dark Hearts (2014), Holidays (2016), and She's Allergic to Cats (2016).- Katharina Böhm was born on 20 November 1964 in Sorengo, Ticino, Switzerland. She is an actress, known for Amico mio (1993), Die Unzertrennlichen (1997) and Kaltes Fieber (1984).
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Mario Adorf, a tell-tale name indeed. Mario calls to mind the actor's Italian roots (his father was a Calabrian surgeon) whereas Adorf reveals his German origins (his mother was a radiologist from the German region Eifel). As for the full name Mario Adorf it echoes to perfection the international character of this living legend's long career. Born in 1930, Mario Adorf was still studying drama at the famous Otto Falkenberg School in Munich when he landed his first role in the first installment of the "O8/15" series in 1954. It was a small part but it didn't go unnoticed and got him new roles in German films, the most remarkable of which being that of Bruno Lüdke, the mentally retarded serial killer in Robert Siodmak's 1957 masterpiece "Nachts, wenn der Teufel kam". It earned him his first prize (the German Film Award of the outstanding young actor of 1958). After this Mario Adorf's career turned international. His Mediterranean looks, his rugged face, his dark oily frizzy hair and his volubility made him an ideal villain in European-made westerns, spy or mafia films. These flicks - made in the 1960s - were mostly just commercial and Adorf hammed his parts but he did it so brilliantly that he alone made them watchable. From the 1970s on, the quality of his films improved and Adorf could lend his remarkable acting talents to more ambitious works such as "Il Delitto Matteotti", in which he was a striking Mussolini, or "Die Blechtrommel", where he was terrifying as a boorish grocer contaminated by Nazism. The list of great directors he worked with is impressive: Robert Siodmak, Volker Schlöndorff, Wolgang Staudte, Michel Deville, Dino Risi, Mikhaïl Kalatozov, Luigi Comencini, Peter Fleischmann, Billy Wilder, John Frankenheimer, Claude Chabrol, Fassbinder... Likewise he served many a great author, either in the theatre (Shakespeare, Tennessee Williams, Richard Nash) or the big or small screen (Grass, Böll, Schnitzler, Heny Miller, Joseph Conrad, Gorky, Patrick Süskind...). He also sang and wrote books (five novels and one memoir). Hyperactive for more than fifty-five years now, Mario Adorf, still in fine form at the age of seventy-eight, is still ... hyperactive!- Roeland Wiesnekker was born on 25 November 1967 in Zürich, Switzerland. He is an actor, known for Blackout - Die Erinnerung ist tödlich (2006), Strähl (2004) and Der Fürsorger (2009).
- Anatole Taubman was born in Zurich, Switzerland and is of Russian-Polish-Slovakian-Austrian-and-former-East-Prussian blood. In 1991 he made his baccalauréat at the renowned Gymnasium of the Benedictine boarding school of the monastery Einsiedeln and in 1994 he graduated from the reputable drama-school 'Circle in the Square' in NYC. He's fluent in five languages (English, French, Swiss-German, German and Italian) and is also truly cosmopolitan in his work. Taubman has starred and co-starred in over 50 feature films and TV productions. Since 1998, he has been busy working and with international success in the UK, France, Germany, Switzerland and for the USA throughout Europe and beyond. Among other credits Anatole Taubman is best known for his impressive English-language TV work in Band of Brothers (HBO), Servants (BBC), POW (ITV), Spooks VI (BBC), Waking The Dead VII - Pièta (BBC) or The Tudors II (Showtime) and established himself as a fine character actor in feature films like Mein Name is Bach (CH/D), Luther (D), Marmorera (CH), Fay Grim (USA), Snipers Valley (D), Secret Défense (F), Taken / 96 Hours (F / USA) and in 2009 Pope Joan (D), Same Same But Different (D) or in Chanel & Stravinsky (F).
Anatole Taubman is a member of the German Film Academy and of the European Film Academy. Anatole Taubman is Spokesperson for UNICEF Switzerland. - Actor
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Carlos Leal was born on 9 July 1969 in Fribourg, Switzerland. He is an actor and producer, known for The L Word: Generation Q (2019), Father Stu (2022) and The Boarding School (2007). He is married to Jo Kelly. They have two children.- Actor
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A remote and rather prevailing sullenness has only enhanced the mystique and charisma found in dashingly handsome Oliver Tobias, who has enjoyed over a Five decade-long career on stage, screen and TV. Born Oliver Tobias Freitag in Zurich, Switzerland on August 6, 1947, he was the son of Swiss actor Robert Freitag and German actress Maria Becker, who subsequently divorced when he was young. Living in England from age 8, he was sent to boarding school and was later encouraged by his mother to study at the East 15 Acting School (1965-1968) which coincided with dance training at the Ecole de Dance in Zurich.
In 1968 he appeared in the original London production of "Hair" playing the prime rebel role of Berger. The following year he starred, staged and choreographed the rock opera in Amsterdam and again helmed a production in 1970 in Tel Aviv. Oliver continued his shaggy-haired, counterculture musical career with the role of Judas in a German touring company of "Jesus Christ Superstar."
Around this time he started making an impression in films with the international productions of Romance of a Horsethief (1971), 'Tis Pity She's a Whore (1971), which co-starred Charlotte Rampling, and The God King (1974) in a Mephistophelean-styled role. On TV he enhanced a number of classic, age-old stories from Sherlock Holmes to Robin Hood. He earned TV stardom as King Arthur in the series Arthur of the Britons (1972), then again played the youthful ruler of Camelot in King Arthur, the Young Warlord (1975) on film. From there he graced a number of colorful costumers, including Arabian Adventure (1979) and on TV portrayed composer Johann Strauss in an equally colorful outing. Despite this attention he did not give up his musical roots, showing his prowess in the title role of the rock opera "Peer Gynt" in Zurich, and in the role of The Pirate King in "The Pirates of Penzance" at London's Drury Lane Theatre. As a stretch he also appeared as Bassa Selim in the Mozart opera "The Abduction from the Seraglio" in 1988 and 1989, then appeared in a non-musical, the powerful AIDS drama "The Normal Heart," shortly after.
Oliver's taste in movies have been eclectic to say the least, and not always tasteful. He appeared in Joan Collins' scurrilous, soft-core flick The Stud (1978) as an amorous waiter who sleeps his way to the top, and was part of the cast in the costumed romp Mata Hari (1985) which focused more on the disrobing of its star Sylvia Kristel than anything else. For variety he portrayed a Vietnam veteran in Cobra Mission (1986), a galactic dictator in Nexus 2.431 (1994), and a U-boat captain in The Brylcreem Boys (1998). In 1999 he again returned to musical limelight, this time in London as King Roderick in "La Cava," based on the Dana Broccoli novel. He returned to the role a second time in 2001. In 2003 he was Percival Brown in the 50th anniversary production of "The Boyfriend" and the very next year toured in the rock musical "Footloose."
Millennium films include prime appearances in the crime thriller Don't Look Back! (2003) and the romance thriller Method (2004), and featured roles in the war comedy Dad's Army (2016), the mystery drama Open My Eyes (2024), and two horror flicks, When the Devil Rides Out (2006) and Conjuring: The Book of the Dead (2020). Also more recent work on Swiss TV movies and series.
Divorced from Camilla Ravenshear, he has two daughters, Angelika and Celeste. In 2001 he married Polish-born Arabella Zamoyska. The rugged charmer is in the process of writing a tell-all autobiography.- Naomi Krauss was born in 1967 in Basel, Switzerland. She is an actress, known for The International (2009), 8 Uhr 28 (2010) and Faraway (2023).
- Dominique Devenport was born in 1996 in Lucerne, Switzerland. She is an actress, known for Davos 1917 (2023), Sisi (2021) and Night Train to Lisbon (2013).
- Deleila Piasko was born on 2 May 1991 in Switzerland. She is an actress, known for Agent Hamilton (2020), A Stasi Comedy (2022) and Boys Are Us (2012).
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His real name was Theodor Friedrich Emil Janenz, and in the early 1900s, he was already working in the theater under Max Reinhardt's company. Important movies where he defined himself as a convincing actor were Passion (1919) and Quo Vadis? (1924), followed by The Last Laugh (1924) (aka The Last Laugh) in 1924 and Variety (1925) (aka Variety) in 1925. In 1928, he became the first male leading actor to receive the academy award for The Last Command (1928) directed by Josef von Sternberg. In 1929, Stenberg directed him in his world famous movie The Blue Angel (1930) (aka The Blue Angel) co-starring the young Marlene Dietrich (her first role). Later on, he concentrated on theater and dedicated his acting skills to the Nazi regime and also took part in the realization of Ohm Krüger (1941) in 1941, an expensive anti-British film production. When the Second World War ended, the US government cleaned his image, and he converted to Catholicism. He played in a few more German movies, but his career never recaptured its brilliance.- Actor
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Peter Kaghanovitch was born on 18 September 1953 in Zurich, Switzerland. He is an actor, known for Electric Light - elektrisches Licht in einer kleinen Stadt (2023), Between Two Lines and The Good Neighbour (2011).- Actress
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Elisabetta Pellini was born on 6 April 1974 in Sorengo, Ticino, Switzerland. She is an actress and writer, known for Lockdownlove.it (2021), Joachim and the Apocalypse and Buio come il cuore.- Producer
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Erwin C. Dietrich was the most successful and influential movie "entrepreneur" in Switzerland for decades. Already in his teenage years he was interested in movies and observed all happenings in Hollywood from his home in St. Gallen. He quit his dream of becoming an actor rather early on and instead started focusing on his sense for artistic trends appealing to audiences. Starting in 1955 he began producing movies, first with his company "Urania": The movies THE MAN IN THE BLACK DERBY and MODEL HUSBAND starring popular Swiss comedian Walter Roderer turned into big successes that still haven't lost their popularity. At around the time where the "Edgar Wallace" thrillers became popular in Germany, Erwin brought NYLON NOOSE and STRANGLER OF THE TOWER starring German movie stars, such as Dietmar Schönherr, to the cinemas. Movies in the mid-60s increasingly included more sexually open themes, a trend Erwin could not and did not want to miss out on. An early example is ST. PAULI BETWEEN NIGHT AND MORNING he produced, which is characterized by an almost artistic arc between common thriller story and the newly discovered erotic appearance. It is exactly those examples that are highly respected by movie buffs around the world and are being rediscovered in his early productions. Later, Erwin achieved significant commercial success with his directorial debut in 1968, the movie adaptation of Guy De Maupassant's novel THE COLONEL'S NIECES with the same title. With this movie he hit the nerve of movie-goers and despite the massively censored scenes the audience showed up in droves. Over 45 more movies followed until 1980. Movies that he either directed or produced, often using pseudonyms such "Michael Thomas" or "Manfred Gregor" under the umbrella of newly "Elite-Film" (later: "Ascot Film GmbH"). Most of these movies came to life in a very informal environment, with a small crew in his studios in Rümlang, where the set pieces were rearranged on the fly. Some highlights can be found, in particular those starring Ingrid Steeger or French erotic star number one, Brigitte Lahaie. These movies have meanwhile advanced to cult status and are long running favorites at movie festivals and in home cinemas worldwide. Erwin often mentioned his favorite movie to be his remake of THE COLONEL'S NIECES, starring Brigitte Lahaie. Jess Franco, who for years has been ridiculed as a cheap grunge director and yet in the end received the "Goya" award, the Spanish Oscar, made 17 movies in this work period with Erwin C. Dietrich and called it the most productive and pleasant period of his career. Movies such as LOVE LETTERS OF A PORTUGUESE NUN or JACK THE RIPPER with divine performances by Klaus Kinski are now highly praised by movie buffs worldwide, incl. industry friends and fans such as Joe Dante and Quentin Tarantino (who once called Erwin the "Swiss Roger Corman"). On top of that Erwin's movie distribution business "Avis" which brought over 400 movies to local cinemas, flourished. He jumped on the "exploitation movie" bandwagon alone, yet this was not enough for movie buff Erwin. He was looking to get recognized at festivals and by the elite of film critics. And he got it. THE STORY OF PIERA produced by him and directed by Marco Ferreri, starring Isabelle Huppert and Marcello Mastroianni, may not have been a commercially comparable success to Erwin's other productions but it turned into a huge hit at the festivals, and Hanna Schygulla received the "Golden Palm" in Cannes for her performance. Even on an international level things looked up: the action spectacle THE WILD GEESE which he co-produced with Euan Lloyd from Britain, catapulted Erwin into an A-league that was unknown at that time, and garnered him international recognition. In addition, the star-studded cast that included Richard Harris, Roger Moore, Richard Burton, and Hardy Krüger did its share; the movie was seen by 4 million movie-goers in Germany alone and advanced to become a huge blockbuster in 1978, ultimately winning the "Goldene Leinwand" award. Following this success Erwin launched similar additional big productions on the big screen, including ESCAPE TO ATHENA and THE SEA WOLVES. Convinced by their success Erwin began production along with business partner Peter Baumgartner (and Peter's dubbing studios in Berlin, "Cinephon") three action spectacles to be shot in the Philippines. Emphasized by a gigantic marketing campaign (including an ecstatic Klaus Kinski dominating the promo tour) he released in the mid-80s the "mercenary trilogy" consisting of CODENAME WILDGEESE, COMMANDO LEOPARD and THE COMMANDER on the big screen. The Hollywood cast including Klaus Kinski, Ernest Borgnine, and Lee Van Cleef impressed everyone. During that time he also opened up the first cinema-multiplex in Switzerland called "Capitol". Later he expanded it with the "Cinemax". In the beginning of the 90s, after the dance movie DANCE ACADEMY 2 - DANCE TO WIN, the two Swiss comedies EIN SCHWEIZER NAMENS NÖTZLI and DER DOPPELTE NÖTZLI, as well as over 100 other productions, Erwin retired from the active movie production business and committed himself to his movie distribution company "Ascot-Elite" which was taken over by his children a few years ago and still today this largest independent movie distributor in Switzerland is managed by them. At last, Erwin C. Dietrich led the supervisory board and every morning he reviewed the box office results of the previous day. He passionately committed himself to the digital restoration of his cinematic legacy to preserve it for all future generations.- Actor
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Gian Franco Tordi (AKA Michael) is an American Actor. Born and raised in St.Moritz, Switzerland to Italian parents in a multicultural, cosmopolitan, and multi-language environment, he speaks 5 languages native-fluently. After attending a Swiss boarding school (Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz) and actively being involved in theater and sports such as soccer and skiing, he then used his athletic skills to travel the world as a professional ski- and snowboard instructor. Gian Franco then moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in entertainment. He lives in Beverly Hills.
He studied Theater, Film, and Television Acting at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), as well as with professional acting coaches and casting directors in Hollywood. Gian Franco is also a comedian, writer, and director.
He possesses the Italian style, joy of living and passion, the Swiss precision, professionalism and reliability, and the American hard-work ethic, with a super positive mindset where the answer is always "yes", let's do it! Anything can be done.- Actor
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Max Hubacher was born in 1993 in Bern, Kanton Bern, Switzerland. He is an actor, known for The Captain (2017), Mario (2018) and Midnight Runner (2018).- Actress
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Elodie Frenck was born on 1 January 1975 in Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland. She is an actress, known for Wasabi (2001), Heartbreaker (2010) and Lost City Raiders (2008).- Kadia Saraf was born in Bern, Switzerland to father Bosar, a Jazz musician of Yemeni-Israeli descent and Swiss mother Verena. Her Kadia wrote, produced and directed her first play "The PeachTree" at the young age of 16, the same year she was cast as the lead in two theatre productions in Switzerland and won several local talent competitions. In 2004 she moved to New York and later graduated from the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute.
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An award-winning actress and screenwriter, Christiane has over 30 years of professional experience in the film and television industry. She is co-founder of Company of Rogues Actors' Studio (Calgary, AB) and founder of Rogues West in Vancouver, BC. Christiane has garnered national recognition, delivering her highly successful workshops in her constant pursuit to nurture the artists' evolution in acting, writing and directing.- Actress
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Born March 19th, 1960 in Switzerland. The third child (of four) to musical parents, Leonard a violinist and co-founder of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and Claire, a concert Pianist, and opera coach. All the children played piano as well, but brother Richard is a violinist and conductor of all sorts of orchestras, older sister Sarah was a flutist, but took her career elsewhere and is now a university scientist, and younger sister Sonia also played cello, and violin, and is now an acclaimed producer in the West End of London. Maria was supposed to be a cellist, but didn't like to practice. Ironically, her musical/vocal career was an accident. At the age of 14 she saw Stephen Sondheim's "A Little Night Music", but it wasn't until 5 years later when she got her first part. In 1980, she was cast in the chorus of the national tour of Oklahoma!, only because her boyfriend at the time got a part and he asked them to take her as well. Maria, eventually understudied and played the parts of Ado Annie and Laurey at some point during the run.
After a few odds and ends jobs here and there, Maria's next big break came about 7 years later in "Blue's in the Night" - at the Piccadily Theatre which received a SWET nomination for best Musical. The show was later transferred to the Donmar and got wonderful reviews.
Maria next played Hayyah in The Ghetto at the Royal National Theatre, which won an Evening Standard Award for Best Play. (This is where she met Jeremy Sams, partner and father of her two children.) In 1990, Maria got the opportunity in her first Sondheim musical as Dot/Marie in Sunday in the Park with George - also at the Royal National Theatre, which won an Olivier Award for Best Musical and for which Maria was nominated for an Olivier for Best Actress in a Musical. Co-star Phillip Quast received an Olivier award for his role as George. This was directed by Stephen Pimlot who also directed The Joseph video 9 years later, and musical direction was by Jeremy Sams. Maria had to audition 7 times before receiving the part.
Mary in Merrily We Roll Along at the Haymarket Theatre, Leicester in 1992 was her second Sondheim show. In 1994 Maria appeared in her one-woman show at the Donmar Warehouse, Covent Garden, "Maria Friedman by Special Arrangement". The production was a huge success winning Maria the Olivier award for "Best Entertainment"(1995). After the November birth of Maria's first son Toby, the show transferred to the Whitehall Theatre as "Maria Friedman by Extra Special Arrangement" It is from this show that Maria's first solo album was produced.
Maria went on to play the role of Fosca in the London production of Stephen Sondheim's musical "Passion" to much acclaim. She played opposite Michael Ball to rave reviews and won the Olivier award for "Best Actress in a musical". This to date is one of her most memorable parts, as many were unsure of Maria for the role, simply because she is known as a comedic actress.
Maria was next seen at the Royal National Theatre's Lyttleton theatre in 1997. She played the role of Liza Elliott in the first London production of "Lady in the Dark". It had taken over 50 years to get it to the London stage and once again Maria received rave reviews for the show and was nominated for another Olivier award. She also received an Evening Standard award. Following Lady in the Dark, she took over the role of "Roxie Hart" in the smash hit London production of "Chicago". When Maria was asked to do the role following Ruthie Henshall in the shows revival debut, she originally turned it down. Maria saw the character as someone with longer legs and more dancing ability, someone she could not see herself necessarily pulling off. However, when Maria was asked to meet with choreographer Ann Reinking, She was convinced the show might be worth a go and something different. Thus, yet again she was a huge hit in the show. Reviewers raved over her performance, many saying she took the show to new heights of vocal and comedic excellence. In an unusual move Maria was nominated for the Olivier award for best actress in Chicago. Ruthie Henshall who had created the role of Roxie in London had also previously been nominated for the role. Maria starred along side Nicola hughes, and Valerie Pettiford.
In 1998, Maria took a break from Chicago to play the role of the Narrator in the video production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat". It was released early in 1999 and opened up a whole new audience to Maria worldwide, particularly in the United States. Donny Osmond, Joan Collins and Sir Richard Attenborough starred along with Maria, and her oldest son Toby makes a small appearence in the beginning, as the little boy she goes into the audience to sing to.
In 2000 she returned to the West End as "Sukie" in "The Witches of Eastwick" . The show debuted at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane before transferring to the Prince of Wales theatre. It was a new Cameron Mackintosh musical, with Maria, and Joanna Riding and Lucie Arnaz. Maria ended her run in the show in June 2001. The show closed in October of 2001.
After Witches Maria made several concert appearances. She has also appeared as senior police officer 'Gillian Raines' in the BBC drama "In Deep". She was also heard in the BBC Radio 4 play "Swan Song". In 2002 Maria gave birth to another son, called Alfie, and in October she made an appearance at the International Theatre Festival in Wales, playing the role of Mother in "Ragtime". The show received such response that Maria teamed up with her sister, Sonia, a producer at the Ambassadors theatre group, and brought the show to the West End. Opening in March, and booking only a twelve week run, the show again got such response it extended through September.
Maria next appeared and toured with her concert, Maria Friedman Live!, and finally debuted in the United States! She was asked by Stephen Sondheim and Barbara Cook, to appear at the Cafe Carlyle in New York for three weeks. The show was a smash! She also took the show to Spain, and Switzerland. In February 2004, she won an Olivier Award for Ragtime and in autumn will appear in the new Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, The Woman in White, at The Palace Theatre, London.- Actress
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Sophie Huber was born in 1971 in Bern, Switzerland. She is an actress and director, known for Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes (2018), Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction (2012) and Make My Day (2004). She has been married to Cherry Jones since 2015.- Actress
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Marem Hassler is know for her award winning work, in front and behind the camera. As an actress, director and producer. Her father is a Swiss cinematographer and filmmaker and instilled in her early on, the love for all things cinematic. She speaks five languages fluent and is known for often picking up the camera herself and shoot on projects. She is the co-founder/owner of Prickly Pears Films and Viscus Films in the US and Tatendrang Films in Switzerland.