Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden, also transliterated as Usama bin Ladin, was a Saudi Arabian-born Islamist militant who was the mastermind behind the September 11 attacks and founder of the Pan-Islamic militant organization al-Qaeda. The group is designated as a terrorist group by the United Nations Security Council, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the European Union, and various countries. Under bin Laden, al-Qaeda was responsible for the September 11 attacks in the United States and many other mass-casualty attacks worldwide.
Wendi McLendon-Covey is an American actress and comedian. She is known primarily for her work in comedic and improvisational roles. Since 2013, McLendon-Covey has played the role of Beverly Goldberg, a family matriarch, on the ABC comedy series The Goldbergs, for which she was nominated for two Critics' Choice Television Awards for Best Actress in a Comedy Series.
Charlie Wilson's War is a 2007 American biographical comedy-drama film, based on the story of U.S. Congressman Charlie Wilson and CIA operative Gust Avrakotos, whose efforts led to Operation Cyclone, a program to organize and support the Afghan mujahideen during the Soviet–Afghan War (1979–1989).
Postal is a 2007 action comedy film co-written and directed by Uwe Boll, and starring Zack Ward, Dave Foley, Chris Coppola, Jackie Tohn, J.K. Simmons, Verne Troyer, Larry Thomas, David Huddleston and Seymour Cassel.
Reno 911!: Miami is a 2007 American cop comedy film based on Comedy Central's Reno 911! and directed by Robert Ben Garant. Distributed in the United States and Canada by 20th Century Fox and internationally by Paramount Pictures alongside Comedy Central Films, the film was released on February 23, 2007 to mixed reviews from critics, most of whom said that fans of the show will appreciate it more than those not familiar with the material.
Peter Bergen is an American journalist, author, and producer who is CNN's national security analyst, a vice president at New America and a professor at Arizona State University. Bergen has written or edited ten books: Holy War, Inc.: Inside the Secret World of Osama bin Laden (2001); The Osama bin Laden I Know: An Oral History of al Qaeda's Leader (2006); The Longest War: The Enduring Conflict between America and Al-Qaeda (2011); Manhunt: The Ten-Year Search for Bin Laden From 9/11 to Abbottabad (2012); Talibanistan: Negotiating the Borders Between Terror, Politics, and Religion (2013); Drone Wars: Transforming Conflict, Law, and Policy (2014); United States of Jihad: Investigating America's Homegrown Terrorists (2016); Trump and His Generals: The Cost of Chaos (2019); The Rise and Fall of Osama Bin Laden (2021); and Understanding the New Proxy Wars (2022). Three of the books were New York Times bestsellers, four of the books were named as among the best non-fiction books of the year by the Washington Post and they have been translated into 24 languages. He produced the first television interview with Osama bin Laden in 1997, which aired on CNN.
On May 2, 2011, Osama bin Laden, the founder and first leader of the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda, was shot several times and killed at his compound in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad, by United States Navy SEALs of the U.S. Naval Special Warfare Development Group. The operation, code-named Operation Neptune Spear, was carried out in a CIA-led operation with Joint Special Operations Command, commonly known as JSOC, coordinating the Special Mission Units involved in the raid. In addition to SEAL Team Six, participating units under JSOC included the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne)—also known as "Night Stalkers"—and operators from the CIA's Special Activities Division, which recruits heavily from former JSOC Special Mission Units. The operation's success ended a nearly decade-long manhunt for bin Laden, who was wanted for masterminding the September 11 attacks on the United States.
Hamza bin Osama bin Mohammed bin 'Awad bin Laden, better known as Hamza bin Laden, was a Saudi Arabian-born member of Al-Qaeda. He was a son of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, and, following his father's death in 2011, he was described as an emerging leader within the group.
Tere Bin Laden is a 2010 Indian satire comedy film produced by Walkwater Media and written and directed by Abhishek Sharma. An ambitious young Pakistani reporter, who, in his desperation to migrate to the United States, makes a fake Osama bin Laden video using a look-alike, and sells it to TV channels. Osama bin Laden was played by Pradhuman Singh. The film is a spoof on Osama Bin Laden as well as a comic satire on America's war against terror and the realities of the post-9/11 world. The film was released worldwide, except the United States and Pakistan, on 16 July 2010.
The death of Osama bin Laden on May 2, 2011, gave rise to various conspiracy theories, hoaxes and rumors. These include the ideas that he had died earlier, or that he lived beyond the reported date. Doubts about bin Laden's death were fueled by the U.S. military's supposed disposal of his body at sea, the decision to not release any photographic or DNA evidence of bin Laden's death to the public, the contradicting accounts of the incident, and the 25-minute blackout during the raid on bin Laden's compound during which a live feed from cameras mounted on the helmets of the U.S. special forces was cut off.
Zero Dark Thirty is a 2012 American thriller film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by Mark Boal. The film dramatizes the nearly decade-long international manhunt for Osama bin Laden, leader of the terrorist network Al-Qaeda, after the September 11 attacks. This search leads to the discovery of his compound in Pakistan and the military raid where bin Laden was killed on May 2, 2011.
The Breakup Girl is a 2015 American comedy-drama film, written and directed by Stacy Sherman, making it her feature film directing debut. The film stars Shannon Woodward, Wendi McLendon-Covey, India Menuez, Joe Lo Truglio, Mary Kay Place, and Ray Wise. The film is executive produced by The Hunger Games screenwriter Billy Ray. Film may also been referred to as its original working title Claire's Cambodia.
Blended is a 2014 American romantic comedy film directed by Frank Coraci and distributed by Warner Bros. Written by Ivan Menchell and Clare Sera, the film stars Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore as two single parents who went on a blind date together and never wanted to see each other again afterwards. To their surprise, they both end up at the same African safari resort with their children and are forced to stay together. The film's ensemble cast also features Bella Thorne, Emma Fuhrmann, Terry Crews, Joel McHale, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Kevin Nealon, and Shaquille O'Neal. South African cricketer Dale Steyn makes a cameo appearance as himself.
Think Like a Man Too is a 2014 American romantic comedy film directed by Tim Story. It is the sequel to the 2012 film Think Like a Man, based on Steve Harvey's 2009 book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man. The script was written by David A. Newman and Keith Merryman, with Will Packer returning as producer but now under his Will Packer Productions banner. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Michael Ealy, Meagan Good, Regina Hall, Terrence J, Taraji P. Henson, Romany Malco, Gabrielle Union, Jerry Ferrara, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Gary Owen and Kevin Hart, with Jennifer Lewis and La La Anthony in supporting roles.
A Merry Friggin' Christmas is a 2014 American black comedy film directed by Tristram Shapeero and written by Phil Johnston. The film stars an ensemble cast featuring Joel McHale, Lauren Graham, Clark Duke, Oliver Platt, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Tim Heidecker, Candice Bergen, and Robin Williams. The film was released by Phase 4 Films on November 7, 2014. The film received generally negative reviews from critics.
Hello, My Name Is Doris is a 2015 American coming-of-age romantic comedy-drama film directed by Michael Showalter from a screenplay by Laura Terruso and Showalter, about a woman in her 60s who tries to act on her attraction to a younger co-worker. It stars Sally Field in the title role, alongside Max Greenfield, Beth Behrs, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Stephen Root, Elizabeth Reaser, Natasha Lyonne and Tyne Daly.
The Trust is a 2016 American crime drama / crime thriller film directed by Alex and Ben Brewer, written by Ben Brewer and Adam Hirsch, and starring Nicolas Cage, Elijah Wood, Sky Ferreira, Jerry Lewis, Kevin Weisman and Steven Williams. The film was released on DirecTV on April 14, 2016, before being released on video on demand and in theaters on May 13, 2016, by Saban Films. Although Max Rose was released after The Trust, this film marks the last role that Jerry Lewis filmed before his death in 2017.
Tere Bin Laden: Dead or Alive is a 2016 Indian satire comedy film written and directed by Abhishek Sharma. A sequel to the 2010 film Tere Bin Laden, it narrates the story of an aspiring filmmaker who bumps into an Osama bin Laden look alike, and also samples materials from the prequel. The film stars Manish Paul, Pradhuman Singh Mall, and Piyush Mishra, and was released worldwide on 26 February 2016.
Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween is a 2018 American horror comedy film directed by Ari Sandel and written by Rob Lieber from a story by Lieber and Darren Lemke. A stand-alone sequel to 2015's Goosebumps, it is based on the children's horror book series of the same name by R. L. Stine. The new cast consists of Wendi McLendon-Covey, Madison Iseman, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Caleel Harris, Chris Parnell, and Ken Jeong. The plot follows two young boys who accidentally release the monsters from the Goosebumps franchise in their town after opening an unpublished Goosebumps manuscript titled Haunted Halloween, causing a wave of destruction on Halloween night.
Gary Brooks Faulkner is a former construction worker and landlord who was arrested in 2010 in Pakistan carrying a sword, pistol, night vision goggles, a map, and a Bible on his one-man hunt to capture Osama bin Laden, the founder and leader of Al-Qaeda. Faulkner claimed that he was on a mission from God to capture Bin Laden.
