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Kris Kristofferson was born in Brownsville, Texas, to Mary Ann (Ashbrook) and Lars Henry Kristofferson. His paternal grandparents were Swedish, and his father was a United States Air Force general who pushed his son to a military career. Kris was a Golden Gloves boxer and went to Pomona College in California. From there, he earned a Rhodes scholarship to study literature at Oxford University. He ultimately joined the United States Army and achieved the rank of captain. He became a helicopter pilot, which served him well later. In 1965, he resigned his commission to pursue songwriting. He had just been assigned to become a teacher at USMA West Point. He got a job sweeping floors in Nashville studios. There he met Johnny Cash, who initially took some of his songs but ignored them. He was also working as a commercial helicopter pilot at the time. He got Cash's attention when he landed his helicopter in Cash's yard and gave him some more tapes. Cash then recorded Kristofferson's "Sunday Morning Coming Down", which was voted the 1970 Song of the Year by the Country Music Association. Kris was noted for his heavy boozing. He lost his helicopter pilot job when he passed out at the controls, and his drinking ruined his marriage to singer Rita Coolidge, when he was reaching a bottle and half of Jack Daniels daily. He gave up alcohol in 1976. His acting career nose-dived after making Heaven's Gate (1980). In recent years, he has made a comeback with his musical and acting careers. He does say that he prefers his music, but says his children are his true legacy.

Robert Fitzgerald Diggs better known by his stage name the RZA, is an American rapper, actor, filmmaker, and record producer. He is the de facto leader of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, having produced most albums for the group and its respective members. He is a cousin of two other original Wu-Tang Clan members: GZA and Ol' Dirty Bastard. He has also released solo albums under the alter-ego Bobby Digital, along with executive producing credits for side projects. After forming the Wu-Tang Clan, RZA was a founding member of the horror-core group Gravediggaz, where he went by the name The RZArector.

With almost fifty years in the music business, Tina Turner became one of the most commercially successful international female rock stars. Her sultry, powerful voice, her incredible legs, her time-tested beauty and her unforgettable story all contributed to her legendary status.

Born to a share-cropping family in the segregated South, Anna Mae Bullock and her elder sister were abandoned by their sparring parents early on. After her grandmother's death, she eventually moved to St. Louis, Missouri to reunite with her mother. This opened up a whole new world of R&B nightclubs to the precocious 16-year-old. Called up to sing onstage with Ike Turner's Kings of Rhythm in 1956, she displayed a natural talent for performing which the bandleader was keen to develop. Soon, Anna Mae's aspirations of a nursing career were forgotten and she began to hang around with the group. When the singer booked to record "A Fool in Love" failed to turn up for the session, Ike drafted Anna Mae to provide the vocal with the intention of removing it later. However, once he heard her spine-tingling performance of the song, he soon changed his plans. He changed her name to Tina Turner, and when the record became a hit, Tina became a permanent fixture in Ike's band and his quest for international stardom. One thing led to another: they were married in Mexico after the births of Tina's two sons - the first a result of an earlier relationship with a musician, the second with Ike.

Before too long, the Ike and Tina Turner Revue was tearing up large and small R&B and soul venues throughout the early and mid-1960s. The hits were relatively few, but the unsurpassed energy and excitement generated by the live stage show, primarily Tina, made the Revue a solid touring act, along with the likes of James Brown and Ray Charles. Their greatest attempt to "cross over" came in 1966 with the historic recording of the Phil Spector production, "River Deep, Mountain High". While it was a commercial flop in the United States, it was a monster hit in Europe - and the start of Tina's European superstar status, which never faded during her long stint of relative obscurity in America in the late 1970s. The Revue entered that decade as a top touring and recording act, with Tina becoming more and more recognized as the star power behind the group's international success. Ike, while having been justly described as an excellent musician, a shrewd businessman and the initial "brains" behind the Revue, was also described (by Tina and others) as a violent, drug-addicted wife-beater who was not above frequently knocking Tina (and other women) around both publicly and privately. Despite hits such as "Proud Mary" and Tina's self-penned "Nutbush City Limits", further mainstream success eluded the group and Ike blamed Tina. After years of misery and a failed suicide attempt, Tina finally had enough in July 1976, when she fled the marriage (and the Revue) with the now-famous 36 cents and a Mobil gasoline credit card.

Tina, nearing 40, endured a long and, at times, humiliating trek back to superstardom through working many substandard gigs and performing a repertoire of current Top 40 hits and old Ike & Tina tunes in hotel ballrooms and supper clubs. She later admitted she was having the time of her life at this point, simply putting together her own show and performing. She refused to wrangle for a settlement from the divorce, despite being in huge debt to all the tour promoters she had let down by fleeing the Revue. After an appearance on Olivia Newton-John: Hollywood Nights (1980), Tina - in a wise business move - persuaded Newton-John's management team to take her on. With Roger Davies at her side, Tina's profile began to rise, and performances alongside the likes of Rod Stewart and The Rolling Stones introduced her to the rock market she so wanted to pursue.

The European release of her cover of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" in 1983 was a major turning point in Tina's career. The record hit #6 on the British chart, and Capitol Records were soon demanding a full album. "Private Dancer" was hurriedly produced in England in two weeks flat. The rest is rock and roll history. The next single - "What's Love Got to Do with It?" - became Tina's first #1 single the following year, and the album hung around the Top 10 for months, spawning two further hits. At the 1985 Grammy Awards, her astonishing comeback was recognized with nominations in the rock, R&B and pop categories and rewarded with four trophies. After that time, the successes just kept coming: a starring role in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985); duets with Bryan Adams, David Bowie, Eric Clapton and Mick Jagger amongst others; several sell-out world tours; a string of hit albums and awards; a bestselling autobiography, "I, Tina"; and the blockbuster biopic What's Love Got to Do with It (1993) chronicling her life.

After her "Twenty Four Seven Millenium Tour" in 2000, Tina announced she would retire from the concert stage, but continue to record and play live on a smaller scale. Four years later, at age 65, she released a career retrospective entitled "All the Best" featuring new recordings, and reached #2 in the American album chart, her highest ever placing for an album there. She ended 2005 as one of five recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors, the highest form of recognition of excellence in the arts in America. Despite changing the direction of her working life, she will always be remembered as a dynamic live performer and recording artist, able to thrill audiences like no other woman in music history. Tina Turner is the undisputed Queen of Rock and Roll.

Born in Brooklyn, the son of Italian immigrant parents, Vince Edwards early aspired to the theater. He was a swimming champion in high school, attended Ohio State University on an athletic scholarship, and was on their National Championship swimming team. Olympics were on the horizon, but an appendicitis operation cut short his swimming career. He studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and then became a contract actor at Paramount Pictures in the early 1950s. In the 1960s he reached his popular peak as the brilliant but confrontational young Dr. Casey in the television series Ben Casey (1961)

Phil Silvers was a comedic actor of Russian-Jewish descent, nicknamed as "The King of Chutzpah." He was best known for his starring role as United States Army Master Sergeant Ernest "Ernie" Bilko in the very popular hit sitcom "The Phil Silvers Show" (1955-1959). He later had important roles in the comedy films "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" (1963), and "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" (1967), playing respectively the characters Otto Meyer and Marcus Lycus.

Silvers was a compulsive gambler, and suffered from chronic depression.

He was the 8th and youngest child to Russian-Jewish immigrants Saul Silver (alias Saul Silversmith) and Sarah Handler. Saul was a sheet metal worker who was employed in the building industry. He had helped build a number of New York City's major skyscrapers.

Silver started his career as an entertainer in 1922, at the age of 11.

A frequent accident at New York City's movie theaters was for their film projector to break down. Someone had to keep the audience entertained during repairs, so Silver was hired to sing to them. Part of his reward was to attend the movie theater free of charge.

By 1924, Silvers performed as a professional singer in the Gus Edwards Revue. His employer was theater company owner Gus Edwards (1878-1945). He then took to working in vaudeville and as a burlesque comic.

In the 1930s, Silvers started appearing in Vitaphone short films. In 1939, Silvers made his Broadway debut in "Yokel Boy." The show was considered mediocre by critics, but Silvers gained acclaim in the press. He made his feature film debut in "Hit Parade of 1941." Silvers worked primarily as a character actor over the following decades, appearing in films produced by 20th Century Fox, Columbia Pictures, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. When the studio system declined, Silvers initially returned to the theater.

He had a hit as a songwriter when he composed the lyrics of "Nancy (with the Laughing Face)" (1942) for singer Frank Sinatra (1915-1998). The song was apparently named after Frank's young daughter Nancy Sinatra (1940-).

Silvers did not become a household name until his starring role in the sitcom "The Phil Silvers Show" (1955-1959). It was a military comedy, starring Ernest "Ernie" Bilko as a United States Army Master Sergeant. The character of Bilko was depicted as a con-artist and inveterate gambler who could fast-talk people into complying with his schemes. The show lasted for 4 seasons, and 144 episodes. It found further success in syndication to this very day, and often ranks high in lists of popular sitcoms.

Silvers returned to television stardom with "The New Phil Silvers Show" (1963-1964), where he played factory foreman Harry Grafton. Like Bilko, Grafton was depicted as a con-artist who owned his own company and ran many and various schemes on the side. Not as successful as its predecessor, the series lasted for a single season and 30 episodes.

Silvers enjoyed film stardom in the 1960s, though mostly playing supporting roles. He appeared mainly in American productions, although guest-starred in the British comedy film "On Follow That Came." (1967). It was the 14th film in the popular long-running "Carry On" film series (1958-1992). The film was a parody depicting life in the French Foreign Legion, and Silvers played the Bilko-like character of Sergeant Ernie Nocker. He earned a salary of 30,000 pounds, making him the highest-paid actor of the "Carry On" film series up to that point.

Silvers appeared frequently as a guest-star in then-popular sitcoms, such as "The Beverly Hillbillies" and "Gilligan's Island." In 1972, Silvers survived a stroke, although was left with permanently slurred speech. This effectively ended his theatrical career, although did not prevent him from appearing in further film and television roles.

Silvers made his last television appearance in an 1983 episode of the crime drama "CHiPs." He then went into retirement.

He died in his sleep in 1985, while in Century City, California. His family attributed the death to unspecified natural causes. He was interred at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Silvers is still well-remembered as a great comic actor.

In 1996, TV Guide ranked him number 31 on its 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time list.

The Hanna-Barbera characters Hokey Wolf and Top Cat were loosely based on his screen persona.

Cindy Vela was born in Brownsville, Texas, USA. She is an actress, known for Run Hide Fight (2020), It's Gawd! (2017) and Camino (2015).

Shelbie Bruce isn't your normal Texas girl. Having starred opposite Adam Sandler and Tea Leoni in the comedy film Spanglish (2004), Shelbie is quickly forging herself into a Hollywood force to be reckoned with. In fact she attended the 2005 Imagen Awards where she won the best supporting actress category for her work in the film.

Born in Brownsville, Texas Shelbie got her start in modeling before her coach suggested she get an agent. After attending a showcase in San Antonio, Shelbie was noticed by Scott Wine from The Osbrink Agency and soon after signed with the company in Los Angeles.

Some of her most recent projects include roles in Golden Globe winner for best new TV drams, Moonlight; Just Jordan; The Romeo Show; Ned's Declassified; The Mystery of Natalie Wood; Providence and ER.

Shelbie has worked in over 30 National and Regional commercials as well as print work for renowned catalogs such as Lands End, Talbot, Limited Too, Storybook Heirloom and Baby Lulu. She has also worked on print work for National Companies such as Time Warner Cable, Motorola, Window-Games and many others.

In addition, Shelbie has a licensing agreement with Revelations Fragrances for her own perfume line "Florecita Shelbie Bruce", which is selling across the nation at Walmart, Kroger's, Rite Aid, and Claire's stores. More stores are being negotiated.

Shelbie is promoting her perfume "Florecita Shelbie Bruce". Well-known magazines have featured her perfume as one of the Hottest Fragrances of the Year. One of the major companies that has featured Shelbie and her perfume, for being the youngest Hispanic in the history of Hollywood, to have her own perfume, is "Ms. Quince", which is an insert that goes into three major magazines: Cosmo Girl, Teen and Seventeen. She was selected to be on the cover of Ms Quince's premier issue as well as several interior pages featuring Shelbie and her perfume in the fall of 2007. She has also been invited to be the first ever to write a Blog for "Ms. Quince Online".

Shelbie's diversity doesn't stop with the fact that she is an actress. She has also been very involved with many different charity organizations, such as: CAAF Children Affected by Aids Foundation, where she has served as the Honorary Chairperson for the Junior Committee, for the past two years; LA's Best for underprivileged children, CF Foundation, Susan G. Koman breast cancer foundation, Bogart Cancer Foundation as well as numerous others.

On top of all this, Shelbie is not just an actress and public speaker. Her next love is singing, which she practices regularly in her choir. Shelbie would love to have a singing career to go along with everything else happening in her life. She was recently able to sing in front of over 3,000 at the CAAF Dream Halloween celebration. Her beautiful rendition of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" was greeted with a terrific ovation.

Shelbie also enjoys horses, tennis, sports and her studies. Taking her home-schooled education very seriously, Shelbie often ventures out on trips around the country with her family, visiting many historical and educational sites.

Shelbie resides in Los Angeles with her parents and brother/actor Robby D. Bruce.

Bernard Kowalski is an important figure in television with a long and impressive list of credits. To mention a select few, he directed the pilots for Richard Diamond, Private Detective (1956), N.Y.P.D. (1967) and The Monroes (1966); executive-produced Baretta (1975); and was co-owner of Mission: Impossible (1966). Kowalski got his first job in the movie business at the age of five as an extra in several Dead End Kids pictures at Warner Brothers, as well as such Errol Flynn vehicles as Dodge City (1939) and Virginia City (1940). His experience behind the camera began at age 17 when he worked as a clerk for his father, who was an assistant director and production manager. TV provided Kowalski with his first opportunity to direct on such Western series as Frontier (1955) and Boots and Saddles (1956); he then made the transition to feature-film directing in 1958 when he was hired by Gene Corman (brother of Roger Corman) to helm the teen exploitation feature Hot Car Girl (1958).

Tom Neyman was born on 23 November 1935 in Brownsville, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966), Manos Returns (2018) and Hands: The Fate of 'Manos' (2015). He was married to Kay Elizabeth Wade, Phyllis A. Steele, Jacqueline Neyman and Jackey Reace Lumpkin. He died on 13 November 2016 in Falls City, Oregon, USA.

Shar-Ron Corley was born on 26 May 1973 in Brownsville, Brooklyn, New York, USA. He is an actor, known for New Jersey Drive (1995), The Substitute (1996) and New York Undercover (1994). He has been married to Kali Corley since 2010. They have four children.

Jill Evyn is a Los Angeles native known for her work as Mal Ford in 'Anatomy of a Love Seen,' Trish in 'Axe Giant: The Wrath of Paul Bunyan,' and Jasmine Day in 'The Talent.' Her most recent work can be seen the feature length Indie 'The Long Home' directed by James Franco and the comedic webseries "Audition Girl," directed by Kelly Catey.

Sunshine Deia Tutt was born on 23 September 1976 in Brownsville, Texas, USA. She is an actress, known for Monkeybone (2001), Deal or No Deal (2006) and Sunset Tan (2007). She was previously married to Chris Kattan.

A native Texan born in Brownsville to Carl E Praesel jr. And Gwendolyn Brown. Glynn's father became an F-4 pilot during the Vietnam war which moved the family all over the world before coming back to Texas in the mid 70's . Glynn acted in numerous stage plays in the city theater with his family during the late 70's. After graduating from Carroll High School in Corpus Christi, Tx. in 1981, Glynn went off to Texas A&M where he ultimately graduated with a BS degree in 1988. During this time Glynn competed on the college rodeo team as a bareback bronc rider. It was also during this time when he begin modeling Wrangler jeans and clothing and was asked to audition for a TV host position on a new cable channel "The Nashville Network". Glynn hosted the network locally for a couple of years and during a commercial shoot with Eddie Albert of "Green Acres" fame for Farm Aid 1985, a Hollywood agent asked Glynn to come to LA for a screen test for an upcoming major motion picture. While Glynn's passion for the camera and entertaining was strong, the rodeo trail was even stronger at the time. It would be several years before he got back in front of the camera. Today, Glynn is a successful businessman in several arenas and has re-established himself in the film business as both an actor and producer.

Osvaldo de León was born on 6 May 1984 in Brownsville, Texas, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Palabra de mujer (2007), Juro que te amo (2008) and Lo imperdonable (2015).

Howard Rosenman was born on 1 February 1945 in Brownsville, Brooklyn, New York, USA. He is a producer and actor, known for Call Me by Your Name (2017), Shining Through (1992) and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992).

Marjorie Deanne was born on 28 January 1917 in Brownsville, Texas, USA. She was an actress, known for Matri-Phony (1942), Carry Harry (1942) and Groom and Bored (1942). She was married to Al Manuck, DDS. She died on 21 May 1994 in Redwood City, California, USA.

Karina Ronquillo Junker, known professionally as Karina Junker, is one of Hollywood's most sought-after bilingual voice over artists due to her outstanding skill in speaking both English and Spanish without an accent. Originally from Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, Mexico - but born in Brownsville, Texas - Junker has had enormous strides as a principal performer in the Hispanic and U.S. markets. Junker is the VO announcer for Dupixent, IHG Hotels & Resorts, IHG One Rewards, Patrón Tequila, Star Wars Visions, National Cancer Institute, and the U.S. Department of Defense. Karina is the former VO announcer for Ford, Best Buy, Starbucks, Chrysler, Cricket Wireless, Hershey's, Cacique, UPS Latin America, and L'Oreal. From 2015 to 2018, Junker voiced over 2,500 commercials and promos for Curacao retail stores and was also the Spanish-speaking Alexa-type voice in the Pringles TV commercial "Aparato Triste" that aired during the 2019 Super Bowl LIII.

Recently, Karina was featured in the Oscar-winning film Bombshell (2019) starring Charlize Theron and Guest House (2020) starring Pauly Shore. Junker's other on-screen film and TV credits include Mercury Plains (2016) starring Scott Eastwood, Kingdom (2017), A Girl Named Jo (2018), and Sex Sent Me to the ER (2015).

Junker is graduate of Columbia University and has a master's degree in clinical psychology. Her post-graduate studies in theater, voice and acting were at Michael Howard Studios in New York City with Patsy Rodenburg. Karina's undergraduate studies were held at Universidad Iberoamericana in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic from 1998 to 2001 and she graduated from the InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico in 2002. Her first on-camera TV commercial was in June 2003 for Tricom in the Dominican Republic.

In addition to her acting credits, Junker is a vocalist and has ten singles in the Dance/Electronic music genre. Her most popular track "So He Finally Called?" (2012) has been played by world-renowned DJ's in dance clubs and music festivals. Her tracks, written by Junker in English and Spanish, are signed to some of the most established dance music labels including King Street Sounds in New York City. In 2022, Junker collaborated with longtime friend and music producer Robotek Reagan, and released "Some1:Like_U" on his independent record label Void Space Institute.

Karina had to overcome tremendous odds in her twenties. Her mother, Leticia Junker, was involved in an automobile accident in 2004 that left her in a vegetative state for nearly a decade. Unfortunately, Leticia passed away from complications in 2013. However, Junker attributes her extremely hard work and ethic to this tragedy and has expressed that had it not been for her mother's car accident, she would not be the person she is today.

During her free time, Karina loves to run. She's an 18-time marathoner and has medals from over thirty races around the world, including TCS New York City Marathon, Bank of America Chicago Marathon, Asics LA Marathon, Schneider Electric Paris Marathon, BMW Frankfurt Marathon, Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon, Chevron Houston Marathon, among many others.

Harold M. Shaw was born on 3 November 1877 in Brownsville, Tennessee, USA. He was a director and actor, known for The Rose of Rhodesia (1918), Thoroughbreds All (1919) and The Incomparable Mistress Bellairs (1914). He was married to Edna Flugrath. He died on 30 January 1926 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Karen Kirschenbauer was born on 18 December 1938 in Brownsville, Texas, USA. She was an actress, known for The Jackal (1997), Vanishing Son (1994) and Sommersby (1993). She was married to Kirschenbauer, George. She died on 6 May 2005 in Middleburg, Virginia, USA.

U-God was born on 11 November 1970 in Brownsville, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Nerve (2016), Don't Look Up (2021) and Scary Movie 3 (2003).

Noé de la Garza is a Mexican-American actor from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. He recently starred in the breakout television hit, The Chosen, which was acquired by the CW and is streaming on multiple platforms like Netflix and Peacock. He also has garnered praise for starring in the short film, Death Snot, which has become an official selection for various film festivals such as Palm Springs Short Fest, Beyond Fest, and the popular YouTube channel, Alter, the ever-expanding platform for the most daring storytellers in the world of horror.

Manuel King was born on 5 September 1923 in Brownsville, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for Darkest Africa (1936). He died on 4 April 2016 in Houston, Texas, USA.

Don Dorrell was born on 26 December 1933 in Brownsville, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for That Darn Cat! (1965), Pony Express (1959) and None But the Brave (1965). He died on 3 May 2003 in Port Ludlow, Washington, USA.

Michael sees the movie theater as a place where traditions are subverted-where the status quo gets turned on its head. And this is where his writing sensibilities lie-in taking an established concept or idea and finding a way to turn it into something different. From slasher films where the "sexy" girls are the most competent ones to a rom-com where the meet cute takes place during casting for a snuff film, there's no trope he's unwilling to push to its limit.

Michael's written more than a dozen feature films (and produced four of them) as well as written and produced a series of successful shorts. Michael has had several feature scripts both place as finalists and win in festivals and has had multiple short films win awards in recent years, including several that took top honors.

Pop Taylor was born on 9 July 1828 in Brownsville, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for As the Sun Went Down (1919). He died in 1932 in the USA.