Tess Harper was born in 1950 in Mammoth Spring, Arkansas. She mah a major role in “Tender Mercies” in 1983 opposite Robert Duvall. Her other films include “Silkwood” and “Crimes of the Heart”. Most recently she has been in the television series “Breaking Bad”.
TCM Overview:
A strawberry blonde player, held in high regard for her abilities by Hollywood, Tess Harper made a big impression in her very first feature film role as Robert Duvall’s much younger wife in “Tender Mercies” (1982). She earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her work as Chickie, the cousin and nosy neighbor, in “Crimes of the Heart” (1986). Harper performed in children’s theatre and dinner theatre, as well as in TV commercials, in Texas before being cast in “Tender Mercies”. She followed that with the unfortunate “Amityville 3-D”, a horror film about poltergeists, and a small role in Mike Nichols’ “Silkwood” (both 1983). After “Crimes of the Heart”, Harper was Warren Beatty’s ignored sweetheart in the now legendary “Ishtar” (1987) and reteamed with “Crimes” co-star Jessica Lange as the blustery, screaming Rita in Sam Shepard’s directorial debut, “Far North” (1988). More recently, Harper played the mother of a son trying to keep his parents together in “The Turning” (1992) and Jay Thomas’ straying wife in “Dirty Laundry” (1996). As with many actresses, TV has offered a more textured range of parts. Harper was the wife of Wayne Rogers, the first of several sheriffs, in the 1983 CBS miniseries “Chiefs” and the wife of homosexual movie star Joseph Bottoms in NBC miniseries “Celebrity” (1984). Harper has often appeared in TV-movies, beginning with “Starflight: The Plane That Couldn’t Land” (ABC, 1983) and had her first lead in “Reckless Disregard” (Showtime, 1985). Other memorable roles include as the mother of a young man (Dermot Mulroney) deeply affected by his father’s political demise during the Civil Rights era in “Unconquered” (CBS, 1989), a mother at risk because of her daughter’s cheerleader rival in “Willing to Kill: The Texas Cheerleader Story” (ABC, 1992), a widowed poet in the early stages of Alzheimer’s Disease in “The Road to Galveston” (USA, 1996) and the confused wife of amnesia victim Beau Bridges in “Journey Home” (CBS, 1996). While Harper made her TV episodic debut in the revived “The Twilight Zone” (CBS, 1985) and also appeared in a memorable episode of “Murder, She Wrote” as a maid suspected of murdering a famous artist, she has generally stayed clear of weekly work. The exception, of course, was her regular role mountain woman Fairlight Spencer in the CBS series “Christy” (1994-95).
The above TCM overview can also be accessed online here.
Tim Matheson was born in 1947 in Glendale, California. His first major film was “Yours, Mine and Ours” with Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball in 1969. His other films include “To Be or Not to Be” with Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft in 1983. He was in the cast of the television series “The Virginian” in 1969 and also in “The Outcasts” with Kurt Russell.
TCM Overview:
Tall, clean-cut leading man Tim Matheson made a career out of playing well-to-do men on every point of the moral compass in countless features like “Animal House” (1978) and “1941” (1981), and on countless televisions shows like “The West Wing” (NBC, 1999-2006) and “Burn Notice” (USA Network, 2007- ). A former child actor who voiced several memorable cartoon characters in the late 1960s, he made the jump to adult roles in the early 1970s but struggled to find a worthwhile project until the blockbuster comedy “Animal House.” His role as fraternity ladies’ man Otter served as the template for his career after the film’s release. As he moved into middle age, he found more worthwhile projects in “The West Wing” and as a prolific director for television. However, “Animal House” remained his most popular effort, with new generations of irresponsible college students every year assuring Matheson of his screen immortality.
Born Timothy Lewis Matthieson in Glendale, CA on Dec. 31, 1947, he decided to become an actor at a very early age, achieving considerable success on television by the time he was just 13. His debut came in the lighthearted “Window on Main Street” (CBS, 1961-62), starring Robert Young, and for the next eight years, he essayed fresh-faced adolescents in a string of programs, including “Leave It to Beaver” (CBS/ABC, 1957-1963) and “My Three Sons” (ABC, 1960-1972). Saturday morning animation fans also knew him as the voice of several major characters from the period, including “Jonny Quest” (ABC, 1964-65) and boy hero Jace on “Space Ghost” (CBS, 1966-68). Matheson worked steadily through his teenage years and into his early twenties, making his feature debut at age 21 in the Bob Hope comedy “Yours, Mine and Ours” (1968). The following year, now billed as Tim Matheson, he joined the cast of the venerable TV Western “The Virginian” (NBC, 1962-1971) before jumping to the final season of “Bonanza” (NBC, 1959-1973) as Griff King, a young cowhand created by the network to lure younger viewers to the ailing series.
In 1973, Matheson was cast against type as a seemingly upstanding motorcycle patrolman who secretly worked as a police-sanctioned hit man in “Magnum Force” (1973), the sequel to “Dirty Harry” (1971). The role marked the beginning of a dichotomy in casting for him; his clean-cut looks and forthright bearing made him ideal as both kind-hearted and cold-blooded young men, and he would play one or the other, with few variations, for the next few years. Westerns continued to be a regular source of income for Matheson in the 1970s. He was a member of the low-down Dalton Gang in “The Last Day” (NBC, 1975), and teamed with Kurt Russell, another child actor making a successful transition to adult roles, in “The Quest” (NBC, 1976), about a pair of brothers traveling the West in search of their kidnapped sister.
After a string of steady television work from 1976-78, Matheson landed his first major screen project with “Animal House.” Initially, the producers wanted him to play one of the film’s villains from the straight-laced Omega fraternity, but Matheson, who had been studying improvisation with the famed Groundlings comedy troupe at the time, turned it down to play one of its “heroes,” the anarchic Deltas. After several auditions, director John Landis finally cast him as Eric “Otter” Stratton, the Delta’s glib, charming rush chairman and the closest thing to a voice of reason in Delta House. Matheson more than held his ground in the picture, despite the overwhelming presence of John Belushi as the berserk Bluto, and the film’s overwhelming success helped to shift his screen image from innocuous to comedic.
Unfortunately, Matheson’s next big screen hit was not immediately forthcoming. After “Animal House,” he logged innumerable screen hours in forgettable comedies like “Almost Summer” (1978), “The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again” (1979) and “A Little Sex” (1982). On paper, “1941” should have been a hit – a broad comedy about a Japanese invasion of a sleepy California town during World War II, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Belushi and fellow “Saturday Night Live” (NBC, 1975- ) alum Dan Aykroyd, but the wildly expensive epic failed to deliver many laughs. Television appeared to be a safe refuge for the actor, but the supernaturally themed comedy “Tucker’s Witch” (CBS, 1982-83), his first return to regular series work since “Bonanza,” lasted only a season.
Matheson bounced between TV movies and features throughout the 1980s, largely in forgettable fare like “Impulse” (1984) and the sitcom “Just in Time” (ABC, 1988). However, the lowbrow comedy “Up the Creek” (1984), which reunited him with his “Animal House” co-star Stephen Furst, gained a cult following, as did the Chevy Chase vehicle “Fletch” (1985), which cast Matheson as a mystery man whose desire to be murdered by Chase’s glib reporter sets the whole absurd plot in motion. By the middle of the decade, Matheson began setting his sights on behind-the-camera work; in 1986, he made his debut as producer on the low-budget action film “Blind Justice,” an American adaptation of the popular Japanese film series about a blind swordsman.
In 1989, Matheson was part of a business partnership that acquired the ailing National Lampoon magazine, which had originally published the short stories that were adapted into the script for “Animal House.” Editorial changes instituted by Matheson, which included the banning of frontal nudity from the magazine’s pages, did not reverse its fortunes, and Matheson was forced to sell the magazine to another company in 1991 to avoid bankruptcy.
While logging time in episodic television, including the short-lived comedy “Charlie Hoover” (Fox, 1991), which was among the last starring roles for Sam Kinison, Matheson began transitioning into the director’s chair, and by the turn of the new millennium, had built up an impressive résumé that included multiple episodes of “Without a Trace” (CBS, 2002-09) and “Psych” (USA, 2007- ), as well as numerous TV movies. The quality of his acting projects began to take an upswing as well. In 1990, Matheson starred in the harrowing TV movie “Buried Alive” (USA), which was the cable network’s highest-rated program to date, and he directed its sequel in 1997. In 1999, he was cast as the duplicitous Senator John Hoynes, who served as Vice President under Martin Sheen’s Josiah Bartlett on “The West Wing.” The turn, one of his best, earned Matheson two Emmy nominations. Supporting roles in popular features like “The Story of Us” (1999) and “She’s All That” (1999) followed in its wake.
Tne above TCM overview can also be accessed online here.
In 2001, Matheson returned to regular series work with “Wolf Lake” (CBS, 2001- 02), an Emmy-nominated supernatural series about werewolves in a small Pacific town. After its premature demise, he continued his steady stream of TV movies – he was President John F. Kennedy in “Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis” (CBS, 2000) and Martha Stewart’s husband Andy on “Martha, Inc.: The Story of Martha Stewart” (NBC, 2003) – as well as directing for television, which expanded to producing as well with the CBS series “Cold Case” (2003-2010) in 2005. There were also occasional returns to features, most notably in “Van Wilder” (2002). The college comedy cast him as the father of schemer Ryan Reynolds, whose own performance drew heavily from Matheson’s Otter in “Animal House.” In 2008 and 2010, Matheson received some of his best notices as “Dead” Larry Sizemore, an amoral and possibly psychotic former spy who assumes the identity of a murdered shoe salesman and makes life difficult for fellow ex-spook Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) on “Burn Notice” (USA Network, 2007- ). Matheson also directed several episodes of the popular series
Tim Thomerson was born in 1946 in California. He studied acting with Stella Adler in New York. He began his career as a stand-up comic and then began an acting career. His films include His films include “Car Wash” in 1978, “Which Way Is Up”, “Carny” and “Fade to Black”.
TCM Overview:
Tall, weathered, silver-haired lead of “B” actioners and supporting player of “A” films and TV. A former comic, Thomerson has amassed credits in over 30 films and made over 50 TV appearances since the mid-1970s. Making his feature debut in the 1976 comedy “Car Wash”, Thomerson went on to appear in some worthier projects including Robert Altman’s “A Wedding”, Alan Rudolph’s “Remember My Name” (1978) and Clint Eastwood’s “Honkytonk Man” (1982). In 1985, Thomerson teamed with thrifty auteur Charles Band to star as Jack Deth in the futuristic thriller “Trancers”. They reteamed for the sequels “Trancers II: The Return of Jack Deth” (1991), “Trancers III: Deth Lives” (1992) and “Trancer 4: Jack of Swords” (1994). Thomerson has also starred in other straight-to-video Band classics including “Dollman” (1991) and “Dollman vs. Demonic Toys” (1993).Between films Thomerson worked as a series regular on several ill-fated shows including the Bill Cosby variety series “Cos” (1976); “Angie” (1979-80); “Glory Years” (1987); “Down and Out in Beverly Hills” (1987) and “Sirens” (1993). His numerous TV guest spots include “Hunter”, “St. Elsewhere”, “21 Jump Street” and “Major Dad”.
The above TCM overview who can also be accessed online here.
Victoria Smurfit was born in 1974 in Dublin. She made her television debut in “Ivanoe” as Rowena in 1997. Her other TV work includes “Ballykissangle” , “The Clinic” and “Trial and Retribution” where she played DCI Roisin Connor. Her films include “The Beach” and “About A Boy”.
Lisa Richard’s agency page:
Victoria recently appears as the role of Lady Jane in NBC’s new TV seriesDRACULA opposite Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Due to her fabulous performance she has been nominated for an IFTA for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in Television for DRACULA..
Her film credits include About a Boy, The Leading Man, Bulletproof Monk, The Beach, So This is Romance? and The Last Great Wilderness. Victoria’s television credits include The Shell Seekers, directed by Piers Haggard, for ITV; Berkeley Square, The Alan Clark Diaries and Ivanhoe, all for the BBC; as well as leading roles in several iconic series, including Jane in Cold Feet, Orla in Ballykissangel and, most notably, DCI Roisin Connor in Trial and Retribution, the next series of which will be seen onITV in the New Year.
Her theatre performances include Maire in Brian Friel’s Translations at the Bristol Old Vic, The Jungle Book for the RSC, and Ten Rounds by Carlo Gebler at the Tricycle Theatre in London. Victoria most recently appeared on stage in Ireland for the first time as Carole in the hugely successful new play October by Fiona Looney produced by Landmark Productions at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin and Cork Opera House.
Victoria most recently appeared as series regular, Dr. Edel Swift in Season 7 of The Clinic for Parallel Films and RTE and as a guest lead in an episode of Marple (as Ella Blunt) for ITV. Victoria recently wrapped filming Honeymoon for One directed by Kevin Connor for Hallmark Channel.
Liam Cunningham was born in 1961 in Dublin. He originally trained as an electrican before taking to the boards. He made his feature film debut in 1992 in “Into the West” with Gabriel Byrne and Ellen Barkin. His other films include “War of the Buttons”, “A Little Princess”, “Jude”, “A Love Divided”, “Showbands” and “The Wind That Shakes the Barley”.
2014 “Independent.ie” article:
The Game of Thrones star has featured in a number of projects with daring or dangerous stunts throughout his career.
And Cunningham (52), who portrays former smuggler Davos Seaworth in the smash-hit HBO drama, told the Herald that he has not left every job unscathed — he has experienced one or two close calls while working in front of the cameras.
“There are always going to be injuries on set — if you are doing things properly,” he said.
“I nearly got killed on a horse when I was filming in France with Clemence Posey a few years ago, where I had two swords attached to me and the horse reared up and I came down on my back; two inches either way and I would have lost a kidney and my life,” he revealed.
“You can only make stunts so safe.
“They are stunts — and it should be bordering on dangerous, because if it’s very safe it looks crap, so there needs to be a sense of danger.”
Even though he has a lead part in a global TV phenomenon, Cunningham — who launched the Westbury Hotel’s new Cafe Novo light breakfast menu yesterday — told this newspaper that he can’t afford to take on small budget theatre work.
“I can’t afford to do theatre, I think people assume if you’re on the television you’re a multi-millionaire.
“It’s HBO and cable, with a very big cast. It’s doing a network show where you make the money, but I’m much too lazy to do that — you have to give up your entire year.”
His co-star Trinity College graduate Jack Gleeson, who plays King Joffrey recently announced that he is looking to pursue a career in theatre production instead.
Cunningham commended the 21-year-old, and said that there are “few actors” who experience the level of success as Gleeson has.
The above “Independent.ie” article can also be accessed online here.
Denis Leary was born in Worchester, Massachusetts in 1957 of Irish parents who came from Killarney. He became a top flight comedy artist before branching into movies. Among his credits are the wonderful “The Ref” with Kevin Spacey and Glynis Johns in 1994, “Demolition Man” and “Suicide Kings”. He is also starring in the television drama series “Rescue Me”. He holds both US and Irish nationality.
TCM Overview:
Having made his mark as an angry man comedian in the early 1990s with a stand-up act that lambasted every aspect of popular culture, actor Denis Leary put his abrasive persona to good use when he made the transition to the screen. He first gained widespread notice with his fast-talking rants that were featured in between commercials on MTV. After achieving a minor hit in the music world with the sardonic 1993 single “Asshole,” Leary starred in the funny, but under-performing comedy “The Ref” (1994) before appearing in the cringe-worthy comedy “Operation Dumbo Drop” (1995). He delivered sturdy performances in uncharacteristically dramatic fare like “Love Walked In” (1997), “Monument Ave” (1998), “The Thomas Crown Affair” (1999) and “Jesus’ Son” (1999). Despite a series of uneven roles, Leary finally found his groove as the star, co-creator and executive producer of “Rescue Me” (FX, 2004-2011), a gritty and acerbically funny look at a group of fireman coping with their dysfunctional lives post-9/11. Irreverent, shocking and sometimes controversial, “Rescue Me” proved to be the perfect vehicle for Leary’s sardonic wit, playing a recovering alcoholic who struggles to keep together what’s left of his family while constantly battling his inner demons. Hailed by critics and blasted by some of the more overzealous watchdog groups, the show allowed Leary to put the full force of his talents on display while opening doors to more mainstream projects.
Denis Leary was born on Aug. 18, 1957, the second of four children of Irish immigrants, Jack and Nora Leary. He was raised in Worcester, MA, where his father was a mechanic and, by his own description, pretty much everyone in the neighborhood grew up to be a cop, firefighter, teamster or criminal. Leary first had his sights set on becoming a professional hockey player until a viewing of Martin Scorsese’s “Mean Streets” (1973) altered his world view. He was so captivated by the realness of the characters onscreen, he decided he wanted to try acting. He became involved with community theater groups after graduating from St. Peter-Marion Catholic high school in 1975, then moved to Boston to study writing and theater at Emerson College. At Emerson, Leary fell in with other talented up-and-comers – including future stand-ups Steven Wright and Mario Cantone – and in 1976, he co-founded the Emerson Comedy Workshop, a writing and performing group that survives today. He appeared in sketch comedy shows and one-act plays, eventually wanting to try stand-up comedy. At the time, Boston had a thriving local comedy scene that launched the careers of Lenny Clarke, Colin Quinn, Paula Poundstone, Wright and Cantone. In addition to schoolwork and Emerson productions and hosting his own stand-up night at the club Play it Again Sam’s, Leary also formed a band with musicians from the Comedy Workshop. The group performed comical songs that would become a trademark of Leary’s eventual breakout.
Following his graduation in 1979, Leary was offered a job teaching comedy writing at his alma mater. He stayed in Boston another five years; long enough to work up solid stand-up material and marry one of his students, writer Ann Lembeck. The pair eventually moved to New York City, where Leary began to break into the city’s standup scene and land writing work. In one of his earlier gigs, Leary was a writer and performer on MTV’s Colin Quinn-hosted game show “Remote Control” (1987-1990), where Leary made walk-on appearances as Andy Warhol and a lion tamer with a kitten, among others. In London, he served as host of the “London Underground” TV variety show and while he was there he debuted his one-man show “No Cure for Cancer” at the Edinburgh International Arts Festival. His performance swept the Critic’s Award and established Leary’s onstage persona as an angry, chain smoking, cynical social observer preoccupied with red meat, death and rock ‘n’ roll. He expounded on such issues as smoking (“I’m going to get a tracheotomy so I can smoke two cigarettes at the same time”) to pop stars (“Sting – he wants to save the seals, he wants to save the rain forests…how about saving your hair, OK, pal?”). The show landed a sold-out run on London’s famed West End and the Learys returned to New York and a four-month run off-Broadway.
MTV tapped Leary’s rebellious attitude for a series of image spots and he became an instant icon of the era, pacing back and forth in a black leather jacket in a squalid urban setting, smoking furiously, and ranting about everything from Cindy Crawford to the hypocrisy of “political correctness.” “No Cure for Cancer” was aired on Showtime in 1992 and released as an album in 1993, spawning a single and music video for “Asshole,” Leary’s searing musical ode to the “average Joe” living the American consumerists’ self-centered dream. Leary’s instant fame had its detractors, however. Following the widespread popularity of “No Cure for Cancer,” comedy insiders stepped forward to accuse Leary of plagiarizing from similarly angry, nicotine-addicted Bill Hicks. There were claims that Leary not only used some of the comedian’s material verbatim but also co-opted his stage persona. Hicks remained relatively unknown when he died of cancer in 1994 which further enraged accusers who believed Leary had shot to fame based on someone else’s material.
Leary’s MTV work led to product endorsements for Nike, and naturally the acting offers began to come in. The year 1993 found him appearing in nearly half a dozen films, where the 6’3″ blond was generally limited to comic cameos (“National Lampoon’s Loaded Weapon 1”), evil heavies (“Judgment Night”), and regular guys (“The Sandlot”). In 1994 he began a long-term association with budding young director Ted Demme, who cast him as a burglar trapped in a house with dysfunctional hostages in “The Ref” (1994). The black comedy was a perfect vehicle for Leary, while his follow-up “Operation Dumbo Drop” (1995) was historically unsuccessful. Leary teamed with wife Lembeck to collaborate on the story for “Two If By Sea” (1996), but sadly the romantic comedy co-starring Sandra Bullock was also a bomb. Leary and Lembeck teamed up again for the “Lust” segment of “National Lampoon’s Favorite Deadly Sins” (Showtime, 1996), earning a CableACE Award for the short written by Lembeck and directed by Leary. The coffee and cigarettes kept Leary going full speed, and in 1997, he acted in five films – including the forgettable titles “The Matchmaker” and “Love Walked In” – as well as the mildly successful political satire “Wag the Dog” with Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman.
In 1997 Leary finally taped his second stand-up show, “Denis Leary: Lock ‘n’ Load” (HBO), where no one was safe from his acid wit, least of all, O.J. Simpson. (“I hope your kids pull a Menendez on you, O.J. And they’ll be forgiven, 10 times over.”) Big screen offers in the family comedy “Wide Awake” (1998) and “Small Soldiers” (1998) kept his profile high and his bank account full, but still failed to capitalize on Leary’s creative talents. He decided it was time to start his own production company. Apostle, he hoped, would help him gain more creative control over projects and expand his options as an actor and writer. He reunited with Demme to co-produce and star in “Monument Ave” (1998), a dark drama about the Irish mob set in Charlestown, MA, which opened to favorable reviews (under the original title “Snitch”) at the Sundance Film Festival. He went on to enjoy a scene-stealing supporting role in the remake of “The Thomas Crown Affair” (1999), with Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo, and earned a Blockbuster Award for Best Supporting Actor. He also gave a powerful, understated performance as a working class alcoholic down on his luck in the indie “Jesus’ Son” (1999), which was one of the top critic’s picks of the year.
In December of 1999, news came from home that Leary’s cousin Jerry Lucey and his childhood friend Tommy Spencer – both firefighters – had been killed in a savage warehouse blaze in Worcester. In response, he formed the Leary Firefighters Foundation to raise money for survivors of firefighters killed in the line of duty and help supply necessary training and equipment for local fire departments. Perhaps as a tribute, Leary played a firefighter in the David Mamet adaptation “Lakeboat” (2000), before putting features on hold and launching a new phase of his career.
In 2001, Leary debuted “The Job” (ABC, 2001-02), a half hour, single-camera police dramedy co-created with Peter Tolan. Leary starred as the wise-ass, straight shooting, and believably flawed detective Mike McNeil in the standout series, which he also wrote and produced. Despite critical raves, ABC executives seemed unsure what to do with the project and eventually cancelled it, but with all Leary had learned about TV production, he was hungry to take a second crack at it. Meanwhile, the staggering number of firefighting deaths resulting from September 11th prompted him to form The Fund for New York’s Bravest, an offshoot of the Leary Firefighters Foundation devoted to the needs of New York firefighters and their families. While co-developing his next television project with Tolan, Leary appeared in the 2002 crime drama “Bad Boy” and the well-received indie “The Secret Lives of Dentists” (2002), playing a patient of dentist Campbell Scott who becomes the voice of his paranoia. He also voiced saber-toothed tiger Diego in the hit CGI-animated film “Ice Age” (2002).
Leary was finally able to combine his long-time loyalty towards firefighters with his writing and acting talent in the co-creation of “Rescue Me.” The hour-long drama/comedy hybrid starred Leary as Tommy Gavin, a seemingly fearless and tough-as-nails New York firefighter battling alcoholism, the disintegration of his marriage and family, and hallucinations of his firefighting cousin who died on September 11th. An outstanding ensemble cast represented several generations of hard-living blue collar workers daily surviving intense drama with ball-busting wit. Fortunately the show was picked up by edgy cable network FX, which allowed the raunchy firehouse talk and often controversial situations so crucial to its gritty realism to remain intact.
With “Rescue Me,” Leary finally proved that when given the chance to follow his vision, his work was top notch. In 2005, he was nominated for a Best Performance Golden Globe Award. Leary was also nominated for an Outstanding Writing Emmy in 2005 and Outstanding Lead Actor Emmys in 2006 and 2007. Meanwhile, he was a significant player in a strong ensemble cast in “Recount” (HBO, 2008), a made-for-television movie the depicted the behind-the-scenes action during the month-long election fiasco between George W. Bush and Al Gore in 2000. Leary played Democratic consultant and strategist, Michael Whouley, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a series, movie or miniseries. Meanwhile, Leary unsurprisingly generated some controversy after the release of his book, Why We Suck: A Feel Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid (2008), in which he called autistic children “dumb-ass kids,” “morons,” “stupid” and “lazy.” Leary claimed he was taken out of context, saying that he was commenting on the over-diagnosis of autistic children, though he did later publicly apologize. After reprising Diego the saber-toothed tiger for “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” (2009), Leary embarked on his first stand-up tour in 12 years, headlining the “Rescue Me Comedy Tour” in Atlantic City, NJ, with co-stars Lenny Clarke and Adam Ferrera. Meanwhile, the show itself aired its seventh and final season in 2011, ending Leary’s most popular and accomplished project to date.
The above TCM overview can also be accessed online here.
Robert Sean Leonard was born in 1969 in Westwood, New Jersey. He is avery profilic and acclaimed stage actor. His first major film role was in 1989 in “Dead Poet’s Society”. Other films include “Mr and Mrs Bridge” and “Much Ado About Nothing”.
TCM Overview:
A Tony Award-winning stage and film actor with a boyish charm, Robert Sean Leonard first caught the attention of Hollywood with his touching portrayal of a prep school student with theatrical aspirations in Peter Weir’s modern film classic, “Dead Poet’s Society” (1989). A stage-trained actor from the age of 12, Leonard became known for his earnest and touching dramatic performances throughout his career. Dividing his time equally between stage and screen, Leonard managed to maintain success in both mediums, starring opposite some of the business’ most acclaimed actors, including Paul Newman, Glenn Close and Kenneth Branagh. Making the shift to series television in 2004, Leonard joined the cast of the hit medical drama, “House” (Fox, 2004- ), and as Dr. James Wilson, enjoyed the most high profile success in his career to date.
Born Feb. 28, 1969 in Westwood, NJ to Robert and Joy Leonard, the talented youngster showed an interest in theater from an early age, making his stage debut at age 12 in a New Jersey production of “Oliver!” He began to pursue an acting career at the age of 14, performing at the Ridgewood Theater in New York, as well as acting off-Broadway in “Sally’s Gone, She Left Her Name” and in his Broadway debut, starring as Eugene in Neil Simon’s “Brighton Beach Memoirs” in 1986. Only 17 years-old, Leonard’s stage experience and boyish charm helped him make a smooth transition to film, with his feature film debut in “The Manhattan Project” (1986) as well as a starring role in the teen comedy, “My Best Friend is a Vampire” (1988). Landing a prominent dramatic role, Leonard was cast as Neil Perry in Peter Weir’s “Dead Poet’s Society” (1989). Starring opposite Robin Williams and Ethan Hawke, Leonard’s touching performance as a suicidal prep school student earned him rave reviews and opened the door for other film roles.
Managing to balance both acting and an education, Leonard went on to study history at New York’s Fordham University and later attended Columbia University’s School of General Studies and Continuing Education. Forging ahead with acting, however, he appeared on film as the teenage son of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward in the Merchant-Ivory production “Mr. and Mrs. Bridge” (1990). On stage, he performed in the Riverside Shakespeare Company’s production of “Romeo and Juliet” and in the Broadway production of “The Speed of Darkness.” Back on film, Leonard went on to star as a jazz-crazy youth in the World War II drama, “Swing Kids” (1993), portray the love-struck Claudio in Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” (1993) and appear in Martin Scorsese’s “The Age of Innocence” (1993) – all certifiable critical hits. That same year, Leonard earned a Tony nomination for his performance in the Broadway revival of “Candida.” A devoted theater actor, Leonard went on to perform in a production of “King Lear” at San Diego’s Old Globe Theater and appeared on Broadway in productions of “Philadelphia, Here I Come” and Tom Stoppard’s “Arcadia.”
Hollywood came calling again, with Leonard starring opposite Glenn Close and Whoopi Goldberg in Christopher Reeve’s acclaimed directorial debut, “In the Gloaming” (1997), in which Leonard turned in a touching performance as a young AIDS patient who returns home for his final months. Next, Leonard appeared in Whit Stillman’s ensemble comedy, “The Last Days of Disco” (1998) and returned to the stage in 1999 to appear in the Broadway revival of Eugene O’Neill’s “The Iceman Cometh” – in which he shared the stage with none other than Oscar-winner, Kevin Spacey. Teaming up with “Dead Poet” alum Hawke for two films in 2001, Leonard appeared as part of an ensemble cast in Hawke’s directorial debut, “Chelsea Walls” (2001) and starred opposite Hawke and Uma Thurman in Richard Linklater’s indie drama “Tape.” Bouncing back to the stage in that same year, Leonard appeared as A.E. Housman in Tom Stoppard’s “The Invention of Love” – a performance that won him the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play. He continued his hot streak by starring in the Broadway musical “The Music Man,” “The Violet Hour,” and “Long Day’s Journey Into Night,” for which he was nominated for another Tony Award in 2003.
Taking on his first major television role in 2004, Leonard joined the cast of the Fox medical drama, “House” (2004- ), portraying oncologist Dr. James Wilson. The hit drama, which often veered toward the humorous, was Leonard’s most buzzed about role to date. Most of the accolades fell on the show’s lead, maverick doctor, Gregory House – expertly played by British actor, Hugh Laurie. Dr. House’s unorthodox treatment of patients – including an eccentric bedside manner which involved offering rapid and accurate diagnoses after seemingly not paying attention – got most of the critical buzz, but the ensemble cast, including Leonard, each got their chance to shine in the quirky drama that became an instant hit with viewers.
The above TCM overview can also be accessed online here.
A.J. Buckley was born in Dublin in 1978. When he was six, his parents emigrated to Canada. He was featured in the 1998 film “Disturbing Behaviour” and he stars as Adam Ross in the television series “CSI:NY”.
Interview in “Calgary Herald”:
f you didn’t realize that A.J. Buckley is on this season of Justified, don’t feel bad: the actor’s own mother didn’t recognize him when she walked past him at the airport.
Best known for playing lab nerd Adam Ross on CSI: NY, Buckley physically transformed himself so he wouldn’t be typecast by his eight years on the popular TV series after it was cancelled last year.
“I trained my ass off. I put on 45 pounds. I am really big. I’m up to 197 pounds,” Buckley says of the seven months he spent in the gym preparing for his role in North of Hell, a feature film with Katherine Heigl and Patrick Wilson. (Buckley is also a producer on the project.) “I was training twice a day with no cardio, all power lifting.”
And viewers can see the results on this week’s episode of Justified.
“I am pretty much buck naked. You’ll get to see my whole world on Tuesday,” Buckley says, laughing. “It was cold that day. That’s all I have to say.”
The Irish-born, Vancouver-raised actor plays Danny Crowe, a “romantic sociopath,” on Justified. His murder of Crowes imposes on kin back in Harlan County, Kentucky, when their criminal enterprises in Florida dry up. The Crowe clan figures in the works of author Elmore Leonard, whom was an executive producer of the series before his death in 2013. The author excelled at creating engaging characters who lived in a universe of shades of grey.
“None of these guys think they are doing anything wrong and that is the fun part of playing it,” Buckley says. “They don’t think they are bad buys. They have conviction that what they are doing is right and that they are claiming what is theirs.”
But Justified isn’t the only tasty treat on Buckley’s professional plate. The 35-year-old is on the phone from Vancouver, where he’s filming an episode of Supernatural. Yes, the Ghostfacers are back, ready to take names and kick butt. (Not really, but they think they are, as is the wont of the bumbling team of so-so supernatural investigators led by Buckley and Travis Wester.) So, A.J., give us the scoop!
“Uhhh, we’re back?” he says, laughing again. While the details on the plot are under wraps, Buckley will say “Definitely, this episode is a lot different than any other Ghostfacers episode that we’ve done. And I will leave it at that. It’s a lot different in the way that we have shot it, and been portrayed.”
As if ping-ponging from the set in Los Angeles to Vancouver wasn’t enough, Buckley is a freshly minted father. His fiancée, Abigail Ochse, gave birth to the couple’s first child, Willow, on Jan. 19. The day they brought Willow home from the hospital, Buckley had to hop a plane to Vancouver.
He’s been keeping in touch via pictures and Skype, and as Ochse tells him, not much happens the first few weeks except sleeping and feeding.
“This is where it gets crazy: we shoot from 7 a.m. Monday to 6 in Vancouver, then I take the eight o’clock flight and get in at midnight in Los Angeles. I go home and see my fiancée and baby, then leave at 7 a.m. for an all day and night shoot for Justified,” he says. “I’m not complaining at all about how busy I am, but this is definitely going to test my sleeping ability and being able to memorize lines.”
Something else that’s been challenging that last one is his colleagues on the Justified set. From lead Timothy Olyphant to show runner Graham Yost (another Canuck) to the cast and crew, everyone is playing at the top of their game, he says.
“The words are unbelievable. The episode I’m about to do, I’m looking at the words and how it’s written and comes together is so awesome,” Buckley marvels. “Walton Goggins is the best bad guy on TV, hands down. He’s so eloquent. I am doing takes and I am looking at what he is bringing. And then it’s ‘Oh s..t. Sorry, I was looking at what you were doing there.’ Everybody just brings so much.”
Justified airs Tuesdays on Super Channel.
The above article can also be accessed online here.
TCM Overview:
At age six, actor A. J. Buckley’s family moved across the Atlantic to White Rock, British Columbia, where Buckley would grow up. Diagnosed with dyslexia, he struggled with his studies, but found success when he landed his first acting job in the mid ’90s on the Canadian adventure series “The Odyssey.” Shortly thereafter he appeared on the American science-fiction dramas “The X-Files” and “Millennium.” In 1998, he made his film debut in the teen horror thriller “Disturbing Behavior,” which boasted a lineup of teen stars including James Marsden, Katie Holmes, and Ethan Embry. He went on to appear in a number of films, most notably the teen horror flick “The In Crowd” and the acclaimed indie drama “Blue Car.” He worked regularly in television as an actor and voice actor. In 2005, he landed the recurring role on “CSI: NY” as Adam Ross, a gifted scientist with a dark sense of humor. The next year, he made his first appearance on TV’s “Supernatural” as Ed Zeddmore, an aspiring ghost hunter. The character caught on and would appear in several episodes of the show’s run. In 2008, Buckley co-founded the film production company FourFront Productions. Two years later he created a web-series spin-off for his character called “Ghostfacers.” Buckley writes, directs, and stars in the critically acclaimed web-series.
The above TCM overview can also be accessed online here.
Robert Forster, the handsome and omnipresent character actor who got a career resurgence and Oscar nomination for playing bail bondsman Max Cherry in Jackie Brown, died in October 2019. He was 78.
Publicist Kathie Berlin said Forster died of brain cancer following a brief illness. He was at home in Los Angeles, surrounded by family, including his four children and partner Denise Grayson.
Condolences poured in Friday night on social media. Bryan Cranston called Forster a “lovely man and a consummate actor” in a tweet. The two met on the 1980 film Alligator and then worked together again on the television show Breaking Bad and its spinoff film, El Camino, which launched Friday on Netflix.
“I never forgot how kind and generous he was to a young kid just starting out in Hollywood,” Cranston wrote.
His Jackie Brown co-star Samuel L. Jackson tweeted that Forster was “truly a class act/Actor!!”
A native of Rochester, New York, Forster quite literally stumbled into acting when in college, intending to be a lawyer, he followed a fellow female student he was trying to talk to into an auditorium where Bye Bye Birdie auditions were being held. He would be cast in that show, that fellow student would become his wife with whom he had three daughters, and it would start him on a new trajectory as an actor.
A role in the 1965 Broadway production Mrs Dally Has a Lover put him on the radar of Darryl Zanuck, who signed him to a studio contract. He would soon make his film debut in the 1967 John Huston film Reflections in a Golden Eye, which starred Marlon Brando and Elizabeth Taylor.Advertisement
Forster would go on to star in Haskell Wexler’s documentary-style Chicago classic Medium Cool and the detective television series Banyon. It was an early high point that he would later say was the beginning of a “27-year slump”.
He worked consistently throughout the 1970s and 1980s in mostly forgettable B-movies — ultimately appearing in over 100 films, many out of necessity.
“I had four kids, I took any job I could get,” he said in an interview with the Chicago Tribune last year. “Every time it reached a lower level I thought I could tolerate, it dropped some more, and then some more. Near the end, I had no agent, no manager, no lawyer, no nothing. I was taking whatever fell through the cracks.”
It was Quentin Tarantino’s 1997 film Jackie Brown that put him back on the map. Tarantino created the role of Max Cherry with Forster in mind; the actor had unsuccessfully auditioned for a part in “Reservoir Dogs,” but the director promised not to forget him.
In an interview with Fandor last year, Forster recalled that when presented with the script for Jackie Brown, he told Tarantino, “I’m sure they’re not going to let you hire me.” Tarantino replied: “I hire anybody I want.”
“And that’s when I realised I was going to get another shot at a career,” Forster said. “He gave me a career back and the last 14 years have been fabulous.”
The performance opposite Pam Grier became one of the more heartwarming Hollywood comeback stories, earning him his first and only Academy award nomination. He ultimately lost the golden statuette to Robin Williams, who won that year for Good Will Hunting.
After Jackie Brown, he worked consistently and at a decidedly higher level than during the “slump”, appearing in films like David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive, Me, Myself and Irene, The Descendants, Olympus Has Fallen, and What They Had, and in television shows like Breaking Bad and the Twin Peaks revival. He said he loved trying out comedy as Tim Allen’s father in Last Man Standing.
He’ll also appear later this year in the Steven Spielberg-produced Apple+ series Amazing Stories.
Even in his down days, Forster always considered himself lucky. “You learn to take whatever jobs there are and make the best you can out of whatever you’ve got. And anyone in any walk of life, if they can figure that out, has a lot better finish than those who cannot stand to take a picture that doesn’t pay you as much or isn’t as good as the last one,” he told IndieWire in 2011. “Attitude is everything.”
Forster is survived by his four children, four grandchildren and Grayson, his partner of 16 years.
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