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Bern Nadette Stanis

Biography

BernNadette Stanis is best known as Thelma from Good Times (1974), but there's much more to her than that. In the 1970s she was the personification of black beauty. As sophisticated and graceful as she was, she still became TV's first black sex symbol or "It" girl. Thelma/BernNadette and the Evans family also proved many stereotypes wrong about the ghetto and the young black girl, such as that all black girls and black families in the ghetto had no hopes, dreams, or class. Thelma showed that a "ghetto girl" had hopes and dreams, intelligence, respect, dignity and grace, and it wasn't just acting--BernNadette was that naturally. She introduced a new definitive image of the young black girl and woman.
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Amiri Baraka

Biography

Amiri Baraka (born Everett LeRoi Jones October 7, 1934), formerly known as LeRoi Jones and Imamu Amear Baraka, is an African-American writer of poetry, drama, fiction, essays, and music criticism. He is the author of numerous books of poetry and has taught at a number of universities, including the State University of New York at Buffalo and the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He received the PEN Open Book Award, formerly known as the Beyond Margins Award, in 2008 for Tales of the Out and the Gone.
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Jody Jaress

Biography

A veteran actress, Jody has become known for her complex character roles. Having played everything from the darkest depths of insanity, to a grounded psychiatrist, a creepy nanny, a tormented nurturing mother, to a ditsy wife. Jody began her entertainment career more than 40 years ago in Michigan. Her ancestors arrived in New York from Germany and Wales in the 1800's and migrated to Southern Illinois where they became teachers, nurses, lawyers, farmers, pastors, lawmen, with a couple of rogues among them. Jody was born in Ottawa, Illinois just prior to her dad joining the Navy Seabees in WWII. Once the war ended the family moved to Ferndale, Michigan just outside of Detroit for many years and then moved out to horse country in Rochester, Michigan. Jody divided her time between competing in Western horse shows, singing, and beginning studies in theatre acting, stage makeup, lighting, sound, set design and directing at the Will-O-Way Apprentice Theatre and Repertory Company in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. After graduating from RHS (Rochester High School) at age seventeen, winning the Miss Rochester Pageant, the Miss Romeo Peach Queen title, and then placing in the Miss Michigan Pageant, Jody went to NYC to make "the rounds" and meet up with Lee Strasberg who welcomed her into his home for lunch and to meet his family. He requested that she come back the following year when she would be old enough to join the Actor's Studio. She moved to California instead after meeting the iconic horror film director, William Castle at a premier back in Detroit. Now in California, her very first film with dialog was The Bigot aka The Hunting Season and recently remastered and distributed by Troma Pictures as Deadly Daphne's Revenge (1987).
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Sean Connery

Biography

Sir Thomas Sean Connery (August 25, 1930 – October 31, 2020) was a Scottish actor and producer who won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards (one being a BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award), and three Golden Globes, including the Cecil B. DeMille Award and a Henrietta Award. Connery was the first actor to portray the character James Bond in film, starring in seven Bond films (every film from Dr. No to You Only Live Twice, plus Diamonds Are Forever and Never Say Never Again), between 1962 and 1983. In 1988, Connery won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Untouchables. His films also include Marnie (1964), Murder on the Orient Express (1974), The Man Who Would Be King (1975), A Bridge Too Far (1977), Highlander (1986), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), The Hunt for Red October (1990), Dragonheart (1996), The Rock (1996), and Finding Forrester (2000). Connery was polled in a 2004 The Sunday Herald as "The Greatest Living Scot" and in a 2011 EuroMillions survey as "Scotland's Greatest Living National Treasure". He was voted by People magazine as both the “Sexiest Man Alive" in 1989 and the "Sexiest Man of the Century” in 1999. He received a lifetime achievement award in the United States with a Kennedy Center Honor in 1999. Connery was knighted in the 2000 New Year Honours for services to film drama. On 31 October 2020, it was announced that Connery had died at the age of 90. Description above from the Wikipedia article Sean Connery, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia
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Henry Yuk

Biography

Henry Yuk was born and raised in Brooklyn, graduating from Brooklyn College with a degree in English and Education. His introduction to theater came when his drama teacher at Midwood High School got him involved in “Sing,” a NYC high school performance program. However his early career was in education and child care, first teaching at three Brooklyn public schools & subsequently directing a Chinatown day care center for 6 years. His interest in theater did not wane, and opportunity presented itself later when he was invited to join the Pan Asian Repertory Theatre Company. During this time he perfomed in numerous productions, including “Yellow Fever,” where he played the role of Chuck Chan. Meanwhile, he also was developing experience in film. His first SAG job was in the movie “Eyewitness." This led to a number of small roles in other films, until he landed a more significant role in “The Last Dragon” which has since become a cult classic. Roles since then have included General Tan in Martin Scorsese’s “Kundun,” and Sung Yon Kim in the “Sopranos." Henry has a warm personality with a keen sense of humor, which can be subtle and cerebral or antic and physical. At the same time he is quite adept at dramatic and more sensitive roles. Henry speaks Cantonese and Toisanese dialect. While he speaks perfect American English, he has also played roles with Asian accents. His credits include voiceovers and narration. The son of immigrants from Guangdong Province, Henry lives in Brooklyn with his wife Holly Hyans, a partner at Morrison & Foerster LLP. They have two daughters.
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Dallas Jenkins

Biography

Dallas Jenkins produced the $2 million independent "Hometown Legend" at the age of 25, ultimately guiding it to Warner Brothers for distribution. Dallas made his directing debut with the short film "Cliché," which "FilmThreat.com" called "Fast and funny...ingenious," and his next short film, "Midnight Clear", starring Stephen Baldwin, won a Crystal Heart Award from the Heartland Film Festival and was the opening night selection of the San Diego Film Festival. In 2006, he was the Co-Executive Producer of "Though None Go With Me," a movie based on his father's book that aired on The Hallmark Channel. His feature directing debut, also called "Midnight Clear," was based on his short film and was featured in over a dozen film festivals, including winning the Cinequest Film Festival award for "Best First Feature" and the "Audience Choice" award at the Kansas Int'l Film Festival. It's currently available on DVD from Lionsgate. In 2009, Dallas directed his 2nd feature film, entitled "What If...," starring Kevin Sorbo, Kristy Swanson, John Ratzenberger, and Debby Ryan. The film released in theaters in 2010 and has been a hit on DVD. He is currently Director of Media at Harvest Bible Chapel in Chicago, where he directed the award-winning short film "The Ride" and is currently developing multiple feature films.
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Georges Vigarello

Biography

Georges Vigarello (born 16 June 1941) is a French historian and sociologist. He is a Research Director at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS) of Paris. His main research interests include the sociology of the body, the history of hygiene, representations of the body over the centuries, and the social dimensions of sport. Born in Monaco, Georges Vigarello initially obtained a teaching diploma (CAPES) in Sport and Physical Education, and subsequently gained an advanced teaching degree (agrégation) in philosophy. He briefly taught at the Paris Vincennes University, then the stronghold of post-structuralism. The influence of prominent philosopher Michel Foucault is particularly visible in his first book Le corps redressé (1978). Vigarello soon developed a personal, more historically rigorous approach to the sociology of the body. Before entering the EHESS, he held the position of Professor of Educational Studies at the Paris-Sorbonne University. He has served as a junior member of the Institut Universitaire de France (a French national agency for advanced academic research), and currently chairs the Scientific Committee of the French National Library. The paperback edition of his books (as well as the many translations) made him known to a wider French and international audience. Source: Article "Georges Vigarello" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
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Ruth Gordon

Biography

Ruth Gordon Jones (October 30, 1896 – August 28, 1985) was an American actress, screenwriter and playwright. Gordon began her career performing on Broadway at age nineteen. Known for her nasal voice and distinctive personality, she gained international recognition and critical acclaim for film roles that continued into her seventies and eighties. Her later work included performances in Rosemary's Baby (1968), Where's Poppa? (1970), Harold and Maude (1971), Every Which Way but Loose (1978) and Any Which Way You Can (1980). In addition to her acting career, Gordon wrote numerous plays, film scripts, and books, most notably co-writing the screenplay for the 1949 film Adam's Rib. Gordon won an Oscar, an Emmy, and two Golden Globe Awards for her acting, as well as received three Academy Award nominations for her writing. Description above from the Wikipedia article Ruth Gordon, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Larry Pfohl

Biography

Lawrence Wendell Pfohl, better known by his ring name Lex Luger, is an American former professional wrestler, television producer and football player currently working with WWE on their wellness policy. He is best known for his work with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Luger is a three-time world champion, having held the WCW World Heavyweight Championship twice and the WWA World Heavyweight Championship once; a record-tying five-time NWA/WCW United States Heavyweight Champion who owns the records for consecutive days and total days as champion; and the 1994 WWF Royal Rumble winner (with Bret Hart). Although he never won a championship in the WWF, he headlined multiple pay-per-view events for the organization. Pro Wrestling Illustrated voted Luger the Most Popular Wrestler of the Year in 1993.
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Anupam Kher

Biography

Anupam Kher (born March 7, 1955) is an Indian actor, director and producer who works primarily in Hindi-language films. He has appeared in nearly 400 films and 100 plays. He has played a variety of characters including numerous critically acclaimed leading or parallel roles. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri in 2004 and the Padma Bhushan in 2016 for his contribution in the field of Indian cinema and arts. Kher is known internationally for Bend It Like Beckham (2002), Bride and Prejudice (2004) and The Mistress of Spices (2005). In 2012, he co-starred in the Academy Award-winning Silver Linings Playbook.
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