James Widdoes (born November 15, 1953, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), sometimes billed as Jamie Widdoes, is an American actor and television director. [1]
Widdoes graduated from The Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, Connecticut, in 1972, [2] and is a member of their board of trustees. [3] He began his acting career during college, starring in a production of The New Amen Show at the Diners Playhouse in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1974. He next attended Skidmore College in 1972 and then transferred to New York University's Tisch School of Arts, graduating in 1976 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. While in New York, he roomed with such soon-to-be famous actors as Michael O'Keefe from Caddyshack and The Great Santini. He then began performing on New York City stages in productions such as the 1977 Equity Library Theatre revival of Wonderful Town and the 1982 Broadway musical Is there life after high school? His role in this last production won him a Theatre World Award.
Widdoes starred as senior student and fraternity president Robert Hoover alongside John Belushi in the 1978 film National Lampoon's Animal House as well as the 1979 TV series spin-off Delta House. He has guest-starred in many TV series episodes since then, including Remington Steele, Night Court, Dave's World, The Goldbergs and My Wife and Kids. Widdoes starred as the patriarch of the Pembroke family, Stan, in the 1984-1985 seasons of Charles in Charge . Additionally, he was a frequent panelist on various game shows, including The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour and Super Password .
Beginning in 1998, Widdoes produced and/or directed many episodes for various television series. Some of these included Just the Ten of Us, Empty Nest, Anything But Love, Harry and the Hendersons, Boston Common, Brother's Keeper, Reba, 8 Simple Rules (For Dating My Teenage Daughter), The King of Queens, 'Til Death, Mom , The Bill Engvall Show , Broke , and Extended Family . He directed several episodes of Two and a Half Men during the show's first six seasons, and began directing the series regularly beginning with season seven. Widdoes directed all but two episodes of the series' final six seasons. From April 2015 to May 2021, he directed 122 of the 170 episodes of Mom .
National Lampoon's Animal House is a 1978 American comedy film directed by John Landis and written by Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney and Chris Miller. It stars John Belushi, Tim Matheson, John Vernon, Verna Bloom, Thomas Hulce, and Donald Sutherland. The film is about a trouble-making fraternity whose members challenge the authority of the dean of the fictional Faber College.
Samuel Atkinson Waterston is an American actor. Waterston is known for his work in theater, television, and film. He has received numerous accolades including a Primetime Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award, a Tony Award, and a BAFTA Award. His acting career has spanned over five decades acting on stage and screen. Waterston received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010 and was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2012.
Hal Linden is an American stage and screen actor, television director and musician.
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Stuart Margolin was an American actor, director, and screenwriter of film and television. He was known for playing con artist Evelyn "Angel" Martin on the 1970s television series The Rockford Files, winning two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. He received an additional two Emmy nominations for his directing work, and was also a Directors Guild of America Award winner. Margolin appeared as Marvin Tate in S1Ep16 'There's Something About Marvin' of the 2000-2001 TV series '18 Wheels of Justice'.
Kathleen Effie Widdoes is an American actress. She is known for playing the role of Emma Snyder on the CBS Daytime soap opera As the World Turns. For her work on As the World Turns, she was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 1986, 1987, and 1991. She also received a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 1994. Widdoes has appeared in theatrical productions, including The Beggar's Opera (1972), Much Ado About Nothing (1972), Brighton Beach Memoirs (1983), The Tower of Evil (1991), Hamlet (1992), and Franny's Way (2002). She has been nominated for a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award. She has won two Obie Awards and a Lucille Lortel Award. Widdoes has also appeared in films, including The Group (1966), The Sea Gull (1968), and Courage Under Fire (1996).
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Martin Ellyot Manulis was an American television, film, and theatre producer. Manulis was best known for his work in the 1950s producing the CBS Television programs Suspense, Studio One Summer Theatre, Climax!, The Best of Broadway and Playhouse 90. He was the sole producer of the award-winning drama series, Playhouse 90, during its first two seasons from 1956 to 1958.
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