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- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Dean Joseph Norris is an American actor. He is well known for playing DEA agent Hank Schrader on the AMC series Breaking Bad (2008-2013). He also portrayed town councilman James "Big Jim" Rennie on the CBS series Under the Dome (2013-2015) and played mob boss Clay "Uncle Daddy" Husser on the TNT series Claws. He reprises his role as Hank Schrader in the Breaking Bad spin-off Better Call Saul (2020). Throughout his career, Norris has acted in nearly 50 movies and more than 100 different TV shows.
Norris has appeared in films such as Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), Hard to Kill (1990), Total Recall (1990), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), The Firm (1993), Starship Troopers (1997), The Cell (2000), Little Miss Sunshine (2006), Evan Almighty (2007), and Sons of Liberty (2015), and has more recently starred in films such as The Book of Henry (2017), Death Wish (2018), and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019).- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Vivica A. Fox was born in South Bend, Indiana, on July 30, 1964, and is the daughter of Everlyena, a pharmaceutical technician, and William Fox, a private school administrator. She is of Native American and African-American descent and is proud of her heritage. She is a graduate of Arlington High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, and, after graduating, moved to California to attend college. Vivica went to Golden West College and graduated with an Associate Art degree in Social Sciences. While in California, she started acting professionally, first on soap operas, such as Generations (1989), Days of Our Lives (1965) and The Young and the Restless (1973). In another early role, she played Patti LaBelle's fashion designer daughter, "Charisse Chamberlain", on the NBC-TV series, Out All Night (1992). Her first big break was in the film, Independence Day (1996), along with Will Smith, and also Set It Off (1996). She has earned critical acclaim for her portrayal of "Maxine" in the 1997 motion picture, Soul Food (1997), which netted her MTV Movie Award and NAACP Image Award nominations. In 2000, she was casted in the medical drama, City of Angels (2000), as "Dr. Lillian Price". She has had roles in many other movies ever since, such as: Teaching Mrs. Tingle (1999), Two Can Play That Game (2001) and Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003). In 2004, Fox was in an episode of Punk'd (2003), where her pregnant friend pretended to go into labor, but they became angry when a paramedic appeared to care more about taking pictures than delivering the baby. Vivica also took another television role, from 2004 to 2006, as she starred in the drama series, 1-800-Missing (2003), on the Lifetime Television Network. In 2007, she was a contender on Dancing with the Stars (2005) and stayed until she was voted off in the fourth week. In 1998, Vivica A. Fox married singer Christopher Harvest (aka Sixx-Nine), whom she later divorced in June 2002. She also dated rapper 50 Cent, however this was a brief relationship.- Actor
- Director
- Soundtrack
Both a leading and a supporting actor in movies and on television, name a role - lawyer, airline pilot, rig foreman, doctor, gunslinger, real-life person, good guy, bad guy - and Chad Everett has probably played it. He was born Raymon Lee Cramton on June 11, 1937 in South Bend, Indiana. In high school, he did stage plays and wanted to become an actor.
After he graduated from Wayne University, Chad came to Hollywood and signed a contract with Warner Brothers. He first became known playing a deputy in the short-lived television series, The Dakotas (1962) but acted in a number of supporting roles, such as Get Yourself a College Girl (1964) and Made in Paris (1966), and played the title role in Johnny Tiger (1966) and Return of the Gunfighter (1966).
He was probably best-known for his seven-year run as "Dr. Joe Gannon" in the television series, Medical Center (1969), which earned him two Golden Globe nominations. After "Medical Center" was canceled, Chad starred in the mini-series, Centennial (1978), and played the title role in Hagen (1980). In the early '80s, Chad was in television films, including The Intruder Within (1981), and did a number of guest appearances on The Love Boat (1977) and Murder, She Wrote (1984).
Chad's recent work has included roles in the remake of Psycho (1998) and in Mulholland Drive (2001). Today, he is still seen on television in Manhattan, AZ (2000). He recently completed a new film with Gwyneth Paltrow, View from the Top (2003), which is soon to be released. Chad is married to Shelby Grant, and they have two daughters.- Actor
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Isiah Whitlock Jr. was born on 13 September 1954 in South Bend, Indiana, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Da 5 Bloods (2020), Cedar Rapids (2011) and BlacKkKlansman (2018).- Actor
- Stunts
Big, brawny, and imposing actor and stuntman Dick Durock was born on January 18, 1937 in South Bend, Indiana. The fourth of five children; he grew up in South Bend, Indiana and New Jersey. After serving a stint in the Marine Corps and briefly working as a computer programmer, Durock went to Hollywood to eke out a career in show business. He eventually amassed hundreds of credits in both movies and TV series alike (Durock sometimes worked on two different shows in the same day). Durock began his career in 1967 as the stunt double for Guy Williams on the final season of Lost in Space (1965). He also doubled for both Buddy Ebsen and Max Baer Jr. on The Beverly Hillbillies (1962). With his rough face, large, strong, muscular build and towering 6' 5" height Durock was usually cast as mean thugs who get beat up by the hero. Durock achieved his greatest enduring cult popularity with his excellent portrayal of the titular kind-hearted mutant superhero in Wes Craven's delightful Swamp Thing (1982). He reprised the part in the amusingly campy sequel The Return of Swamp Thing (1989) and the spin-off cable TV series, Swamp Thing (1990). Durock's other memorable roles include one of the terrorists in The Enforcer (1976), the bare knuckle brawler who fights Clint Eastwood at the start of Any Which Way You Can (1980), pie-eating contest champion "Bill Travis" in the charming Stand by Me (1986), and a hostile redneck hunter in the notorious turkey Howard the Duck (1986). Among the films Durock has performed stunts in are Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), License to Drive (1988), The Monster Squad (1987), Heat (1986), Runaway Train (1985), The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982), Bronco Billy (1980), 1941 (1979), Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze (1975), The Poseidon Adventure (1972), Hammer (1972) and Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972). Durock had guest spots on such TV shows as Star Trek (1966), Baretta (1975), Quincy M.E. (1976), The Rockford Files (1974), Little House on the Prairie (1974), The Incredible Hulk (1978), The A-Team (1983), Magnum, P.I. (1980), Falcon Crest (1981), The Fall Guy (1981), Knight Rider (1982), Married... with Children (1987) and Dynasty (1981). He played the "Imperious Leader" on the science fiction series, Battlestar Galactica (1978). He was a proud and active member of the Stuntman's Association of Motion Pictures for over 20 years. Durock lived in Southern California with his wife Jane and made frequent guest appearances at movie conventions held all over the country. He died after a long battle with Pancreatic Cancer at age 72 on September 17, 2009 in Oak Park, California.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Smart, talented African-American actor Michael Warren could have followed in the star shoes of Sidney Poitier but Denzel Washington beat him to it. Best remembered for his Emmy-nominated role as police officer Bobby Hill in the Steven Bochco crime series Hill Street Blues (1981), Mike's respected turn on this quality show should have led to much bigger things.
Lloyd Michael Warren was born in South Bend, Indiana in 1946, the youngest of three children. Excelling in sports at South Bend Central High School, he earned a scholarship to the University of California, Los Angeles, where he majored in television, radio and film. Mike later became an All-American basketball star at UCLA under the legendary John Wooden, and served as the team's captain for two years. His Bruins teammates would include Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar (then known as Lew Alcindor), Lynn Shackleford, and Lucius Allen. His strong leadership and prowess on the court as a guard helped propel UCLA to two NCAA national championships during the years 1966-1968.
Following an unbilled role as a basketball referee in the film Halls of Anger (1970), Mike received his first big acting break by chance when a job as a technical consultant for the basketball sequences in director Jack Nicholson's film Drive, He Said (1971) led to an on-camera featured role in the film. Developing an ad agency in Los Angeles to counterbalance the unsteadiness of a fledgling acting career, he landed some commercial work here and there before earning his first regular role on the short-lived TV series Sierra (1974). He proceeded to take his earnest young mug to such "blaxploitation" films as Cleopatra Jones (1973) and to daytime programming with a 1976 stint on Days of Our Lives (1965). After more episodic work and a failed series pilot, not to mention a supporting role in the basketball-themed comedy Fast Break (1979), Mike hit the TV jackpot with the award-winning, critically-acclaimed Hill Street Blues (1981).
Possessing the same kind of street savvy and cerebral handsomeness as Denzel, Mike seemed a shoo-in for film stardom. Instead, his career moved rather slow and erratically after the end of his hit series in 1987. He did co-star with Cicely Tyson in the holiday season greeter The Kid Who Loved Christmas (1990), and with D.B. Sweeney portraying a basketball coach in Heaven Is a Playground (1991), but, outside of this, nothing of great significance followed. Other series work came and went, the best of the bunch being a recurring role on the series Soul Food (2000).
Broaching the millennium, Michael was featured in the films A Passion to Kill (1994), The Hunted (1995), Trippin' (1999), Mother and Child (2009) and Anderson's Cross (2010) and American Skin (2019), but primarily found work on TV. He was a co-star on the hospital series City of Angels (2000), was given recurring roles on Soul Food (2000) and Lincoln Heights (2006) and Single Ladies (2011), and appeared in guest spots on "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer," "JAG," "The District," "Night Stalker," "Girlfriends," "Criminal Minds," and "Sadie and Emmie."
Nevertheless, Mike continues to work, has a stable home life and presently lives in Los Angeles with his second wife, Jenny, and their two children. He also has two children from his first marriage.- Helen Kleeb was born on 6 January 1907 in South Bend, Washington, USA. She was an actress, known for The Party (1968), Seven Days in May (1964) and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982). She was married to Elmer Garrison and John Gerald Prendergast. She died on 28 December 2003 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Actor
- Writer
Lloyd Haynes was born on 19 October 1934 in South Bend, Indiana, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Room 222 (1969), Good Guys Wear Black (1978) and Star Trek (1966). He was married to Carolyn Yvonne Giorella, Saundra Lee Madariaga and Alice Elizabeth Ellis. He died on 31 December 1986 in Coronado, California, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Charles Butterworth was, before he came to Hollywood in 1930, a stage attraction on Broadway. In the '30s, he had his big successes as the hero's no-nonsense best friend. He made a practice of ad-libbing dry quips and bons mots during shooting, and screenwriters took advantage of this by writing only fragments of his scripts, hoping that he would fill in the missing lines. He didn't like that very much, however, and his star began sinking in the late '30s. In the '40s, he worked for smaller studios; Warner's A production, This Is the Army (1943), was a notable exception. Two years after his last movie, Dixie Jamboree (1944) for PRC, he died in a car crash.- Actress
- Writer
- Composer
Dolores Fuller first got the idea that she wanted to get into the picture business at the age of ten, when she was an extra in the motel sequence of It Happened One Night (1934). She acted in school plays, modeled and landed a few jobs on TV. In the early 1950s, she and her actress-friend, Mona McKinnon, went to a casting call where they met producer-director Edward D. Wood Jr., who became Fuller's boyfriend. Wood's real-life passion for wearing women's clothes was focused upon in the filmmaker's semi-autobiographical Glen or Glenda (1953), in which Wood starred as a cross-dresser and Fuller played his girlfriend. Fuller also appeared in Wood's Jail Bait (1954) and Bride of the Monster (1955) before his drinking caused a split. Fuller turned songwriter, wrote tunes for a number of movies (including Elvis Presley's Blue Hawaii (1961) and Kid Galahad (1962)), founded her own record company (Dee Dee Records) and helped to launch the careers of Johnny Rivers and Tanya Tucker. Fuller is vocal in her dislike of the way she was depicted by Sarah Jessica Parker in director Tim Burton's Ed Wood (1994).- Dean Harens was born on 30 June 1920 in South Bend, Indiana, USA. He was an actor, known for Christmas Holiday (1944), Wonder Woman (1975) and Robert Montgomery Presents (1950). He was married to June Dayton. He died on 20 May 1996 in Van Nuys, California, USA.
- Nancy Priddy was born on 22 January 1941 in South Bend, Indiana, USA. She is an actress, known for The Sweetest Thing (2002), Bad Moms (2016) and The Waltons (1972). She was previously married to Robert Applegate.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Pat Paulsen was a comedian specializing in satire who thrived on television in the late 1960s. The highlight of his career came in the watershed year 1968 when - emulating Gracie Allen''s quixotic 1940 Presidential bid as the Surprise Party candidate - he launched his own campaign for the U.S. presidency on the STAG (Straight Talking American Government) ticket. His campaign started out as a filmed gag run weekly on "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour," lampooning the pretensions of American politicians. One sequence had Pat making a campaign stop, unfolding the small ladder-stool he used to stand on while speaking to the voters, and addressing an empty rail-yard. Since there was a camera there, it didn't really matter, as Newt Gingrich found out in his own rise in politics in the 1980s, when he made a name for himself addressing speeches to members of the House in an empty chamber. Since it was filmed by Congressional video cameras, it appeared Gingrich was taking on powerful people who were, in reality, not even there. As a politician, Pat Paulsen was ahead of his time.
Patrick Layton Paulsen was born on July 6, 1927 in South Bend, Washington, a small fishing town, to.Beulah Inez (Fadden) and Norman Inge Paulsen, who worked for the Coast Guard. His father was a Norwegian immigrant and his maternal grandmother was English. The family moved to California when he was 10, and after graduating from high school, Pat joined the U.S. Marine Corps during the waning days of World War II. Demobilized after the war, Paulsen worked a variety of jobs, including postal clerk, truck driver, hod carrier, and miner. Two jobs that prepared him for the campaign trail that lay in his future were Fuller brush salesman, toiling door to door selling his product with a smile on his face, and photostat operator, making numerous copies of documents. He attended San Francisco City College on the G.I. bill. After his college studies, Paulsen joined an acting company before forming a comedy trio that included his brother Lorin (who continues to entertain with a one man show as Abraham Lincoln). Paulsen went solo after the trio broke up, and established himself during the late 1950s and early 1960s, performing in clubs featuring folk music and satiric comedy inspired by the likes of 'Jean Shepherd (I)' and 'Mort Sahl'. A guitarist, he delivered comedic monologues at some of the hottest clubs on the circuit, including Los Angeles' Troubadour and San Francisco's Purple Onion.
His shtick was similar to that of Tom Smothers and his brother Dick Smothers, "The Smothers Brothers," whom he met while performing at The Purple Onion. Paulsen sold them two songs for $40, and the two acts would become forever linked in the public consciousness. Eventually, when "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" premiered on CBS-TV in 1967, Paulsen was one of the cast members. Long before there was a news desk at Saturday Night Live, the Smothers Brothers' show featured Paulsen as an editorialist, providing double-talk commentary on the issues of the day.
At the urging of the Smothers Brothers, Paulsen launched his 1968 Presidential campaign. The emphasis of the campaign was comedy, but lurking below the surface was serious commentary. Satire was what closed on Saturday night, but Paulsen brilliantly managed to slip satire into his comedy, without the abrasiveness of Sahl or Lenny Bruce. He was sending up the professional politicians, peppering his campaign talks with obvious lies, double-talk, and tongue-in-cheek attacks on the "real" candidates. His work as the "reel" candidate of the tumultuous, frequently absurd political year that was 1968 was the highlight of his career and gave him a place in the national consciousness and history. For his work on "The Smothers Brothers' Comedy Hour," he was awarded a special Emmy Award in 1968.
After The Smothers Brothers were canceled due to their outspokenly liberal politics in 1969, Paulsen rebounded with his own show, "Pat Paulsen's Half-a-Comedy Hour." The show was innovative and very funny, but times had changed and the mass audience was no longer receptive to Pat's brand of satire, which laid bare the foibles of the American people and their culture. It was canceled after half a season.
Pat ran another bid for the presidency by entering the New Hampshire primary in 1972, but his time had passed. He did continue to work regularly, appearing in nightclubs, theaters, and conventions throughout the country. He also appeared each summer at the Cherry County Playhouse Muskegon, Michigan, which he co-owned. At the theater, he produced and starred in 25 plays, including "The Fantastics", "The Odd Couple", "Harvey" and "The Sunshine Boys."
Pat Paulsen was too good to ever be forgotten, and he received the International Platform Association's prestigious "Mark Twain Award" for his outstanding work in the field of comedy. Prior winners included Art Buchwald, Mark Russell and Steve Allen. On April 24, 1997, Pat died in 1997 from pneumonia after an 18-month battle with colon cancer. He was 69 years old.- The name may be hard-pressed to anyone but the most devoted film buffs, but dark-haired actor John Bromfield was a "B"-level leading man during the late 1950s. Possessed with a fine build and square-faced handsomeness, he was somewhat of a blend between Steve Cochran and Rory Calhoun, both 1950s hunks. During his heyday, John headlined a handful of mediocre sci-fi programmers, melodramas and westerns and was often seen in skimpy outfits (especially a swim suit) that showed off his fine physique. Born in South Bend, Indiana, in 1922 and christened Farron Bromfield, his strong athleticism and good looks were not lost on the picture business. By age 26 he was in Hollywood and a contractee of Paramount. His first feature film came in the form of a small role in the Barbara Stanwyck/Burt Lancaster film noir tingler Sorry, Wrong Number (1948) for Paramount. Following the minor documentary/adventure Harpoon (1948) at Paramount, he made his third film, Rope of Sand (1949). There he met his first wife, the delectable French actress Corinne Calvet, who was a co-star on the film and just starting to create an international stir. The couple married shortly after completing the film in 1948. The pairing proved beneficial for Bromfield and his career but the marriage itself lasted only five years. A featured performer in the early 1950s, he earned leading man status by 1955, but it was a very brief tenure. The pictures themselves were hardly the talk of the town, including The Big Bluff (1955), Frontier Gambler (1956), Three Bad Sisters (1956), Quincannon, Frontier Scout (1956), Manfish (1956) and Hot Cars (1956), and most of them fell by the wasteside. One of his films, however, managed to earn sci-fi "cult" status -- Revenge of the Creature (1955). At around this time he fell for dancer Larri Thomas while on the set of Curucu, Beast of the Amazon (1956) and married her shortly after filming. Following his last movie (and 20th feature) in Crime Against Joe (1956) with sultry singer Julie London, he switched mediums and corralled the title role (and mild stardom) in the syndicated TV western series The Sheriff of Cochise (1956), which was later retitled "U.S. Marshal" during its third season. In 1959, his second marriage ended after only 3 years and his western series soon bit the dust as well. Unfulfilled with his life as an actor, John abruptly retired in 1960, finding renewed interest as a commercial fisherman. A hunting enthusiast most his life, he was an emcee at Chicago's annual Sportsman's Show in the 1980s. Not much else was heard until his recent passing from kidney failure on September 18, 2005, at the age of 83. He is survived by his third wife.
- Writer
- Producer
- Director
Gita Pullapilly is an award-winning screenwriter, producer and director known for her intimate and authentic storytelling.
In 2020, during the height of Covid, Pullapilly and her husband/creative partner, directed their comedy, Queenpins, starring Kristen Bell, Vince Vaughn, Paul Walter Hauser, and Kirby. After a record breaking streaming sale, it was in the Netflix global Top 10 for weeks.
In 2015, Pullapilly was awarded the prestigious Guggenheim fellowship for her work as a filmmaker. Pullapilly and her writing and directing partner, Aron Gaudet, were selected for the 2015 Black List for their screenplay, Crook County.
In 2014, Pullapilly was selected as one of Variety's "10 Directors To Watch" for her narrative feature directorial debut, Beneath The Harvest Sky. The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, its US premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, and was acquired by Tribeca Films for distribution in 2014. In 2013, Pullapilly won the "Euphoria Calvin Klein Spotlight on Women Filmmakers Live the Dream Grant" at the Gotham Awards.
In 2009, Pullapilly co-wrote and produced the national, Emmy-nominated documentary, The Way We Get By a heartfelt story about three senior citizens finding purpose in their life. The film had its world premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival, (SXSW), won 18 festival awards around the world, played theatrically in over 60 cities across the U.S and aired on the critically acclaimed, independent television series P.O.V. on PBS as a prime time special. That year, she was selected as one of Independent Magazine's "Filmmakers to Watch."
In 2012, Pullapilly was one of the creators and executive producers on the national U.S. PBS program Lifecasters, which had its world premiere at the Film Society of Lincoln Center. Pullapilly has received a number of grants for her projects including from ITVS, CPB, POV, MacArthur Foundation, and Fledgling Fund.
In 2007, Pullapilly was selected as a WGBH Filmmaker-in-Residence. In 2005, she was chosen as the first filmmaker to become a Fulbright Senior Scholar to Jordan.
In addition to her work in the entertainment field, Pullapilly also founded The Center for International Training, Education and Development, Inc., a non-profit organization focused on training aid organizations in developing countries on how to champion and prioritize social issues with the media. Pullapilly has worked in developing countries including Vietnam, Kenya and India focusing on cancer and women's rights initiatives.
Pullapilly graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a B.B.A. in Finance and holds a master's degree from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Working his way up from general factotum and gag writer to highly versatile writer/director, George Seaton was involved in many aspects of the entertainment industry along the way.
He was born George Stenius of Swedish parentage (his family hailed from Stockholm) in South Bend, IN, and grew up in Detroit. Determined to become an actor after leaving school, rather than pursuing a university education at Yale (much to his father's chagrin), George joined Jessie Bonstelle's stock company for $15 a week and changed his name to "Seaton", which he thought people would find easier to pronounce. In addition to his work on the stage, he supplied the voice to "The Lone Ranger" on Detroit radio station WXYZ, where he claimed to have originated the "Hi-yo, Silver!" catchphrase because of his inability to whistle. In 1933 he sent a play he had written to MGM's office in New York. Irving Thalberg, who read it, was less interested in the play than the man, in whom he recognized potential. George was consequently hired as a writer for $50 a week, to learn his new trade as an assistant to the famous writing team of Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur. Unfortunately, MGM parted company with the duo before George ever reached Hollywood.
Over the next few years George worked, often uncredited, as a gag writer and ideas man. The turning point in his career was his contribution to the classic The Marx Brothers picture A Night at the Opera (1935). Groucho Marx was sufficiently impressed to ask for his collaboration on the screenplay for A Day at the Races (1937). This zany comedy proved one of the brothers' biggest hits and, along with Robert Pirosh, George Oppenheimer and Al Boasberg, the name George Seaton appeared prominently among the writing credits. He also sidelined as a playwright, but his first attempt to create a hit on Broadway, "But Not Goodbye", closed in 1944 after just 23 performances. He tried again 23 years later with the comedy "Love in E Flat", to even poorer critical reception.
During a brief stint at Columbia (1939-40 he became the protégé of producer William Perlberg. When Perlberg left Columbia to join 20th Century-Fox in 1941 he took George with him. As a result of this alliance, George had carte blanche to write the screenplay for the religious drama The Song of Bernadette (1943), which was a box-office hit and garnered him an Academy Award nomination. He remained under contract to Fox as a writer until 1950, and as a director from 1945-50. His directorial debut, from his own screenplay, was the musical comedy Diamond Horseshoe (1945) starring Betty Grable. Featuring the classic song "The More I See You" (sung by Dick Haymes), "Diamond Horseshoe" turned a tidy profit for Fox, and for Billy Rose, who earned a $76,000 fee for allowing his nightclub (or a set thereof) to be used as the backdrop for the film. George's next assignments as writer/director included humorous family fare in the shape of Junior Miss (1945) and the period comedy The Shocking Miss Pilgrim (1947), with Grable and songs by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin. "Miss Pilgrim" was a lamentable failure, as audiences were unwilling to accept Grable's "Million Dollar Legs" hidden beneath 1870s skirts.
His next film more than compensated for that failure: the perennial sentimental Christmas favorite Miracle on 34th Street (1947), which won Academy Awards for Seaton (Best Screenplay), Valentine Davies (Best Original Story) and Edmund Gwenn (Best Supporting Actor) as Kris Kringle. Two of the last Seaton-Perlberg collaborations at Fox were The Big Lift (1950), a well-mounted drama based on the Berlin airlift, filmed on location; and For Heaven's Sake (1950), an amusing variant on Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941), starring Clifton Webb. In 1952 the team packed their bags and set up shop at Paramount, where they remained for eight years. For the remainder of the decade George worked as co-producer (with Perlberg) on several big-budget films, such as The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954) and the classic western The Tin Star (1957). Seaton won his second Academy Award (again for Best Screenplay) for his adaptation of a play by Clifford Odets, The Country Girl (1954). The film was one of Paramount's top-grossing releases of the year. George was credited with eliciting Bing Crosby's best-ever dramatic performance as an alcoholic weakling and Grace Kelly's (who won the Academy Award as Best Actress) as his wife.
Seaton's output became more sparse during the following decade. He directed Fred Astaire and Lilli Palmer in the stagy but highly entertaining The Pleasure of His Company (1961) and William Holden and Lilli Palmer in the excellent World War II espionage drama The Counterfeit Traitor (1962). His last big success as director was the blockbuster Airport (1970), for which he won another Academy Award nomination. Until Jaws (1975), this was Universal's biggest money-making picture, earning the studio $45 million in film rentals in the US and Canada alone.
In addition to his direct involvement in making movies, George Seaton was also very active within Hollywood as President of the Screenwriter's Guild, President of the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences (from 1955-58) and Vice President of the Motion Picture Relief Fund. He was a recipient of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1961. His wife, Phyllis Loughton, a former Hollywood dialogue director, became the first female mayor of Beverly Hills.- John Clarke was born on 14 April 1931 in South Bend, Indiana, USA. He was an actor, known for Days of Our Lives (1965), The Satan Bug (1965) and Death Valley Days (1952). He was married to Patricia Clarke. He died on 16 October 2019 in Laguna Beach, California, USA.
- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Lisa Varga moved from South Bend, Indiana, to LA to pursue an acting and modeling career. After modeling all over the country, Lisa landed acting roles in a number of TV series, from Walker, Texas Ranger (1993) to America's Most Wanted: America Fights Back (1988) and, most recently, Game Time: Tackling the Past (2011) and Homeland (2011). She also had roles in films such as Rudy (1993), Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999), Gold Diggers (2003) (aka "Lady Killers"), Marley & Me (2008), and the starring role in "Deadly Closure" - which changed it's title to Deadly Closure (2010). Lisa won the Best Actress award for her film at the Movieville International Film Festival. In addition to acting, Lisa also writes, produces and performs her own stunts.- Virginia Eiler was born on 27 December 1924 in South Bend, Indiana, USA. She was an actress, known for Ben Casey (1961), Target (1958) and Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (1963). She died on 5 January 2004 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Writer
- Producer
- Script and Continuity Department
Mr. Karaszewski is known for unusual true stories written in tandem with Scott Alexander. Their feature film credits include the Oscar-winning Ed Wood, The People vs.Larry Flynt, Man on the Moon, Big Eyes, & Dolemite is My Name. Mr. Karaszewski co-chairs the International Feature Film category & won the Emmy, Golden Globe, PGA & WGA Award for The People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. Mr. Karaszewski is a governor of the Writers Branch.- Michael Alig was born in South Bend, Indiana. He was a founding member of the notorious Club Kids, a group of young club goers led by Alig and James St. James in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Alig learned from mentors, including St. James, while rising in popularity and prominence in the national underground club scene. Alig was also influential in the early promotion of DJ Keoki, Jenny Talia, Freez, Richie Rich, and many other Club Kid personalities. The Club Kids' outrageous behavior resulted in their appearing on the news and the television talk show circuit.
Alig's most notorious parties were held at The Limelight, owned by Peter Gatien. The Limelight was closed by the police, but subsequently reopened several times during the 1990s. In September 2003, it reopened under the name "Avalon".
The events of Alig's years as a club promoter up to his arrest were examined in the 1998 documentary, Party Monster (1998), and recreated in a 2003 film of the same name (see Party Monster (2003)), starring Macaulay Culkin as Alig and Seth Green as St. James. The events are also covered in St. James's memoir, 'Disco Bloodbath'.
Alig was eligible for parole in November 2006, but was denied. He was again denied parole in July 2008 and had his conditional release date in March 2010. His release was held up after Alig received another ticket for prescription drug use. Alig was eventually released on parole in May 2014. - Actor
- Additional Crew
Dan Resin was born on 22 February 1931 in South Bend, Indiana, USA. He was an actor, known for Caddyshack (1980), Richard (1972) and Music Box (1989). He was married to Margaret Gacke. He died on 31 July 2010 in Wayne, New Jersey, USA.- Ralph Dumke was born on 25 July 1899 in South Bend, Indiana, USA. He was an actor, known for All the King's Men (1949), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) and Mystery Street (1950). He was married to Greta Leona Edner. He died on 4 January 1964 in Sherman Oaks, California, USA.
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- Director
Jeremy Leven was born on 16 August 1941 in South Bend, Indiana, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Don Juan DeMarco (1994), Real Steel (2011) and The Notebook (2004). He was previously married to Roberta Danza.- Stephen Liss was born on 28 June 1956 in South Bend, Indiana, USA. He is an actor, known for The Party (1968), The Invaders (1967) and Barnaby Jones (1973).
- Producer
- Writer
- Executive
Ashley Flowers is the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of audiochuck, the acclaimed independent media and podcast production company known for its compelling narrative content across different genres, including true crime, comedy, fiction, and more. In August of 2022, Flowers released her first novel, All Good People Here, a fiction crime thriller and #1 New York Times Bestseller.
Ashley is also the host of several audiochuck shows, including Apple Podcast's #1 show of 2022 Crime Junkie, The Deck, The Deck Investigates, and Full Body Chills. As CCO, Flowers works with her team to create a cohesive content strategy and vision for their network of shows. Ashley and the team at audiochuck are committed to developing not only excellent storytelling, but responsible true crime content.
Ashley's passion for advocacy work led her to establish the nonprofit Season of Justice to provide financial resources to both law enforcement agencies and families in order to help solve cold cases. Season of Justice has awarded over a million dollars in grants to families and law enforcement agencies to help bring resolution to unsolved crimes.
Flowers received a Bachelor of Science in Biological Services from Arizona State University. She was born and raised in Indiana, where she lives with her family and their beloved dog, Chuck.- Todd James Jackson was born in South Bend, Indiana, USA. He is an actor, known for Bosch: Legacy (2022), Council of Dads (2020) and Hawaii Five-0 (2010).
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Ryan Hafron is an Indiana born and raised actor who now resides in Los Angeles, CA. Throughout his life he has always been involved in Sports which has always included Football, Basketball and Baseball. He even played college baseball as a pitcher and outfielder for a Junior Community college in Indiana, a couple hours away from his hometown. After a couple years of playing ball, Ryan returned home and decided to work and worked until returning back to college when he was 27 to finish his degree.
Still not knowing what specifically he wanted to Major in, he saw at the university theater that the school was holding auditions for Westside Story and the rest is history. He was cast in the role of Riff. Ryan would go on to appear in multiple different plays and musicals and graduated from Indiana University of South Bend in 2014 with a degree in Performance Theater and a minor in Marketing. Even, in 2012 he had the opportunity to study abroad in London where he was able to work more on his acting and craft. Mostly working on European approaches to text and movement techniques at the exquisite Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and IES.
After College, Ryan Immediately moved to Los Angeles where he always knew he wanted to be. Since arriving, Ryan has spent the majority of his time in acting classes, writing screenplays, on set working as a Stand-In and Double, and volunteering for local food drives with a group called Habitat for Humanity.
In 2021, Ryan booked his first Netflix TV series credited role on "Lincoln Lawyer" playing a Juror in one episode. He continues to enroll himself in new acting and improvisation classes and recently finished serving on the SAG Nomination committee for 2022. He has been a SAG member since 2021.
Currently, Ryan is in Post-Production on his first Short Film called "Stained Protocol" written, directed, and produced by him. He also stars in the short alongside his good friend and fellow actor Braxton Angle. He hopes to be able to make this film into a pitch for studios or producers to make it into a possible series or feature film. His short film is Due to be released this Summer 2023. He also will be appearing in his feature film role with the upcoming release of "Sweetwater" a 1950's basketball story from Martin Guigui. Ryan plays a local basketball player where he has an interaction with the Harlem Globetrotters of that era.
He devotes his hard work ethic to his parents and family, whom he owes everything to. Family is the best gift that anyone could ever ask for, the guidance and love that is provided is something that should never be overlooked. Family to this day is the most important thing to him and he always continues to make time for them returning back home to Indiana to visit multiple times a year. He truly believes that no matter what, Persistence and Dedication always pays off and the only way to get there is to make sacrifices.- Producer
- Director
Sheldon Cooper was born on 15 February 1926 in South Bend, Indiana, USA. He was a producer and director, known for They Stand Accused (1949), An Evening with... (1965) and The All Time Hits (1965). He died on 19 January 2020 in Chicago, Illinois, USA.- Director
- Writer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
A former journalist who came from a show-business family--his mother was actress Lydia Knott--western specialist Lambert Hillyer entered films in 1917. After becoming a director, he soon teamed up with cowboy actor William S. Hart for a series of westerns that resulted in making Hart a star, for which the actor--an old-fashioned man who never forgot a slight or a favor--always gave Hillyer credit. Although he could never be considered a stylist, Hillyer often managed to inject his work with the kind of panache and a flourish that other, bigger-budgeted films lacked. The opening scene of Beau Bandit (1930), for example, consists of an eerily atmospheric shot of a posse emerging from a dark, foggy river crossing; it's a somewhat Germanic touch in an otherwise undistinguished film. An incredibly prolific director, Hillyer didn't confine himself to westerns, although they were the majority of his output. He turned out the stylish Dracula's Daughter (1936) and the creepy and chilling The Invisible Ray (1935), both for Universal, and even managed to get in a few serials at Columbia, most notably Batman (1943). Hillyer, like so many B directors before him, finished out his career in television.- Actor
- Producer
Pete Buttigieg was born on 19 January 1982 in South Bend, Indiana, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Mayor Pete (2021), The Silo (2002) and The Supporters (2021). He has been married to Chasten Buttigieg since 16 June 2018.- Doug Shanklin was born on 12 July 1951 in South Bend, Indiana, USA. He was an actor, known for Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), Dynasty (1981) and Otherworld (1985). He died on 13 March 2020 in the USA.
- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Travis Betz was born on 16 December 1976 in South Bend, Indiana, USA. He is a director and writer, known for Lo (2009), The Dead Inside (2011) and ABCs of Death 2.5 (2016).- Camera and Electrical Department
- Writer
- Additional Crew
William Cottrell was born on 19 November 1906 in South Bend, Indiana, USA. He was a writer, known for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Alice in Wonderland (1951) and Peter Pan (1953). He was married to Hazel Sewell. He died on 22 December 1995 in Burbank, California, USA.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Jeffrey Scott Kennedy is an American actor, writer and producer. He is best known for playing the Captain of the Poughkeepsie State Flying Cougars in Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. Jeff has also appeared in various television shows including One on One, Passions, Las Vegas, Cavemen, Kath & Kim and Vanished. In 2006, Jeff served as a Producer on the award-winning short film Twilight's Grace. He is also the writer and creator of the award-winning feature film screenplay Totem. Jeff serves as Managing Partner for Irish Rover Entertainment, a Los Angeles based production company specializing in the financing and development of various intellectual properties.
Jeff was born in South Bend, Indiana. He is of Irish descent. His father Machiel (Mike) and mother Janet Elkins raised Jeff and his two younger sisters in South Bend and later in nearby Indianapolis. His earliest childhood memories are of biking adventures with friends and exploring the surrounding woods of small town Indiana. Jeff also enjoyed athletics and was a standout 3 sport Varsity Letterman in football, hockey and track at Carmel High School.
Forgoing various football and hockey opportunities, Jeff attended Arizona State University and played Men's Ice Hockey for the Sun Deveils. He was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and graduated in the spring of 1999 with a BS in Supply Chain Management. Jeff attended CHL Professional Ice Hockey camp in the fall of 1999 before returning to complete his formal education at the the University of Miami Florida. He graduated with his MBA in Investment Finance and Management Information Systems in 2001.
In his free time, Jeff enjoys painting and is a dedicated student of the Israeli Self-Defense System Krav Maga.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Director
Stephen Bailey was born in South Bend, Indiana. Growing up he took part in many theatrical productions and showed a talent and love for performing. He began doing plays at South Bend Civic Community theater and getting cast in as many films as possible. He even grabbed a small video camcorder and began making short films of his own. He enrolled in Indiana University South Bend and studied Theatre Arts. He dropped out at the beginning of his junior year and began pursuing acting full time in Indiana and Chicago. He took a brief time off to study acting and became a ballroom dance instructor. He left the dance studio in 2011 when he booked a featured dancing spot on NBC's The Playboy Club and shortly after moved to Hollywood, California. In 2012 he became a co-owner of Unlimited Destiny Production, a small production company.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Writer
This curiously shy Johnny Meyer may be a Hoosier by birth but he was raised in Beverly Hills, MI, and is the only son of George and Sandra Meyer. Meyer graduated W.E. Groves High School and went on to attend Ferris State University and Michigan State University, majoring in Journalism and Telecommunications, respectively. Studied acting with Geraldine Baron, C.S.A., in 1994. Cast as the lead in M.S.U.'s student-produced TV show "The Show" in 1991-92, his two episodes garnered a "Best Comedy" award at the "U" College Newspaper festival in 1992 in L.A. He appeared in an episode of ER (1994) as dying, seizuring, hand-breaking Michael Clifford, cast and directed by Mimi Leder and was #1 rated. He briefly wrote for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992) in 1992. He frequently can be heard on Chicago-based radio show "Mancow's Morning Madhouse" as a "voice". He also does stand-up comedy but, "purely as a hobby...". Johnny enjoys traveling, tennis and Libertarian politics. He describes himself as a cross between James Dean and Crispin Glover. Favorite quote:"L.A. is like 8 million people in group therapy" by Taylor Negron.- Cinematographer
- Director
- Producer
Emmy winning director/cinematographer Guido Verweyen is a graduate of the American Film Institute. Born in the US and raised in Europe, Guido began his career as director of photography on Independent features and documentaries such as the Academy Award nominated documentary The Man On Lincoln's Nose" (2001) and the Oscar shortlisted and SASA United Nations Award winning documentary Sastun - My Apprenticeship With A Maya Healer (2002), which he also directed and produced. In 2011 Guido directed and produced the documentary feature After The Fire, based on the Pulitzer Prize story and NYTimes bestseller, winner of the Gold Remi Award at Houston International and numerous audience awards. The film was named "one of the most compelling documentaries in recent years" by FilmThreat.com and The NYTimes.
On the commercial front, his spot work earned Guido honors at the Shoot Magazine "Director's To Watch" (2008) Showcase at the Director's Guild Of America/NYC. His commercial clients include Airbnb and Microsoft among others.
His non-fiction success lead to him directing numerous TV series like America's Next Top Model (2005) for CW, Starting Over (2005) for NBC, which won him an Emmy Award (2005), True Life (2008) for MTV, which won a Special Class Series Emmy, Tim Gunn's Guide To Style (2008) for Bravo, which won a Golden Eagle Award, Hilary Duff-This Is Now (2007) for MTV, Dance Moms (2014) and Raising Asia (2014) for Lifetime, among others.
In 2017, Guido joined the Director's Guild of America to direct scripted series like Murder Among Friends and Blood Relatives for Discovery ID- In 1954, the Bliss-Hayden Theatre was acquired by Douglas Bank, and renamed "The Beverly Hills Playhouse". This was a showcase for several productions written by Douglas Bank (The Preacher, and Journey to a Lonely Star) as well as well-known plays of the time including Jenny Kissed Me, Room Service, The Lawyer, Harvey, and The Second Man. Many actors had performed there including Stanley Adams, Anne Baxter, Ken Mayer, Michael Fox, and Louella Parsons, and directors Larry Stewart and Arthur M. Lowe Jr., as well as others. They owned the theatre until 1959.
- Animation Department
- Visual Effects
- Director
Pete Kleinow was born on 20 August 1934 in South Bend, Indiana, USA. He was a director, known for Starship Troopers (1997), The Terminator (1984) and Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991). He was married to Ernestine Kleinow. He died on 6 January 2007 in Petaluma, California, USA.- Dwain A. Perry was born on 7 November 1963 in South Bend, Indiana, USA. He is an actor, known for Gladiator (1992), Revival (2018) and JAG (1995).
- Dale Messick was born on 11 April 1906 in South Bend, Indiana, USA. She was a writer, known for Brenda Starr, Reporter (1945), Brenda Starr (1989) and Brenda Starr, Reporter (1979). She was married to Oscar Strom and Everett George. She died on 5 April 2005 in Penngrove, California, USA.
- Ryan Newman was born on 15 October 1977 in South Bend, Indiana, USA. He has been married to Krissie Boyle since 3 January 2004.
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Chuck Zink was a south Florida celebrity icon for over 50 years. He hosted the early morning television show, Skipper Chuck from 1956-1979 on WTVJ-Miami. He is an Emmy Award winning writer, director, and producer. From 1999-2005 he hosted his own radio show on WJNA from 10:00a.m. to 2:00p.m. Monday thru Friday. He received a "Big Mike" award for Radio Personality of the Year in south Florida. On January 19, 2005, Chuck Zink announced his retirement and celebrated his farewell on a SeaEscape cruise with hundreds of his loyal fans.- Nicole Rash was born on 31 October 1984 in South Bend, Indiana, USA. She is an actress, known for Barracuda (2013), Claire (2013) and Alone at Midnight (2010). She has been married to Grant Cook since 15 September 2012.
- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Michael Carnick is a screenwriter and playwright from San Diego, California. In 2005, while studying Theatre and Dance at UCSD, Michael was unanimously voted for first place at the 50th anniversary of the Samuel Goldwyn Writing Awards. He was the first undergrad to ever receive this prestigious award.
After graduating from UCSD, Michael continued to write screenplays and stage plays, many of which have been turned into live performances. While attending UCR for his MFA in Creative Writing for the Performing Arts, Michael was selected as a Finalist for the Kennedy Center ACTF Region VIII New Play Festival two years in a row. In 2012, his play Marlon and Momma was performed at UCR's New Play Festival. Michael graduated from UCR's MFA program in 2012.
At the end of the year, Michael wrote the short film Rolling Romance. In 2013, it was independently produced and shot on location in LA. David Conley was brought on board to direct the film. Rolling Romance was a passion project produced by enthusiastic young filmmakers on a modest budget. Rolling Romance was featured in several film festivals both locally and internationally, and won many awards, including Best Screenplay from the Malibu Film Festival and Indie Fest's Best in Show.
In 2015 Michael independently produced a feature film based on his Goldwyn award winning script Who's Driving Doug. The film was directed by David Conley and starred RJ Mitte as the titular Doug. Who's Driving Doug is semi-autobiographical and centered on personal events from Michael's life. Focusing on his struggle with Muscular Dystrophy, this drama / dark comedy takes an unflinching look at the social implications that come from being disabled as Doug tries to find love and understand his place in the world. Who's Driving Doug was sold to Netflix for online streaming rights in 2016. It made its theatrical worldwide premiere at the Santa Barbara Film Festival.
Michael was born with a rare physical disability which confines him to an electric wheelchair. His work is often centered around the themes of disability awareness and the human experience of being a minority.- Producer
- Editor
- Writer
Desmond Dolly is a writer, director, producer who got his start in the industry selling TVs at an Indiana Best Buy. After graduating USC Film School - Dez wrote and directed an independently financed feature film, Champion of Glory, while climbing the ranks as a commercial director & editor. Building a post production company from the ground up, Dez cut his teeth on AAA ad campaigns, boasting a client roster that includes Google, Viacom, Warner Brothers, Fox, Visa, Kraft, Dodge, Samsung, and AT&T, to name a few.
In 2010, Dolly partnered with film school classmates Freddie Wong and Matt Arnold to form the digital production company and entertainment banner, RocketJump.com. There, Dez and his partners pioneered new forms of online video, bringing professional content to the YouTube platform. Their culturally influential viral videos have accumulated over 7 million subscribers and tallied over one billion views, making Dez one of the most watched video directors on the global web.
The first season of his flagship web series, Video Game High School, gained over 130 million cumulative views over 21 episodes, and was named "#1Web Series of 2013" by Variety. Season 3 was heralded as a must-see People pick in 2014, and was nominated for a 2015 Producers Guild Award for Outstanding Digital Series.
Dez Executive Produced and co-starred in the hulu docu-reality series, RocketJump: The Show. In 2017, Dolly renewed his first look deal with Lionsgate and served as creator and executive producer of hulu sci-fi anthology series, Dimension 404.- Skylar Diggins was born on 2 August 1990 in South Bend, Indiana, USA. She is an actress, known for The Equalizer 2 Promo (2018), KPNX-TV Channel 12 (1953) and WNBA on ESPN (1997). She has been married to Daniel Smith since 2 May 2017. They have one child.
- Actress
- Additional Crew
Brooke Frost was born on 29 December 1987 in South Bend, Indiana, USA. She is an actress, known for The Lady Is a Doll (2004), Wrong Side of Town (2010) and Moving Parts: Bringing the Doll to Life (2004).- Actor
- Producer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
John Robert Borkowski was born in South Bend, Indiana, to Betty Anne (Glad), a former lead pediatric nurse and Robert (Bob) George Borkowski, who owned Borkowski Advertising. His father was of full Polish ancestry while his mother's family was entirely of Swedish decent. His mother passed away when John was 7 and his father died 2 weeks before John's 10th birthday. The youngest of 4, he was raised by his older siblings, primarily the oldest sister, Kathryn. John saved up enough money in Junior High to buy a season ticket to the newly opened South Bend Century Center theater. He enjoyed getting lost in the spectacle of the theater. He went on to live on a Tug Boat in Michigan during the summers away from college at Ball State University where he took his first acting class. After college he spent five years as General Manager of Atlanta International Raceway (now Atlanta Motor Speedway). A chance Casting director workshop with Marc Hirschfeld in Tampa Florida propelled him to Load his car and drive to Los Angeles. He got work in the first six months in LA. That movie got him his SAG card. John met his wife on the lot at CBS Radford. They have three daughters together. John also has spent time behind the camera, directing and producing various projects.