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D'Arcy Carden was born in Danville, California, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for The Good Place (2016), Barry (2018) and A League of Their Own (2022). She has been married to Jason Carden since 31 July 2010.

Angela Watson was born a farmer's daughter in a little town of 500 people, outside of Danville, Illinois. Her parents retired and moved to Southwest Florida when Angela was just ten years old. Her performing career had begun with tap dancing at the age of three, continuing into her pre-teens when she amassed over 200 trophies and 60 crowns competing in numerous beauty pageants. Angela quickly learned that even the best dancer had difficulty beating out a singer in the talent portion of those contests. Angela was determined to win First Place, thus her singing career was born. At age 13, she locked herself in her room, not appearing for days until she announced to her parents she would be singing Patsy Cline's "Walking After Midnight" in the upcoming pageant, and that she planned to win. And win she did! Her pageant success led to modeling in New York and Dallas, until she was discovered by a manager who advised her parents to take her to Los Angeles and give her a shot at television and film work. Her first national commercial was for McDonald's, followed by Doritos, IBM and GE. Within her first year in California, Angela was cast in a recurring role on ABC's "Davis Rules" with Jonathan Winters and Randy Quaid. The following year, Angela was handpicked to costar in the 90's TGIF sitcom "Step by Step" playing Suzanne Somers and Patrick Duffy's very vain and seemingly shallow, though with a good heart, teenage daughter "Karen Foster" for 7 seasons. The show has over 150 episodes currently streaming on Hulu. Even though a successful TV actress, Angela was far from an experienced Hollywood wild child, and unfortunately her innocence and naivete were taken advantage of by a so called "production partner" who promised to help her transition into an adult actor with longevity in the business. By the time her family and friends realized he was actually a con man who was brainwashing Angela, it was too late. Over the next 20 years, not only was Angela isolated from everyone she loved, but he also convinced her that she had to sue her parents for supposedly "stealing her money," when in fact, he was the one fleecing her acting earnings. Her relationship with the narcissistic abuser turned into a daily nightmare she couldn't escape from. Thankfully, Angela was able to secretly listen to some YouTube videos that she now knows was actually reprogramming her brain to choose to be happy despite her circumstances. After two years of doing so, she realized she had the courage and strength to break free. Angela says it was "by the Grace of God, and her mother's unceasing prayers for her return," that she is now joyfully reunited with her formerly estranged family and friends. This new chapter of her life has already kicked off with quite a bang, after accompanying her new husband to the optometrist, Michael Witherington, a songwriter at heart from Oklahoma. He asked Angela to record his catchy original song, "We Love Santa Claus," with producer Julian Sundby, and Angela was delighted to sing the fun toe-tapping holiday tune. Angela kicked off 2020 playing 8 different characters in a 6 week run of The Dining Room.

He had that same genuine likability factor, owned that same trademark lantern jaw and was just as appealing and gifted as his older brother, Dick Van Dyke, but, for decades, Jerry Van Dyke bore the brunt of his brother's overwhelming shadow.

Six years younger than brother Dick, the comic actor was born on July 27, 1931, in Danville, Illinois. Raised there, the crew cut blond showed an aptitude for clowning in high school. His stand-up comedy venues first took the form of dives and strip clubs throughout the Deep South in which his banjo-playing became an intricate part of the routine. At one point, Jerry was a regular on the Playboy club circuit. He then set his sights on the top showrooms in Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe and Atlantic City and became a dependable opening act.

Jerry's early career should have been rightfully interrupted when he joined the Air Force in 1952. He, instead, kept the troops laughing by performing in Special Services shows. Winning a military talent contest actually earned him a couple of appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show (1948) (aka "The Ed Sullivan Show") and resulting TV exposure. Following his tour of duty, he nabbed variety appearances and a regular comic relief role on The Judy Garland Show (1963). He found comic acting parts as well on TV. Like brother Dick, who was a huge TV star by this time, Jerry also did a stint emceeing a game show. In Jerry's case, it was Picture This (1963).

Ever the hapless klutz and happy-go-lucky stammerer, Jerry built up his TV reputation in the early 60s. He turned down the title role in Gilligan's Island (1964), which he rightfully deemed inane, but instead chose the equally silly My Mother the Car (1965). It proved to be a detrimental career move. While "Gilligan" became a surprise hit that still runs in syndication four decades later, Jerry had to live down starring in one of the most lambasted sitcoms of all time. Truthfully, the two shows were on an equal (sub)par with each other. It was just a cruel luck of the draw that Jerry ended up biting the bullet while Gilligan's Bob Denver found cult celebrity. Jerry's subsequent two series were also one seasoners with Accidental Family (1967), a sitcom in which he more or less played himself (a nightclub comedian), and Headmaster (1970), a drama starring Andy Griffith in which he played a physical education coach. Neither did much for his career. A promising co-star role with Griffith in the film Angel in My Pocket (1969) also went nowhere. Over the years, Jerry has appeared as a guest star on a number of brother Dick's shows, including the classic The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961) in which he played, of course, Dick's brother.

The genially dim character "George Utley" on Bob Newhart's 1980s series was originally created for Jerry but Tom Poston assumed the part. Good fortune finally smiled on Jerry when he won the hapless role of "Luther Van Dam", a role that capped his long career, on Coach (1989). He earned four consecutive Emmy nominations and a steady paycheck for eight seasons. His seesaw struggle and survival after nearly five decades truly paid off this time, and only proves his love for the business.

Nearing the millennium, Jerry was seen frequently on the smaller screen. In addition to guesting on such shows as "The New Addams Family," "The District," "Diagnosis Murder," "My Name Is Earl," "Committed" and "Raising Hope," the veteran actor played the regular roles as grandpa types in the sitcom fantasies Teen Angel (1997) and You Wish (1997); had the recurring grandparent role of Big Jimmy Hughes in the comedy series Yes, Dear (2000) and ended his career as a grandpa in the established sitcom The Middle (2009) starring Patricia Heaton and Neil Flynn.

In later years, Jerry spent much of his time at a ranch in Arkansas where he lived with his second wife, the former Shirley Jones (not the singer/actress), and raised cattle. Tragedy struck in 1991 when one of his three children, Kelly Van Dyke, a substance abuser, took her own life. On the sly, one could also find Jerry at the poker table as part of ESPN tournaments. He died in Arkansas on January 5, 2018, aged 86.

Ned Luke was born on 4 October 1958 in Danville, Illinois, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Grand Theft Auto V (2013), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) and Boardwalk Empire (2010). He has been married to Amy Sax since 12 November 1997. They have one child.

Stacey Scowley was born on 12 November 1973 in Danville, California, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Eagle Eye (2008), Date Night (2010) and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007).

General purpose actor James Wainwright was born in Illinois in 1938 and discovered he had artistic talent at a young age, landing a scholarship at Carnegie University. This active pursuit was all but dissipated when he decided to join the Marines. Following his honorable discharge, he made do with a number of unskilled jobs until he found an interest in another area of the fine arts -- acting. He auditioned and earned a seat as a student at the Actors' Studio, then proceeded to migrate West in the late 60s to pursue film and TV stardom.

Initially cast as a ruthless heavy, his image was redeemed somewhat after landing a recurring role in 1969 on the already-established TV program Daniel Boone (1964). In 1972, he fronted in his own weekly series Jigsaw (1972) as dogged Lt. Frank Dain of the California State Police Department's Bureau of Missing Persons--a man who didn't always play by the rules. What could have been his ticket to TV stardom barely lasted a season. In years to come he was seen in secondary support to a number of Oscar-winning cinema stars, notably Clint Eastwood in Joe Kidd (1972), George Kennedy in the prison drama Mean Dog Blues (1978) and Walter Matthau and Robin Williams in The Survivors (1983). He also appeared in a number of mini-movies, particularly that of a younger J. Edgar Hoover who grows up to be bulldog Broderick Crawford in The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover (1977), and guested on the more popular shows including "Cannon," "The Fall Guy," "Dynasty," "Magnum P.I.," "Hardcastle & McCormick" and "Hunter."

In his second TV series he reverted back to playing the heavy as an unstable scientist who invents and unleashes humanistic robots to take over the world in Beyond Westworld (1980). Based on the popular 1973 Yul Brynner movie, the program was very short-lived. Following additional episodic work on TV, as well as the lowbudget action film Mission Manila (1988), Wainwright left the screen. Little was heard from or about the actor until his reported death from lung cancer on December 20, 1999 at age 61.

In 1959, Tyner appeared on Broadway with Paul Newman and Geraldine Page in Sweet Bird of Youth. Duly impressed by Tyner's work, Newman brought his theatrical coworker to Hollywood eight years later to play "Boss Higgins", the sadistic prison camp guard in Cool Hand Luke (1967).

It was the first of many such roles for Tyner, who spent the next several years playing a variety of tight-lipped, vicious rural authority figures. Better known roles in this vein include "Unger", the snitching, murderous trustee in the Burt Reynolds prison comedy, The Longest Yard (1974).

Less brutal but no less inimitable was Tyner's interpretation of "Uncle Victor" in the 1971 cult classic Harold and Maude (1971). He returned to the stage in 1977, occasionally stepping before the cameras for such TV movies as The Incredible Journey of Doctor Meg Laurel (1979), theatrical features such as Hamburger: The Motion Picture (1986) and Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987), as well as a recurring role as "Howard Rodman" on the television drama Father Murphy (1981).

A graduate of the University of Southern California School of Law, Morris Ankrum was an attorney and an economics professor before switching careers and joining the theater. He was a veteran stage actor by the time he entered the film industry in the 1930s. His film career spanned 1933-64, during which time he played in 279 films and TV shows. Ankrum spent much time in westerns, playing everything from Indian chiefs to crooked bankers. Among his best remembered parts are his numerous villainous roles in Paramount's highly popular Hopalong Cassidy film series. The Hoppy films in which he appears include North of the Rio Grande (1937), Hills of Old Wyoming (1937), Pirates on Horseback (1941), Three Men from Texas (1940), Borderland (1937), and Hopalong Cassidy Returns (1936), among others.

He was cast in many other films throughout the '30s, '40s, and '50s, varying from small appearances to co-starring roles. He can be seen in low-budget "B" pictures and big-budget blockbusters alike. It was in the 1950s, though, that he hit his stride in the science-fiction genre, where his gruff, no-nonsense demeanor and authoritative voice perfectly fit the role of the military officer helping scientists fight off outer-space menaces, most memorably as Col. Fielding in the classic Invaders from Mars (1953).

Later in his career he did much TV work, in such series as Bonanza (1959), The Rifleman (1958), Rawhide (1959), Cheyenne (1955), Gunsmoke (1955), The 20th Century-Fox Hour (1955), Maverick (1957), Have Gun - Will Travel (1957), Sea Hunt (1958), and over a dozen more. At the end of his career from 1957-64, he had a recurring role as a judge in 22 episodes on the Perry Mason (1957) TV series.

Alisha Mullally, a captivating talent from Berkeley with Nicaraguan and Italian roots, discovered her acting passion at 11. From embodying a young Juliette Binoche in "Bee Season" to starring in the Sony feature "12 Dogs of Christmas," Alisha's standout performances drew attention. After a global dance tour with Disney, she soared into the limelight as Sadie in Netflix's "13 Reasons Why," seamlessly blending her diverse heritage into her evolving career, spanning national commercials, network television/film and animated features. Alisha's dynamic presence leaves an indelible mark on the entertainment landscape.

Brett Haley was born on 17 August 1983 in Danville, Illinois, USA. He is a director and writer, known for Hearts Beat Loud (2018), All the Bright Places (2020) and I'll See You in My Dreams (2015).

His grim, beady-eyed, sharp-nosed, weatherbeaten face was always familiar despite the small roles he appeared in. Every once in a while character actor Russell Simpson would stand out in a small scene, but his main purpose seemed to be adding rustic authenticity to his westerns or small-town dramas. Born on June 17, 1880 in San Francisco, California, Simpson was involved in the Alaska gold rush as a teenager before settling upon an acting career. A member of a number of touring companies, he eventually made it to Broadway. His silent film debut in The Virginian (1914) was unbilled, but he went on to appear in occasional leads and top support roles in many others, with such roles as Trampas in the remake of The Virginian (1923) and President Andrew Jackson in The Frontiersman (1927) highlighting his silent era. Simpson's parts grew smaller with the advent of sound and his gents grew increasingly grizzled, stubborn and cranky. In the late 1930s he became a stock player in director John Ford's company of actors, which culminated in one of his finest roles as Pa Joad in the classic The Grapes of Wrath (1940). He appeared in other Ford pictures, including Drums Along the Mohawk (1939), Tobacco Road (1941), They Were Expendable (1945), My Darling Clementine (1946) and The Sun Shines Bright (1953). He would continue acting to the very end, making his last film (naturally) for Ford: The Horse Soldiers (1959). Appearing in hundreds of films over a span of four decades, he graced TV westerns as well with roles on The Lone Ranger (1949) and Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok (1951) to his credit. His more than 40-year marriage to Gertrude Aller produced a daughter, Roberta. Simpson passed away on December 12, 1959 of natural causes in Woodland Hills, California at the age of 79.

Peter Markle has worked extensively in features and television. His television credits include Flight 93 which gave A & E network the largest audience in its history (over 35 million have watched it since its debut). It was nominated for 6 Emmys including Best Director. It was also nominated by the Director, Producer and Writer Guilds and winning the writing award for best movie or miniseries. According to the New York Times "it is gripping from the very first scene." He was the writer/director for Faith of My Fathers (A and E) starring Shawn Hatosy and Scott Glenn based on the book by John McCain about his capture and incarceration during the Vietnam war. It was nominated for 4 Emmys. Nightbreaker (TNT) starring Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez about nuclear testing in the 1950s and it's consequences to the 'guinea pig' soldiers was nominated for 5 ACE awards including best director. Variety wrote that it was "a searing look at atomic gambling and military cynicism that's stunningly effective as a drama." Markle also directed Silent Witness for TNT, based on the Richard North Patterson novel. It starred Dermot Mulroney, Michael Cudlitz, Juff Hirsch and Anne Heche. Saving Jessica Lynch for NBC was watched by over 18 million viewers. It broke the real story of a US Army convoy of essentially non-combat personnel taking the wrong turn through hostile territory, the loss of life and subsequent rescue of Lynch. Frank Rich in the New York Times stated "tonight's surprising 'Saving Jessica Lynch' is startling in its accuracy - more than earlier reportage by The Washington Post and its Rambo version and the New York Times which fictionalize some of the paper's coverage. It reflects another change in the country's mood, toward a harder-nosed realism and away from unrestrained triumphalism." Markle has also directed numerous episodes for hit shows including the X-Files, CSI, Without a Trace, Life, NYPD Blue, Burn Notice, Rescue Me, ER AND Homicide.

His feature credits include The Personals (writer/director) for New World Pictures, a romantic comedy which was selected Best First Feature at the Houston Film Festival. It debuted at the Deauville Film Festival in France. It was made for $250,000 and grossed $1.5 million. Kevin Thomas wrote in the L.A. Times "The Personals observes contemporary relationships between young adults with wit and perception, but most important, with taste and a lightness of touch often absent from Hollywood counterparts.

His second feature, Hot Dog, The Movie, was made for $1.8 million and grossed over $21 million domestically for MGM. It was a broad comedy that has become a cult classic. His third film, Youngblood, inspired by playing ice hockey professionally and three years on the US National team, starred Rob Lowe and Patrick Swayze. It was made for $4.1 million and grossed $15.5 million domestically. He directed Gene Hackman and Danny Glover in BAT 21 for Tri-Star. It was based on a true story and made several top ten films of the year lists. Bruce Williamson in Playboy wrote "BAT 21 has real impact. Gene Hackman and Danny Glover establish an amazingly urgent relationship without having a single scene together until the film's fiery finale. He was the writer/director for Virginia's Run which won the Crystal Heart at the Heartland International Children's Film Festival. It debuted at the Berlin International Film Festival and also won the Children's Jury prize as best film at India's International Film Festival, the largest children's festival in the world. He directed The Last Days of Frankie the Fly which premiered on HBO and starred Dennis Hopper, Kiefer Sutherland, Daryl Hannah and Michael Madsen. It was a dark comedy that Hollywood Reporter called "one of Dennis Hopper's best performances in years."

Daniel Abeles was born in Danville, California, USA. Daniel is an actor, known for Outer Range (2022), Women of the Movement (2022) and Lioness (2023).

Jon Dalton was born on 11 March 1974 in Danville, Virginia, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Ghost Trek: The Kinsey Report (2011), Ghost Trek: Goomba Body Snatchers Mortuary Lockdown (2013) and Toxic Tutu (2017). He was previously married to Michelle Deighton.

David Zuckerman was born on 28 August 1962 in Danville, California, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for King of the Hill (1997), The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990) and Family Guy (1999). He is married to Ellie Kanner. They have two children.

Beth Chamberlin is an American actress who received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination in 2010 for Outstanding Supporting Actress as Beth Raines Spaulding in Guiding Light (1952). She also played the role of Lorelei Hills--Beth's dissociative identity disorder personality--on "The Guiding Light" from 2001-02. Based on the backstory Chamberlin created for her character, she penned the best-selling book "Lorelei's Guiding Light, An Intimate Diary", published by St. Martin's Press in 2002.

Chamberlin grew up in Danville, VT, the youngest of four children and the only girl. Born with a congenital defect that affected her ureter tubes, she spent most of her early life in hospitals. She also suffered from petit mal as a child, a form of epilepsy. Today she credits her work ethic and success to the lessons in overcoming adversity she learned as a child.

As a girl, Chamberlin studied dance. She later studied at the American Ballet Theater in New York and ultimately earned a nearly full scholarship to the NYU dance program. She later studied acting at HB studios and the famed William Esper Studios in New York City. In addition, she is the producer and star of "The Kettlebell Way," a series of exercise DVDs. She is a certified kettlebell trainer and a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association. She is also a professional ski instructor and a former member of PSIA.

Chamberlin lives in upstate New York with husband, Dr. Peter Roy, and their son, Luke.

Ebony N Mayo was born on 2 August 1990 in Danville, Virginia, USA. She is an actress and assistant director, known for Star (2016), The Little Things (2021) and Bruh (2019).

Ricky Van Shelton was born on 12 January 1952 in Danville, Virginia, USA. He is an actor, known for Maverick (1994), Honeymoon in Vegas (1992) and Next of Kin (1989). He has been married to Bettye Witt since 4 August 1986.

Before the tragic legacies of songbird icons Édith Piaf, Billie Holiday and Judy Garland took hold, there was the one...the original...lady who sang the blues and started the whole "bawl" rolling. Like her successors, Helen Morgan lived the sad songs she sang...and more.

She started her life fittingly enough on August 2, 1900 in very humble surroundings. Her father was an Illinois dirt farmer and school master. She moved to Chicago while young and worked a number of menial blue-collar jobs -- manicurist, cracker-packager, counter clerk. But her passion was music and, at the age of 18, decided to leave and pursue her dream as a cabaret singer. Within a few years, she was working under the Broadway lights with the George White Scandals. In between. she studied music at the Metropolitan Opera and performed in vaudeville shows.

Helen was the antithesis of the freewheeling "Jazz Age" baby as her deep, dusky voice seemed born to weave tales of sadness and lament rather than focusing on fun and frolic. The Chicago mobsters and underground bootleggers bawled like burly babies and really took to Helen's "torch song" renditions while glamorously propped on a piano with trademark scarf in hand (originally used to disguise nerves). Prohibition-era gangsters even bankrolled her clubs which became very popular...and frequently raided.

Helen conquered Broadway in the late 1920s with her quintessential role as the tragic mulatto, "Julie", in the landmark smash musical, "Show Boat", in 1927. Introducing the standards "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" and "Bill", Helen earned more success with the musical "Sweet Adeline" in 1929 in which she introduced another favorite "Why Was I Born?". Her fragile mind and heart, however, couldn't handle the problems that started surfacing in the 1930s.

A broken marriage, emotional instability and a deep passion for the demon drink quickly did her in. She couldn't hold jobs and her health worsened by the year. After spiraling badly for a half-decade, she tried sobering up and made a huge splash in 1936 with the screen version of Show Boat (1936) starring Irene Dunne, Allan Jones and Paul Robeson. She also began to redeem herself in clubs again but it was ultimately too late. Years of abuse did its damage and she died of liver cirrhosis in 1941 at age 41. In 1957, a glossy, somewhat fictitious movie was made chronicling her life and troubled times. The Helen Morgan Story (1957), starred a game Ann Blyth as the sultry, ill-fated songstress, with Gogi Grant a spectacular choice for dubbing in the vocals to all of Helen's best known standards.

Yes, before there was a Garland, there was Morgan, and although Garland seems to have her beat these days as THE musical icon of despair, Helen was the original tear-stained blueprint.

Bobby Short was an attraction at Manhattan's Cafe Carlyle for three decades (he doubtless got his greatest exposure there in a scene from Woody Allen's film Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)). Short is the quintessential New Yorker, the Fred Astaire of saloon singers, an international icon of style and glamour.

Born on September 15th 1988 in Danville Virginia, Coy Jandreau was raised just outside of Boston MA. Showing a love for movies and filmmaking from a young age he moved to Los Angeles soon after college. Learning to read via Comic Books and being passionate about them ever since, he's elated he can combine his two loves for a living. He's now living as a Talk Show Host and Writer, with plans to start his own production company.

On July 27, 1996, Richard Jewell was a security guard at the Summer Olympics in Atlanta, with aspirations of becoming a police officer. At around 1 a.m. in crowded Centennial Olympic Park, Jewell noticed an unattended green knapsack, alerted police and helped move people away from the site. The knapsack contained a crude pipe bomb, which exploded and killed one person, injuring 111 others. In the first few days after the bombing, Richard Jewell was lauded as a hero, but only three days later the "Atlanta Journal Constitution" published a story headlined "FBI Suspects Hero Guard May Have Planted Bomb." The story stated that police were investigating the possibility that Jewell had planted the bomb. FBI agents aggressively questioned Jewell and searched his apartment. A large crowd of journalists and cameras hovered nearby as his property was hauled away as evidence. Two bombing victims even sued Jewell, despite the fact Jewell passed a polygraph and was never charged with any crime. U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno refused to clear Jewell or apologize to him. It was not until October 1996 that the FBI cleared Jewell as a suspect, and the lawsuits against Jewell were dismissed.

The former hero lived for months under a very dark cloud. Tearful and painfully shy, Jewell criticized the FBI and the news media for how his case was handled. In August 1997 Attorney General Reno publicly apologized to Jewell and deplored the leak to the media that made his name known as a suspect. Jewell eventually got a job with a police force in tiny Luthersville, Georgia. He also filed several lawsuits against The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and several news stations for libel. He settled most of these cases. The FBI later charged a man named Eric Robert Rudolph with the Centennial Olympic Park bombing.

Mali Finn was born on 8 March 1938 in Danville, Illinois, USA. She was a casting director, known for L.A. Confidential (1997), Avatar (2009) and Titanic (1997). She was married to Don Finn. She died on 28 November 2007 in Sonoma, California, USA.

Franklin Dennis Jones was born on 26 March 1944 in Danville, Illinois, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Reindeer Games (2000), Nebraska (2013) and Impostor (2001). He died on 15 February 2015 in Austin, Texas, USA.

Nora Jobling was born in Danville, California, USA. She is a writer and director, known for She's Funny That Way (2014), Morgan's Secret Admirer (2020) and Single Nora.