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- Music Artist
- Actor
- Composer
Akon, born Aliaune Thiam, grew up in Senegal before he and his family (including his father, jazz percussionist Mor Thiam) eventually settled in the USA, in the state of New Jersey. There he discovered hip-hop and R&B music as well as crime. He was eventually jailed, but he used the time to work on his musical ideas. Upon release, Akon began writing and recording tracks in a home studio. The tapes found their way to SRC/Universal, which eventually released "Trouble," Akon's debut LP, in June 2004. The album was an interesting hybrid of Akon's hip-hop-influenced sung lyrics and silky, West African-styled vocals with East Coast- and Southern-styled beats.- Actor
- Producer
- Stunts
Scott Edward Adkins was born on June 17, 1976 in Sutton Coldfield, England, into a family that for generations were butchers. Along with his elder brother Craig, he was raised by their parents, John and Janet (Sanders) Adkins, in a loving middle-class family. Scott attended Bishop Vesey's Grammar School in Sutton Coldfield. Probably not the best of students, he used to sneak downstairs after his parents had gone to bed and watch films all night then fall asleep during lessons. A natural athlete, Scott enjoyed a variety of sports as he grew up, but when he was 10 years old, he accompanied his father and brother to the local Judo club. The attraction was instantaneous. Idolising stars such as Bruce Lee and Jean-Claude Van Damme, Scott began to train everyday. He took over his Dad's garage and turned it into his own Dojo. He even had a shrine to Bruce Lee in there that he would bow to. He remembers being mugged on a bus when he was around 13 and that really kicked his training into overdrive. He wasn't ever going to let that happen again. At the age of 14, Scott went on to train in Tae Kwon Do under the instruction of Ron Sergiew with the T.A.G.B. After a few years, he moved on to Kickboxing under Anthony Jones. He is now a fully trained Kickboxing Instructor for the P. K. A. A self confessed "film junkie" Scott's attention was drawn to acting through the Hollywood Greats. He enrolled in a drama class at Sutton Coldfield College. Being a shy lad he initially found it difficult to be put on stage in front of an audience. Finally, at the age of 21, Scott was offered a place at the prestigious Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. However, as an impoverished student, he found it hard to make ends meet without a grant and was forced to leave without completing the course. Very dejected he thought that was the end.
His first break came when he was offered a role in a Hong Kong martial arts film called Extreme Challenge (2001) (aka Extreme Challenge). Spotted by Head of The Hong Kong Stuntmen Association and director Wei Tung and English-born Hong Kong movie expert Bey Logan, Adkins found himself in the East for the first time. Scott got the chance to work with some of Hong Kong cinema's leading action directors including Woo-Ping Yuen, Corey Yuen, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung and the legendary Jackie Chan. Acting roles started to come in and he was offered a guest role in BBC's Doctors (2000) filmed at Birmingham's Pebble Mill. A few episodes in BBC's EastEnders (1985) and City Central (1998), and a lead role in Sky One comedy drama Mile High (2003) followed by a regular role in BBC's Holby City (1999) as Bradley Hume, the assistant General Manager of Holby General.
Starring roles in feature films soon followed with his portrayal of Talbot in Special Forces (2003) and Yuri Boyka" in Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing (2006). It was this film that broke him into the mainstream with his villainous portrayal of a Russian MMA underground fighter Boyka in what has been hailed as one of the best American made Martial Arts films of recent times. Along with lead actor Michael Jai White, fight coordinator J.J. Perry and the slick direction of Isaac Florentine this movie has some unbelievably heart stopping fight scenes. After this Scott has had guest starring roles in bigger budget films like The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) and The Tournament (2009), and played Jean-Claude Van Damme's main adversary in Sony Pictures The Shepherd (2008).- Actress
- Producer
- Stunts
Admittedly, the brand of the sultry, All-American bombshell has served Julie Michaels well in her acting career. Fans will agree that Julie's performance opposite Patrick Swayze in Road House (1989) was iconic and impossible to forget. Her incredibly graphic fight scene with Keanu Reeves in Kathryn Bigelow's Point Break (1991) inspired the New York Times to dub her "The babe who nuked Keanu". Undeniably, Julie is as beautiful as she is talented and tenacious, though the multi-nominee and Emmy Award winner broke well past the stigma of "seductress" to branch out into other positions in the entertainment industry, effortlessly traversing between acting, stunt coordinating and producing. While often wearing several hats at the same time.
Julie Michaels killed "Jason" in Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993), tangled with Dwayne Johnson in The Scorpion King (2002), and fought the "Ultimate Fighter" in John Herzfeld's 15 Minutes (2001). Roles which relied not only on her training as an actress but as a stunt woman. Additionally, she has been paired opposite Dean Cain, was frozen by "The Governator" (Arnold Schwarzenegger) in Batman & Robin (1997), and made several recent appearances on television shows such as How To Get Away With Murder, Jane The Virgin, Nashville, Southland, Seal Team, and on the soon to be released Chick Fight, opposite Malin Ackerman, also starring Alec Baldwin. Julie Michaels was awarded Best Actress for her role in the short film Last Writes on which she executive produced. She also co-executive produced After Forever, the acclaimed series which (in 2019) won several Daytime Emmy Awards. This "Golden Girl" seems to have the Midas touch and continues to break barriers in her own career as well as tear down walls for fellow women in the industry.
In 2016 Julie Michaels was nominated for a Prime-Time Emmy Award for Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Comedy or Variety Show (the first woman ever to be nominated for that category) and earned herself an Action Icon Award in 2017. Additionally, between 2017-2019, Julie co-stunt coordinated the show Seal Team alongside her equally accomplished husband Peewee Piemonte, where the duo proudly sought and succeeded in hiring several hundreds of Veteran performers over their pilot and 44 episode run (the efforts of which garnered them an Emmy Nomination). The power couple has coordinated several top award-winning network shows together over the years (How To Get Away With Murder, Jane The Virgin, and Nashville to name a few fan favorites). Despite her dedication and commitment to creating action for television and film, Julie Michaels continues to find her way back in front of the camera. Exactly where loyal fans want her!