Acting

Actor David Morse. He's best known for his role in the 1980's hospital TV series "St Elsewhere" as Dr. "Boomer" Morrison. Last year he costarred with Jack Nicholson in "The Crossing Guard" which was directed and written by Sean Penn. Most recently Morse can be seen in the film "12 Monkeys."

Actor, director & writer Simon Callow. He's written a new acclaimed biography of Orson Welles, Orson Welles: The Road to Xanadu (Viking). Callow has appeared on stage and in many films, including "Four Weddings and a Funeral." He's also written two books on acting and a biography of Charles Laughton.

Actor/director/writer Sean Penn. The "reluctant actor" is starring in the new film "Dead Man Walking" directed by Tim Robbins, co-starring Susan Sarandon. (It's based on the book, of the same title, by Sister Helen Prejean). Penn has moved away from acting in favor of writing/directing: the 1991 film "The Indian Runner" which he wrote based on a Bruce Springsteen song, and last year's "The Crossing Guard" starring Angelica Huston and Jack Nicholson.

Actor Harrison Ford. He's starred in "Star Wars," "Raiders of the Lost Ark," and "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," "Witness," and "The Fugitive." He's starring in the new film, "Sabrina."

Actor Eric Stoltz. He's gotten a reputation playing parts in films like "Killing Zoe," "Pulp Fiction," and "The Waterdance," "Some Kind of Wonderful," and many other films.

Actor Jason Robards. He's 73 years old and he's been acting for 50 of those. He won an Oscars for his performance as Ben Bradlee in "All the President's Men," and Dashiell Hammett in "Julia." In 1956 Robards first came to the attention of the critics with his performance in Eugene O'Neill's "The Iceman Cometh." His performance helped define the role for a generation. It also began Robards collaboration with director Jose Quintero, resurrecting the works of O'Neill.

Actress Mary Tyler Moore. She starred in the Emmy award television show "The Dick Van Dyke Show," "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," and the film "Ordinary People." She is now starring in a new CBS series "New York News," a drama about life at a fictional New York newspaper, and has recently written her autobiography, "After All," (Putnam's Sons).

Falk is best known for his role as a rumpled L.A. detective in the TV series "Columbo," where he garnered three Emmy awards. He currently stars in the recently released film "Roommates," detailing the relationship between a grandfather and grandson.

Redgrave appeared in over 50 films, including "Morgan!", "Blow Up", "Julia" and "Howards End". Her stage work has included Shakespeare, Chekhov, Noel Coward and Tennessee Williams. She comes from a celebrated theater family, and her daughters are both actresses. Redgrave is also well known for her political activism, including support for Nuclear Disarmament and Palestinian causes. Her memoirs have just been published by Random House.

The two actors co-wrote and co-starred in the 1981 film, "My Dinner with Andre." They have since worked on many other projects individually in television, theater, and film. They have now collaborated again in "Vanya on 42nd Street," a film adaptation of Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya."

Speech Therapist Sam Chwat. Chwat's New York Speech Improvement Services attracts 200 to 250 clients a week. He taught Robert DeNiro how to gain an Appalachian accent for his role in "Cape Fear." Julia Roberts sought him out to relearn her southern drawl for "Steel Magnolias." He helped another southerner, Andie McDowell, after her lines for "Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan" were dubbed by Glenn Close.

Actor Nathan Lane. He's currently starring in the new Neil Simon comedy on stage, "Laughter on the 23rd Floor." He played Nathan Detroit in the Broadway revival of "Guys and Dolls." Playwright Terrance McNally has written roles for Lane and says, "I need an actor like Nathan to fully express myself. I can't do it with just the words.

Singer and actress Barbara Cook. Since the 1950's Cook has been in countless Broadway musicals--"Oklahoma", "The King and I", and Leonard Bernstein's "Candide" to name a few. She's been called a "no nonsense singer...able to thrust with gentility of tone." Cook has a new album--her first in five years--called "Dorothy Fields: Close as Pages in a Book." She won a Tony Award for her part as "Marian the librarian" which she originated in "The Music Man."

Comedian and actor Jerry Stiller. He's currently playing George Costanza's father on this season's "Seinfeld" show. Stiller got his start in standup comedy with his wife Anne Meara as The Stillers, the befuddled jewish guy and the heart-of-gold Irish girl. They performed for nine years on the Ed Sullivan Show, and did popular radio spots for Blue Nun wine and other TV shows and specials.

Terry talks with character actor Stanley Tucci. In the new movie, "Undercover Blues," Tucci plays an hilariously incompetent, yet vicious mugger named Muerte. He's also appeared in the movies "Prelude to a Kiss," "Beethoven" and "Billy Bathgate." Tucci's well-known for his role as crime boss Ricky Penzola in the tv series, Wiseguy" and has also appeared on television in "Equal Justice," "Thirtysomething," and "The Equalizer."

Actor Jerry Adler. He's a former Broadway producer, director and stage manager who took up acting at the age of 62. He worked on over 53 Broadway shows before moving to L.A. where he staged managed a soap opera. On a hunch, a friend, who was casting a film, brought Adler in to read. That resulted in his first appearance as an actor in the film noir thriller, "The Public Eye." Since then, Adler has acted in a number of television shows. He's now starring in the new Woody Allen film, "Manhattan Murder Mystery." (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

The theater director and actor is a member of playwright David Mamet's circle of theater innovators. Macy has most recently starred in Mamet's new play "Oleanna", and was featured in his film "Homocide". They co-founded the Atlantic Theater Company, an ensemble which performs mainly original works by American writers. Members of the company wrote "A Practical Handbook For The Actor", from notes taken during acting workshops led by Mr. Macy. One critic writes that the ensemble "has rescued theater from the mindless".

Palin is best known for his comedy work with England's legendary Monty Python troupe. But his new movie, "American Friends," is a romance based on the life of his great-grandfather. Edward Palin was a 35 year-old tutor at Oxford University when he met 17-year-old Brita, an American girl touring Europe. Oxford tutors in the Victorian era were sworn to chastity, so Edward Palin left his job to marry Brita. Michael Palin found the story in his great-grandfather's journal.

English actress Helen Mirren. She stars in "Prime Suspect," a three-part thriller premiering this week on public television's "Mystery" series. Mirren has preformed with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and the films "The Comfort of Strangers," "Age of Consent," "The Long Good Friday," and "Excalibur."

Actor Miguel Ferrer. He played the caustic FBI pathologist Albert in "Twin Peaks." And was a bad executive in the film "Robocop." For a short while he had his own TV show, "Broken Badges," which followed his work on "Twin Peaks." Now he's starring in David Lynch's new sitcom, "On the Air." Ferrer is the son of singer Rosemary Clooney, and actor Jose Ferrer.