Mel Gorham (born Marilyn Schnier, [1] [2] October 27, 1959 [3] ) is an American actress who is best known for her role as Violet in Wayne Wang's films Smoke and Blue in the Face . [4] Gorham is from Miami, Florida, [1] [2] and is of Cuban and Jewish descent. [4] [5]
Gorham's improvised rendition of Peggy Lee's "Fever" in Blue in the Face garnered her much critical acclaim and press. [1] [2] [5] Major film roles in Curdled and Cop Land followed. In 1997, Gorham was then cast to star in an NBC sitcom loosely based on her life titled Union Square . But after the pilot was filmed, the producers replaced her with Constance Marie. [6] [7]
Gorham returned to the world of New York City theater where she began. After a long absence, she returned to film with a role in Wayne Wang's 2001 film The Center of the World . In 2012, she retired from show business and currently resides in South Beach.
Wayne Wang is a Hong Kong-American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Considered a pioneer of Asian-American cinema, he was one of the first Chinese-American filmmakers to gain a major foothold in Hollywood. His films, often independently produced, deal with issues of contemporary Asian-American culture and domestic life.
Rene Marie Russo is an American actress and model. She began her career as a fashion model in the 1970s, appearing on magazine covers such as Vogue and Cosmopolitan. She made her film debut in the 1989 comedy Major League, and rose to international prominence in a number of thrillers and action films throughout the 1990s, including Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), In the Line of Fire (1993), Outbreak (1995), Get Shorty (1995), Ransom (1996), Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), and The Thomas Crown Affair (1999).
Jennifer Jason Leigh is an American actress. She began her career on television during the 1970s before making her film breakthrough in the teen film Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982). She received critical praise for her performances in Last Exit to Brooklyn (1989), Miami Blues (1990), Backdraft (1991), Single White Female (1992), and The Hudsucker Proxy (1994), and was nominated for a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Dorothy Parker in Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994).
Bonita Melody Lysette Langford is an English actress, dancer and singer. She came to prominence as a child star in the 1970s, when she had a notable role in the TV series Just William.
Stockard Channing is an American actress. She played Betty Rizzo in the film Grease (1978) and First Lady Abbey Bartlet in the NBC television series The West Wing (1999–2006). She also originated the role of Ouisa Kittredge in the stage and film versions of Six Degrees of Separation; the 1993 film version earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.
Annabella Gloria Sciorra is an American actress. She came to prominence with her film debut in True Love (1989) and worked steadily throughout the 1990s in films such as Jungle Fever (1991), The Hard Way (1991), The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992), The Addiction (1995), Cop Land (1997), and What Dreams May Come (1998). She received an Emmy Award nomination for her portrayal of Gloria Trillo on The Sopranos (2001–2004), appeared as Detective Carolyn Barek on Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2005–2006), and had recurring roles on GLOW (2018), Truth Be Told (2019–2020), and Tulsa King (2022). Her stage credits include The Motherfucker with the Hat.
Amy Frederica Brenneman is an American actress and producer. She worked extensively in television, coming to prominence as Detective Janice Licalsi in the ABC police drama series NYPD Blue (1993–1994). Brenneman next co-created and starred as Judge Amy Gray in the CBS drama series Judging Amy (1999–2005). She received five Primetime Emmy Award nominations for these roles.
Blue in the Face is a 1995 American comedy film directed by Wayne Wang and Paul Auster. It stars Harvey Keitel leading an ensemble cast, including Giancarlo Esposito, Roseanne Barr, Michael J. Fox, Lily Tomlin, Victor Argo, Mira Sorvino, Lou Reed, Keith David, Jim Jarmusch, Jared Harris, RuPaul, and Madonna.
Annie Golden is an American actress and singer. She first came to prominence as the lead singer of the punk band the Shirts from 1975 to 1981 with whom she recorded three albums. She began her acting career as Mother in the 1977 Broadway revival of Hair; later taking on the role of Jeannie Ryan in the 1979 film version of the musical. Other notable film credits include Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), Baby Boom (1987), Longtime Companion (1989), Strictly Business (1991), Prelude to a Kiss (1992), 12 Monkeys (1995), The American Astronaut (2001), It Runs in the Family (2003), Adventures of Power (2008), and I Love You Phillip Morris (2009).
Curdled is a 1996 black comedy crime film written and directed by Reb Braddock. The film stars Angela Jones as a Colombian immigrant who takes a crime scene cleanup job and discovers evidence about a local serial killer dubbed the "Blue Blood Killer" for his targeting of socialites. The film is a remake of a 1991 short film of the same name, which was also directed by Braddock and starred Jones.
Dan Hedaya is an American actor. He often plays sleazy villains or wisecracking supporting characters. He has had supporting roles in films such as Commando (1985), Clueless (1995), and Mulholland Drive (2001).
Smoke is a 1995 American independent film by Wayne Wang and Paul Auster. The original story was written by Paul Auster, who also wrote the screenplay. The film was produced by Greg Johnson, Peter Newman, Kenzo Horikoshi, and Hisami Kuroiwa. Among others, it features Harvey Keitel, William Hurt, Stockard Channing, Harold Perrineau Jr., Giancarlo Esposito, Ashley Judd, and Forest Whitaker.
Theresa Randle is an American retired actress. She has appeared in films such as Malcolm X (1992), Beverly Hills Cop III (1994), Space Jam (1996), Spawn (1997) and the Bad Boys franchise (1995–2020).
Camilla Belle Routh, known professionally as Camilla Belle, is an American actress. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Belle began her acting career with appearances in numerous television commercials before landing her first lead role in NBC's thriller, Trapped Beneath the Earth in 1992. She has since appeared in a variety of films and television shows, including The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), Practical Magic (1998), Rip Girls (2000) and 10,000 BC (2008). Belle has also been recognized for her work in independent films such as The Quiet (2005) and The Mad Whale (2017).
Charlotte Sullivan is a Canadian actress. Her credits include Harriet the Spy (1996), Goosebumps (1996), The New Ghostwriter Mysteries (1997), How to Deal (2003), Fever Pitch (2005), MVP (2008), The Cry of the Owl (2009), Rookie Blue (2010), The Kennedys (2011), The Colony (2013), Chicago Fire (2016–2017), Mary Kills People (2017–2019), Caught (2018), Wynonna Earp (2021), Law & Order: Organized Crime (2021), and Pretty Hard Cases (2022).
Vivian Wu is a Chinese-American actress. Starring in a variety of North American and Chinese productions, her big break came in 1987, when she appeared in the biographical film The Last Emperor. She later went to starring in films Iron & Silk (1990), The Guyver (1991), Heaven & Earth (1993), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993), The Joy Luck Club (1993), and most notably playing the leading roles in The Pillow Book (1996) and The Soong Sisters (1997). In 2020, she starred as Dr. Lu Wang in the Netflix science fiction drama series Away, while in 2023, she portrayed Vivian Zhu in the Apple TV+ murder mystery comedy series The Afterparty.
Union Square is an American sitcom television series created by Marco Pennette and Fred Barron, that was broadcast on NBC for one season from September 25, 1997, to January 22, 1998. The show was supposed to serve as a vehicle for actress Mel Gorham, using her life as its basis, but was retooled into an ensemble sitcom without Gorham after the original pilot was poorly received.
Margo Martindale is an American character actress who has appeared on television, film, and stage. In 2011, she won a Primetime Emmy Award and a Critics' Choice Television Award for her recurring role as Mags Bennett on Justified. She was nominated for an Emmy Award four times for her recurring role as Claudia on The Americans, winning it in 2015 and 2016.
Marc Macaulay is an American actor.
Hisami Kuroiwa is a Japanese-American film producer.