Tuesday, February 28, 2012

02/28 Burt Young!

Gerald Tommaso DeLouise (born April 30, 1940) better known as Burt Young, is an American actor, painter and author. He is best known for his Academy Award-nominated role as Sylvester Stallone's brother-in-law and friend Paulie in the Rocky film series.

Young made his name playing rough-edged working class Italian-American characters, the best-known example being his signature role as Sylvester Stallone's brother-in-law Paulie in Rocky (1976), for which he received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He is one of three actors (the other two being Stallone and Tony Burton) who have appeared in every Rocky film.

He has played similar roles in Chinatown, Convoy, Back to School, The Pope of Greenwich Village, Once Upon a Time in America, Last Exit to Brooklyn, Downtown: A Street Tale, and even a brutal and darker role in Amityville II: The Possession. Young has also appeared in many television programs, including The Rockford Files, Baretta, Law & Order, Walker, Texas Ranger, M*A*S*H, guest-starred in a Miami Vice episode, and made an appearance on The Sopranos ("Another Toothpick") as Bobby Baccalieri's father, who is dying of cancer and comes out of retirement to execute a hit on his godson.

Young is a painter whose art has been displayed in galleries throughout the world. He is also a published author whose works include two filmed screenplays and 400-page historically based novel called Endings.

He has also written two stage plays: SOS and A Letter to Alicia and the New York City Government From a Man With a Bullet in His Head.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

02/21 Lorenzo Lamas!

Longing to be an actor since the age of five, Lamas first studied acting in Tony Barr's Film Actors Workshop and quickly thereafter obtained his first TV acting role in 1976. He had a supporting role in the 1978 film Grease. Early in his career, he also had guest-starring parts in Switch, Sword of Justice, Dear Detective, Secrets of Midland Heights, Fantasy Island, The Love Boat and Hotel.

In 1980, he auditioned for and won the role of Jane Wyman's playboy grandson and henchman, Lance Cumson, for the pilot of a new series entitled The Vintage Years. The pilot was later retooled to become the hit prime time drama series Falcon Crest. During a 2006 TV interview with Norwegian Television Team, Lamas said that to get the role on Falcon Crest, he had auditioned twice and beat out five other guys for the part. During his stint on Falcon Crest, Lamas was nominated for two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Golden Globe Award. Lamas was the only actor to appear in all 227 episodes of the series.

In 1984, Lamas was nominated for Worst Actor at the Golden Raspberry Awards for his performance in the film Body Rock. Lamas also performed a song on the soundtrack for this film, and the track "Fools Like Me" became his only single to date to crack the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[citation needed]

In 1992, Lamas played the role of the falsely accused cop Reno Raines in the syndicated series Renegade. The series was seen in over 100 countries[citation needed], and during its final season, it moved from first-run syndication to the USA Network. The show ended in 1997 after a run of five seasons.

From February 2004 until February 2007 Lamas played the role of Hector Ramirez on the CBS daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful.

In August 2007, Lamas starred as the King of Siam in The King and I at the Ogunquit Playhouse in Ogunquit, Maine. That fall, he performed at Kean University Premiere Stages in Union, New Jersey in the title role in Steven Dietz's Dracula. Lamas performed as El Gallo in The Fantasticks at the Casa Mañana Theatre in Fort Worth, Texas in June 2008. In June 2009, Lamas returned to the Ogunquit Playhouse as Zach in A Chorus Line.

Lamas began appearing in the Zaxby's restaurant chain television advertisements in May 2008.

In 2008, Lamas appeared in season 2 of CMT's Gone Country.

In 2009, he starred in the Asylum's Mega Shark Versus Giant Octopus as Alan Baxter, a government agent who wants to destroy both the Mega Shark and the Giant Octopus to protect the world from their destructive fights.

In 2010, He starred as the voice of "Meap" in Disney Chanel's Phineas and Ferb.

Lamas is an avid Harley-Davidson motorcycle enthusiast, collects them and takes part in charity rides for a transplant fund.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

02/14 Bo Hopkins

Sandy-haired US actor Bo Hopkins was born William Hopkins in Greenville, South Carolina, and was raised by his mother and grandmother. He joined the US Army at the age of 16. After serving his hitch he decided on acting as a career and gained experience in summer stock productions and guest spots in several TV episodes. The energetic Bo broke into feature films as the ill-fated "Crazy Lee" in the Sam Peckinpah landmark western The Wild Bunch (1969), and was subsequently hired by Peckinpah for another none-too-bright role as a bank robber in The Getaway (1972) and then as a hired killer pairing up with CIA agent James Caan in The Killer Elite (1975). Hopkins was very busy during the 1980s and 1990s, guest-starring in such TV shows as "The Rockford Files" (1974), "Charlie's Angels" (1976), "The A-Team" (1983), "Hotel" (1983) and "Matt Houston" (1982), and was a regular on the prime-time soap opera "Dynasty" (1981). In addition, he has starred in dozens of feature films, such as Midnight Express (1978), American Graffiti (1973), The Bounty Hunter (1990), U Turn (1997) and Shade (2003/I).

With his "good old boy" persona and Southern drawl, Hopkins is generally at his best playing either lawmen (he's played a sheriff on at least a dozen occasions!), psychos or oily villains. It would be fair to say that Bo Hopkins has developed a cult following among many film fans. He makes his home in Los Angeles with his wife Sian and son, Matthew and is a keen fisherman, fan of the Anaheim Angels baseball team, and enjoys raising Koi fish.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

02/07 Roslyn Kind

Roslyn Kind is a dynamic, multi-talented entertainer who has forged a successful career in all facets of entertainment from critically acclaimed recordings to sold-out performances on Broadway and in top concert venues and nightclubs the world over.

A vibrant musical artist, Ms. Kind is familiar to both national and international audiences for her headlining appearances at some of the most prestigious venues including Lincoln Center, The Greek Theater and London’s Café Royal. The London Times noted “To say she is superb would be an understatement.” In 2006 she made her long awaited and rapturously received Carnegie Hall debut with her frequent musical collaborator and friend, Michael Feinstein.

She began her performing career while still in her teens with the release of her first album, Give Me You. A whirlwind of performing activity followed including engagements at the nation’s top nightclubs, acclaim from Time Magazine and three appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show leading up to her show-stopping New York debut at the Plaza Hotel’s legendary Persian Room.

Her follow up singles and a second album, This is Roslyn Kind, showcased her growth as a recording artist comfortable in a wide range of musical genres. Ms. Kind’s latest CD release, Come What May, which the New York Times described as “splendid and sizzling”, further establishes her reputation as a virtuoso vocalist possessing impeccable phrasing, a richness and clarity of tone and an undeniable emotional connection to her always first-rate material.

Concurrent with her recording career, Ms. Kind is an accomplished theatrical performer. On Broadway, she starred in the crowd-pleasing musical revue 3 from Brooklyn. Additional theatrical credits include the Off-Broadway production of Show Me Where the Good Times Are, Leader of the Pack and Ferguson the Tailor. She also stopped the show in a critically lauded Los Angeles production of William Finn’s Elegies; The Hollywood Reporter noted, “Roslyn Kind sings like a dream…”

Ms. Kind’s extensive list of television credits include the film Switched at Birth, multiple episodes of NBC’s Gimme a Break, Throb starring Jane Leeves and a humorously memorable turn as herself on CBS’s The Nanny. This appearance also showcased her talent as a songwriter in a performance of her composition, Light of Love. She also performed the title song for the made-for-TV movie Not Just Another Affair. Ms. Kind has appeared on virtually every major talk/variety show including the Tonight Show, Saturday Night Live, Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood and Good Morning America. Among her international television credits are England’s Pebble Mill Show, Canada’s Musique Plus, and For Me – Formidable, a Charles Aznavour special for European TV co-starring Dusty Springfield. In motion pictures, Ms. Kind has had starring roles in The Underachievers and I’m Going to Be Famous and just completed working on a Hallmark movie for TV called Ladies of the House starring Donna Mills and Florence Henderson. Roz can also be heard singing Hold On While You Can in the 2008 movie Truloved. She just completed a biography for TV called Unscripted on Vision TV.

Ms. Kind also takes pride in her work for various animal welfare, Alzheimer’s and AIDS related charitable organizations including HSUS, APLA and Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS for which she contributed a song selection to Cabaret Noel, a recent volume in their annual series of holiday CD releases.

One of the premiere interpreters of popular song, Roslyn Kind continues to succeed in every new facet of her performing career delighting audiences with her spellbinding talent. Roslyn’s unique artistry is equally at home on stage, screen and disc.

The New York Post summed it up best “She’s so good on so many levels; it’s difficult to categorize her. This elegant, beautiful, petite, dynamo delight rules the stage with a royal command that demands adoration from every seat in the house.” A native of Brooklyn, New York she currently resides in Los Angeles.

roslynkind.com