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1-50 of 119
- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Zoe Saldana was born on June 19, 1978 in Passaic, New Jersey, to Asalia Nazario and Aridio Saldaña. Her father was Dominican and her mother is Puerto Rican. She was raised in Queens, New York. When she was 10 years old, she and her family moved to the Dominican Republic, where they would live for the next seven years. While living there, Zoe discovered a keen interest in performance dance and began her training at the prestigious ECOS Espacio de Danza Dance Academy where she learned ballet as well as other dance forms. Not only did her training provide an excellent outlet for the enthusiastic and energetic youngster, it would also prove to be a fortunate precursor for the start of her professional acting career. At age 17, Zoe and her family moved back to the United States where her love for dance followed and an interest in theater performance became stronger.
She began performing with the Faces theater troupe which put on plays geared to provide positive messages for teens with themes dealing with issues such as substance abuse and sex. These performances not only gave her valuable experience but also a source of great pride knowing that she was making a difference in the lives of young people like herself. While performing with the Faces troupe and also the New York Youth Theater, Zoe was recruited for a talent agency and her dance training years before coupled with her acting experience greatly helped her land her first big screen role as Eva Rodriguez, the talented and headstrong ballet dancer in the film Center Stage (2000). Since her professional career began several years ago, Zoe's talent and determination have allowed her to be involved in blockbuster films and act with major actors, actresses and industry insiders at a pace that very few young professionals have experienced.
Zoe has not only held her own in major motion picture productions but gained the respect and praise from industry insiders such as Jerry Bruckheimer and Steven Spielberg and actors/actresses such as Tom Hanks, Bernie Mac, Keira Knightley, Ashton Kutcher, Kirsten Dunst and Orlando Bloom. According to many of her co-stars, producers and directors, the sky is no limit for this young star who has incredible range, intense concentration, and a steely determination to be involved with projects that challenge her professionally with wide-ranging subject matters and characters. Just to ask practically anyone who she has worked for or with about her, glowing comments abound and earned friendships and respect are readily revealed. A star has been born, and growing every day.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Paul Stephen Rudd was born in Passaic, New Jersey. His parents, Michael and Gloria, both from Jewish families, were born in the London area, U.K. He has one sister, who is three years younger than he is. Paul traveled with his family during his early years, because of his father's airline job at TWA. His family eventually settled in Overland Park, Kansas, where his mother worked as a sales manager for TV station KSMO-TV. Paul attended Broadmoor Junior High and Shawnee Mission West High School, from which he graduated in 1987, and where he was Student Body President. He then enrolled at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, majoring in theater. He graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts-West in Los Angeles and participated in a three-month intensive workshop under the guidance of Michael Kahn at the British Drama Academy at Oxford University in Britain. Rudd helped to produce the Globe Theater's production of Howard Brenton's "Bloody Poetry," which starred Rudd as Percy Bysshe Shelley.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Liza Weil's childhood was spent traveling around the world with her parents, who were members of The Mad House of London, a prestigious comedy troupe known throughout Europe. At the age of 7, Liza's family settled in a small town in Pennsylvania, and soon after, she began performing in local theater. Without any formal training, her parents helped guide her career, permitting Liza to travel several times a month to audition for roles in Manhattan. After a series of standout theatrical performances in such plays as "Our Town" and "The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-In-The-Moon Marigolds," casting directors began to take notice of Liza. She has also appeared Off-Broadway in the Playwright's Horizon production of "Life By Asphyxiation" and has performed onstage in several regional productions, including "The Miracle Worker" and "Fifteen Minute Hamlet," among others. She made her feature film debut in Whatever (1998) which premiered at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival.- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Diane Guerrero (born July 21, 1986) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Maritza Ramos on the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black and Lina on Jane the Virgin. Among her other roles was a recurring role on Are We There Yet? Guerrero grew up in Boston and remained there after the rest of her family was deported to Colombia. She is an advocate for immigration reform. Her role on Orange Is the New Black has twice contributed to wins for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.
Guerrero was born in New Jersey to Colombian parents and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. As the only member of her immediate family with United States citizenship (by virtue of being born in the country), she remained in the U.S. when her parents and older brother were deported back to Colombia when she was 14. Her parents had pursued legal citizenship, but had been fraudulently represented. Guerrero's niece, who also grew up without a strong family support system, later served time in jail.
Guerrero was raised in the Jamaica Plain and Roxbury neighborhoods of Boston after being taken in by other Colombian families. She has had an interest in acting since a young age and took advantage of free opportunities in the neighborhood or at school. Then she attended Boston Arts Academy, a performing arts high school, where she was in the music department. Among her high school activities was singing with a jazz group, but she anticipated pursuing political science and communications in college. In 2010, she appeared in the Faces music video that was shot in Norwood, Massachusetts for Louie Bello. Her first job after college was in a law office. At age 24, she decided to pursue a career in acting. In 2011, she moved to New York City and studied acting at the Susan Batson Studios where she met her manager Josh Taylor. Guerrero's life experience compels her to advocate for immigration reform and is an influence that she draws upon in her acting.
She auditioned for a role on Devious Maids, but was cast in Orange is the New Black, where she plays a Bronx-bred character that is Colombian. For season 2, she was part of the cast that earned recognition for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series at the 21st Screen Actors Guild Awards. The cast earned recognition for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series again at the 22nd Screen Actors Guild Awards. She has had a recurring role on Are We There Yet?.
In 2014, she appeared in Emoticon ;), a comedy about a May-December romance in which her character's father is involved with a doctoral candidate. Her performance in this film as Amanda ("Mandy") Nevins, an adopted teenage child, elicited positive criticism such as a description of a "well-drawn smaller moment" that was "beautifully rendered" according to Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter and a performance that "command sympathy" according to Inkoo Kang of the Los Angeles Times.
One of her upcoming roles is as an 1800s Cuban confederate spy, loosely based on the life of Loreta Janeta Velazquez, for Peter and John. She was cast in The CW's series Jane the Virgin in a recurring role. In February 2015, Guerrero was cast as the female lead in CBS' television pilot for Super Clyde, but the show was not picked up for series when CBS announced its fall schedule in May. Guerrero has upcoming film roles in Happy Yummy Chicken, Beyond Control and The Godmother.
In 2016, Guerrero released In the Country We Love: My Family Divided a memoir about her parents being detained and deported when she was fourteen. The book's written with Michelle Burford and published by Henry Holt and Co.- Actor
- Director
- Soundtrack
Alan Rosenberg was born on 4 October 1950 in Passaic, New Jersey, USA. He is an actor and director, known for The Wanderers (1979), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) and Miracle Mile (1988). He was previously married to Marg Helgenberger and Robin Bartlett.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Equally versatile at comedy and drama, Loretta Swit was born on November 4, 1937, in Passaic, New Jersey. Her parents, Polish immigrants, were not in favor of her making a stab at a show business career. Performing on stage from age 7, however, nothing and nobody could deter her.
A natural singer who trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts before finding work in repertory companies, her features were deemed a bit too plain and hard for ingénue roles so she attempted musicals and light comedy, imbuing her characters with a snappy, comic edge. Beginning with the 1967 national touring company of "Any Wednesday", starring Gardner McKay, she forged ahead as a scene-stealing "Pigeon sister" opposite Don Rickles and Ernest Borgnine in an L.A. run of "The Odd Couple" and, from there, earned more laughs as the hopelessly awkward "Agnes Gooch" in the Las Vegas version of "Mame" starring Susan Hayward and (later) Celeste Holm.
Arriving in Hollywood in 1970, Loretta merited some attention by lightening up a number of dramas with her humorous, off-centered performances on such TV fare as Gunsmoke (1955), Mission: Impossible (1966), Hawaii Five-O (1968) and Mannix (1967). Her star-making role, however, came within two years of moving to the West Coast when she inherited Sally Kellerman's vitriolic "Hot Lips" Houlihan movie character for the TV series version of M*A*S*H (1972). She stayed with the show the entire eleven seasons and was Emmy-nominated every season the show was on the air (except the first).
Although Loretta's post-"M*A*S*H" career may appear less noteworthy (it would be hard to imagine anything that could top her bookend Emmy wins on the M*A*S*H series), she has nonetheless remained quite active and provided colorful support in a handful of films including S.O.B. (1981), Beer (1985), Whoops Apocalypse (1987), Forest Warrior (1996) and Beach Movie (1998). She also kept up her TV visibility with episodic appearances and occasional mini-movies, including originating the role of "Chris Cagney" in the TV pilot of Pilot (1981). Returning to singing on occasion, she also inherited the Linda Lavin role in the TV version of the stage musical It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman! (1975).
On stage, she made her Broadway debut opposite That Girl (1966)'s Ted Bessell in "Same Time, Next Year" in 1975 and later replaced Cleo Laine on Broadway in "The Mystery of Edwin Drood". Honored with the Sarah Siddons award for her title role in "Shirley Valentine" (over 1,000 performances) in Chicago, she has more recently toured in productions of "The Vagina Monologues" and played the musical title role of "Mame" in 2003. Loretta also was a five-season host of the 1992 cable-TV wildlife series "Those Incredible Animals" (1992).
After her smash success on "M*A*S*H," Loretta went the dramatic TV movie route with leads in such vehicles as The Execution (1985), Miracle at Moreaux (1985), Dreams of Gold: The Mel Fisher Story (1986), A Matter of Principal (1990) and Hell Hath No Fury (1991). She also appeared in a few guest spots on the series "The Love Boat," "Dolly," "Murder, She Wrote," "The New Burke's Law" and "Diagnosis Murder" before she left the big and small screens. After a decade, Loretta was spotted in the film drama Play the Flute (2019).
Off-stage, Loretta was once married to actor Dennis Holahan, whom she met on the set of M*A*S*H (1972), in 1983. They had no children and divorced in 1995. Her natural spark and trademark blonde, curly mane are more prevalent these days at animal activist fundraisers. A strict vegetarian, she has served as a spokesperson for the Humane Society of the United States and has been multi-honored for her long-time dedication and passion to animals. She is also the author of a book on needlepoint (A Needlepoint Scrapbook), runs her own line of jewelry and exhibits watercolor paintings. As a result, little has been seen of Loretta on film and TV, into the millennium.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Cherubic, wispy-haired looks made his typecasting as impish or eccentric characters somehow inevitable. The pint-sized Michael J. Pollard was born the son of a bar manager of Polish ancestry in Passaic (New Jersey). He studied drama at the Actor's Studio (with a young Marilyn Monroe in the same class) and made his theatrical debut in November 1958 on Broadway in "Comes the Day," with George C. Scott and Judith Anderson. He received excellent critical notices the following year for his performance in William Inge's play "A Loss of Roses" and thereby came to the attention of Hollywood. On the small screen, Pollard enjoyed a measure of early success in anthology television. He then had a brief stint as Bob Denver's cousin Jerome Krebs in a couple of episodes of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (1959). His chief contribution to cult sci-fi consisted of appearances in Lost in Space (1965) and Star Trek (1966), his baby-faced appearance enabling him to essay characters who were considerably younger than his actual age. True to form, he also portrayed the bowler-hat wearing, leprechaun-like trickster Mister Mxyzptlk in Superboy (1988), based on the DC comic strips. Pollard had his fair share of exposure to mainstream TV dramas as well, popping up in series like Gunsmoke (1955), The Virginian (1962), and I Spy (1965). For the most part, his screen personae were simple country folk, sometimes evil, often mischievous, nervous or downright weird.
Pollard's big break (and his critically most acclaimed role) was as the loyal, but inarticulate and child-like garage mechanic turned get-away driver C.W. Moss in Arthur Penn's gangster epic Bonnie and Clyde (1967). On the heels of his Oscar-nomination for Best Supporting Actor came offers for other high-profile off-beat character roles, though he was never truly regarded as star material. He gave a good account of himself as Packy, leader of a group of partisans joining Hannibal Brooks (1969) and his POWs in their escape from the Nazis across the Alps to Switzerland. Perhaps best of all post-Bonnie and Clyde impersonations was his powerful portrayal of the outlaw Henry McCarty (aka William H. Bonney) as a demented, twitching psychopath in Dirty Little Billy (1972) (a rare starring role which also marked the screen debut of actor Nick Nolte). By the 1980s, Pollard had recovered from a period of alcohol and drug abuse, but by then his name had slipped down the list of credits and he was now reduced to minor support in films like Roxanne (1987), American Gothic (1987), Dick Tracy (1990), and Rob Zombie's debut cult-horror House of 1000 Corpses (2003).
Pollard died of cardiac arrest on November 20, 2019 in Los Angeles at the age of 80.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Joe Piscopo was cast on Saturday Night Live (1975) in 1980 as part of an overall replacement of the original cast. However his team of players was not up to par in comedy and was quickly replaced except for him and Eddie Murphy. Together they dominated the show for the next three years. Since then he's appeared in movies & TV infrequently. In the '80s he was treated for thyroid cancer.- Jason began his career in Washington, DC, at age 13, playing Lolo in the short-lived but highly acclaimed PBS series Powerhouse (1982). Several years later, after graduating from the University of Maryland, he found a home in the Washington, DC, theater community, where he became a well-known presence at theaters such as the Round House Theater, the Shakespeare Theater, and the Woolly Mammoth Theater Company (of which he is still a member).
Upon moving to New York City, Jason began working with the writer-performer collective known as Rumble in the Red Room. There, alongside fellow writer-performer Joel Jones, he developed the material for "Making Faces," which would eventually go on to win Best Sketch Show at 1999's U.S. Comedy Festival in Aspen, Co.
This prompted him to move to Los Angeles, where he soon landed a guest-star spot on David Kelley's The Practice (1997). This role would eventually grow and, by the beginning of the fifth season, his character, A.D.A Richard Bay, would be a regular on the show. (The character would eventually meet his demise in a hail of bullets on the show's 100th episode.)
After several more busy years of television and film work, Jason would eventually move back to New York, although he remained busy on both coasts as both an actor and a writer. Along with continuing work in TV and film, he has appeared on the Broadway stage in "Relatively Speaking," "The Drowsy Chaperone," and "Sly Fox." His series of short films about fatherhood, "Lords of the Playground," was recently in development with CBS.
Jason Kravits is probably best known for his work on television dramas such as "The Practice" and the Law & Order (1990) franchises. He has found just as much success in comedy, however, from his award-winning original sketch show "Making Faces" to noted roles on Everybody Loves Raymond (1996) and Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000). As of fall 2011, he appeared on Broadway in "Relatively Speaking," a night of one-act plays by _Ethan Coen, Elaine May, and Woody Allen. - Michael Ornstein is an actor, writer and visual artist, best known for his role as Chucky on Sons of Anarchy and Mayans MC. Ornstein's NYC stage career spans a stream of new plays from 1982 through 2006, and includes creating the role of Louis in the 1991 World Premiere of Angels in America at the Eureka Theater in San Francisco. His first film role was Crossing Delancey, where he played Peter Riegert's brother, Mickey. His film and television credits include Sons of Anarchy, Mayans MC, Mob City, Homicide: Life on the Street, Third Watch, Seinfeld, NCIS: Los Angeles, New York Undercover, Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Hal Hartley's film Book of Life and Robert Altman's Kansas City.
- Corinne Camacho was a veteran American television actress and singer-songwriter. After an impressive career in television, spanning nearly four decades, Camacho dedicated the majority of her adult life to being a mother, a life coach, opening hospice centers and writing children's music.
Camacho was born Gloria Angelina Katharina Alletto in New Jersey on October 31, 1941. She studied piano as a child at the Conservatory of Music and Arts, and also in high school. After her family moved to Los Angeles, Camacho started her career as a model in the 1960s, before turning to acting and making her TV debut in 1967. The dark-haired, exotic-looking beauty went on to appear on such television shows as Medical Center (1969), Days of Our Lives (1965), Consenting Adult (1985), Cannon (1971), among others. She had recurring roles on The Rockford Files (1974) and Mannix (1967).
She was married to Drew Michaels and Richard Camacho, and was sometimes credited as Corinne Michaels. She later moved to New Mexico to run a hospice center in the 1990s and became a life coach in Oregon in 2001.
Also a singer, she composed children's music. She released the album "Love Notes & Lullabies" in 2006. She died of cancer at age 68 on September 15, 2010 in Beaverton, Oregon. She is survived by her son, Chris Camacho, her daughter, Gabrielle Yasenchak, and two grandchildren. Camacho's niece is singer and songwriter Zoey Tess. - David Packer was born on 25 August 1962 in Passaic, New Jersey, USA. He is an actor, known for Almost Heroes (1998), RoboCop (1987) and Strange Days (1995).
- Producer
- Writer
- Actor
Tom Papa starred opposite Matt Damon in the Steven Soderbergh film, The Informant! (2009), and stars opposite Paul Giamatti in the animated feature, The Haunted World of El Superbeasto (2009), as the voice of "El Super Beasto". He additionally had a voiceover role in the DreamWorks animated feature, Bee Movie (2007), and also was a writer on the project. Among his other big screen credits are the films, Analyze That (2002), opposite Robert De Niro, and Comedian (2002).
On television, Tom was personally chosen by Jerry Seinfeld to serve as the host of NBC's The Marriage Ref (2010), had a recurring role opposite Julia Louis-Dreyfus on the CBS series, The New Adventures of Old Christine (2006), and his own show, Come to Papa (2004).
As a veteran stand-up comedian, Papa has recorded two stand-up specials on Comedy Central and Rob Zombie directed his next special, "Tom Papa: Live in New York City (2011) (TV)_. A familiar face to late night television, Papa has made numerous appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992), Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993) and Late Show with David Letterman (1993).
Papa opened his one-man show, "Only Human", to rave reviews at the prestigious "Just for Laughs Festival" in Montreal.
Papa splits his time between Los Angeles and New York, with his wife and family.- Carl Ruiz was a celebrity chef and consultant who helped numerous other celebrity chefs carve out and craft their own brands, his own restaurant, Marie's Italian Specialties, located at 641 Shunpike Road Chatham, New Jerse was featured on The Food Network's "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives." Ruiz won the grand prize on Guy's Grocery Games, in which 16 of the best chefs from Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives were pitted against each other. He was also featured on Guy's Grocery Games as a celebrity judge giving his sage advice and counsel to up and coming chefs.
Ruiz was a regular guest on the Opie Radio Show on Sirius XM along side Gregg "Opie" Hughes'. - Actress
- Stunts
- Soundtrack
Cute, spunky and appealing brunette actress Robbi Morgan was born on July 19, 1961. Robbi made her movie debut playing the titular character, as a little girl, in the touching drama, Me, Natalie (1969). Morgan did a wickedly funny and dead-on impression of Mae West while singing the hysterically bawdy song, "Oh, You Nasty Man", as part of a talent show in Curtis Harrington's excellent Depression-era horror winner, What's the Matter with Helen? (1971). Robbi achieved her greatest enduring cult cinema popularity with her memorably sweet portrayal of bubbly'n'perky hitch-hiking camp counselor "Annie" in the landmark slasher classic, Friday the 13th (1980). She not only had co-starring roles in the made-for-TV pictures, Forbidden Love (1982) and I Married a Centerfold (1984), but also made a guest appearance on the TV show, The Fall Guy (1981). Morgan performed stunts for the comedy feature, The Great Outdoors (1988). Besides her regrettably sparse film and TV credits, Robbi also acted in a Broadway stage production of the musical comedy, "Barnum", which ran from 1980 to 1982. Robbi Morgan has been married to actor and game show host, Mark L. Walberg, since 1987; the couple are the proud parents of two children.- Composer
- Actor
- Music Department
Donald Fagen (b. January 10, 1948, Passaic, N.J.) was trained in classical piano from an early age, and while studying English at Bard College, he met Walter Becker (b. February 5, 1950, Brooklyn, N.Y.), who played guitar. Having similar tastes in classical jazz, he and Becker decided to team up as musicians, where they performed as backup tour musicians for Jay and the Americans. Having been discovered by ABC Records executive Gary Katz, they signed a recording contract under the Steely Dan name (taking the name from the William S. Burroughs novel "Naked Lunch") using various studio musicians to perform with them. Steely Dan produced critically-acclaimed albums from 1972 to 1980, after which Fagen and Becker decided to part ways (although they never lost their friendship). Fagen's musical output declined in the 1980's, only producing one well-received album in 1982, but his efforts for a musical comeback in the 1990's (working with the New York Rock & Soul Revue) enabled him to record a Grammy-nominated album, Kamakiriad, in 1993, and his marriage to Libby Titus (who worked with him in the NYR&SR project). This album, produced by his long-time musical companion, Walter Becker, also acted as the impetus to get Walter Becker back in the studio, and he, too, recorded a solo album, "11 Tracks of Whack", in 1994 (produced by both). By this time, Fagen and Becker could not resist the urge to "reunite" Steely Dan and, after a successful live concert tour lasting through 1994-95 (this time with a new group of backup musicians), they decided to record a new studio album. This long-awaited album, "Two Against Nature", was well-received enough to receive two Grammy awards and a third Grammy for the song "Cousin Dupree". Fagen and Becker toured throughout 2000, and are rumored to continue to perform as Steely Dan.- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Charley Lang was raised in London, England and Wayne, New Jersey where he made his stage debut in the title role of 'Oliver!' at age 14. He toured the U.S. and around the world with National Players before receiving his BFA in Drama from Catholic University in Washington D.C. The following Fall he made his Broadway debut as Young Charlie in the Tony Award winning production of "Da" with Barnard Hughes. Subsequent stage work includes the Broadway productions of Once A Catholic, Mass Appeal, and Strange Interlude. After moving to Los Angeles, he worked for many years in television and film before earning his Masters degree in Clinical Psychology. Lang became a licensed psychotherapist in 1998. He is co- founder of Narrative Counseling Center (narrativecounselingcenter.com) and was for many years Director of the Postmodern Therapy Training Program at the California Family Counseling Center. He has taught at numerous institutions, including Antioch University Los Angeles, where he directs both the Psychology and Addiction Studies Concentrations. An occasional filmmaker, Lang produced and directed several acclaimed documentary films, including the HBO award-winning Gay Cops: Pride Behind the Badge.- Producer
- Sound Department
- Additional Crew
Saul Zaentz learned gambling as a youth in Passaic, New Jersey, playing a card game called briscola. Later, in his twenties, he earned a full-time living as a gambler.
Saul settled in San Francisco after WWII, at first working for a local record distributor and eventually joining the jazz record label Fantasy Records. Working as a salesman and manager for years at Fantasy taught him the value of good relationships with vendors and distributors. This approach greatly affected his approach to the movie business.
Saul and a group of partners bought Fantasy Records in 1967. Fantasy was a successful independent record label, but Saul wanted to expand, to make films. He and his partners worked very hard to cultivate deals with film distribution houses all over the world. Many of these distributors invested in or helped secure funding for his films, in light of the success of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975). As a result, Saul was able to remain independent of Hollywood, making the films he wanted to make.- Lou Krugman was born on 19 July 1914 in Passaic, New Jersey, USA. He was an actor, known for I Love Lucy (1951), Not for Hire (1959) and Irma la Douce (1963). He was married to Grace W. Cahill. He died on 8 August 1992 in Burbank, California, USA.
- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Best known for his role as FBI Agent, Terry "Fitz" Fitzhugh on the critically acclaimed HBO crime drama The Wire, which he played for 5 seasons. He also co-starred alongside Alan Rickman and Mos Def in the HBO film "Something The Lord Made" which won an Emmy award for best TV FILM. A former Golden Gloves Boxing champion, Doug trained under the tutelage of the late Emanuel Steward and The Kronk Boxing Team in Detroit and Arizona. Doug studied acting at NYU and the Stella Adler Conservatory in New York City. He furthered his studies at The Folger Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, DC and performed in over two dozen classical and contemporary plays. He also toured the US in plays dealing with teen substance abuse as well as the promotion of racial equality in the educational system. Doug spent a year performing at The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC as Lt. Nick Rosetti in the play "Shear Madness" and six months at The Mason Street Theatre In San Francisco in the same role. He made his Off-Broadway debut in "The Brothers Berg" creating the role of Walter Berg, and following that performed with the late Al Freeman, Jr., in "Conflict of Interest" at The New Federal Theatre. Doug has also worked in several national commercials such as United Healthcare directed by Jim Gartner.- Writer
- Producer
- Music Department
Sherwood Schwartz was born on 14 November 1916 in Passaic, New Jersey, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for Gilligan's Island (1964), The Red Skelton Hour (1951) and The Running Man (1987). He was married to Mildred Schwartz. He died on 12 July 2011 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Music Department
- Actor
- Composer
Joel Diamond
Joel Diamond, 2x Grammy Award Nominee, has produced and/or written 47 Gold and Platinum recordings, over 100 Billboard Charted recordings, plus movie sound tracks and television themes. Among the many artists he has worked with are Engelbert Humperdinck (109 recordings), David Hasselhoff, Gloria Gaynor, Ike Turner, Sister Sledge, Helen Reddy, Ray J, Tony Orlando, Andrew Dice Clay, Five Browns (3 consecutive #1 albums on Billboard Classical Chart), Righteous Brothers, etc. In his over 40 years of experience in the music industry, he has run the gamut including music publishing, record production, song writing, management, and being a recording artist himself. He has served in both an executive and creative capacity for major music companies including Sony Music, as well as running his own record labels. He has had major successes in the past producing individuals, who the public would not necessarily think of as singers, such as David Hasselhoff-selling 4 million albums and becoming a huge sensation in Germany, Britt Ekland-a Bond Girl, Phoebe Cates-#1 record in Italy for 16 weeks, Katie Cassidy-David's daughter, Robey-super model scoring #1 with "One Night In Bangkok", and Joe Pesci singing a love song.
Joel began his music industry career by heading up Mercury Records music publishing, MRC Music. He organized MRC with keen instinct and by setting high standards for himself, including hiring his #2 man and assistant, Tommy Mottola.
Clive Davis, then President of CBS Records, became aware of Diamond's accomplishments, and brought Diamond on board and positioned him as the head of the Sony Music Publishing, April/Blackwood Music, as well as making him part of Clive's personal A&R staff at CBS Records. Clive became Joel's mentor.
With recognition always being the compliment of one's work, New York Magazine chose Joel Diamond, along with Jimmy Iovine and Phil Ramone, as one of "New York's Hottest Record Producers." Billboard Magazine described Diamond as, "one of Contemporary Music's Best Record Producers sitting behind the board."
Joel Diamond is currently in production on a very timely music driven TV limited series about the untold stories of the wildly popular national phenomenon American Bandstand, reflecting its beginnings in the conservative late 1950's, revealing the secrets of its famous teenage dancers who were forced into hiding their racial and sexual preferences.
Joel is the personification of unshakable confidence, explosive energy, unusual charisma, and infectious and relentless optimism. As one of Sony Music's top brass put it, "Joel is respected as one of the industry's more creatively oriented business people who always has his finger on the pulse of what's happening now!"- Producer
- Writer
- Director
Born and raised in Bergen County, NJ, Gary's life was initially centered around athletics being the son of a semi pro athlete and coach. His dream and aspiration was to play pro football until a severe knee injury sidelined that career, though he continued to pursue athletics in college as a wrestler and intramural participant at the University of Florida while pursuing a degree in Phys Ed. But fate somehow took him in a different direction. Having also played the sax since the age of nine, he was recruited to play in a fifties and sixties band in Orlando. Sounding like a nice change of pace, he accepted the offer taking a break from his athletic and teaching pursuits. Little did he know that it would lead to a new career.
Throughout his musical career, Gary had the fortunate opportunity to perform with such performers as Dick Dale, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, The Coasters, Mary Wilson, Air Supply, Junior Walker, The Shirelles, Sonny Turner, Johnny Rivers, The Association, Gary Lewis and the Playboys, The Crystals, Gary Puckett, Gary US Bonds, Johnny Maestro, Lou Christie, DJ Fontana, Marty Stuart, The Comets and many more. His succession into the film industry also was somewhat by chance.
While living in south Florida, he was offered to be an extra in a film called Spring Break, which showcased the craziness that existed in Fort Lauderdale at the time which Gary was right in the middle of working in the clubs there. He actually was right in the forefront of a number of scenes. This caught the attention of a producer who was doing a similar film called Spring Fever USA. He offered Gary a supporting role. This was the catalyst that lead him to pursue this new found career. He worked on a number of other teen type romps including Porkys 2 and 3, Coco Bay Bed race with Dana Plato, and a couple of Smokey and the Bandits.
While enjoying the time in front of the camera, Gary also became intrigued with behind the scenes and the process of film making. He decided to head back up north to New York for more serious training and opportunities. There, he attended and graduated from the esteemed Center for Media Arts while also at the prestigious Lee Strasberg Institute. He subsequently studied at the American Stage Conservatory in residence at Fairleigh Dickenson University in Teaneck, New Jersey under the tutelage of the respected and award winning actor, Paul Sorvino.
Wanting to pursue more film work, Gary traveled to Los Angeles where he began studying with Clu Gulager and Arlene Golonka. While finding things worked a bit different, he was still able to get some work as an actor working with Denzel Washington in "Heart Condition" and Tony Danza in "Who's the Boss" while beginning to put together some of his own projects and work behind the scenes. His pursuits afforded him work as a producer, director, videographer, production manager, location manager, etc.. He was a co-producer on an Erica Estrada/Paul Smith vehicle entitled, "Caged Fury". He was also Associate Producer on the campy comedy, "South Beach Academy" starring Corey Feldman, James Hong and Al "Grandpa Munster" Lewis.
Relocating back to Florida, Gary produced, wrote and directed the fifties style musical variety sitcom, "Harmony Street", which ran nationally on the Nostalgia Cable Network. Other productions include a short documentary, "Joe Franklin-Down Memory Lane" and a pilot for a series about disabled athletes entitled, "The Human Race" which was well received at the Paralympic Congress Disability Film Festival.
Throughout his theatrical endeavors, Gary has always continued as an athlete competing in numerous triathlons, adventure races, Xterras, etc.. He also developed a passion to work with disabled athletes, reflective in his development of the aforementioned project. Gary also developed a love of horses and began riding as well as doing video for rodeos. As of 2018, he is in development of a modern day western tv series which is to be produced in Arizona.- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Scott Schiaffo was born in Passaic, New Jersey. Independent film fans know him best as the "Chewlies Gum Guy" from Kevin Smith's 1994 independent cult classic "Clerks".
Schiaffo is a musician who plays guitar, keyboards, bass, and harmonica. He's known primarily for working with Francis Fell and Jule Carey.
Schiaffo has appeared in several feature films as well as many shorts since his big screen debut in the seminal cult comedy "Clerks".
He's appeared alongside Michael DeLorenzo in "The Garden State", Selma Blair in "The Broccoli Theory" and Ethan Suplee in "Vulgar" He was featured in the View Askew produced - Lions Gate distributed motion picture "Vulgar". "Vulgar" has gone on to become a cult classic and one of Lions Gate's most controversial releases to date. Schiaffo played the lead, Mike Tobin in Tom Zanca's crime thriller "Linger" which enjoyed a winning response at many film festivals. Scott played the lead "Mo Fletcher" in the independent comedy feature "Idiots Are Us" which won Best Comedy Feature at the 2006 New York Film and Video Festival. He can be seen in the B & W short "I Got Stuff" and the live Jule Carey DVD "Love It Live" Schiaffo and many of his Clerks cast mates were featured in AMC's Comic Book Men Season 3 EP 11 "Pinheads".
Schiaffo released a book of collected poetry and short stories called "Vicious Dogs Attack Me in Sleepless Nights of Summer" and in 2020 the Audible version read by the author was released worldwide.
Schiaffo released an audio CD called "The Shoestring Serenade" which is a collection of instrumental film music culled from over 2 decades of original film music he composed & produced. Proceeds from the sale of this collection go to the Angels of Animals rescue in Clifton, New Jersey.
In 2021 Schiaffo was tapped to reprise his role as the Chewlies Gum Rep in Kevin Smith's much anticipated sequel film Clerks III.- Shelley Bruce was born on 5 May 1965 in Passaic, New Jersey, USA. She is an actress, known for The Burning (1981), Isabella and the Magic Brush (1976) and Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon (1966).