John Uhler Lemmon III was an American actor. Considered proficient in both dramatic and comic roles, Lemmon was known for his anxious, middle-class everyman screen persona in dramedy pictures, leading The Guardian to label him as "the most successful tragi-comedian of his age."
John Guilbert Avildsen was an American film director. He is best known for directing Rocky (1976), which earned him the Academy Award for Best Director. He is also renowned for directing the first three films in The Karate Kid franchise (1984–1989). Other films he directed include Joe (1970), Save the Tiger (1973), The Formula (1980), Neighbors (1981), Lean on Me (1989), Rocky V (1990), 8 Seconds (1994), and Inferno (1999).
The Karate Kid is a 1984 American martial arts drama film written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen. It is the first installment in the Karate Kid franchise, and stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue and William Zabka. The Karate Kid follows the story of Daniel LaRusso (Macchio), an Italian-American teenager from New Jersey who moves with his widowed mother to the Reseda neighborhood of Los Angeles. There, LaRusso encounters harassment from his new bullies, one of whom is Johnny Lawrence (Zabka), the ex-boyfriend of LaRusso's love interest, Ali Mills (Shue). As a result, LaRusso is taught karate by a handyman and war veteran named Mr. Miyagi (Morita) to help LaRusso defend himself and compete in a karate tournament against his bullies.
Days of Wine and Roses is a 1962 American romantic drama film directed by Blake Edwards with a screenplay by JP Miller adapted from his own 1958 Playhouse 90 teleplay of the same name. The film was produced by Martin Manulis, with music by Henry Mancini, and features Jack Lemmon, Lee Remick, Charles Bickford and Jack Klugman. The film depicts the downward spiral of two average Americans who succumb to alcohol use disorder and attempt to deal with their problems.
Mary Lamar Rickey, better known as Lara Parker, was an American actress known for her role as Angelique on the ABC-TV serial Dark Shadows, which aired from 1966 to 1971.
Thayer David was an American film, stage, and television actor. He was best known for his work on the ABC serial Dark Shadows (1966–1971), as Dragon, the Albino ex-Nazi Director of C-2 in The Eiger Sanction (1975) and as the fight promoter Miles Jergens in Rocky (1976). He also appeared as Count Saknussemm in the film Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959), as the Reverend Silas Pendrake in Little Big Man (1970), as Charlie Robbins in Save the Tiger (1973) and as Deacon in Fun with Dick and Jane (1977). His raspy, distinctive voice lent itself to voice-over work in commercials and instructional films.
8mm is a 1999 American crime thriller film directed by Joel Schumacher and written by Andrew Kevin Walker. A German–American production, the film stars Nicolas Cage as a private investigator who delves into the world of snuff films. Joaquin Phoenix, James Gandolfini, Peter Stormare, and Anthony Heald appear in supporting roles.
Jack Gilford was an American Broadway, film, and television actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Save the Tiger (1973).
Mr. Mom is a 1983 American comedy film directed by Stan Dragoti and produced by Lynn Loring, Lauren Shuler, and Aaron Spelling. It stars Michael Keaton, Teri Garr, Martin Mull, Ann Jillian, and Christopher Lloyd. It tells the story of a furloughed Detroit automotive engineer who becomes a stay-at-home dad and takes care of three young children, as his wife returns to a career in the advertising industry as an executive at a large agency. Released on July 22, 1983, the film received generally positive reviews from critics and was a box office success, grossing $64 million against its $5 million budget.
It Should Happen to You is a 1954 American romantic comedy film starring Judy Holliday, Peter Lawford and Jack Lemmon; it was Lemmon's first major film appearance. The film was directed by George Cukor, and partly filmed on location in New York City. Screenwriter Garson Kanin originally intended the script as a vehicle for Danny Kaye, but Kanin's wife, Ruth Gordon, suggested casting Judy Holliday instead. The title was initially A Name for Herself.
The Formula is a 1980 mystery film directed by John G. Avildsen. It was produced and written by Steve Shagan, who adapted his own 1979 novel The Formula. It stars Marlon Brando, George C. Scott, Marthe Keller, John Gielgud, G. D. Spradlin, and Beatrice Straight.
A Night in Heaven is a 1983 American romantic drama film directed by John G. Avildsen, starring Christopher Atkins as a college student and Lesley Ann Warren as his professor. The film's screenplay was written by Joan Tewkesbury. Film critics widely panned the film, but the film itself became better known for Bryan Adams' chart-topping single "Heaven".
Hollywoodland is a 2006 American mystery drama film directed by Allen Coulter and written by Paul Bernbaum. The story presents a fictionalized account of the circumstances surrounding the death of actor George Reeves, the star of the 1950s film Superman and the Mole Men and television series Adventures of Superman. Adrien Brody stars as a fictional character, Louis Simo, a private detective investigating Toni Mannix, who was involved in a long romantic relationship with Reeves and was the wife of MGM studio executive Eddie Mannix. Reeves had ended the affair and had become engaged to a younger woman, aspiring actress Leonore Lemmon.
Laurie Heineman is an American actress. She starred as Myra in the 1973 drama film Save the Tiger and as Sharlene Frame on the soap opera Another World (1975–77), for which she received Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
Talk to Me is a 2007 biographical film directed by Kasi Lemmons and starring Don Cheadle, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Taraji P. Henson, Cedric the Entertainer, and Mike Epps. It is about Washington, D.C. radio personality Ralph "Petey" Greene, an ex-con who became a popular talk show host and community activist, and Dewey Hughes, his friend and manager. The film spans the time period May 1966 to January 1984, ending with Greene's memorial service.
Fore Play is a 1975 comedy anthology film co-directed by Bruce Malmuth, Robert McCarty, Ralph Rosenblum, and future Academy Award-winner John G. Avildsen.
Inferno is a 1999 American action film directed by John G. Avildsen, and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Danny Trejo, Pat Morita, Gabrielle Fitzpatrick, and David "Shark" Fralick. This was the last film directed by Avildsen before his death in 2017.
W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings is a 1975 American comedy film directed by John G. Avildsen, starring Burt Reynolds, and written by Thomas Rickman. The 20th Century Fox film features the acting debut of Jerry Reed.
Stephen H. Shagan was an American novelist, screenwriter, and television and film producer.
A Thousand Words is a 2012 American fantasy comedy-drama film directed and co-produced by Brian Robbins from a script by Steve Koren, co-produced by Nicolas Cage, and starring Eddie Murphy. It was released in theaters on March 9, 2012, four years after it was filmed. Critics panned the film as formulaic and outdated, and for miscasting Eddie Murphy in a mostly silent role. It is currently one of a small number of films with a 0% rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. It was also a box office bomb, having grossed just $22 million worldwide on a $40 million budget. As of 2023, it is the last film directed by Robbins, and it was Murphy's last film for four years, until he appeared in the 2016 independent film Mr. Church.
