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Mike Figgis Mike Figgis (Director/Producer/Writer) earned Academy Award nominations for directing and adapting the screenplay for "Leaving Las Vegas", starring Nicholas Cage and Elisabeth Shue. Cage won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the film, which received a total of four nominations for the drama based on John O'Brien's semi-autobiographical novel. Figgis' background in experimental theatre and music have contributed to his reputation and success as a filmmaker who thrives on artistic risks. Figgis exhibited his personal style in films like "Stormy Monday" and "Liebestraum". Additional directing credits include "Mr. Jones" starring Richard Gere and Lena Olin and "The Browning Version" starring Albert Finney, Greta Scacchi and Julian Sands. Figgis also wrote the HBO film "Mara", a 30-minute piece starring Juliette Binoche and Scott Glenn. Born in Carlisle, England, Figgis lived in Nairobi, Kenya as an infant. When he was eight years old, his family relocated to Newcastle in Northern England. As a youth, Figgis played trumpet and guitar in various rock bands, including the rhythm and blues group Gas Board, featuring pop star Bryan Ferry. In the early '70s, Figgis joined England's avant-garde theatre group, The People Show, as a musician, but he soon found himself lured into acting. For the following 10 years, The People Show toured the world, earning great success and critical acclaim. In 1980, Figgis wrote and directed theatre, and formed his own theatre company, The Mike Figgis Group. Some of his early projects included, "Redheugh 1980", "Slow Fade" and "Animals of the City", which won awards for their innovative blend of live action with music and film. "Redheugh 1980" attracted England's Channel Four, which then financed Figgis' first featured film, "The House", which starred Stephen Rea ("The Crying Game"). Figgis' next film, "Stormy Monday", marked his emergence into full-length features. He wrote, directed and scored the film, which was set in Newcastle's steamy jazz club world and starred Melanie Griffith, Tommy Lee Jones and Sting. Figgis then made a debut in American film, directing and co-scoring "Internal Affairs" with Richard Gere and Andy Garcia.
Wesley Snipes, (Max Carlyle) one of today's most diversified and talented actors, will make his feature film producing debut with the upcoming "Blade", in which he stars with Stephen Dorff and Kris Kristofferson. He is currently filming "U.S. Marshalls" with Tommy Lee Jones. Snipes' other feature credits included the recent "Murder at 1600", his turn as a drag queen in "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar", and the high-speed action adventure "Money Train", which paired him and Woody Harrelson as double-dealing transit cops. Snipes burst onto Hollywood's list of top leading men with his breakthrough performances in the 1991 films "New Jack City" and "Jungle Fever". Subsequent credits include "The Waterdance", "White Men Can't Jump", "Passenger 57", which showcased Snipes' martial arts expertise, and "Demolition Man". Among his additional credits are "Rising Sun", "Sugar Hill", "Drop Zone", "King of New York", "Streets of Gold", "Major League" and "Mo' Better Blues". Born in Orlando, Florida, Snipes' family relocated to the South Bronx when the actor was an infant. As a teen, Snipes attended New York's prestigious High School for the Performing Arts and later earned his college degree from SUNY Purchase. He then went on to land roles in such Broadway productions as "Boys of Winter", "Execution of Justice" and "Death and King's Horsemen".
Nastassja Kinski most recently starred in "Father's Day" with Robin Williams and Billy Crystal for director Ivan Reitman, and will next be featured in "Somebody's Waiting" with Gabriel Byrne. Recently, she finished filming "Savior" with Dennis Quaid. Kinski made her film debut in Wim Wenders' 1975 feature "False Move" after being introduced to the director at age 13. Her career quickly gained momentum when she posed for a series of high-profile fashion photographs taken by Roman Polanski which were published in the 1976 Christmas issue of Vogue magazine. The photographs prompted Polanski to cast Kinski in his landmark drama "Tess", in which her stunning performance as the film's heroine earned her a Golden Globe Award as Best New Female Star of the Year in a Motion Picture. Kinski followed up her role in "Tess" with memorable performances in films such as "One From the Heart", "Cat People", "The Hotel New Hampshire" and "Symphony of Love", which was the winner of the Bundes Preis - a cultural award bestowed on the film by the German government. Kinksi won the Italian Sentanello Best Actress Award for her turn in "Maria's Lovers", and she also appeared in "Paris, Texas" and "Faraway, So Close" - both winners of the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or and the Special Jury Prize. In 1994, Kinski starred as a Russian spy opposite Charlie Sheen in the skydiving thriller "Terminal Velocity".
Robert Downey Jr. (Charlie) earned an Academy Award nomination and won the British Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in the title role of Richard Attenborough's biographical drama, "Chaplin". His searing, disparate roles in films like "Natural Born Killers" and "Less Than Zero" have proven Downey Jr. to be a versatile, gifted actor. He portrayed a skillful physician in the drama "Restoration", an aspiring, burned-out actor whose best friend commits murder in Robert Altman's Short Cuts, and a young man who develops a special relationship with four ghosts in "Heart and Souls". His other film credits include "Richard III", "Soapdish", "Air America", "Chances Are", "True Believer", "Johnny Be Good", "1969", "The Pick-Up Artist", "Back to School", "Tuff Turf", "Weird Science", "Firstborn" and "Pound", in which he made his feature film debut and was directed by his father, filmmaker Robert Downey. Downey Jr. recently teamed with his father on an upcoming film. He has also worked behind the camera, producing and directing "The Last Party", an irreverent documentary chronicling the 1992 Presidental campaign.
Ming-Na Wen first garnered attention for her critically acclaimed performance as the gentle 'June' in Wayne Wang's "The Joy Luck Club", based on Amy Tan's celebrated novel. After she finished shooting "The Joy Luck Club", Wen was cast by Tony Award winner James Lapine in the world premiere of "Luck, Pluck and Virtue" at the reknowned La Jolla Playhouse. She also co-starred with Jean Claude Van Damme and the late Raul Julia in the international hit "Streetfighter". Wen will next be heard as the voice of Fa Mulan in Disney's animated film "Mulan", and will be making her Broadway debut this Spring starring in David Henry Hwang's "Golden Child". Born in Macao, China, Wen immigrated with her family to New York City at the age of four. When she was nine years old, her family moved to Pittsburgh, where she lived through college. Wen graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre from Carnegie-Mellon University's acting school. While performing Off-Broadway, Wen was given the first contract role in daytime television history for an Asian actor on "As the World Turns". She continued to work on the stage, with Tony Award winner Lanford Wilson in "Redwood Curtain" and in David Mamet's "Speed the Plow". Named as one of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People, Wen landed the coveted role of Deb Chen on the first season of "ER" and then played the hip, Soho gallery owner Trudy Sloan on the television sitcom "The Single Guy". |
   
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