Jinko Gotoh

biography:
Jinko Gotoh is a BAFTA-winning and Oscar-nominated producer and consultant in the animation industry. She is renowned for her dedication to championing diverse creative talent and embracing emerging technologies and storytelling techniques.

Born in Japan, Jinko's passion for animation began early, inspired by a viewing of Lady and the Tramp and a life-changing encounter with Astroboy creator Osamu Tezuka. That spark led to a career marked by innovation and global influence.

Her impressive producing credits include the Oscar-nominated and BAFTA-winning Klaus, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, The Little Prince, Oscar-nominated The Illusionist, 9, and the Oscar-winning Finding Nemo.

Jinko launched her feature animation career as a CGI producer on Space Jam and later served as Director of Digital Production at Walt Disney Feature Animation, where she helped guide the studio's transition to CGI. Her work there included films like Dinosaur and projects under Disney's Secret Lab division. After leaving Pixar in 2003, she continued to work globally on studio and independent productions.

A passionate advocate for equity and representation, Jinko is the Vice President of Women in Animation and a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, where she contributes to diversity and inclusion efforts across several committees. She also co-chairs the Producers Guild of America's Animation and VFX Committee. She is a founding board member of the Symphonic Jazz Orchestra, which brings music education to underserved K–4 classrooms.

Academically, Jinko holds a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics and an MFA in Film from Columbia University. In 2021, she returned to her alma mater with Julie Ann Crommett to co-create and teach Ethics: Inclusive Storytelling, a required MFA course.


Miley Cyrus

type: Profile

biography:
Miley Ray Cyrus (born Destiny Hope Cyrus, November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Dubbed the "Pop Chameleon", she has been recognized for her musical versatility and continual artistic reinventions. Cyrus has been referred to as the "Teen Queen" of the 2000s pop culture and regarded as one of the few examples of a child star who went on to have a successful career as an adult.

One of six siblings, Cyrus is the second daughter of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus. She emerged as a teen idol while portraying the titular character of the Disney Channel television series Hannah Montana (2006–2011). As Hannah Montana, she attained two number-one and three top-five soundtracks on the Billboard 200, and the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 top-ten single "He Could Be the One". Cyrus's initial solo career consisted of the teen-friendly pop rock U.S. number-one albums Meet Miley Cyrus (2007) and Breakout (2008); these releases contained the US top-ten singles "See You Again" and "7 Things". The extended play The Time of Our Lives (2009), peaked at number two in the U.S; its lead single "Party in the U.S.A." became one of the best-selling singles in the United States and was certified diamond by the RIAA. Cyrus also released the country pop ballad "The Climb", which peaked at number four. Trying to reinvent her image, she explored dance-pop in her third album, Can't Be Tamed (2010). The record received mixed reviews; however, its title track reached the top ten in the U.S.

Following a hiatus, she underwent a mature and provocative musical shift with the R&B and hip hop-infused Bangerz (2013). Featuring the top-five single "We Can't Stop" and Cyrus's first U.S. number-one "Wrecking Ball", it became her fifth number-one album and earned Cyrus her first Grammy Award nomination. She experimented with psychedelic music on her follow-up, the free album Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz (2015), embraced country pop on Younger Now (2017), which yielded the U.S. top-ten single "Malibu", and incorporated trap on the EP She Is Coming (2019). Cyrus explored rock on Plastic Hearts (2020), which topped the Billboard Top Rock Albums chart. Her next, Endless Summer Vacation (2023), was preceded by the lead single "Flowers", which set several streaming records and became her second U.S. number-one single.

Outside of her music, Cyrus starred in the films Bolt (2008), Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009), The Last Song (2010), LOL (2012), and So Undercover (2013), and appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017). On television, she led and produced the documentary, Miley: The Movement (2013), served as a coach on the singing competition series The Voice (2016–2017), starred in the "Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too" episode from the Netflix series Black Mirror (2019), hosts the yearly NBC holiday special Miley's New Year's Eve Party (2021–present), and starred in and executive produced the Disney+ documentary concert special, Endless Summer Vacation (Backyard Sessions) (2023). In 2014, she founded the non-profit organization Happy Hippie Foundation, which was supported by the web video series Backyard Sessions (2012–2023).

Description above from the Wikipedia article Miley Cyrus, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

place_of_birth: Franklin, Tennessee, USA

known_for_department: Acting


Brian Heighton

biography: Brian Heighton is a Canadian actor and playwright known for his contributions to the performing arts. With a career spanning both acting and writing, he has made significant strides in the Canadian entertainment industry. Heighton has showcased his talent on stage and screen, displaying versatility in his performances. Additionally,  while his primary career has been as an actor,  during that time, he has been painting and has decided to travel down a new road, that of a professional artist.


Briana Buckmaster

biography: Briana Buckmaster is an actor, singer and voice over performer originally hailing from Moose Jaw Saskatchewan. She attended the prestigious Grant MacEwan University where she received her diploma in Theatre Arts.

place_of_birth: Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada


Susan Fitzer

biography: Susan Fitzer is known for Penguins of Madagascar (2014), Flushed Away (2006) and Turbo (2013).


Dev Patel

biography:
Dev Patel (born 23 April 1990) is a British actor. He began his career playing Anwar Kharral in the E4 teen drama Skins (2007). His breakthrough came with the leading role of teenager Jamal Malik in Danny Boyle's drama Slumdog Millionaire (2008), for which Patel was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

Patel's career expanded with leading roles in the comedy-dramas The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011) and The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015), the science fiction thriller Chappie (2015), and a supporting role in the HBO series The Newsroom (2012–2014). For his performance as Saroo Brierley in the drama Lion (2016), Patel won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He subsequently starred in the independent films Hotel Mumbai (2018), The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019) and The Green Knight (2021), and made his directorial debut with the action film Monkey Man (2024).

place_of_birth: Harrow, Greater London, England, UK


Irrfan Khan

biography:
Saahabzaade Irfan Ali Khan (January 7, 1967 - April 29, 2020) credited as Irrfan Khan or simply Irrfan, was an Indian film actor, known for his work predominantly in Hindi cinema, as well as his works in British films and Hollywood. In a film career spanning almost thirty years and featuring in more than fifty domestic films, Khan received numerous awards, including a National Film Award and Filmfare Awards in four categories. Film critics, contemporaries and other experts consider him to have been one of the finest actors in Indian cinema for his versatile and natural acting. In 2011, he was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honour for his contribution to the field of arts.

Globally, Khan worked in several international projects such as The Warrior (2001), The Namesake (2006), The Darjeeling Limited (2007), the Academy Award winning film Slumdog Millionaire (2008), New York, I Love You (2009), The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), Life of Pi (2012), Jurassic World (2015) and Inferno (2016).

place_of_birth: Jaipur, Rajasthan, India


Marina Foïs

biography:
Marina Sylvie Foïs (born 21 January 1970) is a French actress.

Born in Boulogne-Billancourt in the department of Hauts-de-Seine in a family from Russian, Jewish Egyptian, German and Italian ancestry, Marina Foïs was discovered in 1986 for her comedy work in The School for Wives, at the age of 16. She decided to take classes by correspondence and obtained her high school final exam two years later. She then joined The Royal Imperial Green Rabbit Company, which later became Les Robins des Bois, composed of students from the Cours Florent taught by Isabelle Nanty.

The troupe caught the attention of Dominique Farrugia in 1996 and went on to act and direct in the Comédie+ show La Grosse Émission for two years. During that period, Foïs co-wrote sketches with Pierre-François Martin-Laval, playing a number of various characters, like the dim-witted Sophie Pétoncule and the pedantic director Marie-Mûre. The show continued the next year on Canal+ and had a bigger audience. In June 2001, Foïs and the troupe parted ways to focus on their individual film careers. Marina Foïs became a prolific actress, with two to five films released every year.

On 25 November 2020, it was announced that she will be the host for the 46th César Awards.

Marina Foïs has two sisters. Giulia Foïs is a journalist at Libération and a former columnist in the program Arrêt sur images presented by Daniel Schneidermann on France 5, and a current news anchor on I-Télé. Her second sister Elena is a doctor. Their brother, Fabio, died of an airplane crash while participating in an aerobatic demonstration.

Marina was in a partnership with fellow "Robins des Bois" actor Maurice Barthélémy. She also dated Maxime Lefrançois, Mister Univers 2010.

She started dating the director Éric Lartigau in 1999. On December 3, 2004, she gave birth to a boy, Lazare at the Hôpital Saint-Antoine in Paris. They had a second son, Georges, born on 25 September 2008.

Source: Article "Marina Foïs" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.


Martin Provost

biography: Martin Provost is a French film director, writer and actor. He wrote and directed such films as Séraphine and Le ventre de Juliette.

place_of_birth: Brest, Finistère, France

known_for_department: Directing


Tony Dalton

biography:
Álvaro Luis Bernat "Tony" Dalton (born February 13, 1975) is an American and Mexican actor. For much of his career, he has acted in Mexican films, television shows, and stage plays. He is best known in the United States for his portrayal of Lalo Salamanca in Better Call Saul (2018–2022). He also starred as Jack Duquesne in the 2021 Marvel Cinematic Universe miniseries Hawkeye.

Álvaro Luis Bernat Dalton was born in Laredo, Texas, on February 13, 1975, the son of an American mother and a Mexican father. He attended the Eaglebrook School in Deerfield, Massachusetts, then studied acting at New York City's Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute.

Dalton's first major role was on the Mexican telenovela Rebelde (2004–2006). His first film role was in Matando Cabos (2004), which he also co-wrote. He later wrote and starred in Sultanes del Sur (2007). His other film credits include Violanchelo (2008) and The Perfect Dictatorship (2014). He also played a supporting role in the HBO Latin America series Capadocia (2008). He played the lead in the HBO series Sr. Ávila (2017), which won the International Emmy award for Best Non-English Language Series.

Dalton portrayed Lalo Salamanca in Better Call Saul (2018–2022), first appearing in the season 4 episode "Coushatta." His performance received critical acclaim, earning him nominations for one Screen Actors Guild Award and two Saturn Awards, while some critics deemed Lalo one of the best villains on television. He was cast as Jack Duquesne in the miniseries Hawkeye (2021) after producer Trinh Tran was impressed with his performance in Better Call Saul.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Tony Dalton, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

place_of_birth: Laredo, Texas, USA


Juan Carlos Colombo

biography: Juan Carlos Colombo is an Argentine–Mexican actor. He has lived in Mexico since 1975, where he studied acting and met his wife, actress Patricia Eguía. In 2017, the National Association of Actors awarded him the "Virginia Fábregas" medal for his 25-year artistic career in Mexico. Colombo is mostly known for his television roles, particularly in Televisa's telenovelas, among which are: Teresa (2010), Cachito de cielo (2012), and Yo no creo en los hombres (2014). He is the father of the actor and musician Felipe Colombo.

place_of_birth: San Juan, Argentina


Tommy Wirkola

biography:
Tommy Wirkola (born 6 December 1979) is a Norwegian film director, screenwriter, editor and producer. He is known for his film work in hybrid thrillers that combine horror, action and satire.

For his hybrid genre-focused work, he has won numerous awards and nominations. Dead Snow (2009) and Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead (2014) were selected by the Sundance Film Festival. Dead Snow won the Toronto Dark Film Festival Audience Award and was nominated for four Scream Awards including Best Horror Film. Dead Snow 2 won him Best Film at the Horror Film Festival, Best Director at the International Fantastic Film Festival and Best Screenplay, and Best Film at Alamo Drafthouse's Fantastic Festival in 2014. What Happened to Monday was nominated for Variety's Piazza Grande Award at the Locarno International Film Festival in 2017. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013) was nominated for the People's Choice Award for Best Horror Film. Violent Night (2022) was nominated for Most Outstanding Stunt Performance at the ACTRA Awards, as well as for Best Original Score at the International Film Music Critics Awards and at the Reel Music Film Festival.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Tommy Wirkola, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

place_of_birth: Alta, Norway


Atsushi Ito

place_of_birth: Funabashi, Chiba, Japan


Maxine Peake

biography: Maxine Peake (born 14 July 1974) is an English stage, radio, film and television actress, playwright, producer, director and political activist, who made her name as Twinkle in Victoria Wood's sitcom Dinnerladies. She has since played Veronica in Channel 4's Manchester-based drama series Shameless, barrister Martha Costello in the BBC legal drama Silk and Grace Middleton in The Village. She is also an accomplished stage actress, having played the title role in Hamlet, and had a role in the 2014 film The Theory of Everything. In 2018 she played the lead in the film Funny Cow and had a starring role in Mike Leigh's epic Peterloo, a film very close to her heart.

place_of_birth: Westhoughton, Lancashire, England, UK


Demián Bichir

biography: Demián Bichir Nájera is a Mexican actor. After starring in telenovelas, he began to appear in Hollywood films. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in A Better Life.

place_of_birth: Torreon, Coahuila, Mexico


Jon S. Baird

biography:
Jon S. Baird (born 9 November) is a Scottish film director. Born and raised in Aberdeenshire, he began his career at BBC Television.

Baird studied at the University of Aberdeen in the 1990s, where he graduated with an MA in Politics and International Relations.

place_of_birth: Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, UK


James Marsh

biography:
James Marsh (born April 30, 1963 Truro, Cornwall) is a film director known for directing the cult film Wisconsin Death Trip starring Marcus Monroe and Sir Ian Holm. He won 2008 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for directing Man on Wire.

Marsh lives in Copenhagen, Denmark, with his wife and two children. As an undergraduate, he studied at St. Catherine's College, Oxford.

Description above from the Wikipedia article James Marsh(director), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

place_of_birth: Truro, Cornwall, England, UK


Jess Weixler

biography:
Jessica "Jess" Weixler (born June 8, 1981) is an American actress, best known to date as the lead in the comedy-horror film Teeth and the comedy The Big Bad Swim. She graduated in 1999 from Atherton High School in Louisville, Kentucky, where she also attended the Walden Theatre Conservatory Program and was in The River City Players acting group and in the Chamber Singers choral group and was voted "most talented", and then attended Juilliard.

She was nominated for a Breakthrough Award at the Gotham Awards in 2007 and won the Special Jury Prize in Dramatic category For a juicy and jaw-dropping performance at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007 both for her role in Teeth. She also appeared in the TV series Law & Order: Criminal Intent. In January 2009, she was named by New York Magazine as the "New Indie Queen" of the year and one of the fourteen "New Yorkers you need to know." She currently lives in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, New York.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Jess Weixler, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

place_of_birth: Louisville, Kentucky, USA


Gavin O'Connor

biography: Gavin O'Connor (born December 24, 1963) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, playwright, and actor. He is best known for directing the films Miracle (2004), Warrior (2011), The Accountant (2016), and The Way Back (2020).

place_of_birth: Long Island, New York, USA


Lenny Kravitz

biography:
Leonard Albert Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, and actor.

Kravitz released his debut album Let Love Rule in 1989. This marked the beginning of a music career characterized by a blend of rock, funk, reggae, hard rock, soul, and R&B. Kravitz has had hit singles, including "It Ain't Over 'til It's Over" (1991) and "Again" (2000), each of which reached the top 10 on the Billboard Top 100 chart; other hits include "Let Love Rule" (1989), "Always on the Run" (1991), "Are You Gonna Go My Way" (1993), "Fly Away" (1998), and "American Woman" (1999), each of which reached the top 10 on the Alternative Airplay chart.

Kravitz has won several awards, including the Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, which he received four years in a row from 1999 to 2002, breaking the record for most wins in that category, and setting the record for most consecutive wins in one category by a male performer. Kravitz has sold over 40 million albums worldwide and was ranked 93 on VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock".

Aside from his music career, Kravitz has acted in films including Precious (2009) and the first two installments of The Hunger Games film series (2012–13). He also set up Kravitz Design Inc. He was previously married to Lisa Bonet, with whom he has a daughter, Zoë Kravitz.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Lenny Kravitz, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

place_of_birth: Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA


Ken Marino

biography:
Ken Marino is an American actor, comedian, director, and screenwriter. He was born on December 19, 1968, in Long Island, New York, to an Italian-American family. He attended West Islip High School in West Islip, New York, and then studied at the Lee Strasberg Institute and Tisch School of the Arts at New York University in New York City.

Marino began his career as a cast member on MTV's sketch comedy series The State from 1993 to 1995. He has since starred in a number of television shows, including Party Down (2009-2010), Marry Me (2014-2015), Burning Love (2012-2013), and Childrens Hospital (2008-2016). He has also appeared in films such as Wet Hot American Summer (2001), The Ten (2007), Wanderlust (2012), and Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013-2021).

Marino is married to actress Erica Oyama, and they have two children together. He is a frequent collaborator with his friend and fellow actor David Wain, and they have worked together on a number of projects, including The State, Wet Hot American Summer, and Childrens Hospital.

place_of_birth: West Islip, New York, USA


John Erick Dowdle

biography:
John Erick Dowdle (born December 9, 1972) is an American film director and screenwriter, best known for horror films. He usually works with his brother Drew Dowdle as a producer and co-screenwriter.

With his brother Drew Dowdle as a producer and/or co-screenwriter, John Erick Dowdle directed the horror films Quarantine, Devil, based on a storybook from M. Night Shyamalan, and As Above, So Below, as well as the 2015 thriller film No Escape.

In 2017, Dowdle co-created the miniseries Waco with his brother, which aired on Paramount Network in 2018.

place_of_birth: St. Paul, Minnesota, USA


Kim Byeong-ok

biography: Kim Byung-ok (김병옥) is a South Korean actor.

place_of_birth: South Korea


Félix Alcalá

biography:
Félix Enríquez Alcalá (sometimes credited as Felix Alcala) (born March 7, 1951, in Bakersfield, California) is an Argentine-American film and television director.

Alcalá's first major breakthrough came in 1991 when he was hired by Lynn Marie Latham and Bernard Lechowick to direct an episode of ABC's short-lived drama series Homefront. Since then he has guest-directed on a vast number of series, including CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, ER, Dollhouse, and House. In 1997, Alcalá made his theatrical film directing debut with the film Fire Down Below starring Steven Seagal.

In 2007, Alcalá was nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards for directing the Battlestar Galactica episode Exodus, Part II.

place_of_birth: Bakersfield, California, USA


Priyanka Chopra Jonas

biography:
Priyanka Chopra Jonas (pronounced [pɾɪˈjəŋka ˈtʃoːpɽa]; née Chopra) is an Indian actress and producer. Chopra, the Miss World 2000 pageant winner, is one of India's highest-paid actresses and has received numerous accolades, including two National Film Awards and five Filmfare Awards. In 2016, the Government of India honoured her with the Padma Shri, and Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world. In the next two years, Forbes listed her among the World's 100 Most Powerful Women, and in 2022, she was named in the BBC 100 Women list.

Chopra accepted offers to join the Indian film industry following her pageant wins. Her acting debut came in the Tamil film Thamizhan (2002), followed by her first Bollywood feature in The Hero: Love Story of a Spy (2003). She played the leading lady in the box-office hits Andaaz (2003) and Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004) and had her breakout role in the 2004 romantic thriller Aitraaz. Chopra established herself with starring roles in the top-grossing productions Krrish and Don (2006) and later reprised her role in their sequels. For playing a troubled model in Fashion (2008) drama, Chopra won a National Film Award and a Filmfare Award for Best Actress. Chopra gained further praise for portraying a range of characters in the films Kaminey (2009), 7 Khoon Maaf (2011), Barfi! (2012), Mary Kom (2014), Dil Dhadakne Do (2015), and Bajirao Mastani (2015).

From 2015 to 2018, Chopra starred as Alex Parrish in the ABC thriller Quantico, becoming the first South Asian to headline an American network drama series. Founding the production company Purple Pebble Pictures in 2015, she produced several films under it, including the Marathi films Ventilator (2016) and Paani (2019) and the self-starring Hindi biopic The Sky Is Pink (2019). Chopra has also appeared in Hollywood films, such as Baywatch (2017), Isn't It Romantic (2019), The White Tiger (2021), and The Matrix Resurrections (2021), and starred in the action thriller series Citadel (2023–present).

Chopra ventured into music by releasing three singles and into writing with her memoir Unfinished (2021), which reached The New York Times Best Seller list. Her other ventures include tech investments, a haircare brand, a restaurant, and a homeware line. She promotes social causes such as environment and women's rights. She is vocal about gender equality, the gender pay gap, and feminism. She has worked with UNICEF since 2006 and was appointed the national and global UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for child rights in 2010 and 2016, respectively. Her namesake foundation for health and education works to support underprivileged Indian children. Despite maintaining privacy, Chopra's off-screen life, including her marriage to American singer and actor Nick Jonas, is the subject of substantial media coverage. The couple has one daughter.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Priyanka Chopra, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

place_of_birth: Jamshedpur, Jharkand, India


Bobby Deol

biography:
Vijay Singh Deol (born 27 January 1969), professionally known as Bobby Deol is an Indian film actor who works in Hindi films. In a career spanning more than two decades, he has appeared in over forty films and is the recipient of a Filmfare Award and a Filmfare Best Actor Award nomination. He is the son of Dharmendra and the brother of Sunny Deol, also a successful actor in the Indian Film Industry. He is particularly noted for acting in several thriller films, often playing antiheroic characters who are forced to commit crimes to avenge the deaths of loved ones and his films commonly involve themes of jealousy, deceit, revenge and romantic thrillers often involving him caught in love triangles.

Deol briefly appeared as a child actor in the film Dharam Veer in 1977 and made his acting debut as an adult in Barsaat (1995) which garnered him the Filmfare Best Debut Award.  In addition to acting in films, Deol is involved with several humanitarian causes and has participated in concert tours and stage shows.

place_of_birth: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India


Paul Anka

biography:
Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known for his signature hit songs including "Diana", "Lonely Boy", "Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and "(You're) Having My Baby". Anka also wrote the theme for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson; one of Tom Jones' biggest hits, "She's a Lady"; and the English lyrics to Claude François and Jacques Revaux's music for Frank Sinatra's signature song "My Way", which has been recorded by many, including Elvis Presley. He co-wrote three songs with Michael Jackson: "This Is It" (originally titled "I Never Heard") "Love Never Felt So Good", and "Don't Matter to Me", which became posthumous hits for Jackson in 2009, 2014, and 2018, respectively.

Anka was born in Ottawa, Ontario, to Camelia (née Tannis) and Andrew Emile "Andy" Anka Sr., who owned a restaurant called the Locanda. His parents were both of Lebanese descent. His father came to Canada from Bab Tuma, Damascus, Syria, and his mother was an immigrant from Lebanon. His mother died when he was 18.

Anka sang with the St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral choir under the direction of Frederick Karam, with whom he studied music theory. He studied piano with Winnifred Rees. He attended Fisher Park High School, where he was part of a vocal trio called the Bobby Soxers.

Paul Anka recorded his first single, "I Confess", when he was 14. In 1956, with $100 given to him by his uncle, he went to New York City where he auditioned for Don Costa at ABC Records, singing what was widely believed to be a lovestruck verse he had written to a former babysitter. In an interview with NPR's Terry Gross in 2005, he stated that it was to a girl at his church whom he hardly knew. The resulting song "Diana" brought Anka stardom as it went to No. 1 on the Canadian and US music charts. "Diana" is one of the best selling singles ever by a Canadian recording artist. He followed up with four songs that made it into the Top 20 in 1958, including "It's Time to Cry", which hit No. 4 and "(All of a Sudden) My Heart Sings", which reached No. 15, making him (at 17) one of the biggest teen idols of the time. He toured Britain, then Australia with Buddy Holly. Anka also wrote "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" – a song written for Holly, which Holly recorded just before he died in 1959. Anka stated shortly afterward: "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" has a tragic irony about it now, but at least it will help look after Buddy Holly's family. I'm giving my composer's royalty to his widow – it's the least I can do." ...

Source: Article "Paul Anka" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

place_of_birth: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada


John Crowley

biography:
John Crowley (born 19 August 1969) is an Irish theatre and film director. He is best known for the films Brooklyn (2015) and his debut feature, Intermission (2003), for which he won an Irish Film and Television Award for Best Director. He is a brother of the designer Bob Crowley.

Description above from the Wikipedia article  John Crowley (director), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

place_of_birth: Cork, Ireland


Ben Mendelsohn

biography:
Paul Benjamin Mendelsohn (born 3 April 1969) is an Australian actor. He first rose to prominence in Australia for his break-out role in The Year My Voice Broke (1987). He gained international attention for his starring role in the crime drama Animal Kingdom (2010). He has since had roles in films such as The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Starred Up (2013), Lost River (2014), Mississippi Grind (2015), Rogue One (2016), Darkest Hour (2017), and Ready Player One (2018).

Mendelsohn starred in the Netflix drama series Bloodline (2015–2017), for which he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2016. He played the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood (2018). He joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Talos in the superhero film Captain Marvel (2019) and the Disney+ series Secret Invasion (2023). He has also starred in the HBO crime miniseries The Outsider (2020). In 2024, he began portraying fashion designer Christian Diorin the television series The New Look.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Ben Mendelsohn, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

place_of_birth: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia


Mark Benton

biography: Mark Benton is an English actor and TV presenter known for his roles in Early Doors, Waterloo Road, Shakespeare & Hathaway and Strictly Come Dancing.

place_of_birth: Guisborough, North Yorkshire, England, UK


Oksana Akinshina

biography: Oksana Akinshina was born in Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (now Saint Petersburg, Russia), where she currently lives. Her father was a car mechanic and her mother an accountant. She has a younger sister. Starting acting at age 12, Akinshina was discovered by Sergei Bodrov, Jr., and she made her screen début in the Russian crime film Sisters (2001), Bodrov's own directorial debut. Her second film, Lilya 4-Ever (2001), earned her a 2002 European Film Award nomination for Best Actress. She lost, however, to the eight actresses of the film 8 Women (2002), directed by François Ozon. For her role in Lilya 4-Ever, she also received the award for Best Actress in Leading Role from the Guldbagge Awards, Sweden's national film awards.Since then Akinshina has acted in the films Het Zuiden, directed by Martin Koolhoven, and The Bourne Supremacy (2004), directed by Paul Greengrass.  From 2007 to 2010, Akinshina was married to businessman Dmitry Litvinov, with whom she has a son, Filip Litvinov, born 2 June 2009. In 2012, she remarried to film producer Archil Gelovani. On 15 January 2013, Akinshina gave birth to her second son Konstantin, and on 29 January 2017, she gave birth to a daughter.

place_of_birth: Leningrad, Russian SFSR, USSR [now St. Petersburg, Russia]


Katherine Waterston

biography: Katherine Boyer Waterston is a British-American actress who has starred in films like Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) and Steve Jobs (2015). The daughter of actor Sam Waterston and model Lynn Louisa Woodruff, she studied acting at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Waterston made her film debut in 2007 with roles in Michael Clayton and The Babysitters.

place_of_birth: London, England, UK


Glenn Howerton

biography:
Glenn Franklin Howerton III (born April 13, 1976) is an American actor of television and film. He is best-known for his role as Dennis Reynolds on FX's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (on which he is also a writer and executive producer). He also played Corey Howard on the short-lived 2002 sitcom That '80s Show.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Glenn Franklin Howerton, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

place_of_birth: Okinawa, Japan


Andrew Lewis Caldwell

biography:
Andrew Robert Caldwell (born July 25, 1989) is an American actor.

He appeared on Hannah Montana as Thor, a new kid from Minnesota that Jackson befriends. He also plays the bully, Bubba Bixby, in the Nickelodeon movie, Shredderman Rules, which was based on Wendelin Van Draanen's book series. He also provided the voice of the teenage Avatar Roku in Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Caldwell has made many appearances as small roles in several movies, including Transformers where he was videotaping when the Autobots were landing on earth. He had a role in the film Drillbit Taylor, starring Owen Wilson, and had a lead role in the 2008 comedy film College alongside Drake Bell.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Andrew Caldwell, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

place_of_birth: Grand Blanc, Flint, Michigan, USA


Selena Gomez

biography:
Selena Marie Gomez (born July 22, 1992, Texas, United States) is an American singer, actress, and producer. Regarded as a "triple threat" and one of the leading figures in pop culture, her accolades include a Cannes Film Festival Best Actress award, a Screen Actors Guild award, a Latin Grammy special award, 3 Grammy nominations, 9 Emmy nominations, 7 Golden Globe nominations and a BAFTA nomination.

Gomez began her acting career on the children's television series Barney & Friends (2002–2004). In her teenage years, she rose to stardom for her lead role as Alex Russo in the Emmy winning Disney Channel television series Wizards of Waverly Place (2007–2012). Selena Gomez returned to television in 2021 on the Hulu/Disney+ comedy series Only Murders in the Building (2021–), alongside Steve Martin and Martin Short.

Alongside her television career, Gomez appeared in the films Another Cinderella Story (2008), Princess Protection Program (2009), Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie (2009), Ramona and Beezus (2010), Monte Carlo (2011), Spring Breakers (2012), Getaway (2013), The Fundamentals of Caring (2016), The Dead Don't Die (2019),  A Rainy Day in New York (2019) and Emilia Pérez (2024). She voiced the character Mavis in the Hotel Transylvania film franchise (2012–2022). Gomez executive produced the Netflix television series 13 Reasons Why (2017–2020), documentary Living Undocumented (2019), film The Broken Hearts Gallery (2020), HBO Max cooking series Selena + Chef (2020-) and the Hulu mystery-comedy series Only Murders in the Building.

She has released three albums with her former band, Selena Gomez & the Scene, all of which reached the top ten of the US Billboard 200: Kiss & Tell (2009), A Year Without Rain (2010), and When the Sun Goes Down (2011). Additionally, Gomez's three solo studio albums—Stars Dance (2013), Revival (2015), and Rare (2020)—each debuted atop the Billboard 200. She also released the Spanish-language EP Revelación (2021), for which she received a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album. A number of Gomez's singles have charted inside the top ten of the US Billboard Hot 100, including "Come & Get It", "The Heart Wants What It Wants", "Good for You", "Same Old Love", "Hands to Myself", "We Don't Talk Anymore", "It Ain't Me", her first number-one song "Lose You to Love Me" and "Calm Down". The Guardian credited her with popularizing "whisper pop", a style of pop music characterized by soft, hushed and breathy vocals.

Gomez has worked with many charitable organizations and serves as a UNICEF ambassador since age 17. She advocates for mental health, gender, racial, and LGBT equality, and has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2009. She founded the cosmetic company Rare Beauty in 2020, valued at $2 billion in 2024, and the non-profit Rare Impact Fund. She has appeared in lists such as the Time 100 (2020, 2024), Forbes 30 Under 30 (2016, 2020), was named Billboard's Woman of the Year (2017), Latin Women of the Year (2025), and was made a member of the Order of Arts and Letters by the Government of France (2024). She is the most-followed woman on Instagram, and among the wealthiest musicians.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Selena Gomez, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

place_of_birth: Grand Prairie, Texas, USA


Yuki Matsuzaki

biography:
Yuki Matsuzaki, born in Miyazaki, Japan began acting at the age of 7 in a small theatrical group that performed for children. He performed over 50 shows in local theaters until he was 18. Upon graduating high school, he decided to dedicate his life to acting and moved to New York City to become an accomplished actor with the versatility to perform in both English and Japanese. Upon his arrival, all his money was stolen and he became homeless. In order to survive, he started performing on the streets of Times Square where his first day tally after performing 8-hours was a mere $4.00.

All his endurance and hard work was rewarded when Edward Zwick cast Yuki for The Last Samuri (2003). He began booking roles in such films as Drunken Sword (2005) and Roku (2005). Next Clint Eastwood cast him as Nozaki in Letters from Iwo Jima (2006). Eastwood favored Yuki for his unique preparation. In order to prepare for his role, Yuki only digested celery and water for five weeks to experience famine, confined himself inside dark closets and bathrooms to recreate the claustrophobic atmosphere for the cave fighting sequences. After Letters from Iwo Jima (2006), NBC offered Yuki a co-star role in their hit TV show Heroes (2006/II).

In 2009, Matsuzaki starred alongside Steve Martin, Andy Garcia, Alfred Molina and Aishwarya Rai as a member of an international dream team of detectives in Pink Panther 2 (2009).

place_of_birth: Miyazaki, Japan


Allan Corduner

biography:
Allan Corduner (born April 2, 1950) is an English actor born in Stockholm to a German mother and a Russo-Finnish father. He grew up in a secular Jewish home in London. After earning a BA (Hons) in English and Drama at Bristol University he trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He has worked extensively on stage, TV, and film, both in the UK and in the United States. His voice is familiar from many BBC radio plays, audio books and TV documentaries.

Corduner made his feature film debut in Yentl, with Barbra Streisand. Of his 44 films he is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Sir Arthur Sullivan in Mike Leigh's Topsy-Turvy. He is married to Juha Leppäjärvi, a yoga instructor.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Allan Corduner, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

place_of_birth: Stockholm, Sweden


Ashley Benson

biography:
Ashley Benson (born December 18, 1989) is an American actress and singer. Her accolades include four Teen Choice Awards, a Young Hollywood Award, as well as three People's Choice Award nominations.

Ashley Benson began her career as a competitive dancer at age three, and transitioned to acting in her teens, first gaining recognition for her role as Abigail Deveraux in the soap opera Days of Our Lives (2004–2007). Following her film debut in the 2004 comedy 13 Going on 30, she gained international recognition for starring as Hanna Marin in the Freeform drama thriller series Pretty Little Liars (2010–2017). During this time, she also continued to appear in films such as the crime comedy Spring Breakers (2012), the psychological horror Ratter (2015), the comedy drama Chronically Metropolitan (2016), and the musical drama Her Smell (2018). She has since starred in the films Private Property (2022), Mob Land (2023), and McVeigh (2024), as well as in the Amazon Prime Video psychological thriller miniseries Wilderness (2023).

Aside from acting, Benson has ventured into music, first in 2018 with the soundtrack of Her Smell, followed by her collaboration with G-Eazy in his cover of the Radiohead song "Creep" (2020).

Description above from the Wikipedia article Ashley Benson, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

place_of_birth: Long Beach, California, USA


Elyes Gabel

biography: Elyes Gabel is a British actor, filmmaker and singer-songwriter. He is the founder of a film and music production company, Roughened Verse.

place_of_birth: Westminster, London, England, UK


Isaac Florentine

biography:
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Isaac Florentine is an Israeli-born movie director and martial arts expert. Florentine earned a degree in Film & Television from Tel Aviv University.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Isaac Florentine, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia

place_of_birth: Israel


Scott Adkins

biography:
Scott Edward Adkins (born 17 June 1976) is an English actor and martial artist. He gained prominence with his portrayal of the Russian prison fighter Yuri Boyka in the American film Undisputed II: Last Man Standing (2006), a role he reprised in its sequels Undisputed III: Redemption (2010), which won him an Action on Film Award for Breakout Action Star, and Boyka: Undisputed (2017), which won him a Jackie Chan Action Movie Award for Best Action Movie Actor.

His early acting credits include minor roles in the Hong Kong films The Accidental Spy (2001), Black Mask 2: City of Masks (2002), and The Medallion (2003), and the American films Special Forces (2003), Unleashed (2005), and The Pink Panther (2006). His first lead role was as Casey Bowman in the American martial arts film Ninja (2009), a role he reprised in the sequel Ninja: Shadow of a Tear (2013). He has since been cast in several mainstream films in supporting roles, such as The Expendables 2, Zero Dark Thirty (both 2012), Ip Man 4: The Finale (2019), and John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023), though most of his lead roles have been in direct-to-video films or limited theatrical releases, such as Close Range (2015), Savage Dog (2017), Accident Man(2018), Triple Threat, Avengement (both 2019), Legacy of Lies (2020), Castle Falls (2021), and Accident Man: Hitman's Holiday (2022).

Adkins has been practising martial arts since the age of 13, when he took up taekwondo and earned his black belt at age 19. He is also trained in the styles of judo, kickboxing, capoeira, Krav Maga, Jeet Kune Do (JKD), and Wushu.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Scott Adkins, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia

place_of_birth: Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, England


François Civil

biography:
François Civil (born 29 January 1990) is a French actor. He has appeared in both French and English-language productions and is known for his roles in films such as Frank (2014), As Above, So Below (2014), Five (2016), Burn Out (2017), Love at Second Sight (2019), The Wolf's Call (2019), Who You Think I Am (2019), Someone, Somewhere (2019), BAC Nord (2021), for voicing Buzz Lightyear in the French version of the animated film Lightyear (2022), and for playing D'Artagnan in The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan (2023) and The Three Musketeers: Milady (2023). On television, he has starred in the Disney Channel teen sitcom series Trop la Classe! (2006), in the France 2 comedy-drama series Call My Agent! (2015–17), and in the Netflix comedy miniseries Fiasco (2024).

Civil won a Chopard Trophy for Male Revelation at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, and has earned two nominations for the César Award for Best Supporting Actor; for BAC Nord in 2022 and for Rise in 2023. He was named Actor of the Year by GQ France's Men of the Year Awards in 2023. ...

Description above from the Wikipedia article François Civil, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

place_of_birth: Paris, France


Luca Guadagnino

biography:
Luca Guadagnino, born 10 August 1971, is an Italian film director and producer. His films are characterized by their emotional complexity, eroticism, and lavish visuals. He has received numerous accolades, including a Silver Lion, alongside nominations for an Academy Award and three BAFTA Awards.

Born in Palermo, Guadagnino spent part of his childhood in Ethiopia. However, the family returned to Italy to escape the Ethiopian Civil War. Guadagnino began his career directing short films and documentaries. He made his feature-film debut with The Protagonists (1999), the first of his many collaborations with actress Tilda Swinton. His follow-up, Melissa P. (2005), was a commercial success in Italy but was met with mixed critical reception.

Guadagnino gained further acclaim with his Desire trilogy, which consists of the films I Am Love (2009), A Bigger Splash (2015), and Call Me by Your Name (2017). The latter brought him international recognition. Suspiria (2018), a remake of the 1977 film, was Guadagnino's first foray into the horror genre. It was a box office failure and polarized critics. Guadagnino's following projects were We Are Who We Are (2020), a coming-of-age miniseries for HBO, the romantic horror film Bones and All (2022), the romantic sports film Challengers (2024), and the period romantic drama Queer (2024).

Guadagnino directed several documentaries, including Bertolucci on Bertolucci (2013) and Salvatore: The Shoemaker of Dreams (2020). Aside from filmmaking, he has been involved in the fashion world, directing advertisements for brands like Fendi and Salvatore Ferragamo. In 2012, Guadagnino founded the production company Frenesy Film Company. He also produced Belluscone: A Sicilian Story (2014), The Truffle Hunters (2020), Salvatore: The Shoemaker of Dreams (2020), Holiday, and Enea (2023).

Description above from the Wikipedia article about Luca Guadagnino, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

place_of_birth: Palermo, Italy


Whit Stillman

biography:
Whit Stillman (born John Whitney Stillman on January 25, 1952) is an American writer-director known for his sly depictions of the "urban haute bourgeoisie" (as a character in Metropolitan terms the upper-class WASPs of the U.S. socio-cultural elite).

Description above from the Wikipedia article Whit Stillman, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

place_of_birth: Washington, District of Columbia, USA

known_for_department: Writing


Tyler Hoechlin

biography: Tyler Lee Hoechlin  (born September 11, 1987) is an American actor who got his big break starring alongside Tom Hanks in the film Road to Perdition (2002) as Michael Sullivan Jr. For television he is best known for his roles as Superman/Clark Kent in Superman & Lois (and other connected shows) and as Martin Brewer in 7th Heaven.

place_of_birth: Corona, California, USA


Ryuichi Hiroki

biography: Ryūichi Hiroki (廣木 隆一 Hiroki Ryūichi, born January 1, 1954) is a Japanese film director. He won critical acclaim for 800 Two Lap Runners. Film critic and researcher Alexander Jacoby has described Hiroki as "one of the modern Japanese cinema's most intelligent students of character".

place_of_birth: Koriyama, Fukushima, Japan


Jamie Chung

biography: Jamie Jilynn Chung (born April 10, 1983) is an American actress known to reality television audiences as a cast member on the MTV reality television series, The Real World: San Diego and its spin-off show, Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Inferno II, and for her appearances in TV and films, such as I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, Sorority Row, and Sucker Punch.

place_of_birth: San Francisco, California, USA


Lorraine Ashbourne

biography:
Lorraine Ashbourne (born 1961 in Manchester) is an English stage, film and television actress.  She attended Wilbraham High School, when living in Fallowfield. She joined Stretford Children's Theatre. She took part in the University of Manchester Stage Society and Manchester Youth Theatre. She joined the Webber Drama School on 19 April 1982.  Ashbourne has appeared on British series and television films, including: Playing the Field (1998), Unforgotten (2017), Grantchester (2017), Maigret in Montmartre (2017), Midsomer Murders (2018), The Street, and Jericho.

As a stage actor, Lorraine regularly appeared at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, portraying roles such as Kate Hardcastle in She Stoops to Conquer and Emilia in Othello, acting in both of these alongside her husband Andy Serkis.

In 2019, she starred as Barbara Castle in The Crown (2019), and from 2020, she starred as Mrs. Varley in Bridgerton. She played Joan Nuthall in Alma's Not Normal (2020), and was Daphne Sparrow in Sherwood (2022). She played Karen in I Hate Suzie (2024), and appeared in After the Flood (2024)

place_of_birth: Manchester, England, UK


Naoya Fujimaki

biography: Naoya Fujimaki (藤巻 直哉, Fujimaki Naoya, August 20, 1952) is a Japanese film producer and singer currently working at Hakuhodo DY Media Partners. He is affiliated with Torch Link.

place_of_birth: Tokyo, Japan

known_for_department: Production


Omar Sy

biography: Omar Sy (born 20 January 1978) is a French film actor, best known for his duo with Fred Testot, Omar et Fred, and for his role in The Intouchables, written and directed by Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano, which became the second highest grossing French film of all time in the French box office. He received the César Award for Best Actor on 24 February 2012 for his role in The Intouchables and in doing so also became the first black actor to win the honorary French award. The role also earned him a nomination for a Satellite Award for Best Actor.

place_of_birth: Trappes, Yvelines, France


Ryan Hansen

biography: Ryan Hansen (born July 5, 1981) is a European-American businessman, entrepreneur, actor, producer, and host, best known for having portrayed Dick Casablancas on Veronica Mars and Nolan in Friday the 13th. He also played Kyle on the Starz show Party Down. Hansen was born in Fountain Valley, California and raised in El Cajon, California, but has since moved with his wife Amy to L.A. Hansen began acting with guest starring roles on series such as Grounded for Life, That's So Raven, and Las Vegas. In 2004, Hansen auditioned for the role of Duncan Kane on Veronica Mars but lost out to Teddy Dunn. However, Rob Thomas told him to try out for the role of Dick Casablancas. He is set to play Ted Warner a new addition to the cast in the 4th Season of the popular television show House Of Cards. Ryan is involved in the campaign Invisible Children and has appeared in the online series The LXD, of which 50% of the profits is going to the Invisible Children Campaign. In 2008, Hansen appeared in Superhero Movie, released on March 28. Also in 2008, Hansen appeared in the CCT original musical Alice as Trevor McKnight/ White Night. The show opened on July 31 and ran through August 10, in San Diego. Hansen will appear as a series regular on the upcoming sitcom Friends with Benefits, which will air on NBC as a midseason replacement during the 2010-11 television season. Hansen and his wife were former roommates of Kristen Bell at her house in the Hollywood Hills

place_of_birth: Fountain Valley, California, USA


Raini Rodriguez

biography:
Raini-Alena Rodriguez (born July 1, 1993) is an American actress and singer. She is known for her roles as Trish in the Disney Channel original series Austin & Ally, Maya Blart in Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009) and Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 (2015), and Tess in Prom (2011). She won Best Young Television Actress at the 2013 Imagen Awards.

Rodriguez was born in Bryan, Texas, the daughter of Diane and Roy Rodriguez, who owns a business. She is the older sister of actor Rico Rodriguez.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Raini Rodriguez, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

place_of_birth: Bryan, Texas, USA


Gina Carano

biography: Gina Joy Carano (born April 16, 1982) is an American actress, television personality, fitness model and a former mixed martial artist. Carano appeared as Crush, a Gladiator on American Gladiators. She has been referred to as the "Face of Women's MMA." Carano was formerly the third best 145 lb (66 kg) female fighter in the world, according to the Unified Women's MMA Rankings. Carano starred in the 2012 action film, Haywire, and 2013 film Fast & Furious 6.

place_of_birth: Dallas County, Texas, USA


Gabrielle Zevin

biography:
Gabrielle Zevin (born October 24, 1977) is an American author and screenwriter.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Gabrielle Zevin, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

place_of_birth: New York City, New York, USA


Robert Addie

biography:
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Robert Alastair Addie (10 February 1960 – 20 November 2003) was an English actor who was best known for playing Sir Guy of Gisbourne in the television series Robin of Sherwood.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Robert Addie, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

place_of_birth: London, England


Gyton Grantley

biography: Gyton James Grantley (born 17 July 1980) is an Australian actor and comedian, best known for his portrayal of convicted murderer and drug trafficker Carl Williams in the hit Australian television show Underbelly, for which he was nominated for both Most Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series and Most Popular Actor for the 2009 TV Week Logie Awards and the 2008 AFI award (winning for Most Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series).

place_of_birth: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia


Jon DeVries

biography: Jon DeVries  is an actor.


Li Xiaoran

biography: Li Xiaoran (Chinese: 李小冉) is a Chinese actress born on May 8, 1976. She graduated from Beijing Dance Academy at the age of 17, and was the only dancer recruited into the Oriental Song and Dance Troupe from Beijing.

place_of_birth: Beijing, China


Ken Chang Tzu-Yao

biography: Ken Chang or Chang Tzu-yao is a Taiwanese actor and Mandopop singer who grew up in Brazil since the age of 3.

place_of_birth: Taibei, Taiwan, China


Kenichi Matsuyama

biography: Kenichi Matsuyama (松山 ケンイチ, Matsuyama Ken'ichi, born March 5, 1985) is a Japanese actor. He is known for his affinity for strange character roles, and he is best known internationally for playing L in the 2006 films Death Note, Death Note 2: The Last Name and L: Change the World in 2008, as well as voicing Gelus in the Death Note animated adaptation. He was cast to play lead character Toru Watanabe in the film adaptation of Haruki Murakami's novel Norwegian Wood, which was released in December 2010.

place_of_birth: Mutsu, Aomori, Japan


Weiron Holmberg

place_of_birth: Gothenburg, Göteborgs och Bohus län, Sweden [now Västra Götalands län, Sweden]


Enid-Raye Adams

biography: Enid-Raye Adams is a prolific Canadian actress, writer, and director who has built a steady career in film, television, and theater. She is widely recognized for her versatile character work across major North American television productions and independent films.

place_of_birth: Portage La Prairie, Manitoba, Canada


Dave Gibbons

place_of_birth: Forest Gate, London, England, UK


Ella Lemhagen

biography: Ella Elisabet Lemhagen (born 29 August 1965 in Uppsala) is a Swedish film director and screenwriter. In 2012 she received the honorary award, Gullspira, for her outstanding work in youth culture on the Guldbagge Award (the Swedish equivalent to the Academy Awards).

place_of_birth: Uppsala, Sweden


Ellen Dorrit Petersen

biography: Ellen Dorrit Petersen is a Norwegian actress.

place_of_birth: Tau, Norway


Alison Araya

biography: Alison Araya is a versatile Australian actress, writer, and costume designer known for her extensive career as a character actress across major television franchises and film projects. Primarily based in Canada, she has built a robust portfolio spanning superhero series, dramatic network television and popular streaming projects.

place_of_birth: Sydney, Australia


Jessica Booker

biography: Jessica Booker was born on 1 January 1921 in Paisley, Scotland, UK. She was an actress, known for American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile (2006), RoboCop (2014), Last Night (1998) and Dirty Work (1998). She died on 23 February 2013 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

place_of_birth: Paisley, Scotland, UK


Bea Arthur

biography:
Beatrice Arthur (born Bernice Frankel; May 13, 1922 – April 25, 2009) was an American actress and comedian. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, Arthur began her career on stage in 1947, attracting critical acclaim before achieving worldwide recognition for her work on television beginning in the 1970s as Maude Findlay in the popular sitcoms All in the Family (1971–1972) and Maude (1972–1978) and later in the 1980s and 1990s as Dorothy Zbornak on The Golden Girls (1985–1992).

She won several accolades throughout her career, beginning with the 1966 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for playing Vera Charles in Mame. She won Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1977 for Maude and 1988 for The Golden Girls. Arthur has received the third most nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series with nine; only Julia Louis-Dreyfus (11) and Mary Tyler Moore (10) have more. She was inducted into the academy's Television Hall of Fame in 2008.

Her film appearances include Lovers and Other Strangers (1970) and the film version of Mame (1974). In 2002, she starred in the one-woman show Bea Arthur on Broadway: Just Between Friends. An obituary described Arthur as "the tall, deep-voiced actress whose razor-sharp delivery of comedy lines made her a TV star."

She served in the U.S. Marine Corps Women's Reserve in World War II.


Joseph Morgan

biography: Joseph Morgan (born Joseph Martin; 16 May 1981) is a British actor and director. He is best known for his role as Niklaus "Klaus" Mikaelson on The CW's The Vampire Diaries and its spin-off The Originals, in which he is the lead.

place_of_birth: London, England, UK


Esmé Creed-Miles

biography: Esmé Creed-Miles (born 5 February 2000) is an English actress, known for starring in the Amazon Video series Hanna. Creed-Miles was born in England and attended the English boarding school Bedales. She is the daughter of actors Charlie Creed-Miles and Samantha Morton.

place_of_birth: Barnet, England, UK


Yoshiyuki Tomino

biography:
Yoshiyuki Tomino (富野 由悠季, Tomino Yoshiyuki; born 富野 喜幸; November 5, 1941)is a Japanese anime director, screenwriter, songwriter and novelist best known for creating the Gundam anime franchise.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Yoshiyuki Tomino, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

place_of_birth: Odawara, Kanagawa, Japan


Margo Harshman

biography: Margo Cathleen Harshman is an American actress known for her role as Tawny Dean on Even Stevens, on The Big Bang Theory as Sheldon Cooper's assistant, Alex Jensen, and as Delilah McGee, Timothy McGee's paraplegic wife on NCIS.

place_of_birth: San Diego, California, USA


Shiloh Fernandez

biography:
Shiloh Thomas Fernandez (born February 26, 1985) is an American actor and model, best known for his roles in Jericho, Deadgirl and United States of Tara, as well as portraying Peter in the film Red Riding Hood.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Shiloh Fernandez, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

place_of_birth: Ukiah, California, USA


Andy McAvin

biography:
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  Andrew Mark "Andy" McAvin (born January 4 , 1952 in Denver, Colorado) is an American actor and voice over actor with nearly 80 credits to his resume. He also appeared in over 120 professional theatrical productions including Broadway musicals. Appeared as himself in the documentary, Into the Wind, about powered paragliding. He mostly does voice work in anime dubs for ADV Films and Seraphim Digital.

One of his most prominent roles was the genocidal villain Brian J. Mason in Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040, the voice type of which is referred to by cast and crew-mates as the "slime that walks like a man" voice. He also did voice work for the AD Police: To Serve and Protect spin off and for Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Andy McAvin , licensed under CC-BY-SA,full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

place_of_birth: Denver, Colorado, USA


Rutanya Alda

biography: Rutanya Alda (born October 13, 1942) is a Latvian-American actress.

place_of_birth: Riga, Latvia


René Laloux

biography: René Laloux was born in Paris in 1929 and went to art school to study painting. After some time working in advertising, he got a job in a psychiatric institution where he began experimenting in animation with the interns. It is at the psychiatric institution that he made 1960's Monkey's Teeth (Les Dents du Singe), in collaboration with Paul Grimault's studio, and using a script written by the Cour Cheverny's interns. Another important collaborator of his was Roland Topor with whom Laloux made Dead Time (Les Temps Morts, 1964), The Snails (Les Escargots, 1965) and his most famous work, the feature length Fantastic Planet (La Planète Sauvage, 1973). Laloux also worked with Jean Giraud (Mœbius) to create the lesser known film Les Maîtres du temps (Time Masters), released in 1982. Laloux's 1988 film, Gandahar, was released in the US as Light Years, and made in cooperation with the artist Caza. The US version was redubbed by Harvey Weinstein, from a screenplay adapted by Isaac Asimov. The US version was not as successful as the French version, grossing less than $400,000 on its release. Laloux died of a heart attack on March 14, 2004 in Angoulême, Charente, Poitou-Charentes, France.

place_of_birth: Paris, France


Lesley Sharp

biography: Lesley Sharp is an outstanding film and television actress who has been nominated for many prestigious awards, including BAFTA Best Supporting Actress (nominated) for 'The Full Monty', RTS Television Award for Best Actress (Winner) and Golden Nymph Award for Outstanding Actress (Winner) for her drama series for 'Afterlife'.

place_of_birth: Manchester, Lancashire, England, UK


Steven Elder

biography: Steven Elder is an English actor and screenwriter, known for his roles in the feature films Good and The King, and the BBC television series Apple Tree Yard.

place_of_birth: Rotherham, Yorkshire, UK


Philip Madoc

biography: Philip Madoc was a Welsh actor. He performed many stage, television, radio and film roles. On television, he played David Lloyd George in The Life and Times of David Lloyd George and the lead role in the detective series A Mind to Kill

place_of_birth: Twynyrodyn, Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan, Wales, UK


Rashida Jones

biography:
Rashida Leah Jones (born February 25, 1976) is an American actress, writer, and producer. She is known for starring as Ann Perkins on the NBC comedy series Parks and Recreation (2009–2015), for which she received critical acclaim.

Jones appeared as Louisa Fenn on the Fox drama series Boston Public (2000–2002) and as Karen Filippelli on the acclaimed NBC comedy series The Office (2006–2011). From 2016 to 2019, Jones starred as the lead eponymous role in the TBS comedy series Angie Tribeca.

Jones is also known for her roles in such films as I Love You, Man (2009), The Social Network (2010), Our Idiot Brother (2011), The Muppets (2011), Celeste and Jesse Forever (2012), which she co-wrote, and Tag (2018). Jones also co-wrote the story of Toy Story 4 (2019).

As a filmmaker, she directed the first episode of Hot Girls Wanted, a series that focused on the sex industry. She was also executive producer of the series. In 2018, her documentary Quincy, about her father, Quincy Jones, debuted on Netflix; it won the Grammy Award for Best Music Film in 2019.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Rashida Jones, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

place_of_birth: Los Angeles, California, USA


Rob Huebel

biography: Rob Huebel (born June 4, 1969) is a European-American actor, comedian and writer best known for his sketch comedy work on the MTV series Human Giant. He currently co-stars on the Adult Swim series Childrens Hospital and on the FOX sitcom Traffic Light.

place_of_birth: Alexandria - Virginia - USA


Michael Zegen

biography:
Michael Jonathan Zegen (born February 20, 1979) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in the television series Rescue Me (2004–2011), Boardwalk Empire (2011–2014), and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017–2023).

Zegen was born to a teacher mother and a lawyer father, and lived in Glen Rock, New Jersey, before moving to nearby Ridgewood when he was five. He has two brothers. He is Jewish. His mother was born in Austria in a displaced persons' camp, and his maternal grandparents were Holocaust survivors from Ukraine and Poland. He attended Ridgewood High School, where he was active in the school's theater program. Zegen is a 2001 graduate of Skidmore College.

His role on Rescue Me began as a recurring character in seasons 1–3, playing the nephew of series lead Tommy Gavin (Denis Leary). In seasons 5–6, he was promoted to the main cast when his character began probationary firefighter school to become a firefighter.

In 2010, Zegen was cast as gangster Bugsy Siegel for the second, third, and fifth season of the HBO series, Boardwalk Empire. In 2011, Zegen, along with James Ransone, was cast in supporting roles in the HBO comedy series How To Make It In America. In mid-2011, Zegen was cast in a recurring guest role in the second season of the AMC series The Walking Dead. In 2014 he created the role of Liam off-Broadway in the dark comedy Bad Jews. Zegan made his Broadway debut in A View from the Bridge in 2015. In 2017, Zegen played Joel Maisel in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. For the role he has won two Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series awards from the Screen Actors Guild. He returned to Broadway in 2021 to star in Trouble in Mind by Alice Childress.

place_of_birth: Ridgewood, New Jersey, Stati Uniti


Jenni Baird

biography:
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Jenni Baird (born 1976) is an Australian actress, known for her roles as Paula Morgan on All Saints and Meghan Doyle in The 4400. She gave birth to a baby in 2008. She is married to Australian filmmaker Michael Petroni.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Jenni Baird, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

place_of_birth: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia


Jonathan Bailey

biography:
Jonathan Stuart Bailey (born April 25, 1988) is an English actor known for his dramatic, comedic, and musical roles on stage and screen. He is the recipient of a Laurence Olivier Award, a Critics' Choice Television Award, as well as a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.

Bailey began his career as a child actor in Royal Shakespeare Company productions, and by eight, he was performing as Gavroche in a West End production of Les Misérables. He has since starred in contemporary plays such as South Downs in 2012, The York Realist in 2018, and Cock in 2022; in classical plays like the Royal National Theatre's Othello in 2013 and Chichester Festival Theatre's King Lear in 2017; as well as in musicals, namely the London revival of The Last Five Years in 2016 and the West End gender-swapped revival of Company, for which he won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical in 2019.

On screen, Bailey starred in the action-adventure series Leonardo (2011–2012) and the musical-comedy Groove High (2012–2013) before becoming known for his roles in the crime drama Broadchurch (2013–2015), the satire W1A (2014–2017), and the comedy Crashing (2016). He gained international recognition for his starring role in the Regency romance series Bridgerton (2020–present). Bailey's role in the romantic drama miniseries Fellow Travelers (2023) won him a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor and a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor. He has since played Fiyero in the two-part musical fantasy film Wicked (2024–25).

Description above from the Wikipedia article Jonathan Bailey, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

place_of_birth: Wallingford, Oxfordshire, England, UK


Audrina Patridge

biography:
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Audrina Cathleen Patridge (born May 9, 1985) is an American television personality, actress, and model. She is known for being one of the four original primary cast members featured on the MTV reality series The Hills. She also hosts The Talent Contest Network, YOBI.tv, and has starred in the films Sorority Row and Into The Blue 2.

Patridge returned to reality television in April 2011 with her new series, Audrina.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Audrina Patridge, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

place_of_birth: Placentia, California, U.S.


Tahar Rahim

biography: Tahar Rahim (born 4 July 1981) is a French actor. His breakthrough performance was in the 2009 French film A Prophet, for which he won the César Award for Best Actor and Most Promising Actor. He has since starred as FBI agent Ali Soufan in the miniseries The Looming Tower and Judas in the film Mary Magdalene (both 2018).  garnered critical acclaim and nominations for the Golden Globe Award and the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for portraying Mohamedou Ould Salahi in The Mauritanian (2021). He received another Golden Globe Award nomination for portraying Charles Sobhraj in the miniseries The Serpent (2021).

place_of_birth: Belfort, Territoire de Belfort, France


Shawn Roberts

biography:
Shawn Roberts (born April 2, 1984) is a Canadian actor.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Shawn Roberts, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

place_of_birth: Stratford, Ontario, Canada


Toshiaki Toyoda

biography: Japanese director and screenwriter. He is known for his films featuring young outcasts who struggle to fit in with mainstream society. Toyoda himself was arrested multiple times for drug possession, influencing some of his more recent works.

place_of_birth: Higashiōsaka, Ōsaka Prefecture, Japan


Denis Ménochet

biography: Denis Menochet (born 1977 in Enghien-les-Bains, Val-d'Oise) is a French film and television actor. Menochet is perhaps best known to an international audience for his role as Perrier LaPadite, a French dairy farmer interrogated by the Nazis for harboring Jews, in the 2009 Quentin Tarantino film, Inglourious Basterds.  Elizabeth Weitzman, a film critic for the New York Daily News, praised Menochet's work opposite Christoph Waltz in the opening scene of Inglorious Basterds. Weitzman wrote in August 2009, "The terrific opening, for example, does feature a hailstorm of bullets. What you'll remember best, though, is the haunted silence of actor Denis Menochet, playing a French farmer accused of harboring Jews."

place_of_birth: Enghein-les-Bains, Val-d'Oise, France


Belén Fabra

biography: Belén Fabra Homedes is a Spanish actress. She made her breakthrough with the 2007 play Plataforma, for which she was nominated for the Premios Max and the Valle-Inclán de Teatro Award. She is fluent in Catalan, Spanish and English and she can speak Italian. Belén was nominated for the Gaudí Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for her role in the notorious 2008 erotic film "Diario de una ninfómana".

place_of_birth: Tortosa, Tarragona Province, Catalonia, Spain


Romi Park

biography: Romi Park is a Japanese actress and voice actress of Korean descent. At the first Seiyuu Awards, she won an award for her portrayal of Nana Oosaki in Nana. She is known for voicing tough, calm, and mature preteen or teenage boys.

place_of_birth: Edogawa, Tokyo, Japan


Joel Hopkins

biography:
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  Joel Hopkins (born 1970) is a British independent film director and screenwriter best known for his films Jump Tomorrow (2001) and Last Chance Harvey (2008).

Description above from the Wikipedia article Joel Hopkins, licensed under CC-BY-SA,full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

place_of_birth: London, England


Yukihiko Tsutsumi

biography: Yukihiko Tsutsumi (堤幸彦, Tsutsumi Yukihiko; born November 3, 1955) is a Japanese television and film director. He began directing commercials and music promotion videos as an employee of Nippon Television. After spending time abroad, he returned and started his own production company, Office Crescendo, from which he works independently. His first television drama on Nippon Television was called Kora! Tonneruzu and ran from 1985 to 1989. He directed Taitei no Ken, an original work by Baku Yumemakura, in 2007.

place_of_birth: Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, Japan


Olivia Munn

biography:
Lisa Olivia Munn (born July 3, 1980) is an American actress. After an internship at a news station in Tulsa, she moved to Los Angeles, where she began her professional career as a television host for the gaming network G4, and on the series Attack of the Show! (2006–2010) before appearing as a recurring correspondent on the Comedy Central late-night series The Daily Show with Jon Stewart from 2010 to 2011.

On television, she has taken dramatic roles, acting in both the Aaron Sorkin HBO political drama series The Newsroom (2012–2014) and the Jonathan Tropper Apple TV+ dark comedy crime series Your Friends and Neighbors (2025). On film, she has taken leading roles in The Predator (2018), Buddy Games (2019), Love Wedding Repeat (2020), and Violet (2021) with supporting roles in Big Stan (2007), Date Night (2010), Magic Mike (2012), Deliver Us from Evil (2014), Mortdecai (2015), Office Christmas Party (2016), and Ride Along 2 (2016). She portrayed Psylocke in the superhero film X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) and voiced a role in The Lego Ninjago Movie (2017).

She married comedian John Mulaney in 2024, with whom she has two children. She is a vocal advocate for women's rights and has used her platform to speak out against anti-Asian harassment. She was named one of Time magazine's Women of the Year for 2025.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Olivia Munn, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

place_of_birth: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA


Steve Howey

biography: Steven Michael Robert Howey (born July 12, 1977) is an American film and television actor. He is known for his roles as Van Montgomery on The WB/CW television series Reba, and Kevin "Kev" Ball on the Showtime series Shameless. Howey has also appeared in the films Supercross, DOA: Dead or Alive, Bride Wars, Game Over, Man!, and Something Borrowed.

place_of_birth: San Antonio, Texas, USA


Aaron Carter

biography:
Aaron Charles Carter (December 7, 1987 – November 5, 2022) was an American singer, rapper, and actor. He came to fame as a teen pop singer in the late 1990s, establishing himself as a star among preteen and teenage audiences during the first years of the 21st century, with his four studio albums.

He began performing at age seven, after the formation of his brother Nick's group the Backstreet Boys, and released his self-titled debut album in 1997 at age nine, selling a million copies worldwide. His second album Aaron's Party (Come Get It) (2000) sold three million copies in the United States, and he began making guest appearances on Nickelodeon and touring with the Backstreet Boys shortly after the record's release. His next album, Oh Aaron, also went platinum, and in 2002 he released what would be his last studio album for over 15 years, Another Earthquake!, followed by his 2003 Most Requested Hits collection.

He appeared on Dancing with the Stars, and in the Broadway musical Seussical and the off-Broadway musical The Fantasticks, and made several one-off performances.  In 2014, he released a single featuring rapper Pat SoLo, "Ooh Wee". He released the single "Fool's Gold" in 2016, and an EP titled Love in 2017. His fifth studio album, also titled Love, was released in 2018. A sixth album, Blacklisted, was released two days after his death.

In his second appearance on the medical talk show The Doctors in 2019, Carter disclosed that he had been diagnosed with both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

He had a son who was born November 22, 2021, with then-fiancée Melanie Martin.

On November 5, 2022, he died at his home in Lancaster, California, at age 34. His body was found in his bathtub by a housekeeper. He was cremated, and his ashes were left in the care of his twin sister Angel. The cause of death was not immediately publicized, but the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner later ruled that Carter's death was accidental: drowning after inhaling difluoroethane and taking alprazolam. His ashes were interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills).

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

place_of_birth: Tampa, Florida, USA


Philippe Falardeau

biography: Philippe Falardeau (born February 1, 1968) is a Canadian film director and screenwriter.

place_of_birth: Hull, Québec, Canada


Robert Helpmann

biography:
Sir Robert Helpmann CBE (9 April 1909 – 28 September 1986) was an Australian dancer, film actor, theatre director and choreographer. A protege of Pavlova and Fonteyn’s first partner.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Robert Helpmann, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

place_of_birth: Mount Gambier, South Australia, Australia


Ariel Vromen

biography: Ariel Vromen is an Israeli film director and screenwriter best known for directing the 2012 American film The Iceman.

place_of_birth: Tel Aviv, Israel


Frank Grillo

biography:
Frank Anthony Grillo (born June 8, 1965) is an American businessman, entrepreneur, actor, producer, model and martial artist. He is known for playing Brock Rumlow/Crossbones in three superhero films and one series of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Sergeant Leo Barnes in two action-horror films within The Purge franchise, and Rick Flag Sr. in the DC Universe (DCU). He has also appeared in Warrior (2011), The Grey (2012), End of Watch (2012), Zero Dark Thirty (2012), Wolf Warrior 2 and Wheelman (both 2017), and Boss Level (2021).

Grillo's television work includes the lead role in Kingdom (2014–2017) and recurring roles in Battery Park (2000), For the People (2002–2003), The Shield (2002–2003), Prison Break (2005–2006), Blind Justice (2005), The Kill Point (2007), and Billions (2020).

Description above from the Wikipedia article Frank Grillo, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

place_of_birth: New York City, New York, USA


Louis Morissette

biography: Louis Morissette (born July 19, 1973) is an actor, screenwriter, stand-comedian and film producer from Québec, Canada. He is best known for the TV series 3X Rien and C.A., and the 2015 film Le mirage. He also wrote and stared in many Bye Bye, an annual New Year's Eve sketch comedy special, since 2003.

place_of_birth: Drummondville, Québec, Canada


Adeel Akhtar

biography:
Akhtar is known for the bumbling Muslim extremist Faisal in Chris Morris's film Four Lions. Other comedic performances include Gupta in The Angelos Epithemiou Show, Maroush in The Dictator and Smee in Joe Wright and Pan.

Akhtar has also won acclaim for his dramatic performances: in 2015, he was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor for his 2014 role as Wilson Wilson on Channel 4's Utopia. He played shopkeeper Ahmed alongside Toby Jones in the BBC mini-series Capital, and DS Ira King in the BBC's River. Reviewing River in The Daily Telegraph, Michael Hogan wrote, "This series was beautifully written by Abi Morgan, stylishly directed, and most of all, superbly acted. The quieter, less showy supporting players also shone. Not just stalwarts [...] but fresher faces: Adeel Akhtar as River's endlessly patient sidekick and Georgina Rich as his psychiatrist".

In 2016 Akhtar appeared as Shahzad in the BBC one-off drama Murdered by My Father. He won the 2017 BAFTA award for Lead Actor for this role, the first non-white actor to do so. He also appeared as Rob Singhal in the acclaimed BBC miniseries based on John le Carré's The Night Manager.

Adeel became a patron of Half Moon Theatre in autumn 2016.

place_of_birth: London, England, UK


Emi Shinohara

biography: Emi Shinohara (born Emiko Shinohara on August 8, 1963) was a Japanese voice actress employed by 81 Produce. She was born in Fukushima Prefecture and raised in Nagano. She is married to tokusatsu actor Hiroshi Watari. She's known for playing Sailor Jupiter in the original Sailor Moon anime.

place_of_birth: Fukushima, Japan


Mark Hadlow

biography: Mark Hadlow, ONZM, is a prominent New Zealand actor and comedian. He is best known internationally for his collaborations with director Peter Jackson. His most famous global roles include playing the cantankerous dwarf Dori in The Hobbit trilogy and Harry in the 2005 blockbuster King Kong.


Lam Nai-Choi

biography: Lam Nai-Choi (also called Lam Ngai Kai) is a Hong Kong film director and cinematographer. In the West he is mainly known for his overtly violent movie Story of Ricky.

place_of_birth: Hong Kong, British Crown Colony


Khushboo

biography: Khushbu Sundar, or just Khushbu/Khushboo is an Indian film actress, producer and television presenter who has acted in more than 200 movies. She is predominantly known for her work in the South Indian film industry. She became the first ever Indian actress for whom her fans built a dedicated temple.

place_of_birth: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India


Neill Blomkamp

biography:
Neill Blomkamp (Afrikaans: [ˈnil ˈblɔmkamp]; born 17 September 1979) is a South African and Canadian film director and screenwriter. He is known as the co-writer and director of the science fiction action film District 9 (2009), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, and the director of the dystopian science fiction action film Elysium(2013), which garnered moderately positive reviews. He also directed the science fiction action film Chappie (2015) and the sports drama film Gran Turismo (2023).

Blomkamp employs a documentary-style, hand-held cinéma vérité technique, blending naturalistic and photorealistic computer-generated visual effects. His films often deal with themes of xenophobia and social segregation. He is also known for his collaborations with actor Sharlto Copley.

Time named Blomkamp as one of the 100 Most Influential People of 2009. A 2011 Forbes article named him the 21st most powerful celebrity from Africa.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Neill Blomkamp, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

place_of_birth: Johannesburg, South Africa


Charlie McDowell

biography: Charlie McDowell (born July 10, 1983) is an American film director and writer. He is the son of actors Malcolm McDowell and Mary Steenburgen.

place_of_birth: Los Angeles, California, USA


Lindsey Buckingham

biography: Lindsey Adams Buckingham (born October 3, 1949) is an American guitarist, singer, composer and producer, most notable for being the guitarist and male lead singer of the musical group Fleetwood Mac. Aside from his tenure with Fleetwood Mac, Buckingham has also released five solo albums and a live album. As a member of Fleetwood Mac, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

place_of_birth: Palo Alto, California, USA


John McVie

place_of_birth: Ealing, Middlesex, England, UK


Lene Maria Christensen

biography:
Lene Maria Christensen (born 10 April 1972 in Hillerød) is a Danish actress.

Graduating from the Danish National School of Theatre in 1999, she works regularly in theatre, film, and television. She gained recognition in cinema for her roles in Terribly Happy (Frygtelig lykkelig, 2008) and A Family (En familie, 2011), performances that earned her several Bodil and Robert Awards for Best Actress. On television, her role in the drama series The Legacy (Arvingerne) won her a Robert Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Television Role.

From 2020 onward, she continued her career with the thriller The Exception (Undtagelsen, 2020) and distinguished herself in the drama Rose (2022), which earned her both a Bodil Award and a Robert Award for Best Supporting Actress. She also appeared in the films Unruly (Ustyrlig, 2022), Kingmaker (Mørkeland, 2024), and Honey (2025). On television, she featured in the series The Dreamer - Becoming Karen Blixen (2022), The Orchestra (Orkestret, 2024), and Uniformen (2026).

place_of_birth: Hillerød, Danmark


Shinobu Nakayama

biography:
Shinobu Nakayama (Nakayama Shinobu , born January 18, 1973) is an actress and a former J-pop singer. She was born in Tokyo, Japan, and released her first single on 2 November 1988. Her final release as a J-pop artist was on 1 March 1991. She was a member of the short-lived idol groups Nanatsuboshi and Rakutenshi. She is the younger sister of actress Miho Nakayama.

Best known for her role of Mayumi Nagamine in Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995) and Gamera 3: Incomplete Struggle (1999), Shinobu Nakayama like her older sister, Miho Nakayama, started out her career as a musician. Unfortunately, Nakayama could never quite attain the same popularity of her older sister as a solo artist, but became successful when she joined a music group called Rakutenshi. In the early 1990s Shinobu Nakayama started a career in acting, again following in the footsteps of her older sister. Her career finally started going after she landed a role in the Jet Li movie Fist of Legend, a remake of the Bruce Lee film Chinese Connection. Shortly afterwards she got the part of Mayumi Nagamine in Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995), which lead to playing that same character four years later in Gamera 3: Incomplete Struggle (1999).

Description above from the Wikipedia article Shinobu Nakayama, licensed under CC-BY-SA,full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

place_of_birth: Koganei, Tokyo, Japan


Veerle Baetens

biography: Veerle Baetens is a Flemish actress. Baetens was born in Brasschaat, Belgium. She followed a musical education at the "Brusselse Hoger Instituut voor Dramatische Kunsten".

place_of_birth: Brasschaat, Belgium


Wayne Pygram

biography: Wayne Pigram (born 13 October 1959), better known by his stage name Wayne Pygram, is an Australian actor, known for his role as Scorpius in the science fiction series Farscape (2000–2003) and the miniseries that followed, Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars (2004).  Pygram was born in Cootamundra, New South Wales and raised in Wagga Wagga, where, as a teen, he was a drummer in a dance group. He initially studied art at Riverina College of Advanced Education, but later changed majors to primary school education.[1] While in college, he became a member of a theatre troupe known as the Riverina Trucking Company.[1]Before acting in films and television, he was a regular on the Australian theatre circuit. In 2005, he made a brief cameo in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith as a young Grand Moff Tarkin, because of his resemblance to the late Peter Cushing, who portrayed the same character 28 years previously in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.  Due to the brevity of his Star Wars cameo, and the makeup he wore onFarscape, Pygram's real face may now be known best for his appearance on the TV show Lost, as a faith healer named Isaac of Uluru.  Pygram has also played the drums in numerous bands over the past 20 years, the most recent being a band named Signal Room (formerly called Number 96)[2] along with his co-star in Farscape, Anthony Simcoe. He also teaches the drums at Kildare Catholic College, an Australian Catholic school based in Wagga Wagga.

place_of_birth: Cootamundra, Australia


Dick Durock

biography: An American actor and stuntman who appeared in over eighty films and over seven hundred television episodes. He was best known for playing Swamp Thing in both the feature films Swamp Thing and The Return of Swamp Thing.

place_of_birth: South Bend, Indiana, USA


Will Gluck

biography:
Will Gluck (born November 7, 1978) is an American filmmaker, songwriter, and composer. He is known for writing and directing films such as Easy A (2010), Friends with Benefits (2011), the Peter Rabbit films (2018–2021), and Anyone but You (2023).

Description above from the Wikipedia article Will Gluck, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.


Vladimir Bortko

biography:
Vladimir Vladimirovich Bortko (Russian: Владимир Владимирович Бортко; born 7 May 1946; Moscow) is a Russian film director, screenwriter, producer and politician. He was a member of the State Duma between 2011 and 2021, and was awarded the title of People's Artist of Russia.

Bortko was born 7 May 1946 in Moscow. In 1969 he went to the Karpenko-Kary State University of Theatre, Film and Television in Kyiv. In 1980, Vladimir Bortko became production leader in the Kinostudiya Lenfilm in Leningrad.

place_of_birth: Moscow, RSFSR, USSR


Ophelia Lovibond

biography: Ophelia Lucy Lovibond (born 19 February 1986) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Carina in the film Guardians of the Galaxy, Izzy Gould in the BBC's W1A, Joyce Prigger in HBO's Minx, and Kitty Winter in CBS's Elementary.


Rebecca Sonnenshine

biography: Rebecca Sonnenshine is a writer. She is a graduate of UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. In addition to attending the Berlinale Talent Campus, the Film Independent Director's Director was awarded a Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting. She produced the feature films Reversion (2008), which had its Sundance Film Festival premiere, and Bunny (2000), which was nominated for a Spirit Award. Her credits as a screenwriter include Within, American Zombie, The Haunting of Molly Hartley, and Happily Even After. She also wrote on The Vampire Diaries.


Rhys Darby

biography:
Rhys Montague Darby (born March 21, 1974) is a New Zealand actor and comedian. He served in the New Zealand army before embarking on a performing career. In 1996, he formed the comedy duo "Rhysently Granted" with Grant Lobban, quickly carving a niche for their unique brand of humor. Darby's solo stand-up routines, characterized by vibrant storytelling, mime, and sound effects, garnered him recognition and two Billy T Award nominations.

Darby's international breakthrough came in 2007 with his role as Murray Hewitt in the HBO comedy series "Flight of the Conchords." Since then, he's appeared in films like "Yes Man," "What We Do in the Shadows," and "Jumanji," often injecting his signature comedic flair into supporting roles. On television, he's had recurring roles in shows like "Short Poppies," "Wrecked," and animated shows such as "Voltron: Legendary Defender."

From 2022 to 2023, he starred in period romantic comedy series "Our Flag Means Death" as a fictionalized version of pirate Stede Bonnet. The show was praised for its LGBTQ+ representation, including the romantic relationship between Darby's Bonnet and fellow Kiwi Taika Waititi's Blackbeard. This was not only Darby's first role as a main protagonist, but also his first foray into dramatic acting.

Beyond acting, Darby is also an author. He has written three children's books for his "Buttons McGinty" series as well as an autobiography titled "This Way to Spaceship." Additionally, he's been the host of the cryptozoology podcast "The Cryptid Factor" since 2008, alongside Dan Schreiber, Leon 'Buttons' Kirkbeck, and previously, David Farrier.

place_of_birth: New Zealand


Michael Jackson

biography:
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American recording artist, dancer, singer-songwriter, musician, and philanthropist. Referred to as the King of Pop, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records. His contribution to music, dance, and fashion, along with a much-publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Michael Jackson, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

place_of_birth: Gary, Indiana, USA


Mathew Horne

biography: Mathew Horne was born on September 6, 1978 in Nottingham, England as Mathew Frazer Horne. He is an actor and writer, known for Gavin & Stacey (2007), Planet 51 (2009) and Agatha Raisin (2014).

place_of_birth: Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, UK


Annabelle Wallis

biography:
Annabelle Frances Wallis (born 5 September 1984) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Jane Seymour in Showtime's period drama The Tudors, Grace Burgess in the BBC drama Peaky Blinders, Mia Form in the supernatural horror film Annabelle, Jenny Halsey in the supernatural adventure film The Mummy, Sandra in Silent Night, and Madison Mitchell in the horror film Malignant.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Annabelle Wallis, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

place_of_birth: Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK


Victor Levin

biography: Victor Levin was born in New York City and raised Rockland County. He has gone on to a prolific career writing for film and television. He is best known for his work on the NBC television series "Mad About You," and for the feature film Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!

place_of_birth: New York City, New York, USA


Jill Wagner

biography: Jill Suzanne Wagner is an American actress and television personality. She was the on-field host for the ABC game show Wipeout from 2008 to 2011 and again from 2013 to 2014, briefly leaving during the fifth season in 2012. Since then, Wagner has starred in several made-for-television films for the Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. She stars as Bobby in the Taylor Sheridan Paramount+ series Lioness (2023).

place_of_birth: Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA


Kim Ha-neul

biography: Kim Ha-neul (김하늘) is a South Korean actress. She has starred in a number of big hits including My Tutor Friend (2003) and My Girlfriend is an Agent (2009), both of which crossed 4 million admissions domestically. She has also received the Grand Bell and Blue Dragon Best Actress awards for her work in Blind (2011).

place_of_birth: Seoul, South Korea


Linda Thorson

biography: Linda Thorson (born Linda Robinson) is a Canadian actress, most famous for her work as Tara King in The Avengers.

place_of_birth: Toronto, Ontario, Canada


Debra Wilson

biography: Debra Wilson is an American actress, voice actress, comedian, and television presenter. She is known for being the longest-serving original cast member on the sketch comedy series Mad TV, having appeared on the show's first eight seasons from 1995 to 2003.


Paul Wesley

biography:
Paul Thomas Wasilewski  known professionally as Paul Wesley, is an American actor, writer, director and producer. In addition to English, he also speaks Polish, having spent four months of every year in Poland until the age of 16.

His television debut was on the now-defunct soap, NBC's Another World where he portrayed the character of 'Sean McKinnon'. In 2001, Wesley, then credited as Paul Wasilewski, was one of the main cast members of the short-lived CBS television series Wolf Lake, playing the role of Luke Cates.

Wesley has also had a number of roles in television shows such as 24, 8 Simple Rules, American Dreams, Army Wives, Cane, Everwood, Guiding Light, Smallville, and The O.C.. He is best known for starring as Stefan Salvatore on the supernatural drama series The Vampire Diaries, as well as his role as James T. Kirk in the Paramount+ original series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

Throughout the years, he has also appeared in a variety of films. He appeared in the 2008 CBS television film The Russell Girl, and had the lead role in the 2007 ABC Family miniseries Fallen and its' sequels.

place_of_birth: New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA


Paolo Virzì

biography: Paolo Virzì is an Italian film director and screenwriter.

place_of_birth: Livorno, Tuscany, Italy


Tasha Simms

biography: Tasha Simms is a Canadian actress and voice actress known for her work across several prominent North American television series, films and animated productions. Aside from her long-standing career in the entertainment industry, she also operates a self-counseling practice based in Vancouver.


Glen Powell

biography:
Glen Thomas Powell Jr. (born October 21, 1988) is an American actor. He began his career with minor roles on television and in films such as Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003) and Fast Food Nation (2006). Powell acted in the action film The Expendables 3 (2014), the comedy-horror anthology series Scream Queens (2015–2016), the teen comedy Everybody Wants Some!! (2016), the historical romance The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018), and the romantic comedy Set It Up (2018). He also portrayed astronaut John Glenn in Hidden Figures (2016) and aviator Tom Hudner in Devotion (2022).

Powell's roles in the action film Top Gun: Maverick (2022) and the romantic comedy Anyone but You (2023) catapulted him to blockbuster stardom. He has since starred in the dark comedy Hit Man (2023), which he also co-wrote and produced, and in the disaster film Twisters (2024). His performance in the former earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination.

Further, Powell starred in Edgar Wright's The Running Man (2025), based on the 1987 Stephen King novella of the same name; How to Make a Killing (2026), a remake of the 1949 film Kind Hearts and Coronets; and had his first major voice performance in a feature film as Fox McCloud (aka Star Fox) in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026), a role he personally sought Nintendo for.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Glen Powell, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

place_of_birth: Austin, Texas, USA


Masa Yamaguchi

biography:
Masa Yamaguchi is known for his work on Wolverine: Le combat de l'immortel (2013),The Condemned (2007) and The Jammed (2007).

He graduated from Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) with a degree in Performing Arts (Acting) in 2001.


Leah Pipes

biography: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Leah Marie Pipes  (born August 12, 1988) is an American actress. She is most notable for starring in the television series Life Is Wild and slasher film remake Sorority Row. Description above from the Wikipedia article Leah Pipes, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

place_of_birth: Los Angeles, California, USA