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- Actress
- Producer
With a passionate work ethic and an insatiable sense of humor & charm, Jill Wagner is the "American Girl" who's established herself as a widely-recognizable actress and television personality. Her diverse body of work combined with a rapidly growing fan base has demonstrated her appeal to a broad range of audiences who can easily relate to her approachable wit and down-to-earth personality. With a career that successfully stretches between acting and hosting endeavors, there are few artists who have been able to effectively transition back-and-forth between the two. With global recognition and achievement, Jill has broken down barriers in her inherent ability to do both. Always enthusiastic and whole-hearted about the subject matter she pursues, Jill partnered-up with renowned producer / writer / director Taylor Sheridan as executive producer and actress in the new female-led series, Special Ops: Lioness. Jill teams up with co-star and executive producer Zoe Saldana and Oscar winning actress and executive producer Nicole Kidman in this global spy thriller. As an actress with diverse talent who has been consistently featured in various genres in film & television for nearly two decades, Jill's illustrious range of work has not only solidified her as a dominant name and presence in the entertainment industry, but has earned her unwavering respect and acclaim. Starring opposite Jason Momoa, Jill appeared in the breakout independent film, Braven. Earlier in her acting career, Jill made an impactful and celebrated debut in the award-winning horror film, Splinter, starring opposite Shea Whigman. The film is a disturbing yet masterfully crafted horror feature in which Jill showcased her ability to carry top billing in a feature film and earned her a cult following. As a dominant presence in front of the camera, Jill also starred in MTV's hit series, Teen Wolf. Jill played the role of Kate Argent, who was one of the primary antagonists featured throughout the show's first four seasons. With her popularity having soared on the series, coupled with her natural instincts as a television host, Jill was presented with the opportunity to host Teen Wolf's after-show, Wolf Watch. Jill's natural skill and ability to improv is what paved the path for her to make her mark in Hollywood, when she was cast as the first female regular sketch performer on MTV's hit television series, Punk'd, opposite Ashton Kutcher. As is relevant to both her cinematic story and personal life - family and faith are Jill's most valued priorities. There was a very special and unique relationship Jill had with her paternal grandmother, who helped raise Jill as a child. As Jill's career continued to blossom, opportunities from The Hallmark Channel soon began to present themselves. Jill would seek her grandmother's advice on which projects would be the most appropriate to pursue. Jill stated, "My grandma loves to watch these kinds of films, so the two of us made an agreement. Whenever any of these scripts come my way I'll send them to her, and if she likes them, I'll do them. I do these films for her." And, it was this value that launched and continues to drive Jill's ongoing roles in The Hallmark Channel's catalog of movies, including fan favorites Autumn Dreams; Christmas Cookies; A Harvest Wedding; Karen Kingsbury's Maggie's Christmas Miracle; Pearl in Paradise; and, Christmas in Evergreen: Letters to Santa. As Jill became a widely-recognized talent within the Hallmark platforms, her movies became some of the highest rated films and series on the network. This has led to her continued success with featured roles in additional Hallmark Channel television movies and mysteries, including, Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses; Mystery 101, which was the highest rated mystery series on The Hallmark Channel; Hearts of Winter; The Angel Tree; and, A Christmas Miracle for Daisy, which was the second highest rated movie for the recently launched GAC Family network. Hosting was a natural fit for Jill as she embraced this role for some of the most widely popular network television shows, including the INSP TV series, Handcrafted America. In this inspirational series, Jill traveled the country in search of talented artisans who continue to make sought-after products the traditional way: with their own two hands. Jill's energetic, infectious and unique style of getting to the heart of the story was undoubtedly a significant reason why the series had sustained success for three seasons. Paving the way for Jill's hosting spotlight was solidified when she spent a remarkable seven seasons on ABC's hit reality game show, Wipeout. Born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Jill and her brother were raised by their father, a former U.S. Marine and local tire shop owner. During her younger years, her father and grandmother instilled an ever-present value system which was designed to build a strong and solid foundation around family and support. Through this upbringing, Jill continues to carry the Wagner approach of providing great respect, care and love in how she cherishes and defines her faith and 'family values'. Jill and her husband are living the life they dream - raising their three young daughters on their historical working farm in Tennessee. It is there that Jill and her family raise cattle, grow crops, remain connected to nature and find their balance experiencing life through a farming community. Jill attended North Carolina State University, from which she graduated cum laude with a degree in business. As an active woman passionately dedicated to a regularly intense & challenging fitness regime, Jill has often stated, "There's nothing better than cranking some classic rock in my headphones and hiking up a mountain." And, whether she is climbing a mountain or taking on new experiences and roles as one of Hollywood's most dynamic and multi-talented artists, this All-American Girl's message remains the same: "It's the view from the top that makes it all worthwhile." Jill has also dedicated her life to being enthusiastically involved in 'giving back'. As a daughter to a military veteran, Jill has often paid homage to her father and countless veterans by traveling to different parts of the world, including Afghanistan, in support of the troops. Jill is also very passionate and dedicated to her causes with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Her untiring campaign within her own charity, "Jill's Closet for a Cure", continues to raise money and awareness to help find a cure for these diseases that have touched the lives of so many people, including her own family.- Jennifer Anne Ehle is an American actress, the daughter of English actress Rosemary Harris and American author John Ehle. She won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for her role as Elizabeth Bennet in the 1995 BBC miniseries Pride and Prejudice. For her work on Broadway, she won the 2000 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for The Real Thing, and the 2007 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for The Coast of Utopia.
- Director
- Writer
- Editor
Mike Flanagan is a prolific writer, director, and editor of feature films and television, and founder of Red Room Pictures. Flanagan entered into an exclusive overall deal with Amazon Studios in 2023 for television projects (after a similar exclusive deal with Netflix lasted from 2018-2022), and has produced feature films for Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, and Netflix, among others. Flanagan is best known for his work in horror films and television series, which has attracted the praise of critics for his focus on character and lack of reliance on jump scares. Stephen King, Quentin Tarantino, and William Friedkin, among others, have praised him.
Flanagan was born in Salem, Massachusetts to Timothy and Laura Flanagan. The family relocated frequently, as Timothy was in the U.S. Coast Guard, and finally settled in Bowie, Maryland. As a child, he would shoot and edit short movies on VHS. This continued as he attended Archbishop Spalding High School in Severn, Maryland, where he was active in the theatre department and the president of the Student Government Association. A graduate of Towson University's Electronic Media and Film department, Mike moved to Los Angeles in 2003 and began working as an editor of sketch comedy shows, reality television, documentary programming and commercials before his Kickstarter-funded breakout feature Absentia (2011) launched his filmmaking career.
Flanagan's films, all of which he directed, wrote, and edited, include Oculus (2013), Hush (2016), Before I Wake (2016), Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016), Gerald's Game (2017), Doctor Sleep (2019), and The Life of Chuck (2024). He also created, directed, and served as showrunner on the series The Haunting of Hill House (2018), The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020), Midnight Mass (2021), the teen horror series The Midnight Club (2022) and The Fall of the House of Usher (2023).
Flanagan has been nominated for dozens of awards for writing, directing and editing, and was presented with the Visionary Award by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films in 2022. He is an active member of the Producers Guild of America, Directors Guild of America, Writers Guild of America West, Motion Picture Editors Guild, and Screen Actors Guild.
Flanagan lives in Los Angeles with his wife, actress Kate Siegel, whom he married in 2016. They have a son and a daughter together, as well as a son from Flanagan's previous relationship with Absentia actress Courtney Bell. He has been sober since 2018, and frequently uses his work to explore themes of addiction, recovery, and empathy.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Julianna Guill was born on July 7, 1987 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA as Julianna Minetree Guill. Her parents are Ann and Earl Guill. She is one of three children who all grew up singing and acting. She began tap, ballet and jazz dance at an early age, and continued singing in the choir while at R.J. Reynolds High School, from which she graduated in 2005. She also performed in local theater productions, and attended New York University before moving to Los Angeles. Early in her career, she made numerous guest appearances in television series such as One Tree Hill (2003), CSI: Miami (2002), 90210 (2008), How I Met Your Mother (2005), and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000). She also had a regular role in the web television series My Alibi (2008) as Scarlet Haukkson.
She had small roles in the Brian Drolet film 2 Dudes and a Dream (2009) and Fired Up! (2009). She appeared in a leading role of Katy in Road Trip: Beer Pong (2009), which was released straight-to-DVD, and in Friday the 13th (2009). The same year she appeared in MTV's My Super Psycho Sweet 16 (2009). The film was released to mixed reviews from critics and had strong ratings. She also appeared in the independent teen comedy film Costa Rican Summer (2010), and had a lead role in the thriller film Altitude (2010). She also had a recurring role on the TBS series Glory Daze (2010) as Christie Dewitt. Next year, she co-starred in the Steve Carell comedy Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011), and guest starred in the NBC comedy Community (2009) as Head Cheerleader. She also had a role in the Dark Castle production The Apparition (2012).
She also had a recurring role on Underemployed (2012) and a main role on the short lived Bad Samaritans (2013). Her more recent roles include a recurring role on Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce (2014), and lead roles in the dark comedy Killing Poe (2016) and Bad Night (2015). She also guest starred on Rush Hour (2016) and Relationship Status (2016), and had a role as Stark's Assistant in Captain America: Civil War (2016).- Actress
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Pam Grier was born in Winston-Salem, NC, one of four children of Gwendolyn Sylvia (Samuels), a nurse, and Clarence Ransom Grier Jr., an Air Force mechanic. Pam has been a major African-American star from the early 1970s. Her career started in 1971, when Roger Corman of New World Pictures launched her with The Big Doll House (1971), about a women's penitentiary, and The Big Bird Cage (1972). Her strong role put her into a five-year contract with Samuel Z. Arkoff of American-International Pictures, and she became a leading lady in action films such as Jack Hill's Coffy (1973) and Foxy Brown (1974), the comic strip character Friday Foster (1975) and William Girdler's 'Sheba, Baby' (1975). She continued working with American-International, where she portrayed William Marshall's vampire victim in the Blacula (1972) sequel, Scream Blacula Scream (1973).
During the 1980s she became a regular on Miami Vice (1984) and played a supporting role as an evil witch in Ray Bradbury's and Walt Disney Pictures' Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983), then returned to action as Steven Seagal's partner in Above the Law (1988). Her most famous role of the 1990s was probably Jackie Brown (1997), directed by Quentin Tarantino, which was an homage to her earlier 1970s action roles, She occasionally did supporting roles, as in Tim Burton's Mars Attacks! (1996), In Too Deep (1999) and a funny performance in Jawbreaker (1999). She also appeared in John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars (2001) and co-starred with Snoop Dogg in Bones (2001). Her entire career of over 30 years has brought only success for this beautiful and talented actress.
A sister of Grier's died from cancer in 1990 and the son of that sister committed suicide because of his mother's illness. Pam herself was diagnosed with cancer in 1988 and given 18 months to live, which has had an effect on how she has chosen to live. She has never been wed, although she has been romantically linked to Richard Pryor and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the past.- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Born in Salem, Oregon, Justin Kirk spent his childhood in Union, Washington, where he attended grade school on a Native American reservation. Kirk knew from the age of 3 that he wanted to perform, and he made his acting debut at seven in a local college play. At 12, he moved with his mother to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and attended the Children's Theater School throughout high school.
After graduation, he moved to New York and enrolled at Circle in the Square, where he completed a two-year conservatory acting program. He soon landed his first role on Broadway, in "Any Given Day" at the Longacre Theater, and quit his job as a bellboy at the Royalton Hotel. He has been working steadily ever since and is perhaps best known for his portrayal of the blind character Bobby on Broadway and in the feature film adaptation of Love! Valour! Compassion! (1997). Kirk was honored with an Obie Award for Distinguished Performance in the Ensemble.
Additional stage work includes "Old Wicked Songs" at New York's Promenade Theater and Los Angeles' Geffen Playhouse, in which he starred as a piano prodigy, winning a Back Stage West Garland Award for Outstanding Performance. He also appeared in June Moon with the Drama Department, a theater company of which he is a founding member.
A self-described radio nerd, Kirk divides his time between New York City and Los Angeles.- Actor
- Writer
- Art Department
Cullen Moss was born on 8 July 1975 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Outer Banks (2020), The Underground Railroad (2021) and Your Honor (2020). He has been married to Madison Moss since 3 June 2012. They have two children. He was previously married to Bonnie Dixon.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Geno Segers is an actor and voice-artist possessing an active background in many fields of entertainment and athletics. He is best known for the role "Chayton Littlestone" in Cinemax's "Banshee (2013)". His first taste of the entertainment field began with a suggestion by a friend to try voice-work. Possessing a naturally-rich bass quality, Geno first auditioned for voice-ads for a radio station in New Zealand. His voice gained him attention enough to attract an agent's ear. This led to Segers being cast in the role of Mufasa in Disney's Australian stage production of "The Lion King".
While attending school at Western Carolina University (WCU), the 6'4" Geno played football which later led to him playing for the American National Rugby League. During this time playing in rugby, Geno later moved to New Zealand where he played for Richmond Rovers Rugby League team.
Geno Seger's also has a foundation called "Hold It On The Road", where through motivational speaking he encourages the youth to make good life decisions today, to impact their future tomorrow.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Born in Salem, Massachusetts. Played on the Stanford golf team during his freshman year. A journeyman actor in the '90s and stopped acting as a career in 2000. Partner in an Investment Advisory Group at a brokerage house in Los Angeles. Auditioning for The Office (2005) was a fluke. Hats off to Allison Jones, the show's casting director, for coming up with the idea. Buckley's grateful and having fun with it.
Along with Melissa McCarthy, Ben Falcone, and Dax Shepard, he was part of a short-lived sketch comedy group 'House of Floyd,' which grew out of their work at The Groundlings. Was Reba McEntire's fella in two of her music videos: 'Rather Ride Around With You' and 'What If It's You.' Played in the U.S. Amateur many years ago. Married to Nancy Banks, an acting teacher/coach. They have two sons.- Actress
- Director
- Producer
Jackée Harry was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and reared from the age of nine in Harlem, New York, by her mother, Flossie. At the tender age of fourteen, Jackée landed the lead role of the King in her school's production of The King and I. Upon graduation from New York City's High School of Music and Art with a distinction in Opera, Jackée attended the University of Long Island, where she earned her B.A. degree in education.
Jackée began her career as a history teacher at Brooklyn Technical High School but left after two years to pursue a career in acting. She studied acting at the Henry Street Settlement on the Lower East Side and made her professional acting debut in 1973 in Richard Wesley's Goin' Through Changes; not long afterward, she made her Broadway debut in A Broadway Musical as Melinda Bernard.
In 1983, Jackée made her television debut opposite Morgan Freeman in the daytime soap opera Another World. A year later, she landed her iconic role of Sandra Clark on the NBC sitcom 227. As the breakout star of the series, Jackée became the first African American to win an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and was also nominated for a Golden Globe. Her performance on 227 inspired NBC producers to create a television pilot for her entitled Jackée. After departing 227 in 1989, she starred opposite Oprah Winfrey in the critically acclaimed adaptation of Gloria Naylor's novel The Women of Brewster Place.
In 1991, Jackée joined an all-star cast led by Della Reese when she played the role of Ruth 'CoCo' Royal in The Royal Family. From 1994-1999, she starred as the adoptive mother of Tia and Tamara Mowr and y's characters on the ABC/WB sitcom Sister, Sister, winning the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for two consecutive years in 1999 and 2000. Jackée also made guest appearances on Amen, Designing Women, Dave's World, Hollywood Squares, 7th Heaven, and That's So Raven, before joining the cast of Everybody Hates Chris in 2006.
Hollywood success did not lead Jackée to turn her back on theater; in 1994 she returned to the stage as Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill, and in 2003 she played the role of the Madam in The Boys From Syracuse on Broadway. More recently, Jackée performed before sold-out audiences across the nation in the J.D. Lawrence stage play The Cleanup Woman.
More recently Jackée has starred in The First Family on Centric and has had a recurring role on BET's Let's Stay Together.- Actress
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Kate Nauta was born on April 29, 1982 in Salem, Oregon, USA as Kate Lynne Nauta. She is an actress, model and singer, best known for her role as Lola in Transporter 2 (2005). She also sang two of her songs for its soundtrack.
She started modeling at age 15. At 17, she won the U.S. Elite Model Look contest and went on to the finals in Nice, France. The finals were won by Vika Sementsova from Ukraine.
Kate also sings and write lyrics. She has worked with Lenny Kravitz and Naughty By Nature.- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Mustafa Shakir was born on 21 August 1976 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017), Ghosted (2023) and Emancipation (2022).- Producer
- Writer
- Actress
Emily V Gordon started out as a masters-level couples and family therapist, practicing for about six years before changing careers. She moved on to booking stand up comedy for live audiences and TV, which led to a career as a writer and producer. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Kumail Nanjiani.- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Mark Slade was born in Salem, Massachusetts. In 1956, he enrolled at the Worcester Academy, intending to make a career of his great interest and hobby, cartooning. However, after filling in at the last minute for a sick classmate in a play entitled "The Male Animal", he founds himself smitten with the stage-bug and decided to become an actor, instead.
Success didn't come to Mark overnight, but a combination of talent and hard work (not to mention youthful good-looks) resulted in appearances in numerous films and TV productions, including the role of the perpetually sea-sick "Radioman Patrick Hollis" in the series, The Wackiest Ship in the Army (1965). After that came the part that Mark is probably best known for to this day - the role of the handsome, young, blue-eyed cowboy in the Western series The High Chaparral (1967), where his outstanding portrayal of "Billy Blue Cannon" contributed greatly to the popularity and success of that series. He himself became extremely popular the world over, appearing on the covers (and in the pages) of numerous magazines, and receiving huge quantities of fan mail from around the world. He was the recipient of various acting awards (Otto, Bambi, Fabulous 201, Belgian Viewers and Western Heritage Award) and was even made an honorary life member of the Navajo Indian tribe, for his great and sympathetic interest in the lives of Native Americans. After The High Chaparral (1967), he continues to appear in many series and film roles, but he also developed his writing and directing skills - the script of Cliffy (1975) episode, which he wrote and in which he portrayed the title role, received general critical acclaim, three national awards, and a commendation from the White House.
Mark has returned to his "first love", and today works out of his own art studio, where, surrounded by an artistic family, he creates beautiful works that reveal a great sense of humor, rare sensitivity and a deep knowledge of the human nature.- Producer
- Writer
- Actor
Jerrod Carmichael was born on 6 April 1987 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for On the Count of Three (2021), 8 (2017) and The Carmichael Show (2015).- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Ian Nelson was born on 10 April 1995 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for The Boy Next Door (2015), The Hunger Games (2012) and The Judge (2014).- Leonard Stone was born on 3 November 1923 in Salem, Oregon, USA. He was an actor, known for Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971), Soylent Green (1973) and I Spy (1965). He was married to Carole H. Kleinman. He died on 2 November 2011 in Encinitas, California, USA.
- Actor
- Director
- Producer
After studying Psychology in graduate school Burgess continued his training at the famed Playhouse West in Los Angeles where he would spend 4 years under the instruction of Robert Carnegie and Oscar nominated actor Jeff Goldblum.
Known for a wide range of memorable characters, some of his credits include: the antagonist Ray Budds in the blockbuster film "Remember the Titans" opposite Academy Award winner Denzel Washington; His tenure as a series regular on the flagship drama "Army Wives" (Lifetime) portraying the conflicted Ranger & family man, Eddie Hall. In the Warner Brothers thriller, "The Reaping" Burgess stars as David Winter the husband of Katherine played by Oscar winner Hilary Swank.
Additionally Burgess has recurred as Randy Roberts on the smash hit "Nashville" (ABC), Bobby Irons on the CW favorite "One Tree Hill" & Jeff Rumson on the comedy series "Marry Me" with Lucy Liu. Notably, he was nominated for Best Actor at the Boston Film Festival for his turn as Bruce Snow in the award winning thriller "Insignificant Others". Recently, Burgess has been a series regular on the long running hit CBS show "The Young and the Restless".- Instantly recognizable American character actor with bulbous nose and heavily lined face, who could convey integrity or menace to equal effect. He first came to prominence on radio as (Captain) Starr of Space (1953), using ray guns to combat Martians and alien queens. Beginning in 1953, Larch accumulated an impressive resume of TV series credits, spanning almost the entire spectrum of the best western, crime and science-fiction shows the 1950's and 60's had to offer. His authoritarian personality and demeanor generally typecast him as police officers, military men, attorneys and politicians. Quite a few of these turned out to be either corrupt or outright villains. Point in case, his performance as a tough hood in The Phenix City Story (1955), described by Bosley Crowther as "stinging" in "hard malevolence" (New York Times, September 3, 1955).
At his best, Larch was the nervous Mr. Fremont, father to the eminently dangerous Anthony (Bill Mumy) in the classic entry into The Twilight Zone (1959), 'It's a Good Life'. In The Invaders (1967) episode 'Genesis', he was again excellent as police officer Greg Lucather, at first skeptical, but subsequently swayed by irrefutable evidence to help in David Vincent's quest. On the big screen, he is perhaps best remembered as Harry Callahan's Chief of Police in the original Dirty Harry (1971). - Actress
- Soundtrack
Kathryn Grayson was born Zelma Kathryn Elisabeth Hedrick in Winston-Salem, NC, on February 9, 1922. This pretty, petite brunette with a heart-shaped face was discovered by MGM talent scouts while singing on the radio. The studio quickly signed her to a contract, and she was given acting lessons along and had to pose for countless publicity photos. Kathryn, a coloratura soprano, made her first film in 1941, a "B" picture called Andy Hardy's Private Secretary (1941). She soon was cast opposite some of MGM's top musical stars of the 1940s, such as Gene Kelly and Mario Lanza. She was paired with Lanza a few times, but the two never got along due mostly to Lanza's hot temper and alcohol abuse. The pairing of Lanza and Grayson would never match the success of lyrical soprano Jeanette MacDonald and baritone Nelson Eddy, although Kathryn and MacDonald did become great friends. Jeanette became a mentor and an older sister figure for Kathryn.
Grayson's most memorable roles came in the early 1950s. They were Show Boat (1951), where she played "Magnolia", opposite Ava Gardner and Howard Keel; Kiss Me Kate (1953), playing actress "Lilli Vanessi", who portrayed "Katherine" in the movie's "show within a show", a musical version of "The Taming of the Shrew". In 1953 she exited MGM, then made only one more film, The Vagabond King (1956), at Paramount. She later worked in nightclubs and on stage.- Actor
- Writer
- Music Department
Jonas Karlsson was born on 11 March 1971 in Salem, Stockholms län, Sweden. He is an actor and writer, known for The Snowman (2017), Harmonica (2022) and Cockpit (2012).- Michael MacRae was born on 16 March 1949 in Salem, Massachusetts, USA. He is an actor, known for Battlefield Earth (2000), Summer School (1987) and Masterminds (1997). He has been married to Bonnie Bedelia since 1995.
- Producer
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Rolonda's name, face, and distinctive voice have been known by audiences everywhere, thanks to her many Emmy award-winning works in television, radio, film, theatre, digital media, stand-up comedy, motivational speaking and as best-selling author of Destiny Lingers, her award-winning romance suspense novel, endorsed by Dr. Maya Angelou.
Most know her by one name, Rolonda, under which she launched her own internationally syndicated talk show (1994-1998), produced by King World and Watts Works Productions. After her talk show, Ro headed to Hollywood, California to pursue a career in acting. Her first break was in 1997 when she was cast as Vivica Shaw, a recurring role on the hit show Sister, Sister.
Watts landed numerous other roles in dozens of television shows, including Criminal Minds, Bull, Sister, Sister, and soap operas Days of Our Lives and The Bold and the Beautiful.
Ro's deep, rich, and raspy voice is one of the most recognized in the voiceover business, as she's heard in numerous projects, including voicing Professor Wiseman on Curious George (PBS), and characters in The Penguins of Madagascar, Lego City Adventure, Kung Fu Panda, The Proud Family, Tyler Perry's Medea's Tough Love and much more.
Rolonda returns to daytime TV as the Announcer and Promo Voice for Sherri Shepherd's daytime talk show, "Sherri." Sherri often refers to Rolonda as a "daytime talk show legend" and asked her to serve as a comedian judge for Sherri's Funny Over 50 Comedy Contest, putting Rolonda's sharp wit and comedic chops on full display.
2024 has been an exceptional year for Rolonda whose career has never been busier; She is a series regular in the Bounce TV comedy series, Mind Your Business, in which she plays Lucille, the family matriarch, who keeps it sassy and real with a heart full of love.
Rolonda will also play a recurring role in the upcoming second season of the Netflix sitcom, Survival of the Thickest. This year also marks a milestone in Rolonda's career when The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences inducted Ro into the Silver Honor Society for her lifetime achievements in television at the 2024 Emmys.
"To be honored by the academy for all of my works in television over 40 years is an absolute dream come true," said Rolonda. "Whether hosting a daytime talk show, acting in a soap opera, or being the announcer or voice for a production, TV is my life and passion and it's a dream come true to be honored for all that hard work!"
Years before her talk show and extensive acting career, Rolonda was an investigative news reporter, anchorwoman and producer for Inside Edition, WABC-TV Eyewitness News, WNBC, Lifetime Television, New Jersey Nightly News, and WFMY- TV.
Rolonda is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Spelman College and Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, and holds an Honorary Doctorate from Winston-Salem State University.
Rolonda also teaches and coaches through her Voice Acting Master Class.- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Austin Highsmith Garces was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Dolphin Tale (2011), Scream: The TV Series (2015) and Criminal Minds (2005). She has been married to J. Teddy Garces since 29 May 2016.- Joel Beeson was born on 13 September 1966 in Winston Salem, North Carolina, USA. He was an actor, known for Death Becomes Her (1992), Ballistic (1995) and The Favor (1994). He died on 18 October 2017 in Twin County Regional Hospital, Galax Virginia, USA.