The 2000s would prove to be a decades of ups and downs for Disney Feature Animation and a watershed for Pixar. Development of Atlantis: The Lost Empire began in the late 1990s with inspiration from Jules Verne stories, directors Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise along with producer Don Hahn and screenwriter Tab Murphy set out to make a film that would fully explore Atlantis (compared to the brief visit in Verne’s novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea). While primarily utilizing the Internet to research Atlantis mythology, the filmmakers became interested in the clairvoyant readings of Edward Cayce and decided to incorporate some of his ideas into the story such as the mother-crystal that provides the Atlanteans power, healing, and longevity. They also visited museums and old army installations to study early 20^th century technology (which is the film’s time period). They also traveled underground in New Mexico’s Carlsbad Caverns to view subterranean trails that would serve as a model for the film’s approach to Atlantis. Although the legend of Atlantis is based on the writings of the Ancient Greek philosopher Plato, the filmmakers wanted to avoid the common depiction of Atlantis as what Wise called, “crumbled Greek columns.” Art director David Goetz stated, “We looked at Mayan architecture, styles of ancient, unusual architecture from around the world, and the directors really liked the look of Southeast Asian architecture.” The team later took ideas from other architectural forms including Cambodian, Indian, and Tibetan works. For the Atlantean language, the team recruited Klingon language developer linguist Marc Okrand, employing an Indo-European word stock with its own grammatical structure. While John Emerson developed the written component with its own alphabet that could be read left to right on the first line, right to left on the second line, continuing in a zigzag pattern to stimulate water flow. Adopting the distinctive visual style of comic book artist and production designer Mike Mignola, the film made greater use of CGI than any of Disney’s previous animated traditionally animated features and one of the few to have been shot in an anamorphic format. Due to competition amongst the older kid and teenage demographic during the summer of 2001 with Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, The Fast and the Furious, Dr. Dolittle 2, and Shrek, Atlantis: The Lost Empire earned $186 million at the worldwide box office against a budget of $90-120 million, writing it as a box office failure. Reviews were very mixed with a 48% Rotten Tomatoes rating. Although it did get nominated for seven Annie Awards. Yet, despite its initial performance and perception, the film has garnered a cult following and has been reappraised by critics as a mistreated classic.

              Although not the best animated film in 2001, Monsters, Inc. would the first of several movies during the 2000s that would define Pixar as more than a studio that made Toy Story. Although the idea was conceived at a lunch in 1994, work on the film began in 1996. The story took many forms during production. Pete Docter’s original idea featured a 30-year-old man dealing with monsters that he drew in a book as a child coming back to bother him as an adult. Each monster represented a fear he had, and conquering his fear eventually leads the monsters disappearing. However, he scrapped the idea and decide on a buddy movie between a monster whose name would eventually be Sulley was an up-and-comer at his workplace where the company’s purpose was to scare children. From 1996 to 2000, the lead monster and the child went through radical changes as the story evolved with the child varying in age and gender. Until they determined that she be a 3-year-old girl. While the monster’s occupation went from janitor or refinery worker to scarer who fears losing his job and feels envious of another scarer who later became Randall to the company’s top scarer. Mike Wazowski was added later. During this time, Pixar had packed up and moved to their current headquarters to Emeryville while every main character had its own lead animator. Sulley was animated like he was a football player to show his athleticism and appropriately voiced by John Goodman. Yet, animating his blue fur in an efficient and realistic way tend to be the biggest challenge, which they set with a program called Fizt. Another was animating cloth, such as Boo’s clothes. In addition, the complexity of the shots in the film required more computer power to render than any of Pixar’s earlier films combined. They also had to change a scene shortly before its premiere because of the September 11 Attacks where Harryhausen’s Restaurant was decontaminated instead of blown up. Upon its 2001 release, Monsters, Inc. raked in $528 million at the global box office, received critical acclaim, and received the Academy Award for Best Original Song for “If I Didn’t Have You.” Yet, it lost the Best Animated Feature Oscar to Shrek for obvious reasons. Today, it’s one of the most memorable Pixar films. In this post, we’ll meet filmmaker Bob Peterson as well as the voices behind Chici, Kida, Vinny, Dr. Sweet, Audrey, Lieutenant Helga Sinclair, Boo, Celia Mae, Needleman, and Smitty.

271. Wendie Malick

Dates: 1950-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Buffalo, New York. Mother was a model. Father worked in sales. Graduated from Williamsville South High School in 1968. Graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1972. Is an alumna of William Esper Studio for the Performing Arts in Manhattan, New York City. Went to model for the Wilhemina Modeling Agency before leaving to work for Republican Congressman Jack Kemp. Soon left Washington D.C. to pursue a career on stage and screen. Made her first film in 1982.

Movies and Cartoons: The Emperor’s New Groove (2000) as well as various TV series and the direct-to-video Kronk’s New Groove and Brother Bear 2.

Characters: Chicha

Also Known For: Actress and former model best known as Judith Tupper Stone in Dream On, Nina Van Horn in Just Shoot Me!, Victoria Chase in Hot in Cleveland, Gayle Buchannon in Baywatch, Ronee Lawrence in Fraiser, Burdine Maxwell in Bratz, Beatrice Horseman in BoJack Horseman, and Eda Clawthorne in The Owl House. Film appearances include Scrooged, The American President, Racing Stripes, Confessions of a Shopaholic, A Little Sex, Funny About Love, Apollo 11, Trojan War, Jerome, Mana from Heaven, Waiting…, Raising Genius, Adventureland, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, Knucklehead, Jewtopia, Mack & Rita, About Fate, A Little White Lie, The Re-Education of Molly Singer, Mother of All Shows, and Skincare. TV appearances include Saturday Night Live, Trauma Center, Paper Dolls, Mike Hammer, Kate & Allie, Another World, MacGyver, NYPD Blue, L.A. Law, Mad About You, Tales from the Crypt, Seinfeld, Cybill, Champs, Good Company, Goode Behavior, The X-Files, Batman Beyond, Fillmore!, Oliver Beene, The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Reba, Static Shock, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Law & Order, ‘Til Death, The Ex List, Pushing Daisies, All My Children, Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, Bubble Guppies, Ultimate Spider-Man, TripTank, Rush Hour, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, NCIS: New Orleans, Mom, Grace and Frankie, The Ranch, The Boss Baby: Back in Business, Bob Hearts Abishola, Billions, Young Sheldon, Physical, Dear White People, Family Guy, Acapulco, Shrinking, How I Met Your Father, Rugrats, Star Trek: Lower Decks, Night Court, Not Dead Yet, and The Chicken Sisters. Appeared in the SpongeBob SquarePants featuring Nicktoons: Globs of Doom video game.

Personal Life: Married twice. First husband was actor and screenwriter Mitch Glazer from 1982 to their divorce in 1989. Second and current husband is Richard Erickson since 1995.

Later Life: Lives in Topanga, California in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Trivia: Has been nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys and a Golden Globe. Auditioned for the role of Dianne Chambers in Cheers but lost the part.

272. Cree Summer

Dates: 1969-present

Early Life and Career: Born Cree Summer Francks in Los Angeles but grew up in Saskatchewan and Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Father was Canadian actor Don Francks. Family traveled around and lived around British Columbia during her childhood. Started public school in Toronto at 9. Began her career in 1983 as the voice of Penny in cartoon series Inspector Gadget.

Movies and Cartoons: Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) and Toy Story 4 (2019) as well as various direct-to-video installments, series, and a few video games.

Characters: Kidagakash “Kida” Nedakh

Also Known For: Canadian-American actress and singer best known for her extensive work in animation. Best known roles are Elmyra Duff in Tiny Toon Adventures, Susie Carmichael in Rugrats, Lizard in Spirit Rangers, and Winfred “Freddie” Brooks in A Different World. Film appearances include The Care Bears Movie, Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation, The Rugrats Movie, Rugrats in Paris: The Movie, The Wild Thornberrys Movie, Rugrats Go Wild, Blizzard, Clifford’s Really Big Movie, Strange Frame: Love & Sex, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Wild Thing, and Hearts of Fire. TV appearances include Inspector Gadget, Batman Beyond, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Codename: Kids Next Door, Danny Phantom, My Life as a Teenage Robot, Transformers: Animated, Drawn Together, W. I. T. C. H., Star Wars: Droids & Ewoks, The Care Bears Family, Hello Kitty’s Furry Tale Theater, Garbage Pail Kids, The New Yogi Bear Show, Peter Pan and the Pirates, Camp Candy, Captain Planet and the Planeteers, The Plucky Duck Show, Bonkers, Sonic the Hedgehog, Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child,  Freakazoid!, The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat, Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm, Adventures from the Book of Virtues, The Wacky World of Tex Avery, The New Batman Adventures, Superman: The Animated Series, Men in Black: The Series,  The  Incredible Hulk, Oh Yea! Cartoons, Pinky and the Brain, Histeria!, The Wild Thornberrys, Sabrina: The Animated Series, As Told by Ginger, The Zeta Project, Johnny Bravo, Horrible Histories, All Grown Up!, Spider-Man: The New Animated Series, ChalkZone, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Static Shock, The Grim Adventures of Bill & Mandy, Justice League Unlimited, Bratz, Ben 10, Robot Chicken, The Land Before Time, Curious George, WordGirl, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, The Cleveland Show, Pound Puppies, Young Justice, Xiaolin Chronicles, Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, Rick and Morty, The Tom and Jerry Show, The Boondocks, Moonbeam City, Guardians of the Galaxy, Dawn of the Croods, The Powderpuff Girls, The Loud House, DC Super Hero Girls, Muppet Babies, Saturday Morning All-Star Hits!, The Patrick Star Show, Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years, The Legend of Vox Machina, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Atlanta, Queen Sugar, What We Do in the Shadows, and Abbott Elementary. Video game appearances include Fallout, M&M’s The Lost Formulas, Final Fantasy X, Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance, Run Like Hell, Freelancer, Arc of the Land: Twilight of the Spirits, Lords of EverQuest, Pitfall: The Lost Expedition, X-Men Legends, Fantastic Four, Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland, Black, Driver: Parallel Lives, Scarface: The World Is Yours, The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning, Superman Returns, Bratz Forever Diamondz, Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall, InFamous, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Brutal Legend, Marvel Super Hero Squad, Dragon Age: Origins, Mass Effect, StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, Unit 13, Knights Contract, World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria, Skylanders: Swap Force, Young Justice: Legacy, Lichdom: Battlemage, Broken Age, WildStar, Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire, Heroes of the Storm, Destiny 2, and Lego DC Super-Villains.

Personal Life: Older sister of actor, songwriter, and former Much Music VJ Rainbow Sun Francks. Has duel American and Canadian citizenship. Married to producer Angelo Pullen from 2013 until their divorce in 2022. They have 2 daughters born in 2011 and 2013 respectively.

Later Life: Still actively working as of 2025.

Trivia: Received an NAACP Image Award as well as 2 Children’s and Family Emmy nominations. Auditioned for Friends and Family Guy.

273. Don Novello

Dates: 1943-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Ashtabula, Ohio. Father was a physician. Mother was a nurse. Family moved to Lorain, Ohio during his childhood. Graduated from Lorain High School in 1961. Went to the University of Dayton where he graduated in 1964. In 1965, he graduated with a Bachelor of Foreign Trade degree from what is now the Thunderbird School of Global Management of Arizona State University. During the late 1960s, Novello worked as a copywriter for Leo Burnett in Chicago. Created the character of Father Guido Sarducci in 1973 after finding a monsignor’s outfit for $7.50 at a St. Vincent de Paul thrift store. Adding sunglasses, a broom mustache, cigarette, and a thick Italian accent, Sarducci became popular in a San Francisco nightclub. He appeared on San Francisco Channel 20’s Chicken Little Comedy Show with comic Dan Steinberg in the audience. Although Steinberg initially hired Novello as a writer for a TV show that never aired, he introduced him to the Smothers Brothers who hired him, too. Thus, in 1975, Novello performed on The Smothers Brothers Show, appearing as Sarducci. Also in the 1970s, Novello began writing letters to famous people under the name of Lazlo Toth (after the deranged man who vandalized Michelangelo’s Pieta, not Adrien Brody’s Oscar-winning role in The Brutalist). These letters, written to suggest a serious but misinformed and obtuse correspondent (akin to that of Borat or Philomena Cunk), were designed to tweak the noses of politicians and corporations. Many of them received serious responses. While Novello continued the charade correspondence at length, with humorous results. These letters and responses were published in a series of books called The Lazlo Letters, Citizen Lazlo!, and From Bush to Bush: The Lazlo Toth Letters. It was the first of these books that caught the attention of producer Lorne Michaels who hired him as a writer for Saturday Night Live in 1977.

Movies and Cartoons: Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) and a direct-to-video sequel.

Characters: Vincenzo “Vinny” Santorini

Also Known For: Actor, comedian, writer, singer, director, and producer best known for his character of L’Observatore Romano gossip columnist and rock critic Father Guido Sarducci who’s appeared on shows like Saturday Night Live, Married…with Children, It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, Unhappily Ever After, Square Pegs, Blossom, and The Colbert Report as well as the film Gilda Live. Film appearances include Mr. Mike’s Mondo Video, Head Office, Tucker: The Man and His Dream, New York Stories, The Spirit of ’76, The Godfather Part III, Teenage Bonnie and Klepto Clyde, Casper, Jack, Just the Ticket, The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, Just One Night, Factory Girl, Twixt, and Palo Alto. TV appearances include Histeria!, Rent Control, SCTV, The Smothers Brothers Show, and Blondes vs. Brunettes.

Personal Life: Former brother-in-law of former US Surgeon General Antonia Novello. Married to Kathleen Marie Dieterich from 1975 until their divorce.

Later Life: Currently lives in San Anselmo, California.

Trivia: While dressed as Father Guido Sarducci, Novello and his photographer were arrested by Swiss Guards at the Vatican for impersonating a priest in 1981. Charges were later dropped though. Novello considered it an honor and hoped that he next get arrested in Utah for impersonating an Osmond. In 2010, he gave the benediction at the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear hosted by Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.

274. Phil Morris

Dates: 1959-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Ohio. Father was actor Greg Morris. First acting role was in 1966 as a child when he appeared in the Star Trek episode “Miri,” which was shot at the same Desilu studio where his father worked on Mission: Impossible. Made his film debut in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock in 1984.

Movies and Cartoons: Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) as well as a direct-to-video sequel, various series, and the Atlantis: The Lost Empire: Trial by Fire video game.

Characters: Dr. Joshua Strongbear Sweet

Also Known For: Actor best known as Jackie Chiles in Seinfeld, Martian Manhunter in Smallville, Silas Stone in Doom Patrol, and Doc Saturday in The Secret Saturdays. Film appearances include Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, P. I. Private Investigations, Jingle All the Way, Wag the Dog, Devil in the Flesh, Clay Pigeons, 3 Strikes, Comic Book: The Movie, Frostbite, Underdog, Meet the Spartans, Black Dynamite, and Officer Downe. TV appearances include Star Trek: The Original Series, Knight Rider, The Young and the Restless, Marblehead Manor, Cheers, Mission: Impossible, Murder, She Wrote, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Living Single, The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat, Diagnosis: Murder, Babylon 5, The Wayans Bros., Melrose Place, Martin, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, JAG, Moesha, Beverly Hills 90210, Star Trek: Voyager, Men in Black: The Series, Girlfriends, Justice League, Static Shock, Clifford the Big Red Dog, The Tracy Morgan Show, Still Standing, Danny Phantom, Dave the Barbarian, Will & Grace, NCIS, Loonatics Unleashed,  CSI: Miami, Wolverine and the X-Men, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Black Panther, Hot in  Cleveland, Green Lantern: The Animated Series, The Boondocks, Girl Meets World, Lego Scooby-Doo! Knight Time Terror, Black-ish, Fuller House, NCIS: Los Angeles, Young Sheldon, and Young Justice. Video game appearances include Command & Conquer: Yuri’s Revenge, Freelancer, Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness, Law & Order: Justice Is Served, Ratchet: Deadlocked, True Crime: New York City, Reservoir Dogs, Saints Row, The Sopranos: Road to Respect, Spider-Man 3, Destroy All Humans! Big Willy Unleashed, Kung Fu Panda, Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall, Red Faction: Guerrilla, Undead Knights, The Secret Saturdays: Beasts of the 5^th Sun, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, Spider-Man, Days Gone, Star Wars: Squadrons, and Deadlock.

Personal Life: Younger brother of actress Iona Morris. Married to interior designer Carla Gittelson since 1983. They have 2 children.

Later Life: Still actively working as of 2025.

Trivia: Is a practitioner of Wing Chun under Shifu Hawkins Cheung. Took great pleasure in playing Jackie Chiles in “The Abstinence” episode of Seinfeld where he sued a tobacco company since he was often teased for having the same name as the tobacco brand Philip Morris. Was friends with Peter Graves whom he saw as an acting mentor and knew his real-life children.

275. Claudia Christian

Dates: 1965-present

Early Life and Career: Born Claudia Ann Coghlan in Glendale, California. Mother was from Germany and worked as director of Giorgio Beverly Hills. Was raised in Connecticut with her 3 older brothers. Her oldest brother Patrick was killed by a drunk driver while her family lived in Houston, Texas in 1974. Family later moved back to California when she was 14. Later changed her name by deed poll to Christian and moved to Hollywood to begin her acting career. First screen appearance was on Dallas.

Movies and Cartoons: Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)

Characters: Lieutenant Helga Katrina Sinclair

Also Known For: Actress best known for her roles as Commander Susan Ivanova in Babylon 5, Captain Maynard in Reno 9-1-1!, and Hera in Blood of Zeus. Film appearances include Houston: The Legend of Texas, Police Story: Monster Manor, Clean and Sober, Never on Tuesday, Shannon’s Deal, Tale of Two Sisters, Maniac Cop 2, Think Big, A Gnome Named Gnorm, Lies of the Twins, The Women Who Sinned, The Dark Backward, Arena, Hexed, The Chase, Snide and Prejudice, Final Voyage, Love & Sex, Half Past Dead, The Failures, The Garden, Meteor Apocalypse, Watercolor Postcards, California Scheming, The Winter with No Hands, and One Little Pill. TV appearances include Dallas, Falcon Crest, Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer, The A-Team, It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, Quantum Leap, Matlock, Murder, She Wrote, L.A. Law, Columbo, Space Rangers, Freaks and Geeks, NYPD Blue, Everwood, Nip/Tuck, Grimm, Criminal Minds, Castle, The Mentalist, and NCIS. Video game appearances include Solar Eclipse, Summoner 2, Shrek 2, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Guild Wars 2, Darksiders II, Halo 4, Heroes of the Storm, Starcraft II: Legacy of the Void, Fallout 4, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, World of Warcraft: Legion, Fallout 76, and Legends of Runeterra. Wrote a number of non-fiction books like My Life with Geeks and Freaks, Babylon Confidential: A Memoir of Love, Sex, and Addiction, Journeys: Inspirational Stories of Recovery from Alcohol Addiction Using a Breakthrough Scientific Method, Snack Hacks (with Mark Michel), and the introduction for the second edition of The Cure for Alcoholism: The Medically Proven Way to Eliminate Alcohol Addiction. Also wrote fiction including The Misadventures of Miss Emma Bradford (aka Emma Bradford and the Mystery of Queen Tut), Wolf’s Empire: Gladiator, The Original: The Trials of Sara Larkin, and a science fiction universe named Dark Legacies with Chris McAuley.

Personal Life: Married to screenwriter Gary DeVore from 1988 until their divorce in 1992. Struggled with alcoholism.

Later Life: Has become an advocate for The Sinclair Methods (TSM), a medication-based treatment for alcoholism, that she has credited with saving her life in 2009. In 2013, she founded the C Three Foundation to educate medical professionals and alcoholics about TSM’s success. She’s spread the word through her TEDx talk on the subject, podcast appearances, contributions to magazine articles, as well as in TV, newspaper, and magazine interviews.

Trivia: Has been nominated for 2 Saturn Awards for Babylon 5. Once auditioned for the role of Seven of Nine for Star Trek: Voyager. Once posed nude for Playboy.

276. Jacqueline Obradors

Dates: 1966-present

Early Life and Career: Born in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, California. Parents were Argentine immigrants. Mother worked at a church. Father owned a cleaning business. Was a cashier at Hughes Market before she became an actress. Began her career by starring in action movies.

Movies and Cartoons: Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) as well as a direct-to-video sequel.

Characters: Audrey Rocio Ramirez

Also Known For: Actress best known as Detective Rita Ortiz in NYPD Blue. Film appearances include Six Days, Seven Nights, Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, Tortilla Soup, A Man Apart, Unstoppable, Soldier Boyz, Crossing Over, Bad Asses, Windows on the World, and Palm Springs. TV appearances include Parker Lewis, Diagnosis: Murder, Murder, She Wrote, Sliders, Renegade, L.A. Doctors, George Lopez, Freddie, Cold Case, NCIS, Curious George, Young Justice, Castle, Lopez, Mayans M. C., Bosch, Daisy Jones & the Six, Fraiser, and Grey’s Anatomy. Appeared in Rain of Ghosts video game.

Personal Life: Married to Juan Garcia and has 2 children.

Later Life: Still actively working as of 2025.

Trivia: None.

277. Mary Gibbs

Dates: 1996-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Pasadena, California. Daughter of Pixar director and story artist Robert Gibbs. Was a toddler when she was recorded as Boo’s voice for Monsters, Inc. (2001). Her parents helped the crew simulate scenarios that would elicit the needed audio reactions that would be Gibbs’ lines. But naturally, recording would be difficult because Gibbs would run all over the Pixar office. As toddlers naturally would.

Movies and Cartoons: Monsters, Inc. (2001), Monsters University (2013), and Inside Out (2015) as well as direct-to-video The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride.

Characters: Boo, Girl in Cabin, and Baby Riley

Also Known For: Voice actress best known as Janessa Jensen in the audio drama series Heroes of Extinction for Adventurous Ideas, LLC.

Personal Life: I couldn’t find anything about her personal life except that her father died in 2020.

Later Life: Had scoliosis as a teenager before she had surgery in 2012 to fix it. Returned to voice acting in 2022. Has also appeared at conventions as well as documented her life and time as Boo on her YouTube channel Boo Grown Up.

Trivia: None.

278. Jennifer Tilly

Dates: 1958-present

Early Life and Career: Born Jennifer Ellen Chan in Los Angeles, California. Father was a used car salesman of Chinese descent. He was also a gambler and poker player who gave Tilly a video game World Series of Poker. Mother was a former stage actress and a schoolteacher from Canada. Parents divorced when she was 5 and she was raised by her mother and stepfather in rural Texada Island, British Columbia. According to her sister Meg, Tilly’s stepfather was a sadistic pedophile. Mother and stepfather divorced when Tilly was 16. Family then moved to Langford, a suburb in Victoria, British Columbia where Tilly attended Belmont Secondary School. During her high school years, Tilly developed an interest in theater, which prompted her to participate in plays as an extra with her mother’s assistance. Later received a bachelor’s degree in theater from Stephens College in Missouri.

Movies and Cartoons: Monsters, Inc. (2001) and Home on the Range (2004) as well as the series Monsters at Work. First Hollywood gig was in 1983.

Characters: Celia Mae and Grace

Also Known For: Canadian-American actress and professional poker player who’s known for her breathy voice and comic timing. Best known as Olive Neal in Bullets Over Broadway, Violet in Bound, Tiffany Valentine in Bride of Chucky and Chucky series, and Bonnie Swanson in Family Guy. Film appearances include The Fabulous Baker Boys, Made in America, Liar Liar, Music from Another Room, Stuart Little, The Cat’s Meow, The Haunted Mansion, Tideland, No Small Affair, Moving Violations, Johnny Be Good, Far from Home, The Doors, Scorchers, Shadow of the Wolf, The Getaway, Embrace the Vampire, Man with a Gun, The Pompatus of Love, American Strays, House Arrest, The Wrong Guy, The Muse, Do Not Disturb, Play It to the Bone, Cord, Bruno (2000), The Crew, Dancing at the Blue Iguana, Fast Sofa, Hollywood North, Jericho Mansions, Happy End, Second Best, El Padrino, Saint Ralph, Love on the Side, The Civilization of Maxwell Bright, Deal, Inconceivable, An American Girl: Clarissa Stands Strong, Empire of Silver, Made in Romania, The Making of Plus One, Return to Babylon, Unity, Ray Meets Helen, and 7 Days in Vegas. TV appearances include Hill Street Blues, Remington Steele, Cheers, It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, Moonlighting, Dream On, Key West, Hey Arnold!, Frasier, The Cleveland Show, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Drop Dead Diva, Modern Family, RuPaul’s Drag Race, The Simpsons, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and SpongeBob SquarePants.

Personal Life: Older sister of actress Meg Tilly. Married to Simpsons developer and producer Sam Simon from 1984 until their divorce in 1991. As of 2018, Tilly receives 30% of net proceeds that Simon’s estate receives from the show. Has been in a relationship with professional poker player Philip Laak since 2004.

Later Life: Was a champion poker player from the 2000s where she won the 2005 World Series Poker bracelet and a prize around $158,000 in the Ladies’ No-Limit Texas hold ‘em event, beating 600 other players. That same year, she won the World Poker Tour Ladies’ Invitational Tournament. Played in the Celebrity Poker Showdown in 2006 and finished third. Has appeared in the GSN Poker Royale and Poker After Dark. As of 2025, Tilly’s live tournament winnings have exceeded $1 million.

Trivia: Has been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Bullets Over Broadway as well as won 2 Saturn Awards as well as a GLAAD Media Award.

279. Bob Peterson

Dates: 1961-present

Early Life and Career: Born Robert Peterson in Wooster, Ohio. Attended Ohio Northern University where he received a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering in 1983. Went to Purdue University where he earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1986. Hired at Pixar by Roger Gould in 1994, starting in commercials and shorts before moving to feature films.

Movies and Cartoons: Monsters, Inc. (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), The Incredibles (2004), Cars (2006), Up (2009), Toy Story 3 (2010), Monsters University (2013), Finding Dory (2016), Cars 3 (2017), and Toy Story 4 (2019) as well as various shorts, series, and video games.

Characters: Roz, Mr. Ray, Pelican, Dolphin, Dug, Alpha, Janitor, Chick Hicks, and Dr. Damage.

Also Known For: Animator, director, screenwriter, storyboard supervisor, and voice actor at Pixar since 1994. Has worked behind the scenes of Toy Story (1995), A Bug’s Life (1998), Toy Story 2 (1999), Monsters, Inc. (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), Cars (2006), Ratatouille (2007), WALL-E (2008), Up (2009), Toy Story 3 (2010), Cars 2 (2011), Brave (2012), Monsters University (2013), Inside Out (2015), The Good Dinosaur (2015), Finding Dory (2016), Cars 3 (2017), Coco (2017), Incredibles 2 (2018), Toy Story 4 (2019), Onward (2020), Soul (2020), Luca (2021), Turning Red (2022), Lightyear (2022), Elemental (2023), and Inside Out 2 (2024). Has also voiced a dog named Derby for an E:60 profile on ESPN that chronicled the Trenton Thunder’s minor league baseball team’s tradition of using bat dogs.

Personal Life: I can’t find anything on this guy’s personal life.

Later Life: Still actively working as of 2025.

Trivia: Has been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Finding Nemo. Has also won a Primetime Emmy for the Forky Asks a Question short series.

280. Daniel Gerson

Dates: 1966-2016

Early Life and Career: Born in New York City and grew up in the Upper West Side. Attended the Ethical Culture Fieldston School before studying at Cornell University where he was a member of the Mu chapter of the Sigma Pi fraternity. Studied for an MFA at NYU and wrote for NBC before joining Pixar in 1999.

Movies and Cartoons: Monsters, Inc. (2001), Monsters University (2013), and Big Hero 6 (2014)

Characters: Needleman and Smitty, and Desk Sergeant Gerson

Also Known For: Screenwriter and voice actor best known for his work at Pixar and Walt Disney Animated Studios. Contributed material for Monsters, Inc. (2001), Chicken Little (2005), Cars (2006), Meet the Robinsons (2007), Monsters University (2013), and Big Hero 6 (2014), and Cars 3 (2017). Also wrote on shows like Big Wolf on Campus and Something So Right.

Personal Life: Married to Beau Stacom from 1995 until his death with whom he had 2 children. Also, according to Imdb, I have to clarify that despite the name, Stacom’s a woman in order to avoid confusion. Mainly because she has a name that’s mainly used for boys.

Later Life: Died in 2016 in Los Angeles from heart failure and brain cancer-related complications at 49.

Trivia: Has won a BAFTA Award.