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David Ogden Stiers was born in Peoria, Illinois, to Margaret Elizabeth (Ogden) and Kenneth Truman Stiers. He moved with his family to Eugene, Oregon, where he graduated from North Eugene High School in 1960. At the age of twenty, he was offered $200 to join the company of the Santa Clara Shakespeare Festival for three months. He ended up staying for seven years, in due course playing both King Lear and Richard III. In 1969, he moved to New York to study drama at Juilliard where he also trained his voice as a dramatic baritone. He joined the Houseman City Center Acting Company at its outset, working on such productions as The Beggar's Opera, Measure for Measure, The Hostage and the hit Broadway musical The Magic Show for which he created the character 'Feldman the Magnificent'. He lent his voice to animated films, with Lilo & Stitch (2002) being his 25th theatrically-released Disney animated film. He was also an avid fan of classical music and conducted a number of orchestras, including the Yaquina Chamber Orchestra in Newport, Oregon, where was the principal guest conductor.

His other theatrical work included performances with the Committee Revue and Theatre, the San Francisco Actor's Workshop, The Old Globe Theatre Festival in San Diego and at the Pasadena Playhouse in Love Letters with Meredith Baxter. As a drama instructor, he worked at Santa Clara University and also taught improvisation at Harvard. In addition to his long-running role in M*A*S*H (1972), Stiers' work on television also included the excellent mini-series North & South: Book 1, North & South (1985), North & South: Book 2, Love & War (1986), The First Olympics: Athens 1896 (1984) and roles in such productions as Anatomy of an Illness (1984), The Bad Seed (1985), J. Edgar Hoover (1987), The Final Days (1989), Father Damien: The Leper Priest (1980) and Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry (1986). Among his screen credits were The Accidental Tourist (1988), The Man with One Red Shoe (1985), Creator (1985), Harry's War (1981), Magic (1978) and Oh, God! (1977).

Above all, the prodigious talent that was David Ogden Stiers will be most fondly remembered as the pompous, ever-so articulate Major Charles Emerson Winchester III in M*A*S*H. He had found that taking on the role was -- from the beginning -- an easy choice. Stiers saw and loved the movie version. Moreover, he had a fond regard of fellow actor Harry Morgan (who played the character of Colonel Potter) as a kind of fatherly role model. In retrospect, Stiers viewed his experiences with the show as a career highlight, saying "No matter how much you read about the M*A*S*H company, the evolution of it, the quite beautiful human stance it takes, you will not know how much it means ". In his spare time on the set he often annoyed the security guards by skateboarding at 25 miles an hour and "cheerfully thumbing his nose at them".

David died of bladder cancer on March 3, 2018, in Newport, Oregon. He was 75.

Highly influential, and always controversial, African-American actor/comedian who was equally well known for his colorful language during his live comedy shows, as for his fast paced life, multiple marriages and battles with drug addiction. He has been acknowledged by many modern comic artist's as a key influence on their careers, and Pryor's observational humor on African-American life in the USA during the 1970s was razor sharp brilliance.

He was born Richard Franklin Lennox Pryor III on December 1, 1940, in Peoria, Illinois, the son of Gertrude L. (Thomas) and LeRoy "Buck Carter" Pryor. His mother, a prostitute, abandoned him when he was ten years of age, after which he was raised in his grandmother's brothel. Unfortunately, Pryor was molested at the age of six by a teenage neighbor, and later by a neighborhood preacher. To escape this troubled life, the young Pryor was an avid movie fan and a regular visitor to local movie theaters in Peoria. After numerous jobs, including truck driver and meat packer, the young Pryor did a stint in the US Army between 1958 & 1960 in which he performed in amateur theater shows. After he left the services in 1960, Pryor started singing in small clubs, but inadvertently found that humor was his real forte.

Pryor spent time in both New York & Las Vegas, honing his comic craft. However, his unconventional approach to humor sometimes made bookings difficult to come by and this eventually saw Pryor heading to Los Angeles. He first broke into films with minor roles in The Busy Body (1967) and Wild in the Streets (1968). However, his performance as a drug addicted piano player in Lady Sings the Blues (1972), really got the attention of fans and film critics alike.

He made his first appearance with Gene Wilder in the very popular action/comedy Silver Streak (1976), played three different characters in Which Way Is Up? (1977) and portrayed real-life stock-car driver "Wendell Scott" in Greased Lightning (1977). Proving he was more than just a comedian, Pryor wowed audiences as a disenchanted auto worker who is seduced into betraying his friends and easy money in the Paul Schrader working class drama Blue Collar (1978), also starring Yaphet Kotto and Harvey Keitel. Always a strong advocate of African-American talent, Pryor next took a key role in The Wiz (1978), starring an all African-American cast, including Diana Ross and Michael Jackson, retelling the story of The Wizard of Oz (1939). His next four screen roles were primarily cameos in California Suite (1978); The Muppet Movie (1979); Wholly Moses! (1980) and In God We Trust (or Gimme That Prime Time Religion) (1980). However, Pryor teamed up with Gene Wilder once more for the prison comedy Stir Crazy (1980), which did strong box office business.

His next few films were a mixed bag of material, often inhibiting Pryor's talent, with equally mixed returns at the box office. Pryor then scored second billing to Christopher Reeve in the big budget Superman III (1983), and starred alongside fellow funny man John Candy in Brewster's Millions (1985) before revealing his inner self in the autobiographical Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling (1986). Again, Pryor was somewhat hampered by poor material in his following film ventures. However, he did turn up again in See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989) with Gene Wilder, but the final product was not as sharp as their previous pairings. Pryor then partnered on-screen with two other very popular African-American comic's. The legendary Redd Foxx and 1980s comic newcomer Eddie Murphy starred with Pryor in the gangster film Harlem Nights (1989) which was also directed by Eddie Murphy. Having contracted multiple sclerosis in 1986, Pryor's remaining film appearances were primarily cameos apart from his fourth and final outing with Gene Wilder in the lukewarm Another You (1991), and his final appearance in a film production was a small role in the David Lynch road flick Lost Highway (1997).

Fans of this outrageous comic genius are encouraged to see his live specials Richard Pryor: Live and Smokin' (1971); the dynamic Richard Pryor: Live in Concert (1979); Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip (1982) and Richard Pryor... Here and Now (1983). In addition, The Richard Pryor Show (1977) is a must-have for any Richard Pryor fans' DVD collection.

Unknown to many, Pryor was a long time advocate against animal cruelty, and he campaigned against fast food chains and circus shows to address issues of animal welfare. He was married a total of seven times, and fathered eight children.

After long battles with ill health, Richard Pryor passed away on December 10th, 2005.

A native of Illinois, Tom Irwin attended Illinois State University. After graduation, he joined the prestigious Steppenwolf Theatre Company of Chicago. The renowned ensemble of artists - among them Laurie Metcalf, John Malkovich, Gary Sinise and Joan Allen - still work together as often as possible. Irwin has been involved in over 50 Steppenwolf productions as an actor or director. Highlights include: "The Grapes of Wrath", also Royal National Theatre; "Balm in Gilead", also Off-Broadway; "My Thing of Love", also Broadway; "Frank's Wild Years", with Tom Waits; "Space", also Off-Broadway. In the summer of 2002 he co-starred with Madonna in "Up for Grabs" at the Wyndam's Theatre in London. He has been on the faculty of The Goodman School of Drama at Depaul University and Columbia College in Chicago.

In addition to his filmography credits, he has starred in many telefilms and was a series regular on My Life and Times (1991) and My So-Called Life (1994). Tom makes his home in Los Angeles.

Noah Beck was born on 4 May 2001 in Peoria, Arizona, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Sidelined The QB and Me (2024), Sidemen Charity Match 2022 (Sidemen FC VS Youtube Allstars) (2022) and Machine Gun Kelly Feat. Kellin Quinn: Love Race (2021).

Over a span of the last 4 decades, Christopher Duddy, with his diverse filmmaking skills, has worked on several of the biggest and most successful movies in history and has become a sought after Cinematographer. After studying photography in college, Christopher started his career in 1985 at Industrial Light and Magic, better known as ILM, George Lucas' visual effects studio. He amassed an impressive body of experience early in his career filming visual effects and action sequences on blockbuster movies such as THE ABYSS, TOTAL RECALL and TERMINATOR 2 (which he was on the Academy Award winning visual effects teams on all three movies.) Christopher continued working with James Cameron on his next three features; TRUE LIES, TERMINATOR 2 3D, and the 2nd most successful movie of all time, TITANIC, in which Mr. Cameron enlisted Christopher to shoot the climax of the ship sinking (again, he was on that Academy Award winning visual effects team). At the same time, Christopher was there at the beginning of James Cameron's and Stan Winston's newly formed visual effects studio Digital Domain where they appointed Christopher to be the main Director of Visual Effects Photography on the summer blockbuster, action packed hit DANTES PEAK.

Starting off the 2000's, Christopher was one of the three cinematographers, including Roger Deakins and Andrej Bartkowiak, that shot the acclaimed Kevin Costner feature film THIRTEEN DAYS for New Line, where he and director Roger Donaldson re-created the Cuban missile site in the Philippines, while also bringing Washington D.C. back to 1962. Christopher has been the Director of Photography on several independent features that have premiered on HBO, Showtime and the Fox Family Channel. In 2004' he shot two horror movies, a remake of THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI which he won Best Cinematography at Stan Winston's ScreamFest and ALL SOULS DAY which premiered to rave reviews at the 2005 Slamdance Film Festival.

In 2005 to 2010, Christopher formed Open Sky Entertainment to develop and produce feature films which produced 7 films, one being his feature film directorial debut on the successful R rated comedy COUGAR CLUB which he also wrote and is being distributed by Universal/Vivendi. Under the Open Sky banner he also served as Director of Photography on a chilling noir horror film his company produced called THE WIZARD OF GORE that The Weinstein Co. bought and distributed on their Dimension Films platform.

In 2012, Chris began a journey into documentary filmmaking by directing a music documentary feature film about legendary Hall of Fame rock star Duff McKagan of Guns and Roses and Velvet Revolver entitled IT'S SO EASY AND OTHER LIES which because of it's incredible visual style got a theatrical release in June of 2016 and is now currently on Amazon. Christopher then began his adventure in television when he started shooting second unit on over 100 episodes of the CBS hit show SCORPION. Recently, he served as the main Director of Photography on another CBS hit series MACGYVER which just ended a long 5 season run. Currently, Christopher is the cinematographer and is in post production on the highly anticipated remake of the classic and legendary horror film NOSFERATU which is slated to hit theaters on Halloween 2021.

Although he geared himself up for major film stardom throughout the 1950s, it took a leading role on a 1960s TV series opposite a lion and chimpanzee to make Marshall Thompson a genuine household name.

Born on November 27, 1925, and named James Marshall Thompson after an ancestor, a famed Supreme Court justice, he moved at age 5 with his parents from his Peoria, Illinois, hometown to the Los Angeles area. There his father set up a successful Westwood practice in dentistry that continued for over three decades. His mother once took to the stage as a concert singer and musician. Marshall was their only child.

He caught the acting bug while in high school when he appeared in a number of school productions and was spotted by a local talent agent. This did not pan out, but he also acted upon his early skills as a writer. The Westwood Village Players produced the young high school student's ambitious three-act play "Faith," the story of two young aviators in a Nazi prison. He enrolled at Occidental College, where he switched from pre-med to drama. He was also a member of the college's cross-country team.

The athletic, lanky-framed, good-looking collegiate was rediscovered while performing as one of the Occidental Players in 1944. This time, he made good and was signed to a Universal contract. He began in minor war-era films with Reckless Age (1944) starring Gloria Jean and was quickly brought over to MGM on the strength of this film.

With most big stars off to war, Marshall was given the chance to work quite steadily in perfunctory nice-guy assignments such as Blonde Fever (1944), The Clock (1945), They Were Expendable (1945) and Bad Bascomb (1946) opposite Frances Rafferty. His first association with animals came with the lead in the horse-friendly yarn Gallant Bess (1946), MGM's first film produced in CineColor.

The handsome Marshall went on to provide yeoman work in the war dramas Homecoming (1948), Command Decision (1948) and Battleground (1949), becoming an instant idol to film fans. A genial player on screen, he managed to show potential outside his benign typecast in Dial 1119 (1950) as a cold-hearted, baby-faced killer, and finished his MGM contract out with The Tall Target (1951) playing a potential assassin of Abraham Lincoln.

Freelancing for the next several years after losing his contract to MGM owing to a change of management, Marshall assisted a few serious-minded dramas but a noticeable pall soon took over his career with "B" thrillers taking up the bulk of his time. He achieved a bit of cult infamy with the films Cult of the Cobra (1955) Fiend Without a Face (1958), It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958) and First Man Into Space (1959). A couple of notable exceptions were his strong roles in the Audie Murphy starter To Hell and Back (1955) and East of Kilimanjaro (1957), in which he performed his own dangerous stunts and developed a lifelong passion for Africa and wildlife.

It was this aforementioned wildlife association, combined with TV, that made the biggest dramatic impact on his career. Throughout the 1950s Marshall appeared faithfully in small-screen presentations, but in 1966 he was cast as a series lead, that of game warden Dr. Marsh Tracy in the African adventure Daktari (1966) developed by Ivan Tors and filmed at Africa, U.S.A., a wild-animal theme park near Los Angeles. Although overshadowed sometimes by those inveterate scene-stealers Clarence the Cross-eyed Lion and Judy the Chimpanzee, Marshall provided a strong, honest, authoritative yet friendly persona and earned the most attention yet in his nearly two-decade-long career. He was also involved in nearly every aspect of the show and was afforded the opportunity to direct a few episodes.

The series lasted four seasons, and following his departure, Marshall continued in the same animal vein. His association with Tors continued by his hosting of the live action daytime series Jambo (1969), starring in the feature film Clarence, the Cross-Eyed Lion (1965) (which he co-wrote), and directing some episodes of Flipper (1964).

Lying low after his final feature film, Around the World Under the Sea (1966), which starred assorted TV adventure alumni including Flipper (1964) star Brian Kelly and Sea Hunt (1958) lead Lloyd Bridges, he spent much of his later time providing footage for wildlife documentaries.

An avid photographer, horseman, and guitarist, among many other talents, he died at age 66 in 1992 of congestive heart failure and was survived by his wife Barbara Long, daughter Janet, and grandson Jackson.

Amy Marie Weber is an American actress, model, film producer, singer, real estate broker and former professional wrestling valet. She is best known for her time in WWE as a WWE Diva on the show Smackdown. Amy was also a star on the hit F/X show "Son of the Beach" produced by Howard Stern. She released an album, Let it Rain, the first single off of the album stayed in the U.S. Billboard Chart for over a month. It was also released internationally via Dauman Music and Republic Digital and climbed to number 6 in the UK Singles Chart. Weber has been the face of a Shiseido cosmetic campaign and has been featured in ad campaigns for such brands as Coors Light, Sony, Wrigleys, and many more.

Thin, fidgety James Millholin made a career out of playing dyspeptic bureaucrats, nervous hotel clerks and other officious authority types. Somewhat reminiscent of Edward Everett Horton or Franklin Pangborn, Millhollin's pinched face, somewhat pop eyes and flighty mannerisms fit those roles like a glove, one of the best examples being the army psychiatrist driven to distraction trying to give Andy Griffith a psychological examination in No Time for Sergeants (1958) (a role he also played on Broadway). Born in Peoria, IL, Millhollin had a career on the Broadway stage and did much television in the early 1950s before breaking into films. After retiring from the industry he moved to Mississippi, where he died in 1993.

Mariclare Costello was born on 3 February 1936 in Peoria, Illinois, USA. She is an actress, known for Ordinary People (1980), The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984) and Let's Scare Jessica to Death (1971). She was previously married to Allan Arbus.

Billy Mauch was born on 6 July 1921 in Peoria, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Penrod's Double Trouble (1938), The Prince and the Pauper (1937) and Roseanna McCoy (1949). He was married to Marjorie Barnewolt. He died on 29 September 2006 in Palatine, Illinois, USA.

Steve Vinovich was born on 22 January 1945 in Peoria, Illinois, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Godfather of Harlem (2019), The Intern (2015) and Worth (2020). He has been married to Carolyn Mignini since 27 November 1982. They have two children.

Kamal has recently garnered much acclaim for his heartbreaking portrayal of a devastated husband fighting for his wife's life on 'The Resident' Season 2 Episode 20 "If Not Now, When?" The episode is based on the true story surrounding the reprehensible medical malpractice that lead to the unnecessary and preventable death of the late Kira Dixon Johnson. The episode is being lauded for its bold confrontation of the racial bias that has caused the unconscionable high rates of maternal mortality in African American women giving birth in hospitals across the United States.

Like comic legend, Richard Pryor and NBA Champion, Shaun Livingston, Kamal was born and raised in Peoria, Illinois. His name means "excellence" and "a together man." He has a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration-Entrepreneurship, and worked in corporate America for years before stepping out on Faith to pursue his passion. Kamal earned his Equity card with the Nashville Children's Theatre, and has since worked for nationally-recognized regional theaters in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Off-Broadway in New York City, during which, he worked with Phylicia Rashad twice. Although on-camera work has become the main focus, he continues to sharpen his skills working in the theatre at least once a year.

Paul Powell was born on 6 September 1881 in Peoria, Illinois, USA. He was a director and writer, known for The Blinding Trail (1919), The Crimson Challenge (1922) and Her Market Value (1925). He was married to Valerie McDonald. He died on 2 July 1944 in Pasadena, California, USA.

Richard Pryor Jr. was born on 10 April 1962 in Peoria, Illinois, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for The Color Purple (1985), Silent Bark and Figure.

Harold Goodwin was born on 1 December 1902 in Peoria, Illinois, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), The Better 'Ole (1926) and Movie Crazy (1932). He died on 12 July 1987 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Daniel Allar was born on 8 February 1962 in Peoria, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Prison Break (2005), Chasing Robert (2007) and Tangled (1997). He died on 10 January 2009 in Westchester, Illinois, USA.

Robert J. Mauch was born on 6 July 1921 in Peoria, Illinois, USA. He was an editor and actor, known for The Prince and the Pauper (1937), Penrod's Double Trouble (1938) and Warner Brothers Presents (1955). He was married to Georgia "Gigi" Shattuck Culhane. He died on 15 October 2007 in Santa Rosa, California, USA.

Chet Brandenburg was born on 15 October 1897 in Peoria, Illinois, USA. He was an actor and assistant director, known for Under Two Jags (1923), Hats Off (1927) and Powder and Smoke (1924). He died on 17 July 1974 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Tall (5' 9"), busty and shapely blonde stunner Lisa Matthews was born Lisa Reich on September 24, 1969 in Peoria, Illinois. Because her father was a corporate nomad, Matthews' family kept moving all over America before eventually settling in Los Angeles, California. Lisa was a tomboy growing up who participated in such athletic activities as baseball, football, snow skiing, and horseback riding. Following graduation from high school Matthews became a successful model in Los Angeles. Lisa was the Playmate of the Month in the April, 1990 issue of "Playboy." She was named Playmate of the Year in 1991. Matthews was featured in a substantial number of "Playboy" videos and posed for many "Playboy" newsstand special editions. Her sole foray into film acting was a small part in the notorious Bruce Willis comedy flop "Hudson Hawk."

Josh Gilmer was born in Peoria, Illinois and grew up in the small town of Bartonville. He is best known for his recurring role as Leo Sikes on OWN's All Rise (2022), Emmett Dalton on INSP's Wild West Chronicles (2020), and Drew in Passionflix's romantic comedy Seduction & Snacks (2021). He is the son of retired MSW Cindy Gilmer and retired Teacher and Coach Jim Gilmer. He made his Televison debut on the show In Defense Of where he portrayed Ted Bundy. He received his B.A. in Communication from Northern Illinois University and worked in Sales and Marketing for a period of time before enrolling at Baron Brown Studios and began acting full time.

Virgil W. Vogel began his career at Universal in 1940 as an assistant editor. He worked as an editor for many years, although by the mid-'50s he had begun to tire of the job and pressed Universal executive Edward Muhl for a shot at directing. Vogel was handed The Mole People (1956) with John Agar, and his capable handling of that film led to other assignments at the studio. Vogel later directed many made-for-television movies as well as episodes of TV's Bonanza (1959), Wagon Train (1957), M Squad (1957), The Six Million Dollar Man (1974), Mission: Impossible (1966), Quantum Leap (1989), Spenser: For Hire (1985) and many others.

Cynthia Stone was born on 26 February 1926 in Peoria, Illinois, USA. She was an actress, known for That Wonderful Guy (1949), Short Short Dramas (1952) and Soldiers of Fortune (1955). She was married to Robert Davis McDougal III, Cliff Robertson and Jack Lemmon. She died on 26 December 1988 in Miami Beach, Florida, USA.

One of the most innovative of pioneer cameramen, Lee Garmes started his career on the East Coast with the New York Motion Picture Company, but was soon persuaded by the director Thomas H. Ince to join him in Hollywood. Garmes quickly climbed his way up the ladder, from painter's assistant to prop boy (future director Henry Hathaway shared the same duties at 'Inceville'), to camera assistant. He struck up a singularly fruitful collaboration with director Malcolm St. Clair, with whom he worked on one- and two-reel shorts. Many of these early comedies were shot on a shoe-string budget and necessitated clever improvisation, especially in the usage of lead-sheet reflectors (re-directing sunlight) which substituted for proper lighting. Garmes also introduced incandescent tungsten filament Mazda lights as a significant cost-saving venture. In 1925, now as a fully-fledged director of photography, Garmes went over to Paramount, first under contract from 1925 to 1926. He perfected his craft at First National and Warner Brothers (1927-1930), before returning to Paramount and making a significant contribution to some of the most outstanding black-and-white films made by the studio during the early and mid-1930's. His most recognizable trademark was to naturally light his sets from a northward orientation.

Said to have been influenced by the paintings of Rembrandt, Garmes showed a great flair in the use of chiaroscuro, light and shade, which enhanced the expressionistic European look of darkly exotic ventures like Morocco (1930) and Shanghai Express (1932). Both pictures were directed by Josef von Sternberg and starred one of Paramount's most bankable assets, Marlene Dietrich, flatteringly photographed by Garmes with subdued lighting amid swirling, misty backgrounds. "Shanghai Express" led to an Academy Award and established Garmes as one of the top cinematographers in the business. His career suffered a setback, however, when he was replaced by David O. Selznick months into shooting Gone with the Wind (1939) (Selznick objected to the Garmes technique of soft lighting, preferring the harsher 'picture postcard' colours). Though the first hour of GWTW was almost entirely shot by Garmes (most of it directed by George Cukor, who was also fired), he was not credited for his efforts.

Lee Garmes imbued many more seminal films of the 1940's and 50's with his own particular style, creating the romantic moods of Lydia (1941), the exotic splendour of Alexander Korda's technicolor The Jungle Book (1942) and the semi-documentary realism of William Wyler's Detective Story (1951). He became one of few cinematographers to be given additional responsibilities in directing and production and in 1972 became one of the first advocates for the use of videotape in filmmaking. Garmes was twice recipient of the Eastman Kodak Award. He served as present of the American Society of Cinematographers from 1960 to 1961.

Dan Simmons was born on 4 April 1948 in Peoria, Illinois, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for The Terror (2018), Ilium and Olympos. He is married to Karen Simmons. They have one child.

Doria Rone was born on 4 September 1963 in Peoria, Illinois, USA. She is an actress, known for Sensual Friends (2001).