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Chris Ellis (Admiral Brigham)A character actor with a knack for playing blustery Southerners and military men (comic and dramatic), Chris Ellis was, appropriately enough, born and raised in Mississippi. While hardly a radical, 18-year-old Ellis discovered his interest in the arts, and his slightly longer than average hair made him a less than welcome presence in Mississippi. In 1968, he began studying acting with a theater troupe in Memphis, TN, where he made his stage debut. After completing his studies, Ellis moved to New York City, where he began working in off-Broadway and regional theater. However, keeping his foot in the door proved difficult for Ellis, and he found himself without steady work through most of the ’80s, getting by thanks to the kindness of friends who would often invite him over for dinner. In 1990, Ellis’ luck began to change when he was cast as the memorable Harlan Hoogerhyde in the Tom Cruise vehicle Days of Thunder. By the mid-’90s, Ellis was working steadily in film and television, making small but notable appearances in Apollo 13, That Thing You Do!, and Armageddon, and making guest appearances on such series as The X-Files, Millennium, and Chicago Hope. ~ All Movie Guide Bernie Mac (Bobby Bolivia)Stand-up comic and actor Bernie Mac exploded onto the screen with “The Original Kings of Comedy” (2001) after years of working comedy stages in his native Chicago. His edgy and largely autobiographical material about his background and African-American culture fell in step with a new wave of high-profile black comedians like fellow “Kings,” D.L. Hughley and Steve Harvey. And like his “Comedy Kings” co-stars, his hilariously frank material led to Mac’s own successful sitcom, “The Bernie Mac Show” (Fox, 2001-06). An increasing presence on the big screen as well, Mac’s sometimes gruff but always memorable character roles began to give way to more challenging dramatic work. With the feature film, “Pride” (2007), it was clear Mac as artist had the depth and humanity to bring to the table, and was intent on raising the bar of what audiences and critics had come to expect from run-of-the-mill stand-ups-turned-actors. At the same time, Mac was promoting “Pride,” he shocked the comedy world by announcing his retirement from stand-up, devoting himself to screen acting and producing after years of success on the comedy club circuit. Bernie Mac was born Bernard McCullough on Oct. 5, 1957, in Chicago’s south side neighborhood. He grew up with an extended family — an environment that would provide endless material for his future career as a stand-up comic. Early on, his funny voices and vivid imagination earned him the reputation as the family clown, so under the guidance of a supportive school teacher, Mac started channeling his energy by acting in school plays in fourth grade. Before long, he was soon staging his own productions for neighborhood kids. His first lesson in the controversial nature of comedy came after he performed a dead-on impression of his grandmother for a church audience, receiving a great reception from the audience but punishment at home. When he was not entertaining the south side, the powerful young kid – he would grow to six feet three inches – was hanging out at the recreation center, boxing and playing sports; thriving under an especially encouraging group of coaches and leaders he credited for his drive to succeed. His most inspirational force, his mother, died of cancer when Mac was he was only 16 years old. Mac took some vocational career training after high school, working as a delivery driver and furniture mover, before returning to the South Central Community center as its athletic director. After hours, he honed his comedy act on the platforms of the El train and at local parks, launching his own weekly variety show at Chicago’s Regal Theater. In 1977, he began hitting the stages on the local comedy circuit, unknowingly beginning a 30-year career as a stand-up comic. For over a decade, Mac developed his edgy style of commentary and endured the grueling lifestyle of the wannabe comic – being away from home and his new wife for nights at a time, performing for little or no money to gain exposure, and dodging the arrows of fickle late night audiences. Finally, in 1990, Mac started seeing rewards for all of his hard work when he won the Miller Lite Comedy Search. The honor led to unimaginable opportunities, like opening for headliners Dionne Warwick, Redd Foxx and Natalie Cole. He made his feature debut as a club doorman in “Mo’ Money” (1992), and guested on the HBO specials, “Rosie Perez Presents Society’s Ride” (1993) and “Russell Simmons’ Def Comedy Jam” (HBO 1992-97; 2006- ). In 1994, he snared a bit as the ribald Uncle Vester in “House Party 3” and also put together his own “Who Ya Wit Tour,” which included a 10-piece band and the five “Mac-A-Roni Dancers.” The following year, HBO thought Mac’s in-your-face persona lent itself to late night programming, but after a month of the network taming down his material, “Midnight Mac” (1995) was cancelled. He knew he wanted to return to TV with a series of his own someday, but he turned his attention back to film work, bulking up his acting resume with appearances as a preacher in “Friday” (1995) and one of the funnier members of the ensemble cast of Spike Lee’s “Get on the Bus” (1996). A recurring role in the popular UPN series “Moesha” (UPN, 1996-2001) earned him even more mainstream recognition. The year 2000 had audiences finally asking, “Who IS this guy?” The hulking frame and bulging-eyed funnyman who had been popping up everywhere, knocked it out of the park, comedically speaking, as part of the “Kings of Comedy” tour. Starring alongside fellow African-American stand-ups Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer and D.L. Hughley, the tour was captured by director Spike Lee and released as the documentary “The Original Kings Of Comedy” (2000). For the first time, millions of viewers got to see what Bernie Mac was all about – hilarious tales of self-deprecation, family life, tough love, and the etymology of his favorite curse word. The documentary was a smash, earning over $38 million at the box office, and Mac seemed closer than ever to his dream of landing his own show. He had been developing a sitcom idea based on the real life experience of raising his sister’s three children while she was in rehab. His re-telling of the tale in “Kings of Comedy” was enough to convince producers at Fox, who signed on for “The Bernie Mac Show” in 2001. In his self-titled sitcom, Mac played the husband of a professional, childless couple who suddenly become guardians of his sister’s three children. Risky and outrageously funny for Mac’s often politically incorrect ideas of child rearing, the show also incorporated a creative twist – Mac regularly breaking the fourth wall and addressing the audience directly. These pieces were a way to incorporate his material into the show, and his character’s career as a stand-up comic was also a way to incorporate real life comedians and actors into the show as guests. The show earned a Peabody Award, an Emmy for writing, and honored Mac’s acting with several Golden Globe nominations and four NAACP Image Awards. The departure of key creative personnel and Mac’s burgeoning film career caused “The Bernie Mac Show” to recede into the background – to say nothing of moving the series into no less than 12 different timeslots, vexing even the most loyal viewers – and production was slowed when Mac came down with a bout of double pneumonia. The show was finally cancelled in 2006. During the lifespan of “The Bernie Mac Show,” Mac made regular appearances on the big screen, stating in interviews that he held classic films and classic values seriously; that he did not want to take part in films with gratuitous sex and violence, preferring more quality, offbeat, films. In 2001, he co-starred as one of the 11 casino robbers in “Ocean’s Eleven” (2001), bringing comic relief to Steven Soderbergh’s crime caper piece and the subsequent sequels, “Ocean’s Twelve” (2004) and “Ocean’s 13” (2007). He supported fellow comedian Chris Rock in the misguided flop, “Head of State,” (2003) and stepped into the role of TV’s Bosley in “Charlie’s Angels 2″ (2003), before taking on the weirdly hilarious role of a chain-smoking, vitamin C-craving, department store detective in the cynical Christmas comedy “Bad Santa” (2003). After supporting a number of A-listers, Mac took on his first starring role with the well-received “Mr. 3000″ (2004), playing an aging major leaguer whose hit record is revoked after retirement, inspiring him to return to the game to reclaim his title. He teamed with Ashton Kutcher in “Guess Who?” (2005), a broad-comedy reversal of “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?” but threw critics for a loop with his impressive turn in the drama “Pride.” In the “Rocky”-like (1976) take on swim meets, Mac revisited his past by playing a municipal worker at a recreation center that housed an inspirational sports program. While promoting “Pride” in March of 2007, Mac appeared on “Late Night With David Letterman” (CBS, 1993- ) and announced that he would retire from doing stand-up comedy after he completed filming “The Whole Truth, Nothing But the Truth, So Help Me Mac” in the fall of that year. His announcement was met by saddened fans who had hoped to still catch him on a stage or cable special in the future. But Mac insisted he needed a “real life,” choosing instead, to focus on films and producing TV programs. Part of the pull toward retirement was due to wanting to spend time with his family. Married to wife Rhonda McCullough since 1970, the couple had one daughter, Je’Niece, who was earning a Masters degree in mental health counseling. On his own health front, Mac suffered from a tissue inflammation disease called sarcoidosis, which thankfully did not affect his daily life. In addition to his work onscreen, Mac was also a successful author, with his tomes I Ain’t Scared of You: Bernie Mac on How Life Is (2001) and the memoir Maybe You Never Cry Again (2003) to his credit.
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Amaury Nolasco (ACWO Jorge “Fig” Figueroa)Puerto Rican born Amaury Nolasco had no intention of becoming an actor when he was studying biology at the University of Puerto Rico on the road to becoming a doctor, but a casting director who recruited him into an appearance in a commercial changed his plans, and within a few gigs he was hooked. He packed his bags and moved to New York, where he enrolled at the American-British-Dramatic-Arts School and began appearing on shows like CSI and ER. Within a few years, Nolasco had built up a resumé that made him more viable for substantial movie roles. In 2003, he landed a small part in 2 Fast 2 Furious, and in 2004 he scored a role in the Bernie Mac comedy Mr. 3000. These big breaks were nothing, however, compared to the job he got in 2005 when he was cast as series regular Fernando Sucre on the hit series Prison Break. On the heels of this success, Nolasco nabbed a supporting role in the David Spade comedy The Benchwarmers, but much more impressive was the role he signed up for later that year, joining the cast of the hotly anticipated big-screen version of Transformers, slated for release in 2007. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide Julie White (Judy Witwicky)Although her entire prior TV experience had consisted of playing one scene as a waitress/witness on an episode of NBC’s “Law & Order”, Julie White won the role of Nadine Swoboda, sidekick to Brett Butler’s Grace Kelly, on the ABC sitcom “Grace Under Fire” (from 1993 to 1997). Born in San Diego, CA and raised on a ranch in Austin, TX, White began performing semi-professionally as a teenager. After completing high school, she attended Fordham University while pursuing a stage career. She appeared in various regional productions and made her off-Broadway debut in the musical “Lucky Stiff”. She won praise for her handling of several roles, most notably Fran, the loud-mouthed, lesbian leader of a women’s group, in “The Heidi Chronicles”, Wendy Wasserstein’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play. When the 1995 TNT TV-movie was filmed, White reprised her role. White also starred with Tony Goldwyn and Kevin Bacon in the romantic comedy “Spike Heels” Off-Broadway in 1992.
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Kevin Dunn (Ron Witwicky)The genial, slightly stocky Hollywood character actor Kevin Dunn graced the casts of some of the highest grossing and most enjoyable A-listers of the ’80s, ’90s, and 2000s. With a pleasant (if unremarkable) countenance, this brother of Second City veteran (and onetime Saturday Night Live mainstay) Nora Dunn cut his chops playing everymen in American movies and one-shot television episodes. Kevin Dunn lacked the sketch comedy background of his arguably more famous sibling but quickly chalked up an equally extensive resumé at about the same time. Born: on 02/26/1956 in Chicago, Illinois Family
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Dunn debuted on camera in the mid-’80s, with a recurring role on the series comedy drama Jack & Mike (1986), co-starring Shelley Hack and Tom Mason, but Alan Parker’s harrowing civil-rights drama Mississippi Burning (in which he played Agent Bird) marked his first real breakthrough. From that point on, he became ever-present in such blockbusters as Ghostbusters 2 (1989), Blue Steel (1990), Only the Lonely (1991), Hot Shots! (1991), Chaplin (1992), and Dave (1993). Directors often cast Dunn as an emotional (or political) support to a heavy, such as his brief evocation of Nixon aide (and eventual Christian spokesperson) Chuck Colson in Oliver Stone’s biopic Nixon (1995), that of Lou Logan (opposite Nicolas Cage) in Brian De Palma’s muddled, flawed paranoid thriller Snake Eyes (1998), and that of Alex (alongside Sean Penn) in the political drama All The King’s Men (2006). Dunn also contributed an estimable comic performance to the amnesia-themed sitcom Sam I Am (2007). ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide Jon Voight (Defense Secretary John Keller)Tall (6′4″) with blond boyish looks, Jon Voight burst into public awareness with his Academy Award-nominated turn as Joe Buck, a naive, blue-eyed Texan come to conquer NYC with his sexual prowess, in John Schlesinger’s “Midnight Cowboy” (1969), which has been labeled one of the signature films of the 1960s. His bumpkin as a victim of a dysfunctional upbringing was years ahead of its time, a character so pathetic, so needy, so vulnerable … and yet likable, because he is that lost soul we see in ourselves. Prior to his breakthrough, Voight had enjoyed some success on the boards, debuting on Broadway as Rolf Gruber, an Austrian teen sympathetic to the Nazis, in “The Sound of Music” (1961) and returning there in “That Summer, That Fall” (1967). In between, he starred with Robert Duvall in an acclaimed Off-Broadway revival of Arthur Miller’s “A View from the Bridge” (1965), meeting “Cowboy” co-star (and fellow Best Actor Oscar nominee) Dustin Hoffman. His first feature role in the little-seen Philip Kaufman-scripted and -directed “Fearless Frank” (shot in 1964, shown at Cannes in 1967 and released in the USA in 1969) was oddly prescient of Joe Buck, another country boy out of his depth in the big city. Although the Yonkers native would not enjoy comparable acclaim for nearly a decade, Voight proved himself a consistent craftsman in roles like the well-meaning but misguided misfit of “The Revolutionary” and the scheming provisions officer Milo Minderbinder of “Catch-22″ (both 1970). Minderbinder, who made his fortune wheeling and dealing in the black market, was a rare foray into villainy for an actor whose sensitive, intellectual Ed could hold his own with Burt Reynolds’ compellingly macho Lewis in John Boorman’s “Deliverance” (1972), although Reynolds, never better before or since, received the best press. Voight carried the international suspense thriller “The Odessa File” (1974) as the German journalist on the trail of Nazis (particularly Maximilian Schell) in the 60s and then turned in another gem as the white schoolteacher (modeled on writer Pat Conroy) who changes the lives of his black pupils on an isolated island off the coast of South Carolina in Martin Ritt’s sentimental “Conrack” (1973). He even went to Europe where he delivered another fine performance as the assistant to police commissioner Ritt (in a rare acting role) in Schell’s thriller “End of the Game” (1976). Timing is everything in life, and with the wounds from the Vietnam War still fresh, Voight won a Best Actor Oscar as the maimed vet who falls for an officer’s wife (Jane Fonda) in Hal Ashby’s “Coming Home” (1978), the first big Vietnam movie, beating “The Deer Hunter” by several months. The film (which paired screenwriter Waldo Salt and producer Jerome Hellman for the first time since “Midnight Cowboy”) provided Voight a terrific part as the once gung-ho Marine, now paralyzed, who overcomes his psychic wounds to help others in the same situation. The actor personified a shattered nation coming to terms with the legacy of an immoral war, creating in the process a stronger male identity for himself. Unfortunately, as the decade wound down, to the new generation of filmmakers and studio heads, Voight no longer seemed a valuable commodity. Certainly, his choice of material did not help. He was too intelligent for the dumb pug in Franco Zeffirelli’s maudlin remake of “The Champ” (1979), and a reteaming with Ashby (and a first foray into screenwriting) on “Lookin’ to Get Out” (1982) fared even worse. The sentimental soaper “Table for Five” (1983), in which he played a father trying to establish some rapport with his estranged children, ultimately failed at the box office because of its lack of edge, so five years removed from his Oscar win, the actor clearly found himself adrift, in desperate need of a success. Andrei Konchalovsky’s relentless thriller “Runaway Train” (1985), featuring a screenplay by legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, marked a turning point in Voight’s career. Having seen and admired the director’s “Siberiade” at Cannes in 1979, he was instrumental in getting Konchalovsky to work in the West and earned his third Best Actor Oscar nomination as the brutal and frightening escaped convict Manny, a far cry from the sensitive, nice-guy parts of the past. His face distorted by make-up, he went way out on the edge with his non-stop risk-taking, creating an unforgettable, over-the-top character that was a precursor for work to come. However, after a solid performance as the insensitive, alcoholic father of “Desert Bloom” (1986), Voight, who had always been a very selective actor, took what amounted to an eight-year hiatus from features and brought his talents to the small screen, working on projects in which he had particular interest, such as portraying Dr. Robert Gale, who flew to the Soviet Union to aid those affected by radiation poisoning, in “Chernobyl: The Final Warning” (TNT, 1991). Long known as a champion of indigenous people, particularly the Hopi Indians, he gave an award-winning performance in “The Last of His Tribe” (HBO, 1992), as real-life anthropologist Alfred Kroeber, discoverer of the last surviving member of a small Indian tribe (Graham Greene) in pre-WWI California. Voight’s star was on the rise again. He succeeded Tommy Lee Jones as Woodrow F. Call for the sequel “Return to Lonesome Dove” (CBS, 1993) and also poked fun at himself in a memorable 1994 episode of “Seinfeld” (NBC) before dipping his toe into directing waters with the Showtime kidpic “The Tin Soldier” (1995, co-directed by Gregory Gieras). Back on the big screen, he copped kudos for his supporting role as a professional thief in Michael Mann’s “Heat” (1995), a critically praised crime story starring Al Pacino and Robert De Niro which opened the door for a veritable flood of high-profile character turns. He assumed the Jim Phelps role (from Peter Graves) for Brian De Palma’s update of the 60s TV classic “Mission: Impossible” (1996), and was very effective in John Singleton’s “Rosewood” (1997) as a man profoundly torn between his affection for his black neighbors and his need to maintain his standing with his fellow whites. He also contributed a small role as a wily, blind Indian to Oliver Stone’s “U-Turn” and chewed the scenery as the evil poacher in “Anaconda” (both 1997) The Voight express roared on with his smooth, sinister performance as a big-time lawyer representing a shady insurance firm in Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation of “John Grisham’s ‘The Rainmaker’” (1997). He then reteamed with Boorman for “The General” (1998), a fine black-and-white picture which featured the actor (complete with believable Irish accent) as a policeman in pursuit of Celtic super-criminal Martin Cahill (Brendan Gleeson). Adding two more portraits to his rogues gallery, he portrayed a ruthless National Security Agency official in “Enemy of the State” (also 1998) and a “win-at-all-costs” Texas high school football coach in “Varsity Blues” (1999), a flick starring teen heartthrob James Van Der Beek. Voight grew his hair long to play the venerable ancient mariner of Genesis in the NBC miniseries “Noah’s Ark” (1999), and he also served as executive producer of Showtime’s “The Fixer” (1998, in which he headlined). In 2001, he offered a trio of performances, although two owed more to prosthetics than actual acting chops. Adopting a British accent, he was seen in a quasi-fantasy sequence as Lord Croft, the missing father of the titular “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider”, portrayed by real-life daughter Angelina Jolie. In “Pearl Harbor”, Voight impersonated US President Franklin D. Roosevelt and was virtually unrecognizable under the makeup which was also the case in his charming Oscar-nominated turn as sportscaster Howard Cosell in the Michael Mann-directed biopic “Ali”. The latter took some liberties in the real-life relationship between the TV star and the boxer (played by Will Smith), but his characterization provided an emotional core to the film. That same year, the acotr also turned up on the small screen in the acclaimed NBC miniseries “Uprising,” for which he received a 2002 Emmy nomination. Enjoying his in-demand status–even as his relationship with his daughter self-destructed in a series of on-camera pleas, confrontations and accusations–Voight continued to work steadily on televison in the made-forTv-movies “Second String” (2002) and “Jasper, Texas” (2003), and in feature films such as the family friendly sleeper hit “Holes” (2003), based on the bestselling young readers’ book, in which he played Mr. Sir, the overseer of a bizarre children’s correctional center, adding edge and depth in his scenes with Sigiounrey Weaver bu refusing to play to caricature. In 2004 Voigt was part of the stellar cast assembled by director Jonathan Demme for the remake of the conspiracy classic “The Manchurian Candidate,” with the actor playing a highly moral politician who uncovers a plot to plant his daughter’s ex-paramour (Liev Schriber) as a sleeper agent in the White House. That same year he co-starred in director Bob Clark’s “Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2″ (2004), the sequel to Clark’s unlikely 1996 smash “Baby Geniuses.”
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John Turturro (Agent Simmons)Actor John Turturro rose to prominence as a favorite of filmmakers Spike Lee and the Coen Brothers with early roles in “Do the Right Thing” (1989) and “Miller’s Crossing” (1990), making him a go-to guy for volatile, complex characters. Because of his distinct, but indistinguishable appearance, the Yale Drama School grad was able to play a wide array of ethnic characters, giving him the opportunity to add more depth to cinema’s historically two-dimensional Italians, Jews and Latinos. While Turturro made his home in independent film, he experienced commercial success with a starring role in “Quiz Show” (1994) and supporting role in “The Good Shepherd” (2006). Meanwhile, as a writer and director, he helmed three original films, including his ode to 1950s working-class Queens, “Mac” (1992), and an homage to turn of the century Italian theater, “Illuminata” (1999). Despite avoiding television throughout his career, Turturro emerged in 2004 with an Emmy for a guest stint on “Monk” (USA, 2002- ), and in 2007 earned kudos from fans and critics for his portrayal of combative Yankees manager Billy Martin in the ESPN mini-series “The Bronx is Burning.” Turturro was born on February 28, 1957 in Queens, NY. His father, Nicholas, was a carpenter and construction worker, and his mother, Katherine, was a singer who performed in a jazz band with her brothers. Moving from Hollis to Rosedale, Turturro he grew up watching boxing and old movies on television, and was inspired by Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster and Zorro. In a lively, extroverted household full of mom’s singing and dad’s storytelling about his Sicilian homeland, Turturro developed a talent for impersonations, including Edward G. Robinson and James Bond, and even tried his hand writing skits for neighborhood parties. Turturro graduated from high school and pursued drama at the State University of New York in New Paltz, then received his master’s from the prestigious drama department at Yale. Turturro took to bartending, working construction with his dad and even teaching history to make ends meet while honing his craft. It was only a matter of time until the young actor landed his first break. Already with some professional work on his resume, including a credit as “Guy at Table” in “Raging Bull” (1980), Turturro returned to New York in 1983 and immediately landed the title role in playwright John Patrick Shanley’s “Danny and the Deep Blue Sea” – a part that earned the actor an OBIE Award for Best Performance in 1984. That same year, Turturro made his Broadway debut in “Death of a Salesman,” which soon led to notable appearances on the big screen. After playing the shiny-suited emcee at The Magic Club in the Madonna vehicle “Desperately Seeking Susan” (1985), he had memorable roles in “Hannah and her Sisters” and “Gun Ho” (both 1986). Hollywood took note and cast him in small parts in “To Live and Die in L.A.” (1985) and “The Color of Money” (1986). But it wasn’t until Shanley wrote a part a specifically for Turturro in “Five Corners” (1987) that audiences were exposed to the actor’s dark intensity en masse. His haunting portrayal of a complex and dangerous ex-con earned him a nomination for an Independent Spirit Award. Meanwhile, young director Spike Lee admired his performance and cast Turturro as the volatile, racist pizza-maker Pino in “Do the Right Thing” (1989), then again as a nightclub owner in “Mo’ Better Blues” (1990). Also in 1990, Turturro began an association with another top name in independent filmmaking – the Coen Brothers. Joel Coen was first exposed Turturro’s work at Yale, where the writer-director had attended the performances of his future wife Frances McDormand, who was also a student the time. As he and brother Ethan began building a legacy of highly stylized and eccentric films, Turturro would prove to be an important ingredient with his chameleon-like ability to inhabit unusual characters. He amused audiences as the cocky, sniveling and ultimately double-crossing Jewish gangster in the Coen’s excellent Irish mob yarn, “Miller’s Crossing” (1990). He then made a more indelible impression with his starring turn in “Barton Fink” (1991), playing the titular character, an idealistic playwright lured to 1940s Hollywood by an oafish studio head (Michael Lerner) promising fame and riches. After locking himself into a seedy hotel to churn out a wrestling picture, Fink suffers an intense writer’s block that causes his surroundings to turn into a surreal and ultimately hellish nightmare. Turturro’s comically meek performance earned the actor a Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival. In short order, Turturro earned a reputation for his ability to adapt his physique, walk and mannerisms in creating unusual characters, and for the wide range of roles he selected for artistic value. After casting him as the irascible Pino in “Do the Right Thing,” Spike Lee allowed Turturro to showcase his range in playing Paulie Carbone, a kind-hearted kid from Brooklyn who sees people regardless of race in “Jungle Fever” (1991). Turturro rounded out a busy 1991 with a return to the stage, receiving critical praise for his performance as Arturo Ui, a ruthless Chicago mobster looking to corner the cauliflower market, in Bertolt Brecht’s “The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui.” During the filming of “Barton Fink,” Turturro began writing – he figured in order to play a writer, he ought to be writing something – and made his writing and directing debut with “Mac” (1992), a 1950s tale starring Turturro and his brother Nicholas as Italian-American carpenters. Though not a hit by any stretch of the imagination, “Mac” – which was inspired by the life of his late father – earned Turturro the Camera d’Or at Cannes and an Independent Spirit Award for its sincere depiction of blue-collar life. After a supporting role in Peter Weir’s “Fearless” (1993), Turturro enjoyed one of his highest-profile roles to date, playing Herb Stempel, the hot-headed sore loser forced to take a dive in the underrated “Quiz Show” (1994). Turturro was honored with nominations from the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild. He enjoyed a meaty domestic role in Diane Keaton’s “Unstrung Heroes” (1995), then scored with critics as a rigid man who rediscovers spontaneity and joy in Tom DiCillo’s “Box of Moonlight” (1996). Though many moviegoers still associated him with the rage of earlier characters, both parts worked to dispel the notion of his volcanic persona. Turturro then threw himself into his portrayal of Italian writer and Holocaust-survivor Primo Levi in “The Truce” (1997), losing 30 pounds to capture the bird-like frailty of the Auschwitz survivor. His awkward shyness and vigilant gaze effectively reflected the inner life of a man slowly emerging from his desensitized existence to rediscover the joys of life. In 1998, Turturro appeared in the Classic Stage Company production of “Waiting for Godot” before unveiling his sophomore directing effort, “Illuminata,” at Cannes. Another labor of love, the film provided an affectionate look at a tightly knit, turn-of-the-century theatrical troupe, both onstage and behind the scenes. It boasted a fine ensemble of New York stage veterans including Christopher Walken as a flamboyantly gay critic and Susan Sarandon as a beautiful, aging, amoral diva. He followed up with a pair of Spike Lee Joints, first playing Bible-thumping coach Billy Sunday in the basketball drama “He Got Game” (1998), then voicing Harvey the Black Dog, who speaks to Son of Sam killer David Berkowitz (Michael Badalucco), in “The Summer of Sam” (1999). In one of the smaller but most memorable roles of his career, Turturro appeared in the Coen Brothers cult classic “The Big Lebowski” (1999), making an unsettling impression as local bowling champ, Jesus, with his purple socks, hair net, pelvic gyrations and a penchant for licking bowling balls. By this time a bona fide in-demand actor, he appeared in Tim Robbins’ “Cradle Will Rock” (1999) and the uncharacteristically commercial “Rounders” (1998) before the new century, which catapulted Turturro into a dizzying schedule of broader films, more directing and the new frontier of television. Both Turturro and the Coen Brothers hit unexpected success with “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” (2000), co-starring George Clooney and Tim Blake Nelson as fleeing convicts in the 1930’s treatment of Homer’s Odyssey. He made the festival circuit with “The Man Who Cried” (2000), in which he played a famed opera singer opposite Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci and Cate Blanchett. He followed up an intensive performance as an eccentric but genius chess Grand Master in “The Luzhin Defense” (2001) before appearing in character roles in a string of uncharacteristically commercial films, including “Mr. Deeds” (2002), “Collateral Damage” (2002) and “Anger Management” (2003). He reunited with Spike Lee to play a mafioso who indulges in long, tedious Don Corleone impressions in the comedy “She Hate Me” (2004), reneging on his longtime refusal to play Italian crime family members. In 2004, he costarred with Depp in the Stephen King thriller “The Secret Window,” then directed his third feature “Romance and Cigarettes.” Turturro also penned the musical comedy starring James Gandolfini and Kate Winslet, which suffered from a series of release setbacks, eventually hitting European theaters in 2006, though plans for a U.S. release remained in doubt. After decades spent avoiding the small screen in large part, Turturro made a rare foray into television in 2004, playing Tony Shaloub’s agoraphobic brother, Ambrose, in USA’s detective comedy “Monk,” earning an Emmy award his first go-round. Following a turn as Matt Damon’s assistant in “The Good Shepherd” (2006) and an outing into action territory with Michael Bay’s summer blockbuster “Transformers” (2007), Turturro returned to television in the ESPN mini-series “Bronx is Burning.” He played New York Yankees manager Billy Martin in an eight-part series chronicling the Bronx Bombers during their tumultuous summer season in 1977.
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Rachel Taylor (Maggie Madsen)Her name synonymous with gloss and glamour, the traffic-stopping Aussie import Rachael Taylor carried within her a natural on-camera presence. It therefore failed to surprise anyone when Taylor landed a consistent series of roles in Hollywood features, beginning in 2004. She took her initial bow in Sydney for legendary director Peter Bogdanovich, with a bit part in that helmer’s fine 2004 telepic The Mystery of Natalie Wood, but failed to live up to this promise given her subsequent involvement in Tinseltown slasher films, such as the 2005 Man-Thing and the 2006 See No Evil. Taylor took several steps up the Hollywood ladder when recruited to appear in Michael Bay’s live-action, summer 2007 blockbuster Transformers, as Maggie Madsen. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide Megan Fox (Mikaela Banes)A slender, olive-skinned actress whose elegant beauty is somewhat offset by a collection of vivid tattoos (including a portrait of Marilyn Monroe on her right forearm and the King Lear quote “We all laugh at gilded butterflies” on her right shoulder blade), Megan Fox knew she wanted to be an actress from age three, and never once considered another line of work. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Fox began taking dance lessons when she was five years old and continued perfecting her graceful movements even after her family relocated to Florida five years later. At thirteen the aspiring starlet enrolled in modeling and acting classes. It didn’t take long for all of her hard work to pay off, with a role in the 2001 Olsen twins comedy Holiday in the Sun marking the ambitious actresses’ official screen debut. Over the course of the next few years, Fox became a frequent fixture on television thanks to roles on What I Like About You, Two and a Half Men, and Hope and Faith. In 2004 Fox would torment a fledgling Lindsay Lohan in Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, though it was Fox’s performance as a human caught in the middle of an epic robot battle that would truly prove her calling card to Hollywood. Cast as the love interest of Shia LeBeouf in Michael Bay’s 2007 blockbuster Transformers, Fox turned more than a few heads while fighting for the future of the human race. In 2008 Fox could be spotted opposite Kirsten Dunst, Simon Pegg, Jeff Bridges, and Gillian Anderson in the Robert B. Weide directed comedy How to Lose Friends and Alienate People. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide Also Credited As: Megan Denise Fox Significant Others
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Anthony Anderson (Glen Whitmann)A dynamic performer with a big body and even bigger screen presence, African-American funnyman Anthony Anderson became an almost ubiquitous feature player beginning in 1999, providing comic relief in an impressive number of films early on in his career. The California native landed his first professional job at age five, appearing in a television commercial. Twenty years later, he could be seen on the NBC sitcom “In the House”, starring LL Cool J. While Anderson’s career lulled, the performer was busy with his education, attending a performing arts high school and earning a talent scholarship to the prestigious Howard University. A 1996 cameo in “Alien Avengers,” a segment of the Showtime series “Roger Corman Presents,” led to a regular role as a hefty but capable basketball player on the NBC teen series “Hang Time” (from 1997 to 1998). A guest role on “NYPD Blue” followed in 1998, predating his feature film onslaught, which began with 1999’s “Life,” a 1930s prison comedy starring Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence. Baby-faced enough that he was able to play teens well into his twenties but easily aged with a bit of facial hair, Anderson proved a versatile player, and followed up his role in “Life” with a part in Barry Levinson’s 1950s Baltimore-set drama “Liberty Heights” and a guest turn on the UPN sitcom “Malcolm and Eddie.” The actor ushered in 2000 with credits in two episodes of “Ally McBeal” (Fox) before taking on Andrzej Bartkowiak’s “Romeo Must Die,” where he played a bumbling bodyguard. He reunited with Martin Lawrence as an over-ambitious security guard in “Big Momma’s House” and played one of a group of film students targeted by a mysterious murderer in “Urban Legends: Final Cut.” He was given more room to strut his stuff in “Me, Myself & Irene” as Jamaal, the most vocal of Jim Carrey’s overgrown triplet sons (born to his wife after an affair with an African-American midget). One of the few well-rounded roles in the Farrelly brothers film, Jamaal was foul-mouthed but well-educated, and unexpectedly respectful of his father, the town pushover. Anderson played David Arquette’s postal colleague and confidant in the inane comedy “See Spot Run” in 2001. That year saw him with breakout roles in the actioner “Exit Wounds” and the funeral-set feature “Kingdom Come.” Reuniting with Bartkowiak and DMX on the former, Anderson brought much-needed comic relief to the casualty-heavy Steven Seagal caper, working with Tom Arnold to make a genuinely funny if unexpected comedy pair. In “Kingdom Come,” Anderson won raves as the worthless womanizing husband of demanding Jada Pinkett Smith. Later that year, the actor was featured in the romantic comedy “Two Can Play That Game.” He starred, alongside Jerry O’Connell, as a New Yorker on the lam in the Australian Outback comedy “Kangaroo Jack” and then reunited with DMX for the action feature “Cradle 2 the Grave” before returning to comedy with supporting turns in Jamie Kennedy’s “Malibu’s Most Wanted” and the horror-spoof sequel “Scary Movie 3″ (all in 2003). That same year he co-created and starred in the short-lived sit-com “All About the Andersons” (2003) as a struggling actor who moves in with his parents to provide a stable environment for his young son. Anderson’s feature career continued unabated: along with Eddie Griffin and Michael Imperioli, he headlined the limp relationship comedy “My Baby’s Daddy” (2004) as part of a trio of immature men suddenly saddled with responsibility when their girlfriends all become pregnant. Then it was on to a co-starring role in the family-friendly sequel “Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London” (2004) as Derek, the handler for Frankie Muniz’s underage secret agent. Anderson then took on a recurring role during the 2005 season of the gritty crime drama “The Shield,” playing the influential and menacing ex-con Antwon Mitchell, delivering his most compelling and complex performance to date. Anderson next appeared in “King’s Ransom” (2005) as a millionaire businessman who devises a plot to kidnap himself in order to avoid a messy and expensive divorce from his wife (Kellita Smith). The plan goes awry, however, when he discovers that he’s not the only one who wants to kidnap him. Far better was his measured turn in the acclaimed indie drama “Hustle & Flow” (2005) as Key, the aspiring but frustrated rap producer who hopes a surprisingly talented pimp (Terrence Howard) will at last provide his ticket to success. After appearing on a couple episodes of the cable comedy “Campus Ladies” (Oxygen Media, 2005- ), Anderson showed up as a gay cowboy in a parody of Ang Lee’s “Brokeback Mountain” (2005), one of many Hollywood movies getting the David Zucker treatment in “Scary Movie 4” (2006). For his next project, Anderson joined an all-star cast that included Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Wahlberg and Jack Nicholson in “The Departed” (2006), Martin Scorsese’s slick crime thriller that was loosely based on the excellent Hong Kong actioner “Infernal Affairs” (2002). “The Departed” centered on a South Boston cop (DiCaprio) deep undercover inside a crime syndicate ran by Franck Costello (Nicholson), a sexually deviant mob boss who has one of his own gangsters (Matt Damon) inside the police department. As the police struggle to bring down the Costello’s operations, the mob boss manages to stay one step ahead while trying to flush out the mole that he learns has infiltrated his crew. Meanwhile, both moles fight to expose the other before their own cover is blown. “The Departed” received a huge helping of critical kudos prior to its early October release.
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