Philip Edward Hartman was a Canadian-American actor, comedian, screenwriter and graphic designer. Hartman was born in Brantford, Ontario, Canada, and his family moved to the United States when he was 10 years old. After graduating from California State University, Northridge with a degree in graphic arts, he designed album covers for bands including Poco and America. In 1975, he joined the comedy group The Groundlings, where he helped Paul Reubens develop his character Pee-wee Herman. Hartman co-wrote the film Pee-wee's Big Adventure and made recurring appearances as Captain Carl on Reubens' show Pee-wee's Playhouse.
Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus is an American actress, comedian, and producer. She is known for her work in the comedy television series Saturday Night Live (1982–1985), Seinfeld (1989–1998), The New Adventures of Old Christine (2006–2010), and Veep (2012–2019). She is one of the most award-winning actresses in American television history, having received more Primetime Emmy Awards and more Screen Actors Guild Awards than any other performer, tying Cloris Leachman for the most acting wins.
Melanie Barbara Chartoff is an American actress and comedian. She first became famous for her comedy work on the ABC series Fridays (1980–82), and in the 1990s Fox sitcom Parker Lewis Can't Lose. She voiced both Didi Pickles and Grandma Minka, Didi's mother on the Nickelodeon animated series Rugrats and All Grown Up!.
The Groundlings are an improvisational and sketch comedy troupe and school based in Los Angeles, California. The troupe was formed by Gary Austin in 1974 and uses an improv format influenced by Viola Spolin, whose improvisational theater techniques were used by Del Close and other members of the Second City, located in Chicago and later St. Louis. They used these techniques to produce sketches and improvised scenes. Its name is taken from Shakespeare's Hamlet, Act III, Scene II: "...to split the ears of the groundlings, who for the most part are capable of nothing but inexplicable dumbshows and noise." In 1975 the troupe purchased and moved into its current location on Melrose Avenue.
Debra Lynn Messing is an American actress. After graduating from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Messing received short-lived roles on television series such as Ned and Stacey on Fox (1995–1997) and Prey on ABC (1998). She achieved her breakthrough role as Grace Adler, an interior designer, on the NBC sitcom Will & Grace, for which she received seven Golden Globe Award nominations and five Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, winning once, in 2003.
Mary Tyler "Molly" Ivins was an American newspaper columnist, author, political commentator, and humorist.
Throb is an American sitcom that aired in syndication from September 6, 1986 to May 21, 1988. The series, created by Fredi Towbin, was produced by Procter & Gamble Productions in association with Taft Entertainment Television, and was distributed by Worldvision Enterprises. The series' rights are currently held by CBS Television Distribution.
Jane Elizabeth Leeves is an English actress. Leeves played Daphne Moon on the NBC television sitcom Frasier from 1993 until 2004, for which she was nominated for an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award. She also played Joy Scroggs on TV Land's sitcom Hot in Cleveland.
Monica Gregg Potter is an American actress. She is known for her starring roles in the films Con Air (1997), Patch Adams (1998), and Along Came a Spider (2001). She also appeared in the horror films Saw (2004) and The Last House on the Left, a 2009 remake film.
Lynne Marie Stewart is an American actress, best known for her performance as Miss Yvonne, the Most Beautiful Woman in Puppet Land. She originated the role in the 1981 stage show The Pee-wee Herman Show, continuing it on the CBS television show Pee-wee's Playhouse, the 2010 Los Angeles stage revival, and the Broadway production which opened in November 2010 at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre.
Edith Marie McClurg is an American actress. She has played supporting roles in the films Carrie (1976), Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), and Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988), and bit parts in Cheech and Chong's Next Movie (1980), Mr. Mom (1983), Back to School (1986), Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987), A River Runs Through It (1992), Natural Born Killers (1994), and Flubber (1997).
Rachael Elaine Harris is an American actress and comedian. She is known for her numerous television roles, such as starring as Dr. Linda Martin in Lucifer and as a guest star on TV shows such as Sister, Sister, Reno 911!, New Girl, Suits and The Good Wife.
Samantha is a 1991 American film starring actress Martha Plimpton. Though at the time Plimpton was already a film actress for nearly ten years, this was the first vehicle in which she was the star. The film co-starred Dermot Mulroney, Hector Elizondo, Mary Kay Place and Ione Skye. It was a commercial failure, with mixed critical reviews.
Faerie Tale Theatre is an American live-action fairytale fantasy Drama anthology television series of 27 episodes, that originally aired on Showtime from September 11, 1982 until November 14, 1987. It is a retelling of 26 fairy tales, particularly those written by The Brothers Grimm, Charles Perrault and Hans Christian Andersen, an additional episode is based on the poem "The Pied Piper of Hamelin".
Frances Evelyn Bay was a Canadian-American character actress. In a career that spanned 35 years, she acted in a variety of roles both in film and television. Bay was inducted in Canada's Walk of Fame in 2008.
Georgina Maria "Gina" Gallego is an American actress, known for her work in television. Her credits include: Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Flamingo Road, Remington Steele, Airwolf, Rituals, Knight Rider, Lust in the Dust, Santa Barbara, Seinfeld, Beverly Hills, 90210, ER, NYPD Blue, JAG and The O.C. She appeared in the 2009 horror film Murder World alongside Scout Taylor-Compton. In 2010, Gallego joined the cast of Days of Our Lives as recurring character, Warden Smith. She recurs on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend as the mostly mute Mrs. Hernandez.
Timothy Hugh Bagley is an American actor and comedian, who has appeared in numerous films and television programs. He had recurring roles on the TV series Will & Grace, Hope & Gloria, Strip Mall, According to Jim, The King of Queens, Monk, Help Me Help You, 10 Items or Less, $#*! My Dad Says, and portrayed Richard Pratt on the Showtime series, Web Therapy. Previously, Bagley had a recurring role as Principal Toby Pearson on the American sitcom Teachers, and as Peter in the Netflix series Grace and Frankie.
Brandis Kemp was an American actress best known for her appearances in Fridays and AfterMASH from the years 1980 to 1985. She then appeared in a wide variety of films and TV shows as a character actress for the remainder of her career.
Molly Kate Bernard is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Lauren Heller on the television series Younger.
Cynthia Szigeti was an American comic actress and acting teacher, known for her work at the Groundlings, an improv and sketch comedy troupe and school in Los Angeles, and the ACME Comedy Theatre. Her students included Adam Carolla, Will Forte, Lisa Kudrow, Joel McHale, Conan O'Brien and Julia Sweeney. Her professional acting credits included National Lampoon's European Vacation, as well as roles in Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
