BRUCE
WILLIS (RJ) has demonstrated remarkable versatility in a career
that has included such diverse roles as the prizefighter in Quentin
Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction”; the philandering
contractor in Robert Benton’s “Nobody’s Fool”;
the heroic time traveler in Terry Gilliam’s “Twelve
Monkeys”; his Golden Globe-nominated portrayal of the traumatized
Vietnam veteran in Norman Jewison’s “In Country”;
the compassionate child psychologist in M. Night Shyamalan’s
Oscar®-nominated “The Sixth Sense,” for which
Willis won the People’s Choice Award; and, what could be
considered his signature role, detective John McClane in the
blockbuster “Die Hard” trilogy. Willis will soon
bring John McClane back to the screen in the much-anticipated
fourth installment of the franchise, “Die Hard 4.0.”
Willis most recently starred in “Lucky Number Slevin,” Richard
Donner’s “16 Blocks,” and Nick Cassavetes’ “Alpha
Dog,” which premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.
He next stars in James Foley’s “Perfect Stranger,” opposite
Halle Berry.
His wide array of film credits also includes “Sin City,” directed
by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez; Antoine Fuqua’s “Tears
of the Sun”; Barry Levinson’s “Bandits”; “Unbreakable,” which
reunited him with director M. Night Shyamalan; Jon Turteltaub’s “The
Kid”; Jonathan Lyn’s “The Whole Nine Yards”;
Rob Reiner’s “The Story of Us”; “Breakfast
of Champions” and “Mortal Thoughts,” both for
director Alan Rudolph; Edward Zwick’s “The Siege”;
Luc Besson’s “The Fifth Element”; Walter Hill’s “Last
Man Standing”; Robert Zemeckis’ “Death Becomes
Her”; and Blake Edwards’ “Blind Date,” which
marked Willis’ feature film debut. In addition, he provided
the voice of the wise-cracking baby, Mikey, in “Look Who’s
Talking” and “Look Who’s Talking Too,” and
more recently lent his voice to the character of Spike in the animated
film “Rugrats Go Wild!”
Willis first achieved international stardom when he won the starring
role of irreverent private eye David Addison on the groundbreaking
hit television series “Moonlighting.” His work on the
show brought him several acting honors, including an Emmy and a
Golden Globe Award. In 2000, Willis won another Emmy Award for
his guest appearance on “Friends.”
A native of New Jersey, Willis studied with Montclair State College’s
prestigious theatre program and began his career on the stage.
His first major leading role came in the 1984 off-Broadway production
of Sam Shepard’s “Fool for Love,” which ran for
100 performances. Still maintaining a hand in the theatre, Willis
co-founded A Company of Fools, a non-profit theatre troupe committed
to developing and sustaining stage work in the Wood River Valley
of Idaho and throughout the U.S. He also starred in and directed
a staging of Sam Shepard’s dark comedy “True West” at
the Liberty Theater in Hailey, Idaho. The play, which depicts the
troubled relationship between two brothers, was aired on Showtime
and is dedicated to Willis’ late brother, Robert.
An accomplished musician, Willis recorded the 1986 Motown album
The Return of Bruno, which went platinum and contained the #5 Billboard
hit “Respect Yourself.” Three years later, he recorded
a second album, titled If It Don’t Kill You, It Just Makes
You Stronger. In 2004, he launched a U.S. club tour with his music
group, The Accelerators.
GARRY
SHANDLING (Verne) has been recognized for his work as
an actor and writer with numerous awards, including an Emmy Award,
American Comedy Awards, a BAFTA Award and several Emmy and Golden
Globe nominations.
Shandling began his career in 1977 as a writer for the series “Sanford
and Son” and “Welcome Back, Kotter.” Within
a short time, he decided to try his hand at stand-up comedy.
In 1981, he made his first of many appearances on “The
Tonight Show with Johnny Carson,” which changed the focus
of his career. Shandling also went on to guest host “The
Tonight Show” a number of times in the mid-1980s.
Shandling made his first cable comedy special for Showtime in
1984 and created his first television series, the critically
acclaimed “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show,” for
the same cable network two years later. The unconventional series
utilized the innovation of breaking the “fourth wall” to
a degree never before seen on television. The show ran for four
years—eventually running on Showtime and Fox simultaneously—and
brought Shandling an American Comedy Award, as well as Emmy and
Cable ACE Award nominations.
In 1992, Shandling enjoyed even greater success when he created
and starred in the HBO series “The Larry Sanders Show.” During
the show’s six-year run, Shandling received five Emmy nominations
and won two American Comedy Awards for Best Lead Actor in a Comedy
Series. He also earned six consecutive Emmy nominations for Best
Comedy Series, and eight Emmy nods for Best Writing for a Comedy
Series, winning the Emmy for Best Writing in the series’ final
season.
Shandling is currently putting the finishing touches on a Special
Edition DVD retrospective of “The Larry Sanders Show,” which
will include raw and unedited footage of Garry reminiscing with
former guests from the show in a unique manner. These special
features capture the essence of what made “The Larry Sanders
Show” groundbreaking, while taking it further in a celebration
of this award-winning program. “The Larry Sanders Show
DVD Retrospective” is due for release in 2006.
In addition to starring in his own comedy specials, Shandling
has been a frequent and sought-after guest on numerous talk and
comedy shows, including a hosting stint on “Saturday Night
Live.” He has also served twice as the host of the Emmy
Awards and three times as the host of the Grammy Awards.
On the big screen, Shandling wrote the sci-fi comedy “What
Planet Are You From?,” in which he also starred with Annette
Bening under the direction of Mike Nichols. His other film credits
include “Hurlyburly,” with Sean Penn and Kevin Spacey,
and “Love Affair,” with Warren Beatty, Annette Bening
and Katharine Hepburn. He will next be seen in Bart Freundlich’s “Trust
the Man,” with David Duchovny, Julianne Moore, Billy Crudup
and Maggie Gyllenhaal. The film made its debut at the 2005 Toronto
Film Festival and is due for release in summer 2006.
STEVE
CARELL (Hammy) has recently emerged as one of Hollywood’s
most popular and sought-after comedic actors. After gaining recognition
for his contributions as a correspondent on Comedy Central’s
Emmy Award-winning “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” Carell
has successfully segued into primetime television stardom and
above-the-title status in the feature film arena.
In summer 2005, Carell starred in his first title role in the
feature “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” which he also co-wrote
with director Judd Apatow. The film opened at number one at the
box office and held the top spot for two straight weekends on
its way to grossing more than $175 million worldwide. It has
since generated more than $100 million in DVD sales in North
America. On the awards front, Carell and Apatow were honored
by their peers with a Writers Guild of America Award nomination
for Best Original Screenplay. “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” also
won the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Comedy Movie and
was named one of 2005’s “Top Ten Films” by
the AFI.
On television, Carell currently stars in the Americanized adaptation
of the acclaimed British television series “The Office.” Earlier
this year, Carell won a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance
by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy for his
portrayal of Michael Scott, the pompous and deluded boss of a
Pennsylvania paper company. Now in its second season, “The
Office” continues to flourish in the ratings and received
an early renewal for a third season.
Later this summer, Carell stars with Greg Kinnear and Toni Collette
in the dark comedy feature “Little Miss Sunshine,” which
received glowing reviews when it screened at the 2006 Sundance
Film Festival. He is currently in production on “Evan Almighty,” the
sequel to the comedy hit “Bruce Almighty,” being
directed by Tom Shadyac. As the title suggests, this time it
is Carell’s character, Evan Baxter, who is the one “annointed” by
God, played again by Morgan Freeman. Carell’s previous
film credits include “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy,” with
Will Ferrell; “Bruce Almighty,” with Jim Carrey and
Jennifer Aniston; Nora Ephron’s “Bewitched,” with
Nicole Kidman and Ferrell; and Woody Allen’s “Melinda
and Melinda.”
Carell is an alumnus of the Second City comedy troupe in Chicago,
where he also performed with several noted theatre groups at
The Goodman Theatre and Wisdom Bridge Theater. He made his film
debut in 1991 in the John Hughes comedy “Curly Sue” before
segueing to television as a writer and actor.
WANDA
SYKES (Stella) was named one of the 25 Funniest People
in America by Entertainment Weekly. Her sharp-witted and acerbic
style of comedy has taken her from the comedy club stage to feature
films and television.
Sykes previously created, produced and starred in the Fox Network
series “Wanda at Large,” and executive produced the
Comedy Central reality series “Wanda Does It,” in
which she tried her hand at different non-show business jobs.
She also starred in her own Comedy Central special called “Wanda
Sykes: Tongue unTied,” and was heard as the voice of Gladys
Murphy on the Comedy Central series “Crank Yankers.” In
addition, she has guest starred on HBO’s “Curb Your
Enthusiasm,” CBS’s “The New Adventures of Old
Christine” and NBC’s “Will & Grace.”
Following “Over the Hedge,” Sykes co-stars with Luke
Wilson and Uma Thurman in the romantic comedy “My Super
Ex-Girlfriend,” and she will be heard in the animated feature “The
Barnyard.” She is currently filming the comedy “Evan
Almighty,” the sequel to “Bruce Almighty,” in
which she co-stars with Steve Carell.
Sykes recently co-starred with Jennifer Lopez and Jane Fonda
in the comedy “Monster-in-Law,” for which she won
a BET Comedy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Feature.
She includes among her other film credits “Nutty Professor
2: The Klumps,” “Pootie Tang” and “Down
to Earth.”
Born in Portsmouth, Virginia, and raised in Maryland, Sykes graduated
with a Bachelor of Science degree from Hampton University. Her
stand-up career began at a Coors Light Super Talent Showcase
in Washington, DC, where she performed for the first time in
front of a live audience.
Sykes spent five years as a writer and performer on HBO’s
critically acclaimed “The Chris Rock Show.” As part
of the writing team, she won an Emmy Award in 1999, and shared
in three additional Emmy nominations for Outstanding Writing
for a Variety, Music or Comedy Special. In 2001, she won an American
Comedy Award for Outstanding Female Stand-Up Comic. Two years
later, Sykes earned a Comedy Central Commie Award for Funniest
TV Actress. She also won two more Emmy Awards, in 2003 and 2004,
for her work on “Inside the NFL.”
In September 2004, Simon and Schuster published Sykes’ first
book, titled Yeah, I Said It, a hilarious collection of essays
touching on life, family and current events. Her additional writing
credits include “The Keenan Ivory Wayans Show,” “The
MTV 1999 Music Video Awards,” “The MTV Movie Awards” and “The
74th Annual Academy Awards.”
WILLIAM
SHATNER (Ozzie) has cultivated a successful career spanning
50 years and encompassing work as an actor, director, producer,
screenwriter, recording artist, author and horseman.
Recently, Shatner won back-to-back Emmy Awards for his portrayal
of eccentric lawyer Denny Crane, first on the ABC series “The
Practice” and then as one of the stars of the hit series “Boston
Legal.” In addition, Shatner won a Golden Globe Award for
his creation of the character on “The Practice.” Earlier
this year, he received two Screen Actors Guild Award nominations
for his performance as Denny Crane on “Boston Legal,” one
for Best Actor in a Comedy Series and another as part of the
ensemble cast. In 1999, he garnered his first Emmy nomination
for his guest turn on the sci-fi comedy series “3rd Rock
From the Sun.”
Shatner first rocketed to fame in 1966 when he originated the
now-iconic role of Captain James T. Kirk in the seminal series “Star
Trek.” Cancelled after three seasons, the series only grew
in popularity in syndication, eventually spawning a blockbuster
feature film franchise. Shatner reprised the role of Captain
Kirk in seven “Star Trek” movies. He also made his
feature film directorial debut on “Star Trek V: The Final
Frontier,” for which he also helped conceive the story.
Born in Montreal, Canada, Shatner started working professionally
at the Canadian Broadcasting Company even before he reached his
teens. Joining the Stratford Shakespeare Festival under Sir Tyrone
Guthrie, he appeared in the play “Tamburlaine,” which
eventually moved to Broadway, taking the young actor with it.
In 1958, he returned to Broadway with a starring role in “The
World of Suzie Wong.”
Moving to New York, Shatner was part of television’s Golden
Age, working on such programs as “Playhouse 90” and “Studio
One.” He went on to appear in more than 100 guest roles,
including his two classic episodes of “The Twilight Zone.”
Shatner made his film debut in 1958’s “The Brothers
Karamazov,” followed by a co-starring role in Stanley Kramer’s “Judgment
at Nuremburg,” and a starring role in “The Intruder.” His
later film credits include the comedies “Airplane II: The
Sequel” and “Loaded Weapon 1,” as well as both “Miss
Congeniality” films. In addition to his role in “Over
the Hedge,” Shatner can be heard as the voice of Kazar
in “The Wild,” a film that was animated by C.O.R.E.
Digital Pictures in Toronto, a company in which Shatner is a
partner.
Shatner starred in several series between “Star Trek” and “Boston
Legal.” He played the title role in the cop show “T.J.
Hooker,” before hosting the CBS series “Rescue 911” for
six seasons. In 2004, Shatner traveled to Riverside, Iowa (which
boasts of being the “Future Birthplace of Captain James
T. Kirk”), to film “Invasion Iowa,” a reality
series in which the entire town was duped into believing that
it was the location set of a new sci-fi movie. Shatner is also
the spokesman for Priceline.com on television and radio, and
hosted the History Channel special “How William Shatner
Changed the World,” which showcases how the futuristic
marvels of “Star Trek” inspired real-life advancements
in science and technology.
In addition, Shatner has authored more than 20 best-selling books
in both the fiction and non-fiction genres. His novel series
TekWar was turned into a television series for The Sci-Fi Network,
which he starred in and directed. Some of his other popular books
include the novels Man O’ War, Star Trek Avenger and Ashes
of Eden, and the autobiographical Star Trek Memories and Star
Trek Movie Memories.
Shatner has also enjoyed success as a recording artist. His latest
CD, Has Been, is a compilation of songs he recorded with such
artists as Ben Folds, Brad Paisley, Joe Jackson, Aimee Mann and
Henry Rollins.
Apart from performing, Shatner is a longtime dedicated breeder
of champion American quarter horses. His passion for horses led
to his involvement with AHEAD With Horses, which gives physically
and mentally challenged children the thrill of riding a horse
to boost their confidence and self-esteem. For the past 15 years,
he has hosted the Hollywood Charity Horse Show at the Los Angeles
Equestrian Center.
NICK
NOLTE (Vincent), a two-time Academy Award® nominee
in the category of Best Actor, earned his first Oscar® nod
for his role in the 1991 drama “The Prince of Tides,” in
which he starred opposite Barbra Streisand, who also directed
the film. In addition, Nolte won a Golden Globe and the Los Angeles
and Boston Film Critics Awards for his portrayal of a man trying
to help his suicidal sister while uncovering his own haunting
childhood memories. He received his second Oscar® nomination
for his work in 1997’s “Affliction,” directed
by Paul Schrader, on which Nolte also served as an executive
producer. For his performance as a man battling the cycle of
addiction, Nolte also won Best Actor Awards from the New York
Film Critics Circle and the National Society of Film Critics,
and garnered Golden Globe, Independent Spirit Award and Screen
Actors Guild (SAG) Award nominations.
In 2005, Nolte gained another SAG Award nomination as part of
the ensemble cast of the searing true-life drama “Hotel
Rwanda,” in which he starred with Don Cheadle. His recent
film credits also include Neil Jordan’s “The Good
Thief,” Ang Lee’s “Hulk,” and the independent
features “Neverwas,” “Clean” and the
Polish brothers’ “Northfork.”
His upcoming films include “The Death of Harry Tobin” and “Peaceful
Warrior.” Nolte also has several films in development under
the banner of his own production company, Kingsgate Films.
Hailing from Omaha, Nebraska, Nolte began his professional acting
career on the stage at the Pasadena Playhouse and in regional
theatres. In 1976, he landed his breakthrough role in the groundbreaking
television miniseries “Rich Man, Poor Man,” which
catapulted Nolte to fame and brought him Emmy and Golden Globe
Award nominations.
Nolte made his feature film debut in “The Deep,” starring
opposite Jacqueline Bisset. He followed with a wide range of
starring roles in such films as Karel Reisz’s “Who’ll
Stop the Rain”; the football comedy “North Dallas
Forty”; “Heart Beat,” opposite Sissy Spacek;
Walter Hill’s action comedy smash “48 Hrs.,” in
which he partnered with Eddie Murphy; Roger Spottiswoode’s “Under
Fire”; Paul Mazursky’s “Down and Out in Beverly
Hills”; Walter Hill’s “Extreme Prejudice”;
and the drama “Weeds,” for which Nolte earned another
Golden Globe nomination.
Continuing to take on challenging and diverse characters, Nolte
subsequently starred in the comedy “Three Fugitives,” with
Martin Short; Sidney Lumet’s “Q & A”; Martin
Scorsese’s segment of “New York Stories”; John
Milius’ “Farewell to the King”; Karel Reisz’s “Everybody
Wins”; the sequel “Another 48 Hrs.,” which
reunited him with Eddie Murphy and director Walter Hill; Martin
Scorsese’s acclaimed remake of the thriller “Cape
Fear”; George Miller’s “Lorenzo’s Oil,” with
Susan Sarandon; James L. Brooks’ “I’ll Do Anything”; “I
Love Trouble,” opposite Julia Roberts; the title role in
James Ivory’s “Jefferson in Paris”; Oliver
Stone’s “U Turn,” with Sean Penn; Alan Rudolph’s “Afterglow” and “Investigating
Sex”; and Terrence Malik’s “The Thin Red Line.”
Recently returning to the stage, Nolte starred with Sean Penn
in a production of Sam Shepard’s play “The Late Henry
Moss.”
THOMAS
HADEN CHURCH (Dwayne) earned Academy Award®, Golden
Globe and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award nominations for his
work in Alexander Payne’s award-winning independent film “Sideways.” For
his portrayal of Jack, the philandering groom-to-be taking a
last road trip before his wedding, Church also won an Independent
Spirit Award, as well as Best Supporting Actor Awards from a
number of critics groups, including the Broadcast Film Critics,
the Los Angeles Film Critics, the National Board of Review, the
National Society of Film Critics, and the Boston, San Francisco
and Chicago Film Critics, among others. Additionally, he shared
in winning a SAG Award for Outstanding Motion Picture Cast with
fellow “Sideways” stars Paul Giamatti, Virginia Madsen
and Sandra Oh.
Church’s versatility as an actor is exemplified in three
very different upcoming projects. Following “Over the Hedge,” he
lends his voice to the character of a crow named Brooks in the
new live-action screen version of “Charlotte’s Web,” set
for a Holiday 2006 release. He is also filming the role of Spider-Man’s
new archenemy, Sandman, in the much-anticipated third installment
of the “Spider-Man” franchise, scheduled to be released
in 2007. In addition, he will star opposite Robert Duvall in
the Western epic “Broken Trail,” directed by Walter
Hill, which premieres June 24 on television’s American
Movie Classics channel.
His previous feature film credits include “3000 Miles to
Graceland,” with Kurt Russell and Kevin Costner; the hit
comedy “George of the Jungle,” starring Brendan Fraser
in the title role; the cable movie “Free Money,” with
the legendary Marlon Brando, Donald Sutherland and Martin Sheen;
and the acclaimed Western “Tombstone,” in which Church
made his feature film debut.
Church first became best known to television audiences when he
landed the series regular role of Lowell Mather, the dim-witted
airplane mechanic, on the long-running NBC comedy series “Wings.” He
went on to play the title role of the self-righteous Ned Dorsey
on the Fox comedy series “Ned and Stacey,” in which
he starred opposite Debra Messing.
In addition to his acting work, Church is also the co-screenwriter
and director of the film “Rolling Kansas,” which
premiered as an official selection at the 2003 Sundance Film
Festival.
ALLISON
JANNEY (Gladys) is a consummate actress who has been honored
for her work on stage, screen and television. For the past
seven years, she has starred on NBC’s award-winning
drama series “The West Wing,” playing C.J. Cregg,
the White House Press Secretary who was recently promoted to
Chief of Staff. Janney won a remarkable four Emmy Awards and
received a fifth Emmy nomination, as well as four consecutive
Golden Globe Award nominations, for her work on the show. In
addition, she garnered four Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards
for her performance on “The West Wing,” two for Best
Female Actor in a Drama Series and two as a member of the winning
ensemble cast, and gained another seven SAG Award nominations,
including three individual nods for Best Female Actor in a Drama
Series.
Janney has also been recognized for her work in films. In 2000,
she won her first SAG Award as part of the cast of Sam Mendes’ Academy
Award®-winning drama “American Beauty.” Janney
also joined Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman in the ensemble cast
of the acclaimed drama “The Hours,” for which she
shared in a SAG Award nomination for Outstanding Cast in a Motion
Picture. Most recently, she earned a 2006 Independent Spirit
Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her work in “Our
Very Own,” which debuted at the Los Angeles Film Festival.
Janney next stars with Matt Damon and Anna Paquin in Kenneth
Lonergan’s “Margaret.” Her recent film credits
also include the independent features “The Chumscrubber,” which
premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival; “Piccadilly
Jim,” which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival; and
the critically acclaimed “Winter Solstice,” which
was an official selection at a number of film festivals.
Previously, Janney was seen in such films as “How to Deal,” “Nurse
Betty,” “Drop Dead Gorgeous,” “10 Things
I Hate About You,” “Celebrity,” “Six
Days, Seven Nights,” “The Object of My Affection,” “Primary
Colors,” “The Ice Storm” and “Big Night.”
An accomplished stage actress, Janney was nominated for a 1998
Tony Award and won an Outer Critics Circle Award and a Drama
Desk Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance on
Broadway in Arthur Miller’s “A View from the Bridge.” The
year before, she won an Outer Critics Circle Award and a Theatre
World Award for her work on Broadway in “Present Laughter.” Her
theatre repertoire also includes the New York Public Theater’s
production of “Taming of the Shrew,” which was part
of the Shakespeare in the Park series.
EUGENE
LEVY (Lou) has been a favorite of both critics and comedy audiences
for more than 30 years, beginning in the 1970s with the celebrated
Second City comedy troupe. Today’s audiences
know him best for his work in some of the most popular comedy
films in recent years, including the “American Pie” movies,
as well as for his successful collaborations with writer/director
Christopher Guest.
Levy honed his comedy skills as a part of the renowned Second
City comedy troupe in his native Canada. In the mid-1970s, he
and fellow troupe members John Candy and Joe Flaherty made the
move from Toronto to California to try their luck in the U.S.
Their idea for a television series about a low-budget television
station blossomed into “Second City TV.” The show
became a solid hit in Canada and developed a loyal cult following
in the States. After “SCTV’s” initial run ended
in 1981, NBC brought the show back in an extended version called “SCTV
Network 90,” which ran until 1983. In addition to being
one of the program’s favorite players, Levy won two Emmy
Awards and earned six additional Emmy nominations as a member
of the show’s writing staff.
Following “SCTV,” Levy continued to act and write
for television and also segued to the big screen, appearing in
such feature films as “National Lampoon’s Vacation” and “Father
of the Bride.” In 1992, he made his feature film directorial
debut with the comedy “Once Upon a Crime,” starring
John Candy and Jim Belushi. In 1996, Levy and Christopher
Guest teamed to write a screenplay for a mockumentary about a
small-town theatre troupe, called “Waiting for Guffman.” Guest
directed the film in which Levy starred as the stage-struck dentist,
Allan Pearl. The film was a hit and Levy and Guest shared an
Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Screenplay.
In 1999, Levy became a star to a new generation when he appeared
in the smash hit comedy “American Pie.” Levy earned
an American Comedy Award nomination for his performance as the
understanding but terminally unhip father of a hormonally charged
teenager. He went on to reprise his role in the 2001 sequel, “American
Pie 2,” and in 2003’s “American Wedding.”
In 2000, Levy and Guest reunited to write the hit comedy “Best
in Show,” which lampooned the world of dog shows and brought
them a Best Screenplay nomination from the Writers Guild of America.
Levy also starred in the film under Guest’s direction.
He and Guest more recently co-wrote and starred in the 2003 mockumentary “A
Mighty Wind,” a parody about 1960s folk musicians who reunite
for a tribute concert decades after their heyday. For that film,
Levy and Guest earned another Independent Spirit Award nomination
for Best Screenplay, and Levy won a New York Film Critics Award
for Best Supporting Actor for his performance. In addition, Levy
shared in a Grammy Award and a Critics’ Choice Award for
co-writing the film’s title song. His latest writing and
acting collaboration with Guest is the comedy “For Your
Consideration,” due out this fall.
Levy’s additional film credits include “Bringing
Down the House,” with Steve Martin and Queen Latifah; “The
Man,” starring Samuel L. Jackson; and “Cheaper by
the Dozen 2,” with Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt. He also
lent his voice to the animated film “Curious George.”
CATHERINE
O’HARA (Penny) won an American Comedy Award
for Funniest Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for her work
in Christopher Guest’s acclaimed comedy hit “Best
in Show.” She has also worked with Guest as a member of
the ensemble casts of “A Mighty Wind,” for which
she also co-composed some of the songs, and “Waiting for
Guffman.” They most recently reunited on Guest’s
upcoming comedy “For Your Consideration,” due out
this fall.
O’Hara first got into acting, writing, improvising and
directing with Toronto’s Second City Theatre, then, with
fellow alumni, created the comedy show “SCTV,” which
recently enjoyed a successful DVD release. O’Hara won an
Emmy Award and earned four additional Emmy nominations for her
writing on the show.
One of O’Hara’s earliest film roles was the outlandishly
artistic mother in Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice.” She
also played the mother in the comedy smash “Home Alone,” as
well as in the hit sequel “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.” Her
other film credits include “Game 6,” “Lemony
Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events,” “After
Hours,” “Heartburn,” “Home Fries” and “Orange
County.” In addition, she provided the voices of Sally
and Shock in the animated fantasy film “Tim Burton’s
The Nightmare Before Christmas.” She will next be heard
in “Monster House,” and will be seen in “Penelope.”
Among her television credits, she joined the cast of HBO’s “Six
Feet Under” for several episodes of the 2003 season.
AVRIL
LAVIGNE (Heather) is one of the music industry’s
top female recording artists with multi-platinum-selling CDs
and #1 singles. Since bursting onto the scene in 2002, at the
age of 17, she has earned numerous awards and honors, including
eight Grammy nominations, three World Music Awards, an MTV Music
Video Award, and seven Juno Awards in her native Canada.
Born in the small town of Napanee, Ontario, Canada, Lavigne stood
out from the crowd at an early age. Her musical talents were
noticeable by the age of two and, by the time she was in her
early teens, she was already writing songs and playing guitar.
Singing in the church choir and at local festivals allowed Lavigne
to get her voice heard.
On a trip to New York at age 16, Lavigne was signed to Arista
Records when she impressed Arista head Antonio “LA” Reid.
Not long after, Lavigne moved to Los Angeles to work on her first
record. By summer 2002, her debut CD, Let Go, was released and
began soaring up the charts. With 15 million albums sold and
three #1 singles—”Sk8ter Boi,” “Complicated” and “I’m
With You”—Lavigne gave young women a defiant voice.
In May 2004, Lavigne again scored a hit with her follow-up CD,
Under My Skin. This time the Canadian chanteuse took charge of
her creative direction, and the album reflected a more introspective
Avril. Debuting at #1 on charts worldwide, the CD delivered her
fourth #1 single, “My Happy Ending.”
Twenty-five million albums later, and following multiple world
tours and myriad magazine covers and television appearances,
Lavigne is now finding time to concentrate on her other passions,
including acting and fashion. She is also continuing to work
on her third album, which will likely be released in 2007.
OMID
DJALILI (Tiger) has gained a large and loyal following as a
stand-up comedian, and has also been steadily building a career
as an actor in films and on television. He was most recently
seen with Heath Ledger in Lasse Hallström’s “Casanova,” starring
as Casanova’s sidekick, Lupo. Djalili’s other film
credits include the role of Picasso in “Modigliani,” opposite
Andy Garcia; “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow”; “Mean
Machine”; Tony Scott’s “Spy Game,” with
Robert Redford and Brad Pitt; Ridley Scott’s Oscar®-winning
epic “Gladiator”; the James Bond actioner “The
World is Not Enough”; the horror hit “The Mummy”;
and the romantic comedy hit “Notting Hill.”
On television, Djalili was a series regular on the comedy series “Whoopi,” starring
Whoopi Goldberg, and he provided the voice of Zipeau in the fantasy
series “Dinotopia.” He was also seen in the telefilms “Jason
and the Argonauts” and “Cleopatra,” and has
starred in several television projects in his native England,
most recently including “Chopratown” and “My
Family and Other Animals.”
Djalili’s breakthrough success came as a stand-up comedian.
He won the Spirit of the Fringe Award for his show “A Strange
Bit of History” at the Edinburgh Festival in 1994 and has
since been a festival favorite. He won another Spirit of the
Fringe Award in 1999 for “The Iranian Ceilidh,” and
his popularity continued to grow with 2002’s “Behind
Enemy Lines,” for which he received a Perrier Award nomination.
In early 2005, he shot an HBO special, which aired to great critical
acclaim. Also that year, his show “No Agenda” became
the top-selling comedy show in the history of the Edinburgh Festival.
Djalili took the show on a tour of the UK, where his performance
at the famous London Palladium was filmed for release on DVD
in March 2006. Djalili has also proven to have tremendous international
appeal, with performances in Australia, Austria, Germany, Holland,
Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and
Slovakia. He recently performed in Qatar, where the audience
included former President Bill Clinton.
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