Hal Sparks

Harry Magee Sparks III (born September 25, 1969), known as Hal Sparks, is an American actor, comedian, musician and television personality. He is known for his contributions to VH1, hosting E!'s Talk Soup, and the role of Michael Novotny on the American television series Queer as Folk and as Donald Davenport in Lab Rats.

Early life

Sparks was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, but grew up in the small community of Peaks Mill, Kentucky.

When he was 14 years old, he moved to the Chicago area and enrolled at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois, where he entered the theater department. Thanks to an influential teacher named Mrs. Adams, he was able to cultivate his natural talent and boundless energy into marketable skill. Despite some initial opposition by his father, by 15 he began performing standup comedy and by 17 he won the title of "Chicago's Funniest Teenager" from the Chicago Sun-Times.

He also studied with The Second City comedy troupe in Chicago as a teenager.

Professional background

Pro Wrestling Zero1

Pro Wrestling Zero1 (stylized as Pro Wrestling ZERO1), formerly known as Pro Wrestling Zero-One and Pro Wrestling Zero1-Max, is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion founded in 2001. It was affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) from 2001 until late 2004 and again from 2011 onwards.

History

Hashimoto's Zero-One

The promotion was founded by former New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) stars Shinya Hashimoto and Shinjiro Otani. In 2000, Hashimoto proposed an independent promotion within NJPW called New Japan Pro Wrestling ZERO, but the idea was shot down. When Hashimoto was fired by NJPW in November 2000, he registered the Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE name.

Zero1 has had working agreements with Pro Wrestling Noah, All Japan Pro Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling, RIKIPRO, Hustle, Big Mouth Loud, King's Road and Dragondoor (now El Dorado Wrestling) which enabled Zero1 wrestlers to challenge for and hold the other promotions' titles.

Zero1-Max

On November 30, 2004 Hashimoto gave up ownership of the promotion, telling the press that due to financial problems he had decided to step away from the company. A new parent company "First On Stage" was formed consisting of President Yoshiyuki Nakamura, Ring Announcer Oki Okidata, Shinjiro Otani and a company named Baltic Curry. The promotion was renamed Pro Wrestling Zero1-Max with Otani and Nakamura taking over the general operations.