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1-50 of 156
- Actor
- Producer
Boyish-looking Peter Sarsgaard was born on March 7, 1971, at Scott Air Force Base, in Bellville, Illinois, to Judy Lea (Reinhardt) and John Dale Sarsgaard, an engineer who worked for the Air Force and later Monsanto and IBM. He is a graduate of St. Louis' Washington University, where he majored in history and literature.
Initially trained with the Actors' Studio in New York, Peter began in comedy and became a co-founder of the comedy improvisational group Mama's Pot Roast. Such off-Broadway productions included Horton Foote's "Laura Dennis" and John Cameron Mitchell's "Kingdom of Earth."
He made his screen debut in Tim Robbins' Dead Man Walking (1995) and was given more sizable roles in Desert Blue (1998) and The Man in the Iron Mask (1998), as the ill-fated son of the Musketeer Athos, played by John Malkovich. Peter then started gracing the art-house circuit, making a violent, searing impression as a homophobic killer in Boys Don't Cry (1999) starring two-time Oscar-winner Hilary Swank as a trans-gendered teen.
Other impressionable offbeat roles for Peter that have thrilled critics from coast to coast include Shattered Glass (2003), which earned him a slew of awards including the prestigious National Society of Film Critics Award. Prior to that, he showed off his versatility with portrayals ranging from a Russian nuclear reactor officer in K-19: The Widowmaker (2002) to a drug addict in The Salton Sea (2002). Other heralded performances include Garden State (2004) and, notably, Kinsey (2004).
On TV, Peter appeared in recurring/regular roles in several critically applauded series and mini-series including The Killing (2011), The Slap (2015), Wormwood (2017) (as ill-fated Army scientist Frank Olson), The Looming Tower (2018) and Running Naked in the Universe (2019). More recent films include Knight and Day (2010), the villain in the DC Comics entry Green Lantern (2011), the Woody Allen drama Blue Jasmine (2013), Experimenter (2015), Jackie (2016) (as Bobby Kennedy), The Magnificent Seven (2016), Loving Pablo (2017), The Sound of Silence (2019) and Human Capital (2019).
In 2009, Sarsgaard married actress Maggie Gyllenhaal and have two children. He co-starred in the movie she wrote and directed -- The Lost Daughter (2021) starring Olivia Colman.- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Lauren Ash is a recent alumnus of the Second City Chicago Mainstage. She is also an alumna of the Second City Toronto Mainstage and is one half of sketch comedy duo "Cory!". She is a two-time Canadian Comedy Award winner for Best Female Improviser and has also won for Best Comedic Play in 2008 and Best Sketch Troupe in 2006.
She's played various roles in "Scare Tactics" as well as the Canadian TV series, "Almost Heroes." She had a recurring role in "The Ron James Show" and made guest appearances in "Lost Girl," "Cracked," "Bomb Girls" and "Call Me Fitz." Other film and television credits include "Video on Trial," "Hotbox" and the Academy Award-nominated film "Lars and the Real Girl." She is also the voice of Sam in the animated Canadian series "The Dating Guy."- Actor
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Liam O'Brien is an accomplished actor, writer, director, and producer in the world of animation and games. He's lent his voice to the worlds of Star Wars, Transformers, the Marvel universe, and beyond. He is also a founding member of "Critical Role (2015)", the long running, live-streamed RPG game on Twitch. He plays with fellow actors Matthew Mercer, Taliesin Jaffe, Travis Willingham, Laura Bailey, Sam Riegel, and Marisha Ray. On Critical Role (2015), he is known for playing the characters Vax'ildan Vessar, Caleb Widogast, and Orym of the Air Ashari. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Amy Kincaid, and their two children.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Buddy Ebsen began his career as a dancer in the late 1920s in a Broadway chorus. He later formed a vaudeville act with his sister Vilma Ebsen, which also appeared on Broadway. In 1935 he and his sister went to Hollywood, where they were signed for the first of MGM's Eleanor Powell movies, Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935). While Vilma retired from stage and screen shortly after this, Buddy starred in two further MGM movies with Powell. Two of his dancing partners were Frances Langford in Born to Dance (1936) and Judy Garland in Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937). They were a little bit taller than Shirley Temple, with whom he danced in Captain January (1936). MGM studio chief Louis B. Mayer offered him an exclusive contract in 1938, but Ebsen turned it down. In spite of Mayer's warning that he would never get a job in Hollywood again, he was offered the role of the scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz (1939). Ebsen agreed to change roles with Ray Bolger, who was cast as the Tin Man. Ebsen subsequently became ill from the aluminum make-up, however, and was replaced by Jack Haley. He returned to the stage, making only a few pictures before he got a role in the Disney production of Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier (1955). After this, he became a straight actor, and later won more fame in his own hit series, The Beverly Hillbillies (1962) and Barnaby Jones (1973).- Music Artist
- Actress
- Composer
Avril Lavigne was born on September 27, 1984 in Belleville, Ontario, Canada, to Judith-Rosanne (Loshaw) and Jean-Claude Joseph Lavigne. Her ancestry is French-Canadian, Polish, English, Irish, and Scottish. At sixteen, she moved to Manhattan and began work on her debut album. She dropped out of high school after the 11th grade when she secured a record deal. When Avril was almost 18, she released "Complicated" from her debut album titled: "Let Go," which went 6x platinum. As a petite skater girl from a small town, Avril has shown she is independent, full of confidence and determination, providing a good combination to make "Complicated" and Avril a musical breakthrough. "Complicated" went to number #1 on Billboards Top 100 while also earning her 5 Grammy nominations, MTV music awards, MTV European music awards and many more.- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Lea DeLaria was born on 23 May 1958 in Belleville, Illinois, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Orange Is the New Black (2013), Cars 3 (2017) and Edge of Seventeen (1998).- Actress
- Writer
- Director
Ellie Anne Harvie is a Canadian actress who portrayed Morticia on The New Addams Family. This role was originally portrayed by American actress Carolyn Jones. Later, she starred as Dr. Lindsey Novak in Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis.
Harvie was the youngest of five children born into a U.S. Air Force family. They eventually settled in Saskatchewan and Harvie later attended the University of Manitoba, where she earned a degree in political studies. After graduating, Harvie moved to Vancouver with her family in 1987, where she took up a two-year course at the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre School.
Her love of stand-up comedy and improv led to extra work in TheatreSports. After training at the Vancouver Playhouse Acting School, Harvie embarked on years of theatre touring British Columbia's schools with "Greenthumb Theatre", performing in scads of Fringe Festivals and then the big stages.
As part of the Vancouver TheatreSports team, Harvie won the 1995 Just for Laughs Improv Tournament championship held in Montreal, beating competitors from across the world. Harvie also appeared in Cupid, The X-Files, Nightscream and The 6th Day. She received a Gold medal in CBC's 1998 Improv Olympics and a Gemini nomination for Best Comedy Performance in a Series or Special. She also took over from Wendie Malick as Burdine Maxwell from the second TV season of Bratz.
On Nov. 24, 2012 Harvie hosted the inaugural UBCP/ACTRA Awards, which aims to honor acting talent in British Columbia.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Jaimee Foxworth was born on 17 December 1979 in Belleville, Illinois, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Family Matters (1989), TV 101 (1988) and Amen (1986).- Producer
- Actress
- Executive
Entertainment and media empress Dany Garcia is the founder and force behind The Garcia Companies, a multi-faceted talent and media management holding company which oversees Seven Bucks Productions, a full service production company that she co-founded with her management client and business partner Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. The Garcia Companies, with Dany at the helm, manages brands, talent and projects that have the ability to reach global audiences on multiple platforms and through various services.
As founder and president, Dany Garcia brings over 17 years experience in the entertainment industry to The Garcia Companies and along with her clients, continues to grow her outstanding reputation within the industry. As an Executive Producer, Garcia has Dwayne Johnson headlining the HBO half-hour action/comedy hit series "Ballers," the highly anticipated Paramount feature film BAYWATCH, based on the hit TV series of the same name, later this year and Seven Bucks Productions has also teamed up with SPIKE TV to create "Rock the Troops," a grand scale music and entertainment event to celebrate and entertain deployed US Troops serving overseas.
Garcia's acclaimed film projects read like a who's-who of Hollywood with such esteemed names attached as Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline, Martin Landau and Ellen Burstyn and the Academy Award-nominee for Best Documentary film, WHICH WAY HOME.
Balancing over 50 other projects in development while simultaneously managing a diverse roster of talent, Garcia works closely with her clients to achieve their goals in every facet of their career. Whether in feature films, television, publishing, commercials or brand integrated content, she is constantly creating that lift that will make her clients standout and edge the competition, giving them extreme longevity in a rapidly changing media and entertainment landscape. Garcia proves that anything can be done - and done well. In 2015, Garcia was selected by Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) as a guest panelist for their "Profiles on Champions" discussion at their 35th annual leadership conference, which brought together over 1,000 female media leaders for a motivational and empowering discussion on the many traits of successful athletes who have trained their bodies and minds for competitive high performance and challenging environments. Garcia herself competes as a professional IFBB Pro Women's Physique Bodybuilder and brought her expertise as an athlete, female role model, and media executive to the powerful discussion.
Born and raised in New Jersey, Garcia moved to Florida where she earned a Bachelor's Degree in International Marketing and Finance from the University Of Miami School Of Business. This Cubana took a job at Merrill Lynch straight out of college, using the experiences there to increase her knowledge of financial tools, eventually becoming Vice President of the company before founding her own private wealth management firm, JDM Partners LLC. Garcia continues to be an active angel investor, using her wealth of experience to identify and invest in groundbreaking entrepreneurs and business start-ups and is a current investor in Cava Mediterranean Grill restaurants.
Named the 2015 "Bridge Builder Impacto Latino of the Year" by the Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce for her efforts to promote the better good and well-being of the Hispanic community; Garcia is a dedicated lifelong philanthropist and social advocate. She founded The Beacon Experience; a foundation that identifies promising but at-risk second graders in inner city schools and through her personal funds, has empowered them throughout their lifelong education with weekly tutoring and full paid scholarships for college. The program works hand-in-hand with the students and their families, giving them a support system and hope for a great future and a college education, something that was only a wistful dream for the majority. Further signifying her belief in the importance of education, Garcia continues to support her alma mater by serving on the University Of Miami Board Of Trustees and as President of the University of Miami Alumni Association. Garcia is also an Honorary Alumnus at Florida International University.
Garcia uses her position as a female media mogul to inspire, educate, and empower people of all walks of life. Most importantly, Garcia is mom to a teenage daughter, whom she is raising to be a strong independent young woman in a world where she is shattering glass ceilings, one floor at a time. Garcia and her husband, Dave Rienzi, split their time between Miami and Los Angeles.- Actor
- Additional Crew
A graduate of Jersey City State University with a B.S. in computer science, Adams was a partner in a trucking company when he decided to pursue a career in entertainment. He signed with the Boss Modeling Agency and had his first major break as an actor in winning a role on the soap opera Sunset Beach (1997).- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Ken Kwapis is an award-winning director of motion pictures and television. He has directed eleven feature films, among them A Walk In The Woods, based on Bill Bryson's acclaimed comedic memoir; He's Just Not That Into You, inspired by the New York Times bestselling advice book; and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, adapted from the beloved young adult novel. Other films include the rescue adventure Big Miracle, and the romantic comedies License to Wed and He Said, She Said (co-directed with Marisa Silver). His feature debut was Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird, starring Jim Henson's Muppets.
For television, Kwapis helped launch nine series, including the groundbreaking HBO comedy The Larry Sanders Show, Fox's Emmy Award-winning The Bernie Mac Show, and NBC's The Office. Kwapis directed the pilot of The Office and its series finale, along with many memorable episodes -"Casino Night," Booze Cruise," "Diversity Day," to name a few. He earned an Emmy nomination for directing the episode "Gay Witch Hunt."
Kwapis also earned an Emmy nomination for his work as a producer-director of Fox's Malcolm In The Middle. Other series Kwapis helped launch include NBC's Outsourced, Showtime's Happyish, and Netflix's #blackAF. He directed numerous episodes of shows such as Freaks and Geeks, One Mississippi, and Santa Clarita Diet.
Kwapis studied filmmaking at Northwestern University and the University of Southern California. He won the Student Academy Award in Dramatic Achievement for his USC thesis film "For Heaven's Sake," an adaptation of Mozart's one-act comic opera Der Schauspieldirektor ("The Impresario").- Special Effects
- Make-Up Department
- Director
When he ran the make-up effects department at New World Pictures, Roger Corman called John Carl Buechler "...the best in the business..." An actor, writer, producer, director, special effects artist, he was always in love with filmmaking, and was the first person in history to make his way into the director's chair by way of make-up effects superstardom.
John Carl Buechler was born in Belleville, Illinois. As someone who went the entire nine yards, he made his name as an accomplished writer, producer, director and special effects artist. Since his early years, Buechler was thrilled with a passion of special effects and formed his own company, Mechanical Imageries Inc., for creating special effects for a handful of motion pictures in the science fiction and horror/fantasy genre. Although he was known for his fascinating make-up work, as a director, Buechler made his debut on an anthology fantasy film entitled The Dungeonmaster (1984). A year later, he directed and also designed the special effects for another fantasy film called Troll (1986), which became a major success during its theatrical release in 1986. Troll (1986), The Dungeonmaster (1984) and another Buehcler-directed effort, Cellar Dweller (1987), were films that were produced by Charles Band's then-collapsing Empire Pictures, in which Buechler often worked on dozens of Band's films as an effects artist. His work as a director led him to direct the seventh sequel to the ever famous Friday the 13th (1980) for Paramount Pictures. Friday the 13th: The New Blood (1988), like its many sequels was another box-office success, even though Buechler at the time was skeptical about directing the film. In later years, Buechler has continued on his long accomplished work in special effects and many of his directorial efforts were released to directly to video. Premiere Magazine quoted him as saying, "if you can pull a performance out of a piece of latex, you can do it with actors...."
He died on March 18, 2019.- Actor
- Producer
Graham Parkhurst was born in Belleville, Ontario, Canada. He is an actor and producer, known for Glamorous (2023), Reacher (2022) and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022).- Actress
- Composer
- Music Department
Sharon Van Etten was born on 26 February 1981 in Belleville, New Jersey, USA. She is an actress and composer, known for Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020), In the Shadow of the Moon (2019) and Sweet Girl (2021).- Jim Knobeloch was born on 18 March 1950 in Belleville, Illinois, USA. He is an actor, known for Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1993), Knowing (2009) and Predestination (2014).
- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Jeff Tweedy began his musical career in the late 80s with the band 'Uncle Tupelo.' The band had two frontmen: Jeff on bass and vocals and his long time friend Jay Farrar on guitar and vocals. The band was based out of Belleville, IL and lasted until 1994 when the members decided to go their own ways. Jeff went on to form 'Wilco' in 1994 and has released 11 albums. A highly acclaimed documentary titled 'I Am Trying to Break Your Heart' was made while recording the album 'Yankee Hotel Foxtrot' in 2001.- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Michael Joseph DiGiacinto was born in Belleville, New Jersey to Michael & Elaine DiGiacinto. His father's family is from Jersey City, NJ and his mother's family is from Brooklyn, NY. His name originates from the small farming village of Arsita, in the Abruzzo province of Italy.
He attended Nutley High School in NJ where he was a member of The National Honor Society and captain of his basketball team. Mike attended The University of Maryland for his freshman year of college. Always dreaming of living in Southern California, Mike decided to transfer to San Diego State University in his sophomore year and went on to obtain a Bachelor of Arts in Acting. He was also a member of The Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity while attending SDSU.
He has worked professionally in all areas of the acting community since then and has lived in both Los Angeles and New York. He's worked in four different countries, thirteen different states, and has been blessed to work alongside Academy Award / Emmy Award winning & nominated directors and actors. His films have taken him everywhere from The Cannes Film Festival, to The New York City International Film Festival, to The Beverly Hills Film Festival, to The Austin Film Festival, to The Chicago Comedy Film Festival and many more in between.
Mike is a proud member of The Screen Actor's Guild, Actor's Equity Association, and The American Federation of Television & Radio Artists.
He currently resides in New York.- Actor
- Director
Kevin Von Erich was born on 15 May 1957 in Belleville, Illinois, USA. He is an actor and director, known for The Best of the Von Erichs (2004), AEW Dynamite (2019) and Mid South Wrestling (1981). He has been married to Pam Adkisson since 1 August 1980. They have four children.- Nancy Anne Sakovich was born on 8 October 1961 in Belleville, Ontario, Canada. She is an actress, known for Category 6: Day of Destruction (2004), PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal (1996) and Relic Hunter (1999).
- Charla Kaye Bocchicchio was born in Belleville, IL to Robert and Frances Hale, the youngest of five children. Always interested in make-believe and performing, she got her start in theatre in her youth and continued her love of acting into her young adulthood, at the University of Utah where she earned her BFA in Theatre. Charla has been fortunate to make a life in the arts; teaching, acting, creating arts in education programs and bringing the arts to special populations through her many years as program/artistic director at CDF, a non-profit arts organization in Birmingham, AL. In 2012, she moved to Los Angeles to continue her newly found love of acting for the camera and flourished there for a few wonderful years, training with some of the best in the industry, namely Anthony Meindl, who changed her paradigm completely and gave her a new way to work and teach. In addition, Charla was blessed to have Judy Kain enter her life as a mentor and dear friend, who offered her the position as lead youth teacher for award-winning, Keep It Real Acting School in North Hollywood. Southern California also brought Charla her wonderful husband, John Bocchicchio, whom she met in an Improv class at UCB. They returned to a place she once called home, Salt Lake City, in late 2014 where she has continued her charmed life and is now an award-winning, busy, actress, in commercials, TV, Film, Voice-over, etc. She is no stranger to the indie film scene as she loves to collaborate on projects she feels passionately about. Some of Charla's favorite projects have involved improvisation, which she adores, including several viral internet ads. In addition to her acting work, Charla is also a highly sought after acting coach in SLC.
- Eddie Perino was born on 31 May 1988 in Belleville, Illinois, USA. He is an actor, known for Bodied (2017), Fresh Off the Boat (2015) and Prank Encounters (2019).
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Tommy DeVito was born on 19 June 1928 in Belleville, New Jersey, USA. He was an actor, known for The Good Shepherd (2006), Casino (1995) and 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag (1997). He died on 21 September 2020 in Henderson, Nevada, USA.- Darius LaVar Miles is one of the most physically gifted and tantalizing talents ever to grace the hardcourts of the National Basketball Association. He's an opposing coach's match up nightmare. Darius, at 6' 9", has the height of a frontcourt player, but the nimbleness and the ball handling ability of a player that's much smaller. He jumped from East St. Louis HS in Illinois where he was a Parade, USA Today and McDonalds All-American to the NBA via the 3rd overall pick in the 2000 draft by the Los Angeles Clippers. With that pick he became the first High Schooler ever selected by the organization. After joining the Clippers, he teamed up with fellow NBA neophyte Quentin Richardson to form one of the most exciting and explosive tandems in the league. His two-year stay in LA ended when he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers following the 2001-2002 season. His 2-year stay in Cleveland, like in LA, was filled with flashes of shear brilliance that kept the public as well as the team teeming with great expectations but returned very few results. The two frustrating years ended when Darius was again traded, this time in the middle of the 2003-2004 season to Microsoft Co-founder Paul Allen's Portland Trailblazers. There, his potential has finally turned into true results as he has blossomed in the Pacific Northwest. His development as a player and as a young man has culminated in the Blazers' giving him a 6 year, $48 million contract extension, thus solidifying his future in Basketball. His talents however has not been limited to just the hardwood as he has dipped into the world of acting, making his big screen debut in National Lampoon's Van Wilder (2002), as well as appearances on the TV series "One on One" and HBO's ARLI$$. In 2004, Darius took on his largest role yet as Desmond Rhodes staring alongside Erika Christensen, Scarlett Johansson, and Matthew Lillard in the comedy The Perfect Score.
- Actor
- Producer
- Production Manager
Joe Russell was born in Belleville, Illinois. He is a producer and actor known for the Netflix Original film XOXO (2016) the short film Laboratory Conditions starring Marisa Tomei and Minnie Driver and hundreds of short films commercials and music videos. He studied producing at UCLA and trained under the great Anne Jackson and Eli Wallach in NY.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Vilma Ebsen was born on 1 February 1911 in Belleville, Illinois, USA. She was an actress, known for Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935). She was married to Stanley Morris Briggs and Robert Emmett Dolan. She died on 12 March 2007 in Thousand Oaks, California, USA.