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Rachel McAdams Biography

Posted by Vogt
at May 9, 2008

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Blonde for one role, brunette the next, actress Rachel McAdams has used more than appearances to conceal herself in the characters she has played. Though in her early career she often played the bitchy girl with a cruel streak to rival any teenaged pom-pommer—or third-world dictator—McAdams has also effectively played warm, genuine kind and high-spirited. And while still relatively unknown to mainstream audiences, McAdams possesses both the look and talent to become a major star.

Originally from London, Ontario—a picturesque Canadian town—McAdams craved the spotlight at an early age. At 4, she began competing as an ice skater, but over the years the pressure from competition, and her mother, soon wore the young McAdams out. All the while, McAdams was traveling to nearby Stratford to attend local theater and soon developed an interest in acting. At 12, she performed Shakespeare at the Original Kids Theatre in her hometown. She won her first acting award in 1995 for her role in I Live In A Little Town, a high school play that was featured in the Ontario Showcase of the Sears Drama Festival. After gaining valuable skills and experience as an Original Kid and in high school performances, McAdams attended York University where she performed in numerous student films and stage productions. She graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in theater.

McAdams made her first on screen performance in “The Famous Jett Jackson” (Disney, 1998-2002) as Hannah, the bulimic older sister of one of the main characters. She went on to star in several movies-of-the-week, including “Guilt By Association” (2002), the first original movie to be produced by Court TV. McAdams also had a starring role in “Shotgun Love Dolls” (MTV, 2001), a pilot shot for the music network that ultimately collected dust on the shelf. Her feature debut came with “My Name is Tanino” (2001), a comedy helmed by Italian director Paolo Virzi, about a young, carefree Italian (Corrado Fortuna) who chases after an American tourist (McAdams) to the U.S. after their romantic liaison in his hometown. A breakout role in the Canadian feature “Perfect Pie” (2002) helped cement McAdams as an acting force to be reckoned with—her performance as the best friend of a small town girl who makes it big won her a nomination for a Genie Award, Canada’s equivalent to the Oscar.

After a successful stint in Canada’s entertainment industry, McAdams set her sights on Hollywood. Though many actors who try to transfer success from their native lands to America usually suffer years of struggle, McAdams managed to land a big role right out of the gate. She starred in “The Hot Chick” (2002), a teen comedy about a mean-spirited high school girl—popular, captain of the cheerleading squad and dating the quarterback—who gets a heavy dose of comeuppance when, though the workings of a spell, wakes up to find herself trapped in the body of a 30-something man played by Rob Schneider. McAdams did another turn as a mean-spirited high schooler in “Mean Girls” (2004), written by “Saturday Night Live” veteran Tina Fey. Though similar to her role in “The Hot Chick”, McAdams delved deep into character by exploring the machine-like quality of wanting to hurt people just for the fun of it, and she also brought a surprisingly level of sympathy to the character.

Despite her penchant for playing mean girls, McAdams was always on the hunt for imaginative scripts with challenging characters. Her search paid off when she was cast in “The Notebook” (2004), a star-crossed period romance between a spunky Southern debutante and a poor but charming small town man (Ryan Gosling). An effectively sentimental and emotional film, “The Notebook” proved to be McAdams’ breakout performance—the actress popped off the screen in nearly every scene she was in, running the full spectrum of emotion, and demonstrated the promise for a long and fruitful career.

She followed up with the popular Owen Wilson-Vince Vaughn comedy “Wedding Crashers” (2005), adding sparkle and verve to what might have otherwise been a thankless role as the woman who finally snares the inveterate wedding invader Wilson’s heart. Then she took center stage in the Wes Craven thriller “Red Eye” (2005), playing a resourceful hotel employee who finds herself trapped on an airline flight with a menacing stranger (Cillian Murphy) who terrorizes her to switch the room of a political guest at her hotel in exchange for her father’s life. Again McAdams demonstrated a strong on-screen magnetism and proved she could create a believable, relatable character in the midst of the most high-concept situation. She was then part of the ensemble cast in “The Family Stone” (2005), relationship drama about the eldest son (Dermot Mulroney) of a bohemian family bringing his controlling New York girlfriend (Sarah Jessica Parker) home for the holidays. The ensuing battle of conflicting attitudes mixed with awkwardness and hostility causes relationships to split and secrets to be revealed.

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Lauren Graham Biography

Posted by Vogt
at May 9, 2008

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Lauren Helen Graham (born March 16, 1967) is an American actress. She is best known for her acting role in Gilmore Girls.

Lauren was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. When she was five, her parents divorced. Her mother, Donna Grant, moved to London to join a rock and roll band. Lauren and her father, Lawrence, moved to the D.C. area where he became a congressional staffer and single parent. She traveled extensively with her father while growing up. He is currently a lobbyist for the chocolate and confection industry.

Lauren discovered acting while in elementary school. Graham attended Langley High School, where she took part in the Drill Team which is a mix of Dance and Cheerleading. She began acting in community theatre and any other production she could find. She graduated from Barnard College/Columbia University in 1988 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. Lauren then moved to Texas where she earned a Master’s Degree in Acting from Southern Methodist University in 1992.

After completing her education, Lauren returned to New York where she worked as a cocktail waitress and aspiring actress. In 1995, she moved to Hollywood. In addition to her many guest starring and co-starring roles on prime time TV, she had three starring roles on failed sitcoms before landing the lead role of Lorelai Gilmore on the WB’s Gilmore Girls (2000-present), for which she is best known. In addition, she has had many roles in theatrical movies, including several NYU student films and several major studio releases. She has appeared in the movies Bad Santa, The Pacifier and Sweet November. She appeared on Third Rock from the Sun as a grad student who caught the eye of Dick (John Lithgow). In addition, she has appeared on the hit comedy Seinfeld (as one of Jerry’s dates), as well as on Newsradio and Law & Order. She would like to return to the stage and hopes she will never have to do a Porky’s movie or be asked to have plastic surgery.

She is currently set to appear in the movie Evan Almighty, playing the role of Evan’s wife.

Lauren Graham is not married and lives in West Hollywood. She dated actor Tate Donovan. As of February 2006, she is dating actor Marc Blucas.

When Graham appeared on Law & Order in 1997, actor Scott Cohen also guest starred. Three years later when Graham started Gilmore Girls, Cohen became a regular on the show as Lorelai Gilmore’s boyfriend and then fiancé, Max Medina.

She dated Robert Maschio during his senior year at Columbia University and helped persuade him to try out acting as a career.

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Karen Allen Biography

Posted by Vogt
at May 9, 2008

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A svelte, raspy-voiced, wide-eyed brunette, Karen Allen is one of those actresses that Hollywood doesn’t seem to know how to cast, despite her appearances in two blockbusters.

Born in Illinois, this daughter of an FBI employee and schoolteacher was raised in Tennessee and Pennsylvania before the family settled in the Washington, DC, area. After graduating from high school, Allen drifted to NYC where she enrolled at the Fashion Institute of Technology before dropping out to travel throughout Central and South America. Returning to Washington, DC, she attended George Washington University before deciding to pursue an acting career. Allen joined the Washington Theatre Lab in 1974 and toured with the troupe for several months. While working there, she also made her first film appearance in “The Widget Maker” (c. 1975)

In 1977, Allen moved back to NYC, worked at various jobs (from house painter to sandwich maker), studied with Lee Strasberg, and appeared in student films (i.e., “The Aftermath”). John Landis then cast her as the formidable girlfriend of Boon (Peter Riegert) in “National Lampoon’s Animal House” (1978), which also marked the beginning of a four-year romance with singer-songwriter Stephan Bishop who had a small role in the film.

Allen followed with bit roles in high quality features (Woody Allen’s “Manhattan” 1979) and larger parts in dubious films (William Friedkin’s “Cruising” and Rob Cohen’s “A Small Circle of Friends”, both 1980). She then landed the role of the hard-drinking, tomboyish and determined Marion Ravenswood in Steven Spielberg’s “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981). Critics, praising her pairing with Harrison Ford, compared her resiliency and tough sensuality to Lauren Bacall (especially when directed by Howard Hawks). The same year, she offered a fine portrait of a cynical “other woman” in Alan Parker’s “Shoot the Moon”. Subsequent features have been uneven and few have really provided Allen with good roles. Exceptions would include “Starman” (1984), as a grieving widow whose husband comes back to life thanks to an alien (Jeff Bridges) and Paul Newman’s “The Glass Menagerie” (1987), as Laura to Joanne Woodward’s Amanda.

On the small screen, Allen appeared as Abra in the ABC TV remake of “East of Eden” (1981). She later played Christa McAullife, the spirited teacher whose death in the “Challenger” (ABC, 1990) disaster heightened the tragedy for the nation. Allen was also a Mossad agent in “Secret Weapon” (TNT, 1990) and Alison Matson, the strong mother of the clan, in CBS’ short-lived family drama series, “The Road Home” (1994). Allen’s work on stage has been infrequent, but she did portray Helen Keller in “Morning After the Miracle” on Broadway in 1982, directed by Arthur Penn, and has produced and performed in plays at the Whole Theatre in Montclair, New Jersey.

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