Terry Gross

Dean of the New York Friars' Club, Freddie Roman, and comic Jeffrey Ross, are both featured in the documentary, and the roast of Jerry Stiller.

Drummer, Ringo Starr talks to Terry about his life before, during and after the Beatles. He has a new CD of Christmas Songs coming out soon, "I Wanna Be Santa Claus". Recently the Yellow Submarine soundtrack was reissued with previously unreleased tracks. (REBROADCAST from 6/14/95)

Cynthia Lennon was the first wife of Beatle musician John Lennon. Terry talked with Cynthia in 1985. . She wrote a book about her years with Lennon in 1978 called "A Twist of Lennon." They met in art school in 1957 and were married in 1962. During the years John toured the world, as a member of the most popular rock group in history, Cynthia was at home raising their son Julian. Cynthia and John Lennon divorced in 1968 after John fell in love with Yoko Ono. John Lennon was killed 12 years later.

Actor Charles Dutton. Dutton was the star of the sit com Roc. Recently, he was featured on the HBO prison series OZ. His new film is Random Hearts. He has received Tony nominations for his performances in August Wilson's plays The Piano Lesson, and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. He's a graduate of Yale Drama School, but he discovered acting at Maryland State Penitentiary where he spent seven and a half years. (REBROADCAST from 2/04/92)

Comedian Damon Wayans. Wayans was one of the stars on the TV sketch comedy show In Living Color. On the program, he created such characters as Homey the Clown and Handyman. He has starred in the movies Mo Money, Blankman, Major Payne, and Celtic Pride. Wayans has also done stand up comedy throughout his career. His recent book Bootleg includes some excerpts of his routines. (REBROADCAST from 6/14/99)

Actor and comedian David Alan Grier. Grier got his start on the TV sketch comedy show In Living Color. He's featured with David Duchovny and Minnie Driver in the forthcoming film Return to Me. (REBROADCAST from 4/01/91)

British mystery writer P.D. James, the 78-year-old grandmother known as the queen of crime. Her most recent bestselling novel, just released in paperback, is "A Certain Justice" (Mass Paperbacks). Several of her earlier novels including "A Taste for Death" and "Shroud for a Nightingale" have been adapted for PBS. Terry spoke with her at the publication of "A Taste for Death". (REBROADCAST from 11/19/86)

Detective writer Mickey Spillane ("Spill-AIN). One of the world's most popular writers of the hardboiled private investigator genre. His most famous character is Mike Hammer. He's began writing about Hammer in 1947. (REBROADCAST from 11/22/89)

Artist Chuck Close. He's been called "the most methodical artist that has ever lived in America" and the "reigning portraitist of the Information Age." He creates jumbo size faces on canvas (8 or 9 feet high), copying them from photographs. They are painted in a dotted faux pointillist style. In 1989 Close suffered a stroke which left him paralyzed from the neck down, gaining partial use of his hand with a brace, he learned to paint all over again.