Movie Cast: The Lion King (all adaptations)
This is a list of people involved in the Lion King entirely. From the original film in 1994, to the Broadway play, from the 2019 version to the direct to video sequels. So if you’re a Lion King fan like me, try to check out some of the other works by the people who helped create this legendary franchise. Hakuna matata!
P.S.: The years will represent the film that individual was involved in.
1994 = original film
1998 = Simba’s Pride
2004 = The Lion King 1/2
2019 = Remake
Broad. = stage play
TLG = The Lion Guard
P.S.: The years will represent the film that individual was involved in.
1994 = original film
1998 = Simba’s Pride
2004 = The Lion King 1/2
2019 = Remake
Broad. = stage play
TLG = The Lion Guard
List activity
160 views
• 2 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
102 people
- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Rob Minkoff was born on 11 August 1962 in Palo Alto, California, USA. He is a producer and director, known for The Lion King (1994), Stuart Little 2 (2002) and The Forbidden Kingdom (2008). He has been married to Crystal Kung Minkoff since 29 September 2007. They have two children.Director (1994)- Director
- Writer
- Animation Department
Roger Allers is an American animated film director and writer who is known for co-directing the influential 1994 Disney musical film The Lion King. He also worked on Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Little Mermaid. He was intended to direct the musical drama Kingdom of the Sun, which got retooled into the 2000 comedy The Emperor's New Groove.Co-Director (1994)- Producer
- Director
- Additional Crew
Don Hahn was born on 26 November 1955 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is a producer and director, known for Maleficent (2014), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) and The Lion King (1994). He has been married to Denise Meara-Hahn since 12 June 1987. They have one child.Producer (1994)- Music Department
- Composer
- Actor
German-born composer Hans Zimmer is recognized as one of Hollywood's most innovative musical talents. He featured in the music video for The Buggles' single "Video Killed the Radio Star", which became a worldwide hit and helped usher in a new era of global entertainment as the first music video to be aired on MTV (August 1, 1981).
Hans Florian Zimmer was born in Frankfurt am Main, then in West Germany, the son of Brigitte (Weil) and Hans Joachim Zimmer. He entered the world of film music in London during a long collaboration with famed composer and mentor Stanley Myers, which included the film My Beautiful Laundrette (1985). He soon began work on several successful solo projects, including the critically acclaimed A World Apart, and during these years Zimmer pioneered the use of combining old and new musical technologies. Today, this work has earned him the reputation of being the father of integrating the electronic musical world with traditional orchestral arrangements.
A turning point in Zimmer's career came in 1988 when he was asked to score Rain Man for director Barry Levinson. The film went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture of the Year and earned Zimmer his first Academy Award Nomination for Best Original Score. The next year, Zimmer composed the score for another Best Picture Oscar recipient, Driving Miss Daisy (1989), starring Jessica Tandy, and Morgan Freeman.
Having already scored two Best Picture winners, in the early 1990s, Zimmer cemented his position as a preeminent talent with the award-winning score for The Lion King (1994). The soundtrack has sold over 15 million copies to date and earned him an Academy Award for Best Original Score, a Golden Globe, an American Music Award, a Tony, and two Grammy Awards. In total, Zimmer's work has been nominated for 7 Golden Globes, 7 Grammys and seven Oscars for Rain Man (1988), Gladiator (2000), The Lion King (1994), As Good as It Gets (1997), The The Preacher's Wife (1996), The Thin Red Line (1998), The Prince of Egypt (1998), and The Last Samurai (2003).
With his career in full swing, Zimmer was anxious to replicate the mentoring experience he had benefited from under Stanley Myers' guidance. With state-of-the-art technology and a supportive creative environment, Zimmer was able to offer film-scoring opportunities to young composers at his Santa Monica-based musical "think tank." This approach helped launch the careers of such notable composers as Mark Mancina, John Powell, Harry Gregson-Williams, Nick Glennie-Smith, and Klaus Badelt.
In 2000, Zimmer scored the music for Gladiator (2000), for which he received an Oscar nomination, in addition to Golden Globe and Broadcast Film Critics Awards for his epic score. It sold more than three million copies worldwide and spawned a second album Gladiator: More Music From The Motion Picture, released on the Universal Classics/Decca label. Zimmer's other scores that year included Mission: Impossible II (2000), The Road to El Dorado (2000), and An Everlasting Piece (2000), directed by Barry Levinson.
Some of his other impressive scores include Pearl Harbor (2001), The Ring (2002), four films directed by Ridley Scott; Matchstick Men (2003), Hannibal (2001), Black Hawk Down (2001), and Thelma & Louise (1991), Penny Marshall's Riding in Cars with Boys (2001), and A League of Their Own (1992), Tony Scott's True Romance (1993), Tears of the Sun (2003), Ron Howard's Backdraft (1991), Days of Thunder (1990), Smilla's Sense of Snow (1997), and the animated Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002) for which he also co-wrote four of the songs with Bryan Adams, including the Golden Globe nominated Here I Am.
At the 27th annual Flanders International Film Festival, Zimmer performed live for the first time in concert with a 100-piece orchestra and a 100-voice choir. Choosing selections from his impressive body of work, Zimmer performed newly orchestrated concert versions of Gladiator, Mission: Impossible II (2000), Rain Man (1988), The Lion King (1994), and The Thin Red Line (1998). The concert was recorded by Decca and released as a concert album entitled "The Wings Of A Film: The Music Of Hans Zimmer."
In 2003, Zimmer completed his 100th film score for the film The Last Samurai, starring Tom Cruise, for which he received both a Golden Globe and a Broadcast Film Critics nomination. Zimmer then scored Nancy Meyers' comedy Something's Gotta Give (2003), the animated Dreamworks film, Shark Tale (2004) (featuring voices of Will Smith, Renée Zellweger, Robert De Niro, Jack Black, and Martin Scorsese), and Jim Brooks' Spanglish (2004) starring Adam Sandler and Téa Leoni (for which he also received a Golden Globe nomination). His 2005 projects include Paramount's The Weather Man (2005) starring Nicolas Cage, Dreamworks' Madagascar (2005), and the Warner Bros. summer release, Batman Begins (2005).
Zimmer's additional honors and awards include the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award in Film Composition from the National Board of Review, and the Frederick Loewe Award in 2003 at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. He has also received ASCAP's Henry Mancini Award for Lifetime Achievement. Hans and his wife live in Los Angeles and he is the father of four children.Music Composer (1994, 2019, Broad.)- Writer
- Script and Continuity Department
- Additional Crew
Irene Mecchi was born on 21 September 1949 in San Francisco, California, USA. She is a writer, known for The Lion King (1994), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) and Brave (2012).Screenwriter (1994)- Writer
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Jonathan Roberts was born in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He is known for The Lion King (1994), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) and James and the Giant Peach (1996).Screenwriter (1994)- Writer
- Additional Crew
- Producer
Linda Woolverton was born in Long Beach, California, graduating from high school in 1969 and having been an honors student in her schools theater program. She enrolled at California State University, Long Beach, graduating with a BFA in Theater Arts in 1973. She worked full-time for a year in the entertainment division at Disneyland, and began working toward her Masters Degree in Theater for Children at California State Fullerton, while working as a substitute teacher.
Upon the completion of her Masters Degree in 1976, she formed her own children's theater company. She wrote, directed and performed all over California in churches, malls, schools, and local theaters. She also began in 1979, to work as a coach to children acting in commercials. In 1980 she began working as a development executive for CBS, concentrating on both children's and late-night programming.
In 1984 she began working as a children's television writer, penning scripts for shows such as Star Wars: Ewoks (1985), The Real Ghostbusters (1986), Alvin & the Chipmunks (1983) and DuckTales (2017). She also had two young adult novels published: Starwind and Running Before the Wind.
When one of her novels caught the attention of a Disney executive, she was hired to write the script for the animated motion picture Beauty and the Beast (1991). Upon its release in 1991, Beauty and the Beast (1991) became the first animated film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
Woolverton also co-wrote the script for The Lion King (1994) and Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993). She also adapted the script of Beauty and the Beast for the stage, which opened to critical acclaim on Broadway in Spring 1994, and was later nominated for a Tony Award for Best Book in a Musical. She also wrote the book for Disney's third Broadway production 'Aida.Screenwriter (1994)- Producer
- Actor
- Writer
Initially an indie film favorite, actor Jon Favreau has progressed to strong mainstream visibility into the millennium and, after nearly two decades in the business, is still enjoying character stardom as well as earning notice as a writer/producer/director.
The amiable, husky-framed actor with the tight, crinkly hair was born in Queens, New York on October 19, 1966, the only child of Madeleine (Balkoff), an elementary school teacher, and Charles Favreau, a special education teacher. His father has French-Canadian, German, and Italian ancestry, and his mother was from a Russian Jewish family. He attended the Bronx High School of Science before furthering his studies at Queens College in 1984. Dropping out just credits away from receiving his degree, Jon moved to Chicago where he focused on comedy and performed at several Chicago improvisational theaters, including the ImprovOlympic and the Improv Institute. He also found a couple of bit parts in films.
While there, he earned another bit role in the film, Rudy (1993), and met fellow cast mate Vince Vaughn. Their enduring personal friendship would play an instrumental role in furthering both their professional careers within just a few years. Jon broke into TV with a role on the classic series, Seinfeld (1989) (as "Eric the Clown"). After filming rudimentary roles in the movies Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994), Notes from Underground (1995) and Batman Forever (1995), he decided to do some risk taking by writing himself and friend Vaughn into what would become their breakthrough film. Swingers (1996), which he also co-produced, centers on Jon as a luckless, struggling actor type who is emotionally shattered after losing his girlfriend, but is pushed back into the L.A. social scene via the help of cool, worldly, outgoing actor/buddy Vaughn. These two blueprint roles went on to define the character types of both actors on film.
In 1997, Jon appeared favorably on several episodes of the popular TV sitcom, Friends (1994), as "Pete Becker", the humdrum but extremely wealthy suitor for Courteney Cox's "Monica" character, and also appeared to fine advantage on the Tracey Takes On... (1996) comedy series. He later took on the biopic mini-movie, Rocky Marciano (1999), portraying the prizefighter himself in a highly challenging dramatic role and received excellent reviews. Other engagingly offbeat "everyman" films roles came Jon's way -- the ex-athlete in the working class film, Dogtown (1997); a soon-to-be groom whose bachelor party goes horribly awry in the comedy thriller Very Bad Things (1998); a newlywed opposite Famke Janssen in Love & Sex (2000); a wild and crazy linebacker in The Replacements (2000); as Ben Affleck's legal partner in Daredevil (2003); and another down-and-out actor in The Big Empty (2003). He wrote and directed himself and Vaughn as two fellow boxers who involve themselves in criminal activity in Made (2001). Both he and Vaughn produced. He also directed the highly popular Will Ferrell comedy Elf (2003), in which he had a small part.
Jon went on to re-team favorably with his friend, Vince Vaughn, who enjoyed a meteoric rise into the comedy star ranks, in such light-weight features as The Break-Up (2006), Four Christmases (2008) and Couples Retreat (2009), the last of which he co-wrote with Vaughn.
Jon has made even greater strides as a writer, producer and/or director in recent years with the exciting mega-box office action-packed Iron Man (2008), starring Robert Downey Jr., and its sequels, Iron Man 2 (2010) and Iron Man 3 (2013). Jon's character of "Happy Hogan" would be featured in a number of Marvel Comic adventures. Other offerings behind the scenes have included the adventure dramedy Chef (2014), in which he also starred in the title role; the revamped film version of The Avengers (2012) also starring Downey Jr., and it's sequels Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019); and the animated Disney features The Jungle Book (2016) and The Lion King (2019) and the TV series The Chef Show (2019).
Favreau's marriage to Joya Tillem on November 24, 2000, produced son Max and two daughters, Madeleine and Brighton Rose. Joya is the niece of KGO (AM) lawyer and talk show host, Len Tillem. On the sly, the actor/writer/producer/director enjoys playing on the World Poker Tour.Director (2019)- Writer
- Additional Crew
- Producer
Jeff Nathanson was born on 12 October 1965 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997), Catch Me If You Can (2002) and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017).Screenwriter (2019)- Producer
- Production Manager
Jeffrey Silver has Produced or Executive Produced 34 feature films, topping $6.2 billion at the Worldwide Box Office.
He's currently at work on a sequel to the metaverse-inspired, "Tron" (Disney) -- having produced the previous installment of the franchise -- directed by Joachim Ronning, and starring Jared Leto.
His most recent release was the remake of the under-the-sea classic, "The Little Mermaid" (Disney), directed by Rob Marshall, starring Halle Bailey, Melissa McCarthy, and Javier Bardem.
Before that, Silver produced the photo-real re-imagining of "The Lion King" (Disney), starring Donald Glover and Beyoncé, directed by Jon Favreau. The Lion King broke new ground in animation, utilizing Virtual Production Technology to "shoot" an animated movie, resulting in an unprecedented level of digital reality. "The Lion King" went on to set records at the Worldwide Box Office, including being the #1 Disney-Branded Movie, the #1 Animated Movie, the #1 Musical Movie, and the #7 Highest-Grossing Movie of all-time.
Other recent releases include the epic fairy-tale, "Beauty & the Beast" (Disney), directed by Bill Condon, starring Emma Watson. "Beauty" went on to set records at the Worldwide Box Office, including the #1 Disney-Branded Live-Action Movie, the #2 Musical Movie, and the #16 Highest-Grossing Movie of all-time.
Silver is also known for sci-fi actioner, "Edge of Tomorrow", (Warners), directed by Doug Liman, starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt; sci-fi fantasy, "Tron: Legacy" (Disney), starring Jeff Bridges; the global hit, historic fantasy, "300" (Warners), adapted from the graphic novel by Frank Miller, directed by Zack Snyder; cop-classic, "Training Day" (Warners), starring Denzel Washington, directed by Antoine Fuqua; and the holiday classics, "The Santa Clause" movies (Disney), starring Tim Allen.
Silver also produced the hit television series "The Wonder Years" (ABC), for which he received an Emmy as Producer for Best Comedy Series.
Silver's movies and television shows have been recognized for over 30 major awards including Oscars, Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs, and the Independent Spirit, as well as awards from the Directors Guild of America, the Screen Actors Guild, and the Writers Guild of America.
In 1999, Silver co-founded FilmAid, a non-profit organization, dedicated to bringing movies to refugee camps around the world.
Silver grew up in Miami, and graduated Brandeis University with a degree in Theater.
Silver's wife, Lienna Silver, is a novelist, his daughter Sasha Silver, is Head of Drama at Hulu, and his son, Max Silver, is a filmmaker, and singer-songwriter.Producer (2019)- Cinematographer
- Director
- Camera and Electrical Department
Caleb Deschanel is an American film cinematographer and film/television director. He has been nominated for six Academy Awards, each time in the field of cinematography. The first nomination came in 1983 for the film The Right Stuff (1983). His second was in 1984 for The Natural (1984), the third in 1996 for Fly Away Home (1996), the fourth in 2000 for The Patriot (2000), the fifth for The Passion of the Christ (2004), and the sixth for Never Look Away (2018).
He is the father of actresses Emily Deschanel and Zooey Deschanel.Cinematographer (2019)- Animation Department
- Writer
- Art Department
Brenda Chapman is an American animator, animation film director and writer from Beason, Illinois. She directed the Pixar film Brave and the DreamWorks Animation film The Prince of Egypt. She wrote the storylines of The Lion King and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. She is married to Kevin Lima, fellow animation director. She did the singing voice of Miriam during the River Lullaby reprise of The Prince of Egypt.Story (1994)- Actor
- Additional Crew
Barry Johnson is known for Beyond: Two Souls (2013), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) and Detroit: Become Human (2018).Story (1994)- Art Department
- Animation Department
- Additional Crew
Andrew Alan Gaskill was born in Camden, New Jersey, December 29, 1951. His father was a U.S. soldier in the Pacific and after the war, was stationed in Tokyo, Japan. There, he met and married a Japanese woman. Andrew spent his childhood in Japan in the Tokyo/Yokohama region. Finally, at age 9 he and his parents returned to the United States for good and he spent his teen years in the South Jersey/ Philadelphia environs. He attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts as a sculpture major but painted and photographed as well. An offer from Disney brought Andrew to Los Angeles in 1973 where he embarked on a lifetime career in the animation industry. He has been privileged to work on such films as The Lion King, Hercules and Treasure Planet.Story (1994)- Art Department
- Writer
- Animation Department
Kevin has worked on five of the top twenty five grossing and critically acclaimed animated feature films of all time. He has boarded on such classics as Frozen, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Lion King, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Tarzan , and How to Train your Dragon.
Kevin lives in Vermont where he recently boarded for Netflix Studio's Wendell and Wild and the Gaumont Studio's production of Paul McCartney's children's book, High in the Clouds.
Kevin was born in Southern California and moved to Vermont with his family over 20 years ago after establishing himself as a story artist for Disney Feature Animation. He has story boarded remotely for such clients as Disney, DreamWorks, Laika and other animation studios while living three miles down a dirt road in Northern Vermont.
Kevin was initially inspired by Norman Rockwell and how he caricatured people and life. Kevin found story boarding was an outlet for his take on life's silly, ironic moments.
"The best part about being a story artist is collaborating with of a team of writers, animators and actors to create cinematic magic."Story (1994)- Art Department
- Animation Department
- Director
Tom Sito was born on 19 May 1956 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He is a director, known for The Lion King (1994), Shrek (2001) and Aladdin (1992). He has been married to Pat Sito since 4 January 1980.Story (1994)- Writer
- Animation Department
- Art Department
Burny Mattinson's helmed the Academy Award-nominated 1983 animated featurette "Mickey's Christmas Carol." In 1986, wrote, produced and directed "The Great Mouse Detective." Mattinson's worked on"Sleeping Beauty," "101 Dalmatians," "The Sword in the Stone," "The Jungle Book," "The Aristocats" and "The Rescuers." He was a key story team member on Disney's contemporary classics: "Aladdin," "Beauty & the Beast," "The Lion King, "Pocahontas," "Mulan," "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" and "Tarzan." Mattinson joined Disney in 1953 at age 18 without formal art training, and started work as an in-betweener for "Lady and the Tramp" less than 6 months later.Story (1994)- Animation Department
- Art Department
- Writer
Lorna Cook directed of "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron", nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and winner of four Annie Awards. Her extensive credits as an animator include 'The Land Before Time' and the Universal Picture's "An American Tail". Ms. Cook was an animator on two Academy Award-winning films from Walt Disney Pictures "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Lion King". Ms. Cook spent several years as a valued story artist at Disney as well, including the position of key story artist on "The Lion King", "Mulan", and was co-head of Story on DreamWorks "The Prince of Egypt".Story (1994)- Director
- Writer
- Art Department
Gary Trousdale was born in La Crescenta, California. His fascination with animation was fostered as a child, where he drew cartoons from an elementary school age. He planned to become an architect, but decided instead to study animation at CalArts, where he studied for three years. He was hired in 1982 to design storyboards and do other animation. He then went to work designing restaurant menus and t-shirts. He was hired in 1985 by Disney to work on "The Black Cauldron," and continued his relationship with the company for years. He gained true prominence in his field with the success of his animated film directorial debut "Beauty and the Beast," which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. He continues to work with Disney, and lives in the San Fernando Valley, a suburban area of Los Angeles, California.Story (1994)- Art Department
- Animation Department
- Writer
Jorgen Klubien is known for Dumbo (2019), Frankenweenie (2012) and Cars (2006). He is married to Trine Dahl Klubien. They have three children.Story (1994)- Art Department
- Animation Department
- Writer
Larry Leker is known for Aladdin (1992), Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002) and All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989).Story (1994)- Animation Department
- Art Department
- Writer
Ed Gombert was born on 16 November 1951 in Duarte, California, USA. He is a writer, known for Aladdin (1992), The Lion King (1994) and Pocahontas (1995).Story (1994)- Animation Department
- Director
- Art Department
Mark Kausler was born on 10 August 1948. He is a director, known for The Lion King (1994), Osmosis Jones (2001) and Beauty and the Beast (1991). He is married to Cathy Hill.Story (1994)- Animation Department
- Writer
- Actor
Jim Capobianco received the 2008 Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay for Ratatouille. He went on to write and direct the short film, "Your Friend The Rat," found on the Ratatouille DVD, winning the 2008 ASIFA-Hollywood Annie Award for short films. Jim followed YFtR up with directing the critically acclaimed end titles for Pixar's 2008 release Wall.E. A graduate of the California Institute of the Arts, Jim started in the story department at Walt Disney Feature Animation on The Lion King. After five years at Disney, Jim relocated to Pixar Animation Studios where he was influential on the stories of many of Pixar's films from A Bug's Life to Coco. In 2009 Jim finished Leonardo, his first independent film, now in the permanent collection of the MoMA NYC. He also formed Aerial Contrivance Workshop a 'story design studio'. With ACW, Jim created and directed the 2D animation sequence for Walt Disney Motion Pictures, Mary Poppins Returns, winning his second Annie Award. Following that up as the Animation director of Philharmonia Fantastique an animated concert film similar to Fantasia for live symphony in collaboration with Mason Bates and Gary Rydstorm. Jim has recently written and directed his first feature film The Inventor and is working on writing and developing numerous scripts and books for children. Including a new concert film once again with Mason Bates and Gary Rydstorm.Story (1994)- Writer
- Actor
- Animation Department
Born and raised in Colorado, Chris Sanders fell in love with animation at the age of ten after seeing Ward Kimball animated shorts on 'The Wonderful World of Disney'. He began drawing, and applied to CalArts after his grandmother told him about the animation program at the school. He majored in character animation, and graduated in 1984, moving on to work at Marvel Comics. He helped draw the characters for the show _Muppet Babies (1984)_. He then moved over to the Walt Disney Company in 1987, working in the visual development department. After doing some minor work on The Rescuers Down Under (1990), Sanders catapulted to the top of Disney animation through his work on Beauty and the Beast (1991) and The Lion King (1994). He helped write the 1998 Disney animated hit Mulan (1998), which moved him into the position to write, direct, and voice Lilo & Stitch (2002). Sanders moved to Dreamworks where he co-wrote, co-directed and did character design for How to Train Your Dragon (2010). Regardless of which studio he works for, he has become a recognizable force as an animator in both cel- and CGI-based features.Story (1994)- Writer
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Joseph Ranft was an American writer, voice actor, animator, storyboard artist and magician. He worked for Disney and Pixar. He worked on The Lion King, The Brave Little Toaster, Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Cars, Monsters, Inc and Finding Nemo. He voiced in the many films he worked on, notably as Heimlich the Caterpillar from A Bug's Life and the outtakes of Toy Story 2. He passed away in August 2005.Story (1994)- Art Department
- Director
- Animation Department
Francis Glebas was born on April 12, 1953. He is known for his work on Aladdin (1992), The Lion King (1994), Hercules (1997), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Pocahontas (1995) and Piglet's Big Movie (2003). He also worked on The Thief and the Cobbler (1993). He is married to Denise Kress. He has taught and consulted on animation, story, storytelling and storyboarding at the New York Institute of Technology, University of California, Los Angeles, Gnomon School of Visual Effects and Walt Disney Imagineering. He has given Keynote speeches at TMRE 2016, CalArts 2016, Gnomon School of Visual Effects 2017.Story (1994)- Editorial Department
- Editor
Ivan Bilancio is known for Hercules (1997), The Transformers: The Movie (1986) and The Lion King (1994).Editor (1994)- Actor
- Soundtrack
Widely regarded as the one of greatest stage and screen actors both in his native USA and internationally, James Earl Jones was born on January 17, 1931 in Arkabutla, Mississippi. At an early age, he started to take dramatic lessons to calm himself down. It appeared to work as he has since starred in many films over a 40-year period, beginning with the Stanley Kubrick classic Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964). For several movie fans, he is probably best known for his role as Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy (due to his contribution for the voice of the role, as the man in the Darth Vader suit was David Prowse, whose voice was dubbed because of his British West Country accent). In his brilliant course of memorable performances, among others, he has also appeared on the animated series The Simpsons (1989) three times and played Mufasa both in The Lion King (1994) and The Lion King (2019), while he returned too as the voice of Darth Vader in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016).Mufasa (all adaptations except Broad.)- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Samuel Ernest Wright was an African-American actor and singer from Camden, South Carolina. He notably voiced Sebastian the Crab from Disney's The Little Mermaid franchise and Kron the Iguanodon from Dinosaur. He also played Mufasa in the original Broadway run of The Lion King. He passed away in May 2021 at California due to prostate cancer.Mufasa (Broad.)- Actor
- Producer
- Director
British actor Jeremy Irons was born in Cowes, Isle of Wight, a small island off the south coast of England. He is the son of Barbara Anne Brereton (Sharpe) and Paul Dugan Irons, an accountant. Young Jeremy didn't prove very fond of figures. He visited mainland England only once a year. He wound up being grounded when his family settled down in Hertfordshire. At the age of 13 he enrolled in Sherborne School, Dorset, where he could practice his favorite sport, horse-riding. Before becoming an actor, he had considered a veterinarian surgeon's career.
He trained at the Bristol Old Vic School for two years, then joined Bristol Old Vic repertory company where he gained experience working in everything from Shakespeare to contemporary dramas. He moved to London in 1971 and had a number of jobs before landing the role of "John the Baptist" in the hit musical "Godspell". He went on to have a successful early career in the West End theatre and on TV, and debuted on-screen in Nijinsky (1980). In the early 80s, he gained international attention with his starring role in the Granada Television serial adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's classic novel Brideshead Revisited (1981), after which he was much in demand as a romantic leading man. He went on to a steady film career. In 1984, he debuted on Broadway opposite: Glenn Close in Tom Stoppard's "The Real Thing" and, in the mid-80s, he appeared in three lead roles with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Once described as 'the thinking woman's pin up', he has made his name in thought provoking films such as David Cronenberg's Dead Ringers (1988), for which he won the New York Critics Best Actor Award. He gained a Golden Globe Award in addition to an Oscar for Best Actor in 1990 for his role as Claus von Bulow in Reversal of Fortune (1990) alongside Glenn Close. Among his many achievements, his role as Professor Higgins in Loewe-Lerner's famous musical "My Fair Lady" mustn't be forgotten. It was in London, back in 1987.
He is married to actress Sinéad Cusack, with whom he appeared in Waterland (1992) and in the Royal Shakespeare Company plays. He appeared with his son Samuel Irons and his father-in-law Cyril Cusack in the film Danny the Champion of the World (1989). His son Max Irons is also an actor.Scar (1994)- Actor
- Producer
- Director
David Oyelowo also known as 'David O', is a classically trained stage actor who has quickly become one of Hollywood's most sought-after talents. He graduated from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), and received the "Scholarship for Excellence" from Nicholas Hytner in 1998.
David most notably starred as Martin Luther King Jr. in Paramount's drama Selma (2014). Directed by Ava DuVernay and produced by Oprah Winfrey and Brad Pitt's Plan B, the film follows Dr. King's struggle to secure voting rights for black people culminating in the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama and President Lyndon Johnson's signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Oyelowo received Golden Globe and Film Independent Spirit Award nominations and won the NAACP Image Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Dr. King. The film also received an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.
More recently, David's leading roles have included: Jack Radcliff in Blumhouse's Don't Let Go (2019) alongside Storm Reid, Javert in BBC and PBS Masterpiece's six-part adaptation of Les Misérables (2018) where he also served as executive producer, joining Rose Byrne and Domhnall Gleeson in Sony's Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (2021), and opposite Angelina Jolie as the father and mother duo to Alice and Peter, the two beloved characters from the well-known fairy tales Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan.
David has also been seen in Christopher Nolan's sci-fi adventure Interstellar (2014), J.C. Chandor's crime drama A Most Violent Year (2014), Paramount's true-life crime thriller Captive (2015) with Kate Mara, A United Kingdom (2016) with Rosamund Pike, Disney's Queen of Katwe (2016) opposite Lupita Nyong'o for which he earned an NAACP Image Award nomination and Simon Brand's Default (2014), and STX and Amazon Studio's Gringo (2018) also starring Joel Edgerton and Charlize Theron.
Additional film credits include The Butler (2013), [linknm0000229]'s Academy Award nominated drama Lincoln (2012), with Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones, the critically acclaimed independent drama Middle of Nowhere (2012), which earned David individual NAACP Image Award and Independent Spirit Award nominations, Jack Reacher (2012) opposite Tom Cruise, Lee Daniels' The Paperboy (2012) opposite Nicole Kidman, Matthew McConaughey and Zac Efron, the British made for television movie Complicit (2013), George Lucas' produced WWII drama Red Tails (2012), which won "Best Motion Picture" at the 2013 NAACP Image Awards, Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) alongside James Franco and Freida Pinto, the Academy Award nominated drama The Help (2011), 96 Minutes (2011), which premiered at the 2011 SXSW Film Festival, Kevin MacDonald's The Last King of Scotland (2006) opposite Forest Whitaker and James McAvoy, Who Do You Love (2008), in which he played the iconic Muddy Waters, A Sound of Thunder (2005) fro Warner Brothers, Derailed (2005) for Miramax, and Shoot the Messenger (2006) for BBC2.
Oyelowo first impressed audiences on the stage when he starred in "The Suppliants" at the Gate Theatre playing King Palasgus, for which he received the Ian Charleson Award commendation. Following this he played the title role of "Henry VI", becoming the first black actor to play an English king for the RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company). The role won him the Ian Charleson Award and an Evening Standard Award nomination. Other theatre credits include an acclaimed performance in Richard Bean's "The God Botherers" at the Bush Theatre, the title role in Aeschylus' "Prometheus Bound', which was Off-Broadway for which David received rave reviews, and most recently, appeared in New York Theatre Workshop's Off-Broadway production of Othello with Daniel Craig and Rachel Brosnahan.
Beyond theatre, David starred in the BAFTA Award winning series MI-5 (2002) playing Danny Hunter also known as "MI:5" which aired in the United States on BBC America as well. Additionally, he won the Royal Television Society Award for Best Actor and was also nominated for a BAFTA Award for the same role for his work on Small Island (2009). David also starred in the BBC1 original television movie Born Equal (2006) opposite Colin Firth as well as ABC's production of A Raisin in the Sun (2008), alongside Sanaa Lathan and Sean 'Diddy' Combs. Another small screen role which garnered him attention was HBO's film, Nightingale (2014), which earned him a Golden Globe nomination and two Emmy Award nominations, including one for his work as executive producer.
He will be making his directorial debut with the feature The Water Man (2020), written by Emma Needell and produced by Shivhans Pictures. David's production company, Yoruba Saxon, will also produce alongside Harpo Films. Not only will David O direct and produce, but star in the film as well with Rosario Dawson, Lonnie Chavis, Amiah Miller, Alfred Molina, and Maria Bello.
In 2015, in association with The Geanco Foundation, Oyelowo established the David Oyelowo Leadership Scholarship to fully fund the education and rehabilitation of girls who have been directly affected by terrorism in Nigeria. He has continued to raise support for the Leadership Scholarship over the last four years, which is now providing thirty-two girls with an education in Nigeria.
Oyelowo was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in the 2016 New Year Honours for his services to drama.Scar (TLG)- Actor
- Director
- Writer
English actor, writer and director Chiwetel Ejiofor is renowned for his portrayal of Solomon Northup in 12 Years a Slave (2013), for which he received Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations, along with the BAFTA Award for Best Actor. He is also known for playing Okwe in Dirty Pretty Things (2002), the Operative in Serenity (2005), Lola in Kinky Boots (2005), Luke in Children of Men (2006), Dr. Adrian Helmsley in 2012 (2009) and Dr. Vincent Kapoor in The Martian (2015).
Chiwetelu Umeadi Ejiofor was born on July 10, 1977 in Forest Gate, London, England, to Nigerian parents, Obiajulu (Okaford), a pharmacist, and Arinze Ejiofor, a doctor. Chiwetel attended Dulwich College in South-East London. By the age of 13, he was appearing in numerous school and National Youth Theatre productions and subsequently attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA).
Ejiofor caught the attention of Steven Spielberg who cast him in the critically acclaimed Amistad (1997) alongside Morgan Freeman and Anthony Hopkins. He has since been seen on the big screen in numerous features including Stephen Frears' Dirty Pretty Things (2002) (for which he won Best Actor at the British Independent Film Awards, the Evening Standard Film Awards, and the San Diego Film Critics Society Awards), Love Actually (2003), Woody Allen's Melinda and Melinda (2004), Kinky Boots (2005), Inside Man (2006), Children of Men (2006), American Gangster (2007) and Talk to Me (2007), for which his performance won him an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Ejiofor has balanced his film and television commitments with a number of prestigious stage productions. In 2008, his portrayal of the title role in Michael Grandage's "Othello" at the Donmar Warehouse alongside Ewan McGregor was unanimously commended and won him best actor at the 2008 Laurence Olivier Awards and Evening Standard Theatre Awards. He also received nominations in the South Bank Show Awards and the What's On Stage Theatregoers' Choice Awards in 2009. His other stage roles include Roger Michell's "Blue/Orange" in 2000 which received the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Play, and the same year Tim Supple's "Romeo and Juliet" in which Ejiofor portrayed the title role.
Following his television debut in the series episode Deadly Voyage (1996), Ejiofor has complimented his film and theatre work on the small screen in productions including Murder in Mind (2001), created by the award-winning writer Anthony Horowitz, Trust (2003), Twelfth Night, or What You Will (2003), and Canterbury Tales (2003). His television appearance in the hard hitting emotional drama Tsunami: The Aftermath (2006) alongside Toni Collette, Sophie Okonedo and Tim Roth earned him a nomination for a Golden Globe Award as well as an NAACP Image award.
Ejiofor also appeared in such notable films as Endgame (2009), Channel 4's moving drama set in South Africa for which his performance earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries; Roland Emmerich's action feature 2012 (2009), opposite John Cusack, Danny Glover and Thandiwe Newton; and Salt (2010), opposite Angelina Jolie and Liev Schreiber. In 2013, he starred in Half of a Yellow Sun (2013) and 12 Years a Slave (2013), receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for the latter film.Scar (2019)- Actor
- Director
- Soundtrack
Jonathan Taylor Thomas was born Jonathan Taylor Weiss on September 8, 1981 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to Claudine (Gonsalves) and Stephen Weiss. He has an older brother, Joel, and has Pennsylvania Dutch (German) and Portuguese ancestry. Growing up, he liked the music group Boyz II Men, and his favorite TV shows were Roseanne (1988) and Grace Under Fire (1993), but he also liked watching CNN news, to keep up to date with current events. One thing that Jonathan does not like is meat. He has been a vegetarian since he was four years old, and he doesn't use products that are tested on animals because he believes that it is wrong to hurt them.
When Jonathan was four years old, his family moved from Bethlehem to Sacramento, California. At the age of seven, Jonathan was working as a model for print advertisements in Sacramento, and over the next few years, he appeared in TV commercials for Kelloggs cereal, Mattel toys and for many other products. By this time, Jonathan was ready for bigger roles, and in 1989, he landed the part of Greg Brady's son Kevin in the TV special The Bradys (1990). In 1990, he landed his biggest role yet, as Randy Taylor on Home Improvement (1991). Jonathan's audition went well, but what really gave him an edge over the other boys was that the casting directors thought that he looked a lot like his TV dad-to-be, Tim Allen.
In 1991, Jonathan's parents divorced. He lived with his mother and his brother. He began work in feature length movies, as the voice of young Simba in Disney's The Lion King (1994), and as Ben Archer in Man of the House (1995) opposite Chevy Chase. Among his other movies are Tom and Huck (1995), The Adventures of Pinocchio (1996), Wild America (1997), and I'll Be Home for Christmas (1998).Young Simba (1994)- When a family friend suggested that then 8 year-old Matt Weinberg would make a good child actor, his parents wanted no part of it and said no. When the parents were still saying no five months later, the friend decided to take matters into her own hands and sneaked a kids' agent into a gym where Matt was taking boxing lessons to meet him behind his parents' backs. The agent flipped for him and when asked, Matt said, "I'll give it a try", his parents consented and just a few months later, in late 1998, Matt was on a film set in Vancouver in his first acting job: a lead role starring opposite Oscar winners Ben Kingsley and Mercedes Ruehl in the independent feature Spooky House (2001) (coming to theaters in April 2002). Since then, Matt has been busy in both television and film. He landed one of the most sought-after kids roles of the 1999 pilot season when he was cast as Eli opposite Edward Asner in Imagine Television's Eli's Theory (1999). Viewers of ER (1994) saw Matt as a guest lead in an episode that aired in January 2002. In 2001 he was cast as James Bishop, the ring-leading child in the family that has hired a witch-turned-nanny in The (Mis)Adventures of Fiona Plum (2001), a comedy pilot for the WB Network. Matt has guest-starred as a little boy who believes his mother will return from heaven on Touched by an Angel (1994), as a skateboarder whose shadow becomes inhabited by an evil, murderous spirit on FreakyLinks (2000), and as an adopted son who finds out just how much his new older brother loves him on Chicken Soup for the Soul (1999). Matt starred as the son of Christine Lahti and Tom Skerritt in Lifetime's MOW adaptation of Wendy Wasserstein's Trial by Media (2000), and worked with legendary star Maureen O'Hara in the CBS MOW The Last Dance (2000). His co-star appearance on Friends (1994) cast him as a talented actor who shows-up Joey Tribbiani when they audition together for a soup commercial; he also is credited with a co-star appearance on Ellen (1994). Matt was twice nominated for the prestigious Young Artist Award for his performances in Friends (1994) and Trial by Media (2000). His performance in The Last Dance (2000), earned him a CAMIE Award (Character and Morality in Entertainment). Matt has appeared in several feature films including the Fox blockbuster X-Men (2000) where he was the jellyfish-obsessed Tommy, Dawg (2002), where he plays the 8 year-old version of star Denis Leary and the upcoming indie Who's Your Daddy? (2002). He is the voice of Young Simba in the new Disney video, The Lion King 1½ (2004), and is one of four leads in Joe Dante's 4D film for Lookout Entertainment, R.L. Stine's Haunted Lighthouse (2003). He also has numerous commercials under his belt including McDonalds, Digimon and Loanworks. Marnie Cooper is Matt Weinberg's acting coach; Larry Moss has been his dialect coach. A student at a Los Angeles public school, Matt is also the starting shortstop for his little league team, the Giants. He lives in Los Angeles with his mom, Dana; his dad, Larry, a public relations executive; his brother Mike, 9 (also an actor) and their three dogs. And, his nay-saying parents are now his biggest fans.Young Simba (2004)
- Actor
- Music Department
- Manager
Jaydon McCrary (born July 18, 2007) is an American singer, dancer and actor. He is currently starring in The Paynes as Kenny Payne on the Oprah Winfrey Network. He starred in 2019's The Lion King as the voice of young Simba. He is signed to Hollywood Records and released his first extended play Shine, in April 2019.
McCrary began his acting career in 2015 at age 8 on K.C. Undercover, where he appeared on two episodes. In December 2016, he made a guest appearance on Childish Gambino's song "Terrified". He then had live performances on Little Big Shots singing The Jackson 5's "I Want You Back", The Ellen Show singing "Who's Lovin' You", and the 60th Annual Grammy Awards to support Childish Gambino's "Terrified". In December 2017, he sang the national anthem before a Los Angeles Clippers game after a viral singing display a few weeks prior. In 2017, he later appeared on I'm Dying Up Here and Teachers as minor roles.
On January 14, 2018 he released his first official single called "Inviting All of You". On August 13, 2018, it was announced that JD McCrary became the youngest artist to sign with Disney Music Group's Hollywood Records, as he released the music video to his second single "My Name" on August 28. On January 24, 2019, he released the first single after signing to the label called "Keep in Touch."
In 2019, McCrary co-starred in the Universal comedy film Little, and provided the voice of young Simba in the live action remake of the Disney film The Lion King. McCrary said that "Donald Glover (who voices adult Simba) is so talented that actually did have to take it into consideration, because if Simba is going to grow up to be some sort of figure and you know of it, you have to keep that motive." Also that year, McCrary also portrays a young Michael Jackson in the BET series American Soul, which premiered in February. On April 19, McCrary released his debut EP, Shine, which includes production from Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox.Young Simba (2019)- Actor
- Director
- Producer
A slight comic actor chiefly known for his boyish charm, Matthew Broderick was born on March 21, 1962 in New York City, to Patricia Broderick (née Biow), a playwright and painter, and James Broderick, an actor. His father had Irish and English ancestry, and his mother was from a Jewish family (from Germany and Poland).
Matthew initially took up acting at New York's upper-crust Walden School after being sidelined from his athletic pursuits (football and soccer) by a knee injury. His father got him his stage debut at age 17 in a workshop production of the play "On Valentine's Day". Matthew's career then accelerated with parts in two Neil Simon projects: the play "Brighton Beach Memoirs" (1982-83) and the feature film Max Dugan Returns (1983). Broderick reprised the role of Eugene in "Biloxi Blues" (1988), the second installment of the Simon trilogy, for both the Broadway production and the film adaptation (Biloxi Blues (1988)). For the third and final installment of the trilogy, he was replaced by Jonathan Silverman. In 1983, the same year as Max Dugan Returns (1983), Broderick had his first big-screen success in the light comedy WarGames (1983). Since then he has had his fair share of hits and misses, with some of his better films including Project X (1987) also starring Helen Hunt, whom he subsequently dated; Addicted to Love (1997); and Inspector Gadget (1999). Other films he has appeared in which may be known but not so much respected include Out on a Limb (1992) with his Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) co-star Jeffrey Jones; The Night We Never Met (1993); The Road to Wellville (1994); and The Cable Guy (1996) with Jim Carrey, which got him an MTV "Best Fight" award nomination; and the MTV film Election (1999) with Reese Witherspoon. In 1985 he was involved in a controversial car crash while driving in Ireland with his then fiancée Jennifer Grey. The crash killed a woman and her daughter. Broderick paid a small fine to the family of the victims. He broke his leg in the accident, which happened just as Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), his biggest hit, was coming out in the US. The box office success (but critical flop) and special effects blockbuster Godzilla (1998) gave Broderick his first action role (should any "Godzilla" sequels be planned, he is under contract for two more). He has occasionally returned to the stage in New York, either in revivals of old musical warhorses such as "How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying" or in revivals of old "show people"plays, such as "Night Must Fall". In 1996 Broderick attempted to wear three hats as co-producer/director/actor in Infinity (1996), working very closely with his mother, who also wrote the screenplay. It was not a critical or commercial success, and he has not directed or produced since. Since May 1997 he has been married to actress Sarah Jessica Parker. He was previously engaged to both Helen Hunt and dated Lili Taylor. In 1999 he donned a trenchcoat for the children's film Inspector Gadget (1999), alongside Rupert Everett as the evil villain Claw. In March 2001 Broderick returned to Broadway in the musical smash "The Producers" (based on the 1968 Mel Brooks film of the same name). He was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical, which he lost to his co-star, Nathan Lane.Adult Simba (1994, 1998, 2004)- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Rob Lowe was born in Charlottesville, Virginia, to Barbara Lynn (Hepler), a schoolteacher, and Charles Davis Lowe, a lawyer. His brother is actor Chad Lowe. He has German, as well as English, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh ancestry. Lowe's family moved to Dayton, Ohio, when he was a child. Rob broke into acting in his teens. He spent the 1980s as a member of the "Brat Pack", a group of young, powerful and reckless actors and actresses that included Emilio Estevez, Charlie Sheen and Judd Nelson, among others. In 1988 Lowe was involved in a scandal centering around a sexually explicit videotape which involved a minor, for which he did 20 hours of community service in Dayton. He subsequently sought help for his problems with drugs and alcohol and has re-emerged in the 1990s as a clean and sober husband and father.Adult Simba (TLG)- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
The multi-talented Donald Glover is a writer, actor, musician, comedian, producer and director, who performs under the stage names Childish Gambino and mcDJ. He was born Donald McKinley Glover at Edwards Air Force Base, California, and was raised in Stone Mountain, Georgia. His mother, Beverly (Smith), ran a daycare center, and his father, Donald Glover, is a retired postal worker. He is not, despite rumors, related to actor Danny Glover. He has a younger brother, Stephen Glover, a screenwriter and producer. Donald graduated from New York University with a degree in Dramatic Writing in 2006.
In 2006, at age 23, while still living in the NYU dorms, Glover joined the writing staff of NBC comedy 30 Rock (2006), for which he received a Writers Guild of America Award nomination in 2009. Later credited as an executive story editor, he also had several cameos in front of the camera. In 2009, he left "30 Rock" for a role on the comedy series Community (2009), in which he played an athlete in a rather odd study group, opposite Chevy Chase and Joel McHale. The show ran for six seasons.
Glover is the creator, writer, producer, director and star of the series Atlanta (2016), which debuted on FX in 2016. The series was an immediate critical and commercial hit, winning the 2017 Golden Globe Award for Best Series and Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series (Musical or Comedy) for Glover. At the 2017 Primetime Emmy Awards, Glover won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series, while the show also earned four other nominations: Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series, and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for Glover (for the episode B.A.N. (2016)) and his brother, Stephen (for the episode Streets on Lock (2016)).
His first stand-up special aired on Comedy Central in March 2010. As Childish Gambino, Glover has released the studio albums "Camp" (2011), "Because the Internet" (2013) and "Awaken, My Love!" (2016). In 2015, he was nominated for Grammy Awards in 2015 for Best Rap Album for "Because the Internet" and Best Rap Performance for his single "3005" In 2018, he was nominated for five Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year for "Awaken, My Love!" and Record of the Year for the hit "Redbone," winning the Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance.
On the big screen, Glover's credits include Magic Mike XXL (2015), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), and The Martian (2015). He will star as the young Lando Calrissian in the upcoming Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) and will provide the voice of Simba in a remake of The Lion King (2019).
In April 2017, Glover was named among Time Magazine's "100 Most Influential People in the World."Adult Simba (2019)- Actress
- Director
Born March 6, 1968 in Queens, New York, she is the third of six kids. Her father, Peter, was trained as a concert violinist. Her mother, Anne, is a nurse. Both are Irish immigrants. Moira was raised in Ronkonkoma, NY. She attended Connetquot Senior High School and graduated in the class of 1986. Later Moira attended Marymount Manhattan College. In 1984 Moira was cast in a small role in Connetquot Senior High School's production of Annie. Due to illness, the young woman playing Miss Hannigan was replaced, causing a series of cast changes. Director Eric Martinsen chose to recast Moira as Grace Farrell. She was a great success, and so began her career.Adult Nala (1994, 1998, 2004)- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Gabrielle Union was born on October 29, 1972, in Omaha, Nebraska, to Theresa (Glass), who managed a phone company, and Sylvester E. Union, a military sergeant and business executive. When she was eight, her family moved to Pleasanton, California, where she grew up and attended high school. There, Union was an all-star point guard and a year-round athlete participating in soccer, basketball, and track. She graduated from Foothill High School (Class of 1991).
After high school, Gabrielle attended college at University of Nebraska, where she played on the soccer team; and then later transferred to Cuesta College. Eventually, she ended up at UCLA. On her way to law school, just planning on being a working stiff, things started to happen during her senior year. Gabrielle had a college internship at a L.A. modeling agency, she thought it would be an easy way to pick up some extra credits. Little did she know that clients were eyeing the help. Upon the completion of the internship, she was asked to become a client with the agency. Gabby thought of it as a great way to pay off a stack of college loans, and modeled until her agent found that she could actually act. Her first audition/job was landed without any headshots, on Saved by the Bell (1989). Since then, she has gone on to have many small but substantial film roles and has guest-starred on several hit TV shows, all before landing the role of "Dr. Courtney Ellis", on CBS' short-lived medical drama City of Angels (2000).
Although she plays parts that are opinionated and strong, Gabrielle believes that, "Hollywood needs to recognize all shades of African-American beauty." Gabrielle is a 1996 graduate of UCLA with honors in sociology.Adult Nala (TLG)- Music Artist
- Actress
- Music Department
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles was born on September 4, 1981 in Houston, Texas. Her mom, Tina Knowles designs their glittering costumes & her dad, Mathew Knowles manages Destiny's Child. Solange, her sister (they're 4 years apart) has released her debut album. She dances with her big sister during DC-3 concerts. Beyoncé's of Louisiana Creole & African descent.
She and her group were discovered by Whitney Houston. One of her favorite songs is "Lovefool" by The Cardigans. Her favorite item of clothing is a pair of path work metallic boots. She writes & produces many of the group's songs, including smash hits "Jumpin Jumpin", "Bootylicious", "Nasty Girl", "Independent Women", "Happy Face" and "Apple Pie a la mode".Adult Nala (2019)- Madge Sinclair was born Madge Dorita Walters on April 28, 1938 in Kingston, Jamaica, married young and had two sons. Madge worked as a teacher in Jamaica until she was 30. She left her two boys with their father and moved in 1968 to New York City to be an actress.
She began modeling and later acted with the New York Shakespearean Festival and at Joseph Papp's Public Theatre. In 1974, Madge made her film debut, playing Mrs. Scott in Conrack (1974). She was nominated for an Emmy Award for her performance as Bell Reynolds in the miniseries Roots (1977).
In 1982, shortly after joining the cast of Trapper John, M.D. (1979), Sinclair was diagnosed with leukemia. She continued to work, outliving the doctors' predictions by several years. On December 20, 1995, Madge Sinclair died at age 57 in Los Angeles, California, after a 13 year battle with leukemia.Sarabi (1994) - Actress
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Alfre Woodard was born on November 8, 1952 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the youngest of three children of Constance, a homemaker, and Marion H. Woodard, an interior designer. She was named by her godmother, who claimed she saw a vision of Alfre's name written out in gold letters. A former high school cheerleader and track star, she got the acting bug after being persuaded to audition for a school play by a nun at her school. She went on to study acting at Boston University and enjoyed a brief stint on Broadway before moving to Los Angeles, California. She got her first break in Remember My Name (1978) which also starred Jeff Goldblum. She lives in Santa Monica, California with her husband, writer Roderick M. Spencer, and their two adopted children: Mavis and Duncan. She was named one of the Most Beautiful People in America by People Magazine.Sarabi (2019)- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Nathan Lane is an American actor and singer from New Jersey who is known for playing Timon from The Lion King, Spot Helperman/Scott Leadready II from Teacher's Pet, Max Bialystock from The Producers, Snowball from Stuart Little, Hamegg from Astro Boy and Ernie Smuntz from Mouse Hunt. He is married to his husband Devlin Elliott since 2015.Timon (1994, 1998, 2004)- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Kevin Schon was born on 7 February 1958 in San Diego County, California, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for The Lion Guard (2015), Jack and the Beanstalk (2009) and Skylanders: Trap Team (2014). He was previously married to Suzanne Dudley Schon.Timon (TLG)
Thurston (TLG)- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Billy Eichner was born on September 18, 1978 and raised in New York City. He graduated from Stuyvesant High School (NY) in 1996. He is a graduate of Northwestern University, where he majored in Theater.
He is the star, executive producer and creator of Billy on the Street (2011), a comedy game show that airs on Fuse TV.
Billy will be a voiceover guest star on a season two episode of the animated series, Bob's Burgers (2011). He has been a regular performer at New York's Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. He is also a commentator on pop culture, via his Twitter account.Timon (2019)- Actor
- Soundtrack
Ernie Sabella is an American actor and singer from Westchester County, New York who is widely known for voicing Pumbaa the Warthog, Timon's best friend from The Lion King franchise except for the 2019 reboot. He also acted in Mouse Hunt, That's So Raven, In & Out, Cheers, and Seinfeld. He is married to Cheryl, a computer programmer.Pumbaa (all adaptations except 2019 or Broad.)- Producer
- Actor
- Writer
An actor, comedian and writer, Seth Rogen has come a long way from doing stand-up comedy as a teen.
Rogen was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, to Sandy (Belogus), a social worker, and Mark Rogen, who worked for non-profits. His father is American-born and his mother is Canadian. He is of Russian Jewish descent. He attended Vancouver Talmud Torah Elementary School and Point Grey Secondary School (although he dropped out of high school to move to Los Angeles) and was known for the stand-up comedy he performed at Camp Miriam, a Habonim Dror camp. At sixteen, Rogen placed second in the 1998 Vancouver Amateur Comedy Contest.
Soon after that he landed his first role in Judd Apatow's short-lived but well regarded TV series Freaks and Geeks (1999), taking on the role of Ken Miller. Though the show only lasted one season, it was the launching pad for many careers, including Rogen, Apatow, James Franco, and Jason Segel. This early work sharpened Rogen's keen improvisational skills, which he's used on many projects since.
Following Freaks and Geeks (1999), he participated in a few unsuccessful television projects, and then joined the American television version of Da Ali G Show (2000) as a writer during its second and last season, along with his childhood friend and writing partner Evan Goldberg. The writing team received an Emmy nomination. As a huge fan of the first season, Rogen was thrilled to get the chance to work with Sacha Baron Cohen.
Continuing his work with Apatow, he joined the cast of Apatow's debut film The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005) and is credited as co-producer. After that he took the lead in Knocked Up (2007), Apatow's second movie and a huge success. He's since been a frequent collaborator with Apatow, in projects such as Superbad (2007), Pineapple Express (2008) and Funny People (2009). He co-wrote Superbad (2007), with Goldberg; the pair started the project when they were teens. They won the Canadian Comedy Award for Best Writing in a Film in 2008. They later wrote Pineapple Express (2008) and The Green Hornet (2011), also starring Rogen.
A talented voice artist, Rogen is in the animated films Horton Hears a Who! (2008), Kung Fu Panda (2008), and Monsters vs. Aliens (2009), and has voiced characters for The Simpsons (1989) and American Dad! (2005).
Rogen was named the Canadian Comedy Person of the Year by the Canadian Comedy Awards in both 2008 and 2009.
Rogen lives in Los Angeles with Lauren Miller Rogen, whom he met in 2004. They became engaged in September 2010 and married in October 2011.Pumbaa (2019)- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Robert Peter Williams Guillaume was an actor from St. Louis, Missouri who was known for playing Rafiki from The Lion King, Benson DuBois from Soap and Benson, and Nathan Detroit from Guys and Dolls. He had five children from two marriages. He passed away in October 24, 2017 due to prostate cancer complications.Rafiki (1994, 1998, 2004)- Writer
- Actor
- Producer
John Kani was born on 30 November 1942 in New Brighton, South Africa. He is a writer and actor, known for Black Panther (2018), Captain America: Civil War (2016) and The Ghost and the Darkness (1996).Rafiki (2019)- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Rowan Sebastian Atkinson was born on 6 January, 1955, in Consett, Co. Durham, UK, to Ella May (Bainbridge) and Eric Atkinson. His father owned a farm, where Rowan grew up with his two older brothers, Rupert and Rodney. He attended Newcastle University and Oxford University where he earned degrees in electrical engineering. During that time, he met screenwriter Richard Curtis, with whom he wrote and performed comedy revues.
Later, he co-wrote and appeared in Not the Nine O'Clock News (1979), which was a huge success and spawned several best-selling books. It won an International Emmy Award and the British Academy Award for "Best Light Entertainment Programme of 1980." He won the "British Academy Award" and was named "BBC Personality of the Year" for his performance in Not the Nine O'Clock News (1979).
Atkinson also appeared in several movies, including Dead on Time (1983), Pleasure at Her Majesty's (1976) (aka "Monty Python Meets Beyond the Fringe"), Never Say Never Again (1983), and The Tall Guy (1989). He played "Mr. Bean" in the TV series, Mr. Bean (1990) but, apart from that and Not the Nine O'Clock News (1979), he also appeared in several other series like Blackadder (1982) and Funny Business (1992), etc.
Atkinson enjoys nothing more than fast cars. He has two children, named Benjamin and Lily, with ex-wife Sunetra Sastry.Zazu (1994)- Actor
- Soundtrack
Edward Hibbert was born on 9 September 1955 in Long Island, New York, USA. He is an actor, known for The Prestige (2006), Earthworm Jim (1995) and The First Wives Club (1996).Zazu (1998, 2004)- Writer
- Producer
- Actor
John Oliver was born on 23 April 1977 in Birmingham, England, UK. He is a writer and producer, known for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (2014), The Lion King (2019) and The Smurfs (2011). He has been married to Kate Norley since October 2011. They have two children.Zazu (2019)- Actress
- Producer
Niketa Calame was born in Los Angeles, California She is most noted for her role as the original voice of "Young Nala" in Disney's 32nd Animated Feature Film, "The Lion King". She received her Masters Of Fine Arts from The Actors Studio Drama School in New York and her B.A from University of California at Santa Cruz. Actress/Professor/PhotographerYoung Nala (1994)- Actress
- Soundtrack
Shahadi Wright Joseph was born on 29 April 2005 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for Us (2019), The Lion King (2019) and Throw it Back.Young Nala (2019, Broad.)- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Whoopi Goldberg was born Caryn Elaine Johnson in the Chelsea section of Manhattan on November 13, 1955. Her mother, Emma (Harris), was a teacher and a nurse, and her father, Robert James Johnson, Jr., was a clergyman. Whoopi's recent ancestors were from Georgia, Florida, and Virginia. She worked in a funeral parlor and as a bricklayer while taking small parts on Broadway. She moved to California and worked with improv groups, including Spontaneous Combustion, and developed her skills as a stand-up comedienne. Goldberg came to prominence doing an HBO special and a one-woman show as Moms Mabley. She has been known in her prosperous career as a unique and socially conscious talent with articulately liberal views. Among her boyfriends were Ted Danson and Frank Langella. Goldberg was married three times and was once addicted to drugs.
Goldberg had her first big film starring role in The Color Purple (1985). She received much critical acclaim, and an Oscar nomination for her role and became a major star as a result. Subsequent efforts in the late 1980s were, at best, marginal hits. These movies mostly were off-beat to formulaic comedies like Burglar (1987), The Telephone (1988) and Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986). She made her mark as a household name and a mainstay in Hollywood for her Oscar-winning role in the box office smash Ghost (1990). Whoopi Goldberg was at her most famous in the early 1990s, making regular appearances on Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987). She admitted to being a huge fan of the original Star Trek (1966) series and jumped at the opportunity to star in "Star Trek: The Next Generation".
Goldberg received another smash hit role in Sister Act (1992). Her fish-out-of-water with some flash seemed to resonate with audiences and it was a box office smash. Whoopi starred in some highly publicized and moderately successful comedies of this time, including Made in America (1993) and Soapdish (1991). Goldberg followed up to her success with Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993), which was well-received but did not seem to match up to the first.
As the late 1990s approached, Goldberg seemed to alternate between lead roles in straight comedies such as Eddie (1996) and The Associate (1996), and took supporting parts in more independent minded movies, such as The Deep End of the Ocean (1999) and How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998). Goldberg never forgot where she came from, hosting many tributes to other legendary entertainment figures. Her most recent movies include Rat Race (2001) and the quietly received Kingdom Come (2001). Goldberg contributes her voice to many cartoons, including The Pagemaster (1994) and Captain Planet and the Planeteers (1990), as Gaia, the voice of the earth. Alternating between big-budget movies, independent movies, tributes, documentaries, and even television movies (including Theodore Rex (1995)).
Whoopi is accredited as a truly unique and visible talent in Hollywood. Perhaps she will always be remembered as well for Comic Relief, playing an integral part in almost every benefit concert they had. Whoopi is also the center square in Hollywood Squares (1998), sometimes hosts the Academy Awards, and is an author, with the book "Book."Shenzi (1994, 2004)- Born in Kampala, Uganda Florence Kasumba is a German actress living in Berlin. She is best known for her work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe productions Captain America: Civil War (2016), Black Panther (2018), Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021). She has also appeared in the films I Love You Too (2001), Transpapa (2012) and in the TV series The Quest (2014), Dominion (2014), Emerald City (2016), Deutschland 86 (2018) and Criminal (2019).Shenzi (2019)
- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Cheech Marin was born on 13 July 1946 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Born in East L.A. (1987), Tin Cup (1996) and Up in Smoke (1978). He has been married to Natasha Rubin since 8 August 2009. He was previously married to Rikki Marin and Patti Heid.Banzai (1994, 2004)- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Keegan-Michael Key was born in Southfield, Michigan and raised in Detroit. He was adopted as a child by a black father and a white mother. In 1989, he graduated from Shrine Catholic High School in Royal Oak, Michigan. Key attended the University of Detroit Mercy as an undergraduate and earned his Master of Fine Arts in Theater at Pennsylvania State University. While at The University of Detroit Mercy, he was a brother of Phi Kappa Theta.Kamari (2019)- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Eric Samuel André is an American stand-up comedian, actor, producer, television host and writer. He is best known as the creator, host, and co-writer of the Adult Swim comedy series The Eric Andre Show (2012-present). He also played Mike on the FXX series Man Seeking Woman (2015-2017) and voiced Azizi in the remake of The Lion King (2019). He performs music under the name Blarf.Azizi (2019)- Actor
- Producer
- Director
You've seen him. You've heard him. Appearing across platforms such as television, feature film, animation, video games, commercials, talking toys, promotion, narration, and internet; as a result, Mars is affectionately referred to as "That Guy From That Show".
Originally from Warwick, RI, Marsden and his family relocated to Los Angeles and soon he was thrust into the entertainment business. Quickly landing commercials, on-camera and radio. Marsden's first recurring role was on "General Hospital" as Alan Quartermaine Jr.. Soon after, Mars was cast as Eddie Munster on the 80's revamp, "The Munsters Today" with John Schuck and Lee Meriwether, in an 86 episode, three season run! Marsden's career continued to blossom when he joined the cast of the critically respected "Eerie Indiana" (now on Amazon). From there, Marsden continued to work on pilots and series, guest staring and recurring roles, and appearances in feature films through the mid 90s! To name a few, "Blossom","Baywatch" "Tales from the Crypt", "Ally McBeal", "Will & Grace", "Just Shoot Me", and most notably his recurring appearances in "Full House", "Boy Meets World", and ultimately joined the cast of "Step by Step".
In feature films; Jason played a young Billy Crystal in Crystal's directorial debut "Mr. Saturday Night". You might have spotted Jason in "Fun With Dick and Jane", as a Convenience Clerk who botches Jim Carrey's shoplifting attempt. At age 20, Jason landed the job of a lifetime when Sir Ridley Scott cast him in "White Squall", opposite Jeff Bridges along with an ensemble of talent. The film shot in 8 countries around the world in 4 months. Marsden also appeared in Steve Taylor's indie hit, "Blue Like Jazz" and will appear in the upcoming indie horror "The Other People".
During his 35-plus-years as an actor, Jason built an outstanding legacy in Voice Over. Performing in hundreds of animated cartoon series, feature films, video games, toys, and counting! Amongst the most popular, Mars is the voice of Goofy's son, Max, in "A Goofy Movie" and the follow up "Extremely Goofy Movie", Thackery Binx in "Hocus Pocus", "Kovu" the rogue lion in "Lion King 2", Chester McBadbat in "Fairly Odd Parents", Nermal in "The Garfield Show", Conrad 'Duke' Hauser in "GI JOE: Renegades", and appearing in episodes of "Ultimate Spiderman","Batman: Brave and Bold", "Avatar: Legend of Korra" to name a few more. A fan fave is Jason's performance in Hayao Miyazaki's Academy Award winning "Spirited Away", as Haku the mysterious boy/dragon. Jason absolutely loves working in animation! Getting to working with the talented voice over artists that he used to listen to while watching Saturday morning cartoons as a kid is a dream come true! Notable projects include: futuristic speedster, Impulse/Kid Flash in DC's "Young Justice", "Transformers - Rescue Bots", "Monsters U", "Secret Life of Pets", "DuckTales", and the popular video game, "Skyrim".
Marsden lives in Nashville, TN and produces The Mars Variety Show now on YouTube.Adult Kovu (1998, TLG)- Actor
- Additional Crew
Ryan was born in Pomona, California to Anita Lynne Rultenberg and Sean Patrick O'Donohue. He has acted in Community Theatre until he was 9 years old. He got interested in professional acting after his 9th birthday. He wanted his father to buy him a new Sega Genesis Video Game. His Father told him he could not afford to buy him video games more than a few per year. He told him to get a job. Ryan's response was, What can I do? He was told he could do paper routes or cut lawns as his father had done when he was his age. Ryan responded with: You need a car to deliver newspapers and illegal aliens do all the lawn cutting around Southern California. His father said that he could try acting, because we lived around Los Angeles, but that it was a long shot and don't expect anything to happen for a long time. Also if you are going to persue this the only help his father was to offer was to pay for pictures and drive Ryan to auditions. All telephone calls and appointments were going to have to be made by Ryan in order to prove his interest. Ryan took care of contacting agents and photographers and within one month of getting his Agent, Ryan and his Dad were filming Ryan's first prime time series in Hawaii called "The Byrds of Paradise". After returning from Hawaii, the show was cancelled after the first season. Ryan got a part in the movie "Tales of the Crypt: Demon Night". He then got a voiceover part with Disney for Simba the lion for all video games and story books. Ryan starred in the CBS series "The Boys are Back" with Suzanne Pleshette and Hal Linden.Young Kovu (1998)- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Neve Campbell was born and raised in Guelph, Ontario, to Marnie (Neve), a Dutch-born psychologist and yoga instructor (from Amsterdam), and Gerry Campbell, a Scottish-born teacher (from Glasgow). Campbell first came to our TV screens in the hit Drama series Party of Five (1994). Described as TV's most believable teenager, her first major film role came in the form of innocent victim "Sidney Prescott" in Scream (1996), the film which re-defined the slasher genre.
She joined the cast of the acclaimed series House of Cards In 2016, playing Leann Harvey, shortly after in 2018 she starred opposite Dwayne Johnson in the action movie Skyscraper.
Many film offers came Neve's way but, as she was filming Party of Five (1994) for nine months of the year, the filming schedules often clashed. So in 2000, she announced that she was to leave the award-winning show to concentrate on a film career. Working in many genres, her film credits include the romantic comedy Three to Tango (1999) alongside Matthew Perry and the erotic thriller Wild Things (1998) with Denise Richards and Matt Dillon, though she has turned to a more art house approach with the critically acclaimed Panic (2000) and, more recently, Last Call (2002), both directed by Henry Bromell.
She is an animal lover and describes herself as having a dry, often offensive sense of humor.Adult Kiara (1998)- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Born and raised in Southern California, where she still lives with her family, Michelle asked to go to acting classes at age 6 after having seen Free Willy (1993). She's had awarded actresses Kathleen Quinlan ("Family Law") and Patricia Richardson ("Strong Medicine") as her TV moms, and she intensively studies the techniques of the acknowledged actors with whom she works, another great education.
Michelle Horn has been a star of TV and film for over a decade. She remains so with her role of _Patricia Richardson (I)_'s daughter on Lifetime's Strong Medicine (2000)
Michelle's award winning performance in The Ruby Princess Runs Away (2001) led the Hollywood Reporter to name her as its "One to Watch" in the category for young actresses. She was also an important presence on such series as CBS's Family Law (1999), ABC's The Practice (1997) and the film Return to the Secret Garden (2000). Her feature film career started at age eight with Harold Ramis' Stuart Saves His Family (1995).
Michelle has teamed with some of the industry's leading up and coming young Indie actors, working with Jonathan Tucker and Ben Foster in Hostage (2005) and with Shawn Hatosy, DJ Qualls, Rachel Miner and Michael Peña in Little Athens (2005). That film finished production in Los Angeles, which is being described as a cross between Go (1999) and Short Cuts (1993), centers on a single day in the lives of four groups of restless Gen Yer's living in a small rural town.
Michelle is one of Hollywood's most enthusiastically employed young voice-over actors. She voiced Kiara in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998), and she can mimic most voices almost without concerted effort.
Michelle Horn co-stars with Bruce Willis in Miramax's anticipated drama Hostage (2005) based on the best-selling novel by Robert Crais. In the film, Michelle, who portrays the daughter of a man with a sordid history with the mob, is held hostage by three young thugs, with Willis playing a former LAPD hostage negotiator responsible for keeping her alive.
She's one of Hollywood's top new actresses, but she also stays in touch with her audience. She enjoys staying a kid. She likes Rock music, "hanging out with my friends" and "the mall thing." And soon she'll be up on those wall marquees in a thriller which has been testing over the top and which should be one of the early box-office hits of 2005.Young Kiara (1998)- Actress
- Soundtrack
Suzanne Pleshette achieved television immortality in her role as Bob Newhart's wife in the 1970s classic situation comedy, The Bob Newhart Show (1972). For her role as "Emily Hartley," wife of psychologist "Bob Hartley" (played by Bob Newhart), Pleshette was nominated for the Emmy Award twice, in 1977 and 1978. She was also nominated for an Emmy in 1962 for a guest appearance on the TV series, Dr. Kildare (1961) and, in 1991, for playing the title role in Leona Helmsley: The Queen of Mean (1990) in a 1990 TV movie. Her acting career lasted almost 50 years.
Suzanne Pleshette was born on January 31, 1937, in New York, New York, to Gene Pleshette, a TV network executive who had managed the Paramount Theaters in Manhattan and Brooklyn during the Big Band era, and the former Geraldine Kaplan, a dancer who performed under the pseudonym Geraldine Rivers. Pleshette claims that she was not an acting natural, but just "found" herself attending New York City's High School of the Performing Arts. After graduating high school, she attended Syracuse University for a semester before returning to NYC to go to Finch College, an elite finishing school for well-to-do young ladies. After a semester at Finch, Pleshette dropped out of college to take lessons from famed acting teacher Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse.
She made her Broadway debut in 1957 as part of the supporting cast for the play Compulsion (1959). Initially cast as "The Fourth Girl," she eventually took over the ingénue role during the play's run.
Blessed with beauty, a fine figure, and a husky voice that made her seem older than her years, she quickly achieved success on both the small and big screens. She made her TV debut, at age 20, in Harbourmaster (1957), then was chosen as the female lead opposite superstar Jerry Lewis in his 1958 comedy, The Geisha Boy (1958). On Broadway, she replaced Anne Bancroft in the Broadway hit The Miracle Worker (1962).
Once Pleshette started acting, her career never lagged until she was afflicted with cancer.
Her most famous cinematic role was in Alfred Hitchcock's classic, The Birds (1963), as the brunette schoolteacher jilted by the hero of the film, "Mitch Brenner" (played by Rod Taylor). Pleshette's warm, earthy character was a perfect contrast to the icy blonde beauty, "Melanie Daniels" (Tippi Hedren).
Frankly, it is hard to understand how Taylor's Mitch would jilt Pleshette's Annie, other than to work out Hitchcock's dark vision of society and psychosexual relations between the sexes, in which amoral blondes triumph for aesthetic rather than moral reasons.
Still, it is for Emily Hartley she will always be remembered, for both the original show and her part in another show that had the most clever sign-off episode in TV series history. Bob Newhart had enjoyed a second success during the 1980s with his TV sitcom Newhart (1982), and when he decided to end that series, he asked Suzanne Pleshette to come back. She did, reprising her tole of Emily in a final episode of Newhart, where Newhart woke up as Bob Hartley from "The Bob Newhart Show" in the bedroom of the Hartley's Chicago apartment, Pleshette's Emily at his side. Bob Hartley then told his wife Emily of a crazy dream he'd just had, where he was the proprietor of a Vermont inn overrun with eccentrics, the premise of the second show.
After "The Bob Newhart Show" ceased production, Suzanne Pleshette worked regularly on television, mostly in TV movies. Although she was a talented dramatic actress, she had a flair for comedy and, in 1984, she headlined her own series at CBS. She helped develop the half-hour sitcom, and even had the rare honor of having her name in the title. Suzanne Pleshette Is Maggie Briggs (1984), however, was not a success. She co-starred with Hal Linden in another short-lived CBS TV series, The Boys Are Back (1994), in the 1994-95 season, then had recurring roles in the TV series Good Morning, Miami (2002) and 8 Simple Rules (2002).
Pleshette was married three times: In 1964, she wed teen idol Troy Donahue, her co-star in the 1962 film Rome Adventure (1962) and in 1964's A Distant Trumpet (1964), but the marriage lasted less than a year. She was far more successful in her 1968 nuptials to Texas oil millionaire Tommy Gallagher, whom she remained married to until his death in 2000. After becoming a widow, she and widower Tom Poston (a Newhart regular) rekindled an old romance they had enjoyed when appearing together in "The Golden Fleecing," a 1959 Broadway comedy. They were married from 2001 until Poston's death, in April 2007.
Pleshette was diagnosed with lung cancer and underwent chemotherapy in the summer of 2006; she rallied, but in late 2007, she barely survived a bout of pneumonia. She died of respiratory failure on January 19, 2008, a few days shy of her 71st birthday.
Suzanne Pleshette was remembered as a gregarious, down-to-earth person who loved to talk and often would regale her co-stars with a naughty story. Newhart and his producers had picked her for the role of Emily in "The Bob Newhart Show" after watching her appearances with Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962), where she showed herself to be a first-rate raconteuse. Because she could hold her own with Newhart's friend Carson, it was felt she would be a perfect foil as Newhart's TV wife.
She accepted the part, and TV history was made.Zira (1998)- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Andrew Dick is an American actor, producer and comedian. He is known for playing Boingo from Hoodwinked, Kramer from Inspector Gadget, Mr. Sheepman from Clone High, Mambo from Happily N'Ever After, Dylan from The Reef, Barry from Old School and Nuka from The Lion King II. He was married to Ivone Kowalczyk and had 3 children.Nuka (1998)- Actress
- Producer
- Script and Continuity Department
Jennifer Anne Lien was born on August 24, 1974 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She has an older sister and an older brother. Jennifer knew that she wanted to act from a young age. Encouraged by her English and drama teachers, she began performing in a summer theater and festivals at the age of 13. She had roles in Shakespeare's "The Tempest" and "Othello" before moving on to more contemporary dramatic and musical theater. Jennifer first appeared in front of the camera playing twins in an industrial film for bubblegum. She made her television debut when she guest starred in an episode of the Oprah Winfrey drama series Brewster Place (1990).Adult Vitani (1998)- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Lacey Nicole Chabert was born in Purvis, Mississippi, to Julie (Johnson) and Tony Chabert, a representative for an oil company. She is of Cajun (French), Italian, English, and Scottish ancestry. Chabert started in drama and music performances in and around her hometown in Mississippi from an early age, and was a finalist on Star Search (1983) in 1991. She gained her break in a cough syrup commercial, before successfully auditioning for the Broadway production of Les Miserables, where she played young Cosette for two years. Since then, she has been on a few television series, notably Party of Five (1994), a number of telemovies like Gypsy (1993), and her big-screen debut, Lost in Space (1998). Known for her natural acting skills and charming personality, her cotton candy voice has seen her record many advertising jingles, plus play parts in animated films and TV shows like Nickelodeon's The Wild Thornberrys (1998). A more than capable violinist, she enjoys various activities, especially shoe shopping, and she is particularly fond of Cajun cooking. As a result of her promising career, her family, including two sisters and a brother, have moved from Mississippi to California.Young Vitani (1998)- Actress
- Soundtrack
Julie Deborah Kavner is an American actress. She first attracted notice for her role as Brenda Morgenstern, the younger sister of Valerie Harper's title character in the sitcom Rhoda (1974), for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. She is best known for her voice role as Marge Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons (1989). She also voices other characters for the show, including Marge's mother, Jacqueline Bouvier, and sisters Patty and Selma Bouvier.Ma (2004)- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
As the short, straight-man counterpart of the stellar husband-and-wife comedy team "Stiller & Meara", Jerry Stiller and wife Anne Meara were on top of the comedy game in the 1960s, a steady and hilarious presence on television variety, notably The Ed Sullivan Show (1948), on which they appeared 36 times. Decades later, Jerry's career was revitalized in the role of the raucous, gasket-blowing Frank Costanza on the sitcom classic Seinfeld (1989).
Jerry Stiller was born Gerald Isaac Stiller in the Unity Hospital in Brooklyn, New York, to Bella (Citron) and William Stiller, a bus driver. His paternal grandparents were Jewish emigrants from Galicia, and his mother was a Polish Jewish emigrant, from Frampol. In the beginning, Stiller was a drama major at the Syracuse University. Though he had played rather uneducated, blue-collar sorts for most of his career, he received his Bachelor of Science in Speech and Drama before making his acting debut on stage with Burgess Meredith in "The Silver Whistle" in 1951. While a member of the improvisational team The Compass Players (the company later evolved into the well-known Second City troupe), he met Anne.
They married in 1954 and began touring together on the national club circuit while giving new and inventive meaning to the term spousal comedy. This led to television prominence on "The Ed Sullivan Show", "The Tonight Show", "The Steve Allen Comedy Hour", "The Merv Griffin Show", as well as game shows "He Said, She Said", "You're Putting Me On" and "What's My Line?" as well as other talk/comedy venues.
After well over a decade of fame together, they decided to pursue individual successes and both found it. A Broadway favorite in such shows as "Hurlyburly", "The Ritz" (he later recreated his hilarious mobster family member role in the film The Ritz (1976)), "The Golden Apple", "Three Men on a Horse", "What's Wrong with This Picture" and "The Three Sisters", Stiller even appeared with Kevin Kline and Blythe Danner as Dogberry in William Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" in 1988. Musicals were not out of his range, either, as he created the role of Launce in "Two Gentlemen of Verona" and co-starred as Nathan Detroit in a production of "Guys and Dolls". Although he kept afloat on television as a 1970s regular on The Paul Lynde Show (1972) and Joe and Sons (1975), he had some rocky years and Anne's pilot fizzled when they reunited for a possible "Stiller & Meara" sitcom.
Then came eight seasons as hypertensive Frank Costanza and his character star was reborn. Nominated for a 1997 Emmy Award and the recipient of the 1998 American Comedy Award, Stiller found back-to-back sitcom hits with The King of Queens (1998) as the irascible Arthur Spooner. He also appeared in a number of his successful son Ben Stiller's comedy pictures including Heavyweights (1995), Zoolander (2001), The Heartbreak Kid (2007) and Zoolander 2 (2016)
Into the millennium, Jerry has appeared in a number of independent films, including a starring role as a low-level director seeking a comeback in the comedy The Independent (2000); had a cameo in the off-color Rodney Dangerfield slapstick farce My 5 Wives (2000); played the slick Mr. Pinky in the film version of the Broadway musical hit Hairspray (2007); and featured roles in the romantic comedies Swinging with the Finkels (2011) and Excuse Me for Living (2012).
Daughter Amy Stiller is also a thriving actress. He and Anne wrote, performed and produced award-winning radio commercials together for such products as Blue Nun Wine, United Van Lines and Amalgamated Bank, among others. His autobiography "Married to Laughter" came out in 2000. Stiller's wife Anne passed away on May 23, 2015, and he passed away nearly five years later, on May 11, 2020, at age 92.Uncle Max (2004)- Flinchy (2004)
- Zoe Leader has only appeared in the Disney movie The Lion King (1994) and its sequel, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998). She has exactly one line in each movie. Zoe was born in Los Angeles, California and has lived there for most of her life until her death in 2015.Sarafina (1994)
- Penny Johnson Jerald is an American actress. She played Beverly Barnes on the HBO comedy series The Larry Sanders Show, Kasidy Yates on the syndicated science fiction series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Sherry Palmer on the Fox series 24, Captain Victoria "Iron" Gates on the ABC comedy-drama series Castle, and plays Dr. Claire Finn on the Fox/Hulu science-fiction series The Orville.Sarafina (2019)
- Actor
- Music Department
- Composer
At just 16 years of age, Max Charles is already an industry veteran, landing coveted roles on and off the big screen and working with some of Hollywood's most respected and acclaimed actors, writers and directors.
Most recently, this charismatic and endearing young talent was nominated as "Best Young Actor on a Television Series" at The 2018 Saturn Awards for his role Zach Goodweather as on Guillermo del Toro's The Strain (2014) on FX. Max also stars in three animated series, lending his voice to 'Harvey Beaks' on the Nickelodeon hit animated series Harvey Beaks (2015), 'Kion' in Disney's The Lion Guard (2015), and 'Sherman' in the DreamWorks Animation / Netflix series The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show (2015).
Max got his start in television at the age of six when he appeared in an episode of the hit HBO series True Blood (2008). He then went on to appear in many other popular TV shows such as Fox's Raising Hope (2010), TV Land's Hot in Cleveland (2010), NBC's Constantine (2014), the Emmy-nominated ABC sitcom, The Neighbors (2012) as series regular, Max Weaver and co-starred in the Hallmark Channel original holiday movie, Northpole (2014). Other notable TV credits include a recurring role on Disney's Lab Rats (2012), NBC's holiday special Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas (2014) and Max continues to voice to various characters on Family Guy (1999), Adventure Time (2010), and American Dad! (2005).
Max is no stranger to the big screen. In 2014, he had a supporting role in the Clint Eastwood directed movie, American Sniper (2014) opposite Bradley Cooper. Max also reprised his role of young Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) starring Andrew Garfield. Max was also heard around the globe as the voice of the title character Sherman, in the hugely successful DreamWorks animated film Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014). Some of his other feature films include, The Angry Birds Movie (2016), The Three Stooges (2012), Least Among Saints (2012), "White Space" and The Last Survivors (2014).
Born and raised in Dayton, Ohio, along with his three elder brothers, Max now resides in Los Angeles. When not filming, Max is just like any young boy his age, spending time playing video games and basketball or skateboarding and riding his bike. On days off, Max can also be found hanging out with his dog, Pip, who shared the screen with him in Spooky Buddies (2011). During filming, Max fell so in love with the three-month-old beagle puppy that he decided to adopt him.
Max is represented by CESD Talent Agency and Symington Talent Management.Kion (TLG)- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Camera and Electrical Department
Joshua Rush was born on 14 December 2001 in Houston, Texas, USA. He is an actor, known for Parental Guidance (2012), The Lion Guard (2015) and Unstoppable (2010).Bunga (TLG)- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Music Department
Diamond White was born on 1 January 1999 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. She is an actress, known for The Lion Guard (2015), Boo! A Madea Halloween (2016) and Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (2023).Fuli (TLG)- Actor
- Sound Department
- Additional Crew
Atticus Ronald Shaffer was born on June 19, 1998 to Ron and Debbie Shaffer, with whom he resides in Acton, California. Shaffer was discovered by his manager in 2006 and soon landed a guest starring role in the series The Class (2006). That role led him to the role of Brick in the original ABC pilot,The Middle (2007). Several episodes followed, such as My Name Is Earl (2005), Days of Our Lives (1965), Carpoolers (2007), and Out of Jimmy's Head (2007).
Shaffer is perhaps best-known for his bus-stop scene with Will Smith in Hancock (2008), but his other feature-film roles include The Unborn (2009), An American Carol (2008), Leaving Barstow (2008), and Opposite Day (2009).
Among Shaffer's many talents is his unique approach to comedy, displayed in numerous commercials, most notably with AIG. He has also provided many voice-overs in feature films, including Year One (2009), Subject: I Love You (2011), and Frankenweenie (2012).
He is home-schooled, enjoys Yu-Gi-Oh and Lego, and admits that he is a huge nerd. He loves to read Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) books, as well as the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series and history books about World War II. He enjoys viewing the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) TV show and also loves to watch History Channel's Pawn Stars (2009), American Pickers (2010), and Storage Wars (2010).
Shaffer has Osteogenesis Imperfecta, type IV, a genetic condition inherited from his mother, who has type I. He says that the disability is just a small part of who he is. He loves being a Boy Scout and especially enjoys going on camping trips and earning Merit badges. His character on The Middle (2009) is three years younger than he is.Ono (TLG)- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Multi-talented, GenZ award-winning creative, Dusan Brown, born and raised in Chicago, relocated to Hollywood early to pursue his growing career in the entertainment industry.
Around age twelve, Brown had an opportunity to write, direct, edit, and score his first short film with equipment, a crew, and even a set mentor. Although the program, Ghetto Film School, was intended for high school students, Brown was selected as one of their youngest Fellows ever admitted.
Brown became an esteemed U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts (Film) and a prestigious National YoungArts Foundation, Gold Level $10,000 Winner (Film). His hard-hitting, coming-of-age short film, Reece, which he wrote, directed, and edited while still in high school, won five (5) awards at various national and international film festivals. Reece often competed against undergraduate and graduate film student projects. Reece earned 14 nominations and was screened by over 10,000 viewers at 15 festivals, including the Oscar-qualifying Los Angeles International Shorts, Sacramento International, WILDsound Diversity (Toronto), Baltimore International, and American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase (Cannes), to name a few. Brown's latest student short, All In, an edgy, drama with semi-action moments, that he wrote, directed, and starred in, hit the festival circuit in 2023 and was just shortlisted as a Semifinalist for the 50th Annual Student Academy Awards.
Brown, an ever-evolving director-writer, is a Chapman University scholar, matriculating their esteemed Film Production program with Directing as his major. Over the past 5-6 years, Brown filmed a total of over 30 short films and music video projects, either independently or in collaboration with classmates.
Having worked as a professional actor all of his life, Brown earned over 20 professional acting credits ranging from the Netflix Oscar-Winning feature, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom to the motion picture 42, a plethora of guest star roles on hit TV shows, as well as series regular on major network, animated shows. On the theatre side, Brown also played the coveted lead role of Young Simba in Disney's The Lion King on Broadway, North American Tour, and was nominated for a Young Artist Award for his performance and has booked over 25 national commercials as principal, including two Super Bowls.
As a filmmaker and film lover, Brown finds himself transfixed with stories about anti-heroic characters whose problems deal with ethics and morality. These are the types of thought-provoking stories Brown plans to continue making as they shed light on social issues not faced by just African Americans but stories that demonstrate common threads within humanity.Beshte (TLG)- Actress
- Music Department
- Director
Bryana Salaz was born in Florida, USA, and moved frequently as a child. She participated in singing competitions starting at the age of 12. In 2014, she competed on season 7 of The Voice (2011) and reached the top 20. In 2016, she had a role on season 2 of the TV series Best Friends Whenever (2015). Salaz lives in California. In 2019 she got the main role as Kaylie Konrad on the Netflix series Team Kaylie (2019). She has over 290,000 followers on Instagram and often appears in her friends' YouTube videos.Anga (TLG)- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Casting Director
Eden Sonja Jane Riegel was born in Washington D.C. Her parents are Kurt & Lenore. Her older siblings are Tatiana S. Riegel & Sam Riegel. She grew up in a Virginia suburb. As a child, she first got the urge to perform while watching her brother perform dinner theater. Bitten by the performing bug, she soon got her chance to perform when she started performing in dinner theater herself for $10 a week. Her big break on stage came when she landed the part of young Cosette in Les Misérables. This led to other Broadway & off-Broadway roles in The Will Rogers Follies. She also had movie roles in American Pie (1999), The Prince of Egypt (1998) & Henry Hill (1999). She has guest-starred in many TV series. Besides being an actress, she's also an accomplished vocalist who was a member of the popular group Broadway Kids. She also sang back up vocals for Jewel.= & Michael Jackson.
She attended the New York's Professional Children's School & then Harvard University, aiming to become a lawyer. However, she took a leave of absence for an exciting role. Her biggest break came when she was cast as Bianca Christine Montgomery on All My Children (1970). Bianca's the first main character on an American soap who's openly gay. Eden's earnest, poignant, sparkling, heartfelt & charismatic portrayal helped make the character become one of All My Children (1970)'s most beloved heroines in its history. She left the role in February 2005. She has moved to Los Angeles & hopes to explore other avenues in her career such as prime time & movies.Kiara (TLG)- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Khary Payton (born May 16, 1972) is an American actor and voice actor best known for his voice role of the DC Comics character Cyborg across various films, cartoons and video games. He is also known for his live action performances on General Hospital and The Walking Dead.
In 1986, Payton was a winner in Showtime's 1st annual Kid Talent Quest, and a recording exists of him introducing the animated film Sherlock Holmes in the Baskerville Curse.
Payton appeared on a recurring basis as Dr. Terrell Jackson on the ABC daytime soap opera General Hospital. He portrays King Ezekiel on AMC's The Walking Dead.
Payton has portrayed Cyborg in the Teen Titans animated series and Aqualad in Young Justice. In the cartoon series Justice League, Payton provided the voice of the villain Ten from the Royal Flush Gang. He also provided the voice of Drebin in the game Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Ripcord in G.I. Joe: Renegades, Blade in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Grimlock in Transformers: Robots in Disguise and Killer Croc in Batman: Arkham Underworld and is voicing Wasabi on the Disney XD original series Big Hero 6 based on the Marvel Comics by Man of Action and the film of the same name.Rafiki (TLG)- Actor
- Music Department
- Additional Crew
Jeff Bennett is an American voice actor who is well-known for voicing Johnny Bravo (based on Elvis Presley's voice), Dr. Hamsterviel from Lilo & Stitch, Kowalski from The Penguins of Madagascar, Petrie in The Land Before Time, Ted Shackleford (The Man in the Yellow Hat) from Curious George, Yosemite Sam in Looney Tunes: Back in Action, Smee in Return to Never Land and Kingdom Hearts, Dexter's Dad in Dexter's Laboratory, Cyril in The Legend of Spyro, Extor in Samurai Jack, JB, Pins, Needles and Caged Juju in Tak and the Power of Juju, Ace, Big Billy, Pickloids, Broccoloids and Grubber in The Powerpuff Girls and Raj in Camp Lazlo.Zazu (TLG)- Actress
- Music Department
- Producer
Nika Futterman has been involved in world of acting and singing since early childhood when she performed in plays, musicals and student films. She spent a few years as an on-camera actress doing television, co-starring in such shows as Chicago Hope and Murphy Brown. Most recently, however, she has devoted her time exclusively to voice overs and has brought life to characters in cartoons such as Cat Dog, Hey Arnold, Mike, Lu and Og, Xyber 9, Piggley Winks, Chalk Zone, Kim Possible and video games such as The Matrix, Alter Echo, XMen, and Crimson Skies.Zira (TLG)- Actress
- Sound Department
- Additional Crew
Erica Luttrell was born on 20 March 1982 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She is an actress, known for Westworld (2016), Salvation (2017) and David Makes Man (2019).Lioness (TLG)- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Sarah Hyland was born in New York City to actors Melissa D. Canaday and Edward James Hyland. She began in the business at the age of 4 with commercial work and voice overs. Her first film was Private Parts (1997). She then moved on to The Object of My Affection (1998) and then spent time on Another World (1964) as "Rain Wolfe", a child found in the park, and fostered by Josie and Gary. Sarah would go on to work with Amy Carlson ("Josie" on AW) several more times: Falcone (2000), Law & Order (1990) and Law & Order: Trial by Jury (2005). Sarah was cast as one of the young "Audrey Hepburns" in Jennifer Love Hewitt's The Audrey Hepburn Story (2000) the same year she was cast as "Molly" in ABC's Annie (1999) starring Kathy Bates, Audra McDonald, Alan Cumming, Victor Garber and Kristin Chenoweth, Joe Gould's Secret (2000) and Falcone (2000). Aside from all of her film and television work, Sarah studied voice, ballet, jazz, hip-hop, tap, Theatre Dance, and performed with her tap and Theatre dance class at "Reel to Real" at Lincoln Center as invited performers.
A New York-born and raised girl, Sarah spent much of her time working in film, television, and voicing many radio ads, as well as traveling with her father, Edward James Hyland, while he worked at many different theaters in the country. She was home schooled by her mother until 2nd grade and then attended Public School. In 6th Grade, she was accepted into PPAS (Professional Performing Arts School) where she stayed until she graduated in 2008. When Sarah turned 18, she moved to Los Angeles, CA and, within two weeks, had landed a pilot named "My American Family". Once picked up the name was changed to Modern Family (2009). To date, Sarah portrays "Haley Dunphy", the eldest Dunphy child. Modern Family (2009) has won multiple awards most notably the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series.
Before moving to L.A., Sarah did a multitude of film and television and, at the age of 11 1/2, she made her stage debut at Papermill Playhouse in Millburn, NJ in the title role of "Annie". From there, Sarah added many more stage productions to her resume including "Bad Girls", "Dark Part of the Forest" and both productions on and off Broadway of "Grey Gardens" in the role of "Jackie Bouvier". "Grey Gardens" was nominated for Best Musical at the Tony Awards, and Christine Ebersole and Mary Louise Wilson won Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress Tony's for their work. William Ivey Long won for his costume design. Sarah also did many development workshops including: "A Little Princess", "Bye Bye Birdie', and "Shrek, the Musical", to name a few. Sarah has worked with some of the top talent in the Industry: Tim Robbins, Stanley Tucci, Ian Holmes, Steve Martin, John Turturro, Hope Davis, Keir Dullea, Frances Fisher, Brooke Shields, Kim Raver, Lindsay Price, Timothy Busfield, among so many other incredible talents. She has guest starred on Touched by an Angel (1994), Law & Order: Trial by Jury (2005) and twice on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999). Her second turn on Hothouse (2009) gave her a breakthrough role where she portrayed "Jennifer Banks", a student at a school for the gifted who kills her roommate in a drug fueled rage.
Her work on Lipstick Jungle (2008) as Brooke Shields's daughter further showcased her talent and, because of LJ's cancellation, drew her to Los Angeles and the role of "Haley Dunphy" on Modern Family (2009).
Sarah has a maltipoo named Barkley, and is happily living in the Los Angeles Area. She is the Face of "Wallflower Jeans". Sarah's brother, Ian Donovan Hyland, is also an actor and, even though most think Ian is her older brother, he is really 4 years her junior. Her father is a stage and film actor based in New York, and her mother is an acting coach to young actors.Tiifu (TLG)- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Madison Pettis got her big break at 8 years old with her very first film, playing the daughter of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in Disney's hit family comedy, "The Game Plan". Now all grown up, Madison has an extensive list of acting credits and over 20 million followers on social media. Soon she can be seen starring in upcoming projects, "Margaux", a horror-thriller, and coming-of-age-film "Deltopia". Recently she starred in two Netflix films, "He's All That" and "American Pie: Girls' Rules". Madison also starred in the Kerry Washington/Jon Avnet-produced "Five Points" for Facebook Watch. She also guest-starred on "Law & Order: SVU", "Parenthood", "The Real O'Neals", and had a recurring role on "The Fosters" among others. Inspiring millennials to register and vote, Madison served as a celebrity ambassador for Rock the Vote. In her first tv series, Madison was Disney Channel's youngest star in the role of Sophie the President's daughter on "Cory in the House". In a crossover episode, she guest starred on "Hannah Montana", which led to the producers offering her a starring role in her second series, "Life With Boys" for Teen Nickelodeon which aired in 86 countries worldwide. Madison has worked with many notable names in the business, including Will Smith in "Seven Pounds", Mahershala Ali in USA's "The 4400", and many more. Her talents also include numerous voiceover animation roles. She starred in nearly 100 episodes as the voice of "Izzy" in Disney's "Jake and the Never Land Pirates". Other credits include a recurring role on "Fancy Nancy" produced by Tina Fey, as well as "Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 & 3" and more. Madison has the honor of being the youngest entertainer invited to tour for the USO and has traveled around the world to support our troops and their families.Zuri (TLG)- Actress
- Executive
- Soundtrack
Landry Bender was born on 3 August 2000 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She is an actress and executive, known for The Sitter (2011), Best Friends Whenever (2015) and Looking for Alaska (2019).Makini (TLG)- Actress
- Soundtrack
Fiona Riley is known for Special Agent Oso (2009) and The Lion Guard (2015).Shabaha (TLG)- Savannah Smith is known for Secret Identity Show (2016).Kasi (TLG)
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Rachel Crow was born on 23 January 1998 in Mead, Colorado, USA. She is an actress, known for Deidra & Laney Rob a Train (2017), Home: Adventures with Tip & Oh (2016) and Rio 2 (2014).Imara (TLG)- Sophie Reynolds was born on 2 April 1999 in California, USA. She is an actress, known for L.A.'s Finest (2019), Youth & Consequences (2018) and Gamer's Guide to Pretty Much Everything (2015).Tazama (TLG)
- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Maia Mitchell is an Australian singer/song writer and actress from Lismore, New South Wales. She learned to play the guitar at a very young age and her talent has been included on The Fosters (2013) - an ABC Family show that aired in June 2013, where Maia plays one of the main roles of "Callie Jacob".
Also, Maia has made her mark on the Disney Channel, appearing in a special episode of Jessie (2011) in 2013, as well as in the hit original film, Teen Beach Movie (2013), with fellow Disney Channel star, Ross Lynch.
Mitchell participated in dance lessons as a young girl and performed in school and local theatre productions to kick start her career. When she was just 12-years-old, she auditioned for the Australian television series, Mortified (2006) and landed the lead role of "Brittany Flune". The series broke many Australian Children's Television records and even went on to win national and international awards, including an Australian Film Institute (AFI) Award for Best Children's Television Series and a Chicago International Children's Film Festival Award.
Furthermore, she was next cast as "Natasha Hamilton" in the Australian television series, Trapped (2008), and later reprized her role in the sequel series, Castaway (2010), that finds a group of children suffering from the mysterious disappearance of their parents in a dangerous paradise.Jasiri (TLG)- Actress
- Art Department
- Production Designer
Maisie Klompus was born on 28 January 1990 in San Francisco, California, USA. She is an actress and production designer, known for Good Trouble (2019), Abbott Elementary (2021) and Hunters (2020).Madoa (TLG)- Crimson Hart is known for The Lion Guard (2015).Tunu (TLG)
- Fiona Hart is known for Nella the Princess Knight (2017), The Magic School Bus (1994) and The Lion Guard (2015).Wema (TLG)
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Lyons Mathias is known for Sofia the First (2012), The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar (2015) and Grandfathered (2015).Kwato (TLG)- Actor
- Music Department
- Additional Crew
Well-known, king-sized actor and voice artist Kevin Michael Richardson was born in Bronx, New York. He is, perhaps, mostly recognizable for his deep voice, which he uses in many of his works.
Richardson is a classically trained actor. He first gained recognition as one of only eight U.S. high school students selected for the National Foundation for the Arts' "Arts '82" program, later he earned a scholarship to Syracuse University.
Kevin is well-known by various voice works, mostly villainous. He lent his voice to based-upon video game film Mortal Kombat (1995) as Goro, he was also in Matrix Revolutions (2003) as Deus Ex Machina, and made a brief appearance in Clerks II (2006) as a police officer. To mention that he did a brief additional voices for mega hit Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009).
He did voice in many animated films and TV series, such as "The Mask - The Animated Series" (1995), "The New Batman Adventures" (1997), "Pokemon" (1998), "Powerpuff Girls" (1998), "Voltron: The Third Dimension" (1998), "Family Guy", Lilo & Stitch (2002), as well as "Lilo & Stitch" TV series, "Codename Kids Next Door" (2002), Batman VS Dracula (2005) (V), where he voiced Joker, "Mummy The Animated Series" (2003), TMNT (2007) as General Aguila, "Transformers Animated" (2007) as Omega Supreme and Batman: Gotham Knight (2008), as Lucius Fox.
He also did voices in such video games as Halo 2 (Tartarus), Kingdom Hearts (Sebastian) and others. He lives in Los Angeles and likes to work in Manhattan.Basi (TLG)