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October 21st, 2008 artmaster
OMERO ANTONUTTI (Ludovico) is a 40-year entertainment industry veteran. His roster of credits includes roles on stage, in film and on television.
Antonutti began his career in the theater in 1965, performing in several productions, including “Le Baccanti” and “Cinque Giorni al Porto.”
His entrée into the film world came in 1973 with “Processo per Direttissima.” Antonutti went on to do dozens of films, including “Padre Padrone.” Recent credits include “The Night of the Shooting Stars,” “La Ragazza del Lago,” “N,” “I Banchieri di Dio” and “Sulla Spiaggia al di la’ del Molo.” On television, he has appeared in programs consistently since 1978, including 2007’s “Rebecca La Prima Moglie.” Other TV credits include “Il Pirata— Marco Pantani—L’Orgoglio Ritrovato,” “Sacco e Vanzetti,” “La Omicidi,” “Ombre,” “Fatima” and “La Frontiera.”
Antonutti returned to the stage in 2002 with “Storie Delle Maldobrie,” directed by Antonio Calenda.
Posted in Fatima, La Frontiera, La Omicidi, La Ragazza del Lago, Ombre, Omero Antonutti, Padre Padrone, Processo per Direttissima, The Night of the Shooting Stars | No Comments »
October 21st, 2008 artmaster
ROBERT JOHN BURKE (General Almond) is an accomplished actor with a variety of roles on both the big and small screens. Currently, he can be seen in recurring roles on “Gossip Girl” on CW, and “Rescue Me” on FX.
Burke’s extensive television credits also include a host of the medium’s hottest shows: “CSI: Miami,” “The Sopranos,” “Sex and the City,” “Oz,” “Law & Order” and “Law & Order: SVU.” Recent shows include HBO’s “Generation Kill,” CBS/Hallmark Hall of Fame’s “The Water Is Wide,” “Kidnapped” and “Six Degrees.”
On the big screen, Burke has worked for directors like Steven Spielberg, George Clooney, Oliver Stone, James Mangold and Martha Coolidge. Recent films include the Oscar®-nominated “Munich,” the Golden Globe®- and Screen Actors Guild Award®- nominated “Good Night, and Good Luck,” “Fast Track” and “Hide and Seek,” which
starred Robert De Niro and Dakota Fanning. Burke also appeared in “Confessions of a
Dangerous Mind,” “Tombstone,” “Heaven & Earth,” “RoboCop III” and “Rambling Rose.” He starred in the movie “Thinner,” which was based on the Stephen King novel of the same name.
Posted in General Almond, Generation Kill, George Clooney, Gossip Girl, James Mangold, Oliver Stone, Oz, Robert John Burke, Sex and the City, Steven Spielberg | No Comments »
October 21st, 2008 artmaster
D.B. SWEENEY (Colonel Driscoll) has appeared in a number of memorable films, including “Gardens of Stone,” “Memphis Belle,” “Fire in the Sky,” “The Cutting Edge,” “No Man’s Land,” “Spawn,” “Yellow,” “Roommates” and “Eight Men Out” (as Shoeless Joe Jackson).
He has appeared on Broadway and in theatres around the country, most recently in the acclaimed Williamstown Theater Festival’s production of “Under Milkwood.” Sweeney is a founding board member of the celebrated Blank Theatre in Los Angeles where he appears regularly.
On television, he played Dish Boggett in the landmark “Lonesome Dove” miniseries. Other credits include “Jericho,” “Introducing Dorothy Dandridge,” “Strange Luck,” “C-16: FBI,” “Harsh Realm,” “Life as We Know It” and the Emmy Award®-winning “Miss Rose White.”
Next up is “Crash,” a series for Starz that’s based on the Oscar®-winning movie.
Sweeney makes his debut as screenwriter, director and producer with “Two Tickets to
Paradise.” He was named Best Director at the Boston International Film Festival and was recognized for Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking at Method Fest. Other awards for the film include Best Narrative Feature at the Savannah Film Festival, the Audience Choice Award at The Vail Film Festival, Best Comic Feature at the Staten Island Film Festival, and The Golden Appy at the Appalachian Film Festival.
Sweeney’s multiple efforts on the film have also been recognized with the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival’s Renaissance Award and by the Santa Fe Film Festival’s Best of the Independent Spirit Award.
Posted in Colonel Driscoll, Eight Men Out, Fire in the Sky, Gardens of Stone, Memphis Belle, No Man’s Land, Roommates, Spawn, The Cutting Edge, Yellow | No Comments »
October 21st, 2008 artmaster
Winner for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for “Ray” at the NAACP Image Awards in 2005 and nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Actress in the film “Lift” in 2002, KERRY WASHINGTON (Zana Wilder) is proving to be one of
the busiest actresses in Hollywood. She garnered critical acclaim for her latest roles in “The Last King of Scotland,” opposite Forest Whitaker, for which she was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture at the NAACP Image Awards in 2007, and in “The Dead Girl,” opposite Marcia Gay Harden and Brittany
Murphy. Washington was seen on the big screen in “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer,” “I Think I Love My Wife” and “Little Man.” She appears in “A Thousand Words,” starring opposite Eddie Murphy, and “Lakeview Terrace” opposite Samuel L. Jackson.
Washington also appeared in “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, and “Fantastic Four,” directed by Tim Story. She played the lead role opposite Anthony Mackie in Spike Lee’s “She Hate Me,” and starred in Sidney Lumet’s HBO film “Strip Search” and the independent film “Sexual Life.”
Other film credits include “Against the Ropes,” “The United States of Leland,” “The
Human Stain,” “Bad Company,” “Save the Last Dance,” for which she received a Teen Choice Award for Best Breakout Performance, and the highly acclaimed independent film “Our Song.”
Washington is an active member on the board of directors for The Creative Coalition, a group dedicated to raising awareness of First Amendment Rights and support of arts in education. She is also a member of the V-Counsel, an esteemed group of advisors to V-Day, the global movement to end violence against women and girls.
Posted in Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Forest Whitaker, Kerry Washington, Motion Picture, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Outstanding Actress, Samuel L. Jackson | No Comments »
October 21st, 2008 artmaster
JOHN LEGUIZAMO (Enrico) is a multi-faceted performer and Emmy Award® winner, known for his work in film, theatre, television and literature. Leguizamo stars in the upcoming “Humboldt Park” with Debra Messing and Alfred Molina. Also this
year he can be seen in “Righteous Kill” alongside Robert De Niro and Al Pacino.
He was last on screen in M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Happening,” opposite Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel. Leguizamo’s recent credits include the “The Babysitters,” “The Take,” “The Ministers,” and “Love in the Time of Cholera.” He also starred in Spike TV’s limited series “The Kill Point.”
Leguizamo has appeared in many films, including “Land of the Dead,” “The Groomsmen,”
“Lies & Alibis,” “Assault on Precinct 13,” “Spin,” “Moulin Rouge” (ALMA nomination, Best Supporting Actor), “Ice Age,” Spike Lee’s “Summer of Sam,” “King of the Jungle” (ALMA nomination, Best Lead Actor), “Carlito’s Way,” “Casualties of War,” “To Wong Foo: Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar” (Golden Globe® nomination for Best Supporting Actor), and “Crónicas.”
On the small screen, Leguizamo starred in HBO’s “Undefeated,” his feature directorial debut. Scripted by Frank Pugliese from a story by Leguizamo and Kathy DeMarco, the film is about a young Latino boxer. He also appeared in 12 episodes of NBC’s “ER” during the 2005/2006 season.
On stage, Leguizamo created an off-Broadway sensation as the writer and performer of his one-man show “Mambo Mouth,” in which he portrayed seven different characters. He received Obie, Outer Critics Circle and Vanguardia awards for his performance. The play’s HBO special led to Comedy Central’s “The Talent Pool,” for which he received a CableACE Award.
Leguizamo’s second one-man show, “Spic-O-Rama,” received the Dramatists’ Guild Hull-Warriner Award for Best American Play and the Lucille Lortel Outstanding Achievement Award for Best Broadway Performance. Leguizamo received the Theatre World Award for
Outstanding New Talent, as well as a Drama Desk Award for Best Solo Performance. “Spic-O-Rama” aired on HBO, receiving four CableACE Awards. “Freak,” Leguizamo’s third one-man show, earned Tony Award® nominations for Best Play and Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play, plus the Drama Desk and the Outer ritics Circle awards for Outstanding Solo Performance. A special presentation of “Freak,” directed by Spike Lee, aired on HBO and earned Leguizamo the Emmy Award® for Outstanding Performance in a Variety or Music Program as well as a nomination for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special.
Leguizamo was nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Solo Performance on Broadway for his performance in “Sexaholix…a Love Story.” The show received a Tony® nomination for Best Special Theatrical Performance.
An accomplished author, Leguizamo’s autobiography “Pimps, Hos, Playa Hatas, and All
the Rest of My Hollywood Friends” was released in 2006.
Posted in Al Pacino, Alfred Molina, CableACE Awards, Debra Messing, Humboldt Park, John Leguizamo, Love in the Time of Cholera, Robert De Niro, The Kill Point | No Comments »
October 21st, 2008 artmaster
Despite his young age, JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT (Tim Boyle) has already distinguished himself with a wide range of performances in both television and film. He was last seen starring in Kimberly Peirce’s war drama “Stop-Loss,” opposite Ryan Phillippe, Channing Tatum and Abbie Cornish. Upcoming projects include John Madden’s “Killshot” with Diane Lane and Mickey Rourke, and David Siegel and Scott McGehee’s romantic
drama/improv film “Uncertainty.” Gordon-Levitt recently wrapped work on the Stephen Sommers-helmed live-action film version of the classic comic book “G.I. JOE,” and is currently shooting the Fox Searchlight romantic comedy “500 Days of Summer,” opposite Zooey Deschanel for director Marc Webb.
Gordon-Levitt’s film credits also include “The Lookout,” Scott Frank’s directorial debut, which also starred Jeff Daniels, Matthew Goode and Isla Fisher; “Mysterious Skin,” Gregg Araki’s critically acclaimed drama, for which Gordon-Levitt was named as one of the Best Performances of the Year in 2005 by The New York Times; “Brick,” the 2005 Sundance Film Festival Originality of Vision award-winning film from Rian Johnson; “Manic,” the 2001 Sundance Film Festival entry, opposite Don Cheadle and Zooey Deschanel; “10 Things I Hate About You,” with Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles; “Halloween: H20,” starring Jamie Lee Curtis; “The Juror,” with Demi Moore and Alec Baldwin; the animated film “Treasure Planet”; the hit family comedy “Angels in the Outfield” with Danny Glover; and his feature film debut, Robert Redford’s “A River Runs Through It,” a performance that earned him a Young Artist Award for Best Actor Under Ten.
Prior to attending Columbia University, he starred on the award-winning NBC comedy
“3rd Rock from the Sun” for which he received two Hollywood Reporter Young Star Awards and three Screen Actors Guild Award® nominations for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.
Posted in Abbie Cornish, Alec Baldwin, Channing Tatum, Diane Lane, Fox Searchlight, Jamie Lee Curtis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Mickey Rourke, Ryan Phillippe, Stop-Loss, The New York Times, Tim Boyle | No Comments »
October 21st, 2008 artmaster
JOHN TURTURRO (Detective Ricci) studied at the Yale School of Drama. For his theatrical debut, he created the title role of John Patrick Shanley’s “Danny and the Deep Blue Sea,” for which he won an Obie Award and a Theatre World Award. Since then, Turturro has performed on stage in “Waiting for Godot,” in the title role of Bertolt Brecht’s “The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui,” and in Eduardo De Filippo’s “Souls of Naples,” for which he was nominated for a Drama Desk Award. He recently performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) in Samuel Beckett’s
“Endgame.”
Turturro has performed in more than 60 films, including Spike Lee’s “She Hate Me,”
“Summer of Sam,” “He Got Game,” “Girl 6,” “Clockers,” “Jungle Fever,” “Mo’ Better Blues” and “Do the Right Thing.” Other films include Martin Scorsese’s “The Color of Money,” Tony Bill’s “Five Corners,” Robert Redford’s “Quiz Show,” Peter Weir’s “Fearless,” Tom DiCillo’s “Box of Moonlight,” Francesco Rosi’s “La Tregua” and Joel and Ethan Coen’s “Miller’s Crossing,” “Barton Fink,” “The Big Lebowski” and “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” For his lead role in “Barton Fink,” he won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival and the David di Donatello Award.
For his work on television, Turturro was nominated for a SAG Award® for his portrayal of Howard Cosell in “Monday Night Mayhem” and won an Emmy® for his guest appearance on the hit series “Monk.” He was also nominated for a SAG Award for his portrayal of Billy Martin in ESPN’s “The Bronx Is Burning.”
Most recently, he appeared in Robert De Niro’s “The Good Shepherd,” Michael Bay’s
“Transformers,” Noah Baumbach’s “Margot at the Wedding” and Barry Levinson’s “What Just Happened?” He recently completed filming on Columbia Pictures’ “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three” opposite Denzel Washington and John Travolta.
Turturro has directed three films. His directorial debut, “Mac,” won the Camera d’ Or at the Cannes Film Festival. He also directed “Illuminata” and “Romance & Cigarettes,” starring James Gandolfini, Susan Sarandon and Kate Winslet.
Posted in Billy Martin, Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, Denzel Washington, Detective Ricci, Eduardo De Filippo, James Gandolfini, John Travolta, John Turturro, Susan Sarandon | No Comments »
October 21st, 2008 artmaster
VALENTINA CERVI (Renata) is the granddaughter of Gino Cervi, one of the greatest Italian cinema and theatre actors.
In 1995, Jane Campion tapped Cervi to star alongside Nicole Kidman and John Malkovich in “The Portrait of a Lady,” a film based on the novel by Henry James.
Cervi was next cast as Artemisia Gentileschi in the French film “Artemisia” by Agnes
Merlet. The film, chronicling the life of the great 17th century painter, was nominated for a Golden Globe Award® as Best Foreign Language Film. In 2000, Cervi was nominated as Best New Actress (meilleure espoire feminine) in the French César Awards for her performance in Pascal Bonitzer’s “Rien sur Robert.”
Cervi has worked in a host of films in England, France and Italy, for directors including Mike Figgis, Peter Greenaway, Pupi Avati and Sergio Rubini, among others. Her credits include several independent movies and television productions, including Mark Rydell’s “James Dean: An Invented Life” with James Franco, and Robert Dornhelm’s “War and Peace” with Brenda Blethyn and Malcolm McDowell.
Posted in Artemisia Gentileschi, Gino Cervi, Italian cinema, John Malkovich, Mike Figgis, Nicole Kidman, Peter Greenaway, Pupi Avati, Rien sur Robert, Sergio Rubini, Valentina Cervi | No Comments »
October 21st, 2008 artmaster
PIERFRANCESCO FAVINO (Peppi ‘The Great Butterfly’ Grotta) stars in Ron Howard’s upcoming “Angels & Demons” alongside Tom Hanks and Ewan McGregor. Favino recently starred in director Andrew Adamson’s “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,” a film based on the book by C.S. Lewis.
A native of Rome, Italy, he graduated from the Silvio d’Amico National Drama Academy before honing his craft at the Teatro di Roma under the direction of Luca Ronconi. Favino started his career in the theatre (directed by such renowned Italian artists as Ronconi and Gigi Proietti) before making his film debut in the 1995 boxing drama “Pugili,” directed by Lino Capolicchio.
Over the past decade, Favino has showcased his versatility in both drama and comedy in films directed by a host of new, young Italian filmmakers, including Luigi Magni (“La Carbonara”), Marco Bellocchio (“Il Principe di Homburg,” a Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or nominee), Gabriele Muccino (“L’Ultimo bacio,” Audience Award, 2002 Sundance Film Festival; David di Donatello nominee, Best Film), Giuseppe Tornatore (“La Sconosciuta”), Francesco Apolloni (“La Verità, vi prego, sull’amore”), Gianni Amelio (“Le Chiavi di casa,” Pasinetti Award, 2004 Venice Film Festival) and Michele Placido (“Romanzo criminale”).
Favino also co-starred as Christopher Columbus in the megahit American comedy, “Night at the Museum.”
He won the David di Donatello Award for his supporting turn as ‘The Lebanese,’ a ruthless gangster bent on conquering Rome’s crime world, in “Romanzo criminale,” which received 14 total nominations, including one for Best Film. Favino also won the Nastro d’Argento Award as Best Actor for his performance, and earned another nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his work in “Le chiavi di casa.” He collected his first nomination for Italy’s prestigious Donatello prize for his supporting role of a World War II soldier fighting in Africa in “El Alamein,” directed by Enzo Monteleone.
Posted in Best Film, El Alamein, Il Principe di Homburg, La Carbonara, Marco Bellocchio, Pierfrancesco Favino, The Lebanese | No Comments »
October 21st, 2008 artmaster
OMAR BENSON MILLER (Sam Train) was just finishing his dramatic studies at San Jose University when he landed his first movie role in “Sorority Boys” for Walt Disney Studios. It was, however, his role in “8 Mile” that opened doors for him in
Hollywood.
Early in his career, Miller starred in HBO’s “Undefeated,” an urban drama starring John Leguizamo. He next shined as Vern, who—along with Richard Gere—learned the art of ballroom dancing from Jennifer Lopez in “Shall We Dance?”
Miller’s film credits include Jim Sheridan’s “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” with Terrence Howard and 50 Cent; 2007’s “Lucky You,” starring Robert Duvall and Drew Barrymore; “Things We Lost in the Fire,” co-starring Halle Berry; and the blockbuster hit “Transformers” for director Michael Bay. Also on the big screen, Miller starred in “The Express,” a true story about the first African-American player to win the Heisman Trophy. He also stars in the upcoming “Blood Done Sign My Name,” based on a true story about a teacher and his struggle to organize a legendary civil rights march.
He is particularly proud of his independent film “Gordon Glass,” which he wrote, produced and directed.
Posted in Get Rich or Die Tryin’, Gordon Glass, Halle Berry, Lucky You, Michael Bay, Omar Benson Miller, Sam Train, Shall We Dance, Things We Lost in the Fire | No Comments »
October 21st, 2008 artmaster
Dynamic, talented and charismatic actor LAZ ALONSO (Hector Negron) is a star on the rise with notable film and television credits.
Alonso recently landed the lead role in the fourth installment of “The Fast and the Furious” franchise. He also stars opposite Danny Glover in the upcoming independent feature “Por Vida.” Next year, Alonso is set to star alongside Zoe Saldana and Sigourney Weaver in the 3-D sci-fi epic “Avatar,” directed by James Cameron.
Alonso graduated from the prestigious Howard University School of Business with a BBA in Marketing. After college, he worked on Wall Street as an investment banker. He eventually started his own marketing business with some partners. The company promoted mainstream products to the urban/trendsetting market. Owning and operating his own successful business freed up Alonso’s time to explore his passion for acting. He began taking classes in the evening to hone his craft, and it didn’t take him long to begin landing roles in commercials and videos.
His movie credits include lead roles in the hits “Stomp the Yard” and “This Christmas,” a lead role in the 2006 Roland Joffe psychological thriller “Captivity,” and an ensemble lead role in the 2005 hit “Jarhead,” opposite Academy Award® winner Jamie Foxx, Jake Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard.
Alonso’s TV credits include guest-starring roles on “The Unit,” “Bones,” “CSI: Miami,” “The Practice” and “Navy: NCIS.”
Posted in Bones, Danny Glover, Hector Negron, James Cameron, Laz Alonso, Navy: NCIS, The Fast and the Furious, The Unit | No Comments »
October 21st, 2008 artmaster
MICHAEL EALY (Bishop Cummings) is quickly rising through the ranks as one of Hollywood’s leading young actors.
He stars in “Seven Pounds,” opposite Will Smith, and will also be seen in the upcoming docu-miniseries “The People Speak,” based on Howard Zinn’s acclaimed book. Ealy recently starred in the
Showtime miniseries “Sleeper Cell,” in which he portrayed an undercover Muslim FBI agent. He earned a Golden Globe® nomination for his performance.
In 2005, Ealy was handpicked by Oprah Winfrey to star opposite Halle Berry in the ABC and Harpo Films telepic “Their Eyes Were Watching God.” The special received rave reviews and was viewed by more than 26 million people. Ealy earned an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Miniseries or
Dramatic Special for his performance.
Ealy kicked off his career on stage with roles in off-Broadway hits “Joe Fearless” and
“Whoa Jack,” for which he earned an Adelco Award nomination. He followed with guest-
starring roles in NBC’s “Law & Order” and Showtime’s hit series “Soul Food,” eventually earning his first feature film role in the critically acclaimed film “Kissing Jessica Stein.” He also starred in “Bad Company” alongside Chris Rock for producer Jerry Bruckheimer. His role in “Barbershop” earned him an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Motion Picture, as well as a People’s Choice Award nomination for Favorite Comedy Motion Picture.
His credits also include the films “Never Die Alone,” “2 Fast 2 Furious,” and a stint on the Emmy Award®-winning series “ER” for NBC.
Ealy was named one of People magazine’s “On the Verge” actors in its 2002 “Sexiest Man Alive” issue. He was also named one of E! Entertainment Television’s “Sizzlin’ 16” of 2004 and appeared on the cover of Essence magazine’s “Hollywood Screen Gems” for their April 2004 issue.
Posted in 2 Fast 2 Furious, Bishop Cummings, Halle Berry, Howard Zinn, Michael Ealy, Miniseries, Seven Pounds, Sleeper Cell, Television Movie, The People Speak | No Comments »
October 21st, 2008 artmaster
DEREK LUKE (Aubrey Stamps) was introduced to audiences worldwide in 2002’s highly revered drama “Antwone Fisher,” in which he starred as the title character in Denzel Washington’s directorial debut. Luke earned several awards and accolades for his performance, including a Black Reel Award for Best Actor, and an Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead. He also earned a BET Award in 2003 for Favorite Actor.
In 2003, Luke co-starred in a number of diverse roles. He starred opposite Laurence Fishburne in “Biker Boyz,” and in the critically acclaimed independent film “Pieces of April” with Katie Holmes. In 2004, Luke was tapped by director David Mamet for a starring role in the political thriller “Spartan,” alongside Val Kilmer and William H. Macy. Luke starred in “Friday Night Lights,” a film directed by Peter Berg and produced by Brian Grazer.
In 2006, Luke appeared in “Glory Road,” which was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. He
also co-starred with Tim Robbins in “Catch a Fire” for director Phillip Noyce.
Last year, Luke appeared alongside Robert Redford, Meryl Streep and Tom Cruise in
“Lions for Lambs,” directed by Redford. This year, in addition to “Miracle at St. Anna,” he had a supporting role in the romantic comedy “Definitely, Maybe.”
In early 2009, Luke stars as Sean “Diddy” Combs in the Fox Searchlight bio-pic
“Notorious” about the slain rapper Notorious B.I.G. The film, directed by George Tillman Jr., was executive produced by Sean Combs and tells the life story of this popular Brooklyn rapper who was gunned down in Los Angeles on March 25, 1997.
Luke recently wrapped Tyler Perry’s next film “Madea Goes to Jail,” loosely based on the Atlanta stage production of the same name. He plays a lawyer who must choose between the two women he loves.
From his breakout roles in “Barbershop” and “Barbershop 2,”
Posted in Antwone Fisher, Aubrey Stamps, BET Award, Barbershop 2, Derek Luke, MASA, Miracle at St. Anna, Spartan, Val Kilmer, William H. Macy | No Comments »
