Prompt: Question: Tell me a bio of Valerie Harper.

Valerie Harper

<s>Valerie Harper Valerie Kathryn Harper (August 22, 1939 – August 30, 2019) was an American actress. She began her career as a dancer on Broadway, making her debut as a replacement in the musical "Li'l Abner". She is best remembered for her role as Rhoda Morgenstern on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" (1970–1977) and its spinoff "Rhoda" (1974–1978). For her work on "Mary Tyler Moore", she thrice received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, and later received the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for "Rhoda". From 1986 to 1987, she appeared as Valerie Hogan on the sitcom "Valerie", which she subsequently left for salary reasons. Her character was killed off, and the show was retitled "Valerie's Family" and eventually "The Hogan Family". Actress Sandy Duncan was cast in a new role that served as a replacement for Harper's character. Her film appearances include roles in "Freebie and the Bean" (1974) and "Chapter Two" (1979), both of which garnered her Golden Globe Award nominations. She returned to stage work in her later career, appearing in several Broadway

Valerie Harper

productions. In 2010, she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her performance as Tallulah Bankhead in the play "Looped".</s><s>Early life. Harper was born on August 22, 1939, in Suffern, New York, the daughter of Iva Mildred (née McConnell) and Howard Donald Harper. Her father was a lighting salesman; her mother was born (and raised) in Dalmeny, Saskatchewan, before becoming a teacher and later training as a nurse. Her parents married in Alberta before her mother immigrated to the United States. Valerie was the middle child of three, between her sister Leanne and her brother Merrill, who later took the name "Don". After her parents' divorce in 1957, she also had a half-sister, Virginia, from her father's second marriage to Angela Posillico (1933–1996). She stated that her parents were expecting a boy. But after her arrival her first and middle names were derived from tennis players Valerie Scott and Kay Stammers who were victorious doubles partners at a tournament Harper’s father was attending the day she was born. She was of French, English, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh ancestry. Harper based her character Rhoda Morgen

Valerie Harper

stern on her Italian stepmother and Penny Ann Green (née Joanna Greenberg), with whom she danced in the Broadway musical "Wildcat". She was raised Catholic, although at an early age she "quit" the church. Her family moved every two years due to her father's work. Harper attended schools in South Orange, New Jersey; Pasadena, California; Monroe, Michigan; Ashland, Oregon; and Jersey City, New Jersey. When her family returned to Oregon, she stayed in the New York City area to study ballet. She attended Lincoln High School in Jersey City, New Jersey before graduating from the private Young Professionals School on West 56th Street, where classmates included Sal Mineo, Tuesday Weld, and Carol Lynley.</s><s>Career.</s><s>Career.:Broadway dancer and improv. Harper began her show business career as a dancer and chorus girl on Broadway, and went on to perform in several Broadway shows, some choreographed by Michael Kidd, including "Wildcat" (starring Lucille Ball), "Li'l Abner," "Take Me Along" (starring Jackie Gleason), and "Subways Are for Sleeping". She was also cast in the musical "Destry Rides Again", but was forced to leave

Valerie Harper

rehearsals due to illness. She returned to Broadway in February 2010, playing Tallulah Bankhead in Matthew Lombardo's "Looped" at the Lyceum Theatre. Harper had a bit part in the film version of "Li'l Abner" (1959), playing a Yokumberry Tonic wife. She broke into television on an episode of the soap opera "The Doctors" ("Zip Guns can Kill"), and was an extra in "Love with the Proper Stranger". She was in the ensemble cast of Paul Sills' Story Theatre and toured with Second City along with then-husband Richard Schaal, Linda Lavin, and others, later appearing in sketches on "Playboy After Dark". She performed several characters in a comedy LP record, "When You're in Love the Whole World is Jewish", which included the popular novelty single, "The Ballad of Irving", a recitation by TV announcer Frank Gallop. Harper and Schaal moved to Los Angeles in 1968, and co-wrote an episode of "Love, American Style".</s><s>Career.:Television. While doing theater in Los Angeles in 1970, Harper was spotted by casting agent Ethel Winant, who called her in to audition for the role of Rhoda Morgenst

Valerie Harper

ern on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show". She co-starred there from 1970 to 1974, then starred in the spinoff series "Rhoda" (CBS 1974–1978) in which her character returned to New York City. She won four Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award for her work as Rhoda Morgenstern. In 2000, she reunited with Moore in "Mary and Rhoda", a television film that reunited their characters in later life. The first season of "Rhoda" was released on DVD on April 21, 2009 by Shout! Factory. Harper was nominated for a Golden Globe for "New Star of the Year" for her role in "Freebie and the Bean" (1974), and was a guest star on "The Muppet Show" in 1976, its first season. Harper returned to situation comedy in 1986 when she played family matriarch Valerie Hogan on the NBC series "Valerie". Following a salary dispute with NBC and production company Lorimar in 1987, she was fired from the series at the end of its second season, and she sued NBC and Lorimar for breach of contract. Her claims against NBC were dismissed, but the jury found that Lorimar had wrongfully fired her and awarded her $1.4

Valerie Harper

million plus 12.5% of the show's profits. The series continued without her, with the explanation that her character had died offscreen. In 1987, it was initially renamed "Valerie's Family", then "The Hogan Family", as Harper was replaced by Sandy Duncan, who played her sister-in-law Sandy Hogan. Harper appeared in various television films, including a performance as Maggie in a production of the Michael Cristofer play "The Shadow Box", directed by Paul Newman, and in guest roles on such series as "Melrose Place" (1998) and "Sex and the City" (1999).</s><s>Career.:Later career. Harper was a member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and ran for its presidency in 2001, losing to Melissa Gilbert. She served on SAG's Hollywood board of directors. In 2005–2006, Harper portrayed Golda Meir in a United States national tour of the one-woman drama "Golda's Balcony". A film of the production was released in 2007. She played Tallulah Bankhead in the world-premiere production of Matthew Lombardo's "Looped" at the Pasadena Playhouse from June 27 to August 3, 2008. The show moved to Arena Stage in Washington

Valerie Harper

, D.C., in 2009. It then briefly ran on Broadway at the Lyceum Theatre, from February 2010 (previews) through April 2010, for which Harper received a Tony Award nomination. She was to continue the role on a national tour beginning January 2013, but withdrew due to her health. She played Claire Bremmer, aunt of Susan Delfino (Teri Hatcher), on ABC's "Desperate Housewives" in 2011. On September 4, 2013, Harper was announced as a contestant for the 17th season of "Dancing with the Stars", partnered with professional dancer Tristan MacManus. They were eliminated from the show on October 7, 2013. Harper appeared as the character Wanda on the American comedy web television series "Liza on Demand", in its July 11, 2018, episode: "Valentine's Day".</s><s>Career.:Activism and charity work. In the 1970s and '80s, Harper was involved in the women's liberation movement and was an advocate of the Equal Rights Amendment. With Dennis Weaver she co-founded L.I.F.E. (Love Is Feeding Everyone) in 1983, a charity that fed thousands of needy people in Los Angeles.</s><s>Personal life

Valerie Harper

. Harper's NYC roommate was Arlene Golonka. Harper married actor Richard Schaal in 1964. They divorced in 1978, after which she had a relationship with Peter Horton. She married Tony Cacciotti in 1987, after dating for seven years, and they adopted a daughter, Cristina. Despite playing Jewish characters such as Rhoda Morgenstern, Harper herself was not Jewish.</s><s>Illness and death. In 2009, Harper was diagnosed with lung cancer. She announced on March 6, 2013, that tests from a January hospital stay revealed she had leptomeningeal carcinomatosis, a rare condition where cancer cells spread into the meninges, the membranes surrounding the brain. She explained her doctors had given her as little as three months to live. Although the disease was considered incurable, her doctors said they were treating her with chemotherapy to try to slow its progress. In April 2014, Harper said she was responding well to the treatment. On July 30, 2015, she was hospitalized in Maine after falling unconscious, and taken via medevac to a larger hospital for further treatment. She was later discharged. In 2016, Harper's cancer continued, with treatment at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, but she was well enough to appear

Valerie Harper

in a short film, "My Mom and the Girl", based on the experiences of director/writer Susie Singer Carter, whose mother has Alzheimer's disease. In September 2017, she said: "People are saying, 'She's on her way to death and quickly'. Now it's five years instead of three months... I'm going to fight this. I'm going to see a way." At the time, she was developing a television series with Carter. By July 2019, she was on a regimen of "a multitude of medications and chemotherapy drugs" and was experiencing "extreme physical and painful challenges" that required "around-the-clock, 24/7 care." Harper died on the morning of August 30, 2019, in Los Angeles.</s><s>References. Bibliography - - - - - - - - -</s>


Prompt: Question: Tell me a bio of James Franco.

James Franco

<s>James Franco James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has starred in numerous films, including Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" trilogy (2002–2007), "Milk" (2008), "Eat Pray Love" (2010), "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" (2011), "Spring Breakers" (2012), and "Oz the Great and Powerful" (2013). He is known for his collaborations with fellow actor Seth Rogen, having appeared in eight films and one television series with him, examples being "Pineapple Express" (2008), "This Is the End" (2013), "Sausage Party" (2016), and "The Disaster Artist" (2017), for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor. For his role in "127 Hours" (2010), he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. Franco is also known for his work on television where his first prominent acting role was the character Daniel Desario on the short-lived ensemble comedy-drama "Freaks and Geeks" (1999–2000), which developed a cult following. He portrayed the title character in the television biographical film "James Dean" (

James Franco

2001), for which he won a Golden Globe Award, and received nominations for Screen Actors Guild Award and Primetime Emmy Award. Franco had a recurring role on the daytime soap opera "General Hospital" (2009–2012) and starred in the limited series "11.22.63" (2016). He starred in the David Simon-created HBO drama "The Deuce" (2017–2019). Franco volunteers for The Art of Elysium charity and has taught film classes at numerous schools. Franco admitted to having sex with several of his students during his time as a teacher, which led to lawsuits and a $2 million sexual-misconduct settlement in 2021.</s><s>Early life. James Edward Franco was born in Palo Alto, California on April 19, 1978. His mother, Betsy Lou ("née" Verne), is a children's book author and occasional actress, and his father, Douglas Eugene Franco, ran a Silicon Valley business. His father was of Portuguese and Swedish ancestry, while his mother was from a family of Russian Jews. His paternal grandmother, Marjorie ("née" Peterson), is a published author of young adult books. His maternal grandfather, Daniel, changed his surname from "Verovitz" to "Verne" some time after 1940

James Franco

, and his maternal grandmother, Mitzie ("née" Levine), owned the prominent Verne Art Gallery in Cleveland, Ohio and was an active member in the National Council of Jewish Women. Franco's family upbringing was "academic, liberal, and largely secular". He grew up in California with his two younger brothers, actors Tom and Dave. A "math whiz", Franco interned at Lockheed Martin. He was often encouraged by his father to get good grades and did well on the SAT. He graduated from Palo Alto High School in 1996, where he acted in plays. This led to him attending CSSSA in 1998 for theater studies. In his high school years, Franco was arrested for underage drinking, graffiti, and being a part of a group that stole designer fragrances from department stores and sold them to classmates. These arrests led to Franco briefly becoming a ward of the state. Facing the possibility of juvenile hall, he was given a second chance by the judge. He recalled of his troubles with the law, "It was teen angst. I was uncomfortable in my own skin. I was shy. I changed my ways just in time to get good grades." Although the idea of becoming a marine zoologist interested him, Franco had always secretly wanted to become

James Franco

an actor but feared being rejected. He enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) as an English major, but dropped out after his first year (against his parents' wishes) to pursue a career as an actor, since he would have had to wait two years to audition for their acting program. He instead chose to take acting lessons with Robert Carnegie at the Playhouse West. Around this time, he took up a late-night job at McDonald's to support himself because his parents refused to do so. He was a vegetarian for the year prior to working there. While working at the establishment, he would practice accents on customers, an experience he remembered nostalgically in a 2015 "Washington Post" editorial titled "McDonald's was there for me when no one else was".</s><s>Acting career.</s><s>Acting career.:1997–2001. After 15 months of training, Franco began auditioning in Los Angeles. His first paid role was a television commercial for Pizza Hut, featuring a dancing Elvis Presley. He found guest roles on television shows but his first break came in 1999, after he was cast in a leading role on the short-lived but well-reviewed NBC television series "Freaks and Geeks", which ran for 18 episodes

James Franco

and was canceled due to low viewership. Later, the show became a cult hit among audiences. He has since described the series as "one of the most fun" work experiences that he has had. In another interview, Franco said: "When we were doing "Freaks and Geeks", I didn't quite understand how movies and TV worked, and I would improvise even if the camera wasn't on me ... So I was improvising a little bit back then, but not in a productive way." After his film debut "Never Been Kissed", he played a popular jock Chris in "Whatever It Takes" (2000), a modern-day remake of the 1897 play "Cyrano de Bergerac". He was subsequently cast as the title role in director Mark Rydell's 2001 TV biographical film "James Dean". To immerse himself in the role, Franco went from being a non-smoker to smoking two packs of cigarettes a day, bleached his dark brown hair blond, and learned to ride a motorcycle as well as play guitar and the bongos. To have a greater understanding of Dean, Franco spent hours with two of Dean's associates. Other research included reading books on Dean and studying his movies. While filming "James

James Franco

Dean", Franco, to get into character, cut off communication with his family and friends, as well as his then-girlfriend. "It was a very lonely existence," he notes. "If I wasn't on a set, I was watching James Dean. That was my whole thinking. James Dean. James Dean." Despite already being a fan of Dean, Franco feared he might be typecast if he'd captured the actor too convincingly. Ken Tucker of "Entertainment Weekly" wrote: "Franco could have walked through the role and done a passable Dean, but instead gets under the skin of this insecure, rootless young man." He received a Golden Globe Award and nominations for an Emmy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award (SAG).</s><s>Acting career.:2002–2007. Franco achieved worldwide fame and attention in the 2002 superhero film "Spider-Man", when he played Harry Osborn, the son of the villainous Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) and best friend of Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire). Originally, Franco was considered for the lead role of Spider-Man/Peter Parker in the film. Todd McCarthy of "Variety" noted that there are "good moments" between Maguire

James Franco

and Franco in the film. "Spider-Man" was a commercial and critical success. The movie grossed $114 million during its opening weekend in North America and went on to earn $822 million worldwide. He next starred in "Sonny", a 2002 release in which he was directed by fellow actor Nicolas Cage, whose involvement had attracted Franco to the film. Set in 1980s New Orleans, "Sonny" follows the titular character (Franco) returning home after just being discharged from the Army. To prepare for his role, he met with sex workers or people who had previously been prostitutes. The movie was panned by critics, with the "New York Post"'s Lou Lumenick calling it an "instant candidate for worst movie of the year". Franco was cast as a homeless drug addict in the drama "City by the Sea" (2002) after co-star Robert De Niro saw a snippet of his work in "James Dean". He lived on the streets for several days to better understand the subject matter as well as talking to former or still-using drug addicts. He also co-starred with Neve Campbell in Robert Altman's ballet movie "The Company" (2003). The success of the first "Spider

James Franco

-Man" film led Franco to reprise the role in the 2004 sequel, "Spider-Man 2". The movie was well received by critics, and it proved to be a big financial success, setting a new opening weekend box office record for North America. With a revenue of $783 million worldwide, it became the second highest-grossing film in 2004. The following year he made and starred in the black comedy "The Ape" and the 2005 war film "The Great Raid", in which he portrayed Robert Prince, a captain in the United States Army's elite Sixth Ranger Battalion. In 2006, Franco co-starred with Tyrese Gibson in "Annapolis" and played legendary hero Tristan in "Tristan & Isolde", a period piece dramatization of the Tristan and Iseult story also starring British actress Sophia Myles. For the former, he did eight months of boxing training and for the latter, he practiced horseback riding and sword fighting. He then completed training for his Private Pilot Licence in preparation for his role in "Flyboys", which was released in September 2006; the same month, Franco appeared briefly in "The Wicker Man", the remake of the seminal horror film. Also in 2006, he

James Franco

made a cameo appearance in the romantic comedy "The Holiday". He again played Harry Osborn in "Spider-Man 3" (2007). In contrast to the previous two films' positive reviews, "Spider-Man 3" was met with a mixed reception by critics. Nonetheless, with a total worldwide gross of $891 million, it stands as the most successful film in the series, and Franco's highest-grossing film to date. In this same year, Franco made a cameo appearance as himself in the Apatow-directed comedy "Knocked Up", which starred "Freaks and Geeks" alumni Seth Rogen, Jason Segel and Martin Starr. Franco co-starred with Sienna Miller in the low-budget independent film "Camille", a dark fantasy dramedy about a young newlywed couple and "Interview", where he appears in a voice only role, both 2007 movies that were ignored by audiences and critics alike. Among his other 2007 projects were "Good Time Max", which Franco wrote, directed and starred in. The movie premiered at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival and tells the story of two talented brothers who take very diverse paths in life, one going on to become a doctor whilst the other sibling (Franco) experiences unemployment and

James Franco

uses drugs. The actor chose to cast himself in that role because, "It was really just a process of elimination. I was better suited for this role than the responsible surgeon".</s><s>Acting career.:2008–2010. He next starred in "Pineapple Express" (2008), a stoner comedy co-starring and co-written by Seth Rogen and produced by Judd Apatow. Of Franco's character, Apatow said, "You tell him, 'Okay, you're going to play a pot dealer', and he comes back with a three-dimensional character you totally believe exists. He takes it very seriously, even when it's comedy". In her "New York Times" review, critic Manohla Dargis wrote: "He's delightful as Saul, loosey-goosey and goofy yet irrepressibly sexy, despite that greasy curtain of hair and a crash pad with a zero WAF (Woman Acceptance Factor). It's an unshowy, generous performance and it greatly humanizes a movie that, as it shifts genre gears and cranks up the noise, becomes disappointingly sober and self-serious". His performance earned him a second Golden Globe nomination, for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy

James Franco

. He has stated in some interviews that he no longer uses cannabis (although he has occasionally alluded to smoking it, most notably during an extended segment on "The Colbert Report"). He was awarded "High Times" magazine's Stoner of the Year Award for his work in "Pineapple Express". In 2008 he also appeared in two films by American artist Carter, exhibited at the Yvon Lambert gallery in Paris. On September 20, 2008, he hosted the sketch comedy show "Saturday Night Live" ("SNL"), and a second time on December 19, 2009. Franco starred with Sean Penn, Josh Brolin and Emile Hirsch, in Gus Van Sant's "Milk" (2008). In the film he plays Scott Smith, the boyfriend of Harvey Milk (Penn). Kenneth Turan of the "Los Angeles Times", in review of the film, wrote: "Franco is a nice match for him [Penn] as the lover who finally has enough of political life". For his performance in the film, Franco won the Independent Spirit Award in the category for Best Supporting Actor. In late 2009 he joined the cast of the daytime soap opera "General Hospital" on a recurring basis. He plays Franco, a multimedia artist much like himself, who comes to Port Charles

James Franco

to do an art exhibition and becomes obsessed with Jason Morgan (Steve Burton). Franco has called his "General Hospital" role performance art. Franco began 2010 by making an appearance on the sitcom "30 Rock" where he played himself and carried on a fake romance with Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski) in a scheme concocted by their respective agents. After appearing in the commercial successes "Date Night", an action comedy, and "Eat Pray Love", an adaption of a novel, Franco played poet Allen Ginsberg in the drama "Howl", released on September 24. The latter, about his most known poem and the trial about the work, premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and earned modest reviews. In his next project, "127 Hours", directed by Danny Boyle, Franco portrayed real-life mountain climber Aron Ralston. It was given a limited release starting on November 5, 2010. "127 Hours" centered on Ralston trying to free his hand after it became trapped under a boulder in a ravine while canyoneering alone in Utah and resorting to desperate measures in order to survive, eventually amputating his arm. During the five-week, 12-hours-per-day shoot, Franco would only leave the g

James Franco

ully set to use the lavatory and would read books such as academic textbooks to keep busy. Franco later called making "127 Hours" a once-in-a-lifetime experience. To date, "127 Hours" is one of his most well-reviewed movies and was also a commercial success, earning $60.7 million against an $18 million budget. His performance earned him universal acclaim from critics. Subsequently, he was nominated for an Academy Award, Golden Globe and SAG award, as well as winning an Independent Spirit Award.</s><s>Acting career.:2011–present. On February 23, 2011, Franco made a cameo appearance on NBC's "Minute to Win It" where the real-life Ralston was participating as a contestant playing for charity. After having an uncredited cameo in the opening scene of "The Green Hornet" (2011), he starred opposite Natalie Portman and Danny McBride in the Medieval fantasy comedy "Your Highness". In the film, he plays Fabious, a prince who teams up with his brother (McBride) to rescue the soon to be bride of Fabious (played by Zooey Deschanel). In May 2010, he was cast to star in Rupert Wyatt's $93

James Franco

million budgeted "Rise of the Planet of the Apes", a reboot of the "Planet of the Apes" series which was released on August 5. Franco starred alongside Winona Ryder in "The Letter", originally entitled "The Stare", directed by Jay Anania. He was cast as a drug-addicted lawyer in "About Cherry", also starring Heather Graham, which started shooting the following month in California. He dropped out of the indie film "While We're Young" to star in "Oz the Great and Powerful", a Disney prequel to L. Frank Baum's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" (1900). Filming began in July 2011, and the film was released on March 8, 2013. He has signed to do a sequel to it. At the end of September 2010, the actor acquired the rights to Stephen Elliott's "The Adderall Diaries", with the intention to adapt, direct, and star in the film. It was announced in January 2011 that the actor has planned to not only star in, but direct himself in "The Night Stalker", a film version of author Philip Carlo's book about the 1980s serial killer, Richard Ramirez. Co-screenwriter of the screenplay, Nicholas Constantine, was initially

James Franco

unconvinced that Franco would be right for the movie, until he learned of Franco's desire to be a director and later watched three of his short films, one of which featured a serial killer, ultimately confirming to the writer that the actor had a darker side. Franco also directed a film version of William Faulkner's novel "As I Lay Dying";  the film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. In late 2013, Franco starred in "This Is the End" as a fictionalized version of himself stuck in a house during an apocalypse with Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Craig Robinson, Jonah Hill, and Danny McBride, also fictionalized versions of themselves. In February 2012, Franco began shooting a film version of Cormac McCarthy's 1973 novella "Child of God", which stars Scott Haze as Lester Ballard. The film chronicles the depraved and violent impulses of the young Tennessee backwoodsman after he is dispossessed of his ancestral land. Child of God was selected in official competition at the 70th Venice Film Festival, an official selection to the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival and an official selection to the prestigious 51st New York Film Festival. In 2013, Franco starred as the gangster

James Franco

"Alien" in Harmony Korine's "Spring Breakers," with Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez, Ashley Benson, Gucci Mane and Rachel Korine. A24 films began a campaign in September 2013 in support of a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for Franco's performance. In March 2013, it was announced that Franco was set to make his 2014 Broadway stage debut in the role of George in a revival of John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men". In October 2013, Franco appeared in the music video for "City of Angels" by Thirty Seconds to Mars. On March 8, 2013, Franco received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 6838 Hollywood Boulevard. In April 2014, Franco directed and appeared in "Techno Color Sunglasses", which promoted Gucci's eyewear collection. In December, Franco starred in the controversial Sony comedy thriller, "The Interview", a film which played a central role in the real world diplomatic relations between the United States and North Korea as they related to the 2014 Sony hacking incident. In April 2015, two of his projects, titled "I Am Michael" and "True Story", were shown at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. In "I Am Michael", Franco plays a gay activist who rejects

James Franco

his homosexuality and becomes a conservative Christian pastor with a girlfriend. In "True Story", based on a true story, Franco played Christian Longo, a man who was on the FBI's most wanted list for murdering his wife and three children in Oregon, and who had also been hiding under the identity of Michael Finkel, a journalist played by Jonah Hill. In 2015, Franco was cast in the lead role for the Hulu limited series "11.22.63" which is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. The eight-episode series premiered on February 15, 2016. In 2016, Franco co-produced and starred in "King Cobra", a true story about the rise of gay pornographic actor Brent Corrigan and the murder of Bryan Kocis. Franco played Joseph Kerekes who (along with his partner) was convicted of the murder. In the comedy "Why Him?", released in December 2016, Franco played an immature tech-billionaire whose girlfriend's conservative father tries to intervene in the couple's relationship, with Zoey Deutch playing the girlfriend and Bryan Cranston as her father. He briefly appeared in the "Alien" prequel, "", alongside friend and frequent collaborator Danny McBride, and Michael Fassbender and Noomi Rapace

James Franco

. He played Branson, the captain of the Covenant ship and husband to Daniels, played by Katherine Waterston. The film was released on May 19, 2017. In 2016, Franco directed, co-produced, and starred in "The Disaster Artist", the film adaptation of actor Greg Sestero's non-fiction book of the same name, about the making of "The Room", which is considered to be one of worst films ever made. In the film, Franco portrayed the film's star, director, screenwriter, and producer Tommy Wiseau, while Franco's brother, Dave, portrayed Sestero. Franco remained in character as Wiseau throughout the entirety of the shoot. "The Disaster Artist" was released on December 1, 2017, to positive reviews, while his portrayal of Wiseau gained near-universal praise. His performance won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. At the end of 2017, Franco, almost 40, said he was slowing down to focus on himself. On December 23, 2021, Franco gave his first interview in nearly four years when he appeared on an episode of the "Jess Cagle Podcast". In August 2022, Franco was cast as Fidel Castro in "Alina in Cuba", a casting decision that was

James Franco

supported by Fidel Castro's daughter.</s><s>Other projects. Franco produced and directed a documentary titled "Saturday Night" documenting a week in the production of an episode of "SNL". The film began as a short for an NYU class but grew due to his two episodes as host, while short stories he wrote for other classes appeared in "Esquire" and "McSweeney's". In summer 2010, the fictional Franco from "General Hospital" held an exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, while the real Franco held an exhibit at the museum based on his experiences on the soap opera. In 2008, Franco was named as the face of Gucci's men's fragrance line. His short films as director "The Feast of Stephen" and "Herbert White" were both presented within Maryland Film Festival in May 2010. Another of his short movies, "The Clerk's Tale", was screened in competition at the Hamptons Film Festival at the end of 2010. In June 2010, James Franco presented his first solo exhibition, "The Dangerous Book Four Boys", presented at The Clocktower Gallery in New York City. Curated by Alanna Heiss, the show featured video, drawings, sculptures and installation. On October 19, 2010, Scribner published

James Franco

a collection of short stories, "Palo Alto", by Franco. The book is named after the California city where Franco grew up and is dedicated to many of the writers he worked with at Brooklyn College. Inspired by some of Franco's own teenage memories "Palo Alto", and memories written and submitted by high school students at Palo Alto Senior High School, consists of life in Palo Alto as experienced by a series of teenagers who spend most of their time indulging in driving drunk, smoking marijuana, and taking part in unplanned acts of violence. Each passage is told by a young narrator. The book has received mixed reviews; "Los Angeles Times" called it "the work of an ambitious young man who clearly loves to read, who has a good eye for detail, but who has spent way too much time on style and virtually none on substance". "The Guardian" reported that Franco's "foray into the literary world may be met with cynicism in some quarters, but this is a promising debut from a most unlikely source". Writing in "The New York Times", reviewer and fellow author Joshua Mohr praised Franco for how, in the story "American History", he juxtaposed historical parts with a present-day social commentary that "makes the we wonder how much we've actually

James Franco

evolved in post-bellum America". At least one editor of a literary journal testified he would not publish Franco's stories, claiming he has been published due to his star power, not literary talent. "Publishers Weekly" reviewed the collection, stating "The author fails to find anything remotely insightful to say in these 11 amazingly underwhelming stories". In January 2011, Franco screened his multimedia project, entitled "Three's Company The Drama", in which he merges video and art to update the titular sitcom, at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. Franco reunited with "Milk" director Van Sant to make "Unfinished", a project that features two movies: "Endless Idaho" and "My Own Private River". "Endless Idaho" showcases edited outtakes, deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes footage from the 1991 movie "My Own Private Idaho", while "My Own Private River" focuses on actor River Phoenix. The idea for the exhibition was conceived after Van Sant introduced unused footage from the 1991 film to Franco, inspiring him to turn it into something more. "Unfinished" opened from February 26 to April 9 at the Gagosian Gallery in Beverly Hills. On February 27, 2011, he and Anne Hathaway hosted the 83rd Academy Awards.

James Franco

The two were selected to help the awards show achieve its goal of attracting a younger audience. Franco had previously said that he accepted the job for the experience and because it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Numerous media viewers criticized Franco for his discontent and lack of energy on stage and the show was widely panned, with some reviewers dubbing it the worst telecast in its history. The actor later spoke about his hosting in an interview on the "Late Show with David Letterman". He explained that when accepting the job he never had high hopes, adding "It was never on my list of things to do. It doesn't mean I didn't care and it doesn't mean I didn't try, right?" Regarding allegations that he was under the influence of marijuana while hosting, Franco commented "I think the Tasmanian Devil would look stoned standing next to Anne Hathaway. She has a lot of energy!" He concluded that he tried his best and could have had "low energy" during the telecast. In May, Franco made his dance-theater directorial debut at New York's Stella Adler Studios, where he narrated all the performances. Entitled "Collage" and described as a "mixed-media piece", the show featured

James Franco

live dance, theater, music, and poetry. Tickets were free but were distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. The actor also directed two short films for songs ("Blue" and "That Someone Is You") by R.E.M. from their album "Collapse into Now" (2011). Franco continued his career as a filmmaker with "The Broken Tower", a 90-minute docudrama shot in black and white about poet Hart Crane, who committed suicide by jumping off the steamship "SS Orizaba". It originally started out as his master's thesis. It was screened at 2011's Los Angeles Film Festival among more than 200 feature films, short projects, and music videos from more than 30 countries. It was released on DVD in 2012. In 2011, Franco taught a graduate-level film course at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. He has also taught film classes at USC and UCLA, as well as a screenwriting class on the online learning community Skillshare. For his students' film projects, Franco has helped to attract actors, including Seth MacFarlane, Kate Mara, Natalie Portman, Chloe Sevigny, Kristen Wiig and Olivia Wilde. Franco developed an aptitude for art—painting

James Franco

in particular—during his high school years while attending the California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA). Franco has said painting was the "outlet" he needed in high school, and he "has actually been painting longer than he has been acting". His paintings were displayed publicly for the first time at the Glü Gallery in Los Angeles, from January 7, through February 11, 2006. He launched his first European art exhibition in 2011 at Peres Projects in Berlin. In September 2012, Franco announced the release of his band Daddy's first single "Love in the Old Days" and their first EP "MotorCity." On July 9, 2013, Franco announced that he would be the featured roastee on the next "Comedy Central Roast". The roast aired on September 2, 2013. In February 2014, Franco wrote an article in "The New York Times" in support of the metamodernist performance art of Shia LaBeouf, describing LaBeouf's project as one "in which a young man in a very public profession tries to reclaim his public persona". In April 2014, the literary publisher Graywolf Press issued Franco's first collection of poetry, "Directing Herbert White". The title alludes to a poem (made by Franco into a

James Franco

2010 short film) by Frank Bidart, who has served as friend and mentor to Franco.</s><s>In the media. Viewed as a sex symbol, Franco was named the Sexiest Man Living in 2009 by "Salon". There has often been frequent media coverage of Franco, particularly regarding his interest in going to colleges. In addition to that, Franco has also claimed to have been strongly misquoted by reports in the media and news outlets reporting erroneous information about him. This led to the actor being parodied in an episode of "SNL"s Weekend Update segment, which an "Entertainment Weekly" writer deemed "clever". In a 2011 interview, he stated: Franco has deliberately garnered a reputation for publishing "selfies" and wrote an explanatory article for "The New York Times" in December 2013. He stated: In April 2012, "Shalom Life" ranked Franco and his brother, Dave, together as number two on its list of 50 talented and attractive Jewish men. In 2013, Franco was featured as the cover model and featured focus in the men's magazine "Man of the World". In other forms of media, a Chicago-based theater company, Under the Gun Theater, developed a show inspired by and titled after Franco. The 2015

James Franco

production of "Dear James Franco" used, parodied and deconstructed letters penned to or by celebrities. The performances used improvisation to satirize their subject matter.</s><s>Personal life.</s><s>Personal life.:Religion. Franco has described himself as Jewish; regarding his secular upbringing, he told "The Guardian" that he feels as if he has "missed out on the Jewish experience", but has been told not to worry about that by his Jewish friends and said in the same interview that he likes "the idea of religion as a source of community". When asked if he was a "believer", he responded, "In God? I don't know. Yes. To a certain extent. It's a complicated question." In 2015, he had an official bar mitzvah ceremony, presided over by a rabbi.</s><s>Personal life.:Relationships and sexuality. Due to his support for the LGBT community and his portrayal of gay characters in his projects, Franco's sexuality has been a subject of discussion in media sources. In a March 2015 interview with "Four Two Nine" magazine, Franco again opened up about his sexuality, stating, "In the twenties and thirties, they used to define homosexuality by how you acted and not by whom you slept

James Franco

with. Sailors would fuck guys all the time, but as long as they behaved in masculine ways, they weren't considered gay. Well, I like to think that I'm gay in my art and straight in my life." After meeting on the set of "Whatever It Takes" in 1999, Franco dated co-star Marla Sokoloff for five years. He was later in a relationship with actress Ahna O'Reilly until 2011. He confirmed their separation in an interview for "Playboy" magazine's August 2011 issue, saying that his interest in education got between them.</s><s>Personal life.:Education. Franco, dissatisfied with his career's direction, reenrolled at UCLA in autumn 2006 as an English major with a creative writing concentration. He received permission to take as many as 62 course credits per quarter compared to the normal limit of 19, while still continuing to act, receiving many of his credits from independent study for his involvement on the set of "Spider-Man 3". He received his undergraduate degree in June 2008 with a GPA of 3.5/4.0. For his degree, Franco prepared his departmental honors thesis as a novel under the supervision of Mona Simpson. Franco was selected as the commencement speaker at UCLA, and was to speak

James Franco

at the ceremony on June 12, 2009. Several months before commencement, an editorial in the student newspaper questioned his "caliber" and a student created a Facebook page protesting the choice. On June 3, Franco withdrew, citing a date conflict with location pre-production on a film. On January 26, 2011, Franco and the "Harvard Lampoon" released a satirical video on prominent comedy website Funny or Die mocking his last-minute cancellation. Franco moved to New York to simultaneously attend graduate school at Columbia University School of the Arts for writing, New York University's Tisch School of the Arts for filmmaking, and Brooklyn College for fiction writing, while also attending the low-residency MFA Program for Writers at North Carolina's Warren Wilson College for poetry. He received his M.F.A. from Columbia in 2010. As of 2010, Franco was studying in the Ph.D. program in English at Yale University. He has also attended the Rhode Island School of Design. In an interview with "Showbiz411", on September 23, 2010, Franco made the erroneous public announcement that he received a "D" grade in "Acting" class at the NYU Graduate Film School. He had, in fact, received that grade in a "Directing the Actor"

James Franco

class. Franco's professor, José Angel Santana, alleged that Franco did not earn his grades while attending that school and stated that Franco only received high marks and a degree because of his celebrity status as an actor. Franco made unfavorable comments about Santana's teaching. In September 2012, after having been terminated from his position Santana filed a lawsuit against Franco for defamation; Santana claimed that Franco's comments were false and had led to his termination. In September 2013, Franco and Santana settled the defamation lawsuit. "The matter has been resolved to the mutual satisfaction of the parties," said Santana's attorney Matthew Blit. Franco defended himself on the "Howard Stern Show", stating that he had told the professor before the semester began that he would have to miss most classes to film "127 Hours" and that they had agreed that Franco would receive a "D" in the course. In March 2013, Franco was featured in half-page print advertisements for his alma mater UCLA which celebrated the university's famous alumnus as a "prolific academic" and carried the tagline: "Some A-Listers Actually Get A's".</s><s>Sexual misconduct accusations and lawsuit. In 2014, a seventeen-year-old girl posted screenshots of alleged messages between her and Franco on Instagram. The

James Franco

messages showed that Franco, then aged 35, tried to meet her in a hotel room after she told him she was seventeen. He sent multiple pictures of himself to prove his real identity. Franco admitted on "Live! With Kelly and Michael" that he had written the messages. Though his actions were legal, given the age of consent in New York is seventeen, he was the subject of media backlash due to the wide age gap. He initially responded to the scandal by tweeting, "I HOPE PARENTS KEEP THEIR TEENS AWAY FROM ME. Thank you." He later stated he was "embarrassed" and that "I learned my lesson." At the 2018 Golden Globe Awards, Franco wore a Time's Up pin in solidarity with the MeToo movement, to protest sexual harassment against women. His pin drew criticism on social media from actress Ally Sheedy, who hinted she had quit acting after working with Franco on a play. A former girlfriend, Violet Paley, also alleged that he once forced her to give him oral sex in a car while they were dating. On January 9, 2018, "The New York Times", citing the allegations, canceled a planned event with Franco. On January 10, Franco said on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" that the

James Franco

accusations made against him on Twitter were "not accurate". On January 11, 2018, the "Los Angeles Times" reported that five women were accusing Franco of inappropriate or sexually exploitative behavior during the period when Franco was serving as their acting teacher or mentor. One former student stated that Franco "would always make everybody think there were possible roles on the table if we were to perform sexual acts or take off our shirts" in his projects. Another alleged that Franco held a sex scenes class and removed students' vaginal guards while simulating oral sex with them. Franco's attorney, Michael Plonsker, disputed the allegations. In her 2018 memoir, Busy Philipps puts forth an account in which Franco screamed at her before violently shoving her to the ground while on the set of "Freaks and Geeks". On October 3, 2019, two former students of Franco's now-closed film and acting school, Studio 4, filed a lawsuit against him and his partners. According to "The New York Times", the complaint alleged that the program "was little more than a scheme to provide him and his male collaborators with a pool of young female performers that they could take advantage of." The case claimed that pupils were subjected to "sexually exploitative auditions and film shoots" and

James Franco

had to sign away their rights to the recordings. The litigants sought unspecified monetary damages as well as the return or destruction of any questionable material. Franco has denied the plaintiffs' claims through his attorney. On February 21, 2021, it was reported that the lawsuit was settled and that, according to documents filed on February 11, both students had agreed to drop their individual claims. The deal was submitted for preliminary court approval by March 15, 2021. In June 2021, terms of the settlement were revealed, and it was disclosed that Franco, pending a judge's approval, would pay more than $2.2 million to resolve two different legal disputes: one by the two women who cited sexual exploitation (they will receive $894,000), and another class-action plaint by approximately 1,500 Studio 4 students who maintain that they were defrauded. A joint statement by the plaintiffs and defendants reads in part: "While Defendants continue to deny the allegations in the Complaint, they acknowledge that Plaintiffs have raised important issues; and all parties strongly believe that now is a critical time to focus on addressing the mistreatment of women in Hollywood." Charlyne Yi worked with Franco on "The Disaster Artist" and claimed in April 2021 that, after trying to quit the film

James Franco

over the allegations, a bigger role was offered by the filmmakers to Yi. Yi viewed this enticement as an attempted bribe and also accused Franco's long-time co-star Seth Rogen of enabling his behavior."" A month later, Rogen commented on the allegations against Franco and expressed doubts that he would ever work with him again. On December 23, 2021, Franco admitted to having had sex with students and to being in treatment for sex addiction since 2016; however, he did not address other forms of sexual exploitation.</s><s>Philanthropy. Franco has volunteered at the charity the Art of Elysium, which helps children with serious medical conditions. He said the experience helped save his life. In January 2011, at the Art of Elysium Heaven Gala in Los Angeles, Franco was honored for his work at the hospital, receiving the Spirit of Elysium accolade. On March 31, 2011, the actor took part in "An Evening with James Franco", a Washington D.C. dinner benefit for 826DC, a non-profit after-school literature program. Franco became involved with Dave Eggers' 826 National after Eggers asked him to do a conceptual idea for the program, and he directed a documentary for them and has since been a supporter of

James Franco

them. At the event, he spoke about how he thought schools needed to be more original with their literature programs. "Writing can do things that video cannot", he added. In April 2011, Franco autographed a T-shirt that would be auctioned off through the Yoshiki Foundation, with the proceeds being donated for Japanese tsunami relief. On June 14, he was honored by amfAR, the foundation for AIDS research, at the Museum of Modern Art. Franco received the Piaget Award of Inspiration for his humanitarian work and contributions to men's style. In April 2013, Franco received the Ally Award at the 15th annual Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. The award was presented to him in recognition of his unwavering support of the LGBT community. In April 2014, Franco presented at Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Easter Bonnet Competition with Leighton Meester and Chris O'Dowd, after raising donations at his Broadway show "Of Mice and Men". In June 2014, Franco performed in the BC/EFA benefit Broadway Bares.</s><s>Selected works. - Franco, James. "A Star, a Soap and the Meaning of Art". "The Wall Street Journal", December 4, 2009. - Franco, James

James Franco

. "Just Before the Black". "Esquire", March 24, 2010. - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</s><s>Discography.</s><s>Discography.:Albums. - 2011: "Turn It Up" EP – collaboration with Kalup Linzy - 2012: "MotorCity" EP – with Tim O'Keefe, as the duo "Daddy" - 2016: "Let Me Get What I Want" – with Tim O'Keefe, as the duo "Daddy"</s><s>Discography.:Music on other albums. - 2013: "Hanging with Da Dopeboys" – featuring DangeRuss from album "Spring Breakers: Music from the Motion Picture" - 2013: "I Love You" – featuring Kalup Linzy from album "Romantic Loner" - 2015: "11/22/63"</s>


Prompt: Question: Tell me a bio of Katherine Ryan.

Katherine Ryan

<s>Katherine Ryan Katherine Louisa Ryan (born 30 June 1983) is a Canadian comedian, writer, presenter, actress and singer based in the United Kingdom. She has appeared on many British panel shows, including as a regular team captain on "8 Out of 10 Cats" and "Never Mind the Buzzcocks", "A League of Their Own", "Mock the Week", "Would I Lie to You?", "QI", "Just a Minute, Safeword", and "Have I Got News for You". In 2015, she replaced Steve Jones as the presenter of "Hair" on BBC Two. As an actress, Ryan has appeared on numerous television series in the UK, including the sitcoms "Campus", "Episodes", and her Netflix show "The Duchess". As a stand-up comedian, Ryan has appeared on the BBC's "Live at the Apollo", both as a featured act and as a lead act. She has had two live stand-up specials released on Netflix: "Katherine Ryan: In Trouble" (2017) and "" (2019).</s><s>Early life. Ryan's father, Finbar, is a draughtsman and owner of an engineering company who originally emigrated from Ireland to Canada. Her mother Julie

Katherine Ryan

McCarthy is British/Canadian and owns an IT consulting company. Ryan and her two younger sisters were born and raised in Sarnia, Ontario. Ryan's parents separated when she was a teenager. When she was 18, she decided to leave home and chose to study city planning at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) in Toronto. While attending university, she worked at restaurant chain Hooters, and she then began training other waitresses. In her spare time she undertook open mic nights as an alternative form of personal entertainment, and by graduation, she had developed a basic comedic routine. She was one of the many dancers in MuchMusic's "Electric Circus" program.</s><s>Career. After graduation, Ryan continued working for Hooters as a corporate trainer, travelling around Canada to train other waitresses, and helping to open the then-only UK branch in Nottingham. Her partner at the time wanted to explore London, so she agreed to do so for an initial month from summer 2007, moving there permanently from January 2008.</s><s>Career.:As a comedian. Ryan won the Funny Women award in 2008, Rachel Stubbings and Sara Pascoe were runners up. Ryan first appeared on television as herself in episodes of the Canadian music video review show "Video on

Katherine Ryan

Trial" between season one in 2005 and her last appearance in 2008 in season three. After relocating to the United Kingdom, she first appeared on Channel 4's "8 Out of 10 Cats" in 2012. She had previously appeared in the cast of Channel 4's "Campus". On 23 February 2013, she appeared as a celebrity contestant on BBC One's "Let's Dance for Comic Relief" as Nicki Minaj dancing to "Starships". Ryan reached the final, and finished in fourth place. Ryan was later featured on the Whitney Cummings Just for Laughs 2013 Gala that was taped before a live audience on 28 July 2013. She has since taken new routines to the Edinburgh Festival. In 2015, Ryan replaced Steve Jones as the presenter of "Hair" on BBC Two. Also in 2015, Ryan became a panellist for Tinie Tempah's team on Sky 1's music/comedy panel show "Bring the Noise" and on the ITV2 show, "Safeword". In 2016, Ryan appeared on series 2 of "Taskmaster". She beat Doc Brown, Joe Wilkinson, Richard Osman and Jon Richardson, to win the season. Ryan went on a comedy tour in 2016, called "Kathbum", a name her toddler

Katherine Ryan

sister used to call her. In February 2017, Netflix released "Katherine Ryan: In Trouble", featuring her stand-up comedy live performance at the Hammersmith Apollo in London, during that tour. She joined Jimmy Carr in 2017 to host four series of the reboot of "Your Face or Mine?". In 2018, Ryan joined American comedy panel show, "The Fix" as a team captain. In July 2019, Netflix released her second live stand-up special, "".</s><s>Career.:Actress. As an actress, Ryan has appeared on numerous television series in the UK, including the sitcoms "Campus", "Episodes" and "Badults". Ryan stars in the August 2020 season 1, Netflix comedy "The Duchess," based on a single mother's life in London; she is credited as its writer, executive producer, and creator.</s><s>Career.:Other work. On 6 June 2014, YouTube comedy duo Jack and Dean released a music video for their song "Consent" featuring Ryan in an acting role. In 2015 and 2016 Ryan wrote a weekly column in the British entertainment magazine "NME". In 2016 she featured in Disney XD and Teletoon's animated television series "Counterfeit Cat", where she voiced Ranceford

Katherine Ryan

, the stuck-up, white, odd-eyed cat and leader of the Sunshine Circle for Cats. In 2021 Ryan hosted the six-part reality competition "" on BBC2. Also in 2021 she presented the ITV2 dating show "Ready to Mingle". In November 2022 Ryan was the subject of an interview in the BBC series "Louis Theroux Interviews..." with Louis Theroux,  during which she told Theroux about the "open secret" of an alleged sexual abuser who was a prominent TV personality. In January 2023, Ryan appeared as "Pigeon" on the fourth series of "The Masked Singer".</s><s>Recognition. For her comedy work, Ryan won the 2008 Funny Women Award and was described as "the funniest new female stand up in Britain" by a national newspaper. In February 2023, Ryan won the Outstanding Female Comedy Entertainment Performance award at the 2023 National Comedy Awards for "Backstage with Katherine Ryan".</s><s>Personal life. Ryan dated English actor and TV presenter Jeff Leach and had a relationship with American comedian Alex Edelman. In 2019, Ryan entered into a civil partnership with Bobby Kootstra. The ceremony took place in Denmark in the presence of her daughter. The two had dated in Canada as

Katherine Ryan

teenagers and were reunited when Ryan returned to her hometown while filming an episode of the TV show "Who Do You Think You Are?" Her second child, a son, was born in June 2021. Her third child, a daughter, was born in December 2022.</s>


Prompt: Question: Tell me a bio of Ralph Macchio.

Ralph Macchio

<s>Ralph Macchio Ralph George Macchio Jr. ( ; born November 4, 1961) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Daniel LaRusso in three "Karate Kid" films and in "Cobra Kai", a sequel television series. He also played Johnny Cade in "The Outsiders", Jeremy Andretti in "Eight Is Enough," Bill Gambini in "My Cousin Vinny", Eugene Martone in "Crossroads", and Archie Rodriguez in "Ugly Betty", and had a recurring role as Officer Haddix in "The Deuce".</s><s>Early life. Macchio was born in Huntington, New York. He is the son of Rosalie (née DeSantis) and Ralph George Macchio Sr., who owned a few laundromats and a wastewater disposal company. Ralph has a younger brother Steven. His father is of half Italian and half Greek descent, and his mother is of Italian ancestry. In a 1980 screen test, Macchio said his family was from Naples. In 1979, Macchio graduated from Half Hollow Hills Central School District in New York. Macchio began tap dancing lessons at the age of three and was discovered by a talent agent when he was 16 years old.</s><s>Care

Ralph Macchio

er.</s><s>Career.:Early roles. Macchio was cast as Jeremy Andretti for two seasons in the television series "Eight Is Enough". He next won the role of Johnny Cade in the 1983 film "The Outsiders".</s><s>Career.:"Karate Kid" films. His work on "The Outsiders" helped him to win the role of Daniel LaRusso in the blockbuster 1984 film "The Karate Kid." He continued to portray the character in two of its sequels, "The Karate Kid Part II" (1986) and "The Karate Kid Part III" (1989). In "The Karate Kid", Macchio portrayed a "high school weakling turned bullybuster" who learns karate from his friend and mentor, Mr. Miyagi (portrayed by Pat Morita). Macchio's work in the "Karate Kid" series made him "stratospherically famous".</s><s>Career.:Later roles. Macchio appeared in the 1986 film "Crossroads", portraying music student Eugene Martone. Also in 1986, Macchio starred in "Cuba and His Teddy Bear" on Broadway, alongside Robert DeNiro. In 1992, he starred opposite Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei in

Ralph Macchio

the hit comedy "My Cousin Vinny", playing Billy Gambini, who was wrongfully accused of murder while passing through a small Alabama town. In 1996, Macchio performed the lead role of J. Pierrepont Finch in the U.S. tour revival of the 1962 Tony Award-winning musical "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying", and received positive reviews. Referring to his performance as a chorister in a high school production of the same musical, Macchio said, "I was known as the 'Dancing Kid,' not that I was all that great. But I had been dancing since the age of three, taking lessons at the June Claire School of Dance in Babylon, Long Island." In 2005, Macchio played himself in the HBO series "Entourage". Beginning in October 2008, he appeared in several episodes of the ABC Network television series "Ugly Betty" as Archie Rodriguez, a local politician who is Hilda's love interest. As of November 2008, Macchio was ranked No. 80 among VH1's "100 Greatest Teen Stars". On September 20, 2010, Macchio played the adult Carl Morelli in a staged reading of the Charles Messina play "A Room of My Own" presented by the B

Ralph Macchio

leecker Street Theater Company. In February 2011, it was announced that Macchio would compete on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars". He was eliminated during the semi-finals, placing fourth in the overall competition. Macchio appeared in Canadian band Danko Jones' music videos for "Had Enough" and "I Think Bad Thoughts". In April 2012, Macchio was cast in the film "Hitchcock", based on the non-fiction book "Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho". Macchio portrayed "Psycho" screenwriter Joseph Stefano.</s><s>Career.:Post-"Karate Kid" and "Cobra Kai". Macchio appeared in the 2007 music video for the song "Sweep the Leg" by No More Kings as a caricature of himself and Daniel from "The Karate Kid." In June 2010, Macchio appeared in Funny or Die's online short, "Wax On, F*ck Off", in which his loved ones stage an intervention to turn the former child star from a well-adjusted family man into an addict besieged with tabloid scandal in order to help his career, with frequent references to "The Karate Kid". A recurring joke in the sketch is that Macchio is confused for an adolescent. The

Ralph Macchio

short was lauded by "TV Guide"'s Bruce Fretts, who referred to the video as "sidesplitting" and "comic gold". In 2013, he appeared in "How I Met Your Mother". One of the main characters, Barney Stinson, asserts that Macchio's character, Daniel LaRusso, in "The Karate Kid" is not the real karate kid; instead, it's Johnny Lawrence, Daniel's nemesis in the film. At a celebration of the 30th anniversary of "The Karate Kid" at the Japanese American National Museum in 2014, Macchio said that the yellow 1947 Ford convertible his character Daniel receives from Miyagi in the first film was sitting in his garage. Beginning in 2018, Macchio reprised his role as Daniel LaRusso in "Cobra Kai", an action comedy-drama series that began on YouTube Red and later moved to Netflix. "Cobra Kai" begins in the fall of 2017, and re-examines the "Miyagi-Verse" narrative from Johnny's point of view, beginning with his decision to reopen the Cobra Kai karate dojo, and the rekindling of his old rivalry with Daniel. Along with William Zabka, he

Ralph Macchio

is also a co-executive producer of the series.</s><s>Career.:Post-"Karate Kid" and "Cobra Kai".:Memoir. In 2022, Macchio published the memoir "Waxing On: The Karate Kid and Me" (Dutton), in which he reflects upon the legacy of the "Karate Kid" films and "Cobra Kai".</s><s>Personal life. Macchio was introduced to his future wife, Phyllis Fierro, by his grandmother when he was 15. They married on April 5, 1987, and have two children, Julia (born 1992) and Daniel (born 1996). Fierro is a nurse practitioner. Macchio is a fan of the New York Islanders hockey team and was featured as the team's celebrity captain in the 1991 Pro Set Platinum trading card series. A 2016 bobblehead promotion saw his likeness in the team's uniform donning the iconic 'crane kick' pose from "The Karate Kid".</s><s>Book. -</s>


Prompt: Question: Tell me a bio of Rebecca Romijn.

Rebecca Romijn

<s>Rebecca Romijn Rebecca Alie O'Connell (née Romijn [ ; ], born November 6, 1972) is an American actress and former model. She is known for her role as Mystique in the original trilogy (2000–2006) of the "X-Men" film series, as Joan from "The Punisher" (2004) (both based on Marvel Comics), the dual roles of Laure Ash and Lily Watts in "Femme Fatale" (2002), and Una Chin-Riley on "" (2019) and "" (2022present). She has also had a recurring role as Alexis Meade on the television series "Ugly Betty". Her other major roles include Eve Baird on the TNT series "The Librarians", voicing Lois Lane in the DC Animated Movie Universe, and as the host of the reality competition show "Skin Wars".</s><s>Early life. Romijn was born in Berkeley, California. Her mother, Elizabeth Romijn (née Kuizenga), is a community college instructor of English as a Second Language (ESL) and textbook author. Rebecca's father, Jaap Romijn, is a custom furniture maker. Her father is a native of Barneveld, the Netherlands, while her

Rebecca Romijn

mother is an American of Dutch and English ancestry. Her mother met Rebecca's father as a teenager while living in the Netherlands on a student exchange program. Romijn's maternal grandfather, Henry Bernard Kuizenga, was a Presbyterian minister and seminary professor. On "The Ellen DeGeneres Show", when questioned about always being glamorous and beautiful, Romijn revealed that in her early teens she was an insecure "drama geek" and that, as a result of her growth spurt, she suffered from scoliosis and was in constant pain. Many sources say that she was once nicknamed the "Jolly Blonde Giant" because of her height, but she has admitted to making that up "for a laugh". While studying music (voice) at the University of California, Santa Cruz, she became involved with fashion modeling and eventually moved to Paris, where she lived for more than three years.</s><s>Career. Among other jobs, Romijn started her modeling career in 1991. She has appeared on the covers of American, French, Spanish, Russian and Swedish editions of "Elle", "Marie Claire", American, Italian, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Russian, Greek, and Mexican editions of "Cosmopolitan", Allure", Glamour", "G

Rebecca Romijn

Q", "Esquire", and "Sports Illustrated". She has appeared in advertising campaigns for Escada, Christian Dior, La Perla, Tommy Hilfiger, Furla, Liz Claiborne, J. Crew, Victoria's Secret, bebe, La Senza, Dillard's, Pantene, Got Milk?, Miller Lite, and Maybelline. She has walked for Giorgio Armani, Sonia Rykiel, and Anna Molinari along with the likes of Claudia Schiffer, Stephanie Seymour, Karen Mulder, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Helena Christensen and Christy Turlington. She was also the host of MTV's "House of Style" from 1998 to 2000. Romijn has been featured numerous times in annual lists of the world's most beautiful women by publications such as "Maxim" (2003–2007), AskMen.com (2001–2003, 2005–2006), and "FHM" (2000–2005). She appeared as a guest in the animated talk show "Space Ghost Coast to Coast" episode "Chinatown". In 2000's "X-Men", Romijn had her first major film role as Mystique; she returned to the role in 2003's sequel

Rebecca Romijn

"X2" and for "" (2006). In these films, her costume consisted of blue makeup and some strategically placed prosthetics on her otherwise nude body. In "X2" she shows up in a bar in one scene in her "normal" look and in "X-Men: The Last Stand", as a dark-haired "de-powered" Mystique. The role has since been recast with Jennifer Lawrence playing the younger version of the character. She had her first leading role in Brian De Palma's "Femme Fatale" (2002). She also has starred in films such as "Rollerball", "The Punisher", and "Godsend". She played the leading role in "Pepper Dennis", a short-lived TV series on The WB. In January 2007, Romijn made her first appearance on the ABC series "Ugly Betty" as a full-time regular cast member. She played Alexis Meade, a transgender woman and the sister of lead character Daniel Meade. In April 2008, it was reported that Romijn would only be appearing as a recurring character in Season 3 due to a change in direction by the writing staff (aligning with Romijn's pregnancy, which would have been inconsistent with her character

Rebecca Romijn

's storyline). In November 2007, Romijn made a guest appearance on the ABC series "Carpoolers", where she played the ex-wife of the character Laird, played by her real-life husband Jerry O'Connell. Romijn starred in the ABC series "Eastwick", reuniting her with her former "Pepper Dennis" co-star, Lindsay Price, before ABC canceled the show on November 9, 2009. She appears in an uncredited cameo in the 2011 feature film "", appearing as an older version of the character played by Jennifer Lawrence. Romijn appeared as lab worker Jessie on the Adult Swim live-action show "" for two seasons. Between June and September 2013, she starred in TNT's series "King & Maxwell" as Michelle Maxwell, a former Secret Service agent who works as a private investigator. In addition to her film ventures, Romijn has also recorded music, performing a cover of Prince's "Darling Nikki" for the 2005 album "Electro Goth Tribute to Prince". She was also featured on the song "Color Me Love" for RuPaul's eighth studio album "Realness" in 2015. She starred as Eve Baird, the guardian of the eponymous group in "The Librarians", a direct spin-

Rebecca Romijn

off of "The Librarian" film series. She also hosted GSN's original series and reality show "Skin Wars". In 2018 she voiced Lois Lane in the DC Animated Movie Universe. In 2019, she was a recurring guest in the second season of "", playing the character of Una Chin-Riley, first officer of the USS "Enterprise". She reprised the role in the spin-off series "", which was released in 2022. She and husband O’Connell are currently the hosts of "The Real Love Boat", which premiered October 5, 2022 on CBS.</s><s>Personal life. Romijn began dating actor John Stamos in 1994 after they met at a Victoria's Secret fashion show where she was modeling. They became engaged on Christmas Eve 1997, and married on September 19, 1998 at the Beverly Hills Hotel. During the marriage, she used the name Rebecca Romijn-Stamos personally and professionally. They announced their separation in April 2004. Stamos filed for divorce in August 2004, and it became final on March 1, 2005. Romijn resumed using her maiden name, but revealed in an August 2013 interview on "Conan" that she had never legally changed her name back from Romijn-Stamos after a "Con

Rebecca Romijn

an" staff member noticed "Romijn-Stamos" on her driver's license. In 2004, Romijn started dating actor Jerry O'Connell. They became engaged in September 2005, and married at their home in Calabasas, California on July 14, 2007. They have twin daughters, born in 2008.</s>