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Scatman Crothers was born Benjamin Sherman Crothers on May 23, 1910 in Terre Haute, Indiana. Songwriter ("Dearest One"), actor, composer, singer, comedian, and guitarist who, after high school, appeared in nightclubs, hotels, and films, and on television. He made many records, including his own compositions. He joined ASCAP in 1959, and his popular-song compositions also include "The Gal Looks Good", "Nobody Knows Why", "I Was There", "A Man's Gotta Eat", and "When, Oh When". Scatman Crothers died at age 76 of pneumonia and lung cancer at his home in Van Nuys, California on November 22, 1986.

Bill Thompson was born on 8 July 1913 in Terre Haute, Indiana, USA. He was an actor, known for Lady and the Tramp (1955), Peter Pan (1953) and Sleeping Beauty (1959). He was married to Mary Margaret McBride. He died on 15 July 1971 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Chubby Johnson was born Charles Rutledge Johnson on August 13, 1903, in Terre Haute, Indiana. He made a living as a journalist and did not become a movie actor until he was in his 40s, making his debut in the Randolph Scott oater Abilene Town (1946) in support of Scott, Ann Dvorak and Edgar Buchanan. He continued to practice his craft as a member of the press, serving as a radio announcer as well as pounding the keys as a columnist, until he was nearly 50. Chubby appeared in the Errol Flynn horse opera Rocky Mountain (1950) as part of an army of quirky character actors, including Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams and Slim Pickens. Chubby then quit the Fourth Estate for a Hollywood career.

When Republic Pictures sought a replacement for Eddy Waller to play sidekick to B-movie cowboy star Allan Lane in the Rocky Lane series, Chubby filled in for most of 1951-52. He also starred in the TV series Sky King (1951) as ranch foreman Jim Bell. The low-budget series, a spin-off from a five-year-old radio show in which individual episodes were made for approximately $9,000 each, ran on NBC from Sept 16, 1951, until Oct 26, 1952. The series was then picked up by ABC, which ran the same NBC episodes from November 8, 1952, until September 12, 1954. A season of new episodes was aired in 1955.

Chubby freelanced as a character actor after these stints on the TV, appearing in support of James Stewart in the Anthony Mann classic Bend of the River (1952), and in their The Far Country (1954), which also featured character actor par excellence Walter Brennan, the movies' first triple-Oscar threat. Chubby then went on to appear in support of Doris Day in Calamity Jane (1953), Audie Murphy in Gunsmoke (1953), Ronald Reagan in Law and Order (1953), Barbara Stanwyck and Ronnie again in Cattle Queen of Montana (1954) and James Cagney in Tribute to a Bad Man (1956), one of the legend's rare forays into the western.

Other stars Chubby supported were Richard Chamberlain and Claude Rains in Twilight of Honor (1963), the 1963 courtroom drama that won the ill-fated Nick Adams a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination; James Garner in Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969); and Burt Reynolds in his audacious debut as a big-screen star as the eponymous Sam Whiskey (1969). He also appeared uncredited in the classic High Noon (1952).

After appearing as a regular in the short-lived series Frontier Doctor (1956), Chubby appeared as Concho on another TV western, Temple Houston (1963), which starred Jeffrey Hunter. He also guested on many other TV westerns, including Bonanza (1959), Gunsmoke (1955) and The Rifleman (1958).

Chubby continued to appear in films until 1969, with Sam Whiskey (1969) serving as the nightcap to his career. He died on Halloween Day 1974 from complications from a leg infection.

Hunter von Leer was born on 3 April 1944 in Terre Haute, Indiana, USA. He is an actor, known for Halloween II (1981), History of the World: Part I (1981) and Under the Boardwalk (1988).

Summer Selby is an American film, television and stage actress, voice-over talent, print model, television producer and talk show host, born November 30th in Terre Haute, Indiana and raised on Chicago's South Side.

From when Summer was 8 years old, she wanted to pretend to be other people, not knowing acting was the term for her ambition. Her mother, an educator, enrolled her in an esteemed after school academy on Chicago's South Side. There Summer studied modern dance, tap, modeling, and etiquette. She attempted to explore acting in high school and while attending a private liberal arts college. Stage crew experience was plentiful but roles were limited for Summer's demographic at that time.

After graduation, Summer began a corporate career but continued her pursuit of opportunities to act in Chicago, Indianapolis, and Dallas regional theaters. Then she was selected to be a featured extra in the exploding birthday cake party scene in Problem Child (1990) and she instantly committed to a career in acting.

Very often told by strangers and casual acquaintances she has a "familiar" face, Summer starred as Harriet Tubman in the Emmy nominated educational film The Quest for Freedom (1992), which was purchased by hundreds of US school districts who then showed it to thousands of students. The Quest for Freedom was broadcast on PBS stations throughout the country each February for decades. She then was cast in two roles in the Barney & Friends (1992) series as well as in the television movie Wishbone's Dog Days of the West (1998).

Summer played along side LeAnn Rimes in Ms. Rimes first film, the Christmas staple Holiday in Your Heart (1997), which also starred Bernadette Peters. She landed the lead role in the director John Carstarphen debut film Weekend of Our Discontent (1993) and has gone on to win roles appearing with some of Hollywood's favorites such as Nia Peeples, C. Thomas Howell, Patrick Duffy, Paul Adelstein and Sarah Wayne Callies. Viewers still enjoy Summer's 3 roles in Walker Texas, Ranger, Prison Break, and her role as the nosy neighbor in Did I Kill My Mother?

Among other national ad campaigns, Summer was one of the original print models for the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women campaign; she appeared in the Women in Film short Gilda's Club: A Special Place (2004), remembering the Saturday Night Live comedienne Gilda Radner; and she has extensive national voice-over credits.

Summer produced and hosted her second talk show, Grown Folk (2012), which aired in Dallas and on the internet; she co-stars in the alternative/blues musician Benjamin Booker debut music video The Future Is Slow Coming (Slow Coming/Wicked Waters) (2015); and she co-stars in the writer/director Carlos Bido enigmatic film Finding Hope (2013).

More recently, Summer appears alongside Jamie Foxx, Tommy Lee Jones, Matt Czuchry, and Manish Dayal in various film and TV projects; in the Italian produced and directed, international crime mini-series ZeroZeroZero; as an African astronaut's mother in the dazzling space mini-series The First, directed by the acclaimed Polish director Agnieszka Holland; and in a recurring role as uber mother to Malcolm-Jamal Warner's character, the beloved resident Dr AJ Austin, on the highly rated FOX series The Resident, now streaming on Hulu.

Summer continues to hone her craft in film, television and stage roles.

Mark Jeffrey Miller was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for The Patriot (2000), The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015) and Cold Mountain (2003).

Timothy Wead was born on 2 January 1956 in Terre Haute, Indiana, USA. He is an actor, known for Fame (1982), Heroes Stand Alone (1989) and The Powers of Matthew Star (1982).

Richard Ely was born on 4 May 1945 in Terre Haute, Indiana, USA. He was an actor, known for M*A*S*H (1972), I Escaped from Devil's Island (1973) and The Streets of San Francisco (1972). He died on 9 December 2019 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Rhonda Bates was born on 15 August 1948 in Terre Haute, Indiana, USA. She is an actress, known for Roadie (1980), Harry O (1973) and Police Story (1973).

Joe Keaton and wife Myra were grade-Z vaudeville performers in the early 1900s. Their son Buster joined the act when he was only a few months old. The act was a rough-and-tumble one, with Buster being thrown around on stage most of the time. As the years went by, Joe Keaton became an alcoholic, which forced Buster to quit the act by the time he was a teenager. However, after he hit it big in silent film, Buster provided Joe with small parts in several movies. Myra and Joe split up long after Buster had become an adult. She'd had it with the constant verbal and physical abuse Joe put her through. He lived alone in a Hollywood hotel for many years and was said to have stopped drinking after becoming a Christian Scientist. Buster said Joe died as a result of being run over by a passing car.

Indiana-born Jess Hahn never played in an American movie, at least shot on American soil. On the other hand, this friendly giant with a nice sense of humor was a fixture in French movies where he often landed roles as a tough gangster or a Yankee (whether an army officer, a C.I.A./F.B.I. agent or an expatriated John Doe). Adored by French and (unfortunately) by campy Italian directors, he was in more than ninety movies and appeared twenty-odd times on French television. He could have made it in art film thanks to his wonderful performance as the tramp in Eric Rohmer's "Le Signe du Lion" but was ignored by other "serious-minded" directors. On the contrary, and oddly enough to be sure, the quality of the film he was in declined dramatically after 1966, which was not doing justice to his wonderful screen presence. He also acted in ten theater plays. Whatever the case, the public loved him, although not knowing his name. In the mid seventies, a bit disappointed with his career, he preferred working on his farm near Dinan in Brittany, acting only occasionally. He died in Saint Malo hospital, forgotten by the film profession but not by TV or DVD viewers who still nowadays worship Nénesse from "Les grandes Gueules" or "La Douceur" (quite a misnomer!) from"Cartouche".

Rob Youngblood was born on 13 November 1969 in Terre Haute, Indiana, USA. He is an actor, known for Space Precinct (1994), L.A. Firefighters (1996) and Murder One (1995). He was previously married to Jenee Conway.

Mick Mars was born on 4 May 1951 in Terre Haute, Indiana, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for The Dirt (2019), Spun (2002) and The Indian in the Cupboard (1995).

Frank Kramer was born on 5 September 1970 in Terre Haute, Indiana, USA. He is a producer and actor, known for Squatters (2010), Totally Baked (2007) and Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! (2015).

Michelle Deighton was born on 8 December 1985 in Terre Haute, Indiana, USA. She is an actress, known for WWE Smackdown! (1999), WrestleMania XXVII (2011) and WWE Raw (1993). She has been married to Bobby Carlsen since 2 April 2015. She was previously married to Jon Dalton.

Lynne Topping was born on 10 July 1949 in Terre Haute, Indiana, USA. She was an actress, known for Hunter (1984), Knight Rider (1982) and The Incredible Hulk (1977). She was married to James Farrell. She died on 17 April 2011 in New York, New York, USA.

Richard 'Skeets' Gallagher was born on 28 July 1891 in Terre Haute, Indiana, USA. He was an actor, known for Idiot's Delight (1939), Possessed (1931) and Lightning Strikes Twice (1934). He was married to Pauline Mason and Irene Martin. He died on 22 May 1955 in Santa Monica, California, USA.

Tex Terry was born on 22 August 1902 in Terre Haute, Indiana, USA. He was an actor, known for Death Valley Days (1952), Sweethearts on Parade (1953) and Rough Riders of Cheyenne (1945). He was married to Isabel Draesemer and Dorothy Peters. He died on 18 May 1985 in Terre Haute, Indiana, USA.

He received his SAG-AFTRA card by landing the role of "Rocky" in "Death in the Desert". He auditioned for another role but they wanted him to play "Rocky". Josh Evans who is the son of Robert Evans and Ali McGraw directed this film.

He lives in Palm Springs, California.

He became a "national" member of SAG-AFTRA in 2016 and can work in any state.

His stage name and legal name are one in the same.

Ken Pettus was born on 15 May 1915 in Terre Haute, Indiana, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for The Green Hornet (1966), Matt Helm (1975) and Mission: Impossible (1966). He died on 19 July 1992 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Trent Gill was born in Terre Haute, Indiana. When he was 10 his family moved to Naperville, Illinois where Trent attended Hill Middle School and was a serious athlete. He not only played baseball and football, but was an All-state wrestler for 3 years. His family moved to California when Trent was fifteen and his sports obsession was soon replaced by his new love of acting. He was immediately recruited by an agent and began his career in commercials. He appeared in several national spots such as McDonalds, Gateway, Dominos Pizza, and as the Nike kid with Marshall Faulk. He is a gifted musician who writes all of his own lyrics and music. He is in the process of putting together his first CD.

The author of dozens of books and even more short stories, Philip Jose Farmer was born in Indiana in 1918 to George and Lucile Jackson Farmer, but has called Peoria, Illinois, home for most of his life. He revolutionized science-fiction with his 1952 short story (later a novel) titled "The Lovers", the first known science-fiction tale to portray sex between a human and a non-humanoid alien. The winner of three Hugo awards and named a Grand Master of Science-Fiction in 2001, his best known series was made into two made-for-TV movies: Riverworld (2003) and Riverworld (2010), both for the SyFy Channel. He is also well known for writing novels around established fictional characters such as Tarzan and Doc Savage - going so far as to write a detailed biography of Tarzan - and his novel "Venus on the Half Shell" was written under the alias of Kilgore Trout, a character created by novelist Kurt Vonnegut Jr..

Theodore Dreiser was one of the great American writers, and a transitional figure between Victorian America and the "modern" age that was inaugurated after the cessation of hostilities after WWI and the publication of Sinclair Lewis' "Main Street" in 1920. A naturalist with a committed social conscience (Dreiser was a socialist in a time when socialists were an established third party and had many mayoral posts and seats in state legislatures before the post-WWI "Red Scare" wiped out socialism in the U.S.), Theodore Dreiser is a seminal figure in the evolution of American letters to a more mature literature.

Born on August 27, 1871 in Terre Haute, Indiana, he was the twelfth of thirteen children Born to John Paul & Sarah Dreiser, ten of whom survived infancy. Theordore's Dreiser's father, John, was a German immigrant and a strict Baptist. His mother Sarah came from a Mennonite community who later converted to Roman Catholicism. His older brother Paul Dresser became a famous songwriter.

Theodore Dreiser attended Indiana University from 1889 to 1890, but flunked out and became a journalist in Chicago and St. Louis. He married the former Sara White in 1898, but the marriage failed and they separated in 1909. Dreiser never divorced his wife.

His first novel "Sister Carrie" was published in 1900. It is considered a classic and a seminal piece of American literature. The publisher did not promote the novel, likely due to its controversial subject matter (adultery, extramarital sex), and the book sold poorly. He did not score a best-seller for a quarter-of-century, until "An American Tragedy" in 1925. (The novel was made into George Stevens 1951 masterpiece A Place in the Sun (1951).

Theodore Dreiser died on December 28, 1945, not long after he had joined the Communist Party, a move that Ernest Hemingway said was that of an old man trying to save his soul.

William Tanoos was born on 15 April 1983 in Terre Haute, Indiana, USA. He is a director and actor, known for The Drunk (2014).

Eleanor Hansen was born on 13 September 1917 in Terre Haute, Indiana, USA. She was an actress, known for Flaming Frontiers (1938), The Mad Miss Manton (1938) and Russian Dressing (1938). She died on 27 May 2013 in San Diego, California, USA.