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Mastergate
''Mastergate'' is a play by Larry Gelbart, which he describes as "A Play On Words". The title refers to a fictional political scandal enacted on "Master Pictures Studios", a fictional movie company that is actually a cover for arms trading. The title of the play also references other real-life political scandals, such as Watergate and others subsequently given the suffix -gate. Plot summary The play is set in the Sherman Adams Room at the John Mitchell Building in Washington, D.C. The "Select Joint Congressional Committee Investigating Alleged Covert Arms Assistance to Alleged Other Americas" investigates the CIA's attempt to divert arms to Central American guerrillas through a motion picture company's high-budget action film, entitled "Tet." (a reference to the Tet Offensive) ''Mastergate'' is a satire on congressional investigative committee hearings that took place during the McCarthy Era, on the Watergate investigation, and on the Iran-Contra affair. In his opening address ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Engler
Michael Engler is an American theater director, and a Directors Guild of America and Emmy nominated television director and producer. Theater His Broadway credits include ''Eastern Standard'', starring Dylan Baker, Patricia Clarkson, Kevin Conroy, and Anne Meara, as well as ''Mastergate'', written by Larry Gelbart, and ''I Hate Hamlet'', written by Paul Rudnick and starring Evan Handler and Alan Arkin. His direction of the 2003 off-Broadway production of the Alan Bennett play ''Talking Heads'' garnered him a nomination for the Outer Critics Circle Award. Film and television 1990s Engler began his career in television with the TV movie ''Mastergate'' (1992) based on the play he directed by Larry Gelbart. The following year he worked on the television series '' Bakersfield P.D.'', starring Ron Eldard, Giancarlo Esposito, and Brian Doyle Murray, as well as the series ''Sisters'', starring Swoosie Kurtz and Sela Ward. In 1993 and 1994 Engler directed two episodes of the HBO ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Larry Gelbart
Larry Simon Gelbart (February 25, 1928 – September 11, 2009) was an American television writer, playwright, screenwriter, director and author, most famous as a creator and producer of the television series ''M*A*S*H'', and as co-writer of the Broadway musicals ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' and '' City of Angels''. Biography Early life Gelbart was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Jewish immigrants Harry Gelbart, "a barber since his half of a childhood in Latvia," and Frieda Sturner, who migrated to America from Dąbrowa Górnicza, Poland. Marcia Gelbart Walkenstein was his sister. His family later moved to Los Angeles and he attended Fairfax High School. Drafted into the United States Army shortly after World War II, Gelbart worked for the Armed Forces Radio Service in Los Angeles. Attaining the rank of sergeant, Gelbart was honorably discharged after serving 1 year and 11 days. Those last 11 days prevented Gelbart from being drafted for service during the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ken Howard
Kenneth Joseph Howard Jr. (March 28, 1944 – March 23, 2016) was an American actor. He was known for his roles as Thomas Jefferson in ''1776'' and as basketball coach and former Chicago Bulls player Ken Reeves in the television show '' The White Shadow'' (1978–1981). Howard won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play in 1970 for his performance in '' Child's Play'', and later won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for his work in ''Grey Gardens'' (2009). Howard was elected president of the actors' union, Screen Actors Guild (SAG), in September 2009 and reelected to a second term, in September 2011. He was the last president of the Screen Actors Guild and the first president of the newly combined SAG-AFTRA union, after the Screen Actors Guild and another union, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), voted to merge in 2012. He was reelected in 2015. Early life Howard was born on March 28, 1944 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bruno Kirby
Bruno Kirby (born Bruno Giovanni Quidaciolu Jr.; April 28, 1949 – August 14, 2006) was an American actor. He was known for his roles in ''City Slickers'', '' When Harry Met Sally...'', ''Good Morning, Vietnam'', ''The Godfather Part II'', and '' Donnie Brasco''. He voiced Reginald Stout in ''Stuart Little''. Early life Kirby was born in New York City on April 28, 1949. His father was actor Bruce Kirby (born Bruno Giovanni Quidaciolu). His brother John Kirby is an acting coach. Kirby attended Power Memorial Academy. Career Kirby was a character actor whose career spanned 35 years. In 1971 he made his screen debut in the drama '' The Young Graduates'', although it was his role three years later as the young Peter Clemenza in epic crime film ''The Godfather Part II'' that raised his profile in Hollywood. In the summer of 1972, Kirby, in one of his early television appearances, portrayed Anthony Girelli, the son of Richard Castellano's character Joe Girelli, in '' The Super'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ed Begley Jr
Edward James Begley Jr. (born September 16, 1949) is an American actor and environmental activist. Begley has appeared in hundreds of films, television shows, and stage performances. He played Dr. Victor Ehrlich on the television series '' St. Elsewhere'' (1982–1988). The role earned him six consecutive Primetime Emmy Award nominations and a Golden Globe Award nomination. He also co-hosted, along with wife Rachelle Carson, the green living reality show titled ''Living with Ed'' (2007–2010). Equally prolific in cinema, Begley's films include ''Blue Collar'' (1978), '' An Officer and a Gentleman'' (1982), ''This Is Spinal Tap'' (1984), ''The Accidental Tourist'' (1988), and '' She-Devil'' (1989). He is a recurring cast member in the mockumentaries of Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy, including '' Best in Show'' (2000), ''A Mighty Wind'' (2003), '' For Your Consideration'' (2006), and ''Mascots'' (2016). In 2020 he was cast along his wife Rachelle in the award-winnin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Buck Henry
Buck Henry (born Henry Zuckerman; December 9, 1930 – January 8, 2020) was an American actor, screenwriter, and director. Henry's contributions to film included his work as a co-writer for Mike Nichols's ''The Graduate'' (1967) for which he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He also appeared in Nichols' ''Catch-22'' (1970), Herbert Ross' ''The Owl and the Pussycat'' (1970), and Peter Bogdanovich's '' What's Up, Doc?'' (1972). In 1978, he co-directed '' Heaven Can Wait'' (1978) with Warren Beatty receiving a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Director. He later appeared in Albert Brooks' ''Defending Your Life'' (1991), and the Robert Altman films '' The Player'' (1992) and ''Short Cuts'' (1993). His long career began on television with work on shows with Steve Allen in '' The New Steve Allen Show'' (1961). He co-created ''Get Smart'' (1965–1970) with Mel Brooks for which he received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marcia Strassman
Marcia Ann Strassman (April 28, 1948 – October 24, 2014) was an American actress and singer. She played Nurse Margie Cutler on ''M*A*S*H'', Julie Kotter on ''Welcome Back, Kotter'', and Diane Szalinski in the film ''Honey, I Shrunk the Kids'' (1989). Life and career Strassman was born in New York City and raised in Passaic, New Jersey. Among her earliest acting credits was an appearance in an episode of ''The Patty Duke Show''. In 1963, at age 15, she succeeded Liza Minnelli in the role of Ethel Hofflinger in the Off-Broadway musical '' Best Foot Forward''. In 1967, she became a recording artist for Uni Records. Her debut single, "The Flower Children", was a top-40 hit in many West Coast U.S. markets, hitting #4 in San Diego and #2 in San Francisco; the track also hit #3 in Vancouver, British Columbia (both at CKLG 730 AM and CFUN 1410 AM in July 1967). However, the single failed to break out nationally in either country; the record stalled at #105 in the United States, an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tim Reid
Timothy Lee Reid (born December 19, 1944) is an American actor, comedian and film director best known for his roles in prime time American television programs, such as Venus Flytrap on ''WKRP in Cincinnati'' (1978–82), Marcel "Downtown" Brown on '' Simon & Simon'' (1983–87), Ray Campbell on '' Sister, Sister'' (1994–99) and William Barnett on ''That '70s Show'' (2004–06). Reid starred in a CBS series, ''Frank's Place'', as a professor who inherits a Louisiana restaurant. Reid is the founder and president of Legacy Media Institute, a non-profit organization "dedicated to bringing together leading professionals in the film and television industry, outstanding actors, and young men and women who wish to pursue a career in the entertainment media". Early years Reid was born in Norfolk, Virginia, and raised in the Crestwood area of Chesapeake, formerly Norfolk County, Virginia. He is the son of William Lee and Augustine (née Wilkins) Reid. He had experienced segregatio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frank Rich
Frank Hart Rich Jr. (born 1949) is an American essayist and liberal op-ed columnist, who held various positions within ''The New York Times'' from 1980 to 2011. He has also produced television series and documentaries for HBO. Rich is currently writer-at-large for '' New York'' magazine, where he writes essays on politics and culture and engages in regular dialogues on news of the week for the "Daily Intelligencer". He served as executive producer of the long-running HBO comedy series ''Veep'', having joined the show at its outset in 2011, and of the HBO drama series '' Succession''. Early life Born on June 2, 1949, Rich grew up in Washington, D.C. His mother, Helene Fisher (née Aaronson), a schoolteacher and artist, was from a Russian Jewish family that originally settled in Brooklyn, New York, but moved to Washington after the stock market crash of 1929. His father, Frank Hart Rich, a businessman, was from a German Jewish family long-settled in Washington. He attended publ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jerry Orbach
Jerome Bernard Orbach (October 20, 1935 – December 28, 2004) was an American actor and singer, described at the time of his death as "one of the last'' bona fide'' leading men of the Broadway musical and global celebrity on television" and a "versatile stage and film actor". Orbach's professional career began on the New York stage, both on and off-Broadway, where he created roles such as El Gallo in the original off-Broadway run of '' The Fantasticks'' (1960) and became the first performer to sing that show's standard "Try to Remember", Billy Flynn in the original ''Chicago'' (1975–1977), and Julian Marsh in '' 42nd Street'' (1980–1985). Nominated for multiple Tony Awards, Orbach won for his performance as Chuck Baxter in '' Promises, Promises'' (1968–1972). Later in his career, Orbach played supporting roles in films such as ''Prince of the City'' (1981), '' Dirty Dancing'' (1987), ''Crimes and Misdemeanors'' (1989), and, as a voice actor, Disney's ''Beauty and the Bea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Henry Jones (actor)
Henry Burk Jones (August 1, 1912 – May 17, 1999) was an American actor of stage, film and television. Early years Jones was born in New Jersey, and was raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Helen (née Burk) and John Francis Xavier Jones. He was the grandson of Pennsylvania Representative Henry Burk, a German immigrant. Jones attended the Jesuit Saint Joseph's Preparatory School. Career Early in his career, he performed with the Hedgerow Theatre near Philadelphia. His first Broadway appearance was in Maurice Evans's 1938 ''Hamlet''. During World War II, he served in the army and was cast in Irving Berlin's ''This is the Army''. Jones is remembered for his role as handyman Leroy Jessup in the movie ''The Bad Seed'' (1956), a role he originated on Broadway. Other theater credits included ''My Sister Eileen'', ''The Time of Your Life'', '' They Knew What They Wanted'', ''The Solid Gold Cadillac'', and ''Sunrise at Campobello'', for which he won the Tony Awar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Ogden Stiers
David Allen Ogden Stiers ( ; October 31, 1942 – March 3, 2018) was an American actor and conductor. He appeared in numerous productions on Broadway, and originated the role of Feldman in ''The Magic Show'', in which he appeared for four years between 1974 and 1978. In 1977, he was cast as Major Charles Emerson Winchester III, M.D., on the television series ''M*A*S*H'', a role he portrayed until the series' conclusion in 1983, and which earned him two Emmy Award nominations. He appeared prominently in the 1980s in the role of District Attorney Michael Reston in several ''Perry Mason'' television films, and voiced a number of Disney characters during the 1990s and 2000s, most notably Cogsworth in 1991's ''Beauty and the Beast'', Governor Ratcliffe and Wiggins in 1995's ''Pocahontas'', Kamaji in 2001's ''Spirited Away'', and Dr. Jumba Jookiba in the ''Lilo & Stitch'' franchise. He appeared in television again on the supernatural drama series '' The Dead Zone'' as Reverend ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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