Famous Faces on "Red Heat" (1988)!
These are the stars I recognized on this classic film directed by the great Walter Hill...
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- Actress
- Music Department
- Producer
Jenifer Lewis is one of Hollywood's most familiar faces, with more than 300 appearances in film and television. Dubbed a "national treasure" by TV Guide.com, Jenifer stars on the hit show Black-ish (ABC), where her hilarious portrayal of "Ruby Johnson" earned her a nomination for the 2016 Critics Choice Award.
Jenifer's most recent movies include The Wedding Ringer, Think Like A Man, Think Like A Man Too and Baggage Claim. She delivered legendary performances as Tina Turner's mother in What's Love Got to Do With It and in The Preacher's Wife as the mother of Whitney Houston's character. Jenifer starred opposite Matt Damon in Clint Eastwood's Hereafter and for director Tyler Perry, Jenifer created unforgettable characters in Madea's Family Reunion and Meet the Browns. In the movie Castaway, Jenifer portrayed Tom Hanks' boss. In animated films, Jenifer's uniquely recognizable voice is adored by Disney fans worldwide in roles such as "Flo" in Cars and Cars 2 and as "Mama Odie" in The Princess and the Frog.
Jenifer's TV roles have ranged from regular appearances as "Aunt Helen" on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to guest star roles on Friends, Boston Legal and Girlfriends. For six seasons, Jenifer portrayed "Lana Hawkins" on Lifetime's hit series Strong Medicine.
Although best known for her Hollywood success, Jenifer has enjoyed a wide-ranging and varied career in music and theater. Jenifer has performed in four Broadway shows, including Hairspray in the role of "Motormouth Mable." In 2014, she received an electrifying standing ovation at Carnegie Hall when she sang with the New York Pops orchestra. All told, Jenifer has presented more than 200 concerts, performing in 49 states and on four continents.
Jenifer was born and raised in Kinloch, Missouri. Her accomplishments as an entertainer and community activist have been recognized with an honorary doctorate from her alma mater, Webster University in St. Louis and by the American Black Film Festival's Career Achievement Award.Judge Jenifer Lewis (uncredited)- Stunts
- Actor
Michael Adams was born on 22 March 1950 in New Mexico, USA. He was an actor, known for Commando (1985), No Way Out (1987) and In the Line of Fire (1993). He died on 18 April 2010 in Newhall, California, USA.Railroad Engineer (as Mike Adams)- Actor
- Composer
- Writer
Joey D. Vieira has just celebrated 65 years in show business. As a child, he co-starred in the first version of Lassie (1954) to come to television, winning, in the years 1954 to 1958, two Emmy Awards for "Best Family Television show". Those four years of the long-running series, with Tommy Rettig as "Jeff" and Joey as his best friend "Porky", are still entertaining audiences today under the name "Jeff's Collie". Joey then started making appearances on other top television series, including The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (1959), My Three Sons (1960) and Hank (1965). He also starred in live TV shows like Playhouse 90 (1956), Shirley Temple's Storybook (1958), a Bob Hope Special and "The George Gobel Show". Joey made his first feature film in 1955 when he costarred with Charlton Heston in The Private War of Major Benson (1955). Other memorable movies over the decades include Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), Red Heat (1988) and costarring with Mel Gibson in The Patriot (2000) as "Peter Howard". Joey has a diversified background in many other areas of entertainment. He has produced several recording artists including Rick Springfield and Taylor Dayne and has produced and directed national television and radio commercials for such heavyweights as AT&T, Ford, Subaru, Northern Telecom and Mattel Toys. As a writer, Joey co-created the 3-hour musical variety special for NBC,Motown Returns to the Apollo (1985), which won an Emmy for Best Variety Special of the Year. He has also directed presentation videos for some of the top corporations in the world...Bally's, Spiegel Catalog, Paramount Properties, Holiday Inns of America, and the government of the Isle of Mann, to name a few. Lately, Joey has written six original screenplays of different genres and signed with Innovative Artists Talent and Literary Agency for representation. He recently starred in four independent films including The Dwegons (2011) an animated feature film where Joey does the voices of seven characters. Joey says he looks forward to many more years in the biz and hopes they will be at least half as exciting and rewarding as the past half-century has been.Man at Phone Booth- The son of actor Roberto Contreras, character actor Luis Contreras was born on September 18, 1950. Lean and wiry, often sporting a mass of curly hair and drooping mustache, with his piercing dark eyes and angular face Contreras was frequently cast as bums, bikers, criminals, or gang members. Contreras made his film debut as a Federale in Steven Spielberg's wonderful science fiction classic "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." He also popped up as a zoot suiter in Spielberg's hilarious all-star comedy "1941." Luis went on to work profusely throughout the 1980's and 1990's. Contreras frequently acted in movies for director Walter Hill: "The Long Riders," "48 HRS.,""Extreme Prejudice," "Red Heat," "Geronimo: An American Legend," and "Last Man Standing." Contreras was especially memorable as a grocery store security guard in the cult classic sci-fi black comedy "Repo Man," the vicious ringleader of a gang of cocaine cowboys in "Stand Alone," a hostile eye-patched biker in the delightfully madcap "Pee-wee's Big Adventure," and a deranged homeless man who terrorizes a trio of teenage girls in the "A Night on the Town" episode of the hugely enjoyable horror anthology "After Midnight." Contreras also did guest appearances on the TV shows "CHiPs," "Quincy M.E.," "T.J. Hooker," "Knight Rider," "Riptide," "Hill Street Blues," "Simon & Simon," "Night Court," "Hunter," "Matlock," and "Carnivale." Luis Contreras died of cancer at the tragically young age of 53 on June 20, 2004. He was survived by his daughter Marissa.Lupo
The drug dealer wearing a white suit called 'Lupo' that Rostavili (Ed O'Ross) meets outside the bus station is the same 'Lupo' that appears in another Walter Hill film: "Extreme Prejudice" (also played there by Luis Contreras). He appears at the end after Nick Nolte has shot Powers Boothe, and tells him "now you get to wear the white suit". - Actor
- Additional Crew
Bruno Alexander is known for Big Stan (2007), Red Heat (1988) and Risky Business (1983). He is married to Reedy Gibbs.Detective (as Bruno Acalinas)- Actor
- Soundtrack
Born in San Francisco and raised in the agricultural heartland of California's San Joaquin Valley, Fuller became passionate about acting while attending UC Berkley, where he received a degree in English literature. After graduating, he made the move to Los Angeles with everything he owned stuffed into the back seat of a Dodge Dart (including a king size foam rubber mattress). For the next ten years he was a Realtor by day and a stage actor by night. Then, in 1986, he created the leading role in Steven Berkhoff's explosively successful "Kvetch", earning rave reviews on both coasts.
Fuller has gone on to have a very successful career, working with some of Hollywood's best directors, including David O. Russell, Tony Scott, Harold Ramis, and Ivan Reitman, among others. His numerous film credits include "Auto Focus," "Ray," "Pushing Tin," "The Jack Bull," "Ghostbusters II," "Mr. Woodcock," "Nailed" and "The Pursuit of Happyness."
Kurt still returns to the stage occasionally, most recently in the acclaimed "Greedy" for Red Dog squadron. He's also worked at the La Jolla Playhouse and the Mark Taper Forum.
He is married to Jessica Hendra, a published author. They have two daughters, Julia and Charlotte. His birthday is September 16.Detective- Stunts
- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Graf is one of Hollywood's premier second unit directors and stunt coordinators whose 35-year career behind the cameras includes the staging of stunts in over five dozen films while directing second unit action on three dozen features, including such recent films as Todd Phillips' comedy, "Due Date", "The Muppets" (2011, on which he also coordinated stunts) and Phillips' independent feature, "Project X" (2012).
A native of Southern California, Graf first made his mark on the gridiron, where he captained the 1967 San Fernando High School city championship team, winning All-American honors. He won a full athletic scholarship to the University of Southern California, and played offensive guard for John McKay's powerhouse Trojans. Graf started on McKay's legendary, undefeated (12-0) 1972 NCAA National Championship team, and was one of the heroes at the 1973 Rose Bowl, when USC defeated Ohio State 42-17. He next played in the 1973 college all-star game against the NFL's undefeated Miami Dolphins at Chicago's Soldier Field.
Following graduation, Graf became a free agent with the Los Angeles Rams before joining the World Football League's Portland Storm during their inaugural 1974 season. When the league abruptly folded, Graf tackled a career change when he fatefully won a role as former Chicago Bears player Dick Butkus' stunt double in the 1976 Disney film "Gus", a comic opus about a field goal-kicking mule.
Following his debut, Graf worked as a stunt player for several years on a variety of projects, notably Walter Hill's "Southern Comfort", "The Driver" and "The Long Riders", John Carpenter's "They Live", Paul Verhoeven's "Total Recall", "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan", "Raising Arizona", "Action Jackson", "S.W.A.T.", "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl", "Independence Day" and, most recently, "Captain America: The First Avenger".
He has coordinated stunts on several other projects, including "Punch Drunk Love", "Domestic Disturbance", "Broken Arrow", "Wayne's World", "The Hangover Part II" (the highest-grossing, R-rated comedy of all time), and several of director Hill's actioners, including "Supernova", "Geronimo: An American Legend" and "Wild Bill", on which he also directed the films' 2nd unit. On Hill's 1990 sequel, "Another 48 Hrs.", Graf, as the film's 2nd unit director and stunt coordinator, was the very first stuntman to cannon roll a bus at 60 mph. He subsequently flipped a bus again on the Jean-Claude Van Damme actioner "Nowhere to Run", cannon rolling a 40-foot bus underneath a 60-foot-wide freeway overpass.
The former college football great is also one of Hollywood's best-known football coordinators and 2nd unit directors, designing and staging the gridiron action for such films as Oliver Stone's epic "Any Given Sunday", Howard Deutch's comedy "The Replacements", "The Program", "The Waterboy", "Necessary Roughness", "Man of the House", Gary Fleder's football biopic, "The Express", Cameron Crowe's Oscar®-winning "Jerry Maguire" and Peter Berg's acclaimed football classic "Friday Night Lights". His work on "Friday Night Lights" and "The Express" all earned ESPY Awards.
To further add to Graf's slate of talents, he has also logged several supporting acting roles, including that of Capt. Turner on HBO's "Deadwood" (again working with Walter Hill) along with many other projects such as "L.A. Confidential" (the abusive husband beaten down by Russell Crowe in the film's early moments), "The Replacements", "Magnolia", "Boogie Nights", "The Doors", "Red Heat", "Another 48 Hrs.", "Poltergeist" and "RoboCop", among dozens of others.
Graf penned an original screenplay entitled "Turning the Tide", a football drama which depicts the historic 1970 gridiron contest between McKay's USC Trojans and Bear Bryant's Crimson Tide of Alabama.
Graf most recently reteamed with filmmaker Brian Helgeland on "42" after having served as 2nd unit director on his 2001 adventure film "A Knight's Tale", for whom he designed and directed all the jousting sequences.Joliet Prison Guard
Also Stunts- Nelligan
- Actor
- Stunts
- Producer
Born in Denmark, Sven-Ole Thorsen has a remarkable sporting background as a champion bodybuilder, champion power-lifter, and karate black belt that made him an obvious choice for movies roles as "muscle for hire." The hulking almost 6' 4" actor first came to attention as one of Thulsa Doom's bodyguards... The hammer wielding Thorgrim, in the highly popular, Conan the Barbarian (1982). He came to Hollywood in 1985, appearing in nearly every Arnold Schwarzenegger film, including Predator (1987), Twins (1988), Red Heat (1988), and End of Days (1999). His other on screen appearances include Lethal Weapon (1987), The Quick and the Dead (1995), The Hunt for Red October (1990), On Deadly Ground (1994), and Gladiator (2000). Thorsen's extensive stunt work includes Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), Bulletproof (1996), Eraser (1996), Soldier (1998) and Collateral (2004). On television, he has been seen in Baywatch (1989) and The A-Team (1983).Nikolai- Tiger Chung Lee was born on 7 February 1948 in Tokyo, Japan. He is an actor, known for Red Heat (1988), The Golden Child (1986) and WWF Championship Wrestling (1972). He was previously married to Shou Li.Mongol Hippie (as Masanori Toguchi)
- Gábor Koncz was born on 8 July 1938 in Mezökeresztes, Hungary. He is an actor, known for Red Heat (1988), Metamorphosis (2007) and Germinal (1963).Vagran Rostavili
- Actor
- Stunts
- Producer
Born in Chesaning, Michigan, Roger Callard started building his body at the age of five. He attended Michigan State University and then participated in bodybuilding championships. He won the 1977 title of Mr. America of the International Federation of Bodybuilders middleweight. At this time he was training with Arnold Schwarzenegger at the Gold's Gym and was also seen in the two bodybuilding films Mr. Universe and Pumping Iron.
Callard soon retired from professional bodybuilding and began an acting career. First, he had guest appearances in various television series and in the feature film Sextette with Timothy Dalton and Tony Curtis. In the 1980s, he often collaborated with Schwarzenegger; he worked as a stuntman on The Phantom Commando and The Total Remembrance - Total Recall and as a cast member in Twins - Twins and Red Heat. In 1989, in Weird Al Yankovic's comedy film UHF - Radio with Limited Hope, he parodied Schwarzenegger's role as Conan. He had another film roles in Walter Hills Western Geronimo - A legend, after which he played mainly in television productions.Pytor Tatomovich- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Oleg Borisovich Vidov was born in the suburbs of Moscow on 11 June 1943 to Varvara Vidova, a teacher, and Boris Nikolaievich Garnevich, an economist. As a child he lived with his mother, who worked for the Soviet government in the field of education in Mongolia and East Germany. When his mother was sent to China on assignment, he went to live with his aunt Anuta in Kazakstan. Eventually he moved with his mother and aunt to Moscow. At 18, competing against hundreds of would-be actors, he was accepted to the acting department of the state film school VGIK.
Oleg appeared in 50 films since 1961, mostly in starring roles. He was a sex symbol of his generation in Russia, and many of his films are still played on Russian television today. Here his credits include "Red Heat", Wild Orchid (1989) and Thirteen Days.
In 1985, he defected to the U.S. and began acting in films and television there. Oleg and his wife obtained international distribution rights to the award-winning Soyuzmultfilm Studio animation library in 1992 and helped popularize Russian animation around the world. Together they produced numerous series based on animation they digitally restored from the Soyuzmultfilm animation library including "Animated Classic Showcase", Mikhail Baryshnikov's Stories from My Childhood (1998), Rudyard Kipling's "Jungle Book", "Masters of Russian Animation", "The Adventures of Cheburashka and Friends", and "Animated Soviet Propaganda". In 2007 they sold the library to a Russian oligarch.Yuri Ogarkov- Actor
- Producer
- Cinematographer
Excellent, prolific and versatile character actor Peter Jason was born on July 22, 1944, in Hollywood, CA, and grew up in Balboa. He attended Newport Beach Elementary School, Horace Ensign Junior High and Newport Harbor High School. He originally planned on being a football player, but fell in love with acting after playing the lead in a high school production of "The Man Who Came to Dinner." Following his high school graduation he attended Orange Coast Junior College and did a season of summer stock at the Peterborough Playhouse in New Hampshire. He then studied as a drama major at the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh, PA. More stage work followed with the acting group the South Coast Repertory Company. He made his film debut in Howard Hawks' final film, Rio Lobo (1970) (which Jason says is one of his favorites).
He worked with Orson Welles on the uncompleted The Other Side of the Wind (2018) as an actor, boom operator, prop man and even cook for the cast and crew.
Jason has appeared in many films for director Walter Hill; he's especially memorable as the racist redneck bartender in 48 Hrs. (1982). He has also appeared in many films for director John Carpenter: he's very engaging as the jolly Dr. Paul Leahy in Prince of Darkness (1987) and was terrific as underground guerrilla army leader Gilbert in They Live (1988).
Other notable roles include a sinister government agent in Dreamscape (1984), rugged Maj. G.F. Devin in Clint Eastwood's Heartbreak Ridge (1986), jerky detective Fedorchuk in Alien Nation (1988), a newspaper reporter in Seabiscuit (2003) and the U.S. president in Alien Apocalypse (2005).
Jason recently had a recurring role as dissolute gambler Con Stapleton in the superbly gritty cable Western TV series Deadwood (2004). He also had a regular part as Capt. Skip Gleason on Mike Hammer, Private Eye (1997).
Among the many TV shows Peter has done guest spots on are Desperate Housewives (2004), Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996), Nash Bridges (1996), Coach (1989), The Golden Girls (1985), Murder, She Wrote (1984), Married... with Children (1987), Roseanne (1988), Dear John (1988), Quantum Leap (1989), Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1993), B.J. and the Bear (1978), The Incredible Hulk (1978), Gunsmoke (1955) and Hawaii Five-O (1968). In addition to his substantial film and TV show credits, Jason has acted in over 150 plays and hundreds of TV commercials. An accomplished baritone vocalist, Jason has sung in such musical stage productions as "The Music Man" (this is one of his favorite plays), "Stop the World, I Want to Get Off," "The Roar of the Greasepaint" and "Threepenny Opera" (as Mack the Knife). He's been married to his wife Eileen for 33 years.
In his spare time he makes his own furniture with found, recycled wood.TV Announcer- Actor
- Producer
Brion James was born February 20, 1945, in Redlands, California, to Ida Mae (Buckelew) and Jimmy James. The family soon moved to Beaumont, California (between Los Angeles and Palm Springs), where his parents built and operated a movie theater, where stars such as Gene Autry would occasionally stop by. After graduating from Beaumont High School in 1962, Brion attended San Diego State University, majoring in theater arts. Upon graduation he moved to New York to study acting while working a variety of jobs to support himself in the early years. He also did a stint in the National Guard. He and fellow actor Tim Thomerson served in the army together and later made several films together. A veteran of over 100 television and 120+ movie roles, James is best remembered for roles such as the replicant Leon in Blade Runner (1982), Gen. Munro in The Fifth Element (1997), Big Teddy in Cabin Boy (1994), Max Jenke in House III: The Horror Show (1989) (his personal favorite) as well as countless other parts in films like Southern Comfort (1981), The Player (1992), Tango & Cash (1989), 48 Hrs. (1982), Another 48 Hrs. (1990), Enemy Mine (1985) and Silverado (1985). Brion is survived by two brothers, Craig James of Scottsdale, Arizona, Chester James of Beaumont, California and their families.Streak- Actor
- Soundtrack
Mike Hagerty was born on 10 May 1954 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Somebody Somewhere (2022), Friends (1994) and Overboard (1987). He was married to Mary Kathryn. He died on 29 April 2022 in Los Angeles, California, USA.Pat Nunn (as Michael Hagerty)- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Pruitt can next be seen starring as a series regular in the Apple TV+ series Lady in the Lake, opposite Natalie Portman. Other television work includes recurring in Netflix's Stranger Things, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., NBC's Heroes Reborn, True Blood, The Walking Dead, The Mentalist, and Murder One (for which he won an Emmy). On the film side, Pruitt has held prominent roles in Netflix's Bird Box opposite Sandra Bullock and The Life and Death of John Gotti opposite John Travolta.Night Clerk- Actress
- Additional Crew
Gretchen Palmer was born on 16 December 1961 in Chicopee, Massachusetts, USA. She is an actress, known for I Got the Hook Up (1998), The Parkers (1999) and The Young and the Restless (1973). She has been married to Blake Adams since 12 December 1998. They have one child.Hooker- Brent Jennings was born on 13 April 1951 in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. He is an actor, known for Lodge 49 (2018), Insecure (2016) and All American (2018). He has been married to Juanita Mahone since 8 August 1985. They have three children.Abdul Elijah
- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
J.W. Smith is a producer and actor with more than 40 years of entertainment experience in motion pictures and television. J.W. grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, where he began his acting career at The Karamu House Community Theater. In the early 1970s, J.W. moved to New York City where he became a student in Uta Hagen's acting class at HB Studio and at The Henry Street Playhouse. During his stint in New York City, J.W. met and became close friends with Morgan Freeman and Bill Duke. More than four decades later, J.W. remains close friends with both Morgan and Bill, often collaborating on scripts and potential projects.
J.W. spent several successful years performing on Broadway and Off Broadway in plays including, "We Interrupt This Program," Public Theater's production of "On the Goddam Lock-in," and "So Nice, They Named It Twice." In addition to acting, J.W. produced shows in and around New York City for the Amas Repertory Theater Company.
In the early 1980s, J.W. moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career in film and television where he immediately landed his first job in television on "Palmerstown, U.S.A." He was selected to be a part of Paramount Pictures Associate Producers Training Program, working on several ground-breaking series for television including, "The Best of The West," "Taxi," and "Cheers." J.W. has also appeared in numerous television shows including, "L.A. Law," "Cagney and Lacey," "Reno 911," "The X-Files," and "Hill Street Blues."
Showing his range and depth of talent, J.W. has appeared in many popular feature films including, "Red Heat" (starring Arnold Schwarzenegger), "Johnny Handsome" (starring Mickey Rourke, Ellen Barkin, and Morgan Freeman), "Undisputed" (starring Wesley Snipes and Ving Rhames), "Beetlejuice" (starring Michael Keaton), "Hoodlum" (starring Laurence Fishburne, Tim Roth, and directed by Bill Duke), "The Warriors" (cult classic directed by Walter Hill), to name a few.
J.W. is President of 3000 Realms Entertainment, a production company he co-founded with friend and business partner, Bryan Behuniak. J.W.'s project in development with 3000 Realms Entertainment is "Dead Wrong," executive produced by Morgan Freeman, with producers Bryan Behuniak, James Dyer, and writer Matt Benjamin.Salim- Fair complexioned, cold-eyed actor Richard Bright notched up an impressive array of character performances of often shifty, or deadly characters on the wrong side of the law. He first came to attention as a burglar in the engrossing The Panic in Needle Park (1971), and then followed it the following year playing a slick con artist hustling naive Ali MacGraw for the bank robbery loot in The Getaway (1972), before Steve McQueen pummels Bright to get the money back.
In 1972, he made his first appearance as bodyguard/enforcer "Al Neri", protecting Al Pacino in The Godfather (1972), and returned in the same role in The Godfather Part II (1974) and, 16 years later, he was back once again still protecting mob boss Al Pacino in The Godfather Part III (1990). The actor's features endeared him to casting agents looking for both criminals and cops. He also appeared in Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in America (1984), Sam Raimi's crazy Crimewave (1985), the union tale Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story (1992) and Witness to the Mob (1998). In addition, he appeared regularly on TV in police/drama shows such as Hill Street Blues (1981), Houston Knights (1987), Third Watch (1999) and The Sopranos (1999).Det. Sgt. Gallagher - Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Since making her uncredited debut as a dancer in Beatlemania (1981), Gina Gershon has established herself as a character actress and one of the leading icons of American camp. For it was fourteen years after her movie debut that Gina made movie history as the predatory bisexual who was the leading light of a Las Vegas leg-line in director Paul Verhoeven's kitsch classic Showgirls (1995). Exploding out of a plaster-of-Paris volcano clad in nothing but body makeup and a G-string, Gina Gershon obtained cinema immortality. After Showgirls (1995), she solidified her reputation, playing a lesbian sexpot in the Wachowskis' neo-noir Bound (1996).
Gina Gershon was born in the Los Angeles suburb of Woodland Hills, the last in a brood of three kids. Her mother, Mickey (Koppel), worked as an interior decorator, and her father, Stanley Gershon, was a salesman and worked in the import/export business. Her paternal grandparents were from Russian Jewish families, and her maternal grandparents were born in Holland and Belgium, both of them to Jewish families from Poland. Gina was raised in the San Fernando Valley, and got the acting bug early, appearing at the age of seven in a school production of Bye Bye Birdie (1963). Because of her acting ambitions, her parents moved to Beverly Hills so Gina could attend Beverly Hills High, where she indulged her acting jones by appearing in a student production of The Music Man (1962). Her first love, she says, is singing.
After graduating from high school in 1980, she attended Emerson College in Boston, but took a part in the musical "Runaways". She transferred to New York University, where her official biography says she studied philosophy and psychology, but she graduated from the Tisch School of the Arts, taking a bachelor of fine arts degree in drama in 1983. In New York City, while perfecting her craft, she co-founded the theater company Naked Angels with Helen Slater.
Her big-screen breakthrough came with a part in the 1986 "Brat Pack" teenage hit Pretty in Pink (1986). She also had parts in the Tom Cruise vehicle Cocktail (1988) and Arnold Schwarzenegger's Red Heat (1988). Of this period, she says, "One of my first gigs, a movie called Cocktail (1988), I found myself at 8 in the morning, in bed, practically naked, having to make out with Tom Cruise; hmmmm... movie business - so far, so good".
Citing Frank Sinatra's song "My Way" as an inspiration, she says that following Cocktail (1988), "I was fortunate enough to play many diversified roles in film, television and stage. Not always to the liking of my managers and agents, but I always did what I wanted...." She played Nancy Barbato Sinatra, Frank's first wife, in the TV miniseries Sinatra (1992).
Gina Gershon became a celebrity in Showgirls (1995). The following year, Gershon solidified her claim on second-tier stardom playing the calculating lesbian "Corky" in the crime movie Bound (1995). She never did capitalize on her mid-1990s breakthrough, but Gershon is established as a character actress and is never out of work, unlike most of her female peers who started out in the industry at the same time. Though no classic beauty, the talented thespian remains gainfully employed while many actresses of her vintage are out of work as she is possessed of a unique look and smoldering sex appeal that comes across on camera.
Gershon is versatile, too, as at home on stage as she is in front of the camera. After appearing in off-Broadway and regional theater productions, she made her Broadway debut as a replacement in Sam Mendes' revival of Cabaret (1972) in January 2001. For six months, she played the key role of "Sally Bowles", returning that October to reprise the role for another month. In 2008, she once again appeared on Broadway in the revival of the farce "Boeing Boeing" on Broadway, which won the Tony award for Best Revival.
Gina Gershon also is a children's book writer. In 2008, Putmam Juvenile published her "Camp Creepy Time", a tale of a boy who discovers aliens at his summer camp, which she co-wrote with her brother, Dann Gershon. "Camp Creepy Time" recently was optioned by DreamWorks, which plans to turn it into a movie. In 2008, she also released "In Search Of Cleo", a CD featuring nine songs which she wrote or co-wrote.Catherine 'Cat' Manzetti- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Critically hailed for his forceful, militant, authoritative figures and one of Hollywood's most talented and versatile performers, Laurence (John) Fishburne III has been the recipient of numerous awards, including a number of NAACP Image honors.
Born in Augusta, Georgia on July 30, 1961, to Hattie Bell (Crawford), a teacher, and Laurence John Fishburne, Jr., a juvenile corrections officer. His mother transplanted her family to Brooklyn after his parents divorced. At the age of 10, the young boy appeared in his first play, "In My Many Names and Days," at a cramped little theater space in Manhattan. He continued on but managed to avoid the trappings of a child star per se, considering himself more a working child actor at the time. Billing himself as Larry Fishburne during this early phase, he never studied or was trained in the technique of acting.
In 1973, at the age of 12, young Laurence won a recurring role on the daytime soap One Life to Live (1968) that lasted three seasons. He subsequently made his film debut in the ghetto-themed Cornbread, Earl and Me (1975). At 14 Francis Ford Coppola cast him in Apocalypse Now (1979), which filmed for two years in the Philippines. Laurence didn't work for another year and a half after that long episode. A graduate of Lincoln Square Academy, Coppola was impressed enough with Laurence to hire him again down the line with featured roles in Rumble Fish (1983), The Cotton Club (1984) and Gardens of Stone (1987).
Throughout the 1980s, he continued to build up his film and TV credit list with featured roles despite little fanfare. A recurring role as Cowboy Curtis on the kiddie show Pee-wee's Playhouse (1986) helped him through whatever lean patches there were at the time. TV guest appearances at this time included "Trapper John," "M*A*S*H*," "Hill Street Blues," "Miami Vice," "Spenser: For Hire" and "The Equalizer."
With the new decade (1990s) came out-and-out stardom for Laurence. A choice lead in John Singleton's urban tale Boyz n the Hood (1991) catapulted him immediately into the front of the film ranks. Set in LA's turbulent South Central area, his potent role as a morally minded divorced father who strives to rise above the ignorance and violence of his surroundings, Laurence showed true command and the ability to hold up any film.
On stage, Laurence would become invariably linked to playwright August Wilson and his 20th Century epic African-American experience after starring for two years as the eruptive ex-con in "Two Training Running." For this powerful, mesmerizing performance, Laurence won nearly every prestigious theater award in the books (Tony, Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk and Theatre World). It was around the time of this career hallmark that he began billing himself as "Laurence" instead of "Larry." More awards and accolades came his way. In addition to an Emmy for the pilot episode of the series "Tribeca," he was nominated for his fine work in the quality mini-movies The Tuskegee Airmen (1995) and Miss Evers' Boys (1997).
On the larger screen, both Laurence and Angela Bassett were given Oscar nominations for their raw, seething portrayals of rock stars Ike and Tina Turner in the film What's Love Got to Do with It (1993). To his credit, he managed to take an extremely repellent character and make it a sobering and captivating experience. A pulp box-office favorite as well, he originated the role of Morpheus, Keanu Reeves' mentor, in the exceedingly popular futuristic sci-fi The Matrix (1999), best known for its ground-breaking special effects. He wisely returned for its back-to-back sequels.
Into the millennium, Laurence extended his talents by making his screenwriting and directorial debut in Once in the Life (2000), in which he also starred. The film is based on his own critically acclaimed play "Riff Raff," which he staged five years earlier. In 1999, he scored a major theater triumph with a multi-racial version of "The Lion in Winter" as Henry II opposite Stockard Channing's Eleanor of Acquitaine. On film, Fishburne has appeared in a variety of interesting roles in not-always-successful films. Never less than compelling, a few of his more notable parts include an urban speed chess player in Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993); a military prisoner in Cadence (1990); a college professor in Singleton's Higher Learning (1995); a CIA operative in Bad Company (1995); the title role in Othello (1995) (he was the first black actor to play the part on film); a spaceship rescue team leader in the sci-fi horror Event Horizon (1997); a Depression-era gangster in Hoodlum (1997); a dogged police sergeant in Clint Eastwood's Mystic River (2003); a spelling bee coach in Akeelah and the Bee (2006); and prominent roles in the mainstream films Predators (2010) and Contagion (2011). He returned occasionally to the theatre. In April 2008, he played Thurgood Marshall in the one-man show "Thurgood" and won a Drama Desk Award. It was later transferred to the TV screen and earned an Emmy nomination.
In the fall of 2008, Fishburne replaced William Petersen as the male lead investigator on the popular CBS drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000), but left the show in 2011 to refocus on films and was in turn replaced by Ted Danson. Having since had a regular role as "Pops" in the comedy Black-ish (2014), he has also been seen on the bigger screen in the Superman movies Man of Steel (2013) and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) as Daily Planet chief Perry White; played a hired assassin in the thriller Standoff (2016); portrayed a minister and former Vietnam War vet in Last Flag Flying (2017); and essayed the role of a revengeful prison warden in Imprisoned (2018).
Fishburne has two children, Langston and Montana, from his first marriage to actress Hajna O. Moss. In September 2002, Fishburne married Cuban-American actress Gina Torres.Lt. Charlie Stobbs (as Larry Fishburne)- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Rough'n'tumble character actor Ed O'Ross was born as Ed Oross on July 4, 1946 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was an altar boy as a kid and graduated from Munhall High in 1964. Following graduation O'Ross attended both Point Park College and Carnegie Tech. He was an amateur Golden Gloves boxing champion and minor league baseball player prior to embarking on an acting career. He studied acting in New York with legendary teachers Stella Adler and Uta Hagen. Ed made his film debut in 1982 in "Dear Mr. Wonderful." A strong actor with an often intense and intimidating screen presence, O'Ross gets frequently cast as ramrod army officers, cynical seen-it-all-twice cops, and mean villains. O'Ross was memorably nasty as brutal Russian drug dealer Viktor 'Rosta' Rostavili in Walter Hill's stirring buddy cop action thriller "Red Heat." Other notable parts include slimy dope pusher Mendez in the exciting blockbuster "Lethal Weapon," the rugged Lt. Touchdown in Stanley Kubrick's powerful "Full Metal Jacket," vicious mobster Ralph Capone in "The Verne Miller Story," hard-boiled detective Cliff Willis in the terrific sci-fi/action winner "The Hidden," the antsy Stringer in the enjoyably trashy "Action Jackson," and the tough Col. Perry in "Universal Soldier." Ed was outstanding as lusty Russian florist Nikolai on the acclaimed cable TV series "Six Feet Under." Among the other TV shows O'Ross has done guest spots on are "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "CSI: NY," "NYPD Blue," "Boston Legal," "Chicago Hope," "Seinfeld," "Frasier," "Walker: Texas Ranger," "Moonlighting," and "Scarecrow and Mrs. King." On stage Ed has appeared in Shakespeare's "King Lear," James Thurber's "Story Theater," and City Center children's theater. He has also acted in several TV commercials. Ed O'Ross lives in both New York and Los Angeles.Viktor 'Rosta' Rostavili- Actor
- Soundtrack
A bold, blunt instrument of hatred and violence at the onset of his film career, Peter Boyle recoiled from that repugnant, politically incorrect "working class" image to eventually play gruff, gentler bears and even comedy monsters in a career that lasted four decades.
He was born on October 18, 1935, in Norristown, Pennsylvania, to Alice (Lewis) and Francis Xavier Boyle. He eventually moved to Philadelphia, where his father was a sought-after local TV personality and children's show host. His paternal grandparents were Irish immigrants, and his mother was of mostly French and British Isles descent. Following a solid Catholic upbringing (he attended a Catholic high school), Peter was a sensitive youth and joined the Christian Brothers religious order at one point while attending La Salle University in Philadelphia. He left the monastery after only a few years when he "lost" his calling.
Bent on an acting career, Boyle initially studied with guru Uta Hagen in New York. The tall (6' 2"), hulking, prematurely bald actor wannabe struggled through a variety of odd jobs (postal worker, waiter, bouncer) while simultaneously building up his credits on stage and waiting for that first big break. Things started progressing for him after appearing in the national company of "The Odd Couple" in 1965 and landing TV commercials on the sly. In the late 60s he joined Chicago's Second City improv group and made his Broadway debut as a replacement for Peter Bonerz in Paul Sills' "Story Theatre" (1971) (Sills was the founder of Second City). Peter's breakout film role did not come without controversy as the hateful, hardhat-donning bigot-turned-murderer Joe (1970) in a tense, violence-prone film directed by John G. Avildsen. The role led to major notoriety, however, and some daunting supporting parts in T.R. Baskin (1971), Slither (1973) and as Robert Redford's calculating campaign manager in The Candidate (1972). During this time his political radicalism found a visible platform after joining Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland on anti-war crusades, which would include the anti-establishment picture Steelyard Blues (1973). This period also saw the forging of a strong friendship with former Beatle John Lennon.
Destined to be cast as monstrous undesirables throughout much of his career, he played a monster of another sort in his early film days, and thus avoided a complete stereotype as a film abhorrent. His hilarious, sexually potent Frankenstein's Monster in the cult Mel Brooks spoof Young Frankenstein (1974) saw him in a sympathetic and certainly more humorous vein. His creature's first public viewing, in which Boyle shares an adroit tap-dancing scene with "creator" Gene Wilder in full Fred Astaire regalia, was a show-stopping audience pleaser. Late 70s filmgoers continued to witness Boyle in seamy, urban settings with brutish roles in Taxi Driver (1976) and Hardcore (1979). At the same time he addressed several TV mini-movie roles with the same brilliant darkness such as his Senator Joe McCarthy in Tail Gunner Joe (1977), for which he received an Emmy nomination, and his murderous, knife-wielding Fatso in the miniseries remake of From Here to Eternity (1979).
While the following decade found Peter in predominantly less noteworthy filming and a short-lived TV series lead as remote cop Joe Bash (1986), the 90s brought him Emmy glory (for a guest episode on The X-Files (1993)). Despite a blood clot-induced stroke in 1990 that impaired his speech for six months, he ventured on and capped his enviable career on TV wielding funny but crass one-liners in the "Archie Bunker" mold on the long-running sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond (1996). A major Emmy blunder had Boyle earning seven nominations for his Frank Barrone character without a win, the only prime player on the show unhonored. He survived a heart attack while on the set of "Everybody Loves Raymond" in 1999, but managed to return full time for the remainder of the series' run through 2005.
Following a superb turn as Billy Bob Thornton's unrepentantly racist father in the sobering Oscar-winner Monster's Ball (2001), the remainder of his films were primarily situated in frivolous comedy fare such as The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002), The Santa Clause 2 (2002), Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004), and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006), typically playing cranky curmudgeons. Boyle died of multiple myeloma (bone-marrow cancer) and heart disease at New York Presbyterian Hospital in 2006, and was survived by his wife Lorraine and two children. He was 71.Cmdr. Lou Donnelly- Actor
- Music Department
- Producer
James Adam Belushi was born June 15, 1954, in Chicago, to Agnes Demetri (Samaras) and Adam Anastos Belushi, a restaurant owner. His father was an Albanian immigrant, from Qytezë, and his mother was also of Albanian descent. The third of four children - his brother was comedian John Belushi - he grew up in Wheaton, Illinois. A high school teacher, impressed by his improvisational skills while giving speeches, convinced him to be in a school play. After that, he joined the school's drama club. Today, if asked why he got involved in acting, he will jokingly say, "Because of girls. In the drama club, there were about 20 girls and six guys. And the same thing with choir - more girls!". He attended the College of DuPage and Southern Illinois University, where he graduated with a degree in Speech and Theater Arts.
In 1977, he joined Chicago's Second City improv troupe and remained for three years. In 1979, Garry Marshall saw Jim performing for Second City and arranged for him to come to Hollywood and co-star in the TV pilot Who's Watching the Kids (1978) for Paramount and, then, for a role in the series Working Stiffs (1979) (co-starring Michael Keaton). Later, in 1983, he joined the cast of Saturday Night Live (1975) for two years. Jim came to national attention in About Last Night (1986), playing the role he originated in the Chicago Apollo Theatre's production of David Mamet's Obie-award winning play "Sexual Perversity in Chicago". He resides in Los Angeles with his wife Jennifer Sloan, their daughter Jamison and a son, Robert Belushi, from his first marriage.Det. Sgt. Art Ridzik- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
With an almost unpronounceable surname and a thick Austrian accent, who would have ever believed that a brash, quick talking bodybuilder from a small European village would become one of Hollywood's biggest stars, marry into the prestigious Kennedy family, amass a fortune via shrewd investments and one day be the Governor of California!?
The amazing story of megastar Arnold Schwarzenegger is a true "rags to riches" tale of a penniless immigrant making it in the land of opportunity, the United States of America. Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger was born July 30, 1947, in the town of Thal, Styria, Austria, to Aurelia Schwarzenegger (born Jadrny) and Gustav Schwarzenegger, the local police chief. From a young age, he took a keen interest in physical fitness and bodybuilding, going on to compete in several minor contests in Europe. However, it was when he emigrated to the United States in 1968 at the tender age of 21 that his star began to rise.
Up until the early 1970s, bodybuilding had been viewed as a rather oddball sport, or even a mis-understood "freak show" by the general public, however two entrepreneurial Canadian brothers Ben Weider and Joe Weider set about broadening the appeal of "pumping iron" and getting the sport respect, and what better poster boy could they have to lead the charge, then the incredible "Austrian Oak", Arnold Schwarzenegger. Over roughly the next decade, beginning in 1970, Schwarzenegger dominated the sport of competitive bodybuilding winning five Mr. Universe titles and seven Mr. Olympia titles and, with it, he made himself a major sports icon, he generated a new international audience for bodybuilding, gym memberships worldwide swelled by the tens of thousands and the Weider sports business empire flourished beyond belief and reached out to all corners of the globe. However, Schwarzenegger's horizons were bigger than just the landscape of bodybuilding and he debuted on screen as "Arnold Strong" in the low budget Hercules in New York (1970), then director Bob Rafelson cast Arnold in Stay Hungry (1976) alongside Jeff Bridges and Sally Field, for which Arnold won a Golden Globe Award for "Best Acting Debut in a Motion Picture". The mesmerizing Pumping Iron (1977) covering the 1975 Mr Olympia contest in South Africa has since gone on to become one of the key sports documentaries of the 20th century, plus Arnold landed other acting roles in the comedy The Villain (1979) opposite Kirk Douglas, and he portrayed Mickey Hargitay in the well- received TV movie The Jayne Mansfield Story (1980).
What Arnold really needed was a super hero / warrior style role in a lavish production that utilized his chiseled physique, and gave him room to show off his growing acting talents and quirky humor. Conan the Barbarian (1982) was just that role. Inspired by the Robert E. Howard short stories of the "Hyborean Age" and directed by gung ho director John Milius, and with a largely unknown cast, save Max von Sydow and James Earl Jones, "Conan" was a smash hit worldwide and an inferior, although still enjoyable sequel titled Conan the Destroyer (1984) quickly followed. If "Conan" was the kick start to Arnold's movie career, then his next role was to put the pedal to the floor and accelerate his star status into overdrive. Director James Cameron had until that time only previously directed one earlier feature film titled Piranha II: The Spawning (1982), which stank of rotten fish from start to finish. However, Cameron had penned a fast paced, science fiction themed film script that called for an actor to play an unstoppable, ruthless predator - The Terminator (1984). Made on a relatively modest budget, the high voltage action / science fiction thriller The Terminator (1984) was incredibly successful worldwide, and began one of the most profitable film franchises in history. The dead pan phrase "I'll be back" quickly became part of popular culture across the globe. Schwarzenegger was in vogue with action movie fans, and the next few years were to see Arnold reap box office gold in roles portraying tough, no-nonsense individuals who used their fists, guns and witty one-liners to get the job done. The testosterone laden Commando (1985), Raw Deal (1986), Predator (1987), The Running Man (1987) and Red Heat (1988) were all box office hits and Arnold could seemingly could no wrong when it came to picking winning scripts. The tongue-in-cheek comedy Twins (1988) with co-star Danny DeVito was a smash and won Arnold new fans who saw a more comedic side to the muscle- bound actor once described by Australian author / TV host Clive James as "a condom stuffed with walnuts". The spectacular Total Recall (1990) and "feel good" Kindergarten Cop (1990) were both solid box office performers for Arnold, plus he was about to return to familiar territory with director James Cameron in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991). The second time around for the futuristic robot, the production budget had grown from the initial film's $6.5 million to an alleged $100 million for the sequel, and it clearly showed as the stunning sequel bristled with amazing special effects, bone-crunching chases & stunt sequences, plus state of the art computer-generated imagery. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) was arguably the zenith of Arnold's film career to date and he was voted "International Star of the Decade" by the National Association of Theatre Owners.
Remarkably, his next film Last Action Hero (1993) brought Arnold back to Earth with a hard thud as the self-satirizing, but confusing plot line of a young boy entering into a mythical Hollywood action film confused movie fans even more and they stayed away in droves making the film an initial financial disaster. Arnold turned back to good friend, director James Cameron and the chemistry was definitely still there as the "James Bond" style spy thriller True Lies (1994) co-starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Tom Arnold was the surprise hit of 1994! Following the broad audience appeal of True Lies (1994), Schwarzenegger decided to lean towards more family-themed entertainment with Junior (1994) and Jingle All the Way (1996), but he still found time to satisfy his hard-core fan base with Eraser (1996), as the chilling "Mr. Freeze" in Batman & Robin (1997) and battling dark forces in the supernatural action of End of Days (1999). The science fiction / conspiracy tale The 6th Day (2000) played to only mediocre fan interest, and Collateral Damage (2002) had its theatrical release held over for nearly a year after the tragic events of Sept 11th 2001, but it still only received a lukewarm reception.
It was time again to resurrect Arnold's most successful franchise and, in 2003, Schwarzenegger pulled on the biker leathers for the third time for Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003). Unfortunately, directorial duties passed from James Cameron to Jonathan Mostow and the deletion of the character of "Sarah Connor" aka Linda Hamilton and a change in the actor playing "John Connor" - Nick Stahl took over from Edward Furlong - making the third entry in the "Terminator" series the weakest to date.
Schwarzenegger married TV journalist Maria Shriver in April, 1986 and the couple have four children.
In October of 2003 Schwarzenegger, running as a Republican, was elected Governor of California in a special recall election of then governor Gray Davis. The "Governator," as Schwarzenegger came to be called, held the office until 2011. Upon leaving the Governor's mansion it was revealed that he had fathered a child with the family's live-in maid and Shriver filed for divorce.
Schwarzenegger contributed cameo roles to The Rundown (2003), Around the World in 80 Days (2004) and The Kid & I (2005). Recently, he starred in The Expendables 2 (2012), The Last Stand (2013), Escape Plan (2013), The Expendables 3 (2014), and Terminator Genisys (2015).Capt. Ivan Danko- Producer
- Writer
- Director
Hill was born in Long Beach, California and educated at Mexico City College and Michigan State University. He worked in oil drilling and construction in the 60s before becoming a 2nd assistant director in 1967. He has written and co-written screenplays, including several uncredited works. He has produced and directed films since 1975.Director, Producer, Story and Screenplay- Music Department
- Composer
- Actor
James Horner began studying piano at the age of five, and trained at the Royal College of Music in London, England, before moving to California in the 1970s. After receiving a bachelor's degree in music at USC, he would go on to earn his master's degree at UCLA and teach music theory there. He later completed his Ph.D. in Music Composition and Theory at UCLA. Horner began scoring student films for the American Film Institute in the late 1970s, which paved the way for scoring assignments on a number of small-scale films. His first large, high-profile project was composing music for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), which would lead to numerous other film offers and opportunities to work with world-class performers such as the London Symphony Orchestra. With over 75 projects to his name, and work with people such as George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Oliver Stone, and Ron Howard, Horner firmly established himself as a strong voice in the world of film scoring. In addition, Horner composed a classical concert piece in the 1980s, called "Spectral Shimmers", which was world premiered by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Horner passed away in a plane crash on June 22, 2015, two months short of his 62nd birthday.Original Music by James Horner- Producer
- Additional Crew
- Actor
At 18 years old, Mario Kassar made his first film. Shortly thereafter, he moved to Los Angeles in the mid 1970s to begin his career as filmmakers. Kassar quickly became known as a creative producer in the L.A. motion pictures industry; also noted as one of the inventors of the foreign market and co-pro financing.
Kassar's early efforts as an independent filmmaker began with small scale release films such as "The Amateur" and "Victory" while starting Carolco International, his own independent theatrical motion picture distribution company in 1976. Kassar began releasing a slew of independent features and first hit with the release of the Rambo franchise First Blood (1982) starring Syllvester Stallone, which was a major motion picture in 1982. Stallone was rumored to have signed a 10 picture deal with Carolco allowing the sequel "First Blood: Rambo II".
Total Recall (1990) and The "Terminator" franchise are the most memorable pictures Kassar was associated with. Both stories starred Arnold Schwarzenegger, and were produced through Carolco (excluding Part One of Terminator which was financed by Orion).
Other Carolco productions included the under-water thriller "DeepStar Six", the erotic suspenseful "Basic Instinct", "Cliffhanger" - a Stallone vehicle also a hit in 1993, the success of the Roland Emmerich sci-fi film "Stargate" established a cable series in 1997 entitled Stargate SG-1 (1997) starring Richard Dean Anderson. Worth mentioning is "Chaplin" with Robert Downey Jr. playing the life of legendary actor Charlie Chaplin.
Kassar re-opened a production company in 2002 called C-2 Pictures to produce "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines," which was one of the most expensive films that year. The 2003 release allowed a window for the franchise to gain new-life.
Kassar is still making pictures, however is very family oriented and enjoys committing his time to his real-life affairs. Kassar will be most remembered for helping to create a successful business model for the international market. With the efforts of other pioneers like Dino De Laurentiis, Kassar paved the way for Hollywood foreign sales and exhibition -- his effort during the 1980s is now the 'industry standard' in today's Studio system.
His films have generated more than $3 billion dollars worldwide.Executive Producer- Producer
- Additional Crew
Andy Vajna was born in Budapest. In 1956 at the age of 12, he fled from Hungary and with the support of Red Cross he made his way alone to Canada. Vajna launched his career in the entertainment industry with his purchase of motion picture theaters in the Far East. He founded Panasia Films Limited in Hong Kong in 1976. Vajna met with Mario Kassar at the 1975 Cannes Film Festival, then he and Kassar formed Carolco. In 1982, Vajna was a founder and then president of the American Film Marketing Association. During that same year, Vajna and Kassar made their film production debut. In December 1989, Vajna sold all his interest in Carolco and formed Cinergi Productions, Inc. to engage in the financing, development, production and distribution of major event motion pictures. As part of its business plan, Cinergi has formed an alliance with The Walt Disney Company for distribution of Cinergi motion pictures in the United States, Canada and Latin America. Vajna has never forgotten his Hungarian roots and always tried to help the Hungarian film industry. He also actively participated in the distribution of Motion Pictures in Hungary eventually having a 70% share of the Hungarian box office. In 1989 Vajna founded InterCom that has become a market leader and a distributor of many Hollywood studios, including 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros., Sony Pictures, Disney and MGM. In 2002 he founded Digic Pictures in Hungary which is a high-end animation studio. Since 2011 Andrew G. Vajna has been working as Government Commissioner in charge of the Hungarian film industry. In the same year he conceived Hungarian National Film Fund with the mission to contribute to the production of Hungarian films or co-productions that provide art and entertainment for moviegoers and bring significant success both domestically and on an international level. Under the Vajna era Hungarian movies financed by the Hungarian National Film Fund won altogether more than 130 international awards (including a Golden Globe award for Best Foreign Language Film) while the number of foreign films produced in Hungary increased significantly.Executive Producer (as Andrew Vajna)- Stunts
- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Bennie E. Dobbins was born on 16 November 1932 in Los Angeles County, California, USA. He was an actor and assistant director, known for The Running Man (1987), First Blood (1982) and Weird Science (1985). He died on 5 February 1988 in Vienna, Austria.Stunt Coordinator (as Bennie Dobbins)
Film is dedicated to him as he passed away during filming..