Inspiration for Finding Nemo came from multiple experiences regarding Andrew Stanton. During his childhood, he loved going to the dentist to see the fish tank, assuming that the fish were from the ocean and wanted to go home. In 1992, shortly after his son was born, he took the family to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (then Marine World). There, after seeing the shark tube at various exhibits, he felt that the underwater world could be beautifully done in computer animation. In 1997, he took his son for a walk in the park but realize he was overprotecting him and lost an opportunity to have a father-son experience that day. The idea of Marlin and Nemo came from a photo of 2 clownfish out of an anemone. Since they’re colorful and don’t come out of the anemone often, Stanton felt clownfish was a perfect character who has to go on a dangerous journey. He began writing the screenplay for Finding Nemo during the post-production of A Bug’s Life in 1997. As a result, the film began production with a complete screenplay. The artists took scuba diving lessons to study a coral reef. To ensure the fish movements in the movie were believable, the animators took a crash course in fish biology and oceanography. They visited aquariums, went diving in Hawaii, and received in-house lectures from an ichthyologist. As a result, they according to animator Gini Gruz Santos, integrated “the fish movement, human movement, and facial expressions to make them look and feel like real characters.” At its 2003, release Finding Nemo earned $871 at the worldwide box office and rave reviews. Was even nominated for 4 Academy Awards and became the first Pixar film to win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. It’s also the best-selling DVD title of all time with 40 million copies sold. In this post we’ll meet the voices behind 2 more Treasure Planet characters, Marlin, Nemo, Peach, Bubbles, Gurgle, Deb and Flo, Coral, and Bruce.

291. Michael Wincott

Dates: 1958-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Toronto, Ontario in Canada and grew up in an east-end suburb. Father was English. Mother was from Italy. Fell in love with cinema as a child and took drama classes in high school. Attended Victoria University, a college of the University of Toronto. Enrolled in the Julliard School in 1982, where he graduated in 1986. Starred in first film in 1976.

Movies and Cartoons: Treasure Planet (2002) as well as The Treasure Planet Read-Along DVD video short, and the Treasure Planet video game.

Characters: Scroop

Also Known For: Canadian actor with a deep raspy voice, which often landed him in villainous roles. Best known as Guy of Gisbourne in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Top Dollar in The Crow, Philo Gant in Strange Days, Frank Elgyn in Alien Resurrection, Adrian Cross in 24: Live Another Day, and Antlers Holst in Nope. Film appearances include Nothing Personal, Wild Horse Hank, Ticket to Heaven, Circle of Two, Curtains, The Sicilian, Talk Radio, Bloodhounds of Broadway, Born on the Fourth of July, The Doors, 1492: Conquest of Paradise, Romeo Is Bleeding, The Three Musketeers (1993), Dead Man, Panther, Basquiat, Dead Girl, Metro, Gunshy, Before Night Falls, Along Came a Spider, The Count of Monte Cristo (2002), The Assassination of Richard Nixon, Seraphim Falls, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, What Just Happened, A Lonely Place for Dying, Hitchcock, The Girl from Nagasaki, Knight of Cups, Forsaken, and Ghost in the Shell. TV appearances include An American Christmas Carol, The Littlest Hobo, Night Heat, Crime Story, The Equalizer, Miami Vice, The Tragedy of Flight 103: The Inside Story, Westworld, and Veni Vidi Vici. Video game appearances include Halo 2, Narc, Syndicate, and Darksiders II. Stage appearances include Talk Radio, Serious Money, and The Secret Rapture.

Personal Life: Brother of actor and martial artist Jeff Wincott. Other than that, I couldn’t  find   much about his personal life.

Later Life: Still actively working as of 2025.

Trivia: None.

292. Patrick McGoohan

Dates:1928-2009

Early Life and Career: Born in Astoria in Queens, New York City to Irish Catholic immigrant parents. Soon after he was born, his family moved back to Ireland where they settled in the Mullaghmore area of Carrigallen, County Leitrim. Moved to England 7 years later, settling in Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire. Attended St. Marie’s School, St. Vincent’s School, and De La Salle College in Sheffield. During World War II, he was evacuated to Loughborough where he attended Ratcliffe College around the same time as actor Ian Bannen. Excelled in mathematics and boxing. Left school at 16 to return to Sheffield where he worked as a chicken farmer, bank clerk, and truck driver before landing a stage manager job for Sheffield Repertory Theatre. When an actor got sick, McGoohan filled in, which began his career.

Movies and Cartoons: Treasure Planet (2002) as well as Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color.

Characters: Billy Bones

Also Known For: Anglo-Irish American actor who’s best known as John Drake in Danger Man, Number Six in The Prisoner, David Jones in Ice Station Zebra, James Stewart, 1^st Earl of Moray in Mary, Queen of Scots (1971), the Warden in Escape from Alcatraz, Dr. Paul Ruth in Scanners, Edward I of England in Braveheart, and Judge Omar Noose in A Time to Kill. Was the highest-paid actor on British television during the 1960s. Film appearances include The Passage Home, The Dark Avenger, The Dam Busters, I Am a Camera, High Tide at Noon, Hell Drivers, The Gypsy and the Gentleman, Nor the Moon by Night, All Night Long, Life for Ruth, The Quare Fellow, The Three Lives of Thomasina, Silver Streak, The Moonshiner, The Man in the Iron Mask (1977), Brass Target, Kings and Desperate Men, Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend, The Phantom, and Hysteria. TV appearances include You Are There, The Vise, The Adventures of Sir Lancelot, Assignment Foreign Legion, Armchair Theatre, ITV Television Playhouse, Columbo, The Hard Way, American Playhouse, Murder, She Wrote, and The Simpsons. Stage appearances include Pride and Prejudice, The Rivals, The Little Foxes, Man and Superman, Hobson’s Choice, Henry V, The Taming of the Shrew, Cupid and Psyche, The Cherry Orchard, Antony and Cleopatra, Moby Dick, Brand, Danton’s Death, and Pack of Lies.

Personal Life: Married to actress Joan Drummond from 1951 until his death. Had 3 children including actress Catherine McGoohan. Lived in a secluded detached house in Ridgeway, Mill Hill in London. Later resided in the Pacific Palisades district in Los Angeles during the mid-1960s.

Later Life: Died of a short illness in 2018 at Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California at 80.

Trivia: Has won a BAFTA Award and 2 Primetime Emmys. Was the first choice to play both Gandalf and Dumbledore but turned both roles down.

293. Albert Brooks

Dates: 1947-present

Early Life and Career: Born Albert Lawrence Einstein in Beverly Hills, California. Despite having the name of a famous scientist, he’s from a Jewish show business family. Mother was actress Thelma Leeds. Father was a radio comedian Harry Einstein known to perform on Eddie Cantor’s radio show as “Parkyakarkus.” Grew up among show business families in Southern California. Attended Beverly Hills High School with Richard Dreyfuss and Rob Reiner. Attended what is now Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where his classmates were Mike McKean and David L. Lander. But he dropped out after a year to focus on his comedy career. Had changed his professional name to Albert Brooks by 19 claiming “the real Albert Einstein changed his name to sound more intelligent.” Quickly became a regular on variety and talk shows during the late 1960s and early 1970s. In 1970-1971, Brooks worked with college friends McKean and Lander (alongside Harry Shearer) as a writer/guest performer on some early material by radio and LP comedy group The Credibility Gap. Led a new generation of self-reflective baby-boomer comics appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. His on-stage persona was that of an egotistical, narcissistic, nervous comic, and an ironic showbiz insider who punched himself before an audience by disassembling his mastery of comedic stagecraft, influenced other post-modern comedians of the 1970s such as Steve Martin, Martin Mull, and Andy Kaufman all of which became much more famous than he did. After 2 successful comedy albums, Brooks left stand-up comedy to try his hand in film.

Movies and Cartoons: Finding Nemo (2003) and Finding Dory (2016) as well as the short Exploring the Reef with Jean-Michel Cousteau.

Characters: Marlin

Also Known For: Actor, director, and screenwriter best known for his performances in Broadcast News and Drive. Best known roles include Tiberius in The Secret Life of Pets, Hank Scorpio in The Simpsons, and Russ Cargill in The Simpsons Movie. Film appearances include Taxi Driver, Private Benjamin, Unfaithfully Yours, Out of Sight, My First Mister, Modern Romance, Lost in America, Defending Your Life, I’ll Do Anything, The Scout, Mother (1996), Critical Care, Dr. Doolittle (1998), Out of Sight, The Muse, The In-Laws (2004), Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World, This Is 40, A Most Violent Year, The Little Prince (2015), Concussion, and Albert Brooks: Defending My Life. TV appearances include Hot Wheels, The Odd Couple, The New Dick Van Dyke Show, Saturday Night Live, Weeds, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Author of 2030: The Real Story of What Happens in America.

Personal Life: Younger brother of comedian Bob Einstein and advertising executive Clifford Einstein. Younger half-brother of screenwriter Charles Einstein. Son-in-law of surgeon and writer Charles Shlain. Married to artist and author Kimberly Shlain since 1997. Has 2 children named Jacob and Claire.

Later Life: Lives in Santa Monica, California.

Trivia: Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Broadcast News. Nominated for a Grammy for A Star Is Bought in 1975.

294. Alexander Gould

Dates: 1994-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Los Angeles, California. Was active in the Conservative Jewish youth group United Synagogue Youth.

Movies and Cartoons: Finding Nemo (2003) and Finding Dory (2016) as well as the short Exploring the Reef with Jean-Michel Cousteau, the series Even Stevens, and the direct-to-video Bambi II.

Characters: Nemo and Passenger Carl

Also Known For: Acting agent and former child actor best known as Shane Botwin in Weeds. Film appearances include City of Angels, Mexico City, They, Curious George, and How to Eat Fried Worms. TV appearances include Freaks and Geeks, Malcolm in the Middle, Ally McBeal, 7^th Heaven, Dark Shadows, Oliver Beene, Duck Dodgers, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Supernatural.

Personal Life: Older brother of actress Kelly Gould. Has been married to Lieba Hall since 2018.

Later Life: Stepped away from acting in 2012 to participate in Nativ, a gap year program and lived in Israel for almost a year. Went to college in Clark University in 2013 but later transferred to Brandeis University where he graduated in 2017 on a dual major in philosophy and politics. Joined the Abrams Acting Agency in 2018 and is now a Hollywood acting agent.

Trivia: Has won 3 Young Artist Awards. Was nominated for 2 Screen Actors Guild Awards.

295. Allison Janney

Dates: 1959-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Boston, Massachusetts but raised in Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio. Mother was a former actress. Father was a real estate developer and jazz musician. Attended the Miami Valley School in Dayton and the Hotchkiss School in Connecticut. Although she initially aspired to be a figure skater, her 6ft height and a freak accident during her teens put an end to that dream. Attended Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio as a theatre major. During her freshman year, Janney met actors Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward at a play for the inaugural event of the college’s newly built Bolton Theater, which Newman was directing. The couple encouraged her to continue acting and offered her guidance during her early career. Went on to train at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York and received a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in mid-1984. After a decade of small and uncredited parts, Janney had her breakthrough when cast as White House Press Secretary C. J. Cregg in The West Wing.

Movies and Cartoons: Finding Nemo (2003) and Finding Dory (2016) as well as the series Phineas and Ferb and Duck Tales and Star Tours – The Adventure Continues at Disneyland.

Characters: Peach

Also Known For: Actress known for her performances across the stage and screen as well as received various accolades. Best known as C. J. Cregg in The West Wing, Margaret Scully in Masters of Sex, Bonnie Plunkett in Mom, and LaVona Golden in I, Tonya. Film appearances include Primary Colors, American Beauty, The Hours, Juno, Hairspray (2007), The Help, Spy, Bad Education, Bombshell, Miracle on 34^th Street (1994), Big Night, The Associate, Private Parts, The Ice Storm, The Object of My Affection, 10 Things I Hate About You, Drop Dead Gorgeous, Nurse Betty, Strangers with Candy, Our Very Own, Over the Hedge, Away We Go, Life During Wartime, A Thousand Words, Struck by Lightning, The Way, Way Back, Days and Nights, Bad Words, Trust Me, Brightest Star, Tammy, Mr. Peabody & Sherman, Get On Up, Minions, Tallulah, Mrs. Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, The Girl on the Train, Troop Zero, The Addams Family, Lazy Susan, To Leslie, Lou, The People We Hate at a Wedding, The Creator, and Another Simple Favor. TV appearances include Law & Order, Guiding Light, Cosby, LateLine, Fraiser, King of the Hill, Weeds, Two and a Half Men, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Family Guy, Lost, In Plain Sight, Mr. Sunshine, The Big C, Robot Chicken, Veep, Key & Peele, F Is for Family, American Dad!, The Kominsky Method, Palm Royale, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and The Diplomat. Stage appearances include Present Laughter, A View from the Bridge, 9 to 5: The Musical, Five Women Wearing the Same Dress, The Autumn Garden, The Taming of the Shrew, and Six Degrees of Separation.

Personal Life: Had a brother named Hal who committed suicide in 2011 after struggling with addiction and depression for many years. Was in a relationship with computer programmer Dennis Gagomiros from 1994 to 2001. Was engaged to actor Richard Jenik from 2004 to 2006. Dated production manager Philip Joncas from 2012 until 2017.

Later Life: Was honored at the White House at a “Champions for Change” event in 2016 for her activism regarding addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery. Also participated in a panel discussion with then Surgeon General Vivek Murthy to talk about portrayal of addiction and recovery in the media. Was part of Michelle Obama’s When We All Vote initiative with her West Wing co-stars.

Trivia: Descendant of Mayflower passenger Stephen Hopkins through his daughter Constance. Named distinguished alumna at the Miami Valley School in 2005 and Alumna of the Year at the Hotchkiss School in 2016. Has won an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe, 6 Critics’ Choice Awards, 7 Screen Actors Guild Awards, 7 Primetime Emmy Awards, and 2 Drama Desk Awards. Has been nominated for 2 Tony Awards. Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2016 at 6100 Hollywood Boulevard.

296. Stephen Root

Dates: 1951-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Sarasota, Florida. Father was a project superintendent and site manager on major civil engineering projects throughout the United States and Mexico. That Root has likened his childhood to that of an Army brat since his family frequently moved when his dad finished each construction project. Graduated from Vero Beach High School in Vero Beach, Florida. Received an Associate of Arts degree from the University of Florida and studied in the Bachelor of Fine Arts acting program. Left college to pursue Broadway theater during his final semester. Began his career on stage in 1980 when he made his Broadway debut.

Movies and Cartoons: Finding Nemo (2003) and Finding Dory (2016) as well as the Finding Nemo video game, the live-action The Country Bears, various series, the direct-to-video The Fox and the Hound 2, and the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage theme park attraction.

Characters: Bubbles

Also Known For: Actor best known as Jimmy James on NewsRadio, Milton Waddams in Office Space, Bill Dauterive and Buck Strickland in King of the Hill, Captain K’Vada in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Hawthorne Abendsen in The Man in the High Castle, and Monroe Fuches in Barry. Film appearances include O Brother, Where Art Thou?, The Ladykillers (2004), No Country for Old Men, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, The Tragedy of Macbeth, Dave, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Idiocracy, Cedar Rapids, Selma, Trumbo, Get Out, On the Basis of Sex, Ghost, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, RoboCop 3, Bye Bye Love, Night of the Scarecrow, Bicentennial Man, White Oleander, Jersey Girl, Surviving Christmas, Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie, Ice Age: The Meltdown, Mad Money, Drillbit Taylor, The Soloist, The Men Who Stare at Goats, Rango, Red State, J. Edgar, Big Miracle, The Company You Keep, Superman: Unbound, The Lone Ranger, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, Hello, My Name Is Doris, Life of the Party, Uncle Frank, Home (2020), To Leslie, Paint, and Dog Man. TV appearances include Boardwalk Empire, True Blood, Perry Mason, Succession, Cross of Fire, Head  of the Class, Roseanne, Jake and the Fatman, Night Court, L.A. Law, Home Improvement, Murphy Brown, Northern Exposure, Quantum Leap, Blossom, Harts of the West, NYPD Blue, Party of Five, Diagnosis: Murder, Chicago Hope, Seinfeld, Johnny Bravo, From the Earth to the Moon, Superman: The Animated Series, Ladies Man, The Norm Show, Ed, Just Shoot Me!, Malcolm in the Middle, Justice League, Grounded for Life, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Frasier, Teen Titans, The West Wing, American Dad!, The Path to 9/11, WordGirl, Boston Legal, Chowder, The Sarah Silverman Program, Pushing Daisies, Californication, 24, Louie, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Childrens Hospital, Fringe, Raising Hope, Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, Adventure Time, The Legend of Korra, The Good Wife, Young Justice, The Cleveland Show, Out There, The Newsroom, Fargo, The Big Bang Theory, Hot in Cleveland, Turn: Washington’s Spies, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Idiotsitter, Workaholics, Masters of Sex, Guardians of the Galaxy, All the Way, Veep, The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants, BoJack Horseman, The Midnight Gospel, Robot Chicken, The Simpsons, Masters of the Universe: Revelation, Blade Runner: Black Lotus, The Legend of Vox Machina, The Book of Boba Fett, We Baby Bears, Solar Opposites, Velma, Beavis and Butt-Head, Fired on Mars, Invincible, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, and Star Trek: Lower Decks. Video game appearances include Blade Runner and Deus Ex. Stage appearances include Journey’s End, All My Sons, and Marjorie Prime.

Personal Life: Married twice. First wife was Laura Joan Hase from 1984 to their divorce in 1997. They have a son named Cody. Second and current wife is actress Romy Rosemont since 2008 with whom he has co-starred in several TV series.

Later Life: Still actively working as of 2025.

Trivia: Recognized as a distinguished alumni by the University of Florida in 2008 and was granted his BFA after completion of his final semester based on the quality and character of his acting career. Has been a favorite hire of the Coen brothers. Has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy in 2019.

297. Austin Pendleton

Dates: 1940-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Warren, Ohio. Father ran a tool company. Mother was a professional actress and acting teacher. Graduated from the private all-boys University School in Shaker Heights, Ohio in 1957. Became interested in the theater through his mother, whose performances he watched as a boy. In junior high school, he’d put on his own performances in the basement of his family home. Participated in theater while attending Yale University, from which he graduated in 1961. Was a member of the Yale Dramatic Association and in 1958, he collaborated with lyricist Peter Bergman on 2 musical plays that starred Philip Proctor: Tom Jones and Booth Is Back in Town. After Yale, Pendleton moved to New York City and studied at HB Studio. Broke into theater off-Broadway in 1962. 2 years later, he’d play the role of Motel the tailor during the original Broadway run of Fiddler on the Roof.

Movies and Cartoons: Finding Nemo (2003) and Finding Dory (2016)

Characters: Gurgle

Also Known For: Actor, playwright, theater director, and instructor. Best known as a prolific character actor on stage and screen in a career of over 6 decades. Film appearances include Catch-22, What’s Up Doc?, The Front Page (1974), The Muppet Movie, Short Circuit, Mr. & Mrs. Bridge, My Cousin Vinny, Mr. Nanny, Guarding Tess, Amistad, A Beautiful Mind, Skidoo, Diary of the Dead, Every Crook and Nanny, The Thief Who Came to Dinner, Starting Over, Simon, First Family, Talk to Me (1984), My Man Adam, Off Beat, Hello Again, The Ballad of the Sad Café, Rain Without Thunder, Searching for Bobby Fischer, Home for the Holidays, Sgt. Bilko, The Proprietor, The Associate, The Mirror Has Two Faces, Trial and Error, The Fanatics, Joe the King, The 4^th Floor, The Acting Class, Manna from Heaven, Uptown Girls, Christmas with the Cranks, Piccadilly Jim, The Civilization of Maxwell Bright, The Notorious Bettie Page, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, She’s Funny That Way, Black Box, Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes, The Sound of Silence, The Mimic, and Our Father. TV appearances include Good Times, Great Performances, St. Elsewhere, Miami Vice, The Equalizer, The Cosby Show, One Life to Live, 21 Jump Street, Murder, She Wrote, Tales from the Crypt, Fraiser, The Practice, Liberty!, Tracey Takes On…, Homicide: Life on the Street, Oz, The West Wing, Touched by an Angel, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Joan of Arcadia, Life on Mars, Person of Interest, Game Change, Billions, A President Show Documentary: The Fall of Donald Trump, New Amsterdam, and The Good Fight. Stage appearances include The Little Foxes, The Last Sweet Days of Isaac, Three Sisters, Choir Boy, The Minutes, Between Riverside and Crazy, Fiddler on the Roof, Goodtime Charley, John Gabriel Borkman, Up from Paradise, Educating Rita, Uncle Vanya, Grand Hotel, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Exonerated, Mother Courage and Her Children, The Sunset Limited, Romeo and Juliet, Vieux Carre, Romersholm, In Masks Outrageous and Austere, Detroit, Ivanov, Straight White Men, Workshop, Henry VI, and Richard III.

Personal Life: Married to actress Katina Commings since 1970. They have one child.

Later Life: Still actively working as of 2025.

Trivia: Was a childhood acquaintance of Roger Ailes who attended his mom’s acting classes. Won a Screen Actors Guild Award as part of the cast for A Beautiful Mind. Received a Special Drama Desk Award for being a “Renaissance Man of the American Theatre” in 2007.

298. Vicki Lewis

Dates: 1960-present

Early Life and Career: Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. Father was an air traffic supervisor and veteran in the US Air Force. Mother was a nursing administrator. After graduating from Cincinnati’s Anderson High School in 1978, she studied musical theater at the University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music. After graduating from there, she moved to New York City where she proceeded to work in various on- and off- Broadway shows.

Movies and Cartoons: Finding Nemo (2003) and Finding Dory (2016) as well as various series, the Finding Nemo video game, and the direct-to-video An Extremely Goofy Movie.

Characters: Deb and Flo

Also Known For: Actress and singer best known as Beth in NewsRadio, April Smuntz in Mouse Hunt, Dr. Elsie Chapman in Godzilla (1998), and Headmistress Knightslinger in Upside-Down Magic. Film appearances include Breakfast of Champions, Pushing Tin, Roadside Romeo, The Ugly Truth, and Alpha and Omega. TV appearances include CBS Schoolbreak Special, Home Improvement, Murphy Brown, Grace Under Fire, Seinfeld, Caroline in the City, Rugrats, The Wild Thornberrys, The Norm Show, King of the Hill, Mission Hill, Three Sisters, Betsy’s Kindergarten Adventures, Grey’s Anatomy, Dirt, Ben 10: Alien Force, ‘Til Death, Bones, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Middle, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, How I Met Your Mother, Doll & Em, Austin & Ally, Turbo Fast, Modern Family, Making History, The Blacklist, and The Goldbergs.

Personal Life: Was in a relationship with Nick Nolte from 1994 to 2003. Currently married to sound designer Philip G. Allen.

Later Life: Still actively working as of 2025.

Trivia: None.

299. Elizabeth Perkins

Dates: 1960-present

Early Life and Career: Born and raised in Colrain, Massachusetts. Parents were Greek immigrants from Salonika who anglicized their surname from Pisperikos to Perkins when they moved to the United States. Parents divorced in 1963. Began working in theatre with the Arena Civic Theatre, a non-profit community theatre group based in Greenfield, Massachusetts. Attended an elite preparatory school called the Northfield Mount Hermon School before spending 1978-1981 in Chicago attaining her certificate in acting from the Goldman School of Drama at DePaul University. Made her theatrical debut on Broadway in 1984 and worked in a number of ensemble companies afterwards, including The New York Shakespeare Festival and the Steppenwolf Theater. Made her film debut in 1986.

Movies and Cartoons: Finding Nemo (2003) as well as the Hercules series.

Characters: Coral

Also Known For: Actress best known as Celia Hodes in Weeds. Film appearances include About Last Night, From the Hip, Big, Enid Is Sleeping, The Flintstones, Moonlight and Valentino, The Ring Two, Hop, Sweet Hearts Dance, Love at Large, Avalon, The Doctor, Indian Summer, Miracle on 34^th Street (1994), I’m Losing You, Crazy in Alabama, 28 Days, Cats & Dogs, All I Want, Speak, The Thing About My Folks, Must Love Dogs, Fierce People, Kids in America, Ghostbusters (2016), My Little Pony: A New Generation, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and Another Simple Favor. TV appearances include From the Earth to The Moon, Battery Park, King of the Hill, Monk, The Closer, Hell’s Kitchen, How to Live with Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life), How to Get Away with Murder, This Is Us, GLOW, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Sharp Objects, Corporate, The Moodys, Truth Be Told, Barry, The Afterparty, Minx, and The Morning Show.

Personal Life: Married twice. First husband was actor and theater director Terry Kinney from 1984 to their divorce in 1988. Has a daughter with Maurice Philips. Second and current husband is Argentine-born cinematographer Julio Macat since 2000 and has 3 stepsons: Maximilian, Alexander, and Andreas.

Later Life: In 2005 at 44, Perkins learned that she had latent autoimmune diabetes, a form of type 1 diabetes that’s most often diagnosed in middle age. In 2017, she held a sign naming James Woods above the hashtag #MeToo during a rally against sexual harassment in Los Angeles.

Trivia: Has been nominated for 3 Primetime Emmys and 2 Golden Globes.

300. Barry Humphries

Dates: 1934-2023

Early Life and Career: Born John Barry Humphries in Kew, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. Father was a well-to-do construction manager from England. In his early childhood, Humphries often spent hours playing dress-up in the back garden. Was nicknamed “Sunny Sam” during this time because his early childhood was happy and uneventful. However, like many children, Humphries began to rebel against the strictures of conventional suburban life by becoming “artistic” much to his parents’ dismay. After his mom donated his books to the Salvation Army, he became a voracious reader, a collector of rare books, a painter, a theatre fan, and a surrealist. He then dressed in a black cloak, black homburg hat and mascaraed eyes, inventing his first character “Dr. Aaron Azimuth,” agent, provocateur, dandy, and Dadaist. Educated at the Camberwell Grammar School where he was awarded a place in the school’s gallery of achievement. When his dad’s business prospered, he was sent to the Melbourne Grammar School. Although he excelled in English and art, Humphries spurned sport, detested mathematics, and shirked cadets “on the basis of conscientious objection.” Spent 2 years at the University of Melbourne where he studied law, philosophy, and fine arts. He also served as a private in the Melbourne University Regiment during his period of national service in the Citizens Military Force of the Australian Army. He didn’t graduate from the university and became a follower of the Dada movement and his early performances in Melbourne were experiments in anarchy and visual satire that have become part of Australian folklore. After dropping out, Humphries joined the newly formed Melbourne Theatre Company where he created the first incarnation of what would become his best-known character Dame Edna Everage. Moved to Sydney in 1957 and joined its Philip Street Theatre which became Australia’s leading venue for revue and satirical comedy within the next decade and created his character of Sandy Stone during this time. Moved to London in 1959 where he wrote for the satirical magazine Private Eye, appeared in numerous West End productions, and contributed to BBC Television’s The Late Show. Made his film debut in the late 1960s and returned to Australia in 1970.

Movies and Cartoons: Finding Nemo (2003)

Characters: Bruce

Also Known For: Comedian, actor, author, and satirist best known for writing and playing his stage and television characters Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson. Appeared in numerous stage productions, films, and television shows. Other characters include the grandfatherly Sandy Stone, iconoclastic avant garde filmmaker Martin Agrippa, socialist academic Neil Singleton, sleazy trade union official Lance Boyle, high pressure art salesman Morrie O’Connor, failed tycoon Owen Steele, and archetypical Australian bloke Barry McKenzie. Film appearances include Bedazzled, The Adventures of Barry McKenzie, Barry McKenzie Holds His Own, Percy’s Progress, Side by Side, The Great Macarthy, Shock Treatment, Les Patterson Saves the World, Immortal Beloved, Napoleon (1995), Pterodactyl Woman of Beverly Hills, Welcome to Woop Woop, Mary and Max, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Justin and the Knights of Valour, Blinky Bill the Movie, and Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie.

Personal Life: Married 4 times. First wife was Brenda Wright from the time he was 21 in 1955 until their divorce in 1957. Second wife was Rosiland Tong from 1959 until their divorce in 1970. Third wife was Diane Milstead from 1979 until their divorce in 1989. Had 4 children from his second and third marriages including soap opera actress Tessa and art and design dealer and journalist Oscar who was once editor of Apollo magazine. Fourth wife was actress Elizabeth Spender from 1990 until his death. Spender was also the daughter of poet Sir Stephen Spender and concert pianist Natasha Spender. They lived in a terraced town house in London’s South Hampstead, his home for 40 years. Struggled with alcoholism during the 1960s that reached a crisis point during a visit home in Australia in the early 1970s. Parents had him admitted to a private hospital to ‘dry out’ when he was found battered and unconscious in a gutter after a particularly heavy binge. Completely abstained from alcohol after the incident and attended the occasional AA meeting. Was also one of many friends who tried in vain to help Peter Cook whom himself eventually died from alcohol-related illnesses. Was also a great patron of the arts. Was also said to have Asperger’s Syndrome according to Imdb.

Later Life: Following a fall that February, Humphries died of complications from hip surgery at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Darlinghurst, Sydney in 2023 at 89. Was cremated at the Northern Suburb Memorial Gardens and Crematorium and his ashes were scattered in an undisclosed location. Received tributes by the British Royal family, the Australian prime minister, and celebrities like Eric Idle and Ricky Gervais.

Trivia: Received an honorary doctorate from the University of Melbourne in 2016 and was made an honorary fellow at King’s College in London. His London Library was said to have contained 25,000 books, many of them first editions from the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. Was a prominent landscape painter whose pictures are in public and private collections both in his native Australia and abroad. Was also a prominent art collector who bought many of his paintings 4 times as a result of his 3 divorces. Authored numerous books including 2 autobiographies, 2 novels, and a treatise on Chinese drama in the goldfields. Also wrote several plays and made dozens of recordings. Was nominated for 4 BAFTA Awards. Made Officer of the Order of Australia in 1982 and was granted a coat of arms by the College of Arms with a shield bearing a crossed gladioli and the Sydney Opera House supported by a shark and a possum both wearing butterfly glasses, along with other symbolism containing a funnel-web spider and a blowfly. His motto is “I share and I care.” Received a Special Tony Award in 2000. Received a Centenary Medal through his services to Australian society through acting and writing in 2001. Named Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2007. Appointed as a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2023.

              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.

              Since I have actors from several different things on this post, I plan to devote my intros to the movies Toy Story 2, Dinosaur, and The Emperor’s New Groove. When it comes to sequels, a good one can enhance the previous movie’s characters’ world and turn a major hit into a major franchise. While a bad one could doom the potential of a franchise into oblivion. In many respects, Toy Story 2 did for Toy Story like The Empire Strikes Back did for Star Wars. Yet, even though everything turned out well in the end regarding this installment, it was almost not the case. Talks about a sequel to Toy Story began about a month after its 1995 release. A few days after the iconic film came out, John Lasseter was traveling with his family and he found a young boy clutching a Sheriff Woody doll at an airport. He later described how the boy’s excitement to show it to his dad touched him deeply. Since it led him to realize that his character no longer belonged to just him. Rather, it belonged to others as well. This memory was a defining factor in the production of Toy Story 2, with Lasseter moving to create a great film for a child and for everyone else who loved the characters. The story behind the film originated with Lasseter wondering what a toy would find upsetting, how a toy would feel if not played with a child, or worse, a child growing out of a toy. Newly-minted director Ash Brannon suggested an idea of a yard sale where the collector recognizes Woody as a rare artifact and the concept of Woody as a collectible came from a draft story of a Christmas special pitched in 1990. An avid toy collector, Lasseter based Al McWhiggan on himself. while his wife Nancy pressed him to include a strong female character in the sequel with more substance than Bo Peep at the time. Since the first film’s original opening sequence featured a Buzz Lightyear cartoon playing on TV, this evolved into the Buzz Lightyear video game opening sequence for Toy Story 2. Nonetheless, after nearly a year in production in 1998, a routine file clearing accidentally deleted the root folder of the Toy Story 2 assets on Pixar’s internal servers, losing 90% of the work from the last 2 years. While backups hadn’t been functioning for about a month. Fortunately technical director Galyn Susman had a backup copy of the film on her home computer since she was working remotely for her maternity leave. And Pixar was able to recover nearly all the lost assets save for a few days of work, allowing work to proceed. Still, tight deadlines meant long hours which resulted in some animators getting carpal tunnel syndrome and repetitive strain injuries. Upon its 1999 release, Toy Story 2 earned $511 million at the box office against a $90 million budget and rave reviews from critics. Like its predecessor, it also has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It later swept the Annie Awards and won the Golden Globe for Best Picture that year. Today it’s perhaps seen as the best movie in the entire Toy Story franchise.

              While Toy Story 2 may be The Empire Strikes Back in its franchise, Dinosaur’s basically the Disney equivalent to movies like Avatar and The Jazz Singer. In that, it’s main draw has more to do with its groundbreaking contributions to computer animation and special effects than anything else. The idea for the film came during a delay with the production of a RoboCop movie in the late 1980s when special effects artist Phil Tippett suggested to filmmaker Paul Verhoeven that they should produce a “dinosaur picture.” That way, according to Tippett, [w]e wouldn’t have to be held up by actors in robot outfits.” Verhoeven was excited and suggested an approach inspired by Shane in which, “you follow a lead character through a number of situations and moving from a devastated landscape into a promised land.” Originally Dinosaur was to be a much darker story that seemed like it was straight out of a nature documentary. It was also originally planned to use stop motion animation techniques such as puppets, scale models, and miniatures. In 1996 and after the project being passed to different hands multiple times, the filmmakers decided to take the unprecedented route of combining live-action scenery with computer-generated character animation. With animation done at Disney’s newly-acquired Dream Quest Images and using 3D workbooks from Softimage 3D software, 48 animators worked on the film using 300 computer processors to animate it. While live-action photography units shot 800,000 feet of jungle, beach, and desert footage in California, Florida, Australia, Jordan, Venezuela, and Samoa. A 1998 accident during filming in Poison Canyon at Trona, California where a crew member was killed and another one injured. At a budget of $127.5 million, it was the most expensive computer-animated film ever made and the first Disney Feature Animation film to be computer-animated. Its 2000 release saw mixed reviews and grossed $349 worldwide. Today it’s widely forgotten but its impact on the entertainment industry has been enormous. Although nowhere near a masterpiece, Dinosaur at least deserves recognition in the National Film Registry.

              Third, is the movie The Emperor’s New Groove was originally conceived as a musical epic called Kingdom of the Sun with Sting composing songs for the film. With the original story basically being a rom-com version of The Prince and the Pauper set in Pre-Columbian South America. It still had Yzma turn a spoiled teenage emperor into a llama though. Yet, Pacha was originally supposed to be the protagonist, not him. However, because of underwhelming box-office performances of Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, executives felt the project was becoming too ambitious and serious for audiences following test screenings. Due to falling behind schedule, Disney filmmakers halted development for 6 months to retool the script as a lighthearted comedy. With Pacha being rewritten from a teenage peasant to a older family man. The emperor’s name was changed from Manco to Kuzco because someone discovered that “manko” was a Japanese slang for a woman’s nether region. While Kronk was added as Yzma’s scene stealing sidekick. Although some of Sting’s songs were kept in, he only performed one listed on the soundtrack listing. Although pre-Columbian Andean iconography exists in the film, it lacks depth in its cultural representation. Upon its 2000 release, The Emperor’s New Groove barely made back its budget at the box office despite receiving good reviews and the song “My Funny Friend and Me” got nominated for an Oscar. Yet, it found larger success the next year with its home video release and gained a cult following among fans. In this post, we’ll meet 3 more actors from Tarzan along with the voices behind Mrs. Potatohead, Rabbit, Eeyore, Aladar, Zini, Emperor Kuzco, and Kronk.

261. Alex D. Linz

Dates: 1989-present

Early Life and Career: Born Alexander David Linz in Santa Barbara, California. Mother was an attorney. Father was a communications professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Parents later divorced and he lived with his mother. Made his acting debut on an episode of Cybill in 1995. Attended Alexander Hamilton High School in Los Angeles, during which he was a lead singer in a garage band called The Fez Armada.

Movies and Cartoons: Tarzan (1999)

Characters: Young Tarzan

Also Known For: Former child actor who starred in several late 1990s and early 2000s films and TV series. Film appearances include The Cable Guy, One Fine Day, My Brother the Pig, Bruno, Titan A. E., Max Keeble’s Big Move, Race to Space, Red Dragon, and The Amateurs. TV appearances include The Young and the Restless, Cybill, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Step by Step, Touched by an Angel, ER, Providence, Hey Arnold!, Jack & Bobby, and Crossballs: The Debate Show.

Personal Life: I can’t find anything about his personal life.

Later Life: Retired from acting in 2007. Attended University of California, Berkeley, where he became involved in a campus improve group called Jericho!. Graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2011. Earned a master’s degree in urban and regional planning at University of California, Los Angeles in 2017. As of 2023, Linz is working as a legal researcher in Los Angeles, California as well as a lead science instructor.

Trivia: None.

262. Minnie Driver

Dates: 1970-present

Early Life and Career: Born Amelia Fiona Jessica Driver in London, England and raised in Barbados. “Minnie” was a childhood nickname given by her sister Kate. Mother was a fabric designer and former couture model. Father was a decorated World War II veteran and director of London United Investments. Parents never married. Mainly because her dad was married to another woman throughout his relationship with her mother. They later broke up when she was 6. Attended Bedales School in Hampshire as a boarder soon after. Later attended the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art and Collingham College in Kensington, Central London. Was involved in music since boarding school and received her first recording contract at 19. TV debut was in a 1991 commercial for Right Guard deodorant. Made her stage debut the same year.

Movies and Cartoons: Tarzan (1999)

Characters: Jane Porter

Also Known For: British-American actress and singer. Film appearances include Circle of Friends, Grosse Point Blank, Good Will Hunting, The Phantom of the Opera, Owning Mahowny, Princess Mononoke, GoldenEye, Big Night, Sleepers, Hard Rain, The Governess, An Ideal Husband, Return to Me, High Heels and Low Lifes, Hope Springs, Ella Enchanted, Portrait, The Simpsons Movie, Barney’s Version, I Give It a Year, Stage Fright (2014), Beyond the Lights, Unity, The Crash, The Wilde Wedding, Spinning Man, Cinderella (2021), Rosaline, Chevalier, Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose, The Beekeeper, The Assessment, and Millers in Marriage. TV appearances include The Riches, Speechless, About a Boy, Will & Grace, The Deep, SuperMansion, The House of Elliot, Casualty, Lovejoy, Kinsey, Maigret, Screen One, Peak Practice, My Good Friend, Cruel Train, Murder Most Horrid, The X-Files, Absolutely Fabulous, Modern Family, Web Therapy, Hollywood Game Night, Hell’s Kitchen, The Red Tent, Peter Pan Live!, Undateable, Modern Love, Starstruck, The Witcher: Blood Origin, Our Flag Means Death, The Serpent Queen, Arcane, and Kraptopolis.

Personal Life: Once dated Matt Damon during in 1997 but they split in early 1998. Was once engaged to Josh Brolin in 2001. Was in a brief relationship with writer and producer Timothy J. Lea which resulted in her son Henry in 2008. Has been in a relationship with filmmaker Addison O’Dea since 2019. In 2016, Driver revealed that she was sexually assaulted at 17 while on vacation in Greece.

Later Life: Became a US citizen in 2017. But after living in California for a number of years, Driver moved back to London. Was a long-time supporter and ambassador of Oxfam before withdrawing her support in 2018 over a sexual abuse scandal in the organization. Began a podcast in 2021 called Minnie Questions with Minnie Driver, in which she asks seven questions inspired by the Proust Questionnaire. Guests have included Chelsea Clinton, Nick Jonas, and Cindy Crawford.

Trivia: Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Good Will Hunting. Has also been nominated for an Emmy and a Golden Globe. Has released 3 solo albums during her singing career.

263. Lance Henriksen

Dates: 1940-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Manhattan, New York City. Father was a Norwegian sailor and boxer named “Icewater” who spent most of his life at sea. Mother struggled to find work as a dance instructor, waitress, and model. Parents divorced when he was 2. Mother struggled to raise him and his brother Walter, leading him to spend part of his childhood in foster care. At 7, his mother handed him his birth certificate and said, “You’ll always know who you are,” before pushing him out of his home. However, Henrickson didn’t actually leave home until he was 12, claiming he “had enough” of his home life, and that multiple family members had physically assaulted him. He later recalled, “I got bludgeoned a lot. Different people, relatives. I remember every single face from my childhood. My alcoholic uncles, whoever. I’m not having a pity party here; I’m not Quasimodo. That’s just how it was.” On another occasion, 2 of his uncles encouraged him to take Methadrine and then take part in a staged car accident for the insurance money. Growing up, Henrickson had a reputation for getting in trouble at the various schools he attended, even spending time in a children’s home. Left school after completing the first grade and was said to be illiterate until he was 30. Later served in the US Navy, attaining the rank of Petty Officer Third Class. Later served with the US Merchant Marine. Soon he found work as a muralist and laborer on ships. For a time, he worked in Europe. At 30, he found work as a set designer and received his first acting role because he built the set for production. Also taught himself to read at this time as well. Yet, for his first role, he put the entire script on tape with a friend’s help and learned his part as well as all the others. Soon afterward, Henrickson graduated from the Actors Studio and began acting in New York City. Made his first film in 1961. But didn’t receive credit until his second film in 1972.

Movies and Cartoons: Tarzan (1999) as well as a direct-to-video follow-up and series The Legend of Tarzan and Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure.

Characters: Kerchak

Also Known For: Actor known for his roles in various science fiction, action, and horror productions. Best known roles include Bishop in the Alien franchise and Frank Black in the TV series Millennium and The X-Files. Film appearances include The Right Stuff, The Terminator, Hard Target, Color of Night, The Quick and the Dead, Powder, Scream 3, Appaloosa, Falling, The Outsider, Dog Day Afternoon, Network, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Damien – Omen II, The Visitor, The Dark End on Elm Street, Prince of the City, On Dangerous Ground, Pumpkinhead, Survival Quest, Hit List, The Pit and the Pendulum (1991), Stone Cold, Jennifer 8, Super Mario Bros. (1993), Man’s Best Friend, Hard Target, Knights, Boulevard, Aurora: Operation Intercept, Dead Man, The Nature of the Beast, The Untold, Unspeakable, Madhouse, Alien vs. Predator, Hellraiser: Hellworld, When a Stranger Calls, Superman: Braniac Attacks, Dark Reel, Jennifer’s Body, Cyrus, Godkiller: Walk Among Us, Monster Brawl, Gemini Rising, Phantom, Road to Paloma, Mom and Dad, West of Hell, Cliffs of Freedom, Eminence Hill, The Unhealer, The Artifice Girl, and Altered Reality. TV appearances include Ryan’s Hope, Cagney & Lacey, The A-Team, Hardcastle and McCormick, Beauty and the Beast, Tales from the Crypt, The Day Lincoln Was Shot, Static Shot, Evel Knievel, Into the West, Supernova, In the Spider’s Web, DEA, Ladies of the House, NCIS, Transformers: Animated, The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, Castle, The Witches of Oz, Memphis Beat, Tron: Uprising, The Legend of Korra, All Hail King Julien, The Blacklist, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Grey’s Anatomy, Criminal Minds, The Night Shift, Legends of Tomorrow, New Looney Tunes, Better Things, Rabbit Hole, and Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Video game appearances include Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Mass Effect trilogy, Run Like Hell, Red Falcon II, Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Aliens vs. Predator, The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Detroit: Become Human, and The Quarry.

Personal Life: Paternal grandmother was a Sami reindeer herder. Has a daughter to a woman named Joan Bottinelli born in 1964. Married 3 times. First wife was Mary Jane Evans from 1985 until their divorce in 1989. Second wife was Jane Pollack from 1995 until their divorce in 2006. They have 3 children. Third and current wife is Louise Lunde since 2006. They also have a kid together.

Later Life: Autobiography Not Bad for a Human – The Life and Films of Lance Henriksen in which he wrote with Joseph Maddrey was published in 2011. The pair also wrote a 5-issue comic book called The Hell You Ride. A lifelong artist and potter before he became an actor, Henrickson has set up a website in 2017 to showcase and sell some of his most recent clay works. Currently lives in Tumwater, Washington.

Trivia: Has won a Saturn Award and been nominated for 3 Golden Globes.

264. Estelle Harris

Dates: 1928-2022

Early Life and Career: Born Estelle Nussbaum in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood in New York City. Parents were Polish Jewish immigrants who owned a candy store and a soda shop. Family moved to Tarentum, Pennsylvania when she was 7. Graduated from Tarentum High School. Moved back to New York in 1952. Once her kids started school, she began her career in amateur productions and in dinner theater before moving on to regional theaters and summer stock productions across the country. When her kids had grown, Harris found success on Madison Avenue, appearing in 25 national commercials. Made her first film in 1977.

Movies and Cartoons: Toy Story 2 (1999), Brother Bear (2003), Home on the Range (2004), Toy Story 3 (2010), and Toy Story 4 (2019) as well as the direct-to-video Tarzan II, 3 Toy Story Toon shorts, various live action and animated series, and the Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue video game.

Characters: Mrs. Potato Head, Old Lady Bear, and Audrey

Also Known For: Actress and comedian known for her exaggeratedly shrill, grating voice. Best known as Estelle Costanza in Seinfeld and Muriel in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. Has also starred in numerous commercials. Film appearances include Once Upon a Time in America, Stand and Deliver, This Is My Life, Perfect Alibi, The West Side Waltz, Out to Sea, Chairman of the Board, The Odd Couple II, My Giant, Lost & Found, What’s Cooking?, Dancing in September, Playing Mona Lisa, Good Advice, Teacher’s Pet, Queer Duck: The Movie, The Grand, Movin’ In, CBGB, and Promoted. TV appearances include Night Court, Married…with Children, Law & Order, Mad About You, Good Advice, The Tick, Star Trek: Voyager, Moesha, The Wild Thornberrys, The Parkers, Queer Duck, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, The Kids from Room 402, Providence, Weakest  Link,  Test the Nation, As Told by Ginger, Dave the Barbarian, Mind of Mencia, ER, American Dad!, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Made in Hollywood, Fanboy & Chum Chum, The Looney Tunes Show, Futurama, The Exes, and Jake and the Never Land Pirates. Stage appearances include Funny Girl, Fiddler on the Roof, The Desert Song, and Annie Warbucks.

Personal Life: Married to window treatment salesman Sy Harris since 1952, whom she met at a dance and remained with him until his death in 2021. Had 3 children including Eric who was born in 1957 and became a social worker, Glen who was born in 1962 and became a music promoter and her unofficial manager, and Taryn who was born in 1962 and became a Nassau County police officer retired on disability. Also had 3 grandsons and one great-grandson by the time of her death.

Later Life: In 2001, Harris and her husband’s car blew out a tire and flipped twice but they escaped serious injuries. Died of natural causes in 2022 at her home in Palm Desert, California at 93.

Trivia: None.

265. Ken Sansom

Dates: 1927-2012

Early Life and Career: Born Frank Kenneth Sansom in Salt Lake City, Utah. Enlisted in the US Navy soon after graduating from Salt Lake City’s East High School in 1944. Enrolled in the University of Utah after World War II but later transferred to Brigham Young University where he received a bachelor’s degree in radio broadcasting in 1949. Was recalled by the US Navy for service during the Korean War. Served as a member of the USO, providing entertainment for the troops during his time in Korea. Began his career in 1957 with a Los Angeles radio show called Sansom and Then Some. Began acting in early 1968.

Movies and Cartoons: The Tigger Movie (2000), Piglet’s Big Movie (2003), and Pooh’s Heffalump Movie (2005) as well as various direct-to-video installments, TV series and specials, and video games.

Characters: Rabbit

Also Known For: Actor best known as the voice of Rabbit from 1988 to 2010. Film appearances include The Long Goodbye, Herbie Rides Again, The Sting, Airport 1975, Funny Lady, Nutcracker Fantasy, Banjo the Woodpile Cat, Starchaser: The Legend of Orin, and The Chipmunk Adventure. TV appearances include Mayberry R.F.D., The Brady Bunch, Charlie’s Angels, Days of Our Lives, The Transformers, and Murder, She Wrote.

Personal Life: Married to his wife Clara from 1961 until his death. They had 3 children.

Later Life: Retired from acting in 2010. Resided in Sandy, Utah. Died in 2012 due to complications from a stroke in Halladay, Utah at 85. Buried in Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park in Millcreek, Utah alongside his widow, Clara.

Trivia: None.

266. Peter Cullen

Dates: 1941-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Montreal, Quebec in Canada to American parents. Was a member of the first graduating class of the National Theatre School of Canada in 1963. Brother was a retired captain in the US Marine Corps and helped inspire his voice for Optimus Prime. During the 1960s, he mostly worked in Canadian radio and television, notably as an announcer in his hometown of Montreal where he worked on overnight and weekend swing shifts at his local radio station. He’d later become the announcer in The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and a series regular in The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour along with The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show.

Movies and Cartoons: The Tigger Movie (2000), Treasure Planet (2002), Piglet’s Big Movie (2003), and Pooh’s Heffalump Movie (2005) as well as various direct-to-video installments, TV series and specials, and video games.

Characters: Eeyore and Captain Nathaniel Flint

Also Known For: Canadian actor best known as Optimus Prime in the Transformers franchise throughout much of its duration. Other roles include KARR in Knight Rider and The Predator in Predator. Also done voice work in numerous commercials and promos. Film appearances include Tiki Tiki, King Kong (1976), Heidi’s Song, Gremlins, Robotix, Gallavants, Voyage of the Rock Aliens, Bigfoot and the Muscle Machines, Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer, Voltron: Fleet of Doom, My Little Pony: The Movie, King Kong Lives, G. I. Joe: The Movie, and The Little Engine That Could. TV appearances include The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show, Mighty Man and Yukk, The Kwicky Koala Show, The Smurfs, Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, The Scooby & Scrappy-Doo/Puppy Hour, Meatballs & Spaghetti, Pac-Man, Saturday Supercade, The Dukes, Mister T, Dungeons & Dragons, Heathcliff and the Cadillac Cats, Rainbow Brite, Alvin and the Chipmunks, G. I. Joe: A Real American Hero, Challenge of the GoBots, Voltron: Defender of the Universe, The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians, The Jetsons, MoonDreamers, Muppet Babies, Pound Puppies, The New Adventures of Johnny Quest, Foofur, My Little Pony, The Real Ghostbusters, The New Yogi Bear Show, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Tom & Jerry Kids, Tiny Toon Adventures, Bonkers, Hardball, Invincible, and The Masked Singer.

Personal Life: Has 4 children: Clay, Angus, Claire, and Pilar and 3 grandchildren. Father-in-law of actress Molly Culver.

Later Life: Still actively working as of 2025.

Trivia: Good friends with Frank Welker. Named to the Transformers Hall of Fame in 2010. Received a Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Academy of Television Arts in Sciences in 2023 as part of the Children’s and Family Emmy Awards. Devoted and supporter of NASA.

267. D. B. Sweeney

Dates: 1961-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Shoreham, New York. Attended Tulane and New York University.  Starred with Laura Linney in an Off-Broadway production of The Seagull in 1990 and in New York’s Alphabet City neighborhood. Later guest starred in TV series and films.

Movies and Cartoons: Dinosaur (2000) and Brother Bear (2003) as well as the series Phineas and Ferb and Disney’s Dinosaur video game.

Characters: Aladar and Sitka

Also Known For: Actor best known as Jackie Willow in Gardens of Stone, Lt. Phil Lowenthal in Memphis Belle, Travis Walton in Fire in the Sky, Shoeless Joe Jackson in Eight Men Out, and FBI Special Agent Morris in Major Crimes and The Closer. Film appearances include The Cutting Edge, No Man’s Land, Blue Desert, Leather Jackets, Hear No Evil, Roommates, Three Wishes, Spawn, After Sex, Hardball, Speak, The Darwin Awards, Two Tickets to Paradise, Yellow, Stiletto, Miracle at St. Anna, Taken 2, Atlas Shrugged: Part II, K-11, Underdogs, The Boxcar Children, Free Fall, Heist, Chi-Raq, Extraction, The Resurrection of Gavin Stone, Captive State, and Megalopolis. TV appearances include House, Jericho, Castle, Criminal Minds, Crash, The Event, Lonesome Dove, Tales from the Crypt, NYPD Blue, Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, The Outer Limits, CSI: Miami, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: NY, 24, Hawaii Five-O, The Legend of  Korra, Two and a Half Men, S.W.A.T., Sharp Objects, Empire, and B Positive.

Personal Life: Married to Ashley Vachon from 2000 to their divorce in 2023. They have a son Cade and a daughter named Cody.

Later Life: Still actively working as of 2025.

Trivia: None.

268. Max Casella

Dates: 1967-present

Early Life and Career: Born Maximilian Deitch in Washington D.C. Father was a newspaper columnist. Mother was a social worker. Grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts and attended the Cambridge Ringe and Latin School with classmates like Traci Bingham, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon. Has a growth deficiency disorder that accounts for his ability to play characters much younger than his own age. That he didn’t actually go through puberty until he was 27 after medical intervention. His physical changes led naturally led him to gain weight and his agents dropped him. He then had to completely reinvent himself as an actor.

Movies and Cartoons: Dinosaur (2000) as well as the direct-to-video The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea.

Characters: Zini

Also Known For: Actor best known as Daxter in the Jak and Daxter video game series. Film appearances include Newsies, Ed Wood, Sgt. Bilko, Trial and Error, Analyze This, The Notorious Bettie Page, Letherheads, Revolutionary Road, Inside Llewyn Davis, Blue Jasmine, Oldboy, Jackie, Wonder Wheel, Late Night, The Rhythm Section, This Is the Night, The Tender Bar, Allswell in New York, and Lake George. TV appearances include Doogie Howser M. D., The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire, Vinyl, Cro, Hey Arnold!, Working, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Medium, Hawaii Five-O, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Detour, Ray Donovan, The Blacklist, The Good Fight, Tulsa King, and Kaleidoscope. Appeared in Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony video game.

Personal Life: Married to Leona Robbins from 2002 until their separation in 2018. They have 2 daughters Mia and Gioia.

Later Life: Still actively working as of 2025.

Trivia: None.

269.  David Spade

Dates: 1964-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Birmingham, Michigan. Mother was a writer and magazine editor. Father was a sales representative. Family moved to Scottsdale, Arizona when he was 4. Parents soon divorced. Mother raised him and his brothers in relative poverty. Attended Saguaro High School and Scottsdale Community College before transferring to Arizona State University. But later dropped out shortly thereafter because he made a decent living doing stand-up. Was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. Also performed standup at the university’s long-running sketch comedy show, Farce Side Comedy Hour on numerous occasions. During the mid-1980s, he did stand-up in the Monday night comedy show at Greasy Tony’s Pizza in Tempe, Arizona. After being spotted by a talent agent while performing at The Improv at Los Angeles, he was cast in Police Academy 4 in 1987. Joined Saturday Night Live as a writer and later cast member in 1990 where he became known for his brand of sarcasm. Was known as among the “Bad Boys” of the show alongside Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, Chris Rock, and Rob Schneider. Left the show in 1996.

Movies and Cartoons: The Emperor’s New Groove (2000) as well as the direct-to-video Kronk’s New Groove.

Characters: Emperor Kuzco

Also Known For: Actor, stand-up comedian, and podcaster known for a comedic style that relies heavily on sarcasm and self-depreciation. Film appearances include Tommy Boy, Black Sheep, Senseless, Joe Dirt, Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star, The Benchwarmers, Grown Ups, The Ridiculous 6, The Do-Over, The Wrong Missy, Hotel Transylvania, Snowflake, the White Gorilla, Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol, Coneheads, A Very Brady Sequel, The Rugrats Movie, Grandma’s Boy, Jack & Jill, Jungle Master, I Am Chris Farley, Sandy Wexler, Father of the Year, and Warning Shot. TV appearances include Saturday Night Live, Just Shoot Me!, Rules of Engagement, 8 Simple Rules, Lights Out with David Spade, The Facts of Life, Baywatch, ALF, The Larry Sanders Show, Beavis and Butt-Head, Father of the Pride, The Showbiz Show with David Spade, Entourage, Hot in Cleveland, The Goldbergs, Crowded, Inside Amy Schumer, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Fameless, Love, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Mayor, House Broken, and Snake Oil. Appeared in The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning video game.

Personal Life: Younger brother of businessman Andy Spade and brother-in-law of fashion designer Kate Spade. Has dated numerous actresses and celebrities including Heather Locklear, Lara Flynn Boyle, Julie Bowen, Teri Hatcher, and Naya Rivera. E! News once called him “a bachelor-era George Clooney of the comedy world.” Has a daughter with 2005 Playboy Playmate Jullian Grace.

Later Life: In 2000, he was attacked by his assistant David Warren “Skippy” Malloy while sleeping after breaking into his home in the early morning and used a stun gun on him. Told Howard Stern in an interview that he managed get away by running to his bedroom, grabbing his shotgun, and locking himself in his bathroom. Malloy pleaded guilty and avoided jail time on condition that he seek counseling for drug and psychological problems. He received 5 years’ probation, was ordered to stay 100 yards from Spade, and required by court to perform 480 hours of community service. Has donated $100,000 each to the Phoenix Police Department, The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) as well as $200,000 to the Oklahoma tornado relief program. Currently has houses in West Hollywood, the Hollywood Hills, and Beverly Hills.

Trivia: Has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy and 2 Golden Globes. Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2003. Received a Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actress for Jack & Jill in 2012.

270. Patrick Warburton

Dates: 1964-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Paterson, New Jersey. Father was an orthopedic surgeon. Mother’s a member of the Parents Television Council. Raised in Huntington Beach, California. Attended Saints Simon and Jude Catholic School. Later went to Servite High School in Anaheim before transferring to Newport Harbor High School in Newport Beach. Studied marine biology at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa but dropped out to pursue modeling and acting.

Movies and Cartoons: The Emperor’s New Groove (2000), Home on the Range (2004), Chicken Little (2005), and Planes: Fire & Rescue as well as direct-to-video installments, TV series, video games, and theme park attractions like Soarin’ and Star Tours – The Adventure Continues.

Characters: Kronk, Patrick, Alien Cop, and Pulaski.

Also Known For: Actor best known as David Puddy in Seinfeld, The Tick in The Tick (FOX series), Jeb Denton in Less Than Perfect, Jeff Bingham in Rules of Engagement, Lemony Snicket in A Series of Unfortunate Events, Joe Swanson in Family Guy, Sheriff Bronson Stone in Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, and Brock Samson in The Venture Bros. Plays a “control enthusiast” in commercials for National Car Rental. Is the current voice of Ranger in a series of radio spots for the Smokey the Bear campaign sponsored by the US Forest Service and the Ad Council. Film appearances include Scorchers, American Strays, Scream 3, Joe Somebody, Run Ronnie Run, Big Trouble, Men in Black II, Hoodwinked!, Sky High, The Civilization of Maxwell Bright, The Wild, Open Season, Happily N’Ever After, Underdog, Bee Movie, Space Chimps, Get Smart, Made for Each Other, Flicka 2, Rock Slyde, The Little Engine That Could, Ted, Mr. Peabody & Sherman, Spotlight, Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser, Animal Crackers, Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs, Inheritance, Seal Team, and Unfrosted. TV appearances include Quantum Leap, Northern Exposure, Murphy Brown, Mad About You, Designing Women, Grace Under Fire, Ellen, NewsRadio, Teacher’s Pet, Malcolm in the Middle, The Twilight Zone, 8 Simple Rules, Happy Family, American Dad!, The Batman, Robot Chicken, Tak  and the Power of the  Juju, Sesame Street, The Fairly OddParents, The Cleveland Show, Archer, The Penguins of Madagascar, The Soup, Lego Star Wars, Moonbeam City, TripTank, Crowded, Skylanders Academy, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Orville, Space Force, The Bachelorette, and Mr. Birchum. Video game appearances include Spider-Man, Metal Arms: Glitch in the System, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure, Poker Night 2, Tales from the Borderlands, and The Outer Worlds.

Personal Life: Married to his college sweetheart Cathy Jennings since 1991. They have 4 children actor Talon, Shane, Gabriel, and Alexandria.

Later Life: Lives in Santa Rosa, California.

Trivia: Although he’s a lifelong fan of the Los Angeles Kings, Warburton has appeared at multiple New Jersey Devils hockey games with his face and chest painted to that of his Devils crazed role in his episode of Seinfeld, exhorting the crowd the same way like that of his David Puddy character. He once dropped the first puck for the Devils’ 1995 season where he slipped and fell. But Warburton regained his balance and ripped off his shirt to reveal the letter “D,” which came to be regarded as an iconic moment in Devils’ history. In 2019, the Devils gave out a Puddy bobblehead doll to fans at a 2019 game.

Loosely based on The Grasshopper and the Ant story in Aesop’s Fables, A Bug’s Life was the first of several ideas conceived during a summer lunch in 1994 because an insect-focused picture would be easier to animate due to relatively simple surfaces. While the grasshopper in the original fable is shut out from the ants when winter comes, Andrew Stanton and Joe Ranft suggested that the grasshoppers just take the food. While the original conceptions of the Circus Bugs seemed to come across as unlikeable liars trying to cheat the colony instead of being embroiled in a Three Amigos-like misunderstanding. Due to complexity of character models, Pixar’s computers ran sluggishly. The animators also employed a technique known as surface scattering as a way to render surfaces in a more lifelike way. Pixar and Disney also got embroiled in a public feud with Dreamworks, which was making Antz at the time in conjunction with Pacific Data Images (PDI). With John Lasseter and Steve Jobs believing that now-Dreamworks co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg stole his idea. Didn’t help that Lasseter and Katzenberg still kept in touch and their studios were both in Universal City. Upon its 1998 release, A Bug’s Life garnered $363 million at the box office, became the first film digitally transferred on DVD, and received positive reviews. However, compared to other Pixar movies, it’s become one that’s largely forgotten and often overshadowed by not just the Toy Story franchise, but also later films as well. In this post, we’ll meet filmmaker Chris Sanders, voice actors Elisa Gabrielli and Donald Fullilove, the voices behind 4 more Mulan characters, as well as the voices behind Flik, Princess Dot, and Molt.

241. Miguel Ferrer

Dates: 1955-2017

Early Life and Career: Born in Santa Monica, California as the oldest of 5 children to singer and actress Rosemary Clooney and Puerto Rican actor Jose Ferrer. Raised in Hollywood and Beverly Hills. Attended Beverly Hills High School. As a teenager, his interests tended toward music, particularly drums. Yet, after graduation, Ferrer studied acting at the Beverly Hills Playhouse. Friend Bill Mumy cast him as a drummer on the series Sunshine, his first TV role. Was also a member of Mumy’s band Seduction of the Innocent with Steve Leialoha and Max Allan Collins. Sharing a love of comics, Ferrer and Mumy co-created Comet Man and Trypto the Acid Dog as well as co-wrote a Marvel graphic novel The Dreamwalker. Began his acting career during the early 1980s.

Movies and Cartoons: Mulan (1998) as well as the Hercules series and the Disney Animated Storybook video game.

Characters: Shan Yu

Also Known For: Actor best known as Bob Morton in Robocop, Harbinger in Hot Shots! Part Deux, Quigley in Blank Check, Eduardo Ruiz in Traffic, Vice President Rodriguez in Iron Man 3, FBI Agent Rosenfield in Twin Peaks, Dr. Garrett Macy in Crossing Jordan, NCIS Assistant Director Owen Granger in NCIS: Los Angeles, Tarakudo in Jackie Chan Adventures, and Vandal Savage in Young Justice. Film appearances include Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Flashpoint, Deepstar Six, The Guardian, The Harvest, Point of No Return, It’s All True: Based on an Unfinished Film by Orson Welles, The Disappearance of Garcia Lorca, The Night Flier, Mr. Magoo, Where’s Marlowe?, Sunshine State, The Manchurian Candidate (2004), The Man, Wrong Turn at Tahoe, This Is Not a Movie, Four Assassins, The Courier, and Rio 2. TV appearances include Magnum P. I., Trapper John M. D., CHiPs, Cagney & Lacey, Hill Street Blues, CBS Summer Playhouse, Miami Vice, Guts and Glory: The Life and Times of Oliver North, Shannon’s Deal,  Broken Badges, Tales from the Crypt, On the Air, Scam,  Biography, The Stand, ER,  Fallen Angels, Justice League of America,  Superman: The Animated Series, Men in Black: The Series, LateLine, Will & Grace, 3^rd Rock from the Sun, Night Visions, Robot Chicken, American Dad!, Bionic Woman, The Batman, Medium, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Psych, Ben 10: Ultimate Alien, The Protector, Desperate Housewives, Adventure Time, and Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters. Video game appearances include Halo 2 and Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon Because I Don’t Know!.

Personal Life: First cousin of George Clooney. Nephew of singer and TV presenter Betty Clooney and journalist, TV host, and anchorman Nick Clooney. Uncle of actress Tessa Ferrer. Married twice. First wife was actress Leilani Sarelle from 1991 until their divorce in 2003. Second wife was producer Lori Weintraub from 2005 until his death. Had 2 sons and 2 stepsons.

Later Life: Died in 2017 from heart failure and complications from throat cancer at his Santa Monica home at 61. Buried at Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Trivia: Miguel O’Hara, alter ego of Spider-Man 2099 was named after him by his friend Peter David, who co-created the character.

242. Miriam Margolyes

Dates: 1941-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Oxford, England to a Jewish family. Father was a Scottish PCP from Glasgow. Mother was a property developer from Liverpool. Attended Oxford High School and Newnham College, Cambridge. Began acting in her 20s and appeared in Cambridge Footlights productions. Represented Newnham College in the first season of University Challenge, where she may have been the first person to drop an f-bomb on British television. With her versatile voice, Margolyes first gained recognition for her work as a voice artist. During the 1970s, she recorded soft-porn audio called Sexy Sonia: Leaves from My Schoolgirl Notebook.

Movies and Cartoons: Mulan (1998) as well as the series 101 Dalmatian Street and Nina Neets to Go!.

Characters: The Matchmaker

Also Known For: British-Australian actress known for her work as a character actress across film, television, and stage. Best known role is Professor Sprout from the Harry Potter series. Appeared in Wallace & Gromit: The Grand Getaway video game. Film appearances include A Nice Girl Like Me, Little Shop of Horrors, Little Dorrit, I Love You to Death, Yentl, Immortal Beloved, Different for Girls, Romeo + Juliet, Magnolia, The Age of Innocence, End of Days, Being Julia, Ladies in Lavender, Babe, James and the Giant Peach, Happy Feet, Flushed Away, Early Man, Rime of the Ancient Mariner, The Awakening, Reds, Morons from Outer Space, Pacific Heights, The Butcher’s Wife, Balto, Ed and His Dead Mother, Plots with a View, Chasing Liberty, How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, A Closed Book, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’ Hoole, The Guilt Trip, Maya and the Bee, The Man Who Invented Christmas, and My Happy Ending. TV appearances include Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story, Orpheus Descending, Stalin, Cold Comfort Farm, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, Blackadder, Vanity Fair, Supply & Demand, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, Call the Midwife, Doctor Who, Theatre 625, ITV Play of the Week, Thirty-Minute Theatre, Fall of Eagles, Tales of the Unexpected, The History Man, Freud, Oliver Twist, A Little Princess, Screen Two, The Comic Strip Presents…, The Phoenix and the Carpet, Rugrats, Dharma & Greg, Agatha Christie’s Marple, Kingdom, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Merlin, Doc Martin, Trollied, Bottersnikes and Gumbles, Rake, Bucket, Family Guy, The Windsors, Dickens in America, The Real Marigold Hotel, and Hilda. Stage appearances include Fiddler on the Roof, Threepenny Opera, The White Devil, Cloud Nine, 84 Charing Cross Road, Man Equals Man, Orpheus Descending, Dickens’ Women, She Stoops to Conquer, The Killing of Sister George, The Cherry Orchard, Romeo and Juliet, The Vagina Monologues, The Way of the World, Blithe Spirit, The Importance of Being Earnest, Wicked, Endgame, Me and My Girl, A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, I’ll Eat You Last, The Lady in a Van, and White Rabbit Red Rabbit.

Personal Life: Identifies as a lesbian and has been in a relationship with a retired professor named Heather Sutherland since 1968 and often spent their lives dividing their time between homes in England, Australia, and Italy.

Later Life: Has spent long periods in Australia and received citizenship from there in 2013. Is a patron of My Death My Decision, a UK organization seeking a more compassionate approach to dying, including the legal right to medically assisted death, if that’s a person’s persistent wish. Was first host to the Sense Creating Writing Awards in 2006 where she read a number of works written by deafblind people. Wrote 2 memoirs: This Much is True in 2021 and Oh Miriam! in 2023.

Trivia: Wona a BAFTA Award for The Age of Innocence in 1993. Appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2002.

243. James Shigeta

Dates: 1929-2014

Early Life and Career: Born in Hawaii as a sansei-Third generation Japanese-American. Graduated from President Theodore Roosevelt High School in 1947 and studied drama at New York University. After completing ROTC, he enlisted in the Hawaii National Guard’s 298^th Infantry, prior to his 1951 enlistment in the US Marine Corps during the Korean War. Served for 2 ½ years and rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant. Entered and won first prize on Ted Mack’s television, The Original Amateur Hour in 1950. Embarking on a singing career, Shigeta teamed with Hawaiian operatic tenor Charles K. L. Davis and they developed a supper club musical career in the US, singing at venues such as the Mocambo and the Los Angeles Players Club. During his enlistment in the US Marines, he entertained troops in California. En route to Korea, the ceasefire led Shigeta to Japan where he was discharged from the Marines and hired by the theatrical division by Toho Studios. Although he didn’t speak Japanese until Tokyo’s Toho Studios invited him to be a musical star, he was able to use his real name. Became a success in all media aspects of his day such as in radio, television, stage, supper clubs, movies, and recordings that he became known as the “Frank Sinatra of Japan.” In 1958, Tokyo’s Nichigeki Theatre exported their extravaganza Cherry Blossom Show to Australia with Shigeta as male lead opposite Fubuki Koshiji. The show performed at the Empire Theatre in Sydney, Her Majesty’s Theatre in Brisbane, the Theatre Royal in Adelaide, and Her Majesty’s Theatre in Melbourne and was a huge success, with one Australian reviewer describing that Shigeta “… has matinee idol good looks and a soothing baritone voice that should send the record companies mad for his autograph on recording contracts.” Returned to the United States to sing on The Dinah Shore Show.

Movies and Cartoons: Mulan (1998)

Characters: General Li

Also Known For: Actor and singer who in his early career, often played romantic male leads, which were almost nonexistent for an actor of Asian descent during his time, making him a trailblazer in Asian American representation in media. Goldsea Asian-American Daily magazine listed him as one of the “Most Inspiring Asian-Americans of All Time.”  Film appearances include Crimson Kimono, Walk Like a Dragon, Flower Drum Song, Bridge to the Sun, Midway, Die Hard, Cry for Happy, Death Walks in Laredo, Nobody’s Perfect, Lost Horizon, The Yakuza, China City, Midnight Man, Space Marines, Drive (1997), Brother, and The People I’ve Slept With. TV appearances include Alcoa Premiere, Naked City, Dr. Kildare, The Outer Limits, Burke’s Law, Perry Mason, The Lieutenant, I Spy, Hawaii Five-O, Ironside, Mission: Impossible, Emergency!, Medical Center, Kung Fu, Ellery Queen, S. W. A. T., The Streets of San Francisco, Little House on the Prairie, The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, Police Woman, The Rockford Files, Fantasy Island, The Greatest American Hero, The Love Boat, Airwolf, Magnum P. I., Simon & Simon, Dragnet, Murder, She Wrote, Babylon 5, Renegade, The Real Adventures of Johnny Quest, Beverly Hills 90210, and Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Personal Life: I can’t find a thing about his personal life.

Later Life: In 2006, Shigeta was among the actors, producers, and directors in the documentary The Slanted Screen, which was about the representation of Asian American men in Hollywood. Retired from acting in 2009. Died in his sleep in 2014 in West Hollywood, California at 85. Funeral was held at the First Congregational Church in Los Angeles. Was interred at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Trivia: Received a Golden Globe in 1960. Received a Visionary Award from the East West Players in 2005.

244. Pat Morita

Dates: 1932-2005

Early Life and Career: Born Noriyuki Morita in Iselton, California to Japanese immigrant parents. Developed Potts Disease at 2 and spent the bulk of the next 9 years in the Weimar Institute in Weimar, California and later at the Shriner’s Hospital in San Francisco. For long periods, Morita was wrapped in a full-body cast and was told that he’d never walk. During his time at a sanatorium, he befriended a visiting priest who said that if he ever converted to Catholicism, he’d be renamed “Patrick Aloysius Ignatius Xavier Noriyuki Morita.” After undergoing extensive spinal surgery and learning how to walk, Morita was released at 11 to Gila River Camp in Arizona to join his interned family. After a year and a half, he was transferred to the Tule Lake War Relocation Center. After World War II ended, Morita moved back to the Bay Area and graduated from Armijo High School in Fairfield, California in 1949. For a time, his family ran a restaurant called the Ariake Chop Suey, in Sacramento, which he later described as “a Japanese family running a Chinese restaurant in a black neighborhood with a clientele of blacks, Filipinos and everybody else who didn’t fit in any of the other neighborhoods.” There, he’d entertain customers with jokes and serve as the master of ceremonies at group dinners. After his dad was killed in a hit-and-run while walking home from an all-night movie, Morita and his mother kept the restaurant going for another 3-4 years. Needing a regular job to support his first wife and their newly born child, Morita became a data processor during the early 1960s with the Department of Motor Vehicles and other state agencies, graduating to a graveyard shift position at Aerospace General. In due time, Morita was department head at another aerospace firm called Lockheed, handling the liaison between the engineers and the programmers who were mapping out the lunar eclipses for Polaris and Titan missile projects. However, due to suffering from occupational burnout, Morita decided to quit his job and try show business. So he began working as a stand-up comedian at small clubs in Sacramento and San Francisco, taking the stage name of “Pat Morita” in part due to the presence of comedians including Pat Harper and Pat Cooper as well as the fond memories of the priest he befriended as a boy. He struggled in comedy for many years until his ventriloquist friend Hank Garcia encouraged him to try his luck in Los Angeles. After Morita moved, Lenny Bruce’s mother Sally Marr acted as his agent as well as booked him in the San Fernando Valley and at Santa Monica’s Horn. Morita sometimes worked as an opening act for singers like Vic Damone and Connie Stevens and for his mentor, comedian Redd Foxx. Often using the nickname, “The Hip Nip.”

Movies and Cartoons: Mulan (1998) as well as a direct-to-video sequel.

Characters: The Emperor of China

Also Known For: Actor and comedian best known for his recurring role as diner owner Matsuo “Arnold” Takahashi in Happy Days and Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid franchise. Other roles include Mr. Takahashi in Welcome Back, Kotter and Mr. T and Tina, Lieutenant Ohara in Ohara, Captain Sam Park in M*A*S*H, Ah Chew in Sanford and Son, and Mike Woo in The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo. Film appearances include Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Shakiest Gun in the West, Every Little Crook and Nanny, Where Does It Hurt?, Cancel My Reservation, I Wonder Who’s Killing Her Now?, Midway, When Time Ran Out, Full Moon High, Savannah Smiles, Jimmy the Kid, Slapstick of Another Kind, Night Patrol, Captive Hearts, Collision Course, Do or Die, Honeymoon in Vegas, Miracle Beach, Auntie’s Meat Pies,  America Ninja V, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, Timemaster, Bloodsport II: The Next Kumite, Spy Hard, Bloodsport III, Inferno, Brother, I’ll Remember April, Shadow Fury, Only the Brave, Royal Kill, and Elvis Has Left the Building. TV appearances include Green Acres, Columbo, The Odd Couple, The Bob Newhart Show, Hawaii Five-O, Cannon, Kung Fu, Blanksy’s Beauties, The Love Boat, Man from Atlantis, The Incredible Hulk, Alice in Wonderland, Babes in Toyland, Big Bird in Japan, Hiroshima: Out of the Ashes, Space Rangers, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Murder, She Wrote, Boy Meets World, Family Matters, The Outer Limits, Diagnosis Murder, Adventures with Kanga Roddy, The Hughleys, Baywatch: Hawaii, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Robot Chicken.

Personal Life: Married 3 times. First wife was Kathlee Yamachi from 1953 until their divorce in 1967. Second wife was Yukiye Kitahara from 1970 to their divorce in 1989. Third wife was actress Evelyn Guerro from 1994 until his death. Had 3 children. Struggled with alcoholism.

Later Life: Died of kidney failure, following a urinary tract and gall bladder bacterial infection in 2005 at his home in Las Vegas at 73. Cremated at Palm Green Valley Mortuary and Cemetery in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Trivia: Nominated for an Oscar, Emmy, and 2 Golden Globe Awards. Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1994. Inducted into the Martial Arts History Museum Hall of Fame in 2015.

245. Chris Sanders

Dates: 1962-present

Early Life and Career: Born Christopher Michael Sanders in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Had been interested in comic strips and filmmaking from a young age. Was the only one of 3 siblings to borrow his dad’s Super 8 film camera and, with encouragement from his father toward his drawing interests, made his own comics. Later developed an interest in animation after learning about the camera’s single-frame feature. Went to Arvada High School in Arvada, Colorado. Initially wanted to take art classes at the school but was dissuaded when he asked the art teacher to teach him cartooning. Only for the teacher to reply, “Comics aren’t art.” Later attended the California Institute of the Arts, where he graduated in 1984. Began his career as a character designer for Muppet Babies. Then served as a lead storyboard artist for Walt Disney Feature Animation where he also was a storyboard artist, artistic director, production designer, and character designer. Created Stitch in 1985 for an unsuccessful children’s book pitch and would later be relegated to a smaller project that would be developed during the 1990s.

Movies and Cartoons: Mulan (1998), Tarzan (1999), and Lilo & Stitch (2002) as well as several direct-to-video installments, Lilo & Stitch: The Series and Quack Pack, the Stitch’s Great Escape theme park attraction, and various video games.

Characters: Little Brother, Baby Baboon, and Stitch/Experiment 626

Also Known For: Filmmaker, animator, and voice actor best known for his work for both Disney and Dream Works. Has worked behind the scenes of The Rescuers Down Under (1990), Beauty and the Beast (1990), Aladdin (1992), The Lion King (1994), and Mulan (1998). Co-wrote and directed Lilo & Stitch (2002). Non-Disney projects include How to Train Your Dragon, The Croods, The Croods: A New Age, The Call of the Wild, Penguins of Madagascar, and The Wild Robot. TV projects include Muppet Babies, Little Muppet Monsters, The Glo Friends, and Histeria!.

Personal Life: Has been married to Jessica Steele-Sanders since 2015 although he had filed for divorce in 2023. Although they both wrote an illustrated novel called Rescue Sirens: The Search for the Atavist. Has a daughter named Nicole. Was also thought to be gay by his colleagues in the industry, when in reality his screenwriting partner Dean DeBlois is.

Later Life: Is slated to voice Stitch in the upcoming Lilo & Stitch live action remake this year.

Trivia: Has won 5 Annie Awards and a Critic’s Choice. Nominated for 4 Academy Awards. Wrote a picture book during the late 1980s titled The Big Bear Aircraft Company, which is a satirical take on Disney itself and criticizes its creative process. Also drew the web comic Kiskaloo.

246. Donald Fullilove

Dates: 1958-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Dallas, Texas. Graduated in 1976 from Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles. Began his career as a child actor at 13 providing the voice of Michael Jackson in The Jackson 5ive animated series.

Movies and Cartoons: Mulan (1998), Monsters, Inc. (2001), WALL-E (2008), Up (2009) and Monsters University (2013) as well as the shorts Partysaurus Rex and George and AJ.

Characters: Hun Army, CDA Agent, Axiom Passenger #7, Nurse George, and Phil

Also Known For: Actor who mostly focuses on voice roles. Film appearances include Back to the Future, Back to the Future Part II, White Man Can’t Jump, Osmosis Jones, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, Curious George, The Hustle, and A Turtle’s Tale: Sammy’s Adventures. TV appearances include The Jackson 5ive, Kid Power, Emergency+4, High Street Run, What’s Happening Now!!, Martin, All of Us, and American Dad!.

Personal Life: Married to Tuluv Price but filed for divorce in 2023.

Later Life: Still actively working as of 2025.

Trivia: Is an airplane pilot.

247. Elisa Gabrielli

Dates: 1950s-present

Early Life and Career: Began her professional career with the highly acclaimed Mirror Repertory Company in New York City, working closely with Inner-City Improv and New Dramatists.

Movies and Cartoons: Mulan (1998), Zootopia (2016) and Luca (2021) as well as the series Gargoyles.

Characters: Concetta Aragosta

Also Known For: Actress and comedian best known as Pepper Potts in The Invincible Iron Man, Miss Linley in The Brady Bunch Movie, and Nana in the Madagascar franchise. Film appearances include The Naked Gun 33+1/3: The Final Insult, Seven Girlfriends, A Turtle’s Tale 2: Sammy’s Escape from Paradise, Shrek, Open Season, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Bride Wars, Cyrus, Meet the Parents, Romey and Michelle’s High School Reunion, Monster’s Ball, Shopgirl, Smart People, The Experiment, Aquaman, and From Up on Poppy Hill. TV appearances include Babylon 5, Reform School Girl, Murder One, Brooklyn South, Jenny, ER, G-Spot, The Super Dave Superbowl of Knowledge, El Hazard: The Magnificent World, 3×3 Eyes, Battle Athletes, Dual! Parallel Troubl Adventure, The Legend of Black Heaven, W.I.T.C.H., The Spectacular Spider-Man, and Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny. Video game appearances include Warcraft III: The Reign of Chaos, Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard, The Sims 3, Fallout: New Vegas, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Heroes of the Storm, Twin Mirror, Quest for Glory V: Dragon Fire, and Robotech: Invasion.

Personal Life: Married twice. First to Bill Barbrieri from 1979 to their divorce in 1983. Second and current husband is Floyd Van Buskirk.

Later Life: Lives in Los Angeles.

Trivia: None.

248. Dave Foley

Dates: 1963-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada. Father was a steamfitter. Mother came from England. After dropping out of high school, Foley pursued standup comedy for about a year at the Toronto Second City Training Center, where he began taking improv classes and met Kevin McDonald, who gave him a job as an usher at a local arthouse theater. Foley, McDonald, Bruce McCulloch, Mark McKinney, and Scott Thompson formed the Kids in the Hall in 1984, which spun a sketch comedy TV series that ran from 1988 to 1995.

Movies and Cartoons: A Bug’s Life (1998), Toy Story 2 (1999), Cars (2006), Monsters University (2013), and Onward (2020) as well as the short Party Central, a couple video games, Lilo & Stitch: The Series, the short series Prep & Landing, and It’s Tough to Be a Bug! attraction.

Characters: Flik, Flik Car, Terry, and Rogue Waiter

Also Known For: Canadian actor, stand-up comedian, director, producer, and writer best known as a co-founder of the comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall, who’ve appeared in a number of television, stage, and film productions such as their 1988-1995 TV sketch show and their 1996 film Brain Candy. Other known roles include Dave Nelson in NewsRadio, Troy in Blast from the Past, Dr. Fulton in The Middle, Bob in Hot in Cleveland, Gary O’Brien in Young Sheldon, and Danish Graves in the show Fargo. Has also hosted Celebrity Poker Showdown. Film appearances include Three Men and a Baby, It’s Pat, The Wrong Guy, Hacks, Dick, Monkeybone, Run Ronnie Run, My Boss’s Daughter, Grind, Ham & Cheese, Sky High, Netherbeast Incorporated, Swindle, Suck, Postal, Cooper’s Camera, Vampires Suck, Monster Brawl, Last Call, Freeloaders, Second Act, and Benjamin. TV appearances include American Playhouse, Mr. Show with Bob and David, From Earth to the Moon, Committed, Becker, The Tick, Just Shoot Me!, The Toronto Show, Odd Job Jack, The King of Queens, Grounded for Life, Will & Grace, Father of the Pride, Scrubs, The Batman, Little Mosque on the Prairie, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Brothers & Sisters, Stargate: Atlantis, The Soup, Leverage, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, How I Met Your Mother, Friends with Benefits, Eureka, How to Be a Gentleman, Unsupervised, Robot Chicken, Maron, Veep, Justified, Mr. Pickles, Dr. Ken, Delmer & Marta, Adventure Time, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Drunk History, Carter, Fresh Off the Boat, Superstore, The Morning Show, and Night Court.

Personal Life: Married 3 times to 2 women. First wife was Canadian writer Tabatha Southey from 1991 until their divorce in 1997. They have 2 children. In 2001, an interim child support obligated Foley to pay $10,700 a month, a figure based on his income when NewsRadio was in production. By 2011, Foley claimed that his earnings had declined to the point that $10,700 was “400% of his income” but he was unable to get the obligation reduced in court. Owing half a million in back payments, Foley believed if he returned to Canada, he’d be arrested under orders by Ontario’s Family Responsibility Office. By 2013, he and Southey settled a child support lawsuit and he was able to resume work in his native country. Second and current wife is actress Chrissy Guerrero from 2002 to their divorce in 2008. They have a daughter Alina Chiara who’s worked as a child actress. They have since reconciled and have been remarried since 2016. Has struggled with depression and alcoholism. Yet, has stopped drinking since 2014 after falling backwards while intoxicated, resulting in a severe head injury that resulted in a subdural hematoma and spent 4 days in the ICU.

Later Life: Has resided in downtown Los Angeles before moving to New York City in 2022.

Trivia: Is an avid coffee fan.

249. Hayden Panettiere

Dates: 1989-present

Early Life and Career: Born and raised in Palisades, New York. Mother is a former soap opera actress. Father was a captain in the New York City Fire Department. First appeared in commercials at 11 months old, beginning with an advertisement for a Playskool toy train. Landed the roles of Sarah Roberts on One Life to Live from 1994 to 1997 and Lizzie Spaulding on Guiding Light in 1996 and 1997 to 2000. A Bug’s Life was her film debut. After attending South Orange Middle School in New York, she had private tutors during her high school years in order to accommodate her acting schedule.

Movies and Cartoons: A Bug’s Life (1998) and Dinosaur (2001) as well as various series and video games.

Characters: Princess Dot and Suri

Also Known For: Actress and singer best known as Claire Bennet in Heroes, Kirby Reed in the Scream franchise, and Juliette Barnes in Nashville. Film appearances include Remember the Titans, Raising Helen, Racing Stripes, Ice Princess, Bring It On: All or Nothing, I Love You, Beth Cooper, Custody, The Object of My Affection, Message in a Bottle, The Affair of the Necklace, The Architect, Mr. Gibb, Shanghai Kiss, Fireflies in the Garden, Alpha and Omega, and The Forger. TV appearances include Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy, One Life to Live, Guiding Light, Aliens in the Family, Unhappily Ever After, Too Rich: The Secret Life of Doris Duke, Touch by an Angel, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Ally McBeal, Normal, Malcolm in the Middle, Lies My Mother Told Me, Commander in Chief, Punk’d, Robot Chicken, American Dad!, and Chopped Junior. Video game appearances include The Mark of Kri and Until Dawn.

Personal Life: Older sister of actor Jansen Panettiere who died due to aortic valve complications from an enlarged heart syndrome in 2023 at 28. Once dated Heroes co-star Milo Ventimglia from 2007 to 2009 starting from when she was 18 and he was 30 (yikes). Most significant partner has been then-heavy-weight champion Wladimir Klitschko from 2009 until 2011 and from 2013 until 2018. They have a daughter together and were engaged at some point. Has also suffered from postpartum depression following her daughter’s birth. Has more recently dated Brian Hickerson but they broke up after he was arrested for corporal injury on a spouse/cohabitant, assault, and intimating a witness (Panettiere). Charges stemmed from incidents between May 2019 and June 2020.

Later Life: Is still actively working as of 2025.

Trivia: Received a special recognition award from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for drawing the attention of daytime viewers for the disease through her performance as Lizzie Spaulding in Guiding Light and improving national awareness. Has been nominated for a Grammy and for 2 Golden Globes.

250. Richard Kind

Dates: 1956-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Trenton, New Jersey. Father was a jeweler who once owned LaVake’s Jewelry in Princeton. While in the 4^th grade, his family moved to Yardley, Pennsylvania. Attended Pennsbury High School in Faithless Hills with fellow actor Robert Curtis Brown, graduating in 1974. Graduated from Northwestern University in 1978, where he was in the fraternity Phi Sigma Epsilon. Is also an alumnus of Second City in Chicago.

Movies and Cartoons: A Bug’s Life (1998), Cars (2006), Toy Story 3 (2010), Cars 2 (2011), and Inside Out (2015) as well as various series, a couple video games, and a couple of theme park attractions.

Characters: Molt, Van, Bookworm, and Bing Bong.

Also Known For: Actor and comedian best known as Dr. Mark Devanow in Mad About You, Paul Lassiter in Spin City, Andy in Curb Your Enthusiasm, Captain Stan Yenko in East New York, and Vince Fish in Only Murders in the Building. Film appearances include Johns, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With, Big Stan, A Serious Man, The Angriest Man in Brooklyn, All We Had, Rifkin’s Festival, Tick, Tick…Boom!, The Out-Laws, Nothing in Common, Vice Versa, Queens Logic, Ghoulies Go to College, The Seventh Brother,  All-American Murder, Tom and Jerry: The Movie, Quest of the Delta Knights, Jimmy Hollywood, Clifford, Stargate, Hacks, Cold Around the Heart, The Jungle Book: Mowgli’s Story, Tom Sawyer, Quicksand, The Station Agent, The Producers, The Wild, The Emperor’s Secret, Everyone’s Hero, Raising Flagg, The Grand, The Visitor, The Understudy, Roadside Romeo, Santa Buddies, Hereafter, Fancypants, Argo, Obvious Child, Yellowbird, Ride, The Lennon Report, Detours, The Paper Store, Subrubicon, Bernard and Huey, The Independents, Bombshell, Ella Bella Bingo, Extinct, Tankhouse, Beau Is Afraid, Monsters of California, and Wolfs. TV appearances include Two Fathers’ Justice, Hooperman, Mr. Belvedere, Empty Nest, 21 Jump Street, Carol & Company, The Carol Burnett Show, The Building, The Nanny, Blue Skies, Space: Above and Beyond, Nowhere Man, Strangers with Candy, The Wild Thornberrys, America’s Funniest Home Videos, Even Stevens, Oswald, Still Standing, Just Shoot Me!, Scrubs, Girlfriends, Oliver Beene, That ‘70s Show, Father of the Pride, Reba, Sesame Street, American Dad!, E-Ring, Stargate Atlantis, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Psych, Two and the Half Men, Chowder, Dora the Explorer, The Penguins of Madagascar, Leverage, Burn Notice, Harry’s Law, Mr. Sunshine, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Children’s Hospital, Drop Dead Diva, The Good Wife, Glee, Randy Cunningham: 9^th Grade Ninja, Gotham, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Lego Star Wars: Freemaker Adventures, The Goldbergs, Big Mouth, Documentary Now!, Brockmire, Life in Pieces, Transparent, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, At Home with Amy Sedaris, Bob’s Burgers, The Simpsons, Star Trek: Lower Decks, Family Guy, Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie, Night Court, Evil, Beavis and Butt-Head, and Velma. Stage appearances The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife, Funny Girl, Bounce, Sly Fox, The Drowsy Chaperone, The Producers, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, It’s a Bird…It’s a Plane…It’s Superman, Guys and Dolls, Kiss Me, Kate, Gutenberg! The Musical!, Bye Bye Birdie, and  All In: Comedy About Love.

Personal Life: Married to Dana Stanley from 1999 until their divorce in 2018. They have a son named Max and 2 daughters: Samantha and Skylar.

Later Life: Lives in the Upper West Side area of Manhattan in New York City.

Trivia: Has won a Drama Desk Award, an Independent Spirit Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Prior to landing his role on ER, George Clooney stayed at Kind’s apartment in Los Angeles where Clooney played numerous pranks on him, including Clooney shitting in a litter box and duping Kind into thinking he was a Jeopardy! expert and an aspiring painter. Inducted into the Pennsbury High School Hall of Fame in 2022.

Since Michael Eisner, Frank Wells, and Jeffrey Katzenberg assumed leadership of the Walt Disney Company in 1984, the company’s value went from $2 billion to $22 billion. But the trio that turned Disney around during the late 1980s and early 1990s would soon fall apart. In the spring of 1994, Wells died in a helicopter crash. After The Lion King’s release, Katzenberg left to co-found Dreamworks after Eisner refused to name him president. In 1995, Disney acquired Capital Cities/ABC, Inc. for $19 billion. The next year, it founded Radio Disney and launched its official disney.com website. In 1998, it bought out the California Angels, renamed it the Anaheim Angels, and renovated the stadium for $252 million (only to sell them for $180 million in 2003). It also started its own Disney Cruise Line as well. In 2001, Disney bought Fox Family Worldwide for $3 billion which later became ABC Family and Freeform. Sure, Disney would have major setbacks due to the 9/11 attacks which would lead to a decline in earnings which resulted in laying off 4,000 employees and closing 300-400 Disney stores. In 2003, Roy E. Disney announced his retirement in the same year the company became the first studio to garner $3 billion a year at the box office. As for the films from 1996 to 2003, it was a time of highs, lows, and experimentation. The really low note here is Dinosaur but it was an experimental film that blended computer animation and live action scenery. And people mainly watched that movie for that, rather than the plot. Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Treasure Planet may not stand out but they’re still better to watch than many over-hyped live action and CGI-movies of a similar note. Most notably James Cameron’s Avatar franchise. Lilo & Stitch and Tarzan both have good relationship-based storylines as well as great soundtracks. Hercules and The Emperor’s New Groove are both really great fun with memorable characters that you can’t help but like even though they may have major assholes. While The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Mulan rank among Disney’s very best.

              Now let’s move on to Pixar, the computer animation studio we all know and love. It got its start in 1974 when New York Institute of Technology’s founder Alexander Schure established the Computer Graphics Lab (GCL) and recruited computer scientists who shared his ambitions about creating the world’s first computer-animated film. Situated in a converted 2-story garage from the former Vanderbilt-Whitney estate and staffed by a group of 6, Schure invested approximately $15 million to provide resources the group needed but contributing to NYIT’s financial difficulties. Yet, they pioneered many of CG’s foundation techniques such as the invention of the alpha channel and produced a few frames of an experimental film called The Works. Eventually the group realized they needed to work with a real film studio to reach their goal. Francis Ford Coppola invited computer scientist Alvy Ray Smith to his house for a 3-day media conference where he and George Lucas shared their visions for the future of digital moviemaking. When Lucas approached the group and offered them jobs at his studio, 6 employees joined the newly established Graphics Group at Lucasfilm’s Computer Division in 1979. Directed by GCL alum Edwin Catmull, they worked on REYES, a precursor to RenderMan and developed several critical CG technologies like particle effects and various animation tools. John Lasseter joined Lucasfilm as an “interface designer” in 1983, where he animated the short film The Adventures of Andre & Wally B. In 1982, the team began working on special effects film sequences with Industrial Light & Magic. With Lucas’ 1983 divorce and fears over selling the company, Catmull and Smith decided to spin the Graphics Group off as an independent company that they named after the digital compositing computer that they named, “Pixar,” which also became its core product. Since development of a computer-animated feature film was some years away. But Steve Jobs’ $5 million payment to Lucas for technology rights and invested $5 million cash as capital into Pixar, joining the board of directors as chairman. Also, in 1986, Pixar signed a contract with Disney, who eventually bought and used its Pixar Image Computer and custom software written by Pixar as part of its Computer Animation Production System (CAPS) project, to migrate the laborious ink and paint part of the 2D animation process to a more automated method. Although they experienced a lot of financial difficulties that Jobs had to buy it out in 1991, Pixar’s relationship with Disney which culminated in $26 million deal to produce 3 animated films, the first being Toy Story. Actually, Pixar wouldn’t start to make serious money until Toy Story’s release. Disney later acquired Pixar in 2006 in a $7.4 billion deal.

Inspired by on the 1988 Pixar short Tin Toy, Toy Story was culmination of a film that had taken decades to make. At least in terms of developing the technology for it and whose origins date almost as early as Pixar itself since it was the original goal they were working towards. And by the time, it was made, Pixar was nearing bankruptcy and desperate for funds that they settled a deal with Disney to have complete ownership of their films and characters, including sequels without Pixar’s involvement in exchange for 12.5% of ticket sales. These would be a point of contention between Michael Eisner and Pixar CEO Steve Jobs for many years. At first, Toy Story was supposed to be a spin-off of the Tin Toy and a ventriloquist’s who are abandoned at a gas station and later have a series of adventures before winding up in a kindergarten. But Katzenberg was unhappy with the idea and suggested it be a buddy movie involving 2 main characters with contrasting personalities and having them only become friends after being forced to work together. The 1991 version has Tinny replace the ventriloquist dummy as the favorite toy, their bickering causing them to be left behind at a gas station, they almost catch up with the family at the pizza restaurant, only to find themselves having to escape from a kid who mutilates toys, and ends with a chase scene as the two toys try to catch up with the family’s moving van. While the plot mostly remained, the script went through many revisions. Lasseter thought the tin toy and dummy characters were “too antiquated.” The tin toy character was changed into a space-themed military action figure eventually named Buzz Lightyear. Woody was inspired by a Casper the Friendly Ghost doll that Lasseter had as a boy: a ventriloquist’s dummy with a pull string. Bud Lucky suggested that Woody be turned into a cowboy. While the ventriloquist dummy’s features were scratched. Since Toy Story’s writers had little experience with creating feature films, they attended a seminar by screenwriter Robert McKee. While Disney brought in screenwriters Joel Cohen, Alec Sokolow, and Joss Whedon. Yet, they had a tough time trying to have a film appeal to children and adults that when Katzenberg asked for more edginess, the characters were stripped of their charm with Tom Hanks complaining that Woody had been made into “a real jerk.” An initial screening of the first part in 1993 basically resulted in production being shut down and start from a new script. Still, because of this fiasco, the 110 crew behind the film was constantly on their toes during the production. And they mostly attracted talent for the novelty of working on a kind of animated film that hadn’t been done before. Since the pay was mediocre. But as with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Toy Story was a vast gamble since nobody was really sure whether it would be a success. Upon its 1995 release, Toy Story garnered over $373 million at the worldwide box office and universal acclaim. Furthermore, it became the first animated film to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Screenplay and received an Oscar for Special Achievement. Today it’s lauded as one of the greatest animated films ever made with a 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating. In this post, you’ll meet actors Laurie Metcalf, Jan Rabson, and John Ratzenberger, Pixar people like Jeff Pidgeon, Joe Ranft, John Lasseter, and Andrew Stanton, as well as the voices behind Sid, Bo Peep, and Quasimodo.

201. John Ratzenberger

Dates: 1947-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Father was a World War II veteran who had been a combat engineer in the Philippines. Attended St. Ann’s School, Bassick High School, and Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut. In 1969, Ratzenberger worked at the Woodstock Festival as a heavy equipment operator and as part of the crew building the stage. He then moved to London where he began his acting and directing career. Through the 1970s, he performed with Ray Hasset and as the comic theatrical duo Sal’s Meat Market which toured throughout Europe for 8 years. Also before his years on Cheers, he also appeared in various television and film roles throughout Europe as well.

Movies and Cartoons: Toy Story (1995), A Bug’s Life (1998), Toy Story 2 (1999), Monsters, Inc. (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), The Incredibles (2004), Cars (2006), Ratatouille (2007), WALL-E (2008), Up (2009), Toy Story 3 (2010), Cars 2 (2011), Brave (2012), Monsters University (2013), Planes (2013), Planes: Fire and Rescue (2014), Inside Out (2015), The Good Dinosaur (2015), Finding Dory (2016), Cars 3 (2017), Coco (2017), The Incredibles 2 (2018), Toy Story 4 (2019), Onward (2020), and Inside Out 2 (2024) as well as shorts, series, video games, direct-to-video installments, and Toy Story: The Musical.

Characters: Hamm, P. T. Flea, Yeti, Fish School, The Underminer, Mack, Hamm Truck, Abominable Snowplow, P. T. Flea Car, Mustafa, John, Construction Foreman Tom, Gordon, Harland, Fritz, Earl, Husband Crab Bill, Juan Ortodoncia, and Construction Worker Fenwick

Also Known For: Actor best known for playing Cliff Clavin Cheers, Wings, The Tortellis, and Frasier. Said to be the third highest-grossing actor of all time. Film appearances include A Bridge Too Far, Superman, Superman II, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Gandhi, Ragtime, The Falcon and the Snowman, Bad Day on the Block, One Night Stand, Luck, Spellbound (2024), Spirited Away, Something New, and Shifting Gears. TV appearances include ITV Playhouse, Private Schulz, Magnum P. I., St. Elsewhere, Hill Street Blues, The Love Boat, Captain Planet and the Planeteers, Bill Nye the Science Guy, The Simpsons, Murphy Brown, Sister, Sister, Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Touched by an Angel, The Drew Carey Show, That ‘70s Show, 8 Simple Rules, Made in America, Drop Dead Diva, Bones, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, How Murray Saved Christmas, Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventure, Mom, The Goldbergs, Bob Hearts Abishola, Poker Face, and WondLa.

Personal Life: Married twice. First wife was Georgia Stiny from 1984 to their divorce in 2004. They have 2 children. Second and current wife is Julie Blichfelt since 2012.

Later Life: Lived in London for 10 years. Has lived in Vashon, Washington since 1994. Has developed a packing-alternatives product made from biodegradable and non-toxic recycled paper as a safe alternative to foam peanuts and plastic bubble wrap. Called SizzlePack, it’s manufactured by his company Eco-Park Industries, which he co-founded in 1989. Sold Eco-Park to Ranpak Corp. in 1992.

Trivia: Nominated for 2 primetime Emmys.

202. Annie Potts

Dates: 1952-present

Early Life and Career: Born Anne Hampton Potts in Nashville, Tennessee but grew up in Franklin, Kentucky where she graduated from Franklin-Simpson High School in 1970. Attended Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in theater. Unfortunately, her career nearly ended before it began when she and her first husband Steve Hartley were involved in a car accident that left her with several broken bones below her waist, including compound fractures on both legs, and caused the loss of her heel of her right foot. While Hartley lost his left leg. Made her screen debut in 1978.

Characters: Bo Peep

Also Known For: Actress best known as Janine Melnitz in Ghostbusters, Iona in Pretty in Pink, Liz Carlson in Jumpin’ Jack Flash, Helen Downing in Who Is Harry Crumb?, Mary Jo Jackson Shively in Designing Women, Dana Palladino in Love & War, Louanne Johnson in Dangerous Minds, Mary-Elizabeth “M. E.” Sims in Any Day Now. Gigi Stopper in GCB, Sharon Elkin in The Fosters, as well as Constance “Connie Tucker (Meemaw) in Young Sheldon and George and Mandy’s First Marriage. Film appearances include Corvette Summer, Heartaches, King of the Gypsies, Crimes of Passion, The Man Who Fell to Earth, She’s Having a Baby, Pass the Ammo, Texasville, Breaking the Rules, Elvis Has Left the Building, Chu and Blossom, All at Once, Humor Me, Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town, Happy Anniversary, and Arlo the Alligator. TV appearances include Black Market Baby, Busting Loose, Family, Visions, Goodtime Girls, Bayou Romance, Magnum P. I., Remington Steele, The Twilight Zone, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, CBS Schoolbreak Special, Amazing Stories, Over the Top, Johnny Bravo, Huff, Joan of Arcadia, Close to Home, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Ugly Betty, Boston Legal, Two and a Half Men, Animal Practice, Randy Cunningham: 9^th Grade Ninja, Grey’s Anatomy, NCIS: New Orleans, Chicago Med, Royal Pains, Scandal, Welcome to the Wayne, and I Heart Arlo. Stage appearances include God of Carnage and Pippin.

Personal Life: Married 4 times. First husband was Steve Hartley from 1973 to their divorce in 1978. Second husband was actor Greg Antonacci from 1978 to their divorce in 1980. Third husband was B. Scott Senechal from 1981 to their divorce in 1989. They have a son. Fourth and current husband is producer James Hayman since 1990. They have 2 sons together.

Later Life: Still working as of 2025.

Trivia: Nominated for a Golden Globe for Corvettte Summer, a Primetime Emmy for Love & War, and 2 Screen Actors Guild Awards for Any Day Now. Won a Genie Award for Heartaches.

203. Erik von Detten

Dates: 1982-present

Early Life and Career: Born in San Diego, California. Mother was a photographer. Father was a German immigrant. Earliest role was Nicholas Alamain in 55 episodes in Days of Our Lives from 1992 to 1993.

Movies and Cartoons: Toy Story (1995), Hercules (1997), Tarzan (1999), Recess: School’s Out (2001) and Toy Story 3 (2019) as well as series like Recess and The Legend of Tarzan, direct-to-video installments, and the Animated Storybook: Toy Story video game.

Characters: Sid Phillips, Boy #1, Flynt, Erwin Lawson and Capt. Brad

Also Known For: Actor and singer known for his roles in Escape to Witch Mountain, Brink!, Meego, The Princess Diaries, Complete Savages, and So Weird. Film appearances include Top Dog, Leave It to Beaver, American Girl, National Lampoon’s Barely Legal, and Smile. TV appearances include Days of Our Lives, ER, Life with Louie, 7^th Heaven, Christmas Every Day, The Wild Thornberrys, Odd Man Out, As Told by Ginger, Dinotopia, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, 8 Simple Rules, Charmed, Malcolm in the Middle, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Bones, and Family Guy.

Personal Life: Married to a Taiwanese-American real estate agent named Angela since 2018. Has 3 children including a daughter named Claire Elizabeth born in 2019 and 2 sons named Thomas Henry born in 2021 and Nicholas born in 2022.

Later Life: As of 2018, von Detten has been working for a precious metal asset management firm called Rosland Capital.

Trivia: None.

204. Laurie Metcalf

Dates: 1955-present

Early Life and Career: Grew up in Edwardsville, Illinois, which she claimed “isn’t anywhere near a theater.” Father was a budget director at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville around the time of his sudden death in 1984. Mother was a librarian. Attended Illinois State University where she graduated in 1976. While in college, she worked as a secretary where she enjoyed completing her tasks at her desk by the end of the day as well as could be so focused on her work that she sometimes missed lunch. Although she was hooked with acting since high school she originally majored in German with hopes that she could work as an interpreter. Mainly because a career in acting wasn’t likely to lead to regular work. Only to switch her major to anthropology before accepting that majoring in theater was her true passion. After graduating she got together with actors Gary Sinise, Terry Kinney, and Jeff Perry and they established Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Later went to New York City to appear in an Off-Broadway Steppenwolf production of Balm of Gilead in 1984 in which she received an Obie Award and Theatre World Award. Was a cast member on SNL on the final episode of its notorious 1980-1981 season. First film was A Wedding in 1978. Debuted on Roseanne in 1988.

Movies and Cartoons: Toy Story (1995), Toy Story 2 (1999), Treasure Planet (2002), Meet the Robinsons (2005), Toy Story 3 (2010), and Toy Story 4 (2019)

Characters: Jenny Davis, Sarah Hawkins, and Lucille Kunklehorn-Robinson

Also Known For: Actress and comedian known for her complex and versatile roles across stage and screen and for receiving various accolades throughout a career spanning more than 4 decades. Best known as Jackie Harris on Roseanne and The Conners. Film appearances include Ladybird, Desperately Seeking Susan, Uncle Buck, JFK, Dear God, Georgia Rule, Scream 2, Pacific Heights, Mistress, A Dangerous Woman, Leaving Las Vegas, Bulworth, Runaway Bride, Fun with Dick and Jane (2005), Timecode, Steel City, Stop-Loss, and Somewhere in Queens. TV appearances include Hacks, 3^rd Rock from the Sun, Monk, Desperate Housewives, The Big Bang Theory, Getting On, Horace and Pete, The Norm Show, Frasier, The Dropout, Saturday Night Live, The Equalizer, Duckman, King of the Hill, Life with Louie, Dharma & Greg, Malcolm in the Middle, Without a Trace, Grey’s Anatomy, Raines, Tim &  Eric’s Bedtime Stories, Portlandia, American Dad!, Supergirl, Q-Force, Elsbeth, and Monster. Stage appearances include Balm in Gilead, A Doll’s House, Part 2, Three Tall Women, November, The Other Place, Misery, Hillary and Clinton, The Glass Menagerie, You Can’t Take It with You, Educating Rita, All My Sons, Frankie and Johnny in Clair de Lune, Brighton Beach Memoirs, A Lie of the Mind, Detroit, The Other Place, Long Day’s Journey into Night, Domesticated, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woof?, Grey House, Gutenberg! The Musical!, and Little Bear Ridge Road.

Personal Life: Great-niece of Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Zoe Atkins. Married twice. First husband was actor Jeff Perry from 1983 to their divorce in 1986. They had a daughter named Zoe who’s best known as Mary Cooper in Young Sheldon and George and Mandy’s First Marriage, a role originally played by Metcalf herself on The Big Bang Theory. Second husband was actor Matt Roth who played her abusive boyfriend Fisher on Roseanne. They had a son in 1993 and eventually married later that year. They had a daughter named Mae in 2005 and fostered a six-year-old boy in 2006 whom they later adopted. Couple worked together on occasion throughout their marriage. They separated in 2008 and divorced in 2014 due to irreconcilable differences. Has often described herself as a perfectionist and a workaholic as well as prefers the stage over other acting media.

Later Life: Still actively working as of 2025.

Trivia: Went to high school with Gary Sinise. Went to Illinois State University with John Malkovitch, Glenne Headley, Joan Allen, and Terry Kinney.  Has won 2 Tonys and 4 Primetime Emmys as well as been nominated for an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, A BAFTA Award, and 3 Golden Globes. Has appeared in commercials for Plan USA, a humanitarian organization that helps children in need around the world.

205. Jeff Pidgeon

Dates: 1965-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Vergenes, Vermont. Dreamed of becoming a newspaper cartoonist under the influence of Charles Schultz’s Peanuts comic strip. Studied and graduated with a BFA from the California Institute of the Arts. Joined Pixar in 1991.

Movies and Cartoons: Toy Story (1995), Toy Story 2 (1999), Monsters, Inc. (2001), The Incredibles (2004), WALL-E (2008), Toy Story 3 (2010), and Toy Story 4 (2019) as well as shorts, the series Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins, video games, and theme park attractions.

Characters: Aliens and Bile

Also Known For: Animator, screenwriter, and voice actor at Pixar. Worked behind the scenes on Pixar films such as Toy Story (1995), A Bug’s Life (1998), Toy Story 2 (1999), Monsters, Inc. (2001), WALL-E (2008), Up (2009), Monsters University (2013), Toy Story 4 (2019), and Turning Red (2022) as well as the series Buzz Lightyear of Star Command and a variety of shorts. Outside of Disney, he’s done production work for Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures, Christmas in Tattertown, The Battle Butter Book, Tiny Toon Adventures, The Simpsons, Taz-Mania, and FernGully: The Last Rainforest.

Personal Life: Married to Anita Coulter since 2005.

Later Life: Currently lives in North Carolina.

Trivia: Said to design Hamton J. Pig from Tiny Toons. Also makes his own toys.

206. Joe Ranft

Dates: 1960-2005

Early Life and Career: Born Joseph Henry Ranft in Pasadena, California and raised in Whittier. As a child, he developed a love for magic, storytelling, film, and comedy. At 15, he joined the Magic Castle Junior Group. After graduating from Monte Vista High School in Wittier, Ranft began studying in the character animation program at the California Institute of the Arts alongside John Lasseter and Brad Bird. After a couple of years, Ranft’s student film Good Humor caught the attention of Disney’s animation department who offered him a job. Joined Disney in 1980 as a writer and storyboard artist. Worked in the television projects for his first 5 years before moving into the Feature Animation Department where he was mentored by Eric Larson. Around this time, he studied under and began performing with the improvisation group, The Groundlings. Joined Pixar in 1992 as their head of story.

Movies and Cartoons: Toy Story (1995), A Bug’s Life (1998), Toy Story 2 (1999), Monsters, Inc. (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), The Incredibles (2004) and Cars (2006) as well as the series Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins, various shorts, and video games.

Characters: Lenny, Heimlich, Wheezy, Pete “Claws” Ward, Jacques, Red, and Peterbilt

Also Known For: Animator, screenwriter, and voice actor. Worked behind the scenes of Disney films such as Oliver & Company (1988), The Little Mermaid (1989), The Rescuers Down Under (1990), Beauty and the Beast (1991),The Lion King (1994), and Fantasia 2000 (1999) as well as various shorts. Worked behind the scenes of Pixar films such as Toy Story (1995), A Bug’s Life (1998), Toy Story 2 (1999), Monsters, Inc. (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), The Incredibles (2004), and Cars (2006) as well as Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins. Outside Disney, he worked on films such as The Brave Little Toaster, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach, Monkeybone, and Corpse Bride.

Personal Life: His younger brother Jerome is a sculptor who’s also worked on several Pixar films. Married to Sue Barry from 1985 until his death. Had 2 children.

Later Life: In August 2005, Ranft and his friend Eric Frierson were passengers in Ranft’s 2004 Honda Element, which their friend Elegba Earl was driving at the time. Anyway, Earl suddenly lost control and ran through a guardrail while northbound on Highway 1. The SUV plunged off a cliff and plunged 130 ft into the Navarro River’s mouth, killing Ranft and Earl instantly. Frierson was injured but survived by escaping through the sunroof. His remains were cremated while Cars and Corpse Bride were dedicated to him upon posthumous release.

Trivia: Named Disney Legend in 2006 and received the Windsor McCay Award in 2016.

207. Jan Rabson

Dates: 1954-2022

Early Life and Career: Born in East Meadow, New York. Was a member of Johnny Carson’s “Mighty Carson Art Players,” performing in on-camera sketches as well as providing voices for answering machines, cash registers, and other inanimate objects in Carson’s sketches.

Movies and Cartoons: Toy Story (1995), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Hercules (1997), A Bug’s Life (1998), Toy Story 2 (1999), Monsters, Inc. (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), Cars (2006), WALL-E (2008), Up (2009), Toy Story 3 (2010), and Monsters University (2013) as well as the Pixar Cars Toons shorts

Characters: Gas Station Attendant Mike, Frollo’s Soldiers, Driver, Axle, Japanese Businessman, Sushi Chef, Seagulls, T. J. Hummer, Axiom Passenger, Construction Worker, Television Announcer, Sparks, and Astronomy Club President

Also Known For: Actor who appeared in over 100 titles over a 40-year career. Voice was in thousands of commercials, films, TV shows as well as animated films and series. Best known role is Tetsuo Shima in the Streamline Productions dub of Akira and Larry Laffer in the Leisure Suit Larry video game series. Film appearances include Chasing Dreams, Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise, Theodore Rex, Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper, Bratz Super Babyz, Horton Hears a Who!, and Quest for Zhu. TV appearances include One Day at a Time, The Facts of Life, Knight Rider, Cheers, G-Force: Guardians of Space, Night Court, Designing Women, Growing Pains, James Bond Jr., Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Animaniacs, The Real Adventures of Johnny Quest, Babylon 5, Baywatch, Pinky and the Brain, Batman Beyond, Beverly Hills 90210, Rugrats, Justice League, Bratz, Superbook, and My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. Appeared in Freddie Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist video game.

Personal Life: Married to Cindy Akers but Wikipedia doesn’t list any dates so I guess they were together until death. Imdb says they had 2 children. Resided in Salt Spring Island in British Columbia, Canada.

Later Life: Spent his later years dividing between Vancouver and Los Angeles productions. Died from a heart attack in 2002 in Salt Spring Island, British Columbia at 68.

Trivia: Used the name Samuel Gurd Jr. in his anime dubbing and on-camera work.

208. Andrew Stanton

Dates: 1965-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Rockport, Massachusetts. Father founded a company that worked on radars for the US Department of Defense. Mother was a former aspiring actress. Acted in high school and directed sketch comedy shot on Super 8 film. Played Barnaby Tucker in his high school production of Hello, Dolly! in 1980, which later became a source of inspiration for WALL-E. Studied for a year at the University of Hartford before transferring to the character animation program at the California University of the Arts. Received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at CalArts in 1987. Animation career began in the late 1980s, first as an animator for Kroyer Films. One of his first projects involved animating sperm for a sex-ed film with Martin Short called The Making of Me, originally produced for Disney’s Wonders of Life pavilion. Was also one of several CalArts graduates hired by John Kricfalusi to work on Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures at Ralph Bakshi’s studio. After Disney had rejected him 3 times, Stanton was hired by Pixar’s animation group in 1990 as its second animator and ninth employee.

Movies and Cartoons: Toy Story (1995), A Bug’s Life (1998), Toy Story 2 (1999), Finding Nemo (2003), Cars (2006), WALL-E (2008), and Finding Dory (2016) as well as various TV series, shorts, video games, the direct-to-video Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins, and several theme park attractions.

Characters: Commercial Chorus 2, Bug Zapper Bug 1, Singing Grasshopper 2, Evil Emperor Zurg, Crush, Lobster, Seagulls, Fred, Axiom Passenger 2, and Clam.

Also Known For: Filmmaker and voice actor based at Pixar since 1990. Has worked behind the scenes of films such as 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), Zootopia (2016), Cars 3 (2017), Coco (2017), Incredibles 2 (2018), Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018), Toy Story 4 (2019), Frozen II (2019), Onward (2020), Soul (2020), Luca (2021), Encanto (2021), Turning Red (2022), Lightyear (2022), Elemental (2023), and Inside Out 2 (2024) as well as various shorts and TV shows. Worked on films such as John Carter, Spies in Disguise, and Nimona. Also worked on TV shows like Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures, 2 Stupid Dogs, Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman, Stranger Things, Better Call Saul, Legion, Tales from the Loop, For All Mankind, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and 3 Body Problem.

Personal Life: Married to his high school sweetheart Julie since 1989, 2 weeks after she graduated from Georgetown University. They have 2 children named Ben and Audrey. Was diagnosed with ADHD in 2012.

Later Life: Still actively working at Pixar as of 2025.

Trivia: Has won 2 Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature and been nominated for 4.

209. John Lasseter

Dates: 1957-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Hollywood, California in Los Angeles. Mother was an art teacher at Bell Gardens High School. Father was a parts manager at a Chevrolet dealership. Grew up in Whittier, California. Mother’s profession contributed to his growing preoccupation with animation that he often drew cartoons during church services at the Church of Christ his family attended. Would often race home from school to watch Chuck Jones cartoons on TV. While in high school, The Art of Animation by Bob Thomas which made him realize that he wanted to do animation himself. Actually, he wanted to be an animator after he watched The Sword in the Stone earlier in his youth. He then read Preston Blair’s book about animation and made flipbooks based on Blair’s walking cycles. One of his friends had a Super 8 camera that shot single frames, which Lasseter used to shoot some of his earlier animation efforts. After graduating from Whittier High School, he enrolled in the California Institute of the Arts Character Animation program in 1975 with his mentors being Eric Larson, Frank Thomas, and Ollie Larson, 3 of Disney’s 9 Old Men. While his classmates were Brad Bird, John Musker, Henry Selick, Tim Burton, and Chris Buck. Produced 2 animated shorts during this time called Lady and the Lamp and Nitemare, both winning the student Academy Award for Animation. Also, started working for Disney at Disneyland in Anaheim during summer breaks and got a job as a Jungle Cruise skipper, where he learned the basics of comedy and comic timing to entertain captive audiences on the ride. After his 1979 graduation, Lasseter began working at Walt Disney Productions as an animator. In the early 1980s, he came across some tapes that showed some of the very beginnings of computer animation. Sure, these consisted of floating spheres, but it blew Lasseter’s mind regardless. Yet, it wasn’t until he was invited by friends Jerry Rees and Bill Kroyer while working on Mickey’s Christmas Carol to come and see the first light sequences for an upcoming film called Tron, featuring then state-of-the-art computer-generated imagery (CGI), that he saw the huge potential in this new technology in animation. Lasseter realized that computers could be used to make films with 3-dimensional backgrounds where traditionally animated characters could interact to a new level of visually stunning depth that had not been possible before. Later he and Glen Keane talked about how great it would be to make an animated feature with a computer-generated background. Keane agreed but first, they decided to do a short test film to see how it work out and chose Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. Lasseter, Keane, and executive Thomas L. Wilhite went on with the project. Unfortunately, Lasseter and his colleagues unknowingly pissed off their bosses by not seeking their approval because they really wanted to get the Where the Wild Things Are project off the ground. When two of those bosses found out after the pitch, the project was canceled and Lasseter was canned. Lasseter later teamed with Ed Catmull of Lucasfilm Computer Graphics Group where they worked on their first animated short: The Adventures of Andre & Wally B. During his time at Lucasfilm, Lasseter worked closely with Catmull and his team of computer science researchers. He learned how to use some of their software and in turn, he taught the computer science researchers about filmmaking, animation, and art. He also created THX’s robot mascot Tex. However, due to Lucas being involved in a crippling divorce during the mid-1980s, he was forced to sell Lucasfilm Computer Graphics that was by then renamed the Pixar Graphics Group founded by Catmull and Alvy Ray Smith. Later it would be spun as a separate corporation with Steve Jobs being its majority shareholder in 1986. Over the next decade, Pixar would evolve from a computer company that did animation work on the side into an animation studio and Lasseter had a lot to do with it. And he wouldn’t return to Disney until 2006, when Disney bought Pixar.

Movies and Cartoons: Toy Story (1995), A Bug’s Life (1998), Toy Story 2 (1999), and Cars 2 (2011)

Characters: Commercial Chorus 1, Harry the Singing Grasshopper 1, Blue Bomber, Galloping Geargrinder, John Lassetire, and Fuzzy Dice Casino Car

Also Known For: Film director, producer, screenwriter, and animator who was previously the chief creative officer of Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Animation Studios, and Disneytoon Studios as well as the Principal for Walt Disney Imagineering, and has served as head of animation at Skydance since 2019. Has oversaw the creation of every Pixar film up to Toy Story 4 (2019) along with numerous shorts, specials, and series as well as other Disney films from Meet the Robinsons (2007) to Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018).

Personal Life: Married to a woman named Nancy since 1988. Has one stepson and four biological sons. Mrs. Lasseter is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University who majored in computer graphics applications and worked as a computer graphics engineer at Apple Computer. The Lasseters own a winery in Glen Ellen, California and have a swimming pool with a lazy river that runs through a cave. Lasseter himself collects classic cars and Hawaiian shirts.

Later Life: In many respects, Lasseter would later take a 6-month absence after allegations of sexual misconduct by multiple employees at both Disney and Pixar, which included “grabbing, kissing, and making comments about physical attributes.” Such behavior was so well known that according to Variety, at various times, Pixar had “minders who were tasked with reining in his impulses.” In 2018, Lasseter announced his resignation at the end of the year, taking on a consulting role until then. The next year, he became head of Skydance Animation.

Trivia: Received an honorary doctorate from Pepperdine University in 2009 where he delivered the commencement address. Is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and served 9 consecutive years on its board of governors from 2005 to 2014 before relinquishing his post due to term limits. With his last position being first vice president. Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011, which is located at 6834 Hollywood Boulevard.

210. Tom Hulce

Dates: 1953-present

Early Life and Career: Born in Detroit, Michigan. Father worked for Ford Motor Company. Mother sang with Phil Spitalny’s All-Girl Orchestra. Wanted to be a singer as a child but switched to acting after his voice changed during his teenage years. Left home at 15 to attend the Interlochen Arts Academy and later North Carolina School of the Arts but left a year before finishing his BFA. Eventually graduated with a BA from Beloit College in Wisconsin. Debuted as an actor in the 1974 production of Equus alongside Sir Anthony Hopkins on Broadway and in Los Angeles.

Movies and Cartoons: The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) as well as a direct-to-video sequel and the short Once Upon a Studio.

Characters: Quasimodo

Also Known For: Actor and theater producer best known as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Amadeus, Larry “Pinto” Kroger in Animal House, and Larry Buckman in Parenthood. Film appearances include Echo Park, Slam Dance, Dominick and Eugene, Shadow Man, Black Rainbow, The Inner Circle, Fearless, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Wings of Courage , Stranger Than Fiction, and Jumper. Produced A Home at the End of the World and The Seagull. TV appearances include Great Performances, The Adams Chronicles, St. Elsewhere, American Playhouse, Tall Tales & Legends, Murder in Mississippi, The Hidden Room, Frasier, and The Heidi Chronicles. Stage appearances include Equus, A Memory of Two Mondays, 27 Wagons Full of Cotton, A Few Good Men, and Hamlet. Was producer for The Cider House Rules, Talking Heads, Spring Awakening, American Idiot, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, Significant Other, and Ain’t Too Proud.

Personal Life: Came out as gay during an 2008 interview with Seattle Gay News. He also took time to debunk a rumor that he married a woman (supposedly an Italian artist named Cecilia Ermini) and had a daughter named Anya with her. He said: That information – having a wife and child – is false. In the world of the Internet, there are many falsehoods. Anyone can write stuff on Wikipedia and it doesn’t have to be true. I’m comfortable among the lists [of openly gay actors] although I stopped acting about 10 years ago.”

Later Life: Hasn’t actively acted since 2008. Yet, might be actively working as a theater producer as of 2025.

Trivia: Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for Amadeus in 1984 as well as for 4 Golden Globes. Has also won an Emmy for The Heidi Chronicles and a Tony for Spring Awakening. Was chosen to play Mozart over intense competition including David Bowie, Mikhail Baryshikov, Mark Hamil, and Kenneth Branaugh.