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- Alex Breckenridge was born on May 15 1982 in Darien, Connecticut before moving to California when she was 12. Breckenridge first got an interest in acting at 13 when she performed in local theater productions and soon moved to Los Angeles to pursue her acting career. Her first film was the independent comedy picture Locust Valley (1999). She followed up this performance with guest spots on several successful series, including Dawson's Creek (1998) and Freaks and Geeks (1999), and supporting roles in the films Big Fat Liar (2002), Orange County (2002) and the short film D.E.B.S. (2003), which won the award for Best Short at the 2003 New York Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. After appearing on the series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997), Alex was offered her own series, the UPN drama pilot Mystery Girl. Sadly, UPN chose to have only one female-led detective series in the 2004-2005 season and Mystery Girl was not picked up. In 2005, Alex appeared in the ABC Family movie Romy and Michele: In the Beginning (2005) and took on the role of Michele Weinberger, played by Lisa Kudrow in the original 1997 film. She also began work on the animated sitcom Family Guy (1999), voicing celebrities such as Cybill Shepherd and Christina Aguilera. In 2006, Alex is breaking into the mainstream with a lead role in the comedy movie She's the Man (2006). She currently lives in Hollywood.
- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Robert Mitchum was an underrated American leading man of enormous ability, who sublimated his talents beneath an air of disinterest. He was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, to Ann Harriet (Gunderson), a Norwegian immigrant, and James Thomas Mitchum, a shipyard/railroad worker. His father died in a train accident when he was two, and Robert and his siblings (including brother John Mitchum, later also an actor) were raised by his mother and stepfather (a British army major) in Connecticut, New York, and Delaware. An early contempt for authority led to discipline problems, and Mitchum spent good portions of his teen years adventuring on the open road. He later claimed that on one of these trips, at the age of 14, he was charged with vagrancy and sentenced to a Georgia chain gang, from which he escaped. Working a wide variety of jobs (including ghostwriter for astrologist Carroll Righter), Mitchum discovered acting in a Long Beach, California, amateur theater company. He worked at Lockheed Aircraft, where job stress caused him to suffer temporary blindness. About this time he began to obtain small roles in films, appearing in dozens within a very brief time. In 1945, he was cast as Lt. Walker in Story of G.I. Joe (1945) and received an Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actor. His star ascended rapidly, and he became an icon of 1940s film noir, though equally adept at westerns and romantic dramas. His apparently lazy style and seen-it-all demeanor proved highly attractive to men and women, and by the 1950s, he was a true superstar despite a brief prison term for marijuana usage in 1949, which seemed to enhance rather than diminish his "bad boy" appeal. Though seemingly dismissive of "art," he worked in tremendously artistically thoughtful projects such as Charles Laughton's The Night of the Hunter (1955) and even co-wrote and composed an oratorio produced at the Hollywood Bowl by Orson Welles. A master of accents and seemingly unconcerned about his star image, he played in both forgettable and unforgettable films with unswerving nonchalance, leading many to overlook the prodigious talent he can bring to a project that he finds compelling. He moved into television in the 1980s as his film opportunities diminished, winning new fans with The Winds of War (1983) and War and Remembrance (1988). His sons James Mitchum and Christopher Mitchum are actors, as is his grandson Bentley Mitchum. His last film was James Dean: Race with Destiny (1997) with Casper Van Dien as James Dean.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Imposing, barrel-chested and often silver-haired Brian Dennehy was a prolific US actor, well respected on both screen and stage over many decades. He was born in July 1938 in Bridgeport, CT, and attended Columbia University in New York City on a football scholarship. Brian majored in history, before moving on to Yale to study dramatic arts. He first appeared in minor screen roles in such fare as Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977), Semi-Tough (1977) and Foul Play (1978) and proved popular with casting directors, leading to regular work. However, he really got himself noticed by movie audiences in the box-office hit First Blood (1982) as the bigoted sheriff determined to run Vietnam veteran "John Rambo" (played by Sylvester Stallone) out of his town. Dennehy quickly escalated to stronger supporting or co-starring roles in films including the Cold War thriller Gorky Park (1983), as a benevolent alien in Cocoon (1985), a corrupt sheriff in the western Silverado (1985), a tough but smart cop in F/X (1986) and a cop-turned-writer alongside hit man James Woods in Best Seller (1987). In 1987, Dennehy turned in one of his finest performances as cancer-ridden architect "Stourley Kracklite" in Peter Greenaway's superb The Belly of an Architect (1987), for which he won the Best Actor Award at the 1987 Chicago Film Festival. More strong performances followed. He reprised prior roles for Cocoon: The Return (1988) and F/X2 (1991), and turned in gripping performances in three made-for-TV films: a sadistic small-town bully who gets his grisly comeuppance in In Broad Daylight (1991), real-life serial killer John Wayne Gacy in the chilling To Catch a Killer (1992) and a corrupt union boss in Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story (1992). In 1993, Dennehy appeared in the role of police "Sgt. Jack Reed" in the telemovie Jack Reed: Badge of Honor (1993), and reprised the role in four sequels, which saw him for the first time become involved in co-producing, directing and writing screen productions! Demand for his services showed no signs of abating, and he put in further memorable performances in Romeo + Juliet (1996), as bad-luck-ridden "Willy Loman" in Death of a Salesman (2000) (which earned him a Golden Globe Award), he popped up in the uneven Spike Lee film She Hate Me (2004) and appears in the remake Assault on Precinct 13 (2005). The multi-talented Dennehy also had a rich theatrical career and appeared both in the United States and internationally in dynamic stage productions including "Death of a Salesman" (for which he picked up the 1999 Best Actor Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award), "A Touch of the Poet", "Long Day's Journey into Night" (for which he picked up another Tony Award in 2003) and in Eugene O'Neill's heart-wrenching "The Iceman Cometh."- Actor
- Director
- Producer
John started the improvisational duo group, "Sal's Meat Market", in Bridgeport, Connecticut with fellow actor and friend Ray Hassett. He was later affiliated with the ensemble group, "The Downtown Cabaret". Coincidentally, he was a friend of Susan Ryan, the mother of Meg Ryan. A mutual friend, also associated with "The Downtown Cabaret", was the daughter-in-law of actress Mabel Albertson, the sister of actor Jack Albertson.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
A social misfit, Belzer was kicked out of every school he ever attended, due to his uncontrollable wit. His mother (Frances) died of breast cancer when Richard was 18. Four years later, his father (Charles) committed suicide. A dedication is written to Charles Belzer in Richard Belzer's "UFOs, JFK, and Elvis: Conspiracies You Don't Have To Be Crazy To Believe" (Ballantine Books, 1999).- Actor
- Soundtrack
Kyle was born in 1983 to a pharmacological lecturer and a former concert pianist. Though born in Bridgeport, Connecticut he was brought up in Alexandria, Virginia and studied History of Art at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg. However he abandoned his studies to come to England and enroll at RADA, where he met his wife, actress Phoebe Fox, whom he married in 2010. Since graduating Kyle has garnered excellent reviews for his stage work in 'The Government Inspector' at the Young Vic, 'The Faith Machine' at the Royal Court and 'Long Day's Journey into Night' at the Apollo, as well as playing Gaveston in the National's controversial 'Edward II'. On television he contributed an excellent cameo in the sitcom 'Bad Education' as an all-American boy who was actually from Dudley in the Midlands and played sympathetic but troubled Francis in the BBC remake of 'Poldark'.- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Writer
Actress, author, producer, and Photoplay's "Most Popular Actress of 1961," the daughter of Ice Capades skating stars and choreographers Nathan and Edith Walley. She was skating with her parents at age three, but resisted her father's urging to continue, opting to study acting at the New York Academy of Dramatic Arts. Her stage debut was at 14, in a summer-stock production of "Charley's Aunt". When she moved to Arizona to raise her three sons, she co-founded two children's theater companies (Pied Piper Productions and Sedona Children's Theater), introducing live theater and teaching acting to disadvantaged children. She also founded the Swiftwind Theater Company, writing film scripts and training American Indian actors and production-crew members. Her 1990 short film Legend of 'Seeks-to-Hunt-Great' (1989), starring Michael Horse, was awarded the National Cine Golden Eagle, the Oklahoma Tribal Council Award for best fiction film, the 1991 Algrave (Portugal) International Video Festival best-of-festival award, and the American Indian Film Festival's best short-subject award. She incorporated the story line -- an Indian boy's appreciation of nature while following a mountain lion -- into her 1993 children's book "Grandfather's Good Medicine." Deborah Walley also wrote scripts for her own production companies, for other children's films, and for Disney Animation, for which she supplied cartoon voice-overs.- Actress
- Soundtrack
This pert and pretty number was probably better known for her not-so-private off-camera escapades than for her commendable "B" work as a light comedienne in 30s and 40s films. Nevertheless, actress Arline Judge enlivened a number of them with her blue-eyed, brunette beauty and colorful characterizations. Her numerous marriages and divorces (8) equaled that of the more notable Hollywood husband-hunter Lana Turner. She topped Ms. Turner only if you consider that Arline married 8 different men; Lana's eight marriages included one remarriage (to actor Stephen Crane). The two ladies even shared an ex-husband!
Connecticut-born Arline arrived on February 21, 1912. Her father, a newspaperman, moved his family to New York City while Arline was still young. She was eventually enrolled at the Ursuline Academy in the Bronx where, among other things, she studied dance. Briefly working in vaudeville, nightclubs and other New York musical shows, the petite-framed, eye-catching chorine was noticed for films in 1930 by an RKO talent agent who spotted her in the Broadway revue "The Second Little Show," and signed.
Arline made her film debut with a flashy bit part in Bachelor Apartment (1931). After appearing fairly non-descriptively in An American Tragedy (1931) and Three Who Loved (1931), among others, she finally had people taking notice of her as a tawdry good-time girl in Are These Our Children (1931). 1931 also marked the year of marriage #1 to Wesley Ruggles, nearly 24 years her senior (she was 19; he was 42), who directed her in the afore-mentioned movie. She subsequently gave birth to their son Wesley, Jr. Nicknamed "One-Take Sally", Arline proved adaptable at both snappy comedy and teary drama, easily alternating her services between a wacky Wheeler and Woolsey farce such as Girl Crazy (1932) or Helen Twelvetrees weepie such as Young Bride (1932). Her characters were often more trouble than they were worth as her scheming waitress in Is My Face Red? (1932) and adulterous wife in Flying Devils (1933) can attest.
After losing her RKO contract in 1933, Arline freelanced with lesser studios as various suspiciously-motivated ladies and was often cast for amusement. She enjoyed her many couplings with comic actor Jack Oakie in Looking for Trouble (1934), Shoot the Works (1934) and King of Burlesque (1936), and also worked time and again with her husband in the films Roar of the Dragon (1932), Shoot the Works (1934)Valiant Is the Word for Carrie (1936). Arline could always be counted on to sparkle up lightweight comedy material such as College Scandal (1935), Here Comes Trouble (1936) and, the Sonja Henie capade One in a Million (1936) with her trademark effervescence.
Divorced from Ruggles by 1937, she immediately got caught up in a tabloid triangle that resulted in marriage #2 (only hours after her divorce was finalized) with one of her battling beaus, Daniel Reid Topping, owner of football's Brooklyn Dodgers. This marriage to Topping, who in 1945 (after their 1940 divorce) co-purchased the New York Yankees, lasted about two years and produced another son, Daniel, Jr. Marriage #3 less than a month and came in the form of hotel executive James Bryant.
The trials and tribulations of Arline's hectic private life took up a lot of time and severely hampered the momentum of her film career. Five years after her last movie, she finally resurfaced again in the uneventful comedy Harvard, Here I Come! (1941), which led to a few war-era "B" and "C" rankers including The Lady Is Willing (1942), Song of Texas (1943), G.I. Honeymoon (1945) and From This Day Forward (1946). A bit part as a manicurist in the Harold Lloyd comedy The Sin of Harold Diddlebock (1947) (aka _Mad Wednesday) ended her 1940s movie run. In between there an eight-day marriage #4 to Royal Air Force Captain James Adams in 1942; a slightly longer marriage #5 to ad exec Vincent Morgan Ryan in 1945); and marriage #6 to wealthy sportsman Henry (Bob) Topping, brother of second husband Daniel. After her second Topping family divorce, Henry went on to marry Lana Turner. Marriage #7 was to insurance man George Ross III (1949-1950), and marriage #8 in 1955 to Beverly Hills inventor Edward Cooper Heard, her final union ending a lengthy (for her) 5 years.
Interspersed with all this marriage mayhem were some isolated TV guest roles in the 50s and early 60s in such series as "Perry Mason" and a final leap back in films as the mom of William Wellman Jr. in the poorly acted drama A Swingin' Summer (1965), which included surf music (!), and a role as one of the strangling victims of The Crawling Hand (1963), a low-grade horror opus.
By the mid-60s Arline had given up on pursuing both career (save a few commercials) and husbands. She lived out her final years in her West Hollywood digs and was found dead of natural causes ("aspiration of gastric contents") on February 7, 1974, just shy of her 62nd birthday . She was survived by her two sons and buried in her home state of Connecticut.- Actor
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Connecticut-born actor Bill Smitrovich (on May 16, 1947) started his acting career rather late. A Masters degree holder from Smith College and a former acting teacher at the University of Massachusetts, the hefty actor earned his big break in an understudy role in the world premiere of Arthur Miller's "The American Clock" at the Spoleto Festival, a production that went to Broadway. Other stage parts have included "Food from Trash," "Requiem for a Heavyweight," "Far East" and "Frankie & Johnny at the Claire de Lune." Bill was a founding member of the No Theatre Company, now in association with the Wooster Group, whose members included Willem Dafoe and the late Spalding Gray. Bill made his 1978 New York debut in the company's production of "The Elephant Man."
In the early 1980s he started tackling film and TV roles, often playing good cops and assorted villainous types. He made his film debut in a small role in A Little Sex (1982) and went on to play a prime part in the TV-movie pilot of Miami Vice (1984). A co-starring detective part on the series Crime Story (1986) led to more visibility. He finally became a household face (if not quite a name) as former construction worker-turned-restaurateur Drew Thatcher, the father of three on the critically acclaimed dramatic series Life Goes On (1989). Co-starring with Patti LuPone (of "Evita" fame), they played parents to a son born with Down Syndrome (portrayed by Chris Burke). The much-admired family-oriented show, which went on to deal with other topical themes such as AIDS, lasted four seasons.
Since then Bill has involved himself in raising public consciousness and sensitivity of Down Syndrome. He has hosted the annual "Life Goes On Celebrity Golf Classic" for the Down Syndrome Association of Los Angeles. Following this TV success, Bill co-starred on the A Nero Wolfe Mystery (2001) with Timothy Hutton and Maury Chaykin, had a recurring chief prosecutor role on The Practice (1997) and played a lieutenant in the Fox hit series Millennium (1996). His many film roles include Key Exchange (1985), Renegades (1989), The Trigger Effect (1996) with Dermot Mulroney, Independence Day (1996) with Will Smith, a strong role as a public defender in Rob Reiner's Ghosts of Mississippi (1996), Air Force One (1997) and, more recently, as a general in Kevin Costner's Cuban Missile Crisis drama Thirteen Days (2000). He also played Alexander Haig in the TV-movie biopic on Ronald Reagan starring James Brolin and Judy Davis.
Married to Shaw Purnell and the father of two, he has played a number of high-ranking officials, both good or corrupt, over the years. Most of Bill's recent work into the millennium has been on the small screen with guest appearances on such popular shows as "Nash Bridges," "NYPD Blue," "24," "Numb3rs," "Law and Order," "Criminal Minds," "Brothers & Sisters," "Desperate Housewives," "Boston Legal," "Castle," "Californication," "Two and a Half Men" and "Grey's Anatomy," with regular/recurring roles on such series as The Practice (1997), Without a Trace (2002), The Event (2010), The Last Ship (2014) Dynasty (2017). Occasional big screen supports include Thirteen Days (2000), Iron Man (2008), The Rum Diary (2011),Eagle Eye (2008), Ted (2012) and its sequel Ted 2 (2015), The November Man (2014), Bitch (2017) and Valley of Bones (2017)- Actor
- Soundtrack
John Newman Mitchum was the September child of a Norwegian mother and an Irish/Blackfoot father whom he never knew, as he was killed in a tragic train yard accident in 1919. His two-years-older brother Robert filled the role as best as he could, while their older sister Annette studied the lively arts and eventually joined a traveling vaudeville team. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the young family moved to Rising Sun, Delaware, where farm life didn't agree with the young boys. Scarce opportunities took them to New York City, where the streets of Hell's kitchen taught the brothers to fight, a skill they developed so well they earned the moniker 'them ornery Mitchum boys'. Eventually, when the Great Depression deepened, the family was forced to separate with the intention of meeting up with sister Annette, who had married a sailor and moved to California, changing her name to Julie. The teenage boys set out with little more than clean handkerchiefs to find their way across the country by the only means they could: hitchhiking and riding the rails. Their somewhat aimless journey took them to places they had never been; where their Eastern accents were not welcome, so they quickly learned that accurately mimicking the local dialect would keep them out of trouble--some of the time! While brother Robert fairly quickly discovered his place in Hollywood legend, John sought his destiny on the high seas, professionally boxing, or conducting a choir. When the opportunity for acting came along John found his perfect niche as a character actor, mostly playing heavies since he was an imposing figure of a man. John's roles had him playing alongside a wide range of celebrities, from Humphrey Bogart in "Knock On Any Door" (1949) to Gladys Knight in "Pipe Dreams" (1976), Clint Eastwood of "Dirty Harry" (1971) to John Wayne in "Chisum" (1970), appearing in 58 films overall. It was during production of "Chisum" that John Wayne offered his voice for an anthology of John's poetry that seeks to uplift US culture, "America, Why I Love Her", a recording for which Mitchum was nominated for a Grammy in 1973. John was a consummate storyteller (as was his brother Robert), and with his fascination with US history in particular he was ever-ready to regale anyone with a thoughtful, interesting, and insightful anecdote, especially if a guitar was available. It was the wedding of music and history that brought him to create the recording "Our Land, Our Heritage" with Dan Blocker; big "Hoss" from "Bonanza", in 1964. Mitchum had some recurring roles throughout his television career; such as "Pickalong" from "Riverboat", or "Hoffenmueller" from "F-Troop", over 150 appearances in all during the span of a half-century career. The brothers Mitchum legacy has been well-preserved in his often hilarious autobiography, "Them Ornery Mitchum Boys", published in 1989. The subjects range from brother Robert escaping a Georgia chain-gang to his "poontang" interview; from John surviving an attacking whale on a three-masted schooner to his adventures riding the rails, developing a great love and respect for the people of the United States.- Actor
- Writer
Handsome, rugged, and talented Italian-American actor Tony Musante was born on June 30, 1936 in Bridgeport, Connecticut to an accountant father and a school teacher mother. He attended both Northwestern University and Oberlin College. Tony worked as a school teacher prior to beginning his acting career in Off-Broadway theater in 1960. In 1962 Musante married his writer wife Jane Sparkes. He made his film debut in 1965 in "Once a Thief." Musante gave a chillingly believable and electrifying portrayal of nasty punk hoodlum Joe Ferrone in the harsh and hard-hitting "The Incident," a role which he had previously played in the hour long made-for-TV drama "Ride With Terror." Tony won a best actor award at the Mar del Plata Film Festival for his outstanding performance in "The Incident." Musante went on to act in a handful of features made in Italy; he was especially memorable as brash Mexican revolutionary Paco Roman in the superior spaghetti Western "The Mercenary" and as imperiled American writer Sam Dalmas in Dario Argento's masterful giallo murder mystery thriller "The Bird With the Crystal Plumage." In addition, Tony played more than his fair share of Mafiosa types: He was genuinely frightening as vicious hit man Paul Rickard in "The Last Run;" spot-on as smooth heel Eddie Hagan in Robert Aldrich's supremely gritty "The Grissom Gang;" excellent as Eric Roberts' mob-connected Uncle Pete in "The Pope of Greenwich Village;" and once again splendid as shrewd mob capo Nino Schibetta on the gritty cable TV prison drama "Oz." Musante had a starring role as real life chameleon-like New Jersey cop Dave Toma on the short-lived TV series "Toma." After Tony left the show due to creative differences with the producers, the program was changed to "Baretta" with Robert Blake in the lead. Among the TV shows Musante had guest spots on are "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour," "The Fugitive," "Marcus Welby, M.D.," "The Rockford Files," "Medical Story" (Tony was nominated for an Emmy award for his performance in the episode "The Quality of Mercy"), "Police Story," "The Equalizer," "Night Heat," and "Nothing Sacred." Moreover, Tony had a recurring part on the popular daytime soap opera "As The World Turns." On stage Musante appeared in the Broadway productions of "P.S., Your Cat Is Dead!" (Tony was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for his acting in this particular play), "A Memory of Two Mondays/27 Wagons Full of Cotton," and "The Lady from Dubuque." Musante died at age 77 on November 26, 2013 in New York City.- Music Artist
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John Mayer was born on 16 October 1977 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA. He is a music artist and actor, known for The Bucket List (2007), Vengeance (2022) and Vampire Academy (2014).- Actress
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Adriana was born into an operatic family. Her father Guido, an immigrant from Italy, taught music in New York City. Her mother Maria, originally from Naples, sang at the Royal Opera. Her sister Louise was a noted opera singer & voice teacher. At 18, she was chosen by Walt Disney to voice Snow White in his first full-length animated feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). He had been looking for a fresh as well as natural voice & asked her father if any of his students might be suitable. Upon hearing Adriana's voice, he realized his search was over. In the days of studio contracts & indenture, Walt wanted to keep the mystery of Snow White's voice, so except for a bit part in The Wizard of Oz (1939), she didn't do any other film work. When Jack Benny wished to have her appear on his radio show, Walt refused-he owned the voice & it couldn't be used anywhere else. She tried opera singing, invested in real estate & the stock market while living a full life.- Producer
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Dan Curtis was born on 12 August 1927 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA. He was a producer and writer, known for Burnt Offerings (1976), Dark Shadows (1966) and War and Remembrance (1988). He was married to Norma Mae Curtis. He died on 27 March 2006 in Brentwood, California, USA.- Producer
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- Camera and Electrical Department
Academy Award, eight-time Emmy nominated, and Peabody, DGA, and Sundance winning filmmaker Joe Berlinger has been a pioneering force in nonfiction filmmaking for over three decades. In a recent Bloomberg profile, Berlinger was described as a "true crime hit factory" for Netflix, whose work has "redefined crime documentaries as a vehicle for social justice." The article quoted Adam Del Deo, VP for original documentary series at Netflix: "He's the gold standard in true crime. The moral compass that he has, the sense of responsibility he has for victims and for getting the story right and shining a light on it, that is something that is very unique." Berlinger is the creator of landmark documentaries such as Sundance winner BROTHER'S KEEPER, which influenced a generation of documentarians and the PARADISE LOST Trilogy, which helped lead to the release of the wrongfully-convicted West Memphis Three, and METALLICA: SOME KIND OF MONSTER, a film that redefined the rockumentary genre. CRUDE, which examined the dire issue of oil pollution in the ancestral homeland of thousands of Ecuadorians in the Amazon Rainforest, won 22 human rights, environmental and film festival awards and triggered a high profile First Amendment battle with the Chevron Corporation. Eight of Berlinger's films, including his Emmy-nominated 2012 Paul Simon documentary, UNDER AFRICAN SKIES, have premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and have earned three Grand Jury Prize nominations. He has also received multiple awards from the Directors Guild of America, the National Board of Review, the Independent Spirit Awards and the Critics Choice awards.
Berlinger holds a streak of chart-topping series on Netflix, attracting enormous audiences and igniting global conversation by becoming the first filmmaker to simultaneously cover the same subject in scripted and unscripted forms with CONVERSATIONS WITH A KILLER: THE TED BUNDY TAPES and EXTREMELY WICKED, SHOCKINGLY EVIL, AND VILE, which starred Zac Efron, Lilly Collins, and John Malkovich and sold to Netflix in a Sundance bidding war for almost $10 million. The recently released film GHISLAINE MAXWELL: FILTHY RICH and doc series BERNIE MADOFF: THE MONSTER OF WALL STREET also both debuted as the #1 documentaries upon their release.- Writer
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After being discharged from the U.S. Navy after World War II, Ed Warren was an itinerant house and sign painter traveling around New England. However, with his wife Lorraine Warren, née Lorraine Moran, he became known as a demonologist employed in investigating reports of haunted houses. They attained national renown in 1975 when they wrote up their reports of their investigation of the George Lutz house in Amityville, Long Island, New York. The Lutz family moved into the house, which had been the site of the murder of five members of the DeFeo family the previous year. The Lutz family moved out after 28 days, claiming that they had been chased out by ghosts and other demons. Although some felt that the story was a hoax, the Warrens swore that, after their investigation, the house was haunted. The Warrens were the founders of the New England Society for Psychic Research.- Additional Crew
- Actress
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Lorraine Warren was born on 31 January 1927 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA. She was an actress and writer, known for The Conjuring (2013), The Conjuring 2 (2016) and Amityville II: The Possession (1982). She was married to Ed Warren. She died on 18 April 2019 in Monroe, Connecticut, USA.- Julie Mitchum was born on 23 July 1914 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA. She was an actress, known for House on Haunted Hill (1959), The High and the Mighty (1954) and Hit and Run (1957). She was married to Elliot Sater. She died on 21 February 2003 in Sun City, Arizona, USA.
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Connecticut native Joe Ochman has acted professionally in films, television, stage, commercials, video games, animation, anime and recorded books for... gulp... forty years. For a TV-addicted, movie-cartoon-avid-reading-comic-book-sci-fi freak, it's been the perfect way to make a living. Joe's voice has been heard in diverse roles all over the anime universe, in shows like Naruto, Marvel's Blade, Transformers: Robots in Disguise, all 3 Godzilla movies, Digimon, Gundam Origins, JoJos Bizarre Adventure, Hunter x Hunter, Revisions, Twin Star Exorcists, Little Witch Academia, Duel Masters, Wolf's Rain, Cowboy Bebop, Mon Colle Knights, Shinzo, and many, many more. In animated TV, Joe recurs as Mayor Bourgeois (Chloe's father) on Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir, and as Mayor Billington on Disney Junior's Doc McStuffins. Joe is the current voice of Jiminy Cricket for Disney. In the gaming world, Joe most recently had the honor of voicing Jiminy in Kingdom Hearts III. He also worked on World of Warcraft: Battle For Azeroth. He voiced (another!) Chloe's father, William Price in Life Is Strange, and voiced (and motion-captured) Professor Harold MacDougall in Red Dead Redemption and its Undead Nightmare DLC. He also voiced roles in Fallout 4, Dishonored 2, Final Fantasy XV, World of Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, The Evil Within, Murdered: Soul Sacrifice, Dragon's Dogma, Diablo III, Command & Conquer 4 and many more. On camera on TV, he guest starred on Disney Channel's Best Friends Whenever, Bones on Fox, Showtime's House of Lies and Weeds, and Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior for CBS. Joe recurred as a guest star on CSI and Sleeper Cell. He has shown up on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Lois & Clark, Seinfeld, Will & Grace, House, West Wing, NYPD Blue, Desperate Housewives, That's My Bush and many others. In film, he has worked on Blumhouse's Truth Or Dare and The Purge:Anarchy, Never Been Kissed, Space Jam, Officer Down and a bunch of indie films: Saving Lincoln, House of the Rising Sun, Black And Blue, Dead Game and Donald And Dot Clock Found Dead In Their Home, among others. In animated film, he appeared in the Oscar-nominated Ernest & Celestine, the National Film Award winning Delhi Safari and the Annie and Cesar Award winning Zarafa. Historically speaking, he played a very stoned ghost of Benjamin Franklin in How High (a role he also played - straight and alive - in The Franklin Spirit, a multi media presentation in the US Pavilion at the 2005 World Expo in Aichi, Japan...and on the Today Show!). History and non-fiction feature prominently in Joe's audiobook work, including such titles as She Has Her Mother's Laugh, Chasing Phil, Countdown to Zero Day, Antifragile, Law of the Jungle, Island of Vice, The Revolution Was Televised, Would You Baptize An Extraterrestrial? and Are You Smart Enough to Work at Google? - plus fiction like Justin Cronin's The Summer Guest. The stage has always been Joe's first love, though, and he has fulfilled that romance in dozens of plays. He also writes for film and TV, coaches acting - on camera and voice - to an eclectic celebrity clientele (including Guardians Of The Galaxy's Dave Bautista and rock legend Alan Parsons), and is an award winning stage director.- Gary Howard Klar was born on 24 March 1947 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA. He was an actor, known for Day of the Dead (1985), Big (1988) and Hackers (1995). He died on 31 December 2020.
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An award-winning actor, Joseph Nicholas "Joey" Ambrosini was born on September 17, 2001, in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the only child of Michele Ambrosini, and raised in the suburban town of Monroe, Connecticut. Joey was inspired to get into acting by his all-time favorite actor, Christian Bale, and was introduced to the field in 2017 by film producer, David Gere.
At the age of 16, he made his first ever appearance in the movie Vault (2019) as a background actor. As he started to gain more knowledge of the craft, he would advance to landing supporting roles in various movies. His first speaking role in a feature film would be as Perry in the horror thriller, Burial Ground Massacre (2021). Joey would reprise the role of Perry in Damon's Revenge (2022) followed by appearances in Johnny & Clyde (2023), Alarmed (2023), and others.
Joey graduated from Masuk High School in 2020 and in 2023, he graduated with an associate's degree in theater arts at Connecticut State Housatonic. He performed in plays directed by his professor, Geoffrey Sheehan. In 2022, he acted in a combination of four different short plays. The following year, just before becoming a college graduate, he would play the role of Caliban in Rough Magic, a stage play by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa.
Joey Ambrosini is passionate about making dreams come true and hopes to inspire a lot of passionate minds for the world of acting and entertainment as how he was inspired to live his dream in becoming a professional actor. He is managed by Charles Lago of DTLA Entertainment Group and represented by Made Worldwide Agency.- Writer
- Additional Crew
- Producer
Larry Kramer was born on 25 June 1935 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for Women in Love (1969), The Normal Heart (2014) and Lost Horizon (1973). He was married to William David Webster. He died on 27 May 2020 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.- Actor
- Producer
- Art Department
Lance Paul was born on November 15, 1985 in Bridgeport, Connecticut to parents Vicki Jo Hoover and Robert Paul Hoover. Lance was raised in Naples, FL with his younger sister Savanna Leigh and Dallas. His late uncle was a theatre teacher at the local high school and was Lance's main influence into the acting world. Lance moved out to Los Angeles, CA in 2010 to pursue his acting and modeling career full time. Lance Paul is best known for his recent role in Realm of Souls as Paul. He has also been a producer and storyboard artist for the films Realm of Souls, Perdition and Closing Doors. He currently resides in Hollywood, CA.- After leaving acting, Bob McQueeney became a golf pro. After he and his wife separated, he studied to be a Catholic priest. He was ordained and for the last twenty years of his life served as the director of the Padre Pio Foundation in Cromwell, Connecticut. His wife Patricia became one of Hollywood's most popular agents.
- Writer
- Producer
- Actor
Brett C. Persson was born on 18 September 1973 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA. Brett C. is a writer and producer, known for Just a Passing Moment in Time (2022), A Lost Soul Found in the Darkness (2023) and A Leaf on the Wind (2022). Brett C. has been married to Kimberly Persson since 17 April 1993. They have three children.- Actress
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Producer
Deja Kreutzberg was born on 8 November 1982 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Sorority Row (2009), Random Encounters (2013) and To Save a Life (2009).- Alicia Calaway was born on 1 May 1968 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA. She is an actress, known for Half & Half (2002), Survivor (2000) and Hollywood Squares (1998).
- Rick Lawless was born on 31 December 1960 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA. He is an actor, known for Herman's Head (1991), Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993) and Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue (2000).
- Actor
- Producer
Brendon Rogers, born in Bridgeport, CT is an award winning actor, director and producer. Despite an early interest in being a writer, Rogers was encouraged by his Stratford High School theater arts teacher, Francis Piazza, to continue to pursue acting. Rogers followed his advice and enrolled in The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, where he would go on to meet his future friend and collaborator Jamian Nass. After college, Rogers appeared in several theatrical and independent film productions in CT before moving to central Florida in 2000 look after his parents, who had moved there earlier, and to take advantage of that state's film incentives at the time.
His time in the Orlando area saw Rogers develop a prolific theater resume, including his award winning performances as "Nick" in Joe DiPietro's "Over the River and Through the Woods", "David Kahn" in Andrew Bergman's "Social Security", "Roat" in Frederick Knott's "Wait Until Dark" and as "Lucifer" in the world premiere production of Jamian Nass' "Alice and the Angels". Often cast as ruthless villains or cold blooded cynics, some of Rogers other notable stage roles include "Jack Lawson" in David Mamet's "Race", "Gary/Roger" in "Noises Off", "Van Helsing" in "Dracula", "Jonathan" in "Arsenic and Old Lace", "Mr. Franklin" in "Children of a Lesser God", "Ross" in "The Elephant Man", "Willie Conklin" in "Ragtime", "Henry VIII" in "A Man For All Seasons" and "Hollywood" in "The Eight: Reindeer Monologues" among many others. In addition to acting, Rogers also won awards for directing a number of stage productions including Ira Levin's "Deathtrap", "Hello, Dolly!" and Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstein" along with several others.
While working in the Orlando-area theater circuit, Brendon came to meet his friend and producing partner Sonny Dyon. Together they became two of the core members of QiCo Films and have gone on to collaborate on the crime thriller short film Clarity (in which they both appeared) and the horror short, The Grove. Clarity became the first short film to ever win the Audience Choice Award at the Central Florida (CENFLO) Film Festival in 2015 and The Grove became the second to do so in 2016. The Grove also went on to win "Best Horror Short" at the Studio City Film Festival. In addition to working on their first feature length QiCo film together, Dyon and Rogers are also developing an animated series called Relatively Super starring Gary Anthony Williams, Mark Hamill, Kevin Conroy, Jon Heder and Micheal Dorn. While continuing to collaborate with Dyon, Rogers also keeps busy with acting projects independent from QiCo Films, including playing the titular role on the mystery/thriller audio podcast The Adventures of Gerard Dupris.
In 2017 Brendon Rogers succeeded Bob Cook as Executive Director of the CENFLO Film Festival and has since relocated the festival to the Epic Theatres at Mount Dora, FL for it's 13th year.
When not acting, producing and developing a literary series, Brendon enjoys traveling home to New York and New England, catching up on his DVR queue and writing about himself in the third person.- Hank Stohl was born on 1 July 1927 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA. He was an actor, known for Capricorn One (1977), Drive-In (1976) and Diabolique (1996). He was married to Anita Hey, Anita Heh Zakowski and Ruth Zakowski Getz. He died on 15 December 2008 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Vic Savage was born on 14 August 1933 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA. He was an actor and producer, known for The Creeping Terror (1964) and Street-Fighter (1959). He was married to Lois A. White. He died on 25 May 1975 in Kansas City, Kansas, USA.- Yamilet Hidalgo was born on 17 May 1970 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA. She is an actress, known for The Specialist (1994), Other Voices, Other Rooms (1995) and Cafe and Tobacco (2003).
- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Lisa Addario was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA. She is a writer and director, known for Love Nonnie (2020), Parental Guidance (2012) and Dear Dictator (2017). She has been married to Joe Syracuse since 21 September 1997. They have two children.- Producer
- Additional Crew
- Production Manager
One of the most powerful men in Hollywood during the 1920's, Benjamin Percival Schulberg began his career as a reporter on the streets of New York. He had his first fling with the film industry after being hired as an assistant editor for a movie magazine. This work later enticed him to write several screenplays of his own, having joined the publicity department of a small studio, William Swanson's Rex (which, in June 1912, was absorbed into Universal). Schulberg then moved on to Famous Players as head of publicity, and, in 1919, founded his own production company, Preferred Pictures. Having secured a prestige signing of the actor Lon Chaney, Schulberg first hit the big time with the oriental drama Shadows (1922). However, his greatest coup as an independent producer was to discover and promote the 'It Girl', 18-year old red-head Clara Bow, who became the definitive 'jazzbaby' of the 1920's. Having acquired the right for the risqué novel by Percy Marks about jazz and flappers, he starred Clara in The Plastic Age (1925). In the same picture, he also introduced an unknown actor named Luis Alonso, who was destined for stardom under the name Gilbert Roland.
Unable to compete with the majors, Preferred Pictures filed for bankruptcy in 1925. However, the immense box-office success of "The Plastic Age" prompted Adolph Zukor at Paramount to offer Schulberg the position of head of the West Coast studios (while William LeBaron presided over the Eastern unit) and vice-president in charge of production, working directly under Jesse L. Lasky. Moving to Paramount, he took his company and Clara Bow with him. During his tenure between 1925 and 1932, Schulberg became one of the most popular and creative producers in the business. He was instrumental in making Paramount the leading film company in Hollywood during the 20's, by recruiting top directors, like Josef von Sternberg, Ernst Lubitsch and William A. Wellman. He was also in the forefront of technical innovation and helped the studio make a smooth transition from silent to sound films. Alas, Clara Bow, whom he had touted as the 'Anna Held of the Talkies', failed to make the grade, despite attempts to change her image. As a result, she left Paramount in 1931. The following year, Schulberg himself was ousted from his position during a studio-wide purge, which also claimed Lasky and head of sales Sidney Kent.
Schulberg continued on as an independent producer, with Paramount's B-unit and with Columbia, but with little financial or artistic success. Among the films he made during this period, only a few stand out, notably the comedy Three Cornered Moon (1933) and the crime drama Meet Nero Wolfe (1936), which first introduced the corpulent, sedentary detective in the shape of actor Edward Arnold. Disenchanted, Schulberg retired in 1943, lamenting an 'indifferent and forgetful industry'.- Composer
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Vinnie Vincent was born on 6 August 1952 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA. He is a composer and actor, known for Tommy Boy (1995), A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988) and Rock Star (2001).- Producer
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Bruce Rasmussen was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for The Conners (2018), Dallas (2012) and Freddie (2005). He has been married to Leslie Rasmussen since 1989. They have two children.- Producer
- Writer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
John Iadarola was born on 5 February 1983 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for Addicts Anonymous (2013), The Damage Report with John Iadarola (2018) and TYT University (2011). He is married to Arlene Santana.- Actor
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Charles Zucker was born on 28 May 1958 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Teen Wolf (1985), The New Adventures of Old Christine (2006) and Modern Girls (1986).- Camera and Electrical Department
- Cinematographer
- Art Department
Bruce Ando was born on 20 February 1968 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA. He was a cinematographer, known for Teeth and Blood (2015), According to Greta (2009) and Fast Money (1996). He died on 7 April 2024 in Pacific Beach, California, USA.- Bobby Dean was born on 19 August 1921 in Bridgeport, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for Spook Spoofing (1928), Barnum & Ringling, Inc. (1928) and Rainy Days (1928). He died on 13 April 1931 in Hughson, California, USA.
- Actor
Norm Bacchiocchi was born on 18 June 1942 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA. He was an actor. He died on 24 May 1978 in Hamden, Connecticut, USA.- Writer
- Producer
Charles Schnee was born on 6 August 1916 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for Red River (1948), The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) and The Crowded Sky (1960). He was married to Mary Zavian. He died on 29 November 1962 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.- Len Belzer was born on 14 May 1941 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA. He was married to Emily Squires. He died on 30 July 2014 in Manhattan, New York, USA.
- Animation Department
- Director
- Writer
James Tyer was born on 7 February 1904 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA. He was a director and writer, known for Fritz the Cat (1972), A Little Bird Told Me (1934) and Grandfather's Clock (1934). He was married to Margaret Lee. He died on 23 March 1976 in Fairfield, Connecticut, USA.- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Tom McGowan was born on 26 July 1921 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA. He was a director and writer, known for The Aristocats (1970), Cherry, Harry & Raquel! (1969) and The Aristocats. He died on 17 February 2011 in Malibu, California, USA.- Actor
- Stunts
- Writer
Robert Don was born on 6 October 1980 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Angel of Sorrow (2012), The Talent (2011) and Mega Piranha (2010).- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Daym Drops was born on 24 September 1977 in Bridgeport, Connecticut USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Kid Temper Tantrum (2012), The Devil Inside (2017) and CJ's Grill (2024).- Actress
- Soundtrack
Syesha Mercado was born on 2 January 1987 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA. She is an actress, known for Harlem Echoes (2008), Dreams (2013) and The One: Making a Music Star (2006).- Abra Gould was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA. She is an actress, known for The Probe (2024) and The Johns Bar (2017).
- Janet Sarno received her MFA from the Yale Drama School where she twice won the Hill Award for Excellence in Acting. She appeared on Broadway in Dylan, Equus, Knockout, The Apple Doesn't Fall, and Fish in the Dark.
Off-Broadway, she appeared in Six Characters in Search of an Author, Last Summer at Bluefish Cove, Sweatshop, Mama's Little Angels, Marlon Brando Sat Right Here (Villager Award), Everyday a Visitor, and Chasing Jack.
She spent fourteen summers at Williamstown Summer Theatre in leading roles. She taught acting and directed the Limelighters Theatre Group.
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