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Lea Katherine Thompson was born May 31, 1961 in Rochester, Minnesota. She is the youngest of five children. Her parents are Barbara and Cliff Thompson. Since all her siblings were much older than her, Lea says it seemed like she had more than two parents. The family lived in the Starlight motel, all the kids sharing a room. Things began to look up for the family when Lea's father got a job in Minneapolis, where the family moved.

Lea's parents divorced when she was six, and her mother decided to maintain the family. This wasn't the easiest job, considering her mother was alcohol-addicted at the time. When she found the strength to quit drinking, she took a job playing the piano and singing in a bar to support Lea and her siblings. When Lea was seven, her mother remarried. Ever since Lea was little, she loved to dance -- ballet to be exact. She would practice three to four hours every day. Her first role was as a mouse in "The Nutcracker". After Lea turned fourteen, she had performed in more than 45 ballets on stages, such as The Minnesota Dance Theatre, The Pennsylvania Ballet Company, and The Ballet Repertory. She won scholarships to The American Ballet Theatre and The San Francisco Ballet. At age nineteen, she auditioned for Mikhail Baryshnikov, who later told her that she was "a beautiful dancer... but too stocky." Lea knew her dreams had been crushed. At that point, she decided to turn to acting. She began working as a waitress, also making 22 Burger King commercials and a few Twix commercials. She was perfect for these parts simply because she was the average girl-down-the-street, from the Midwest. Everyone who knows her can't believe she was and still is so completely different...trying to be independent and fight against the system. In 1982, Lea made some type of a computer game or interactive movie known as "Murder, Anyone."

Her first role was in the movie, Jaws 3-D (1983), as a water ski bunny, although she couldn't swim or ski, which she still can't! There, she met Dennis Quaid, who became her fiancée and acting coach. Her next role was in All the Right Moves (1983), where she acted opposite Tom Cruise. Director Michael Chapman was so disappointed with her performance, that he almost fired her. Between 1983 and 1984, Lea appeared in other "teen" movies, such as Red Dawn (1984), The Wild Life (1984), and Going Undercover (aka Going Undercover (1985)), and believes it was lucky that, in these movies, they were able to use anyone who could walk and talk! Lea's biggest known accomplishment, and her big break, came from the first Back to the Future (1985). It was the biggest hit of 1985, and Lea was suddenly the most wanted actress. She could have her pick of any role she wanted to take on. She chose Howard the Duck (1986). Although it was a George Lucas production, the critics turned the movie, and Lea, down. Afterwards, director Howard Deutch offered Lea a part in his movie, Some Kind of Wonderful (1987), but she refused. After he urged her to do it, she reconsidered. She won the Young Artist Award for best young actress. During filming, Howard and Lea fell in love, and she called it off with Dennis. She then went on to film The Wizard of Loneliness (1988), which was her first movie as a woman, rather than a youngster. Lea went on to film Back to the Future Part II (1989) and an episode of Tales from the Crypt (1989). She then married Howard Deutch. She continued filming Back to the Future Part III (1990), Montana (1990), and Article 99 (1992). Lea then took a break to stay home with her first born, Madelyn Deutch.

She jumped back into acting in Dennis the Menace (1993), where she says she just played herself. Then it was on to The Beverly Hillbillies (1993), Stolen Babies (1993), The Little Rascals (1994), and The Substitute Wife (1994). In 1994, she had her second child, Zoey Deutch. Lea then went into filming The Unspoken Truth (1995). It was then that she was first given the script of a new NBC sitcom, Caroline in the City (1995). It was probably the best decision Lea ever made. She won a People's choice Award for best actress in a new sitcom. Unfortunately, with all of NBC's problems, Caroline in the City (1995) kept being moved to a worse and worse time slot, giving it horrible ratings. The show ended after only four seasons. Bad ideas from the creators (Julia, etc.) didn't help, either.

Lea quickly went onto The Right to Remain Silent (1996), The Unknown Cyclist (1998), and A Will of Their Own (1998). She also guest-starred in the Friends (1994) episode, The One with the Baby on the Bus (1995), as "Caroline Duffy," and on The Larry Sanders Show (1992). Lea also did some stage work, including starring as "Sally Bowles" in "Cabaret." The show toured and also appeared on Broadway. She then did "The Vagina Monologues" in L.A. She had a stint in a dramatic role as a Chief Deputy Assistant District Attorney, "Camille Paris," on For the People (2002).

Thompson has starred in more than 30 films, 25 television movies, 4 television series, more than 20 ballets, and starred on Broadway in "Cabaret." Lea can currently be seen on ABC Family's Peabody Award winning hit show "Switched at Birth," where she acts and directs. Lea's movie credits include: "All the Right Moves," "Red Dawn," "Some Kind of Wonderful," "The Beverly Hillbillies," "Howard The Duck," (star and vocals) Clint Eastwood's "J. Edgar," the 2014 Sundance favorite Ping Pong Summer (2014), Fliegen (2005) starring Nicolas Cage, and The Year of Spectacular Men (2017), a film written by her daughter Madelyn Deutch. Thompson partnered with international Mirrorball Trophy holder Artem Chigvintsev on the 19th season of Dancing with the Stars (2005), placing sixth.

Lea lives in Los Angeles with her husband of over thirty years, film/television director Howard Deutch, and their two talented daughters, Madelyn and Zoey Deutch, along with many dogs, fish, horses, chickens, a cat, tortoise, and parrot. She supports and often performs for breast cancer, mental health, and Alzheimer's charities. Lea is currently writing her first book of essays.

Johnny Pemberton was born on 1 June 1981 in Rochester, Minnesota, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Fallout (2024), 21 Jump Street (2012) and Superstore (2015).

Sheree J. Wilson has gained worldwide recognition starring in two enormously popular long running television series. Appearing in the hit series Dallas for five seasons playing opposite Patrick Duffy, and then for the entire eight year run of Walker, Texas Ranger opposite Chuck Norris. Currently, Ms. Wilson has starred and produced two feature films, Easy Rider: The Ride Back, a prequel to the cult favorite movie Easy Rider, and The Gundown. She also co-produced a zombie/comedy called Dug Up.

Sheree began her film and television career in a starring role, opposite Louise Lasser, Brian James and Reed Burney, in "Crimewave", a 1984 black comedy directed by Sam Raimi. Three days after that film wrapped, she was cast in "Velvet," an ABC/Aaron Spelling MOW/series pilot, in which she played a female "James Bond" character opposite Shari Belafonte. Within the next year, she had a lead with Tim Robbins in "Fraternity Vacation", a summer comedy in which she played an intellectual beauty who was the object of everyone's desire.

Producers began to take notice of this dynamic newcomer to Hollywood, and soon she starred in the 1985 CBS television miniseries "Kane & Abel," with Peter Strauss. This immediately led to "Our Family Honor," a CBS drama about Irish cops vs. the Mafia, in which she starred with Ray Liotta, Michael Madsen and Eli Wallach. Her career continued to grow including "News at Eleven" with Martin Sheen. And then, in 1986, television producer Leonard Katzman called Sheree to talk about a part he thought was tailor-made for someone with her classic beauty and sassy, fun-loving, energetic nature.

The role was that of 'April Stevens' on the CBS mega-hit series "Dallas." For five seasons she played a brainy, wealthy femme fatale. Her character went from being one of the most powerful women in Dallas and J.R. Ewing's nemesis, to being one of the warmest characters in town, eventually marrying Bobby Ewing, the show's ultimate good guy. Ultimately, April Stevens was gunned down during her honeymoon in Paris. Bowing out with a bang, Sheree's performance earned her the "Soap Opera Digest Award" for Best Death Scene.

In fact, Sheree was pregnant and wanted to leave in order to fully devote herself to motherhood.

At the end of 1992, she signed to do the lead female role of 'Alex Cahill' in "Walker, Texas Ranger," opposite Chuck Norris, which ran for eight seasons.

The daughter of two IBM executives, Sheree was born in Minnesota and moved to Colorado at the age of seven, where she learned to ride horses. Her superb equestrian skills won her first place riding cutting horses in the 1995 National Multiple Sclerosis Rodeo.

Currently, Sheree resides in Dallas, TX

Dan Bakkedahl was born on 18 November 1969 in Rochester, Minnesota, USA. He is an actor, known for Veep (2012), The Heat (2013) and Life in Pieces (2015). He is married to Irene. They have two children.

Sydney Scotia recently wrapped a series lead role in the Crave series, PILLOW TALK. She is best known for her role as Geneva in the YTV/Netflix comedy, SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED; for which she won two Joey Awards, and earned a Leo Award nomination for Best Comedic Actress during its three season run. In May 2016, her short film I DARE YOU (producer/actor) screened at the Cannes Film Festival, earning her a fourth Joey Award nomination. Sydney then went on to star in the Netflix series, REBOOT: THE GUARDIAN CODE, based on the cult classic cartoon. Her other credits include The CW's CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND, and Hallmark's, EAT DRINK & BE MARRIED. This year she will make her theatrical debut in FRANK & PENELOPE, in theaters June 3rd. Season two of PILLOW TALK to begin filming September 2022.

She pursues a career behind the camera as well with her feature length documentary, THIS HITS HOME winning audience choice at the Boston Film Festival. Her most recent short films DEAD END and JANE are to be released in 2022 after attending festivals. She recently won Best Female Director at the Vancouver Independent Film Festival.

As a dancer, she danced competitively for 8 years and in 2008, she performed in Hong Kong with Olympic gold medalist, Olga Korbut. She continues to write and release original music through AWAL distribution (Spotify, Apple Music).

Jacqueline Robbins was born on 9 September 1949 in Rochester, Minnesota, USA. She is an actress, known for The Wicker Man (2006), A Series of Unfortunate Events (2017) and Two Sentence Horror Stories (2017).

Joyce Robbins was born on 9 September 1949 in Rochester, Minnesota, USA. She is an actress, known for The Wicker Man (2006), A Series of Unfortunate Events (2017) and Cut Bank (2014).

Shirley O'Hara was born on 15 August 1924 in Rochester, Minnesota, USA. She was an actress, known for Rocky (1976), Tarzan and the Amazons (1945) and Bells of San Fernando (1947). She was married to Milton Krims. She died on 13 December 2002 in Calabasas, California, USA.

Maureen Elisabeth Shay was born on 6 May 1978 in Rochester, Minnesota, USA. She is an actress, known for Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992).

Jim Mallon was born on 19 March 1956 in Rochester, Minnesota, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1988), Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie (1996) and MST3K Little Gold Statue Preview Special (1995). He is married to Gail Anderson. They have one child.

From a young age, Joe immersed himself in the horror genre, loving the feeling of being scared and creeped out. Lucky for him, the 80's were a powerhouse time for horror films with the advent of the home video market. Joe watched everything he could get his hands on, taking in the craft of proper storytelling. While most kids his age were reading children's books, Joe found solace in Stephen King and Clive Barker. It was a natural progression for him to begin to write as a way to share the emotions he felt with others. His short story, about an airplane crash, garnered him the attention of the school psychologist, who thought his brutal story about death and survival, while well written, was something that needed to be addressed in counseling. What Joe took from it was the feeling of making an impact and affecting people, something he's continued to do throughout his career with films like "Blind", "Pretty Boy", "That's a Wrap", "Space Wars: Quest for the Deepstar", "Garden of Eden", and "Brute 1976". Joe has worked with Paramount Pictures and was one of the writer's picked to finish George Romero's last zombie epic "Twilight of the Dead".

Warren Skaaren was born on 9 March 1946 in Rochester, Minnesota, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for Batman (1989), Beetlejuice (1988) and Beverly Hills Cop II (1987). He was married to Helen H. Griffin. He died on 28 December 1990 in Austin, Texas, USA.

Barbara Dafoe Whitehead was born on 10 November 1944 in Rochester, Minnesota, USA. She is a writer, known for Marriage: Just a Piece of Paper? (2002). She has been married to Ralph Watson Whitehead Jr. since 1967.

Studied acting and directing at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. Received B.F.A. degree in directing in 1967. Acted two seasons at the Arena Stage in Washington D.C. (1977-78 and 1981). Acted two seasons at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis (1984-1986) and two seasons at The Public Theatre in New York 1987-89, before moving to Los Angeles in 1990. A classically trained pianist, John has performed over 100 programs since 2001 at grade schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District. The program is an introduction to classical music entitled, Piano Masters. He also gives piano concerts at retirement homes throughout Southern California.

Sherill Quinn was born on November 3, 1989 in Rochester, Minnesota, to Paul Snyder and Lois (Roberts) Snyder. She is of Portuguese and English ancestry. As a child, she expressed a strong interest in art and literature and wrote her first book at the age of 8. Sherill studied Fine Arts and English at Riverland Community College before moving to California in 2013 to pursue a career in acting. Since beginning her journey, she has starred in multiple short and feature films as well as two original series. In 2018 she won her first award for Best Supporting Actress at the Best Actors Film Festival, and in 2023 she won an award for Best Actress at the Cine Paris Film Festival. Her hobbies include singing and aerial dance.

Dudley Knight was born on 1 July 1939 in Rochester, Minnesota, USA. He was an actor, known for Black Sheep Squadron (1976), One Is a Lonely Number (1972) and The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974). He was married to Marta Whistler. He died on 27 June 2013 in Newport Beach, California, USA.

Emily Sandberg was born on 26 May 1981 in Rochester, Minnesota, USA. She is an actress, known for Employee of the Month (2006) and VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards (2000).

Michael L. White was born on 2 August 1967 in Rochester, Minnesota, USA. Michael L. is an actor and producer, known for Summer Breeze (1987), Computer Doctor (1992) and Spirit of Television (1993). Michael L. has been married to Tatyana White since 17 September 1996. They have three children.

Joe Sun was born on 25 September 1943 in Rochester, Minnesota, USA. He was an actor, known for Marie (1985), Sing Country (1971) and Die Drehscheibe (1964). He died on 25 October 2019 in Palm Bay, Florida, USA.

Joe Gores was born on 25 December 1931 in Rochester, Minnesota, USA. He was a writer, known for Kojak (1973), Remington Steele (1982) and The New Mike Hammer (1984). He was married to Dori Corfitzen. He died on 10 January 2011 in Greenbrae, California, USA.

Gary King was born on 15 November 1972 in Rochester, Minnesota, USA. He is a director and writer, known for How Do You Write a Joe Schermann Song (2012), Bad Luck Dandelion and What's Up Lovely (2010).

Tom Creel was born on 21 June 1937 in Rochester, Minnesota, USA. He is an actor, known for Mr. Oberbeck (2022), Difficult People (2015) and Adopting Audrey (2021).

Stuart Brotman was born on 27 February 1966 in Rochester, Minnesota, USA. He was an actor, known for Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown (1977), It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown (1976) and You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown (1975). He was married to Elizabeth Brotman. He died on 29 January 2011 in San Francisco, California, USA.

Growing up in New Mexico, Graves is familiar with Southwestern life, including horseback riding, hunting, fishing, camping, western dancing, etc. His nearly 40-year history in the theatre in New York and California includes Shakespeare, Broadway, Off Broadway, Regional, Daytime Drama (All My Children) and experimental plays, as well as recent short films (Binding Silence, Letting Go, The Tom Doyle Players, Vendetta, The Seer--filmed in Sardinia, and The Infidel--filmed in Utah). . He is married to Jennifer Lee Graves, and has a son, Phillip Coquet and a daughter, Rebecca Graves, as well as a grandson, Jimmy Buster Schoenkopf.

Leilani Münter is biology graduate turned professional race car driver and environmental activist. Discovery's Planet Green named Leilani the #1 Eco Athlete in the world. She is a recipient of ELLE Magazine's 2012 Genius Award and Sports Illustrated named her one of the top ten female race car drivers in the world.

Leilani holds a bachelor's degree in Biology specializing in Ecology, Behavior and Evolution from the University of California San Diego. Since 2007, Leilani has been adopting an acre of rainforest for every race she runs. She is politically active and has made several trips to Capitol Hill to speak with members of Congress on behalf of clean energy legislation. Leilani is an almost lifelong vegetarian and was one of the first activists to arrive at the 2010 Gulf oil disaster. She's been to Taiji, Japan three times to document the dolphin slaughter depicted in the Academy Award winning documentary "The Cove."

Leilani races in ARCA, a development league of NASCAR. She is the fourth woman in history to race in the Indy Pro Series, the development league of IndyCar. She set the record for the highest finish for a female driver in the history of the Texas Motor Speedway when she finished fourth in 2006. Her accomplishments have landed her on the pages of USA Today, Italian Vogue, Glamour, The New York Times, Washington Post, Reader's Digest, Esquire and a national ad campaign for Lucky Brand Jeans. Her tagline read "Leilani Münter, Saving Rainforests One Race at a Time."

With family ties in the music community - her brother-in-law is Grateful Dead guitarist and singer Bob Weir - Leilani's motto is "Never underestimate a vegetarian hippie chick with a race car." She documents her efforts to go green on her eco site and on the green section of The Huffington Post.