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1-50 of 144
- Actress
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Shelley Lee Long was born at 7:15 am on Tuesday, August 23, 1949 in Indian Village, Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA, the only child of Ivadine (Williams), a schoolteacher, and Leland Long, a teacher who had previously worked in the rubber industry. Shelley attended school at Kekionga Junior High for grades 6-9 and at South Side High School for grades 10-12. She enrolled at Northwestern University in 1967 as an undergraduate studying drama. Her first job was at the university as a meal plan checker. She left Northwestern to pursue a dual career in acting and modeling. She also had a brief marriage to her first husband that ended in divorce. In Chicago, she became a member of the celebrated Second City troupe, in addition to writing, producing and co-hosting a popular Chicago magazine program called "Sorting It Out" in 1975. The show ran for three years on a local NBC station and won three Emmy Awards for Best Entertainment Show.
She met her second husband, Bruce Tyson (a securities broker), on a blind date in 1979. They were married in October, 1981. In 1982, she played the character Diane Chambers in the new NBC comedy series, Cheers (1982). She played the part for five years, winning an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1983, winning Golden Globe Awards for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 1983, for Best Actress in a Comedy Series in 1985 and a Quality TV Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 1986. She gave birth to a daughter, Juliana, on March 27, 1985. On her summer hiatus from "Cheers", Long made feature films, receiving a Golden Globe nomination as Best Actress for Irreconcilable Differences (1984). In 1987, she starred in the hit comedy Outrageous Fortune (1987) with Bette Midler. Soon after, she left "Cheers" after five years to embark on a film career. However, her films Hello Again (1987) and Troop Beverly Hills (1989) were not hits, and she returned to television appearing in the final episode of Cheers in 1993. That same year, she appeared in her own television series "Good Advice" (1993) which was canceled. She returned to feature films playing Carol Brady in the The Brady Bunch Movie (1995). The film became a hit and spawned a sequel, A Very Brady Sequel (1996), which wasn't a hit. She returned to television playing the title role in "Kelly Kelly" (1998), which was canceled after a few episodes. She also played Diane Chambers a few times on "Frasier", the spinoff of Cheers. Her personal life took a huge blow when her husband divorced her in 2004 after more than 20 years of marriage. She recovered and continued on with her career, appearing in guest-starring roles on television, including a recurring role on Modern Family (2009). She supported her daughter Juliana Long Tyson's decision to follow in her footsteps as an actress. She also encouraged Juliana to get married, which she did in 2015, to management consultant Ryan Kissick. Shelley herself never remarried after her two divorces but continues to work in television.- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Jenna Fischer is best known for playing Pam Beesly on the acclaimed television show The Office, for which she received an Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actress and two SAG Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Comedy.
She was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, but was raised mostly in St. Louis, Missouri. Jenna watched her mom, Anne, perform in church plays when she was young, which instilled a love of theater and performance.
A trained theater actress, Fischer returned to her roots after wrapping The Office. She starred in the Off-Broadway play Reasons to Be Happy, written and directed by Neil LaBute and co-starring Josh Hamilton, Leslie Bibb, and Fred Weller. She went on to star in the world premiere of Steve Martin's newest play Meteor Shower, an absurdist comedy opposite Greg Germann and Josh Stamberg, for a record-breaking run at the Old Globe Theatre.
In October 2019, Fischer and The Office cast-mate and real-life best friend Angela Kinsey launched a podcast called Office Ladies on the Earwolf platform, which has become wildly popular, landing in the Top Ten globally every week and receiving over 200 million downloads in its first two years. In January 2021, Office Ladies won iHeart Radio's Podcast of the Year award.
She is the author of two books: The Actor's Life: A Survival Guide, in which she details her journey from St. Louis to Hollywood to become a working actress, and the forthcoming Office BFF's: Tales of The Office from Two Best Friends Who Were There (co-authored with Angela Kinsey), which is a memoir of their best friendship and time working on The Office.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Carole Lombard was born Jane Alice Peters in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on October 6, 1908. Her parents divorced in 1916 and her mother took the family on a trip out West. While there they decided to settle down in the Los Angeles area. After being spotted playing baseball in the street with the neighborhood boys by a film director, Carole was signed to a one-picture contract in 1921 when she was 12. The film in question was A Perfect Crime (1921). Although she tried for other acting jobs, she would not be seen onscreen again for four years. She returned to a normal life, going to school and participating in athletics, excelling in track and field. By age 15 she had had enough of school, though, and quit. She joined a theater troupe and played in several stage shows, which were for the most part nothing to write home about. In 1925 she passed a screen test and was signed to a contract with Fox Films. Her first role as a Fox player was Hearts and Spurs (1925), in which she had the lead. Right after that film she appeared in a western called Durand of the Bad Lands (1925). She rounded out 1925 in the comedy Marriage in Transit (1925) (she also appeared in a number of two-reel shorts). In 1926 Carole was seriously injured in an automobile accident that resulted in the left side of her face being scarred. Once she had recovered, Fox canceled her contract. She did find work in a number of shorts during 1928 (13 of them, many for slapstick comedy director Mack Sennett), but did go back for a one-time shot with Fox called Me, Gangster (1928). By now the film industry was moving from the silent era to "talkies". While some stars' careers ended because of heavy accents, poor diction or a voice unsuitable to sound, Carole's light, breezy, sexy voice enabled her to transition smoothly during this period. Her first sound film was High Voltage (1929) at Pathe (her new studio) in 1929. In 1931 she was teamed with William Powell in Man of the World (1931). She and Powell hit it off and soon married, but the marriage didn't work out and they divorced in 1933. No Man of Her Own (1932) put Carole opposite Clark Gable for the first and only time (they married seven years later in 1939). By now she was with Paramount Pictures and was one of its top stars. However, it was Twentieth Century (1934) that showed her true comedic talents and proved to the world what a fine actress she really was. In 1936 Carole received her only Oscar nomination for Best Actress for My Man Godfrey (1936). She was superb as ditzy heiress Irene Bullock. Unfortunately, the coveted award went to Luise Rainer in The Great Ziegfeld (1936), which also won for Best Picture. Carole was now putting out about one film a year of her own choosing, because she wanted whatever role she picked to be a good one. She was adept at picking just the right part, which wasn't surprising as she was smart enough to see through the good-ol'-boy syndrome of the studio moguls. She commanded and received what was one of the top salaries in the business - at one time it was reported she was making $35,000 a week. She made but one film in 1941, Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941). Her last film was in 1942, when she played Maria Tura opposite Jack Benny in To Be or Not to Be (1942). Tragically, she didn't live to see its release. The film was completed in 1941 just at the time the US entered World War II, and was subsequently held back for release until 1942. Meanwhile, Carole went home to Indiana for a war bond rally. On January 16, 1942, Carole, her mother, and 20 other people were flying back to California when the plane went down outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. All aboard perished. The highly acclaimed actress was dead at the age of 33 and few have been able to match her talents since.- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Dan Butler was born on 2 December 1954 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Frasier (1993), The Silence of the Lambs (1991) and Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011). He has been married to Richard Waterhouse since 12 September 2010.- Actor
- Soundtrack
The gangly York is best remembered as the first and most frustrated "Darrin Stephens" on the long-running TV series Bewitched (1964). He left the series in 1969 because of a chronic back ailment. He later founded Acting for Life, a private fund-raising effort for the homeless which he managed from his home, where he was bedridden with a degenerative spine injury.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Robert Rusler - actor, athlete, writer, and natural performer - was born on September 20, 1965, in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He soon moved to Hawaii, where he lived on Waikiki Beach and started surfing and skateboarding on a semi-professional level. At a young age his family moved to Los Angeles, where he began his martial arts career and entered many competitions. Then the bug struck to become an actor and Robert, right out of high school, met his manager and began taking acting classes at the Loft Studio with Peggy Feury and William Traylor. Soon thereafter he landed his first starring role, opposite Anthony Michael Hall and Robert Downey Jr. in John Hughes Weird Science (1985). He then starred opposite Marshall Bell and Robert Englund in A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985) . Later projects included Thrashin' (1986) opposite Josh Brolin (and all of his top professional skateboarding idols) and _Vamp (1986/I)_ opposite Grace Jones and Chris Makepeace, for which he received the award for Best Actor in a Science Fiction or Horror Film. Robert then starred opposite Bridget Fonda and Phoebe Cates in the cult classic feature film Shag (1988), which landed him numerous Teen Magazine interviews and features. Soon thereafter, he landed his first television series, Fox's The Outsiders (1990), which was Executive Producer Francis Ford Coppola's first television venture. His next project was starring opposite Tim Matheson and Brooke Adams in Stephen King's Emmy award-winning movie of the week, Sometimes They Come Back (1991). He then took another turn at the world of episodics as a series regular in Babylon 5 (1993), where he gained a huge international following and fan club. Robert's most recent industry accomplishments were in Warner Bros.' _Underworld, The (1997/II) (TV)_ by Academy Award-winning writer Christopher McQuarrie, followed by the controversial drama Wasted in Babylon (1999), where Robert again received critical acclaim for his innovative performance. When he is not gracing the screen, Robert enjoys surfing, snowboarding, motocross, golfing, traveling, and his new found love; creating and writing projects which he would like to produce and direct in the future.- Big, brawny, blond-haired Eric Bruskotter owns an equally sizable and extensive acting career that transcends well over 20 years. Bruskotter, who was born on March 22, 1966 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, originally appeared most commonly in television. His first acting gig came in the form of an episode of Amazing Stories (1985). He did a few other television appearances before landing a more consistent role on the series Tour of Duty (1987), playing a member of a platoon set in the backdrop of the Vietnam War. This series lasted from 1987 up until 1989; however, Bruskotter managed to stay busy with each year as time spiraled into the 1990s. His film roles at that point in time included Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993), playing an arrogant gym bully, opposite Jason Scott Lee as the lead role of martial artist Bruce Lee. 1997 would see the return of Bruskotter in a familiar soldier-type role, when he appeared in the science fiction cult movie Starship Troopers (1997). In this he played an unlucky trooper who lost his life during a training course accident. Other acting roles in his impressive resume include episodes on Walker, Texas Ranger (1993), JAG (1995), Angel (1999), 24 (2001) and Law & Order: LA (2010).
- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Stunts
Born in Indiana, raised in Hawaii, Storm is a world class martial artist who has trained in various styles for over 19 years. Storm holds belts in Arashi-Ryu Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Ninjitsu, Jujitsu and Northern Shaolin Kung Fu.
If you ask three time "Martial Art Masters Hall of Fame" inductee Storm how his action career started, you might not expect to hear that his Mother forced 8 year old Storm to take Karate because he was "hyperactive and clumsy". However, hardly anything about Storm is as it appears. Storm was born "Juan Ricardo Ojeda" to an African-American Father and Puerto Rican Mother and was then adopted by a Native American-Caucasian mother and Mexican-American father. Storm was brought up in the Asian/Polynesian culture of Honolulu, Hawaii. Storm truly is an "All American" - melting pot meets cultural mosaic - one that always had to check the box marked "other." In high school Storm was shy and started break-dancing as a way of trying to "fit in". This quickly became his passion and eventually led to Storm winning over 200 dance competitions in the genres of hip hop and break-dance. Storm received a dance scholarship, which paved the way for him moving to LA and dancing in music videos.
Although dancing was his passion, it only provided him with enough money for rent and a diet of ramen noodles and pop tarts with little left for anything else. Being devoted to the martial arts, Storm found himself stopping by and observing an outdoor Northern Shaolin class on his way home from work. Eventually Storm was approached by the teacher and asked to join, thus allowing him to broaden his knowledge of the martial arts. Wanting to further pursue his creative energies Storm began acting. He then graduated from the Joanne Baron/D.W. Brown Acting Academy. While playing the role of Bayu on the television series, Conan The Adventurer, Storm developed the unique style that he is known for. This brand of action is a combination of martial arts, acrobatic skill, comedic timing, and an almost balletic grace. Storm has since gone on to work with Jet Li, Samo Hung, Sir Ben Kingsley, Michael Madsen, Kelly Hu, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Michelle Rodriquez, Neal McDonough and Kristanna Loken.- Actor
- Soundtrack
A well known character actor, Vigran was originally a law school graduate. He later chose to pursue acting, and performed in hundreds of radio shows with the likes of Jack Benny, Bob Hope and Jimmy Durante. He appeared frequently as various villains on the TV Series Adventures of Superman (1952), and made several guest appearances on television series like The Brady Bunch (1969) and I Love Lucy (1951).- Indiana-born, Lyn Thomas acted on stage before she came to Hollywood in the late 40s, working under contract to Eagle Lion, Hal Wallis Productions and 20th Century-Fox and yet never catching the proverbial brass ring. Throughout the 1950s, she appeared in many B movies and TV series (including The Abbott and Costello Show, Adventure s of Superman, The Millionaire, Dragnet and General Electric Theatre); she also frequently appeared on TV commercials and billboards. In 1960, Thomas made her final screen appearance and then (in her words) "got married, married, married." Now (1999) living at a California golf club with her husband of 21 years ("That's a record"), the happily retired Thomas has become a popular guest at Western cons.
- Make-Up Department
Stephanie Cozart Burton was born on 10 November 1953 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA. She is known for White Men Can't Jump (1992), In Living Color (1990) and The Talk (2010). She has been married to LeVar Burton since 3 October 1992. They have one child.- Drake Hogestyn was born on 29 September 1953 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA. He is an actor, known for Days of Our Lives (1965), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1982) and Otherworld (1985). He has been married to Victoria Post since 31 December 1986. They have four children.
- Jan Schweiterman was born on 30 September 1972 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA. He is an actor, known for Good Burger (1997), NightMan (1997) and Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction (1997).
- Actor
- Stunts
- Director
Cass began his career in the motion picture industry as an extra - but soon he was alternating between acting parts and stunt work. The stunt work eventually prevailed and Cass went on to become one of Hollywood's top stunt co-ordinators and Second Unit Directors. This led to his producing several films which, in turn, led to first-unit directing.
Dave has co-produced Miramax Films' Texas Rangers (2001); a trio of Burt Reynolds' TV movies titled Hard Time (1998), for the TNT network - writing one episode, and directing another, Hard Time: The Premonition (1999). He has also co-written several other films including Enter the Devil (1972) and Hard Ground (2003). Dave was the director of The Hallmark Channel's mini-series, Johnson County War (2002), another take on the infamous Wyoming cattle wars, this one an adaptation by Larry McMurtry. Cass has directed two Gentle Ben TV movies, plus Night of the Wolf (2002), starring Anne Archer and Robert Urich, for Animal Planet.
And from Hallmark, again, David directed a city girl/country boy love story, Straight from the Heart (2003), which garnered the highest ratings ever for a Hallmark Channel TV Movie.- Patrick McVey was born on 17 March 1910 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA. He was an actor, known for North by Northwest (1959), Bang the Drum Slowly (1973) and Party Girl (1958). He was married to Courteen Landis. He died on 6 July 1973 in New York City, New York, USA.
- Producer
- Editor
- Director
Filmmaker, Youtube Creator and Producer of many feature films and documentaries, J. Horton is known for boldly crossing genre boundaries and 'getting it done." In addition to his prolific work in the film industry, he's gained a lot of traction in recent years as a Youtube personality. His Channel The J. Horton is a go to spot for filmmakers wanting to learn more about the business side of filmmaking.- Producer
- Actress
- Director
Jill Bennett is an award-winning Los Angeles producer/writer/actor dedicated to creating opportunities for underrepresented filmmakers.
She began her career in Los Angeles at The Sacred Fools Theatre playing Apemantus, in their award-winning production of Timon of Athens alongside Jon Hamm.
Her viral hit We're Getting Nowhere, regarded by the press as "the video blog that started it all" for LGBTQ new media, led to a development deal with Viacom and a string of roles in television and film. In addition to serving on the Screen Actor's Guild LGBTQ National Board, she has spoken on LGBTQ media issues in over two dozen cities worldwide, including on the main stages at San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Munich Gay Pride.
Her producing experience ranges from charity events to live specials, theatre, radio, new media, and film. She has produced three award-winning micro-budget projects that played in the international film festival circuit and went on to acquire worldwide distribution.
Jill's comedy series Second Shot won picture of the year at London's LFest. She won two Audience Choice Awards at Logo's NewNowNext Awards and Curve Magazine has nominated her in four separate categories over the years, with three wins going to her two-season ensemble comedy We Have to Stop Now. Her most recent feature, Under the Influencer, is due to hit the film festival circuit in 2024.- Julia Barr is an American actress, most famously for her role playing Brooke English on the soap opera, All My Children. She played the role for over 30 years, first debuting as Brooke in 1976 and exiting the show in 2006. Barr made special appearances as Brooke, reprising her role in both 2010 and 2011. Barr grew up in Fort Wayne, and made her acting debut at the age of 13 in a production of Peter Pan. She graduated as a theater major from the University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, and went on to spent two years at the Studio Arena Theater in Buffalo, New York. She earned her equity card performing at the Studio Arena Theater and starred in a small role in "A Girl in My Soup" which also starred Van Johnson. Not long after marrying her first husband, Barr moved to New York City and continued working in the theater until she was cast as mafia daughter Serena Szabo on Ryan's Hope. The role was supposed to be a two year contract, but the character was written off after only six months. Barr was then cast as the spoiled rich niece of Phoebe Tyler on All My Children, replacing Elissa Leeds as Brooke English. Her character quickly became a fan favorite and garnered eight Emmy nominations for her performance, winning in 1990 and again in 1998. Barr married husband Richard Hirschlag in 1982, and had a daughter, Alison in 1984. In her spare time Barr works with a variety of animal rights organizations and is a spokesperson for The Fund For Animals. Most recently, she has signed a contract to reprise her famous role as Brooke English in Prospect Park's online version of All My Children.
- Jan Russell Stine was born on April 29, 1938 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA. Jan was the son of Jan J. N. Stine and Bernardine Anne Bowers. His father was employed as a spray painter, later becoming a plant foreman, and his mother was employed as a glove inspector. Jan became interested in acting during his high school years at Fort Wayne Central High School, appearing in a number of high school plays and becoming the leader of the local affiliate of The National Thespian Society. He relocated to California and trained at the Pasadena Playhouse as an actor. He was in over thirty movies and television programs and was known for The Donna Reed Show (1958), Wise Use of Credit (1960), Claudelle Inglish (1961) and Munroe (1963). His final acting appearances were as Timmy and Runt in two episodes of the television series Hank (1966). Following his acting career he completed a Master of Arts degree, became a school teacher followed by a change in career to become a nursing home and rehabilitation center administrator. He died on November 13, 2010 from complications caused by throat cancer in La Verne, California, USA.
- Actress
- Additional Crew
Debbie Campbell was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA. She is an actress, known for Mare of Easttown (2021), Law & Order: Organized Crime (2021) and Night Comes On (2018).- Producer
- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Cam Clark was born on May 21, 1992 in Fort Wayne Indiana. His father Tim Clark was a documentarian and his mother was an actress. Cam spent most of his childhood studying theatrical acting and soon applied it to his film ambitions, thus meeting with Open Sign Productions. Cam Clark continues his work in Fort Wayne and with Open Sign Productions as a director.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Randy Thompson was born on 25 September 1954 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA. He is an actor and director, known for The Montana Run (1992), Singles (1992) and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997).- Sharon Rose Gabet is an actor, a registered nurse and certified yoga teacher trained at Shambhava School of Yoga, Boulder, CO. Born and raised in Indiana, she received a degree in nursing from Purdue, completed the MFA Acting Program at Cornell University, moved to New York City, was accepted into the famed Actor's Studio and worked with Lee Strasberg, Elia Kazan, Lee Grant and Arthur Penn. She enjoyed a dozen years as an Eighties soap star, garnering two Best Actress Daytime Emmy nominations for her portrayal of Raven Whitney on 'The Edge of Night' (1977-1984).
After her third child was born with autism, Sharon Rose began a twenty-year study and exploration of alternative medicine, holistic healing, spirituality, metaphysics, psychology, philosophy, astrology and astronomy. Her professional resume includes experience as a nurse, energy therapist, workshop facilitator, astrologer, actor and author ('Spiritual Magic', 'From the Raven to the Dove'). She loves traveling around the world's ancient archaeological sites and lives with her daughter among the California Redwoods. - Actor
- Writer
Maurice Hill was born on 1 March 1918 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Space Patrol (1950), Airplane! (1980) and Airplane II: The Sequel (1982). He died on 17 July 2007 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actress
- Producer
Andrea Russett was born on 27 June 1995 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (2016), Expelled (2014) and Sickhouse (2016).