Coordinates	12°2′36″N77°1′42″N
birth name	Mira Katherine Sorvino
birth date	September 28, 1967
birth place	Tenafly, New Jersey, U.S.
spouse	Christopher Backus (2004-present)
years active	1992–present
occupation	Actress }}

Mira Katherine Sorvino (born September 28, 1967) is an American actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in ''Mighty Aphrodite'' (1995) and is also known for her role as Romy White in ''Romy and Michele's High School Reunion''.

Early life

Sorvino was born in Tenafly, New Jersey. She is the daughter of Lorraine Davis, a drama therapist for Alzheimer's disease patients and former actress, and Paul Sorvino, an Italian American character actor and director. She has two siblings, Michael and Amanda; the latter is a playwright.

Her father did not want his children to become actors; at a young age, however, Sorvino wrote and acted in backyard plays with her childhood friend Hope Davis, in theater productions at Dwight-Englewood School, and at Harvard University, where she graduated ''magna cum laude'' in East Asian Studies. She also helped found the Harvard-Radcliffe Veritones, one of Harvard's co-ed a cappella groups. Her solo piece was Yazoo's "Only You".

Career

Sorvino spent the next three years in New York City, trying to make a name for herself as an actress. When the 1993 film ''Amongst Friends'' entered pre-production, she was hired as third assistant director, then was promoted to casting director, then to assistant producer, and was finally offered a lead role. Positive reviews opened doors for her. After small roles in Robert Redford's ''Quiz Show'' and Whit Stillman's ''Barcelona,'' she was cast in the 1995 Woody Allen film ''Mighty Aphrodite''. Her portrayal of a happy-go-lucky prostitute made her a star, winning her an Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress. Other credits include ''Romy and Michele's High School Reunion'' alongside Lisa Kudrow and ''At First Sight'' with Val Kilmer. She portrayed Marilyn Monroe for the 1996 HBO film ''Norma Jean & Marilyn''.

In recent years, Sorvino has starred in lower budget and independent films. In 2005, she received a Golden Globe nomination for her role as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in the Lifetime film ''Human Trafficking''.

In February 2008, she guest starred in the "Frozen" episode of the medical television drama ''House''. There was talk of making her character, psychiatrist Cate Milton, a recurring character; however, the writers strike put a temporary freeze on such discussions.

More recently, she starred in ''Attack on Leningrad'' (2009), ''Multiple Sarcasms'' (2010) alongside Timothy Hutton and Stockard Channing, and Nancy Savoca's ''Union Square'' (release date, early 2011), with Patti Lupone and Tammy Blanchard.

She was considered for the role of video game heroine Jill Valentine in 'Resident Evil: Apocalypse' (2004) before the role was played by British actress Sienna Guillory.

In 2011, the feature film ''Union Square'', co-written and directed by the Sundance Film Festival's Grand Jury Award Winner, Nancy Savoca, is being premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. In it, Mira co-stars with Patti Lupone, Tammy Blanchard, Mike Doyle, Michael Rispoli and Daphne Rubin-Vega.

Personal life

Sorvino met actor Christopher Backus at a friend's charades party in August 2003: "He walked into the kitchen looking for silverware. We saw each other and something made us want to talk to each other more," she told ''People''. They were engaged within a month. On June 11, 2004, they married in a private civil ceremony at the Santa Barbara, California courthouse, then later had a hilltop ceremony in Capri, Italy. Their daughter, Mattea Angel, was born on November 3, 2004 and their son, Johnny Christopher King, was born on May 29, 2006. On June 22, 2009, Sorvino gave birth to a boy named Holden Paul Terry Backus, after a complicated pregnancy. In an interview with CBN.com about her role in "Like Dandelion Dust", Sorvino said that the trying hospital experience strengthened her faith, leading her to do "a lot of praying, and a lot of soul searching."

She is affiliated with Amnesty International, and has been among the many Hollywood celebrities calling for United Nations action in Darfur. She spent a year of study in Beijing while attending Harvard. She is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and also speaks French.

In October 2006, she was evicted from her rent-stabilized one-bedroom apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan near Central Park when her landlord claimed that it was not her primary residence. She told ''New York magazine'', "My landlords are selling the building, and they want the units cleared so they can turn it into a luxury rental, even though it's a one-bedroom. I mean, it's 600 square feet! No great digs, but I loved it and now it's probably going to go for $4,000 a month ... I'm a little bitter! Can you tell?"

In honor of Sorvino's role as Dr. Susan Tyler, an entomologist who was investigating deadly insect mutations in the feature film, ''Mimic'', a compound excreted by the sunburst diving beetle as a defensive mechanism was named mirasorvone.

Filmography

! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1992	''Swans Crossing''	Sophia Eva McCormick De Castro	4 episodes
1993	''The Obit Writer''
1993	''Amongst Friends''	Laura
1993	''Nyû Yôku no koppu''	Maria
1994	''Quiz Show''	Sandra Goodwin
1994		Marta Ferrer
1994	''The Dutch Master''	Teresa
1995	''Mighty Aphrodite''	Linda Ash
1995	''Blue in the Face''	Young Lady
1995	''The Buccaneers''	Conchita Closson
1996	''Norma Jean & Marilyn''	Marilyn Monroe	Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress - Miniseries or a MovieNominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film
1996		Sharon Cassidy
1996	''Tales of Erotica''	Teresa	Segment "The Dutch Master"
1996	''Sweet Nothing''	Monika
1996	''Tarantella''	Diane
1997	''Romy and Michele's High School Reunion''	Romy White
1997		Dr. Susan Tyler
1998	''The Replacement Killers''	Meg Coburn
1998	''Lulu on the Bridge''	Celia Burns
1998	''Too Tired to Die''	Death/Jean
1998		Agent Karen Polarski
1999	''At First Sight''	Amy Benic
1999	''Summer of Sam''	Dionna
2000		Daisy Buchanan
2001	''The Grey Zone''	Dina
2001	''The Triumph of Love''	The Princess/Phocion/Aspasie
2002	''WiseGirls''	Meg Kennedy
2002	''Semana Santa''	Maria Delgado
2003	''Will & Grace''	Diane	Episode "Last Ex To Brooklyn"
2003		Fanny Chamberlain
2004		Delila
2005		Kate Morozov	Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film
2006	''Covert One: The Hades Factor''	Rachel Russell
2007	''Reservation Road''	Ruth
2008		Dr. Cate Milton	Episode "Frozen"
2009		Tess Chaykin
2009	''Multiple Sarcasms''	Cari
2009	''Like Dandelion Dust''	Wendy Porter	New York VisionFest Award for Acting - Female LeadSonoma Valley Film Festival Award for Best ActressSan Diego Film Festival Award for Best Actress
2009	''The Trouble with Cali''	The Balletmaster
2009	''The Presence''	The Woman
2009	''Sweet Flame''	Sheila
2009	''Attack on Leningrad''	Kate Davis
2010	''Union Square''		(A Nancy Savoca film set in New York City co-starring Patti LuPone and Tammy Blanchard.)

References

External links

interview, 10/24/05 at The Honolulu Advertiser

interview, 1/16/99, People Online

interview, 10/95 at MovieMaker Magazine

Category:1967 births Category:Living people Category:American film actors Category:Best Supporting Actress Academy Award winners Category:Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Harvard University alumni Category:American people of Italian descent Category:People from Bergen County, New Jersey

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Coordinates	12°2′36″N77°1′42″N
birth date	April 19, 1968
birth place	Granada Hills, California, U.S.
birth name	Ashley Tyler Ciminella
occupation	Actress
years active	1991–present
spouse	Dario Franchitti (2001–present)
alma mater	Paul G Blazer High SchoolUniversity of KentuckyHarvard University }}

Ashley Judd (born April 19, 1968) is an American television and film actress, who has played lead roles in films including ''Ruby in Paradise,'' ''Kiss the Girls'', ''Double Jeopardy'', ''Where the Heart Is'' and ''High Crimes''. She is active in a number of humanitarian and political causes, including two missions to the Democratic Republic of Congo to campaign against sexual violence against women.

Early life

Ashley was born as Ashley Tyler Ciminella in Granada Hills, California. She is the daughter of Naomi Judd, a country music singer and motivational speaker, and Michael C. Ciminella, a marketing analyst for the horseracing industry. Ashley's elder half-sister, Wynonna, also is a country music singer. Her paternal grandfather was of Sicilian descent, and her paternal grandmother was a descendant of Mayflower pilgrim William Brewster. At the time of her birth, her mother was unemployed and did not become well-known as a singer until the early 1980s. Judd's parents divorced in 1972, and in 1973 her mother took her back to her native Kentucky, where Judd spent the majority of her childhood. She also lived in Marin County, California, for two years during grade school.

She appeared on an April 8, 2011 episode of the NBC television show, Who Do You Think You Are? (U.S. TV series) where she learned that an ancestor that served in the American Civil War lost his leg at the Battle of Saltville I, Virginia, and not at Andersonville prison, as she previously believed.

Judd attended 13 schools before college, including the Sayre School in Lexington, Kentucky, graduated 1986 Paul G. Blazer High School in Ashland Kentucky and Franklin High School in Tennessee. She briefly tried modeling in Japan during one school break. An alumna of the sorority Kappa Kappa Gamma at the University of Kentucky, she majored in French and minored in anthropology, art history, theater and women's studies. She spent a semester studying in France as part of her major, a move that mirrored her role as Reed in the television series ''Sisters''. She graduated from the UK Honors Program and was nominated to Phi Beta Kappa, but did not graduate with her class. Forgoing her commitment to join the Peace Corps, after college she drove to Hollywood, where she studied with well-respected acting teacher, Robert Carnegie, at Playhouse West. During this time, she worked as a hostess at The Ivy restaurant and lived in a Malibu rental house, which later burned down during the great Malibu fires of fall 1993. On May 9, 2007, it was announced Judd had completed her bachelor's degree in French from the University of Kentucky. In a May 2007 appearance on ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'', Judd explained she had completed her degree requirements in 1990 with 27 more hours taken than the required 120 hours, but had mistakenly thought she was one class short. She only needed to "sign a piece of paper" in order to graduate. DeGeneres then surprised Judd by presenting her with her diploma, which Ellen had acquired from the university. Judd subsequently earned a Master's degree in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in 2010.

Career

Judd appeared as Ensign Robin Lefler, a Starfleet officer, in two 1991 episodes of ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'', "Darmok" and "The Game". From 1991 to 1994, she had a recurring role as Reed, the daughter of Alex (Swoosie Kurtz), on the NBC drama ''Sisters''. She made her feature film debut with a small role in 1992's ''Kuffs''. In 1993 Judd fought for and was cast in her first starring role playing the title character in Victor Nuñez's Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize Winning, ''Ruby in Paradise''. On her way to the audition, she was so nervous about getting a role that she felt defined her life, she nearly wrecked her car."From the first three sentences, I knew it was written for me," she told the San Jose Mercury News. She received rave reviews playing Ruby Lee Gissing, a young woman trying to make a new life for herself, and it was this performance that would launch her career as an actress. Nunez told author James L. Dickerson that the resonance of the character was Judd's creation: "The resonance, those moments, was not contrived. It was just a matter of creating the scene and trusting that it was worth telling."

Oliver Stone, who had seen her in Nuñez's film, cast Judd in ''Natural Born Killers'', but her scenes were later cut from the version of the film released theatrically. The following year she gained further critical acclaim for her role as Harvey Keitel's estranged daughter in Wayne Wang's ''Smoke'' and also as Val Kilmer's wife in Michael Mann's ''Heat''. That same year she also played the role of Callie in Philip Ridley's dark, adult fairy tale, ''The Passion of Darkly Noon''.

By the end of the 1990s, Judd had managed to achieve significant fame and success as a leading actress, after leading roles in several thrillers that performed well at the box office, including ''Kiss the Girls'' in 1997 and 1999's ''Double Jeopardy''.

In June 2000, Judd flew to Austin, Texas to begin work on "Where the Heart Is," a film adapted from the novel of the same name by Billie Letts. Judd's co-star was Natalie Portman, the hottest up-and-coming actress at that time. When Judd spoke her emotionally painful lines about the abuse of her children, Portman became so engrossed that she almost lost her place in the script. It prompted Portman to tell a Nashville reporter that it was the best acting she'd seen up close. Critics agreed that it was Judd's best performance since "Ruby in Paradise."

Several of her early 2000s films, including 2001's ''Someone Like You'' and 2002's ''High Crimes'', received only mixed reviews and moderate box office success; although, she did receive positive recognition, and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress, for her performance in the 2004 biography of Cole Porter, ''De-Lovely'', opposite Kevin Kline.

Judd is currently the magazine advertising "face" of American Beauty, an Estée Lauder cosmetic brand sold exclusively at Kohl's department stores, and H. Stern jewelers. In June 2007, Goody's Family Clothing announced they were going to be releasing three fashion clothing lines with Judd in the Fall to be called – "AJ", "Love Ashley" and "Ashley Judd." Regarding the clothing line, Judd said, "I'm thrilled to be involved in a clothing line that provides simple, lovely solutions for women's wardrobes. I've always loved items that you can throw on easily and know that you'll feel and look good. This line does just that, while keeping with the best of current styles and trends."

On April 5, 2011, Judd released her memoir ''All That is Bitter and Sweet'' where she talks about her trials and tribulations from adolescence to adulthood.Judd has also run into controversy after comments she made about Hip Hop being a "rape culture". Artists such as ?uestlove and Russell Simmons have their own opinions about the motivation behind Judd's comments. Judd asserts that she was just basing her comments off of observation and was not trying to offend anyone within the Hip Hop community.

Personal life

In December 1999, Judd became engaged to Scottish auto racer Dario Franchitti, who was at the time driving in Champ Car World Series (he has since raced in IndyCars and NASCAR). The two were married at Skibo Castle, near Dornoch, Scotland, on December 12, 2001. She and her husband divide their time between a home in Scotland and their farm outside Franklin, Tennessee.

Although Judd is best known for regularly attending University of Kentucky basketball games (frequently sitting in the student section), she has also attended several Kentucky football games. Last year, Judd was a guest columnist for a local Kentucky newspaper, writing about the NCAA championships. She is frequently sought out for celebrity camera shots during televised games. Judd posed for a poster wearing only a hockey jersey for fund raising purposes for the University of Kentucky's hockey team. She is also an avid practitioner of yoga, cooking and gardening.

In February 2006, Judd entered a program at Shades of Hope Treatment Center in Buffalo Gap, Texas and stayed for 47 days. She was there because of personal issues, including depression, insomnia and codependency.

A disagreement between Judd and Indy race car driver Milka Duno took place during the 2007 Indy Racing League season. After the final race of the 2007 season, the actress stated to the assembled news media, "I know this is not very sportsmanlike, but they've got to get the 23 car (Duno) off the track. It's very dangerous. I'm tired of holding my tongue. She shouldn't be out there. When a car is 10 miles (an hour) off the pace, it's not appropriate to be racing. People's lives are at stake."

Judd was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Union College in Barbourville, Kentucky on May 9, 2009. In July 2009, Judd enrolled at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government in the Mid-Career Master in Public Administration (MC/MPA) program. On May 27, 2010, Judd received her degree.

Humanitarian work

Ashley Judd's philanthropic contributions have centered around becoming a global ambassador for YouthAIDS, a prevention program under the Population Services International. She has been a member of their Board of Directors since 2004, also. Judd has travelled with YouthAIDS to places affected by illness and poverty such as Cambodia, Kenya, Rwanda, and many others.

Inspired by her travels, which allowed her to witness the life of the poor and uneducated, she has since become an advocate for preventing poverty and promoting awareness internationally. She has donated her time and met with political and religious leaders, heads of states, diplomats, and leaders on behalf of the deprived to convey the message to those who have the power to bring about political and social change.

Judd has also donated her time and resources towards filming three award-winning documentaries for YouthAIDS which aired internationally on the Discovery Channel, in National Geographic, and on VH1. She personally advocates for a balanced and integrated approach to empower human rights and global health, and to prevent social atrocities.

In 2011, Judd joined the Leadership Council of the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW).

Other organizations Judd have been involved with include the Women for Women International, and Equality Now, along with other non-governmental organizations which center around bringing attention to social, educational, health, economic, cultural, and financial funding of the unfortunate.

Philanthropic contributions

Judd has supported the following charities and foundations:

Children's Medical Research Institute

Creative Coalition

Defenders of Wildlife

Eracism Foundation

Five & Alive

Jeans for Genes

International Center for Research on Women (ICRW)

Listen Campaign

Malaria No More

Population Services International

SixDegrees.org

YouthAIDS

Women for Women International

Equality Now

Political activities

In 2008, Judd supported Barack Obama's presidential campaign. In 2009, she appeared in a one-minute video advertisement for the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund, in which Judd condemned Alaska governor Sarah Palin for supporting aerial wolf hunting. In response, Palin stated the reason these wolves are killed is to protect the caribou population in Alaska, and she called the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund an "extreme fringe group". In 2010, Judd signed the Animal Legal Defense Fund's petition to urge Governor Steve Beshear to protect Kentucky's homeless animals through tough enforcement of the state's Humane Shelter Law.

Judd is active in humanitarian and political causes. She was appointed Global Ambassador for YouthAIDS, an education and prevention program of the international NGO Population Services International (PSI), promoting AIDS prevention and treatment, and speaks and demonstrates at pro-choice events. Judd was honored November 10 as the recipient of the fourth annual USA TODAY Hollywood Hero, awarded for her work with PSI. Judd received the award at a private award gala on the evening of November 10, 2009 at The Montage Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills. Guests enjoyed special celebrity tributes to Ashley Judd, dinner, a silent auction and an exciting live auction, with all proceeds to benefit PSI. On October 29, 2006, Judd appeared at a "Women for Ford" event for Democratic Tennessee Senate candidate Harold Ford, Jr. She has also campaigned extensively locally and nationally for a variety of Democratic candidates, including President Barack Obama in critical swing states.

On September 8, 2010, CNN interviewed Judd about her second humanitarian mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Judd traveled with the Enough Project, a project to end genocide and crimes against humanity. In the interview, Judd discussed her efforts to raise awareness about how conflict minerals fuel sexual violence in Congo. During her trip, Judd visited hospitals for victims of sexual violence, camps for displaced persons, mines, and civil society organizations. On September 30, 2010, CNN.com published an Op-ed titled "Ashley Judd: Electronics fuel unspeakable violence" by Ashley Judd and the Enough Project's co-founder John Prendergast regarding the continued violence in Congo. Her Op-ed discusses the recent provision in the Dodd-Frank Reform bill that requires companies to prove where their minerals originated. On November 26, 2010, ''The Huffington Post'' published an Op-ed by Ashley Judd titled "Costs of Convenience". The Op-ed is excerpted from Ashley Judd's trip diary from her trip to eastern Congo. Judd describes the link between her cell phone, laptop, MP3 player, and e-reader and the continued rape and sexual violence in Congo. Judd also explains the immediate need for electronics companies to commit to tracing, auditing, and certifying the minerals in their products to guarantee a clean supply chain.

Filmography

''Sisters (TV series) ''Kuffs'' ''Ruby in Paradise'' ''Love Can Build a Bridge'' ''Heat (1995 film) ''Smoke (film) '''' '''' ''Norma Jean & Marilyn'' ''Normal Life'' ''Kiss the Girls (film) '''' ''Simon Birch'' ''Double Jeopardy (film) ''Where the Heart Is (2000 film) ''Eye of the Beholder (film) ''Someone Like You (film) ''Frida'' ''Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (film) ''High Crimes'' ''De-Lovely'' ''Twisted (2004 film) ''Come Early Morning'' ''Bug (2006 film) ''India's Hidden Plague'' ''Helen (film) ''Crossing Over (film) ''Tooth Fairy (film) ''Dolphin Tale'' ''Flypaper (2011 film)

+ Film
width="50px"	Year	Title	Role	Notes
1991	''Star Trek: The Next Generation''	Robin Lefler >
1991–94	Sisters'' ||	Reed Halsey	32 episodes
1992	|	Wife of Paint Store Owner
1993	|	Ruby Lee Gissing	Won the 1993 Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Female
1994	|	Ashley Judd
1995	Heat'' ||	Charlene Shiherlis
1995	Smoke'' ||	Felicity
1995	|	Callie
1996	|	Carla Brigance
1996	|	Marilyn Monroe>Norma Jean	Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television FilmNominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
1996	|	Pam Anderson
1997	Kiss the Girls'' ||	Dr. Kate McTiernan
1997	|	Kitty
1998	|	Rebecca Wenteworth
1999	Double Jeopardy'' ||	Elizabeth "Libby" Parsons	Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Performance
2000	Where the Heart Is'' ||	Lexie Coop
2000	Eye of the Beholder'' ||	Joanna Eris
2001	Someone Like You'' ||	Jane Goodale
2002	|	Tina Modotti
2002	Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood'' ||	Younger Vivi Abbott Walker
2002	|	Claire Kubik
2004	|	Linda Lee Thomas>Linda Porter	Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
2004	Twisted'' ||	Jessica Shepard
2006	|	Lucy
2007	Bug'' ||	Agnes White
2007	|	Herself
2009	Helen'' ||	Helen
2009	Crossing Over'' ||	Denise Frankel
2010	Tooth Fairy'' ||	Carly
2011	|	Lorraine Nelson
2011	Flypaper'' ||	Kaitlin

Honors

Kentucky Colonel Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, Union College, Barbourville, Kentucky

References

External links

Official Website

YouthAid's Ambassador Ashley Judd launches US-funded Newstart Voluntary Counseling and Testing Centre (VCT) for HIV/AIDS in Cape Town

This is What a Feminist Looks Like

"Sarah Palin's Ongoing Wolf Slaughter" – Judd's video for Defenders of Wildlife

Category:1968 births Category:Actors from Kentucky Category:American film actors Category:American people of Sicilian descent Category:American television actors Category:American activists Category:American humanitarians Category:American feminists Category:Feminist artists Category:Kentucky Democrats Category:John F. Kennedy School of Government alumni Category:Kentucky Wildcats basketball Category:Living people Category:People from Ashland, Kentucky Category:University of Kentucky alumni Category:Children of Entertainers

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Coordinates	12°2′36″N77°1′42″N
name	Nancy Savoca
birth date	July 23, 1959
birthname	Nancy Laura Savoca
birth place	Bronx, New York
occupation	Director, Writer, Producer
years active	1982 to present
spouse	Richard Guay (m. 1980 to present)
children	Bobby Guay (b. 1986), Kenny Guay (b. 1989), Martina Guay (b. 1992)
awards	Won: Haig P. Manoogian Award, New York University (1982) Won: Grand Jury Prize, Sundance Film Festival (1989) for ''True Love''Won: San Sebastián International Film Festival for ''True Love'' (1989) Nominated: Independent Spirit Award, Best Director for ''True Love'' (1990)Nominated: Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay: ''Household Saints'' (1994)Won: Lucy Award for ''If These Walls Could Talk'' (1996) Nominated: ALMA award for Outstanding Director of a feature film for ''The 24-Hour Woman'' (2000)Won: Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, Best Director for ''Dirt'' (2004)}}

Nancy Savoca (July 23, 1959), is an American film screenwriter, director, and producer. Born and raised in the Bronx, New York, she is the daughter of Sicilian and Argentine immigrants Calogero Savoca and Maria Elvira Savoca. Married to Richard Guay (pronounced as "gay"), also a writer and producer, they have three children: two sons and a daughter.

Life and work

After completing her courses at Queens College, Flushing, New York, Savoca went on to graduate in 1982 from New York University’s film school, the Tisch School of the Arts. While there she received the Haig P. Manoogian Award for overall excellence for her short films ''Renata'' and ''Bad Timing''. Around this time she met Rich Guay, then an accounting student working at an Italian deli near her home. They were married in 1980. Once out of film school she worked as a storyboard artist and assistant editor on an independent film. But her first real hands-on professional experience was as a production assistant to John Sayles on his film: ''The Brother From Another Planet'' and as an assistant auditor for Jonathan Demme on two of his films: ''Something Wild'' (1986), and ''Married to the Mob'' (1988).

In 1989, her very first full length movie, the privately funded ''True Love'' about Italian-American marriage rituals in the Bronx won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival held in Utah each year. The movie, starring Annabella Sciorra and Ron Eldard, both making their film debuts (and co-starring a number of familiar faces from The Sopranos including Aida Turturro and Vincent Pastore), was hailed as one of the best films of the year by both Janet Maslin and Vincent Canby of the New York Times. Savoca was nominated for a Spirit Award as Best Director. MGM/UA snapped up the distribution rights and RCA released the soundtrack, seeing two of the songs reach the Top 40 hits on the Billboard charts.

Since then she has written, directed and produced movies for the big screen, for television, has written or polished scripts for other directors, and has directed a number of episodes in ongoing television series. Her most famous work for television was co-writing all three segments of the Demi Moore produced ''If These Walls Could Talk'', a mini-series about abortion rights, and directing the first two segments. The second segment starred Sissy Spacek trying to decide in the mid-70’s whether her marriage could stand the strain of another child. Cher starred in and directed the third segment. In it she played a modern Planned Parenthood doctor, the victim of a pro-life fanatic.

In 1998, Savoca was feted as a "New York trailblazer" at the New York Women's Film Festival. Savoca was also honored by the Los Angeles chapter of the advocacy organization, Woman in Film and Television (WIFT). Her film, ''True Love'' was called one of the "50 Greatest Independent Films of All-Time" by Entertainment Weekly.

Two of Savoca's films, ''Household Saints'' and ''True Love'', are listed in ''The New York Times Guide to the Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made'' St. Martin's Griffin.

Nancy Savoca’s work has also been the subject of a retrospective by The American Museum of the Moving Image.

An artist’s vision

Savoca works most often as an independent filmmaker although she is no stranger to Hollywood. Like the innovative John Cassavetes, she allows her actors to find their own way through to a character. Also like Cassavetes, although her films are entirely scripted (often in partnership with her husband, Rich Guay), Savoca is willing to change a line or a scene at a moment’s notice if it feels right. And unlike most directors, she will use people in her films that have either only acted on stage, or never acted at all. Making a movie is personal. As well as devoting perhaps years to one project, it can be emotionally draining. Asked to direct Emma Thompson in ''Wit'', Savoca declined since the plot of a woman dying from cancer was too close to events in her own life.

Savoca’s films reflect an ongoing concern with the feminine, albeit the quirky feminine. With a sense of nothing being “directed” or manipulated, she evokes so-called “ordinary” life on its deepest emotional level, yet with perfect artistic control. In 1991’s ''Dogfight'', starring River Phoenix and Lili Taylor, she gives us a touching portrait of feminine courage and masculine absolution. This film—about a Marine on the eve of leaving for the new war in Vietnam finding and bringing the ugliest girl he can scrape up to a dreadful contest called a “dogfight”—was not well attended, but was critically acclaimed. The New York Times again praised Savoca’s work. As an interesting aside, Brendan Fraser made his first appearance in "the movies" as a cameo in Savoca's ''Dogfight''.

In 1993’s ''Household Saints'', again teaming up with Lili Taylor, Savoca moved beyond her interest in “ordinary people” to one extraordinary person who steps over the boundaries of routine religion into the realm of the luminously spiritual. Tracey Ullman and Vincent D'Onofrio play the parents of Lili Taylor. Being Italian, they are also Roman Catholic. Professing Catholicism means certain things, but it seldom means housing a saint. Savoca’s script was lovingly crafted from the book by Francine Prose. With Jonathan Demme as the executive producer and released by Fine Line, the film was on the "Best Films" list of over twenty national critics and was nominated for a Spirit Award for Best Screenplay by Savoca and Guay. Lili Taylor won a Spirit for Best Female Performance.

Working with Oscar nominees Rosie Perez, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, and Tony Award winner, Patti Lupone, Savoca wrote and directed ''The 24 Hour Woman'' about the myth of the “superwoman,” able to juggle a marriage, pregnancy, and a high profile job. Perez plays the producer of a local TV show for women in New York City who lives her pregnancy, child-birth, and new baby very publicly “over the air.” Also appearing was the up-and-coming Diego Serrano as "Eddie Diaz." This movie was premiered at Sundance in 1999 and Savoca was nominated for an ALMA (American Latin Media Arts) award for Outstanding Director.

Moving into television, Savoca directed, as mentioned, the first two segments of ''If These Walls Could Talk''. The first segment, a single woman seeking a backstreet abortion in the 1950s played by Demi Moore, caught Moore at perhaps her finest moment as an actress. In this section, Savoca also worked with the highly respected actresses Shirley Knight and CCH Pounder. It was then the highest rated original movie in HBO history. It played at several international film festivals and received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for best television drama and for Ms. Moore's performance. Because of “Walls,” Savoca shared a Lucy Award from Women in Film with the other creators. Released in 2003, she directed ''Reno: Rebel Without a Pause: Unrestrained Reflections on September 11'', the performance artist Reno’s raw, cynical and furiously funny rant about the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center and The Pentagon. This film opened at the Toronto Film Festival on September 11, 2002. The city of Florence, Italy awarded this film the Prize for Peace and Liberty.

2005 saw the release of ''Dirt'' starring Julieta Ortiz, a stage actress making her first appearance in a motion picture. Dirt, which premiered on Showtime, explores the life of Dolores, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador who can only find work “under the table.” Constantly terrified she will be deported as she cleans American houses, she dreams of the day she can go back to a home of her own. For this film, the Writers Guild of America nominated Savoca and Guay for a WGA for Best Longform Teleplay in 2006. Ortiz won Best Actress in New York's Le Cinema Fe and Savoca won Best Director at Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival.

Latest work

Savoca and Guay are shooting a documentary on Gato Barbieri, an Argentinian jazz saxophonist. They are also currently working towards the filming of Ki Longfellow’s novel ''The Secret Magdalene'' (Eio Books, 2005; Random House, 2007) in which Savoca is again the screenwriter and director, while Guay is producing.

Revolution Books screened "Dirt" on August 11, 2010. Savoca appeared for a Q&A.; DIRT is an award-winning tragic-comedy about an undocumented cleaning woman. Shot in NYC and El Salvador.

In February of 2011, the country of Colombia held a retrospective of Savoca's work which she attended.

Savoca recently completed photography on the independent feature ''Union Square'' starring Mira Sorvino, Tammy Blanchard, Patti LuPone, Mike Doyle, Michael Rispoli and Daphne Rubin-Vega. Madeleine Peyroux is recording an end song for the film which has been invited to open in 2011's Toronto International Film Festival.

Filmography

''Renata'' (1982) (short film)

''Bad Timing'' (1982) (short film)

''True Love'' (1989)

''Dogfight'' (1991)

''Household Saints'' (1993) (also co-writer, with Richard Guay)

''Dark Eyes'' (1995) (TV)

''Murder One'' (1995) (TV)

''If These Walls Could Talk'' (1996) (TV) (also co-writer, with I. Marlene King and Susan Nanus)

''The 24 Hour Woman'' (1999) (also co-writer, with Richard Guay)

''Third Watch'' (2000) (TV)

''The Mind of the Married Man'' (2001) (TV)

''Reno: Rebel without a Pause'' (2003) (TV) (also co-producer)

''Dirt'' (2003) (also co-writer, with Richard Guay)

''Union Square'' (2012) (also co-writer, with Mary Tobler)

Television Director

1995 – ''Chapter Five'', ''Murder One'', ABC

1996 – ''If These Walls Could Talk'', (miniseries)

2000 - ''Know Thyself'', ''Third Watch'', NBC

2001 - ''Anywhere, Anytime'', ''The Mind of the Married Man'', HBO

2003 – ''Dirt'', Showtime, 2003

1980s - Director for ''The Great Spacecoaster'' (syndicated children’s series)

Other

1995 – ''Dark Eyes'' (pilot), ABC

1996 – ''1952'' and ''1974'', ''If These Walls Could Talk'', (miniseries), HBO

2005 – ''Dirt'', Showtime

As a Writer

1982 – ''Renata'' (short film, with others)

1982 – ''Bad Timing'' (short film, with others)

1989 – ''True Love'' (with Richard Guay)

1993 – ''Household Saints'' (with Richard Guay)

1996 – ''If These Walls Could Talk'' (with others)

1999 – ''The 24 Hour Woman'' (with Richard Guay)

2008 – ''The Secret Magdalene'' (pre-production)

2010 - ''Union Square'' (with Mary Tobler)

References

''Women Filmmakers and Their Films'', St. James Press, 1998

External links

The book of Savoca's next movie in pre-production

Tisch School of Film

Nancy Savoca Facebook fanpage

Savoca's movies on Fandango

On Hollywood.com

Reno on IMDb

Come Back, Nancy Savoca, "Women in Hollywood," New York Times

Category:1959 births Category:American experimental filmmakers Category:American film directors Category:American film producers Category:American screenwriters Category:Female film directors Category:Living people Category:People from the Bronx Category:Women screenwriters

fr:Nancy Savoca

}} Stephen Harris Holt (born 1974 in Darwin, Northern Territory) is a former field hockey defender and midfielder from Australia, who was a member of the team that won the bronze medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.

He was nicknamed ''Shaggy'' by his team mates. Holt was first selected to play for Australia as one of the 'new bloods' to compete in the 1996 Champions Trophy in Madras.

References

Profile on Hockey Australia

Category:1974 births Category:Living people Category:Australian field hockey players Category:Olympic field hockey players of Australia Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Australia Category:Field hockey players at the 2000 Summer Olympics Category:People from Darwin, Northern Territory Category:Olympic medalists in field hockey

Coordinates	12°2′36″N77°1′42″N
name	Takeshi Kaneshiro
name in kanji	金城 武
pinyinchinesename	Jīnchéng Wǔ
jyutpingchinesename	Gam1sing4 Mou5
birth name	Kaneshiro Takeshi
ancestry	Japanese, Taiwanese
birth date	October 11, 1973
birth place	Taipei, Taiwan
nationality	Japan
languagesspoken	Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Taiwanese Hokkien and English
othername	Aniki
occupation	Actor, singer
genre	Mandopop, Cantopop
yearsactive	1992–present
website	Takeshi
awards	}}

Takeshi Kaneshiro (Japanese and Chinese: , romaji: ''Kaneshiro Takeshi'', Pinyin: ''Jīnchéng Wǔ'', pronounced ), born October 11, 1973, is a Taiwanese and Japanese actor of mixed heritage – his father is Japanese and his mother is Taiwanese. He speaks Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Taiwanese Hokkien and English.

Name

''Kaneshiro'' is a common Okinawan family name. In kanji, is ''Kaneshiro'' and is ''Takeshi'' (given name), with Japanese readings. He appears as (''Kaneshiro Takeshi'') in Japanese media.

Although ''Kaneshiro'' is not a Chinese surname, the first kanji of ''Kaneshiro'' coincides with the Chinese surname ''Jin'' and with the Korean surname "Kim" 김. Since personal names are commonly written in Chinese characters in both Chinese and Japanese naming conventions, with surnames before given names, this gives Kaneshiro the freedom whether to distinguish himself as a Japanese or not when working in Chinese-speaking countries by preserving or removing the space between his surname and given name.

Biography

Kaneshiro's mother is from Taiwan and his father from Okinawa, Japan. He was born and raised in Taipei and holds Japanese citizenship.

He has two elder brothers, one is his senior by seven years, the other just by one. After graduating from Taipei Japanese Junior High School, he enrolled at English-based Taipei American School, which enabled him to converse in English. While he was studying there, he began doing TV commercials and decided to quit school to pursue a singing and acting career. He is multi-lingual, fluent in Mandarin, Taiwanese Hokkien and Japanese, and to lesser degrees in English and Cantonese.

Career

In 1992, Kaneshiro made his singing debut, entering the business with the nickname Aniki, meaning 'older brother' in Japanese. His debut album was ''Heartbreaking Night'' (1992). Contracted to EMI, he wrote many of his own Mandarin and Cantonese songs. The following year, his popularity propelled him into acting and he no longer produces any commercial music.

His first movie was ''Executioners'' (1993) and this was followed by the critically acclaimed Wong Kar-wai film ''Chungking Express'' (1994) and a string of other Hong Kong movies. Later, Kaneshiro starred in the highly successful Japanese TV mini-series ''God, Please Give Me More Time'' (1998), allowing him to branch into Japanese movies such as ''Returner'' (2002).

Kaneshiro's work, however, is more heavily concentrated in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. In 2008 and 2009 he starred in ''Red Cliff'' (Chinese: 赤壁; pinyin: Chìbì), a high budget film by Hong Kong director John Woo. He has also played the romantic lead in the Zhang Yimou film ''House of Flying Daggers'', and starred alongside Jet Li and Andy Lau in the film ''The Warlords''. Kaneshiro has also became well known in the video game industry portraying the samurai warrior Samanosuke in the Capcom hit Onimusha. In a June 2007 article on the movie site Ain't It Cool News, it was revealed that Kaneshiro will be in the Onimusha movie, reprising his role as Samanosuke and for a 2011 release.

In 2003, Kaneshiro was featured in Time Magazine and was coined as becoming the Asian film industry's Johnny Depp. Moreover, Kaneshiro was interviewed by CNN in the TalkAsia segment in 2006.

Outside of the entertainment business, Kaneshiro has acted as a spokesperson and model for Emporio Armani (2008) as well as, Prada (1998), Lifecard credit card company, VAIO personal computer, Honda, Lipice lips moisturizer, SonyEricsson, Pocari Sweat soft drink, Morinaga chocolate, Volvic, GEOS (eikaiwa) (language school), Petronas oil company, Japan Asia Airways, Hyundai Motor Company, Toyota MarkX ZiO, Mitsubishi Galant, NTT docomo the predominant mobile phone operator in Japan, NTT Yellow Pages, Shiseido, Lycos, UCC Ueshima Coffee Co., Kadokawa Shoten a well-known Japanese publisher based in Tokyo, Rice Burger, Roasted barley tea, One2Free (HK), and Kiwi cold drink, and the most recent Biotherm Homme since 2005.

Personal life

Kaneshiro is known for trying to avoid the media spotlight. He has been quoted as saying “If one day I get married and have kids, I will probably be one of those men who really care for the family. I will eat at home every day, and help with the chores and take care of the children.”

Filmography

Movies

''Wu Xia'' (2011)

''The Battle of Red Cliff II'' (2009) as Zhuge Liang

''K-20: Legend of the Mask'' K-20 (2008)

''The Battle of Red Cliff'' (2008) as Zhuge Liang

''Accuracy of Death/ Suwito rein:Shinigami no seido'' (2008) as Chiba

''The Warlords'' (2007) as Jiang Wuyang

''Confession of Pain'' (2006) as Bong

''Perhaps Love'' (2005) (Titled ''Winter Song'' for the Japanese release)

''House of Flying Daggers'' (2004) (Titled ''Lovers'' for the Japanese release)

''Turn Left, Turn Right'' (2003)

''Returner'' (2002)

''Lavender'' (2000)

''Space Travelers'' (2000)

''Tarzan'' (1999) as Tarzan (Voice for Cantonese, Mandarin and Japanese versions)

''Tempting Heart'' (1999)

''Sleepless Town'' (1998)

''Anna Magdalena'' (1998)

''Too Tired to Die'' (1998)

''First Love: The Litter on the Breeze'' (1997)

''The Odd One Dies'' (1997)

''Downtown Torpedoes'' (1997)

''Hero - The Legend'' (1997)

''The Jail In Burning Island'' (1997)

''Misty'' (1996)

''Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words"'' (1996)

''Lost and Found'' (1996)

''Forever Friends'' (1996)

''The Feeling of Love'' (1996)

''Trouble Maker'' (1995)

''School Days'' (1995)

''China Dragon'' (1995)

''Forever Friends'' (1995)

''Fallen Angels'' (1995) - as He Zhiwu

''Young Policemen in Love'' (1995)

''No Sir'' (1994)

''The Wrath of Silence'' (1994)

''Don't Give a Damn'' (1994)

''Mermaid Got Married'' (1994)

''Chungking Express'' (1994) - as He Zhiwu, Cop 223

''Heroic Trio 2: Executioners'' (1993)

Drama

Kamisama, Mou Sukoshi Dake

Japan

''Golden Bowl'' (2002) (Japanese: ゴールデンボウル)

''Love 2000'' (2000) (Japanese: 二千年の恋)

''God, Please Give Me More Time'' (1998) (Japanese: 神様、もう少しだけ)

''The Miracle on a Christmas Night'' (1995) (Japanese: 聖夜の奇跡)

Hong Kong

''Colour Of Armour'' (1995)

Taiwan

''Grass Scholar'' (1992)

Videogames

''Onimusha: Warlords'' (2001) (VG) (voice: Japanese version) Samanosuke Akechi

''Onimusha 3: Demon Siege'' (2004) - (VG) (voice: Japanese version) Samanosuke Akechi

Misc

''Smap X Smap September'' (2002) TV Episode

''Smap X Smap October'' (2002) TV Episode

Awards

Takeshi Kaneshiro is one of 10 recipients of the Green Planet Film Award (23 March 2010) in the category "10 Best International Actors of the Decade (Asia)". Source - the official site of the award http://www.movie-voters.com/3001.html.

Discography

Albums

Album #

Album information

Track listing

Notes

*Released: September 1992

*Language: Mandarin

# Summer generation

# Heartbreaking Night

# The unlicensed youth

# Still Love You

# Classmate

# Comfortable life away

# Tokyo Blues

# 108 Call Me

# I do not

# Distant cherry rain

*Released: June 1993

*Language: Mandarin

# Just You And Me

# Because love you

# Looking back at you

# I etc

# Be My Girl ......Be My Girl....

# Love was not sure

# Kikuko girl

# Lying eyes

# Friends

# Good night to You

*Released: February 1994

*Language: Mandarin, Japanese

# Tender Superman

# Let's Fall In Love

# "Love Me Once Again"

# It is not known

# You Sweetheart

# Valentine's Day gift of flowers

# Temptation 1000

# The gray sky

# You

# Heart Pain Inside

*Released: December 1994

*Language: Mandarin

# Standard lover

# The trouble is you do not want to

# Let me say to you

# Blue smile

# Deciduous season

# Pure tears

# I really treasure

# Courageous say goodbye

# No love pm

# Tell Laura I Love Her (remake)

*Released: December 1994

*Language: Cantonese

# Scam

# Will love return

# Lonely and others

# Paranoia

# You want to ever

# Loving Heart

# Love Me Once Again

# I see the paradise

# Love

# Cover Girl

*Released: June 1995

*Language: Cantonese

# Who can

# The occasion

# Love me!

# Still love you like before

# Burning Passion

# Dera My Beloved

# Sunshine Lover

# I do not want tocry

# With your life

# Or are you lucky

*Released: October 1995

*Language: Mandarin

# I cried to stop carrying

# Love You Deeply

# Don't want to leave

# And I miss not meet

# Road Of The Heart

# Secretly Drunk

# In the summer of love burning

# Lonely people fear most crying

# That love

# Love Rhapsody

*Released: October 1996

*Language: Mandarin

# No Matter How Hard

# I love her with your shadow

# Green space

# Capricorn

# Happier

# A love so much

# Because of your

# My tears

# New Day Of The City

# Taipei

*Released: June 1998

*Language: Mandarin

# Ideal Lover

# No Matter How Hard

# Don't Gry Behind My Back

# Don't Wanna Be In Trouble

# Crazy Love Song

# Secretly Drunk

# Route To South

# Taipei

# Say Goodbye

# Love You Deeply

# Love Me

# Sunshine Lover

# Tender Superman

# Only You And Me

# Road Of The Heart

# Heartbreaking Night

Movie soundtracks

style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top;"	Year	Title	Track Featuring Takeshi	Notes
	2005		Perhaps Love (如果愛)		No.4 Forgot Who I am (忘了我是誰) (duet with Zhou Xun 周迅), No.6 Beautiful Story (美麗故事)(duet with Ji Jin Hee 池珍熙), No.10 Crossroad (十字街頭)(duet with Zhou Xun 周迅), No.11 What If (假如)(Solo)

References

External links

Category:1973 births Category:Living people Category:Hong Kong actors Category:Japanese actors Category:Taiwanese film actors Category:Japanese people of Taiwanese descent Category:Taiwanese television actors Category:People from Taipei

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