An actor (usually actress for female; see terminology) is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity. The ancient Greek word for an "actor," ''(hypokrites)'', means literally "one who interprets"; in this sense, an actor is one who interprets a dramatic character.

Terminology

After 1660, when women first appeared on stage, ''actor'' and ''actress'' were initially used interchangeably for female performers, but later, influenced by the French ''actrice'', ''actress'' became the usual term. The etymology is a simple derivation from ''actor'' with ''ess'' added. The word ''actor'' refers to a person who acts regardless of gender, and "is increasingly preferred", while ''actress'' refers specifically to a female person who acts. ''Actress'' "remains in general use", although in a survey of a "wide cross-section of current British English", compiled in 2010, ''actor'' was almost twice as commonly found as ''actress''. Within the profession, however, the re-adoption of the neutral term dates to the 1950s–60s, the post-war period when women's contribution to cultural life in general was being re-evaluated. ''Actress'' remains the common term used in major acting awards given to female recipients.

The gender-neutral term "player" was common in film in the early days of the Motion Picture Production Code with regards to the cinema of the United States, but is now generally deemed archaic. However, it remains in use in the theatre, often incorporated into the name of a theatre group or company (such as the East West Players).

History

The first recorded case of an actor performing took place in 534 BC (though the changes in calendar over the years make it hard to determine exactly) when the Greek performer Thespis stepped on to the stage at the ''Theatre Dionysus'' and became the first known person to speak words as a character in a play or story. Prior to Thespis' act, stories were only known to be told in song and dance and in third person narrative. In honour of Thespis, actors are commonly called ''Thespians''. Theatrical legend to this day maintains that Thespis exists as a mischievous spirit, and disasters in the theatre are sometimes blamed on his ghostly intervention.

Actors were traditionally not people of high status, and in the Early Middle Ages travelling acting troupes were often viewed with distrust. In many parts of Europe, actors could not even receive a Christian burial, and traditional beliefs of the region and time period held that this left any actor forever condemned. However, this negative perception was largely reversed in the 19th and 20th centuries as acting has become an honoured and popular profession and art.

Techniques

Method acting

Method acting is a technique developed from the acting 'system' created in the early 20th century by Konstantin Stanislavski in his work at the Moscow Art Theatre and its studios. The Group Theatre first popularised the Method in the 1930s; it was subsequently advanced and developed in new directions by Stella Adler, Sanford Meisner, Uta Hagen, Lee Strasberg (at the Actors Studio in the 1940s and 50s), and others. In Stanislavski's system', the actor analyzes the character in order to play him or her with psychological realism and emotional authenticity. Using the Method, an actor may recall emotions or reactions from his or her own life and use them to identify with the character being portrayed.

Method actors are often characterized as immersing themselves so totally in their characters that they continue to portray them even off-stage or off-camera for the duration of the project. However, this is a popular misconception. While some actors do employ this approach, it is generally not taught as part of the Method. Stella Adler, who was a member of the Group Theatre, along with Strasberg, emphasised a different approach of using creative imagination.

Method acting offers a systematic form of actor training in which the actor's sensory, psychological, and emotional abilities are developed; it revolutionized theatre in the United States.

Presentational and representational acting

Presentational acting refers to a relationship between actor and audience, whether by direct address or indirectly by specific use of language, looks, gestures or other signs indicating that the character or actor is aware of the audience's presence. (Shakespeare's use of punning and wordplay, for example, often has this function of indirect contact.)

In representational acting, "actors want to make us 'believe' they are the character; they pretend." The illusion of the fourth wall with the audience as voyeurs is striven for.

As opposite gender

In the past, only men could become actors in some societies. In the ancient Greece and Rome and the medieval world, it was considered disgraceful for a woman to go on the stage, and this belief persisted until the 17th century, when in Venice it was broken. In the time of William Shakespeare, women's roles were generally played by men or boys.

When an eighteen year Puritan prohibition of drama was lifted after the English Restoration of 1660, women began to appear on stage in England. Margaret Hughes is credited by some as the first professional actress on the English stage. This prohibition ended during the reign of Charles II in part due to the fact that he enjoyed watching actresses on stage. The first occurrence of the term ''actress'' was in 1700 according to the OED and is ascribed to Dryden.

In Japan, men (onnagata) took over the female roles in kabuki theatre when women were banned from performing on stage during the Edo period. This convention has continued to the present. However, some forms of Chinese drama have women playing all the roles.

In modern times, women sometimes play the roles of prepubescent boys. The stage role of Peter Pan, for example, is traditionally played by a woman, as are most principal boys in British pantomime. Opera has several "breeches roles" traditionally sung by women, usually mezzo-sopranos. Examples are Hansel in ''Hänsel und Gretel'', Cherubino in ''The Marriage of Figaro'' and Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier.

Women in male roles are uncommon in film with the notable exceptions of the films ''The Year of Living Dangerously'' and ''I'm Not There''. In the former film Linda Hunt played the pivotal role of Billy Kwan, for which she received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. In the latter film Cate Blanchett portrayed Jude Quinn, a representation of Bob Dylan in the sixties, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Having an actor dress as the opposite sex for comic effect is also a long-standing tradition in comic theatre and film. Most of Shakespeare's comedies include instances of overt cross-dressing, such as Francis Flute in ''A Midsummer Night's Dream''. The movie ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' stars Jack Gilford dressing as a young bride. Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon famously posed as women to escape gangsters in the Billy Wilder film ''Some Like It Hot''. Cross-dressing for comic effect was a frequently used device in most of the thirty Carry On films. Dustin Hoffman and Robin Williams have each appeared in a hit comedy film (''Tootsie'' and ''Mrs. Doubtfire'', respectively) in which they played most scenes dressed as a woman.

Occasionally, the issue is further complicated, for example, by a woman playing a woman acting as a man pretending to be a woman, like Julie Andrews in ''Victor/Victoria'', or Gwyneth Paltrow in ''Shakespeare in Love''. In ''It's Pat: The Movie'', filmwatchers never learn the gender of the androgynous main characters Pat and Chris (played by Julia Sweeney and Dave Foley).

A few roles in modern films, plays and musicals are played by a member of the opposite sex (rather than a character cross-dressing), such as the character Edna Turnblad in ''Hairspray''—played by Divine in the original film, Harvey Fierstein in the Broadway musical, and John Travolta in the 2007 movie musical. Linda Hunt won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for playing Billy Kwan in ''The Year of Living Dangerously''. Felicity Huffman was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for playing Bree Osbourne (a man in the process of becoming a woman) in ''Transamerica''.

Acting awards

Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars, for American film

AFI Awards for Australian film

Berlinale German film festival in Berlin (Golden and Silver Bear)

British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award for film and television; also known as BAFTA

Cannes Film Festival Awards

César Awards for French film

Emmy Awards for American television

FAMAS Awards for Filipino cinema

Filmfare Awards honors excellence in the Indian Film Industry (Bollywood) – limited to Hindi language films only

Filmfare Awards South honors excellence in the Indian Film Industry (South Indian) – limited to Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada language films only

Genie Awards for Canadian film

Gemini Awards for Canadian television

Golden Globe Awards for American film and television

Golden Raspberry Awards Worst in American film

Goya Awards for Spanish film

IIFA Awards International Indian Film Academy Awards, for Bollywood

IFTA's for the Irish Film and Television

Star Screen Awards honors excellence in the Indian Film Industry.

Indian National Film Awards for the Indian cinema

Kerala State Film Awards in India for the Malayalam cinema

Laurence Olivier Awards for the theatre

Lux Style Awards for Pakistan film

Nandi Awards in India for Telugu cinema

Nigar Awards also for Pakistani film

San Sebastián International Film Festival Spanish film festival Celebrated in San Sebastián

Sarah Siddons Award for female actress in Chicago Theatre

Screen Actors Guild Awards for American actors in film and television

Tony Awards for the theatre (specifically, Broadway theatre)

Volpi Cups at the Venice Film Festival

See also

Acting

Bit part

Body double

Cameo appearance

Casting (performing arts)

Cast member

Celebrity

Character actor

Charisma

Child actor

Drama school

Dramatis personæ

Ensemble cast

Extra (actor)

GOTE

Improvisational theatre

Leading actor

Lists of actors

Master of Fine Arts

Matinee idol

Method acting

Meisner technique

Mime

Movie star

Movie studio

Pornographic actor

Practical Aesthetics

Pre-production

Presentational acting and Representational acting

Q Score

Stunt work

Supporting actor

Thespis

Understudy

Vaudeville

Viewpoints

Voice Actor

References

Sources

Csapo, Eric, and William J. Slater. 1994. ''The Context of Ancient Drama.'' Ann Arbor: The U of Michigan P. ISBN 0-472-08275-2.

Elam, Keir. 1980. ''The Semiotics of Theatre and Drama''. New Accents Ser. London and New York: Methuen. ISBN 0-416-72060-9.

Weimann, Robert. 1978. ''Shakespeare and the Popular Tradition in the Theater: Studies in the Social Dimension of Dramatic Form and Function.'' Ed. Robert Schwartz. Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-8018-3506-2.

Further reading

''An Actor's Work'' by Constantin Stanislavski

''A Dream of Passion: The Development of the Method'' by Lee Strasberg (Plume Books, ISBN 0-452-26198-8, 1990)

''Sanford Meisner on Acting'' by Sanford Meisner (Vintage, ISBN 0-394-75059-4, 1987)

''Letters to a Young Actor'' by Robert Brustein (Basic Books, ISBN 0-465-00806-2, 2005).

''The Empty Space'' by Peter Brook

''The Technique of Acting'' by Stella Adler

External links

Actors' Equity Association (AEA): a union representing U. S. theatre actors and stage managers.

American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA): a union representing U. S. television and radio actors and broadcasters (on-air journalists, etc.).

British Actors' Equity: a trade union representing UK artists, including actors, singers, dancers, choreographers, stage managers, theatre directors and designers, variety and circus artists, television and radio presenters, walk-on and supporting artists, stunt performers and directors and theatre fight directors.

Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance: an Australian/New Zealand trade union representing everyone in the media, entertainment, sports, and arts industries.

Screen Actors Guild (SAG): a union representing U. S. film and TV actors.

Category:Entertainment occupations Category:Acting Category:Theatrical professions Category:Television terminology

als:Schauspieler ar:ممثل an:Actor ast:Actor az:Aktyor bn:অভিনেতা zh-min-nan:Ián-goân be-x-old:Актор bs:Glumac br:Aktour bg:Актьор ca:Actor cs:Herec cy:Actor da:Skuespiller de:Schauspieler et:Näitleja el:Ηθοποιός eo:Aktoro eu:Aktore fa:هنرپیشه fr:Acteur fy:Akteur ga:Aisteoir gd:Actair gl:Actor ko:배우 hr:Glumac io:Aktoro id:Pemeran is:Leikari it:Attore he:שחקן ka:მსახიობი sw:Mwigizaji la:Actor lv:Aktieris lb:Lëscht vu Filmschauspiller lt:Aktorius jbo:xeldraci hu:Színész mk:Глумец ml:അഭിനേതാവ് mr:अभिनेता ms:Pelakon nl:Acteur nds-nl:Akteur ja:俳優 no:Skuespiller nn:Skodespelar nov:Aktore oc:Actor or:ଅଭିନେତ୍ରୀ(ନାରୀ କଳାକାର) uz:Aktyor ps:لوبګر pl:Aktor pt:Ator ro:Actor qu:Aranway pukllaq ru:Актёр sq:Aktori simple:Actor sk:Herec sl:Igralec (umetnik) sr:Глумац sh:Glumci fi:Näyttelijä sv:Skådespelare tl:Artista ta:நடிகர் th:นักแสดง tg:Ҳунарпеша (филм) tr:Oyuncu uk:Актор ur:اداکار vec:Ator vi:Diễn viên wa:Acteur di cinema yi:אקטיאר bat-smg:Aktuorios zh:演員

name	Jimmy Akingbola
birth place	London, England
yearsactive	1999 - present
notable role	Christopher in ''Blue/Orange''PC Neil Parker in ''Holby Blue''
tonyawards	}}

Jimmy Akingbola is a British television, theatre and film actor. Born in 1978 in Plaistow, London to Nigerian parents, he was the youngest of four children (two brothers and one sister). His eldest brother Sola Akingbola is head percussionist to British jazz funk band Jamiroquai and also lead vocalist to African funky roots band Critical Mass.

Early life

During his early years Akingbola’s parents’ divorced. At the age of two Akingbola’s mother became extremely ill and he was eventually sent to a children’s home. Aged three, he was fostered by the white Crowe family, as the youngest of four children in Silvertown, East London. The family later moved back to Plaistow, where he eventually grew up.

In 1996 he started at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts (ALRA) in Wandsworth, London and completed their 3 year full time acting diploma. He was a popular student and well known for his jokes and good humour.

Theatre

Akingbola started his career on stage at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in “The Nativity” for Bill Alexander. He continued to develop his art in theatre in a production of “Baby Doll” at the Royal National Theatre, then appearing in “Naked Justice” by playwright Sir John Mortimer at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, opposite Leslie Phillips.

Akingbola played Elvis in the poignant play “Behzti” at the Birmingham Rep in December 2004. He then went on to work the talented rapper and actor Riz Ahmed in the hit play “Prayer Room” which secured Akingbola four star reviews for his performance as Bunce.

Akingbola continued to secure his place as a prominent stage actor in London in the production of Roxanne Silbert’s play “People Next Door” where he gave a memorable performance alongside actor Fraser Ayres’s character in the role as his best friend Marco.

Akingbola won his first award (TMA Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actor) for the role of Christopher in “Blue/Orange” initially at the Sheffield Crucible Theatre which then went on a national tour. His character saw him play opposite Roger Lloyd-Pack and Shaun Evans in Joe Penhalls award winning play which was directed by Kathy Burke.

Akingbola later went onto to star in “The Cut” at the Donmar Warehouse opposite Sir Ian McKellen directed by Michael Grandage. Further roles include Akingbola playing anti-hero Jimmy Porter in the John Osbourne play of “Look Back in Anger” at the Jermyn Street Theatre in July 2008 which made him the first black actor to play the role. The same year he played the title role of “Othello” for award winning theatre company Frantic Assembly which received a TMA Award.

TV

Akingbola’s television roles started with the black BBC sitcom “The Crouches” playing the witty character of Dennis Dutton where he received favourable reviews which was rumoured to lead him being listed for a possible Bafta nomination. He has since played roles in “Stupid! The Bill, The Royal, The South Bank Show, Roger Roger, Holby City, Doctors, New Tricks, Comedy Lab and Longford.

Akingbola secured his first permanent major television role appearing in BBC’s police drama series Holby Blue, starring alongside Kacey Ainsworth and Tim Pigott Smith, as PC Neil Parker alongside his on screen colleague PC Kelly Cooper, played by Chloe Howman.

Jimmy returned to show his comedy talent in 2010 starring in the BBC2 hit series “REV” where he played the popular character “Mick”, alongside Tom Hollander and Olivia Coleman.

Jimmy also plays the roles of Malick in Holby City and PC Johnson in Silk, both on BBC One in 2011

Film

Akingbola featured in the film “The Car” in addition to appearing in the international film “Anansi” as starring alongside Naomie Harris, Danny Sapani and Maynard Eziashi. He played the main lead in the film “The Dimples Cry” and in 2010 starred alongside Ray Fearon in the BBC film “Hominid” and featured in Nour Wazzi’s short film “Habibti” alongside Hiam Abbas.

Audio/Radio

Akingbola is the voice in several popular computer games for electronics game brands including EA, Disney, PlayStation and Funcom. Games titles include; Dead Space 2, Pirates of the Caribbean, Gangs of London, Age of Conan, Dirt 2, James Bond: Golden Eye and Brink.

Akingbola works with BBC Radio as a regular voice over contributor to several shows including BBC World Service, BBC Radio 4 and 7.

Interests

For many years Akingbola has been known by many to bring like minded people together within the London acting community and it is from this the nickname “Mr Nice” was born. The love of connecting individuals within the London acting scene turned into a business venture in 2008 when he co founded the company Triforce Promotions with business partners Fraser Ayres and Jason Angol. Triforce Promotions is an organisation which hosts monthly events for acting professionals to meet, creating opportunities between actors, casting directors, producers and directors across film and TV. In 2010, Triforce Promotions and the BBC developed an initiative, calling budding writers to submit scripts in the bid for winning scripts to be commissioned by the BBC. The relationship between the two organisations continues to grow with future projects in development.

Akingbola maintains his passion for connecting individuals from the entertainment industry by lending his time to host the monthly London show of “Monologue Slam”, an event developed by Goldrush Entertainment, known as the ultimate actor’s showcase which has seen attendance by household personalities including Lenny Henry and James Alexandrou.

Awards

Best Supporting Actor, Theatrical Management Association Annual Awards (“Blue/Orange”)

Best Male TV Actor, BEFFTA Awards (BBC’s “REV”)

Best Male Film Actor, BEFFTA Awards (“Habibti”)

Nominations

Best Male TV Actor, Screen Nation (BBC's "Holby Blue")

References

External links

Interview with TheatreVoices

Jimmy Akingbola

[www.triforcepromotions.co.uk Triforce Promtions website]

Category:English stage actors Category:English television actors Category:English soap opera actors Category:People from Plaistow, Newham Category:English people of Nigerian descent Category:Black British actors Category:1978 births Category:Living people Category:British adoptees

name	Richard Mulligan
birth date	November 13, 1932
birth place	New York City, New York,United States
death date	September 26, 2000
death place	Los Angeles, California, United States
occupation	Actor
years active	1960–2000
spouse	Patricia Jones (1955-1960)Joan Hackett (1965-1973)Lenore Stevens (1978-1990)Rachel Ryan (1992-1993) }}

Richard Mulligan (November 13, 1932 – September 26, 2000) was an American television and film actor.

Early life

He was born in New York City, the younger brother of director Robert Mulligan. After attending Columbia University, Mulligan began working in theatre, making his debut as a stage manager and performer on Broadway in ''All the Way Home'' in 1960. Additional theatre credits included ''A Thousand Clowns'', ''Never Too Late'', ''Hogan's Goat'', and ''Thieves''.

Early career

Mulligan starred with Mariette Hartley in the 1966-67 season comedy series ''The Hero'', in which he played TV star Sam Garret, who in turn starred on a fictional series as Jed Clayton, U.S. Marshal. ''The Hero'' lasted only 16 episodes. Another notable TV appearance was on the ''I Dream of Jeannie'' episode "Around the World in 80 Blinks", as a navy commander accompanying Maj. Nelson (Larry Hagman) on a mission.

Notable roles

Mulligan's most notable film role was as General Custer in ''Little Big Man'', whom he portrayed as a borderline psychotic. He also appeared in the disaster movie spoof ''The Big Bus'' (1976), where he was reunited with Larry Hagman, with whom he starred in an episode of ''I Dream of Jeannie'' (see above). In the comedy-drama ''Teachers'', he partially reprised his Custer role from ''Little Big Man'', portraying a mental patient mistaken for a substitute teacher, who dresses up as various historical figures (including Abe Lincoln, Ben Franklin and Custer in his final scene) to teach his pupils, who learn more from him than from the actual teachers.

In 1983 he was cast as Reggie Potter in the television series "Reggie", a loose adaptation of ''The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin'', but the adaptation failed to capture the essence of the original, and ran for only one season.

His best-known roles in television were as Burt Campbell in the sitcom ''Soap'', for which he won a Best Actor Emmy Award, and as Dr. Harry Weston in the NBC series ''Empty Nest'', a spinoff of ''The Golden Girls''. ''Empty Nest'' ran for seven seasons, and Mulligan won a Best Actor Emmy Award as well as a Golden Globe Award for his performance. He also played Secretary of State William Seward in the 1988 made for TV movie, "Gore Vidal's Lincoln."

Mulligan returned to perform on Broadway and in films, in which he usually played supporting roles. A notable exception was the 1981 satirical film ''S.O.B.'', in which he played lead character Felix Farmer, a Hollywood producer-director modeled on the film's actual producer-director, Blake Edwards.

He also played in "Night of the Meek", an episode of The New Twilight Zone in 1986, where he took on the role of Santa Claus in the remake of the 1959 Christmas episode The Night of the Meek, taking over the same character that actor Art Carney did in the older version.

He appeared in Disney's 1988 film, ''Oliver & Company'', as the voice of the oafish Great Dane, ironically named Einstein.

Marriages

Mulligan married four times. He was first married to Patricia Jones from 1955 to 1960, with whom he had a son, James. That was followed by marriages to Joan Hackett from January 3, 1966 to June 1973 and Lenore Stevens from 1978 to 1990. His last marriage was to adult actress Rachel Ryan on April 27, 1992, which lasted two years.

Death

After making his last appearance in an episode of ''Hey Arnold!'', on September 26, 2000, Mulligan died of colorectal cancer at his home in Los Angeles, California. At his own request, he was cremated and there was no funeral service. Mulligan was survived by his son James Mulligan from his first marriage and two brothers Robert and James.

Mulligan has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6777 Hollywood Blvd.

External links

Notes and References

Category:1932 births Category:2000 deaths Category:American film actors Category:American stage actors Category:American television actors Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (television) winners Category:Cancer deaths in California Category:Columbia University alumni Category:Deaths from colorectal cancer Category:Emmy Award winners Category:American people of Irish descent Category:Actors from New York Category:People from Los Angeles, California Category:People from Manhattan Category:People from the Bronx

de:Richard Mulligan fr:Richard Mulligan it:Richard Mulligan nl:Richard Mulligan no:Richard Mulligan ro:Richard Mulligan sh:Richard Mulligan fi:Richard Mulligan sv:Richard Mulligan tl:Richard Mulligan

name	Christian Kane
birth date	June 27, 1974
birth place	Dallas, Texas
occupation	Actor, singer/songwriter
years active	1997-present
website	www.christiankane.com
spouse	}}

Christian Kane (born June 27, 1974) is an American actor and singer/songwriter of Native American descent. He currently stars as Eliot Spencer on the TNT series ''Leverage''. He is best known for his roles in the television shows ''Angel'' and ''Into the West'', and the movies ''Just Married'' and ''Secondhand Lions''.

He is the lead singer of the country-southern rock band Kane; their album, ''The House Rules'', was released on December 7, 2010. The first single from the album, also titled "The House Rules", debuted at number 54 on the ''Billboard'' Country Songs chart.

Early life

Kane was born in Dallas, Texas. He is of Native American descent and is a cousin of country singer Branden Hart. His parents participated in, and met at, the rodeo. The family moved around the South and Midwest, because his father was in the oil business, and finally settled in Norman, Oklahoma when Kane was in 8th grade. While growing up in Texas and Oklahoma Kane was a wrestler and played American Football (as a strong safety) . He studied Art History at the University of Oklahoma, but decided he wanted to be an actor and headed to Los Angeles before finishing the degree. In LA he worked at a talent management company where he delivered scripts in exchange for being sent on auditions.

Career

Acting

Kane landed his first acting role in 1997, as one of the leads in MGM's television series ''Fame L.A.'', in the series he played a country singer who moved to Los Angeles from Kansas. His television roles have included a recurring role in Joss Whedon’s ''Angel'' as the lawyer Lindsey MacDonald, the Jerry Bruckheimer produced series ''Close to Home'' on CBS, the TNT television film ''Crossfire Trail'' in which he appeared alongside Tom Selleck, and he played the role of Abe Wheeler in the Steven Spielberg produced miniseries ''Into the West''.

Kane’s appearances on the big screen include the 20th Century Fox film ''Just Married'' and New Line Cinema's ''Secondhand Lions'', as the younger version of Robert Duvall's Hub McCann, he has a scar on his upper lip from an injury he received while filming the movie. He also appeared in ''Taxi'', ''Life or Something Like It'', the Peter Berg directed ''Friday Night Lights'', and the Warner Bros. baseball film ''Summer Catch''. In 2007 Kane was featured in the Carrie Underwood music video "So Small", playing the role of one of the three converging stories. In 2009 he appeared in the psychological thriller ''Hide'', in which he played the lead role of Billy, and ''The Donner Party'' which is based on the true story of the Donner Party. In 2010 he starred in the romantic drama ''Not Since You''.

Since late 2008 he appears on the TNT television series ''Leverage'', which will return for its fifth season next summer. Kane does his own stunts and fights as Eliot Spencer, a retrieval specialist who teams up with four other specialists to undo the injustices perpetrated upon the helpless.

Music

In 1997 Christian Kane met Steve Carlson, who had taken over his old job. They started writing songs together and in 1998 they formed the Southern rock band Kane. They have toured the U.S. as well as England and Germany. The band has self-released two albums. Their debut, the self-titled ''Kane'', in 2000 and in 2004 they released a recording of a live acoustic set called ''Live in London''.

The band consists of Christian Kane (lead vocals, guitar), Steve Carlson (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Jason Southard (lead guitar), Will Amend (bass guitar), and Ryan Baker (drums) and is signed to independent record label Bigger Picture Group (Zac Brown Band, Big Kenny, The Harters). Their label debut is called ''The House Rules'' and was released on December 7, 2010. It debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' Heatseekers album chart and number 25 on the Country Albums chart. The album was produced by Bob Ezrin and Jimmie Lee Sloas.

The first single from the album, also titled "The House Rules" debuted at number 54 on the ''Billboard'' Country Songs chart and was the 7th most added song on Mediabase Country stations on its official impact date. The video for the single was directed by Timothy Hutton and premiered on CMT's ''Big New Music Weekend'' on October 1, 2010.

Christian Kane is also signed to a songwriting deal with EMI Music Publishing, and writes much of his own material. Trace Adkins released a song written by Kane called "Happy Man" on his 2010 album ''Cowboy's Back in Town''. Kane's co-writing efforts include songs written with Blair Daly, Brett James, David Lee Murphy, Casey Beathard, and Jerrod Niemann. "Thinking of You", a song he co-wrote with Blair Daly, featured in episode 3X06, "The Studio Job", of ''Leverage''.

Filmography

Actor

Title	Role
''Fame L.A.'' (1997) TV series	Ryan "Flyboy" Legget
''Rescue 77'' (1999) TV series	Wick Lobo
''EDtv'' (1999)	P.A.
''Angel (TV series)	Angel'' (1999–2001, 2003–2004) TV series	Lindsey McDonald
''The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy'' (2000)	Idaho Guy
''Love Song (2000 film)	Love Song'' (2000)	Billy Ryan Gallo
''Dawson's Creek'' (2001) TV series	Nick Taylor
''Crossfire Trail (film)	Crossfire Trail'' (2001)	John Thomas "J.T." Langston
''Summer Catch'' (2001)	Dale Robin
''Life or Something Like It'' (2002)	Cal Cooper
''The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron'' (2003)	Brian Cruver
''Just Married'' (2003)	Peter Prentiss
''Secondhand Lions'' (2003)	Young Hub
''The Plight of Clownana'' (2004)	Christian
''Las Vegas (TV series)	Las Vegas'' (2004) TV series	Bob
''Taxi (2004 film)	Taxi'' (2004)	Agent Mullins
''Friday Night Lights (film)	Friday Night Lights'' (2004)	Brian
''Into the West (miniseries)	Into the West'' (2005) TV mini-series	Abe Wheeler
''Her Minor Thing'' (2005)	Paul
''Keep Your Distance'' (2005)	Sean Voight
''24: The Game'' (2006) Video Game	Peter Madsen
''Close to Home (TV series)	Close to Home'' (2005–2006) TV series	Jack Chase
''Four Sheets to the Wind'' (2006)	David
''Hide (film)	Hide'' (2008)	Billy
''Leverage (TV series)	Leverage'' (2008–present) TV Series	Eliot Spencer
''Not Since You'' (2008)	Ryan
''Good Day For It'' (2010)	Dale Acton
''Minuteman'' (2010)	Peacemaker

Soundtrack

Title	Song(s) Featured
''Angel (TV series)	Angel'' (2001)	"L.A. Song"
''Life or Something Like It'' (2002)	"Sweet Carolina Rain" (as KANE)
''The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron'' TV (2003)	"More Than I Deserve" (as KANE)
''Just Married'' (2003)	"The Chase" (as KANE)
''Leverage (TV series)	Leverage'' -- "The Two Horse Job" (2008)	"More Than I Deserve" (as KANE)
''NASCAR 09'' (2009)	"The House Rules" (as Christian Kane)
''Keep Your Distance'' (2005)	"Right In Front Of You" (as Sean Voight/KANE)
''Leverage (TV series)	Leverage'' -- "The Studio Job" (2010)	"Thinking of You"

Discography

Studio albums

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		! width="45"	! width="45"	! width="45"
''Kane''		* Release date: 2000	* Label: self-released	Compact disc>CD	—	—	—
''The House Rules''		* Release date: December 7, 2010	* Label: Bigger Picture Music Group	* Formats: CD, music download	25	178	1

Extended plays

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		! width="45"	! width="45"	! width="45"
''Christian Kane''		* Release date: March 9, 2010	* Label: Bigger Picture Music Group	* Formats: CD, music download	28	159	5

Live albums

Title	Album details
''Live in London''		* Release date: 2004	* Label: self-released	* Formats: CD

Singles

Year	Single	Peak positions	Album
		! width="50"
2010	"The House Rules"	49
2011	"Let Me Go"A	58

^A Current single.

Music videos

! Year	Video	! Director
2010	"The House Rules"	Timothy Hutton
2011	"Let Me Go"	Roman White

References

External links

Christian Kane Official Facebook

Christian Kane Official Myspace

Christian Kane Official Twitter

Category:1974 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from Texas Category:American country singers Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:Columbia Records artists Category:People from Dallas, Texas Category:People from Norman, Oklahoma Category:American people of Cherokee descent Category:Bigger Picture Music Group artists

ca:Christian Kane de:Christian Kane es:Christian Kane fr:Christian Kane it:Christian Kane nl:Christian Kane pl:Christian Kane pt:Christian Kane ru:Кейн, Кристиан

name	Nina Dobrev
birth name	Nina Konstantinova Dobreva
birth date	January 09, 1989
birth place	Sofia, Bulgaria
nationality	Bulgarian-Canadian
occupation	Actress and model
yearsactive	2006–present }}

Nina Dobrev (born Nina Konstantinova Dobreva; in Bulgarian, ''Нина Константинова Добрева''; January 9, 1989) is a Bulgarian-Canadian actress. She played the role of Mia Jones, the single teenage mother, on ''Degrassi: The Next Generation'', from the show's sixth to ninth season. She currently stars as Elena Gilbert and Katherine Pierce on The CW television teen drama, ''The Vampire Diaries''.

Early life

Nina Dobrev was born in Sofia, Bulgaria and moved to Canada at the age of two, where she was raised in Toronto, Ontario. She speaks fluent French, English, and Bulgarian. Her mother is an artist, and her father is a computer scientist. She has one older brother. From a very young age, she showed great enthusiasm and talent for the arts—dance, gymnastics, theater, music, visual arts, and acting.

She attended J. B. Tyrrell Sr. Public School and Wexford Collegiate School for the Arts in Scarborough, Ontario. She attended Ryerson University in Toronto, majoring in sociology. She left in 2008 to pursue her acting career.

Career

Modeling jobs led to commercials, which then turned into film auditions. Shortly thereafter, she booked roles in feature films, including ''Fugitive Pieces'', ''Away from Her'', ''Never Cry Werewolf'', and the television series ''Degrassi: The Next Generation''. She starred in a number of Lifetime original movies. She also was in an MTV movie called ''The American Mall'' on CTV. She is currently starring in The CW's drama ''The Vampire Diaries'', playing the dual role of Katherine Pierce, a vampire that the same brothers each loved while they were still human during the American Civil War, and Katherine's doppelgänger Elena Gilbert, a human who is caught between the same two vampire brothers, Damon and Stefan Salvatore. In June 2011, Dobrev and ''The Vampire Diaries'' co-star Ian Somerhalder appeared in a public romance.

She also had a minor role in the erotic thriller ''Chloe'', theatrically released by Sony Pictures Classics on March 26, 2010. The film had enjoyed commercial success and became director Atom Egoyan's biggest moneymaker ever.

In August 2010, Dobrev appeared in the opening sketch of the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards.

In April 2011, she was cast as Candace in the film adaptation of ''The Perks of Being a Wallflower'', alongside Logan Lerman, Emma Watson and Paul Rudd. Shooting began in May of that year in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and she completed her scenes on June 27.

Filmography

! Year	! Title	! Role	! Notes
2008	''Repo! The Genetic Opera''	Teenage Zydrate Addict
2006	''Away from Her''	Monica
2006		Shania
2006–2009	''Degrassi: The Next Generation''		TV, 46 episodes
2007	''How She Move''	Tall Girl in the Bathroom
2007		Rachel
2007		Bella
2007	''My Daughter's Secret''	Justine
2007	''Too Young to Marry''	Jessica
2008	''Mookies Law''	Rosebella	Short film
2008	''The American Mall''	Ally Shepherd	A singer, Keely Hawkes, sung for her as she had never had any previous vocal training
2008	''Never Cry Werewolf''	Loren Hansett
2008		Maia	TV, 2 episodes: "Articles of Faith" and "Blowback"
2009		Anna
2009	''Degrassi Goes Hollywood''
2009		Grace Dahl	TV, 1 episode: "Eternal"
2009	''Merry Madagascar''	Cupid the Reindeer	Voice
2009–present	''The Vampire Diaries''	Elena Gilbert/Katherine Pierce	Main roleTV, 44 episodes
2011	''The Super Hero Squad Show''	Ellen	VoiceTV, 1 episode: "This Man-Thing, This Monster!"
2011	''The Roommate''	Maria	Cameo
2011	''Arena''		Post-production
2012		Candace	Post-production

Accolades

! Year	! Award	! Category	! Work	! Result
2010	2010 Teen Choice Awards	Breakout Star Female	''The Vampire Diaries''
2010	2010 Teen Choice Awards	Actress Fantasy/Sci-Fi	''The Vampire Diaries''
2011	2011 Teen Choice Awards	Actress Fantasy/Sci-Fi	''The Vampire Diaries''
2011	2011 Teen Choice Awards	Female Hottie
2011	2011 Teen Choice Awards	Vampire

References

External links

Category:1989 births Category:Bulgarian expatriates in the United States Category:Bulgarian film actors Category:Bulgarian emigrants to Canada Category:Bulgarian television actors Category:Canadian child actors Category:Canadian expatriate actors in the United States Category:Canadian film actors Category:Canadian people of Bulgarian descent Category:Canadian television actors Category:Naturalized citizens of Canada Category:Living people Category:People from Sofia Category:People from Toronto

az:Nina Dobrev bg:Нина Добрев cs:Nina Dobrev da:Nina Dobrev de:Nina Dobrev et:Nina Dobrev es:Nina Dobrev fa:نینا دوبرو fr:Nina Dobrev hy:Նինա Դոբրև hr:Nina Dobrev it:Nina Dobrev he:נינה דוברב lt:Nina Dobrev hu:Nina Dobrev mk:Нина Добрев nl:Nina Dobrev ja:ニーナ・ドブレフ no:Nina Dobrev pl:Nina Dobrev pt:Nina Dobrev ru:Добрев, Нина sk:Nina Konstantinova Dobreva ckb:نینا دۆبرێڤ fi:Nina Dobrev sv:Nina Dobrev tr:Nina Dobrev uk:Ніна Добрев zh:妮娜·杜波夫