Angela Evelyn Bassett (born August 16, 1958) is an American actress. Known for her work in film and television since the late 1980s, she has received various accolades, including two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards and seven Primetime Emmy Awards.
She had her breakthrough portraying singer Tina Turner in the biopic What's Love Got to Do with It (1993), which won her a Golden Globe Award and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. This led to starring roles as Betty Shabazz in Malcolm X (1992), as the mother of The Notorious B.I.G. in Notorious (2009), and as Amanda Waller in Green Lantern (2011).
Her other notable film roles were in Boyz n the Hood (1991), Waiting to Exhale (1995), Vampire in Brooklyn (1995), How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998), Music of the Heart (1999), Olympus Has Fallen (2013) and London Has Fallen (2016). She has also played Queen Ramonda in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Black Panther (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). For the latter, she won a Golden Globe Award and has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
On television, she has starred as Katherine Jackson in the miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream (1992). Her portrayal of Rosa Parks in the television film The Rosa Parks Story (2002) gained her a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress. Her performances in two seasons of the FX horror anthology series American Horror Story, earned her nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in 2014 and 2015. In 2018, she began producing and starring as an LAPD patrol sergeant in the Fox drama series 9-1-1.
Lucas York Black (born November 29, 1982) is an American film and television actor. He is known for his roles in the CBS television series American Gothic as well as roles in films such as Sling Blade, Jarhead, Friday Night Lights, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Legion and Get Low.
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Theodore Borders was born on August 25, 1982 in Beverly Hills, California, USA as Theodore Alfred Edward Borders. He is known for his work on Beverly Hills Cop III (1994), Knocked Up (2007) and John Tucker Must Die (2006).
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Levardis Robert Martyn Burton, Jr. (born February 16, 1957, height 5' 7" (1,70 m)) professionally known as LeVar Burton, is an American actor, director, producer and author who first came to prominence portraying Kunta Kinte in the 1977 award-winning ABC television miniseries Roots, based on the novel by Alex Haley.
He is also well known for his portrayal of Geordi La Forge on the syndicated science fiction series Star Trek: The Next Generation and as the host of the PBS children's program Reading Rainbow.
Danny Lebern Glover (born July 22, 1946) is an American actor, film director, and political activist. He is best known for his co-starring lead role as Sergeant Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon film series.
Glover has had a variety of film, stage, and television roles. He starred as the husband to Whoopi Goldberg's character, Celie in the celebrated literary adaptation of The Color Purple, and as Lieutenant James McFee in the film Witness. He had leading roles in other films including To Sleep with Anger, Predator 2, Angels in the Outfield, and Operation Dumbo Drop. He won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead for his starring role in Charles Burnett's To Sleep with Anger.
Also, he has had prominent supporting roles in Silverado, Witness, A Rage in Harlem, Dreamgirls, Shooter, Death at a Funeral, Beyond the Lights, Sorry to Bother You, The Last Black Man in San Francisco, The Dead Don't Die, Lonesome Dove and Jumanji: The Next Level. Glover earned top billing for the first time in Predator 2, the sequel to the science fiction action film Predator. During his career, he has also made several cameos, appearing, for example, in the Michael Jackson video "Liberian Girl" of 1987.
In 1994, he made his directorial debut with the Showtime channel short film Override. Also in 1994, Glover and actor Ben Guillory founded the Robey Theatre Company in Los Angeles, focusing on theatre by and about black people.
An American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, and talk show host. Goldberg made her film debut in The Color Purple (1985) playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won her first Golden Globe Award for her role in the film. In 1990, she starred as Oda Mae Brown, a psychic helping a slain man (Patrick Swayze) find his killer in the blockbuster film Ghost. This performance won her a second Golden Globe and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Notable later films include Sister Act and Sister Act 2, The Lion King, Made in America, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Girl, Interrupted and Rat Race. She is also acclaimed for her roles as the bartender Guinan in Star Trek: The Next Generation and as Terry Dolittle in Jumpin' Jack Flash. Her latest role is the voice of Stretch in Toy Story 3. Goldberg has been nominated for 13 Emmy Awards for her work in television. She was co-producer of the popular game show Hollywood Squares from 1998 to 2004. She has been the moderator of the daytime talk show The View since 2007. Goldberg has a Grammy, two Emmys, two Golden Globes, a Tony, and an Oscar. In addition, Goldberg has a British Academy Film Award, four People's Choice Awards and has been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award.
Samuel Leroy Jackson (born December 21, 1948) is an American actor and producer. One of the most widely recognized actors of his generation, the films in which he has appeared have collectively grossed over $27 billion worldwide, making him the second highest-grossing actor of all time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave him an Academy Honorary Award in 2022 as "A cultural icon whose dynamic work has resonated across genres and generations and audiences worldwide".
Jackson started his career on stage making his professional theatre debut in Mother Courage and her Children in 1980 at The Public Theatre. From 1981 to 1983 he originated the role of Private Louis Henderson in A Soldier's Play Off-Broadway. He also originated the role of Boy Willie in August Wilson's The Piano Lesson in 1987 at the Yale Repertory Theatre. He returned to the play in the 2022 Broadway revival playing Doaker Charles. Jackson early film roles include Coming to America (1988), Goodfellas (1990), Patriot Games (1992), Juice (1992), True Romance (1993), and Jurassic Park (1993), Menace II Society (1993), and Fresh (1994). His collaborations with Spike Lee led to greater prominence with films such as School Daze (1988), Do the Right Thing (1989), Mo' Better Blues (1990), Jungle Fever (1991), Oldboy (2013), and Chi-Raq (2015).
Jackson's breakout role was in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction (1994) which earned him a BAFTA Award win and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He further collaborated with Tarantino, acting in Jackie Brown (1997), Django Unchained (2012), and The Hateful Eight (2015). He's known for having appeared in a number of big-budget films, including Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), A Time to Kill (1996), The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), The Negotiator (1997), Deep Blue Sea (1999), Unbreakable (2000), Shaft (2000) and its reboot (2019), XXX (2002), S.W.A.T. (2003), Coach Carter (2005), Snakes on a Plane (2006), Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014), Kong: Skull Island (2017), and Glass (2019).
He also gained widespread recognition as the Jedi Mace Windu in the Star Wars prequel trilogy (1999–2005), later voicing the role in the animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) and the video game Lego Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2011). With his permission, his likeness was used for the Ultimate version of the Marvel Comics character Nick Fury; he subsequently played Fury in 11 Marvel Cinematic Universe films, beginning with a cameo appearance in Iron Man (2008), as well as guest-starring in the television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. He will reprise this role in the upcoming Disney+ series Secret Invasion, which is set to premiere on June 21, 2023. Jackson has provided his voice for several animated films, documentaries, television series, and video games, including Lucius Best / Frozone in the Pixar films The Incredibles (2004) and Incredibles 2 (2018).
James Earl Jones (January 17, 1931 – September 9, 2024) was an American actor. He was described as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile" actors for his performances on stage and screen, and "one of the greatest actors in American history". Over his career, he received three Tony Awards, two Emmy Awards, and a Grammy Award. He was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1985. He was honored with the National Medal of Arts in 1992, the Kennedy Center Honor in 2002, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2009 and the Honorary Academy Award in 2011. His deep voice has been praised as a "stirring basso profondo that has lent gravel and gravitas" to his projects.
An American television and film actress, who has played lead roles in films including Ruby in Paradise, Kiss the Girls, Double Jeopardy, Where the Heart Is and High Crimes. She is active in a number of humanitarian and political causes, including two missions to the Democratic Republic of Congo to campaign against sexual violence against women.
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Richard Bruce Kind (born November 22, 1956) is an American actor (stage, screen, and voice) and comedian. He is best known for his roles as Captain Stan Yenko on CBS's East New York (2022-23), Dr. Mark Devanow on Mad About You (1992–1999, 2019), and Paul Lassiter on Spin City (1996–2002). He's also well known for his other roles as Peter in The History of the World Part II (2023), Mitch on Netflix's The Watcher, Formica Michael Mikowitz on The Goldbergs, Walter Bloom in tick, tick... Boom! (2021), Cousin Andy on Curb Your Enthusiasm (2002–2021), Rudy Giuliani in Bombshell (2019), John Sears in Suburbicon (2017), Gus Barton on IFC's Brockmire, Marty in All We Had (2016), Mayor Aubrey James on FOX's Gotham, Sam Meyers on the Amazon Prime series Red Oaks, Max Klein in Argo (2012), Joey Rathburn on HBO's Luck starring Dustin Hoffman, Uncle Arthur Gopnik in the Coen Brothers film A Serious Man (2009), Abner Kravitz in the film Bewitched (2005), Louis Tiboni in The Station Agent (2003), He began his acting career in Chicago, where he performed in numerous stage productions. He made his Broadway debut in 1984 in the play "The Pirates of Penzance." He has starred in the smash hit Broadway musical The Producers, The Tale of the Allergist's Wife, Candide, and Bounce, among others. He is a Drama Desk Award winner and Tony nominee for the Broadway hit The Big Knife. He has appeared in over 50 films, including Clifford (1994), Stargate (1994), For Your Consideration (2006), Hereafter (2010), and Beau Is Afraid (2023).
In addition to his acting career, he is also a vocal advocate for social justice causes. He is a member of the board of directors of the Creative Coalition, an organization that advocates for the arts in public policy. He is also a supporter of the Human Rights Campaign and the Anti-Defamation League. He is also an alumnus of The Second City in Chicago.
John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor, film producer, dancer, and singer. He first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease. Travolta's career re-surged in the 1990s, with his role in Pulp Fiction, and he has since continued starring in Hollywood films, including Face/Off, Ladder 49 and Wild Hogs. Travolta has twice been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. The first, for his role in Saturday Night Fever and the second for Pulp Fiction. He won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his performance in Get Shorty.
He married actress Kelly Preston in 1991. The couple had a son, Jett, (April 13, 1992 - January 2, 2009), and have a daughter, Ella Bleu, born in 2000. They were married until Kelly's untimely death at the age of 57 in 2020 from breast cancer.
He was previously involved with actress Diana Hyland, whom he met while filming The Boy in the Plastic Bubble; the relationship ended when she died of breast cancer in 1977.
He is a certified pilot and owns five aircraft, including an ex-Australian Boeing 707–138 airliner. The plane bears the name Jett Clipper Ella in honor of his children. His $4.9 million estate in the Jumbolair subdivision in Ocala, Florida, is situated on Greystone Airport with its own runway and taxiway right to his front door.
He has been a practitioner of Scientology since 1975 when he was given the book Dianetics while filming the movie The Devil's Rain in Durango, Mexico.
Jaleel Ahmad White (born November 27, 1976) is an American actor and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Steve Urkel from Family Matters. White also voiced the character of Sonic the Hedgehog and other characters for Sonic the Hedgehog media.
Susan Abigail Sarandon (née Tomalin; born October 4, 1946) is an American actor. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for a Daytime Emmy Award, six Primetime Emmy Awards, and nine Golden Globe Awards. In 2002, she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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Oprah Gail Winfrey (born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954), also known mononymously as Oprah, is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for her talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, broadcast from Chicago, which ran in national syndication for 25 years, from 1986 to 2011. Dubbed the "Queen of All Media", she was the richest African-American of the 20th century and was once the world's only black billionaire. By 2007, she was often ranked as the most influential woman in the world.
Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American voice actor with an extensive career spanning nearly six decades. As of 2021, Welker holds over 860 film, television, and video game credits, making him one of the most prolific voice actors of all time. With a total worldwide box-office gross of $17.4 billion, he is also the third highest-grossing film voice actor of all time.
Welker is best known for voicing Fred Jones in the Scooby-Doo franchise since its inception in 1969, and Scooby-Doo himself since 2002. In 2020, Welker reprised the latter role in the CGI-animated film Scoob!, the only original voice actor from the series in the movie's cast. He has also voiced Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in Epic Mickey and its sequel, Megatron, Galvatron and Soundwave in the Transformers franchise, Shao Kahn and Reptile in the 1995 Mortal Kombat film, Curious George in the Curious George franchise, Garfield on The Garfield Show, Nibbler on Futurama, the titular character in Jabberjaw, Speed Buggy in the Scooby-Doo franchise, Astro and Orbitty on The Jetsons, Mushmouse on Punkin' Puss & Mushmouse, and various characters in The Smurfs as well as numerous animal vocal effects in many works. In 2016, he was honored with an Emmy Award for his lifetime achievement.
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Yolanda Denise King (November 17, 1955 – May 15, 2007) was an American activist, actress and first-born child of civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. She was also known for her artistic and entertainment endeavors and public speaking. Her childhood experience was greatly influenced by her father's highly public and influential activism.
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