Ernest Harden Jr. was born on November 25, 1952 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He is an actor, known for White Men Can’t Jump (1992), Hollywood Homicide (2003) and Velvet Jesus (2021). Ernest also played the roles of Marcus Henderson and Jason King in The Jeffersons.
Armed with an acid dry wit and a full arsenal of sarcasm and sass, African-American character comedienne Marla Gibbs showed up on 1970s television with a bang in middle age (44). Landing the feisty maid role on the popular ground-breaking CBS sitcom The Jeffersons (1975), eventually led to her very own sitcom 227 (1985) a decade later and international celebrity. A divorced mother with three children (Angela Elayne Gibbs, Dorian Gibbs, Joseph Gibbs) at the time of her initial success, it was a job transfer from Detroit to Los Angeles, while working as a United Airlines reservation clerk, that set up this more-than-welcome surprise and change of destiny. Born in Chicago on June 14, 1931, Marla attended Peters Business School (1950-1952) following high school and toiled for a time as a receptionist and switchboard operator in the Detroit area. Eventually, she secured work with United Airlines. After moving to Southern California on a transfer, Marla gave acting a try and initially studied at the Mafundi Institute and Watts Writers Workshop, located in the Watts area of L.A. Bitten hard by the acting bug, Marla went on to appear in a number of local productions, including “Medea”, “The Amen Corner” and “The Gingerbread Lady”. After only a couple of minor film roles, including the blaxploitation film, Black Belt Jones (1974), she nabbed the role of Florence Johnston and television stardom. On The Jeffersons (1975), the role of Florence, the maid, was initially set up as a mere one-shot guest role but Marla showed the character’s potential. And, so it came to be that Florence Johnston became THE scene-stealing foil to Sherman Hemsley‘s equally mouthy, money-minded George Jefferson. Until the sitcom became a certified hit, Marla cautiously kept her job with the Airlines. However, with wisecracks and Emmy Award nominations (totaling 5) a plenty, Marla never really had to look back. The role of Florence was a natural for a spin-off series and it happened with the sitcom, Checking In (1981), in which the character becomes a housekeeper for a very swanky hotel. However, the sitcom was harmed by a writer’s strike before it could gain a core audience. Fortunately for Marla, she was ushered right back into the Jefferson household following its quick demise (four episodes). Two months after the last “Jeffersons” episode aired in July 1985, 227 (1985) was included in that year’s fall schedule. Daughter Angela Elayne Gibbs produced an award-winning play by Christine Houston entitled “227”, with Marla as the lead, at Marla’s own local Crossroads Theatre, which the actress founded in 1981. The award-winning play was a solid hit and Marla wisely purchased the television rights. Once “The Jeffersons” was over, she pushed for “227” as a sitcom vehicle. Producer Norman Lear gave it the green light and Marla settled right back in for another popular series ride (for NBC), this time as resident gossip Mary Jenkins, whose demeanor was warmer and more approachable than the feisty Florence Johnson. This sitcom, which featured spitfire Jackée Harry as vampish neighbor Sandra Clark, ran for five years. An eight-time NAACP Image Award winner, Marla has received several honors over the years, including Essence Woman of the Year. She has not carried a series since “227”, but has been seen from time to time on other popular shows, including ER (1994), Cold Case (2003), Chappelle’s Show (2003), Judging Amy (1999), Touched by an Angel (1994), The King of Queens (1998) and Dawson’s Creek (1998). She has also had recurring roles on daytime (Passions (1999)) as well as prime-time (Pryor’s Place (1984), The Hughleys (1998)) and gave a knowing portrayal as Natalie Cole‘s mother in the heart-warming television movie, Lily in Winter (1994). In later years, Marla turned up again on the big screen with plucky roles in Up Against the Wall (1991), The Meteor Man (1993), Lost & Found (1999), Foolish (1999), Border to Border (1998), The Brothers (2001), and standout roles in The Visit (2000) and Stanley’s Gig (2000). Elsewhere, Marla’s voice has been heard on the animated series 101 Dalmatians: The Series (1997) and, in addition to acting, sang the theme song to the film Stanley’s Gig (2000), “In the Memory of You”, which will be included on a CD, entitled “Scenes In Jazz”. Marla owned a jazz club for some time in South Central L.A. called “Marla’s Memory Lane, a jazz and supper club that ran from 1981 to 1999. She released her own CD of music, “It’s Never Too Late”, in May 2006, and co-wrote with Ray Colcord, the theme song to her starring series “227”. Into the millennium, Marla suffered both personal and professional setbacks. Her older sister, Susie Garrett, who co-starred on the hit sitcom Punky Brewster (1984), died of cancer in 2002. A few years later, in 2006, Marla suffered a small aneurysm followed by a stroke. She recovered and made a gradual comeback as a guest on such TV shows as Lincoln Heights (2006), House of Payne (2006), Mr. Box Office (2012), Scandal (2012), Hot in Cleveland (2010), The Blexicans (2015), American Horror Story (2011), This Is Us (2016), Black-ish (2014), NCIS (2003), Bless This Mess (2019) and the revamped One Day at a Time (2017). At one point, she played the recurring role of Grandma Eddy on the comedy series The First Family (2012) which starred her old “227” castmate Jackée Harry. On stage, Marla appeared in such comedies as “Boeing, Boeing” and was featured in such comedy films as C’mon Man (2012), Madea’s Witness Protection (2012), Grantham & Rose (2014), Lemon (2017), Please Stand By (2017), Love Jacked (2018) and She Ball (2020).
Terror Con fans, it’s Fright Night Week! Let’s start the announcements with Jonathan Stark, Stephen Geoffreys, Amanda Bearse and William Ragsdale!. September 15-17, 2023 Royal Plaza Trade CenterMarlborough, MA Tickets here #frightnight #horrormovies
HUNT VALLEY IS GETTING SOME LOST BOYS LOVE! IT’S A FROG BROTHERS REUNION! We are VERY excited to announce that JAMISON NEWLANDER will be joining COREY FELDMAN for a special FROG BROTHERS REUNION at MONSTER-MANIA CON 56 the weekend of October 13-15 in Hunt Valley, MD! JAMISON NEWLANDER will be appearing BOTH FRIDAY THE 13TH OF OCTOBER AND SATURDAY OCTOBER 14TH! Please help us let other fans know! Please LIKE and SHARE this announcement. Fans of the 1987 Joel Schumacher film THE LOST BOYS will certainly remember the vampire hunting FROG BROTHERS! JAMISON played the role of ALAN FROG, the brother of EDGAR FROG, who was played by COREY FELDMAN. The two FROG BROTHERS will be reuniting at the show for autographs and a special Pro Photo Op together! Fans who are starting their LOST BOYS autograph collections at our August show in Cherry Hill, NJ will surely want to add both JAMISON NEWLANDER and COREY FELDMAN! JAMISON reprised the role in the two sequels LOST BOYS: THE TRIBE and LOST BOYS: THE THIRST. JAMISON also starred as ANTHONY in 1988’s horror classic remake THE BLOB. More recently JAMSION played the role of the MAYOR in 2015’s popular western film BONE TOMAHAWK. Don’t miss your chance to meet JAMISON NEWLANDER at the show! A LIMITED AMOUNT OF TICKETS ARE NOW AVAILABLE! TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE!TICKETS FOR MONSTER-MANIA CON 56 IN HUNT VALLEY, MD are available at:https://purchase.growtix.com/eh/MONSTER_MANIA_CON_56 PHOTO OPS ON SALE!https://celebphotoops.com/…/2023-monster-mania-56-photo… Please join us in welcoming JAMISON NEWLANDER for MONSTER-MANIA CON 56 the weekend of October 13-15 in Hunt Valley, MD! Please help us get the word out! Please LIKE and SHARE this announcement. #LostBoys#FrogBrothers#vampires#horror#horrorfamily#horrorfans#cosplay#cosplayers#horrorfamily#horrorfans#Maryland#delaware#Virginia See less
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Go Go Power Rangers!! We welcome Catherine Sutherland and Jason Faunt to Eternal Con! Get your tickets TODAY // https://purchase.growtix.com/e/Eternal_Con_2023 V.I.P. Meet and Greet also Available! About Eternal Con: The Long Island Comic Con July 8-9, 2023 ETERNAL CON: THE LONG ISLAND COMIC CON IS BACK! Eternal Con, The Long Island Comic Con, celebrates its 9th year offering a fun and educational experience for visitors of all ages. Dedicated to bringing fans a more intimate convention experience, Eternal Con is the place where you can get up close and personal with your favorite stars and comic book celebrities. We also offer a weekend full of educational seminars so not only do you have so much too look at, but you can learn from accomplished professionals working in their respected fields. Eternal Con is an affordable and family friendly safe place for children of all ages. DATES: July 8 & 9 2023 SHOW HOURS: Saturday 10:30am – 7pm Sunday 10:30am – 5pm LOCATION: David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex Hofstra University 245 Hofstra University Hempstead, NY 11549 www.eternalcon.com
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Duane Whitaker, a native of Lubbock Texas, has spent the last 30 years as one of Hollywood’s most entertaining hyphenates. As an actor, Whitaker is most recognized as Maynard, the sadistic pawn shop owner, in Pulp Fiction. Of course, you don’t walk onto the set of a ground breaking film like Pulp Fiction without paying your dues. From the time he arrived in Hollywood, Duane’s face was seen frequently on the stage and small screen. Some of his very early television credits include, Sledge Hammer, Murder She Wrote, Highway to Heaven, L.A. Law, Rosanne and Quantum Leap. More recent appearances include Rush Hour, Instant Mom, Justified, Medical Investigation, I’m With Her, The Ex List, The Bridge and a haunting portrayal of a former child abuse victim on an episode of Cold Case. Duane has appeared in over sixty feature films. Among his favorites are Edge of Town, Natasha Hall, Broke Sky, Lionhead, Dead Letters, Sam Borowski’s Night Club and of course, Pulp Fiction. It is in the Horror genre, however, that Whitaker has anchored a large part of his work. He has been a part of no less than eight Horror Franchises, including From Dusk Til Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money (which he also co-wrote), Feast, Tales From The Hood, Rob Zombie’s Devil’s Rejects and Halloween 2, Children of the Corn: Genesis, Puppetmaster 5 and Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3. Other Horror appearances include, American Nightmares, Albino Farm, Trailer Park of Terror, The Haunted Sea and Deadly Dreams. He has written, directed or produced, Together & Alone, Stripteaser, Camp Utopia, Backroad Motel and Eddie Presley. The latter stars Duane in a masterful turn as a despondent Elvis Presley impersonator teetering on the fine line between a triumphant comeback or a nervous breakdown. It was adapted from Whitaker’s successful stage play of the same title. He has recently branched out into Faith-Based Films, appearing in Daniel Roebuck’s Getting Grace, Lucky Louie, The Hail Mary and My Brother’s Crossing. Duane received the honor of the American Cinematheque hosting a screening of his two most personal films, Eddie Presley and Together and Alone at The Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. Together and Alone was screened for a second time by the American Cinematheque along with Garrett Clancy’s Dead Letters. Duane Whitaker is also a playwright. His plays have been produced in Los Angeles and New York and he has been teaching a popular Film Acting class in Los Angeles for almost 20 years.
Eduardo Sanchez was born in Cuba in 1968. It was at a young age he gained an interest in film making. At Wheaton High School Ed made school movie projects such as Shrimp Fried Vice and Pride (in the name of Love) all of which starred his friends and family, as well as Ed himself. After High School Ed studied at Montgomery College where he continued to make movies like Star Trek Demented. He later got accepted to the University of Central Florida where he made Gabriel’s Dream, a film which he thought was going to be his big break, but that didn’t come for almost another decade. In 1997 he and a close friend Daniel Myrick got together and started production on the most successful movie (budget to gross) ever, the The Blair Witch Project (1999). It was a world-wide hit and has become one of the most spoofed films of all time.
Emmett James was educated in Cambridge, England, and studied at the Strasberg Actors Studio, in London under the tutorial of Marianna Hill. He has appeared as the lead in numerous London stage productions most notably, ‘Curse of the Starving Class’ and E.M. Forster’s ‘Maurice’. Upon arriving in Los Angeles he began performing at ‘A Company of Angels’, L.A’s oldest and most respected theater company. He was subsequently cast in a lead role in the multiple award winning premiere of ‘A Clockwork Orange’. His performance in the sold out shows run, lead to reviews in publications such as Variety “a first rate soaring performance”, Entertainment Today described him as “absolute perfection” and the Los Angeles Times commented, “Emmett manages to pull off an understated transformation at the end of the play”. He followed up this stage role with the classics “Paradise Revisited”, “A Christmas Carol” and “Romeo and Juliet” all performed on the Los Angeles stage. In the lead role in the US premiere of “Keeping Tom Nice”, the story of a severely disabled boy, produced at the Raven playhouse (the same production that was performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company in England,) the critics opinion was unanimous on his performance in the show. Backstage West commented, “James turns in an astonishing performance in the role of the profoundly damaged Tom, we never get the sense that he’s acting up there.” The Tolucan wrote, “James gives a disturbingly realistic performance as the crippled, drooling, hurting Tom, so much so that it’s jarring to see him stand so straight limbed and clean faced at the curtain call. He lives and works in Hollywood to this day.
Erick Avari was born on April 13, 1952 in Darjeeling, India. His credits include leading roles in films from Kevin Reynolds‘ cult classic The Beast of War (1988) to commercial megahits such as Stargate (1994), Independence Day (1996), The Mummy (1999) and Planet of the Apes (2001). His comedic skills have landed him starring roles in the Adam Sandler remake Mr. Deeds (2002), For Love or Money (1993) and Woody Allen‘s only television film Don’t Drink the Water (1994). He is also featured in Revelation (2002), The Glass House (2001) and has a starring role in Michael Meredith‘s Three Days of Rain (2002) and Dancing in Twilight (2007). His long theatrical background has garnered him critical acclaim for several roles at the Joseph Papp Public Theatre in New York City, including his portrayal of Vasquez in “‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore” and the Broadway hit, “The King and I”. Avari has had the pleasure of performing in some of the most prestigious regional theatres in the country, including The Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Chicago’s Goodman Theater and The Cleveland Playhouse, playing roles such as the King in “King Lear” and Joseph Smith in the Mabou Mines production of “The Morman Project”. On television, in addition to his recurring role as Kasuf on Stargate SG-1 (1997), he has played notable roles on Heroes (2006), Cybill (1995), Cheers (1982), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993), Murder, She Wrote (1984), NYPD Blue (1993) and several made-for-television films.
Eugene Clark Brings Multiple Talents Eugene Clark brings a career in theatre, television and film that is fascinating and diverse. A veteran of more than 100 television productions and 15 feature films, he won a Gemini Award (Canadian Emmy) for Best Supporting Actor in a Dramatic Series for his work on the hit TV series Night Heat. He starred as Mufasa in Disney’s The Lion King onstage in Toronto for two years, as Horse in The Charlottetown Festival’s production of The Full Monty in P.E.I., and starred as the lead zombie Big Daddy, in George A. Romero’s long awaited Land of the Dead. He has appeared in the films Trailer Park Boys – The Movie; Resurrecting the Champ, and the TV series The L. A. Complex; Space Riders – Division Earth; The Latest Buzz, Sue Thomas F B Eye, Wingin’ It and The Line. He was the 2nd lead in William Shatner’s made for television movie series TekWar. He received critical acclaim for his performance as a suicidal Vietnam veteran who lost his arm to Agent Orange in Unnatural Causes, the Emmy Award winning drama starring John Ritter and Alfre Woodard. Acting is just one of Clark’s creative outlets. Singing has long been a love in his life. From the days of singing as a child in his grandfather’s church, to singing the national anthem in uniform as a member of the Toronto Argonauts, singing has always been “like breath itself,” he says. Distressed by television coverage of Africa’s young famine victims, Clark wrote the lyrics, melody, and chorus to Letter from a Concerned Citizen Starvation in Africa. The Canadian Red Cross used the song for their national television and radio campaign to raise funds for their relief efforts in Africa. Of his three CDs he says, “They speak to the need for effective community and global co-operation, how through assisting each other in times of need we can accomplish anything. These songs motivate and encourage us to be our best, for there is greatness in all of us.”
