Contemporary Actors Archives

Jackie Chan

Jackie Chan was born in Hong Kong in 1954. One of his first films was “The Hand of Death” in 1976. Among his other films are “Shanghai Noon” and “The Accidental Spy”.

TCM Overview:

After first establishing his martial arts prowess in his native Hong Kong, actor-choreographer-director Jackie Chan translated his massive success in Southeast Asia to become a huge international star, particularly in America. With a reputation as an unrelenting performer willing to risk bodily injury – both with himself and his fellow stuntmen – to create elaborate and jaw-dropping action sequences, Chan amazed critics and audiences with his sheer technical skill while redefining Hong Kong action movies by bringing in an element of comedy. He spent the first couple of decades finding his footing, but had a major breakthrough with the action-comedy, “Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow” (1978), which propelled the previously-struggling performer into the limelight. Though he took a shot at Hollywood with “Battle Creek Brawl” (1980) and “The Cannonball Run” (1981), he would have to wait until “Rumble in the Bronx” (1996) to make his mark in the United States. But it was his starring turn in the wildly popular “Rush Hour” (1998) and its sequels that cemented his place as one of Hollywood’s elite action stars. His status as a bankable actor was further enhanced with “Shanghai Noon” (2001) and its follow-up, “Shanghai Knights” (2003), though he took a stumble with “Around the World in 80 Days” (2004). While he returned to Hong Kong for a number of films, including his first with Jet Li, “The Forbidden Kingdom” (2008), Chan remained busy in Hollywood, as he retained his hold on being a popular box office draw.

The above TCM overview can also be accessed online here.

His website is here.

Marin Sheen was born in 1940 in Dayton, Ohio. He first came to public attention in the brilliant “Badlands”. His other major film credits include “Da”, “Catholics”, “Gettysburg”, “Apocalypse Now” and “Wall Street”. He had a major success with the long running “The West Wing”. Marftin Sheen is a well-known and respected activist. He is the father of actors Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen. He is an Irish citizen.

TCM Overview:

One of the busiest, most conscientious actors who ever worked in Hollywood, Martin Sheen put together a Herculean body of work – though much of it forgettable – that contained enough highlights to consider him to be among the great actors of his generation. After establishing himself as a youth run amok, most notably in “Badlands” (1973), Sheen grew over the years into a patriarchal figure whose rectitude and social responsibility kept with his liberal Catholic activism. A proud family man who saw all four children enter the acting business, with sons Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen enjoying lucrative careers of their own, he was perhaps most noted for his performance in Francis Ford Coppola’s storied “Apocalypse Now” (1979), on which he suffered a near-fatal heart attack while seen onscreen in a drunken, unscripted meltdown the director incorporated into the finished product. But he subdued his rebellious ways with the help of Alcoholics Anonymous, while putting his political activism to the fore with an enduring portrayal of an idealistic president on “The West Wing” (NBC, 1999-2006), which allowed him to put his two greatest passions – acting and activism – on full display. …

The above TCM overview can also be accessed online here.

Interview on Youtube here.

Mark Wahlberg was born in 1971 in Boston. His movies include “Boogie Nights” in 1997, “The Perfect Storm” in 2000 and “The Fighter” in 2010.

TCM Overview:

By his own admission, actor Mark Wahlberg went from a jailed Boston street thug to a respected, legitimate actor in less than a decade, with attention-grabbing stops as a rapper and underwear model along the way. He received his first acting kudos for his starring role as ambitious porn star Dirk Diggler in “Boogie Nights” (1997), but proving he was no one-hit-wonder, went on to deliver memorable performances in “Three Kings” (1999), “Four Brothers” (2005) and “The Departed” (2006), for which he received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Wahlberg also made his mark as co-creator and executive producer of HBO’s comedy series “Entourage” (2004-2011), with its loosely-based portrayal of his life as a young star suddenly flush with cash, power and women. While reaping the critical success of that show, Wahlberg moved on to more adult roles, playing a reluctant Marine sniper in “Shooter” (2007) and a father grieving the tragic murder of his daughter in “The Lovely Bones” (2009). By the time he tackled the Oscar-baiting role of real-life underdog boxer Micky Ward in “The Fighter” (2010), Wahlberg was firmly established as one of Hollywood’s more versatile performers. …

The above TCM overview can also be accessed online here.

Interview with Wahlberg here.

Michael Chiklis is a popular American actor of Greek parentage. He was born in 1963 in Lowell, Massachusetts. He played the part of John Belushi in the film “Wired” in 1989. He also began appearing as a guest star on such popular TV series as “LA Law”, “Murphy Brown” and “Miami Vice”. He is currently playing the lead role in “The Shield”.

TCM Overview:

Distinct and intense, actor Michael Chiklis spent years on the cusp of stardom before finally exploding onto the cultural landscape playing corrupt LAPD detective Vic Mackey on the hardcore cop drama, “The Shield” (FX, 2002-08). Prior to his portrayal of the reprehensible, but doggedly loyal Mackey, Chiklis bounced around episodic television and small features – including his first feature film “Wired” (1989), the controversial telling of comic John Belushi’s tailspin into drugs up to his ultimately death. When he was only in his late twenties, Chiklis was cast as “The Commish” (ABC, 1991-95) on the likable cop drama about the chief of police in a New York state town who often solves his crimes in an unorthodox manner. While established as a bona fide, Emmy-winning television star on “The Shield,” self-professed comic book fan Chiklis sought feature stardom by playing Ben Grimm/The Thing in “The Fantastic Four” (2005) and the sequel “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer” (2007). Despite high-profile recognition in a summer popcorn movie, Chiklis was long revered for his turn as Vic Mackey, one of the most complicated and fascinating characters to have ever been created for series television. …

The above TCM overview can also be accessed online here.

His “Wikipedia” page is here.

Martin Shaw TCM Overview

Martin Shaw was born in Birmingham in 1945. At the age of sixteen he won a scholarship to a drama school in his native city. He declined the offerto work in the office of a brass manufacturing company. At the age of eighteen he came to London to attend the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He began acting on television in 1967 and played in “Coronation Street” for a time. He has made some films including “Love on the Dole” and “Operation Daybreak”. He has though become an icon on television. He starred in “The Professionals” from 1977 until 1982 followed by “Judge John Deed” and “Inspector George Gently”. He has often appeared on the stage including “A Streetcar Named Desire” in London in 1974 opposite Claire Bloom and “An Ideal Husband” which he took to Broadway where he nominated for a Tony. Martin Shaw interview with “MailOnline” here.

TCM Overview:

Though Martin Shaw started in classical theater, he is most known for acting in British television crime dramas as a benevolent figure of authority. Shaw got his start on television in a one-off role on the longest-running soap opera in England, “Coronation Street,” but had his first significant recurring role as soccer enthusiast and lovable alcoholic Huw Evans in the medical comedy series “Doctor in the House.”

A few years later, he was cast in the most significant film of his career, Roman Polanskiâ¿¿s “Macbeth”; Shaw played Banquo, the friend whom Macbeth murders and who later returns as a ghost.

After starring and costarring in numerous BBC productions of plays, and taking one-off parts in other shows, Shaw landed the role of Doyle in “The Professionals.” This action-packed crime drama, related to the 1960s series “The Avengers,” featured Shaw as one of a secret team of law enforcement agents who use unconventional methods to catch criminals. Through the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, Shaw continued to star in a number of television series playing law enforcers of different sorts.

Notable appearances in the 2000s include the longest-running BBC legal drama, “Judge John Deed,” in which he starred in the title role, as well as “Inspector George Gently,” again starring as the eponymous character. In both roles, Shaw played honest men struggling to serve justice fairly within the constraints of governmental bureaucracy.

The above TCM Overview can also be accessed online here.

Jonny Lee Miller was born in 1972 in Kingston, England. His grandfather was the great English character actor Bernard Lee, M in the early James Bond movies. In 1995 he had a popular hit with “Hackers” with Anjelina Jolie who he was married to for a time. His other films include “Trainspotting”, “Afterglow” with Julie Christie and “The Flying Scotsman”.

TCM Overview:

With a charm and wit that was uniquely British, Jonny Lee Miller brought a passion and dedication to acting that earned him a lasting, though mostly under-the-radar career from stage to screen. Whether portraying heroin addict Sick Boy in Danny Boyle’s critically acclaimed “Trainspotting” (1996) or a record-breaking cyclist in “The Flying Scotsman” (2006), Miller’s varied performances earned him much notice in Britain. In America, he first became known as Angelina Jolie’s first ex-husband, but that all changed in 2008 when he stormed primetime American television as a prophetic lawyer who has strange visions on “Eli Stone” (ABC, 2008-09). Though the show only lasted two seasons, it was enough to put the British actor on the map stateside. From there, he played the villain on the fifth season of “Dexter” (Showtime, 2006- ), was a shiftless ne’er-do-well in “Dark Shadows” (2012) and was the star of the praised revamp of the Sherlock Holmes tale “Elementary” (CBS, 2012- ). Having finally elevated his status in the States, Miller established himself as a major leading player primed for true stardom.

The above TCM overview can also be accessed online here.

Interview with “MailOnline” here.

C. Thomas Howell was born in 1966 in Van Nuys, California. He made his mark in “The Outsiders” and also in “The Hitcher” with Rutger Hauer. In “Tank” he was the son of Shirley Jones and James Garner. His later films include “The Day the Earth Stopped”.

TCM Overview:

When he was in his teens this baby-faced leading man’s career blossomed with his affecting performance as Ponyboy Curtis, the sensitive greaser with the soul of a writer, in Francis Ford Coppola’s classic, “The Outsiders” (1983). Then, as quickly as his Tiger Beat status began, the bottom fell out after only a few years. Despite such minor hits as “Red Dawn” (1984) and “Soul Man” (1986), Howell’s career descended into direct-to-video flicks and filler TV movies for the latter part of the decade, into the 1990s. Of the all-star cast of “The Outsiders,” Howell’s big screen success was later overshadowed by Ralph Macchio’s “Karate Kid,” Emilio Estevez’s Brat Pack films — to say nothing of Tom Cruise’s “Top Gun” superstardom. Seemingly fine with his post-“Outsider” status, Howell continued to shine as an actor, even if the majority of the more than 50 films he appeared in were less than memorable.

The above TCM overview can also be accessed online here.

C. Thomas Howell’s website here.

Tim Robbins was born in 1958 in California. His parents were committed activists and he has inherited. After graduating from college in 1981 he founded the Actor’s Gang. His breathrough film role came in 1988 with the baseball drama “Bull Durham”. In 1992 he gained critical acclaim for his performance in Robert Altman’s “The Player”. The same year he made his directorial debut with “Bob Roberts”. He also directed “Dead Man Walking” which starred his then partner Susan Sarandon who won an Academy Award for her performance as the nun Sister Jean Prejean. He won an Academy Award for acting himself in 2003 for “Mystic River”. He will though forever be associated with the magnificent “Shawshank Redemption” which seems to be on everyone’s favour top ten list.

TCM Overview:
Recognized by the Academy as both an actor and a director, Tim Robbins stood out in Hollywood not only for his 6’5″ height, but also for his high-caliber, character-driven work and his career-long commitment to social issues alongside his equally liberal partner, Susan Sarandon. The New York stage actor had his Hollywood breakout in the atypical role of a dim jock in the classic baseball flick, “Bull Durham” (1988), but five years later, he had established himself as a force to be reckoned with as the writer-director of the satire, “Bob Roberts” (1992), and the Golden Globe-winning star of Robert Altman’s sinister industry send-up, “The Player” (1992). While directors like Clint Eastwood continued to tap Robbins the actor for films like “Arlington Road” (1999), “Human Nature” (2002) and “Mystic River” (2003), Robbins the filmmaker went on to helm the acclaimed death penalty drama, “Dead Man Walking” (1995), and the Depression-era musical, “Cradle Will Rock” (1999), where he skillfully offered viewers new perspectives on political and social issues; not through dogma, but through engaging, relatable characters and stories. Though his longtime partnership with Sarandon ended in 2009, Robbins nonetheless remained dedicated to both his causes and his craft.

The above TCM overview can also be accessed online here.

Article on Tim Robbins on the “MailOnline” website here.

Beatie Edney, who was born in 1962 is best known for her role in “Highlander” with Christopher Lambert. She has guest starred in most of the major British television dramas over the past twentyfive years. She is the daughter of actress of Sylvia Syms. Ms Edney’s page on Wikipedia can be accessed here.