Robert Englund

Robert Barton Englund (born June 6, 1947) is an American actor and voice-actor, best known for playing the fictional serial killer Freddy Krueger, in the Nightmare on Elm Street film series. He received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors in 1987 and A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master in 1988. Despite his reputation for appearing in horror films, Englund is a classically trained actor.

Trade Mark

Freddy Krueger of The Nightmare on Elm Street films.

Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger

Trivia

Father designed U-2 spy plane.

Attended UCLA (for three years) and The Academy of Dramatic Art (in Rochester, MI).

Parents: Kent and Janis (nee McDonald) Englund.

Member of Actors’ Equity Association (1968-), Screen Actors Guild (1973-), American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Directors Guild of America.

One-time TV/radio host.

Married three times, the first occurred during his college heyday. His second wife, actress Roxanne Rogers, had a small part in the only movie he directed, 976-EVIL (1988), and his third wife, Nancy Booth, worked on the same movie as set decorator..

Ranked the #40 top villain for the American Film Institution’s Top 100 list of 100 Heroes and Villains for his role as Freddy Krueger.

Is of Swedish descent.

Auditioned for the part of Luke Skywalker in Star Wars (1977).

Is an avid “King of the Hill” (1997) fan.

Cannot, despite popular belief, speak Swedish fluently.

His performance as Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) is ranked #51 on Premiere Magazine’s 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.

He is a keen surfer, and has been shown on “Entertainment Tonight” (1981) talking about surfing.

Shares graduation from Granada Hills High School with actor Ossie Beck and John Elway

Wrote an unused treatment for A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987).

Is an avid fan of filmmaker Kevin Smith.

After failing to get the part of Luke Skywalker in Star Wars (1977), he suggested to a friend that he try out for the part. That friend was Mark Hamill.

In 1973 he returned to the Academy of Dramatic Art to teach a stunts and stage fight class while appearing at the nearby regional professional Meadow Brook Theatre.

While a student at the Academy of Dramatic Art he spent a summer teaching at Cranbrook Theatre School in Bloomfield Hills.

Ex-brother-in-law of Sam Shepard and Sandy Rogers.

Lives in Laguna Beach, California.

Zachary Quinto

Zachary John Quinto (born June 2, 1977) is an American actor known for playing Sylar on Heroes and Spock in the 2009 film Star Trek.

Quinto first appeared on television in the short-lived television series The Others, and appeared as a guest star on shows including CSI, Touched by an Angel, Charmed, Six Feet Under, Lizzie McGuire, and L.A. Dragnet. In 2003, he landed a recurring role on the Fox series 24, as computer expert Adam Kaufman. Quinto appeared in 23 episodes of the third season episodes of 24.

In 2006, Quinto played the role of Sasan, the haughty, gay Iranian-American best friend of Tori Spelling on her VH1 series So NoTORIous. Later that year, he joined the cast of NBC’s Heroes as Gabriel Gray, better known as the serial killer Sylar.

His casting as a young Spock in the J. J. Abrams-directed reboot of the Star Trek film franchise was officially announced at the 2007 Comic-Con. Speaking alongside Leonard Nimoy at a press conference to promote the new Star Trek film, Quinto revealed that Nimoy had been given casting approval over who would play the role of the young Spock. “For me Leonard’s involvement was only liberating, frankly,” says Quinto. “I knew that he had approval over the actor that would play young Spock, so when I got the role I knew from the beginning it was with his blessing.”

In a September 2008 interview, Star Trek director J. J. Abrams said of Quinto’s performance as Spock: “Zachary brought a gravity and an incredible sense of humor, which is a wonderful combination because Spock’s character is deceivingly complicated. The revelation for me watching the movie, when I finally got to watch the whole thing after working on sequences, was that he is extraordinary. He was doing things I didn’t even realize while we were shooting – these amazing things to track his story.”

Following Star Trek, he appeared in the comedy short Boutonniere (2009). It “…was a movie written and directed by my former landlady and friend [actress Coley Sohn]. She called up and said, ‘Would you do me a favor and be in my short film?’”

Quinto has joined with Corey Moosa and Neal Dodson to form Before the Door Pictures.The company is working on projects in film, television, new media, and the graphic novel arena. It announced a three-book publishing deal with comic book publisher Archaia at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con. The first project from the partnership is expected to be a 100-page graphic novel called Mr. Murder is Dead, created by writer Victor Quinaz. It will be followed by the comic book series LUCID: A Matthew Dee Adventure written by writer/actor Michael McMillian.

Quinto’s theatre experience includes roles in a variety of productions, including Much Ado About Nothing at the Los Angeles Shakespeare Festival) and Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow at the Old Globe. He has modeled for magazines including GQ

Trivia

Graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 1999.

Zachary is the only person in history to appear on the cover of Entertainment Weekly two weeks in a row (issues 1017 & 1018). In issue 1020, the magazine published the fact that he is the only one to have that honor.

His father is of Italian descent and his mother is of Irish descent.

Peter Mayhew Star Wars Chewbacca

Peter Mayhew (born May 19, 1944) is an English actor known for playing the Wookiee Chewbacca in the Star Wars movies. His peak height was 7 feet 3 inches (2.21 m) tall.

Trade Mark

Chewbacca from the Star Wars films

Trivia

Prior to starring as Chewbacca in the Star Wars trilogy, he was an orderly at London’s King’s College Hospital.

Chewbacca won a Lifetime Acheivement award at the MTV Movie Awards.

Mayhew, like many actors connected with the Star Wars universe, makes frequent appearances at Sci-fi conventions. Although famous guests at these events normally make a charge for autographs, some actors connected with famous movies from the past make their living touring different conventions.

Peter Mayhew

After getting the role of Chewbacca, Mayhew went to the zoo and began studying the movements and mannerisms of various large animals to incorporate into the character of Chewbacca.

Fell sick during the filming of Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980), which prompted director Irvin Kershner to bring in another extremely tall actor to fill in for him as Chewbacca. All the footage with the double was scrapped and re-shot after Mayhew recovered because Irvin Kershner found that the double’s body movements didn’t match Mayhew’s.

He had the option of either playing Darth Vader or Chewbacca, as did David Prowse. Mayhew chose Chewbacca because he wanted to play a hero, whilst David Prowse chose Vader because he wanted to play a villain.

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005) premiered on his 55th and 61st birthdays respectively. He appeared in the latter but not the former.

Became a naturalized U.S. citizen, along with 441 other people from 77 countries, in Arlington, Texas on October 17, 2005.

Ashley Judd

Ashley Judd (born April 19, 1968) is an American actress, well known for playing a number of strong women characters in films such as Ruby in Paradise, Kiss the Girls, Double Jeopardy, Where the Heart Is and High Crimes.

Trivia:

Turned down a larger role in Kuffs (1992) because she was asked to do nude scenes. She responded, “My mother worked too hard for me to take my clothes off in my first movie.”

Hobbies: running, rock climbing, mountain hiking, yoga, gardening, cooking

She attended 12 schools in 13 years before college. She was a sister of the sorority Kappa Kappa Gamma and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa at the University of Kentucky, where she majored in French and minored in cultural anthropology, art history, theater, and women’s studies. She left a few credits shy of graduating in 1990, when she decided to drive cross-country to pursue an acting career in Hollywood.

Mother and sister are country singers Naomi Judd & Wynonna Judd. She once worked cleaning her mom’s and sister’s tour bus for $10 a day.

Her father, Michael Ciminella, a marketing specialist in the horseracing industry, divorced Naomi Judd in 1972.

Was named one of “The 50 Most Beautful People In The World” by People Magazine. (1996, 2000 & 2002)

Known to be a avid fan of the University of Kentucky Wildcats basketball team, once not showering because she felt it would jinx them. For a cheerleading scene in her movie Someone Like You… (2001), she uses the Wildcats’ cheerleaders’ cheer routine, and thanks them in the credits.

Dated Robert De Niro

Dated Matthew McConaughey

Her mother, Naomi Judd, has publicly objected to many of Ashley’s movies because they contain either profanity, nudity, sex, or violence.

Was named after Ashland, Kentucky, and is an eighth-generation Kentuckian

Replaced Jodie Foster for the lead in Double Jeopardy (1999).

Is fluent in French.

Could have had Pamela Anderson’s role on “Home Improvement” (1991), but wanted to concentrate on making it in the movies instead. She later starred in Where the Heart Is (2000), which was directed by Matt Williams, the producer who wanted her on the sitcom.

She had a role in Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers (1994), but it was left on the cutting room floor.

Dated Michael Bolton.

Fractured her right ankle when she was thrown from a horse’s saddle in Franklin, Tennessee. She was hospitalized for two days. [23 November 1993]

Named one of the “25 Most Intriguing People” by People magazine. [1999]

A self-proclaimed feminist

She is an etymologist

Ranked #20 in FHM Magazine’s 100 “Sexiest Women in the World.” (2002)

Worked as a waitress at the trendy ‘Ivy’ restaurant while studying the Sanford Meisner technique of acting at Playhouse West in Los Angeles.

Measurements: 34B-24-35 (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine)

She was Kappa Kappa Gamma at the University of Kentucky

Modeled her “This is What a Feminist Looks Like” t-shirt for the Ms. Foundation and Ms. Online (ms.magazine.com), as have Whoopi Goldberg, Camryn Manheim and Margaret Cho.

Bakes chocolate chip cookies as a means to relieve stress.

Turned down the role of Catwoman in Catwoman (2004) so she could star as Maggie in ‘Tennesse Williams” “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” on Broadway.

Models a Hello Kitty t-shirt with the words “Handle with Care” printed on the front. Proceeds go to the Youth AIDS Foundation. (2003).

Her first screen kiss was with Wil Wheaton on “Star Trek: The Next Generation” (1987).

Introduced Gloria Steinem at the March for Women’s Lives in Washington, D.C. on April 25, 2004.

Drove from Memphis to L.A. at the age of 22 to begin her rise to fame.

Ashley was able to play both a teenager and a thirty year old in the role of Vivian ‘Vivi’ Walker. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002))

Was listed as a potential nominee on the 2005 Razzie Award nominating ballot. (Her name was misspelled on the ballot as “Ashey Judd” by the way.) She was suggested in the Worst Actress category for her performance in the film Twisted (2004/I), she did not receive a nomination however.

[1997] Becomes a vegetarian because a friend told her that “you eat the animal’s fear”.

Is an enthusiast of the ‘cockapoo’ breed of dog (cross-bred cocker spaniels and poodles). Has a dog named ‘Buttermilk’ and a tabby named ‘Buttercup’.

Publicly announced her engagement to racer Dario Franchitti; they had been engaged since December 1999. (December 2001) Married at Skibo Castle near Dornoch, in Sutherland, Scotland, the same castle that hosted Madonna’s wedding to Guy Ritchie a year earlier. [April 2000]

Good friends with Salma Hayek and Joey Lauren Adams.

Presented to the National Press Club on June 22nd, 2005 as a spokesperson for Youth AIDS International.

Worldwide Spokesperson for Youth AIDS International.

Gave testimony to U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, “Stopping Cross Generational Sex and Sexual Violence To Protect Young Women from AIDS in Developing Contries: A Call to Action,” June 23, 2005, as Global Ambassador for YouthAIDS and member of the Board of Directors of Population Services Inernational (PSI).

Though she only did two episodes of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” (1987), her character was loved by fans. Her image even appears on the Star Trek book ‘End Game’ (Star Trek New Frontier, No 4) by Peter David.

Was once considered for the female lead in Million Dollar Baby (2004).

Presented all the clues on the ‘The World AIDS Crisis’ category on the 12/2/2005 episode of the “Jeopardy!” (1984) TV show.

Visited Guatemala from 2 May 2006 to 5 May 2006, along with Salma Hayek and Colombian singer Juanes, as part of a Youth/AIDS campaign.

Named #77 in FHM magazine’s “100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006″ supplement. (2006).

In February 2006, she started a 47-day stay for the treatment of long-term depression in a Texas rehab center. (source: Entertainment Weekly, issue #934, May 18, 2007).

Her husband, Indy car racer Dario Franchitti, won the 2007 Indianapolis 500, the 66th winner of the race, in the #27 Canadian Club car for Andretti Green Racing in the Indy Racing League. Franchitti is a native of Edinburgh, Scotland.

Was among 4,000 students who graduated on May 6, 2007 from the University of Kentucky. Attended U of K from 1986 to 1990 but left one course shy of graduation. Finished the work 17 years later and received a Bachelor’s in French.

She was the “Not My Job” contestant for October 9, 2009 on the National Public Radio program “Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!”.

Kristen Stewart

Kristen Jaymes Stewart (born April 9, 1990) is an American actress. She is best known for playing Bella Swan in Twilight and New Moon, and will reprise her role in Eclipse. She has also starred in films such as Panic Room, Zathura, In the Land of Women, Adventureland, The Messengers and as rock star Joan Jett in The Runaways.

Trivia:

Has an older brother named Cameron and two adopted brothers named Dana and Taylor. They reside with her parents in the Woodland Hills area of Los Angeles. Kristen purchased her own home in 2008 and divides her time between there and her parents’ residence.

Her father is John Stewart, a TV Producer who works at FOX TV. Currently co-producing “On-Air with Ryan Seacrest” (2004).

Born in Los Angeles, California and then spent some of her early years in Colorado and Pennsylvania and has moved back to Los Angeles where she currently resides with her parents.

Supporter and member of the Red Cross National Celebrity Cabinet.

Was ranked #17 on Entertainment Weekly’s ’30 Under 30′ the actress list. (2008).

Had to wear brown contact lenses for Twilight (2008/I) because she has naturally green eyes while Bella’s eyes are supposed to be brown.

Nominated 3 consecutive years (2003-2005) for the Young Artist Award, but never won.

Named The Movie Fanatic’s Hottest Young Actress. (2008).

Has 3 dogs: Oz, a border collie mix, Jack and Lily who are mutts. Also has a cat named Jella.

Was ranked #9 on Moviefone’s ‘The 25 Hottest Actors Under 25′(2008).

Her mother is Australian.

Reads novels by Charles Bukowski and Kurt Vonnegut Jr..

Favorite book is “East of Eden” by John Steinbeck. Also likes the book “The Stranger” by Albert Camus.

Mother is Jules Mann-Stewart, a script supervisor who is directing her first film K-11 (2010), which stars Kristen.

Was introduced to Vegemite (an Australian spread) by her Sydney-born mum, and names Noosa Heads (a Queensland resort town) as one of her favorite places on the planet. Her Australian heritage also inspired the name of her dog, a border collie named Oz.

Attended Saint Martin of Tours in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Replaced Hayden Panettiere as Sarah Altman in Panic Room (2002) just before shooting began.

After the release of New Moon (2009), Kristen Stewart was called for jury duty in Los Angeles and was accepted to a jury for a case in which the defendant was accused of soliciting sex from an undercover police officer posing as a prostitute. The case proceedings took three days and ended with the jury finding the defendant not guilty.

Best friends with Nikki Reed.

Michael Rooker

Michael Rooker (born April 6, 1955) is an American actor known for playing the title role in Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer.

Michael Rooker

Trivia:

Studied Japanese martial art of Akido with Fumio Toyoda Shihan prior to establishing himself in Chicago theatre.

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer was Michael Rooker’s first movie which was filmed in 1986 but was not released until years later.

Michael Rooker in Slither

He is a graduate of Chicago’s Goodman School of Drama

Ranked #17 on Tropopkin’s Top 25 Most Intriguing People [Issue #100]

He unofficially reprised his Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer role for the music video “All Wrapped Up” by heavy metal band American Head Charge.

Lives in Sunland, California.

Sophia Myles

Sophia Jane Myles (born 18 March 1980) is an English film and television actress.

Since 1996, Myles has appeared in a number of both American and British films and television productions. In 2001, she got a small role as Johnny Depp’s wife, Victoria Abberline, in the thriller film From Hell. She had a supporting role in the 2003 film Underworld and in sequel Underworld: Evolution (in a brief flashback scene). In 2003, she played the schoolgirl lead in the thriller Out of Bounds and she also played Lady Penelope in the Thunderbirds. In 2006, Myles co-starred with actor James Franco in the romantic drama Tristan and Isolde, playing the role of Isolde.

Myles appeared as Madame de Pompadour in a 2006 episode of Doctor Who, “The Girl in the Fireplace”. She co-starred opposite Max Minghella, playing his love interest in 2006′s quirky comedy Art School Confidential. Also in 2006, Myles appeared in a BBC TV adaptation of Dracula; she played Lucy Westenra alongside Marc Warren, David Suchet and Dan Stevens. As of 2007, she filmed Outlander with James Caviezel and Jack Huston, played the role of Freya.

She was cast in the CBS supernatural television drama, Moonlight. She has received Best Actress in 2007 for her role in Hallam Foe from the British Independent Film Award committee as well as the BAFTA Scotland Award. Her series, Moonlight, won for Best New Drama in the 2007 People’s Choice Awards.

Trivia:

Father is a Vicar.

Quit University to pursue acting.

Has an exceptionally good ear for accents.

Her skills include Horse Riding, Skiing, Skating, Swimming.

Maternal grandmother was Russian.

Was accepted at Cambridge University to study Philosophy after getting straight As at A-level. However she chose to pursue her acting career.

Can speak German and French.

Listens to Tracy Chapman.

Her favorite film is The Goonies (1985).

She was spotted by actor and Oscar-winning screenwriter Julian Fellowes in her school play and plucked out to play “Lady Jane Grey” in a BBC production of “The Prince and the Pauper” (1996).

Kellan Lutz

Kellan Christopher Lutz (born March 15, 1985) is an American film and television actor, who is best known for playing Emmett Cullen in the Twilight series. Before acting, he was an Abercrombie & Fitch model.

Trivia:

Favorite place is South Africa.

Is real life friends with Twilight co-stars Nikki Reed, Ashley Greene, Jackson Rathbone, Taylor Lautner, and Robert Pattinson.

Grew up in Arizona.

Born in North Dakota.

Has six brothers and one sister.

Originally asked to read the role of Edward in “Twilight”, but was busy filming “Generation Kill” in Africa.

Jon Hamm

Jonathan Daniel “Jon” Hamm (born March 10, 1971) is an American actor whose work has been primarily in television roles. For much of the mid-1990s, he lived in Los Angeles as a struggling, unemployed actor. He appeared in multiple television series roles, including Providence, The Division, What About Brian, and Related. In 2000 he made his feature film debut in Clint Eastwood’s space adventure Space Cowboys. The following year, Hamm appeared in the independent comedy Kissing Jessica Stein (2001) in a supporting role.

Hamm gained worldwide recognition for playing advertising executive Don Draper in AMC’s drama series Mad Men, which premiered in July 2007. His performance earned him a Golden Globe Award in the category for Best Actor in a Drama Series in 2008. Aside from appearing in Mad Men, he was featured in the 2008 science fiction remake The Day the Earth Stood Still and had his first leading role in the independent thriller Stolen (2010).

Trivia:

Became interested in acting in the first grade, when he was handpicked to play Winnie the Pooh. Received a scholarship to study acting at the University of Missouri.

Worked as a day care teacher during college, and before moving to Hollywood, was a high school teacher.

Is an avid golfer, as well as a big football fan.

Role models are Jeff Bridges, Sam Elliot and Greg Kinnear.

His mother died when he was 10; his father followed 10 years later.

Long-term partner is Jennifer Westfeldt, the actress and co-writer of Kissing Jessica Stein (2001). They live in Los Angeles.

Went to high school (John Burroughs School in St. Louis) with Sarah Clarke.

Taught drama at John Burroughs High School in St. Louis, Missouri.

Very close friends with Paul Rudd.