Zach Braff Biography (1975-)

Zach Braff plays J.D. on the television hospital comedy Scrubs and is the writer, director and star of the 2004 feature film Garden State (co-starring Natalie Portman). Braff is a native of New Jersey and a graduate of Northwestern University, where he studied film. A professional actor even as a teen, he made his big screen debut in…

Kimberly Peirce Biography (1967-)

A photographer, animator, and writer as well as a director, Kimberly Peirce made her mark in the film industry with her passionate version of a true-life tragedy, Boys Don’t Cry (1999).

Originally from Harrisburg, PA, Peirce also lived in Miami and Puerto Rico before heading off to college at the University of Chicago. Majoring in English and Japanese literature,…

Marianna Palka Biography (1981-)

Actress turned writer/director Marianna Palka rose to prominence out of the indie film community; a veteran of the Atlantic Theater Company in Manhattan, Palka participated on-screen in such low-profile projects as Bryce Dallas Howard’s debut directorial short Orchids (2006), the online short Betty File 43, and conceptual artist Brock Enright’s experimental film Came. Palka emerged as a quadruple…

Rosie Perez Biography (1964-)

Brooklyn-born actress/choreographer Rosie Perez attended Los Angeles City College before making the cattle-call rounds for dancing jobs. She worked a few seasons with the TV variety series Soul Train, then went on to perform at the LA club Funky Reggae. Here she was spotted by director Spike Lee, who cast her in a choice role in his 1989…

Amanda Tapping Biography (1965-)

Amanda is quite possibly known best for her role of Captain / Major / Colonel Samantha Carter in highly successful MGM television series Stargate SG-1. In order to understand how and why Amanda has become a role model to great many people all over the world, a highly successful and respected actor and now executive producer of science fiction…

Chandra Wilson Biography (1969-)

After a decade and a half of popping up in bit movie parts and TV guest spots, Houston-born Chandra Wilson saw her acting career finally take off in 2005 when she was cast as a lead on the ABC medical drama Grey’s Anatomy. The show immediately became a hit, and Wilson was honored with an Emmy nomination in…

Jane Birkin Biography (1946-)

Jane Birkin was born in London on 14 December 1946, the daughter of Judy Campbell, an actress, and David Birkin, a captain in the Royal Navy. She first trod the boards at the age of 17 and met John Barry, who signed her up in 1965 for his musical comedy Passion Flower Hotel. They married shortly afterwards, and…

Maria de Medeiros Biography (1965-)

Tiny and fairy-like, dark-haired beauty Maria de Medeiros was born in Portugal, the sister of actress Inês de Medeiros. After studying philosophy and acting on the stage, she made her Portuguese film debut in Silvestre (1981) and her French film debut in Paris Seen By…20 Years After (1984). Finding a home for herself in France, she stayed…

Madeleine Stowe Biography (1958-)

The daughter of a California-based civil engineer and a Costa Rican émigré, Madeleine Stowe attended the University of Southern California, but cut classes to watch plays. Her life as a waitress came to an end when she was fired for being “too spacey,” but she was anything but spacey when it came to pursuing an acting career on…

Laura Innes Biography (1957-)

Television audiences know award-winning actress Laura Innes as ER’s angry Dr. Kerry Weaver. She is also an accomplished stage performer and an Emmy-nominated director with writing credits on some of the most heralded television shows.

Innes was born on August 16, 1959, in Pontiac, MI. She was raised in Birmingham with her parents, Laurette and Robert, and five older…

Rosanna Arquette Biography (1959-)

Rosanna Arquette is still best known for her early film roles in 1985′s Desperately Seeking Susan (co-starring Madonna) and After Hours (directed by Martin Scorsese), even though she has appeared on screen regularly since her debut in the late 1970s. She frequently appears in independently made films and is known for offbeat characters and a distinctive overbite. Her…