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- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Pete Davidson is an American comedian and actor who is a featured player on Saturday Night Live (1975), as of September 2014. He was raised on Staten Island, New York, and is the son of Amy (Waters) and Scott Matthew Davidson. Pete's father, a firefighter, died during the 9/11 attacks.
Davidson attended St. Joseph High School, a Catholic school. Before SNL, he appeared on the shows Wild 'N Out (2005), Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2003), Guy Code (2011), and in the film School Dance (2014).- Writer
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Colin Jost was born on 29 June 1982 in Staten Island, New York City, New York, USA. He is a writer and actor, known for Saturday Night Live (1975), Tom & Jerry (2021) and How to Be Single (2016). He has been married to Scarlett Johansson since October 2020. They have one child.- Actor
- Producer
- Executive
Theo Rossi was born in Staten Island, New York City, New York, USA. Theo is an actor and producer, known for Emily the Criminal (2022), Sons of Anarchy (2008) and Army of the Dead (2021). Theo has been married to Meghan McDermott since 17 November 2014. They have two children.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Kevin Sussman was born on 4 December 1970 in Staten Island, New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Burn After Reading (2008), Killers (2010) and Almost Famous (2000).- Actor
- Director
- Additional Crew
Born and raised in New York City, Robert Loggia studied journalism at the University of Missouri before moving back to New York to pursue acting. He trained at the Actors Studio while doing stage work. From the late 1950s he was a familiar face on TV, usually as authoritative figures. Loggia also found work in movies such as The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), Scarface (1983) and Big (1988). Always in demand, Loggia worked until his death, at 85, from complications of Alzheimer's.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Born in Staten Island, New York, Sexton made his film debut at age 14 in Todd Solondz's Welcome to the Dollhouse playing the troubled bully Brandon McCarthy, for which he was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. He was the lead in Hurricane Streets, which won 3 awards at Sundance, and also appeared in the Oscar-winning film Boy's Don't Cry, Black Hawk Down, and Session 9 as well as cult films Empire Records and Pecker. He recently had a pivotal role in Martin McDonagh's Oscar-winning film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. On television, he played Belko on AMC's Emmy and Golden Globe nominated series The Killing, recently had a supporting role in El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, and plays the enigmatic character "Horse" on the acclaimed Netflix series Russian Doll with Natasha Lyonne.- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Eric was born in Staten Island, New York, May 24. His father is an orthopedic surgeon and his mother is an artist. Eric is the eldest of three brothers. He graduated with a B.A. in communications from the University of Southern California in 1989. He married Keri Moyers in 1995 and they have two daughters, Katie and Ella.
Eric Close is an actor, director, and writer. He has starred opposite Tommy Flanagan in the Amazon film Legal Action (2018) as an attorney who must defend his brother-in-law on a murder charge. He can also be seen as Ltc. Jacobsen in the war drama Indivisible (2018), based on the true story about a family's real-life events during the 2007 Iraq War.
Close starred opposite Connie Britton in the hit series Nashville (2012), created by Oscar-winning writer Callie Khouri for the ABC network. Before this, Close starred for almost a decade in the critically acclaimed CBS series Without a Trace (2002), nominated for a Golden Globe for best ensemble cast. Close then teamed up again with the network as the lead of their dramedy series Chaos (2011), opposite Tim Blake Nelson. Close also starred as crafty lawyer Travis Tanner in the critically acclaimed USA series Suits (2011). On the feature side, Close joined Bradley Cooper in Clint Eastwood's American Sniper (2014) for Warner Bros., playing DIA Agent Snead.
Past credits also include the series The Magnificent Seven (1998), Now and Again (1999), Dark Skies (1996), and McKenna (1994), while taking on a number of long-form features such as American Me (1992), Seven Deadly Sins (2010), NTSB: The Crash of Flight 323 (2004), Christmas Crime Story (2016), Hercules: The Legendary Journeys - Hercules and the Lost Kingdom (1994), Follow the Stars Home (2001), The Stranger Beside Me (1995), Long Island Fever (1995), Without Consent (1994), and Unanswered Prayers (2010), which was produced by Garth Brooks. Not to mention the Golden Globe-nominated miniseries Taken (2002), which was executive produced by Steven Spielberg.
Behind the camera, Close is also an accomplished director. In addition to directing episodes of Nashville (2012) and Without a Trace (2002), Eric finished directing and acting in his fourth feature for the Hallmark channel, which included the network's highest-rated Christmas film, Christmas at Graceland (2018), and Hallmark Hall of Fame's film A Christmas Love Story (2019), starring Kristin Chenoweth, Scott Wolf, and Close himself.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Christine Evangelista was born on 27 October 1986 in Staten Island, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for The Arrangement (2017).- Music Artist
- Actress
- Composer
Christina Maria Aguilera was born on December 18, 1980 in Staten Island, New York City, New York to musician Shelly Loraine Fidler Kearns and U.S. Army sergeant Fausto Wagner Xavier Aguilera Monge. Her father is Ecuadorian and her mother, who is American-born, has Welsh, Dutch and German ancestry. Her parents divorced when she was young and she lived with her mother, although they moved around a lot. Her goal almost since birth was to be a singer, and at age 12 she was invited to audition for The All New Mickey Mouse Club (1989). She won the part and stayed until the show ended. In 1999 she had her breakthrough hit, "Genie in a Bottle." Since then she's made millions of fans, sold millions of records, and won many awards, including a Grammy for Best New Female Artist. She has even made a Latin album and released a Christmas album.
Aguilera is a bilingual singer. She has received many honors including Grammy Nominations and a win for Best New Artist. 2 MTV Video Music Awards, a Radio Music Awards, 2 VH1 Awards, and a Teen Choice Award with 'Lil' Kim', Mya and Pink and the smash hit "Lady Maramalade". She was on The All New Mickey Mouse Club (1989) with *NSYNC's Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez, Britney Spears, Ryan Gosling, and Keri Russell. Her musical influences include Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, and Janet Jackson.- Actor
- Animation Department
- Soundtrack
He had one of Hollywood's most distinctive faces and a stentorian baritone voice to match. Character actor John Dehner, was born John Forkum in Staten Island, New York, the son of a globe-trotting artist. He attended school in France and Norway, in the process learning to speak four languages fluently. Back in the U.S., he graduated from high school in New York and proceeded to study for a diploma in art at the University of California. Any plans he might have had of following in his father's footsteps were derailed, however, when the acting bug suddenly took hold. In short order, the cash-strapped Dehner relocated to sunny California in search of a job. He worked for a while as a professional pianist and band leader but was then able to finagle a position as an assistant animator with Disney Studios for a salary of $18 a week. Dehner had a hand in several classic feature sequences, including Fantasia (1940) and Bambi (1942), as well as a few Donald Duck and Pluto cartoons. He returned to Disney in later years as a narrator and also played the part of Viceroy Don Esteban in an episode of the TV series Zorro (1957).
After leaving the Disney art department, Dehner did a stint as a public relations officer in the army during World War II and then returned to California as a radio announcer and news editor for stations KMBC and KFWB. In the course of many years, Dehner amassed a remarkable series of radio acting credits, most notably starring as Paladin in "Have Gun - Will Travel" and in similarly popular action programs like "Gunsmoke" and "Fort Laramie" (this, in spite of turning down several offers to play Marshall Matt Dillon on TV because he did not want to be typecast in westerns!). In films from the mid-40s, Dehner served a lengthy apprenticeship in assorted bit parts before graduating as one of Hollywood's most reliable villains, be they suave gamblers, crooked bankers, grifters or gunslingers. Just as often, his authoritarian demeanor proved perfect casting for stern fathers, military brass or cops. In The Left Handed Gun (1958), Dehner received second billing as Pat Garrett, co-starring opposite Paul Newman's Billy the Kid. On the small screen, he invariably made an impact as guest star in myriad classic TV shows, including Yancy Derringer (1958), Tales of Wells Fargo (1957), The Roaring 20's (1960), Maverick (1957), Bronco (1958), 77 Sunset Strip (1958), Rawhide (1959) and The Doris Day Show (1968) (a regular part during seasons four and five, as Doris's editor Cy Bennett). Dehner appeared in three episodes of The Twilight Zone (1959), reserving one of his best performances (displaying a wonderfully dry comic talent) as the titular huckster in late 1800s Arizona, in the episode "Mr. Garrity and the Graves" (1963).
One of Hollywood's most hard-working character actors, John Dehner died in Santa Barbara, California, on February 4 at the age of 76.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Tristan Wilds was born in Staten Island, New York. In 2005, at the age of 15, Tristan made his television debut as AJ in the mini-series Miracle Boys. After that, he took his talents to a different venue and tried his hand in theater. He worked with Phylicia Rashad and the Roundabout Theater Company in the workshops Wool and Stockholm Brooklyn as Bryce for the Cherry Lane Theater.
In 2006, Tristan was cast as Michael Lee in HBO's critically acclaimed series The Wire. That same year he also made his big screen debut starring opposite Ryan Gosling in the Indy film Half Nelson which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
Since making his TV and screen debuts, Tristan has been a very busy young man. In 2007 he was cast opposite Roger Guenveur Smith playing the role of Adrian in the film Indelible. Indelible is in post-production. He can also be seen in an episode of Cold Case and Law and Order. On his next project, Tristan was heard but not seen when he became the voice of the main character Blak for the animated series Blokhedz based on the independent graphic novel by Mark and Mike Davis. Then he was back on the set of The Wire filming its fifth and final season. Not letting any grass grow under his feet, Tristan was off once again and landed on the set of The Secret Life of Bees, the screen adaptation of the novel written by Sue Monk Kidd. He plays the role of Zachary Taylor starring opposite Dakota Fanning, Queen Latifa and Alicia Keys. The movie was released in theaters in October 2008.
In 2008 Tristan was off to an old but new zip code when he auditioned and landed the role of Dixon Wilson on the contemporary spin-off teen drama 90210. After wrapping up the first season, Tristan donned a passport and flew off to foreign lands to play the role of Ray Gunn Gannon in the George Lucas film Red Tails.
Not only can Tristan be seen on television and in movies, he can also be seen in print. He has appeared in many magazines talking about his career and plans for his future. He also appeared in the 2008 Hollywood Issue of Essence magazine as one of Hollywood's rising stars. Tristan also stepped into the world of music videos appearing in Ghetto Mindstate by rap artist Li'l Flip featuring Lyfe Jennings. He was introduced to the world as Jay Z's nephew in the music video Roc Boys. And he went back to school with Alicia Keys in her video for Teenage Love Affair. Tristan was also one of the fresh new faces in Rocawear's 2008 "I Will Not Lose" campaign as well as a Rocawear model.
Not to be limited to other artist's music videos, Tristan is also a talented singer and songwriter who is currently working on his music. So when he is not on a television or movie set, he can be found hard at work in a recording studio.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Skai Jackson stars as the adorable "Zuri Ross" on the Disney Channel sitcoms Jessie (2011), with Debby Ryan, and Bunk'd (2015). Before that, we've seen her in small roles on Boardwalk Empire (2010) and Royal Pains (2009), and even in the film, The Smurfs (2011).- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Carmine Giovinazzo was born on 24 August 1973 in Staten Island, New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Breaking (2022), CSI: NY (2004) and Black Hawk Down (2001). He was previously married to Vanessa Marcil.- Bryan Hearne was born on 23 September 1988 in Staten Island, New York, USA. He is an actor, known for Hardball (2001), Pootie Tang (2001) and The Unit (2006).
- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Joy Sunday was born in Staten Island, New York to Nigerian parents. She completed theatre training at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, graduating from USC's School of Cinematic Arts with an honors degree in Critical Studies. She made her TV debut as a top-of-show guest star on CBS' MacGyver (2016) and got her SAG card by way of Justin Simien's Bad Hair (2020). Joy has since made multiple TV and movie appearances, produced a number of short films, and ventured into audiobook narration.- Music Artist
- Actor
- Composer
New York City born David Johansen sang in Rock & Roll dance bands as a teenager, joining Charles Ludlum's Ridiculous Theater and starting the New York Dolls.
The highly influential Dolls made two iconic Rock & Roll records before disbanding in the mid seventies. At this time he created the David Johansen Group which recorded six highly acclaimed albums and toured hits such as "Funky but Chic" for the next ten years. Simultaneously he began performing Jump Blues, Calypso, and "Pre-Hayes code Rock & Roll" under the name Buster Poindexter The success of these shows led to Buster Poindexter's touring four swinging internationally acclaimed CD's.
During this time, in addition to his musical career, Johansen started appearing in various movies , including Let It Ride (1989) and Scrooged (1988), as well as making various television appearances, including a season on Saturday Night Live (1975).- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Forever and fondly remembered as Don Adams' foil on the popular Mel Brooks/Buck Henry spy series Get Smart (1965), character actor Ed Platt (also billed as Edward C. Platt) had been around for two decades prior to copping that rare comedy role. Born in Staten Island, New York, on Valentine's Day, 1916, he inherited an appreciation of music on his mother's side. He spent a part of his childhood in Kentucky and in upstate New York where he attended Northwood, a private school in Lake Placid, and was a member of the ski jump team. He majored in romantic languages at Princeton University but left a year later to study at the Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati after his thoughts turned to a possible operatic career. He later was accepted into Juilliard.
Instead of opera, however, Ed first became a band vocalist with Paul Whiteman and Orchestra. He then sang bass as part of the Mozart Opera Company in New York. With the Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company in 1942, he appeared in the operettas "The Mikado," "The Gondoliers" and "The Pirates of Penzance".
WWII interrupted his early career. Ed served as a radio operator with the army and would find himself on radio again in the post-war years where his deep, resonant voice proved ideal. A number of musical comedy roles also came his way again. In 1947, he made it to Broadway with the musical "Allegro." Star José Ferrer took an interest in Ed while they both were appearing in "The Shrike" on Broadway in 1952.
Around 1953, Edward moved to Texas to be near his brother and began anchoring the local news and kiddie birthday party show called "Uncle Eddie's Kiddie Party." Ferrer remembered Platt and invited him to Hollywood where Ferrer was starring in the film version of The Shrike (1955). Ed recreated his stage role. He also earned fine notices as James Dean's understanding juvenile officer in the classic film Rebel Without a Cause (1955).
This led to a plethora of film and TV support offers where the balding actor made fine use of his dark, rich voice, stern intensity and pragmatic air, portraying a slew of professional and shady types in crime yarns, soap dramas and war pictures -- everything from principals and prosecutors to mobsters and murderers.
After years of playing it serious, which included stints on the daytime drama General Hospital (1963), Ed finally was able to focus on comedy as "The Chief" to Don Adams klutzy secret agent on Get Smart (1965), a show that inevitably found a cult audience. Picking up a few occasional guest spots in its aftermath, he later tried producing.
Twice married and the father of four, Platt died on March 19, 1974. Death was attributed to a massive heart attack at the time. Years later his son revealed that his father, suffering from acute depression and undergoing severe financial pressures, committed suicide at his Santa Monica, California apartment.- Composer
- Actress
- Producer
When she walks into a store in her Brooklyn neighborhood, Ingrid Michaelson is rarely recognized. But once she hands over her credit card to pay, the clerk often pauses, brightens up and, enthusiastically, offers a bit of trivia: "Did you know that there's a singer named Ingrid Michaelson?" This reaction is fitting because Michaelson has earned both acclaim and a loyal following, due to her knack for crafting beautiful, idiosyncratic songs ("The Way I Am", "Maybe", "Keep Breathing") that just nestle in your head. Her single, "Parachute", is a perfect example of that, showcasing a seamless stylistic growth in melody and beat, while nurturing the sound that Ingrid's fans have come to know and love. Image has never been her priority, but let the record show that her librarian-chic style has, nonetheless, received a shout-out in The New York Times.
Michaelson's grassroots sensibility has worked like gangbusters: Her music, often about love and relationships, has been steadily wafting out of your television set for roughly four years now, be it in an Old Navy ad or in handfuls of Grey's Anatomy (2005) episodes (not to mention countless other series, such as One Tree Hill (2003), Ugly Betty (2006) and Scrubs (2001)) or on VH1 as an artist, "You Outta Know". The New York Times marveled at how she was "singing her way from obscurity to fame". Billboard trumpeted her as the face of the new music business. NPR declared, "Ingrid Michaelson is everywhere". The release of the soaring, blissful "Parachute" - a one-off track available only as a download - is milestone of sorts for Michaelson. After turning 30, she found herself itching to grow as a songwriter. "I feel like I've exhausted so many possibilities of writing, as a female singer-songwriter", she says. For a year and a half, Michaelson had a big, hook-laden song playing out in her mind, so she recruited writer-producer Marshall Altman to help her hash out what would become "Parachute". Its fantastical video, directed by Adria Petty (Beyoncé, Regina Spektor, Duffy), features the singer as a latter-day Amelia Earhart, who flies through space rescuing dying planets - a nod to her lyrics' increasingly optimistic bent.
Such serendipity has graced the singer throughout her whirlwind career. The Staten Island-raised daughter of classical-music composer Carl Michaelson, she took piano lessons from the age of five and starred in plays during her grade-school years. Michaelson went on to study musical theater at Binghamton University in upstate New York, where she sang in an a Capella group. After graduating, she cultivated her interest in music by performing at a coffee house where she worked as a barista. She was teaching theater to kids when she got a fateful call in 2006 from a music manager named Lynn Grossman who discovered Michaelson's homegrown music on her MySpace page.
Within a few months, Michaelson's music could be found sound-tracking the romantic-surgical debauchery, Grey's Anatomy (2005), with songs such as the cascading "Breakable" and the melancholic lullaby "Keep Breathing". A music supervisor for Old Navy just happened to catch the episode featuring the latter and snapped up the cooing, calypso-inflected "The Way I Am" for one of the company's commercials. (The song ultimately went platinum.) Radio play followed, just in time for the release of her 2007 full-length debut, "Girls and Boys" (out on Cabin 24, her own imprint). This all happened in about a year. "We really had a lot of luck, and then we worked really hard to be in the position we're in nowadays", says Michaelson, who has since released an EP, 2008's "Be OK", and a follow-up album, "Everybody" (both via the Cabin 24 label) - each proving fertile resources for music licensors.
She'll work on her third full-length-due in 2011 on Ingrid's own Cabin 24 in partnership with Mom+Pop - which will explore the themes of life and death. (One song is tentatively titled "The Battle of Brooklyn", about a Revolutionary War skirmish). Sonically, the upcoming album will fall "somewhere between Judy Garland's music and Beyoncé; and St. Vincent", the adventurous Michaelson says excitedly, before adding, "not that I'm gonna come out and have an alter ego!"- Producer
- Actor
- Writer
Being the son of Martin Sheen and brother of Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez, it is no small wonder that Ramon Estevez has also ventured into the world of acting, both in front of and behind the camera. His first acting job was a small role in In the Custody of Strangers (1982) starring his father, brother Emilio, Ed Lauter and Jane Alexander. Since Cadence (1990), however, Ramon has only taken a handful of roles, such as Shadow Conspiracy (1997) with brother Charlie and Donald Sutherland, and a guest appearance with Martin and Rob Lowe on The West Wing (1999).
Ramon runs the production company Estevez Sheen Productions for his father Martin. He has also written songs for Diamond Rio and appeared in the latter's music video "It's All in Your Head" (1996). He is sometime billed as 'Ramon Sheen'.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Elizabeth Masucci was born on 5 January 1986 in Tottenville, Staten Island, New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Shame (2011), Second Act (2018) and The Americans (2013). She has been married to Efrem Kamen since 26 March 2013. They have one child.- Michael Drayer was born on 19 March 1986 in Staten Island, New York, USA. He is an actor, known for Louie (2010), Mr. Robot (2015) and Sneaky Pete (2015).
- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Alexandra Barreto was born on 16 October 1975 in Staten Island, New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for All American (2018), Mayans M.C. (2018) and The Fosters (2013). She has been married to Rider Strong since 20 October 2013. They have one child.- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Dominick Brascia was born on 6 April 1957 in Staten Island, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor and director, known for Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985), Evil Laugh (1986) and Hard Rock Nightmare (1988). He died on 26 November 2018 in Bozeman, Montana, USA.- Actor
- Producer
- Executive
Glenn Scarpelli was born on 6 July 1966 in Staten Island, New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for One Day at a Time (1975), Jennifer Slept Here (1983) and Amazing Stories (1985). He has been married to John Ricci Jr. since 23 April 2023. He was previously married to Jude Belanger .- John Calvin was born on 29 November 1947 in Staten Island, New York, USA. He is an actor, known for Tales of the Gold Monkey (1982), The Cheap Detective (1978) and Mike Hammer: Murder Takes All (1989).
- Born in Brooklyn, raised on Staten Island, New York. He graduated with honors from Villanova University (PA) in 1999. Spent a semester in college interning for a congressman on Capitol Hill. He went to Los Angeles to pursue acting and landed a recurring role as a gay student on "Dawson's Creek." After the role ended, he signed to do only 10 episodes on "The Young and the Restless" in 2003, but his character Kevin became so popular with viewers that he was signed to a long-term contract. He received an Emmy Award playing that role in 2005 and received four consecutive Emmy nominations from 2006 to 2009. He also received a Soap Opera Digest Award nomination in 2005. He is politically active supporting liberal causes, such as women's rights and gay rights. In June 2013, he celebrated two events: his ten-year anniversary on the "Young and the Restless," and the US Supreme Court supporting same-sex relationships, which allowed him to publicly acknowledge his long relationship with actor and writer Robert Sudduth. Two years later, he married Sudduth in Hawaii. On June 12, 2016, they became parents to son Montgomery Argo Rikaart-Sudduth, born via surrogate. They all live together in Los Angeles with their pets.
- Producer
- Actor
- Writer
James Murray was born on 1 May 1976 in Staten Island, New York City, New York, USA. He is a producer and actor, known for Impractical Jokers (2011), Awakened (2018) and Impractical Jokers: After Party (2017). He has been married to Melyssa Murray since 25 September 2020. He was previously married to Jenna Vulcano.- Producer
- Actor
- Music Department
Brian Quinn was born on 14 March 1976 in Staten Island, New York City, New York, USA. He is a producer and actor, known for Impractical Jokers: The Movie (2020), Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019) and 12 Monkeys (2015).- Angelina Pivarnick was born on 26 June 1986 in Staten Island, New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for TNA iMPACT! Wrestling (2004), XXistence and Customer Appreciation (2013). She has been married to Chris Larangeira since 20 November 2019.
- Patti Hansen was born on 17 March 1956 in Richmond [now Staten Island], New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for They All Laughed (1981), Rich Kids (1979) and Hard to Hold (1984). She has been married to Keith Richards since 18 December 1983. They have two children.
- Producer
- Actor
- Music Department
Sal Vulcano was born on 6 November 1976 in Staten Island, New York City, New York, USA. He is a producer and actor, known for Impractical Jokers: The Movie (2020), Impractical Jokers (2011) and 12 Monkeys (2015).- Producer
- Actor
- Writer
Joe Gatto was born on 5 June 1976 in Staten Island, New York City, New York, USA. He is a producer and actor, known for Impractical Jokers (2011), The Misery Index (2019) and Impractical Jokers: The Movie (2020). He was previously married to Bessy Gatto.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Actor Jeremy Luke, Italian and Puerto Rican descent. Native New Yorker came to LA in 2000 and quickly began studying with Joe Palese at The Actor's Space. He began booking guest stars on shows like CSI, Las Vegas, NYBD Blue and many more. Hustling every day as most actors do, the light began to shine on him when he got the call to audition for Joseph Gordon-Levitt in his directorial debut and Jeremy won the spot to play alongside Levitt as his friend in highly anticipated film DON JON. In the same year he auditioned for Frank Darabont (Shawshank Redemption, Green Mile)and was cast as a Series Regular portraying the famed mobster, Mickey Cohen, on MOB CITY for TNT. Next up, he booked a Series Regular on ABC opposite Michael Imperioli on the multi-cam ST. FRANCIS, ( directed by James Burrows) then right after went on to Series Regular on the single cam series PENIS CHRONICALS for Andy Berman at FOX. All the while creating his own material along side his friend Joey Russo and writer / director Justin Schack. It was sent to the team at Fox Digital who green lit the show , which would come to be known as SMALL SHOTS , currently streaming on Amazon Prime. The work he did on this show allowed for his reps to send over scenes to casting and ultimately caught the eye of Clint Eastwood. Clint immediately cast him in his film JERSEY BOYS and only a few years later cast him again in the film SULLY. Soon after his friendship with co-star from MOB CITY was brought back together with Milo Ventimiglia in his recurring role on THIS IS US. In 2018 Robert Deniro and Martin Scorsese watched SMALL SHOTS and offered Luke and Russo the roles of the Andretta brothers who were supposedly responsible for disposing of Jimmy Hoffa's body in the film THE IRISHMAN .
Jeremy has also produced and performed in over 20 plays in LA over the years including: THE MOTHER F$CKER WITH THE HAT, LOBBY HERO AND REPLICA.- Writer
- Director
- Actor
Gregory Burke was born on 8 September 1981 in Staten Island, New York City, New York, USA. He is a writer and director, known for Clark Holographics (2010), Callback (2011) and Blog of a Pool Boy (2009).- Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino was born on 4 July 1981 in Staten Island, New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for The Three Stooges (2012), Jersey Shore (2009) and What's Your Emergency (2015). He has been married to Lauren Sorrentino since 1 November 2018. They have three children.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Both of Allen Jenkins' parents were musical comedy performers, and he entered the theater as a stage mechanic after World War I, after having spent time working in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Although his screen persona was that of a not-too-bright Brooklyn tough guy, Jenkins attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and appeared in many Broadway plays before making his film debut in 1931. He found his niche at Warner Brothers, where he perfected his slow-witted but good-natured gangster/taxi driver/cop/etc. character. In the latter part of his career he appeared frequently on TV, and was a regular on the TV series Hey, Jeannie! (1956). He is probably best remembered by "baby boomers" as the voice of the put-upon cop Officer Dibble in the popular cartoon series Top Cat (1961).
He died in Santa Monica, CA, in 1974 after undergoing surgery.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Originally from New York, Tim is a graduate of Rutgers College in New Brunswick New Jersey. Accepted to the College of Engineering. But fate intervened when he was discovered by the Zoli Modeling Agency in New York City. This led to an international modeling career working with designers such as Versace, Armani, Hugo Boss, Calvin Klien and others throughout Europe, and the US Eventually settling in Los Angeles and embarking on an acting career he worked extensively in television, theater and film.
Numerous television credits include guest star roles in Law & Order, Colony, VEEP, Rizzoli & Isles, Castle, Arrested Development, CSI Miami, The Cleaner, Six Feet Under, Navy NCIS, The Practice, Judging Amy, recurring roles in Crossing Jordan, Gabriel's Fire, The Guiding Light (NY) and series regular roles in China Beach and Lucky/Chances. Film credits include The Runestone, Primary Suspect, You Can't Hurry Love and Beautiful Dreamer.
A frequent theater performer he play Leo Hart on Broadway in the Tony nominated Coastal Disturbances. Other NYC shows include his solo shows Johnny Law, (2008 NY Fringe) and All The Help You Need (2004 NY Fringe / Award for Overall Excellence) and Jessica Goldbergs's Stuck. He was last seen onstage in Los Angeles as Hans Gruber in the musical parody A Very Die Hard Christmas, other LA theatre credits include Tar by Tom Jacobson, Jason Wells' The Engine of Our Ruin at the Victory Theater. Eric Rudnick's Day Trader as well as the Los Angeles premieres of Reckless, Ad Wars , Bouncers, and Help! Regional theatre credits include Rounding Third at The Vineyard Playhouse in Martha's Vineyard, A Life In The Theatre also at The Vineyard Playhouse, and The Sleeper at The Laguna Playhouse. Writing credits, in addition to Johnny Law and All The Help You Need include the one act plays 100% Fat Free Cake!, IT, and A Little Hankie Pankie, My Dinner With Andre...the giant (short film) and Nickelodeon television's: The Secret World of Alex Mack.- Actress
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Mabel Normand was one of the comedy greats of early film. In an era when women are deemed 'not funny enough' it seems film history has forgotten her contributions. Her films debuted the Keystone Cops, Charlie Chaplin's tramp and the pie in the face gag. She co-starred with both Chaplin and Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle in a series of shorts. She was a star in the first Keystone Comedy as well as the first feature film comedy. She was the only comedian to work with Charles Chaplin , Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, Mack Sennett, D.W. Griffith, Harold Lloyd, Mary Pickford, Hal Roach, Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Fred Mace, Fred Sterling and John Bunny (she and Buster Keaton never had a chance to work together but they were friends.)
Born in Staten Island, New York to Claude and Mary Normand. Normand started out as an artist model for Charles Dana Gibson (creator of the Gibson girl). Friends suggested she try out for the new medium of film and she did, working as an extra in Kalem and Biograph shorts. With Biograph's move to California she went to work for Vitagraph where she made a series of comedic shorts as 'Betty', one co-starring the first comedy film star John Bunny.
Eventually Normand returned to Biograph where she began working with Mack Sennett on comedic shorts that would eventually turn into Keystone Comedies. Normand and Sennett were lovers, close friends and close co-workers. All of Sennett's early ideas seemed to revolve around Normand. His creation of Keystone was contingent on Normand joining him; and though he would underpay her as he underpaid everyone he worked with, he insisted Normand have credit and say in the company. When Normand eventually left Keystone for Goldwyn, Sennett left soon after.
By 1912 Normand was writing her own films and by 1914 she was directing her films. By this point she was a major star, continually topping fan polls by new movie magazines. While the discovery of Charlie Chaplin varies from telling to telling, everyone involved agreed Sennett would not have hired (or kept him on) had it not been for Normand. Chaplin's second short for the company was Normand's "Mabel's Strange Predicament" which she starred and directed in. This was the first film Chaplin created his iconic tramp character for.
Chaplin and Normand had a comedic chemistry and would go on to team in a series of shorts until Chaplin left Keystone in 1915. As Chaplin's star rose many fan magazines began to call Normand a 'female Chaplin'. Normand and Chaplin had similar subtle mannerisms and the influence Normand had on Chaplin can not be understated. Before Chaplin left Keystone, they starred, alongside Marie Dressler, in "Tillie's Punctured Romance" the first full length comedy film.
With the loss of Chaplin, Normand and Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle began to team together in a series of shorts (though they had acted together before). This series was also popular and the pair continued acting together until they both left Keystone for better pay.
Sennett and Normand became engaged around this time, though the engagement ended when Sennett was caught cheating on Normand. Friends report she suffered a severe head injury when Sennett's fling threw a vase at Normand's head. Those who knew Normand all believed Sennett was the love of her life; and she his. However they would never reconcile romantically. Sennett did convince Normand to create her own production company "Mabel Normand Film Company" to make her own features. The first project was "Mickey" and Sennett's handling of her business affairs resulted in the film not being released until 1918 (or having a definite version).
Normand dissolved the company and signed with Goldwyn where she went on to make comedy features. These movies would be more akin to sitcoms: they were shorter than a lot of features, but still features. Many are lost though several have turned up in the past 10 years.
Normand once again signed with Sennett to make features and this would result in her final feature films. However this would be a rocky venture. Normand's health was hit or miss (she had been diagnosed with tuberculosis when she was 10) and seemed to be worse than better. She also was drinking heavily. In 1922 her friend William Desmond Taylor was murdered. This case would become 'the case of the century' and became a media circus, it is still unsolved. Though Normand was cleared (she had been seen leaving his house with him waving goodbye to her; she was likely the last person to see him alive), the association left an unwelcome tarnish on her soon after the scandalous death of her friend Olive Thomas, and the unfair trial of Roscoe Arbuckle.
Normand continued working, making The Extra Girl. Soon after its release in 1923 she was again near another crime (a butler was shot at a party she attended; though he survived.) Soon after Normand took a break from film.
By 1926 Normand was ready for a comeback. She signed with Hal Roach to make comedy shorts. These were well received and by 1928 she had signed with the William Morris Agency to make talkies. However she did not realize how sick she was and her health soon interrupted these plans.
Over the years Normand's tuberculosis has turned into rumors of a drug addiction. This started during the Taylor scandal when it was claimed that maybe he had been killed for interrupting a drug ring, and maybe Normand was part of it. While not prominent during her life it has become more commonly believed as time has passed despite no evidence. Normand's family, estate and personal nurse were all adamant she had never used any drugs. Sadly this rumor has become common place in Hollywood lore.
Normand's drinking increased as did her partying. During one party she decided to marry longtime friend Lew Cody at 2am. She instantly regretted the marriage and they continued living separately. As Normand's health decreased and she was committed to a sanitarium (akin to a hospital/hospice in modern terms) by 1929. She died in 1930 from tuberculosis.- Actor
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Eddie Pepitone was born on 5 November 1958 in Staten Island, New York, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for The Muppets (2011), Old School (2003) and Trunk'd (2014).- Vinny Guadagnino was born on 11 November 1987 in Staten Island, New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for The Gate of Fallen Angels (2009), 90210 (2008) and Jersey Shore Shark Attack (2012).
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Joan Baez is the middle daughter of Albert Baez and Joan Baez Sr.. At age 10, her father took a job (and the family) to Baghdad, Iraq. A year later they moved to Palo Alto, CA, home of Stanford University. In 1956, she bought her first guitar and heard Martin Luther King, Jr.'s lecture on nonviolence; the following year, she heard Ira Sandperl, a Gandhian scholar, who also influenced her strongly. She graduated from Palo Alto High School in 1958, failed with a demo album, and move the next year to Massachusetts where her father had taken a teaching position at MIT. She performed at Club 47, a folk music club in Cambridge, and participated in the album "Folksingers 'Round Harvard Square". The same year, she met Odetta and Bob Gibson while she was performing at Chicago's "Gate of Horn". Bob invited her to perform July 11 at the Newport Folk Festival, which launched her fame as a folksinger. Her first album for Vanguard, "Joan Baez" (1960), was a huge success. The following year, she met Bob Dylan and released her second very successful album, followed the year later by many southern civil-rights performances and Grammy nominated "Joan Baez in Concert". She launched a tax revolt as part of her protest of the Vietnam war, protested Pete Seeger's exclusion by ABC-TV, and joined in the Free Speech Movement at Berkeley and the civil rights march in Selma AL. In 1967, she spent two brief periods in jail for anti-war protests. In 1969, she gave birth to Gabriel Harris while his father, David Harris, was serving 20 months of a three year sentence for draft resistance. In 1971, her songs were featured in the films Sacco & Vanzetti (1971) and Celebration at Big Sur (1971). A 1974 world tour included Japan, Australia, Israel, Lebanon, Tunisia and Argentina. The 1978 film Renaldo and Clara (1978) featured her performances in Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder tours. In 1980, Antioch University and Rutgers University awarded her the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters for her music and her activism. Next year, PBS aired the documentary "There But For Fortune: Joan Baez in Latin America". The albums, causes and concerts continue, far too numerous to list here.- Michael Lowry was born in Richmond [now Staten Island], New York City, New York, USA. Michael is an actor, known for Aftermath (2017), Powers (2015) and The Longest Ride (2015).
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Jeff Trachta first earned international fame starring as "Thorne Forrester" for eight years on the hit CBS series The Bold & the Beautiful. He most recently starred as "Harvey Block" in Double Down South, written and directed by Ocscar-winner Tom Schulman. He made his Broadway debut starring as "Danny Zuko" in Tommy Tune's revival of Grease at the Eugene O'Neill Theater. Trachta's guest appearances include Here Come The Munsters on FOX Television, Comedy Central's Strip Mall with Julie Brown, and the international hit series V.I.P. with Pamela Anderson.- Frank Albanese was born on 16 May 1931 in West Brighton, Staten Island, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Goodfellas (1990), The Sopranos (1999) and Dead Presidents (1995). He died on 5 October 2015 in Staten Island, New York, USA.
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Jason earned his Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and a Master's Degree in Education/Child Development at Wagner College. Originally, a New York actor, he was seen in over 100 commercials and various recurring roles on television shows such as Kate & Allie, As the World turns and One Life to Live as a youth and teen. After his college graduation, Jason moved to Los Angeles in 1998.
While in Los Angeles, Jason continued his on camera success while also becoming one of the leading voice over artists & voice directors for film and television. In 2001, UPN decided to branch out to a larger demographic viewing audience and cast Jason to help expand their network. Jason had the good fortune of being cast as a lead actor on the hit UPN sitcom "Girlfriends." He was cast as the quick-witted, handsome, plastic surgeon, Dr. Todd Garrett. He played the love interest and later husband of actress Jill Marie Jones' character. From 2001-2006, the comedy/drama of this bi-racial, bi-religious and child bearing couple brought the highest ratings to this popular show. During his time on the show, "Girlfriends" was the #1 show watched by all women age 18-42, and was seen by over 9 million viewers per episode.
As a way to give back to the community, Jason founded Children's Playhouse Theater, A Performing Arts School & Camp for Children in the summer of 2001. There he has had the enjoyment of co-writing and directing over 60 productions. CPT's curriculum has benefited thousands of students in the Los Angeles community. It's goal is to help support the voice of children, while ensuring that all children of the LA community experience the benefits of the performing arts.
In 2008, Jason began incorporating his passion for Psychology & Acting to create "The Psychology of Acting" workshop series. The workshops are based in Jungian & Depth Psychology. He has been asked to teach these workshops throughout Los Angeles and New York and has most recently taught them at Disney as part of their Diversity Program as well as at Yale University in their Summer Film Institute.
In 2004, Jason married and soon became a father of three beautiful children. After his time on "Girlfriends", Jason decided to focus on what is most important to him in his life, his young family. With his children now grown out of those active toddler years, he has recently returned to the industry after a hiatus raising his family.
Jason's success continued with his leading portrayal of the down on his luck character Shawn Stone in, filmmaker Shane Stanleys', (Disneys "Gridiron Gang","A Sight for Sore Eyes"), serio-comedy "My Trip to the Darkside" . Both Jason and the film won high honors at the Worldfest Houston International Film Festival bringing home the Gold Jury Prize for Best Picture. The director & actor tandem teamed up again to film the sequel "My Trip Back to the Darkside".
Jason was then cast in Writer/Producer Dana Klein's show "My Friends With Better Lives" for CBS Network. There he played Jimmy Bennina, friend to James Van Der Beeks character Will Stokes & opposite Kevin Connolly, Brooklyn Decker, Majandra Delfino & Zoe Lister Jones, and was directed by television legend James Burrows.
Jason continues to be one of the leading voice over artists and voice directors in Los Angeles. Commercial spots for "7-11", "Kmart" and his several year run for "Robbins Brothers" highlight his radio career. His voice directing work can be heard in various television & film productions such as "Scorpion," "Under the Dome," "CSI:Cyber," "The Blacklist," "Black Panther","Guardians of the Galaxy 1 & 2", and others. Jason's many voices can be heard as several different characters with roles in the animated films "Sing", "Rock Dog", "Happy Feet One & Two", "Duck Duck Goose",and "Finding Dory", to name a few. Jason also has the honor of being known for his role as Faregame, a loud, brash, New York Cab in Disney Pixars "Cars 3." The role was received so well, that Pixar decided to feature Jason's character in their short film "Miss Fritter's Racing Skool" as part of their DVD release for the feature film.- Born into show business in New York City, Jennifer Youngs grew up on movie sets. She spent the 1990s working as an actress. After three years of playing Ingrid on "Doctor Quinn, Medicine Woman", her character was killed off. Youngs decided to put all her energy into her music. She made a CD recording of her band "What's the Bob" with musician and producer Ronnie Champagne. They produced "MOBIUS", a reincarnation-themed CD, which was performed with actors and props at Masquers Club in Hollywood. To follow was a rock album, "Jennifer Savage", for the film "Karma Chameleon". In 1999, Youngs and Champagne were invited to Portugal for a six month concert tour. After a few years in Europe Youngs headed back to the U.S. and her native East Coast and made two additional CD's, "Only Human" and "I Like to Watch TV". In 2007, Youngs headed to Seattle to put a band together and recorded, "Let Me Go There". Her most recent album, "Lovevolution", was released under the name Jennifer Freedom.
- Don Stewart was born to George and Marian Stewart on November 14, 1935. He spent his youth in Nebraska with his older brother, George, and his younger brother and sister, Jack and Marilyn. He then moved to New York and began studying opera. He worked on and off Broadway, and even understudied for Robert Goulet in Camelot at a young age. He was in the Air Force as one of the youngest commanders, and then in the Navy and Naval Reserves. He flew fighter jets off of aircraft carriers, etc. He started working on television, and also began singing in night clubs. He has a wonderful and powerful voice. He spent many years as "Michael Bauer" on "The Guiding Light,' before branching out to do more movies, stage, commercials, voice-overs, etc. During all this he married Susan Tremble in 1970-something, and they had two daughters, Heather-Michelle and Genevra. They lived in Oakland, NJ while Don was filming the Guiding Light, then moved to Santa Barbara, CA in 1985. Don enjoyed playing tennis with friends, flying his airplane, working on his tractor at his house, and riding horses with his daughters. Don and Sue divorced in 1993 or so. He remained an eligible bachelor for basically the rest of his life, partly because his children didn't believe anyone was good enough for him. In 2002, Don was diagnosed with aplastic anemia. He was doing OK with that, undergoing medical treatment but still basically healthy, until June 2005. At that point he was diagnosed with lung cancer, despite having lived a very clean and healthy life as a non-smoker. He died from the disease only a few months later.
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Steven LaMorte is an award-winning feature film Director and Producer based in Los Angeles. Steven has worked with top brands such as Sony, Apple, WWE and Miss World America, bringing his signature visual aesthetic and post production wizardry to each project. He is best know for creating the viral horror parody, "The Mean One", based on the Grinch Who Stole Christmas, which had a successful theatrical release in America before becoming a cult classic around the world. Steven is slated to direct the upcoming "Steamboat Willie" (the original iteration of Mickey Mouse) Horror Comedy from the producers of "Terrifier 2", coming to theaters later this year. Steven is a proud Italian-American from Staten Island, New York. He lives in Los Angeles, CA, with his wife & producing partner Amy Schumacher - and their three cats. Steven's mission is to tell unique stories, and to empower other artists to do the same.- Actress
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Rebekka Johnson was born on 2 November 1979 in Staten Island, New York, USA. Rebekka is an actor and producer, known for GLOW (2017), Wild Bitch (2022) and This Is 40 (2012).- Actress
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Janine Harouni was born on 3 January 1988 in Staten Island, New York, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for The Batman (2022), Colette (2018) and Buffering (2021).