Thriller is a broad genre of literature, film, and television programming that uses suspense, tension and excitement as the main elements. Thrillers heavily stimulate the viewer's moods giving them a high level of anticipation, ultra-heightened expectation, uncertainty, surprise, anxiety and/or terror. Thriller films tend to be adrenaline-rushing, gritty, rousing and fast-paced. Literary devices such as red herrings, plot twists and cliffhangers are used extensively. A thriller is villain-driven plot, whereby he or she presents obstacles that the hero must overcome.
The aim for thrillers is to keep the audience alert and on the edge of their seats. The protagonist in these films is set against a problem – an escape, a mission, or a mystery. No matter what sub-genre a thriller film falls into, it will emphasize the danger that the protagonist faces. The tension with the main problem is built on throughout the film and leads to a highly stressful climax. The cover-up of important information from the viewer, and fight and chase scenes are common methods in all of the thriller subgenres, although each subgenre has its own unique characteristics and methods.
Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (/dɨˈkæpri.oʊ/; born November 11, 1974) is an American actor and film producer. He has been nominated for the Golden Globe Award eight times as an actor, and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his performance in The Aviator (2004). He has also been nominated by the Academy Awards, Screen Actors Guild, Satellite Awards, and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, DiCaprio started his career by appearing in television commercials prior to landing recurring roles in TV series such as the soap opera Santa Barbara and the sitcom Growing Pains in the early 1990s. He made his film debut in the comedic sci-fi horror film Critters 3 (1991) and received first notable critical praise for his performance in This Boy's Life (1993). DiCaprio obtained recognition for his subsequent work in supporting roles in What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) and Marvin's Room (1996), as well as leading roles in The Basketball Diaries (1995) and Romeo + Juliet (1996), before achieving international fame in James Cameron's Titanic (1997).
Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone (/stəˈloʊn/; born July 6, 1946), commonly known as Sylvester Stallone, and nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an American actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, film director and occasional painter. Stallone is known for his machismo and Hollywood action roles. Two of the notable characters he has portrayed are boxer Rocky Balboa and soldier John Rambo. The Rocky and Rambo franchises, along with several other films, strengthened his reputation as an actor and his box office earnings.
Stallone's film Rocky was inducted into the National Film Registry as well as having its film props placed in the Smithsonian Museum. Stallone's use of the front entrance to the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the Rocky series led the area to be nicknamed the Rocky Steps. Philadelphia has a statue of his Rocky character placed permanently near the museum, on the right side before the steps. It was announced on December 7, 2010 that Stallone was voted into boxing's Hall of Fame.
Sylvester Stallone was born Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone in New York City, the elder son of Frank Stallone, Sr., a hairdresser, and Jackie Stallone (born Jacqueline Labofish), an astrologer, former dancer, and promoter of women's wrestling. His younger brother is actor and musician Frank Stallone. Stallone's father was born in Gioia del Colle, Apulia, Italy, and emigrated to the United States as a child. Stallone's mother is of half Russian Jewish and half French descent.
Jeffrey Howard Piero Wincott (born May 8, 1956) is a Canadian actor, athlete and martial artist.
Jeff is the elder brother of actor Michael Wincott.
Wincott met his wife Charlotte (then a singer/songwriter) in Los Angeles in 2002 and they were married on June 21, 2003. On November 30, 2009, she gave birth to their first child together, Wolfgang Anthony Wincott, named after her father, a Fitzgerald scholar and English professor, and Jeff's brother Michael. "Wolfie" weighed seven pounds and five ounces at birth. Charlotte is a doctoral student in the biomedical sciences (neuroscience) at New York University School of Medicine.
Jeff grew up in Toronto, Canada. After attending Ryerson University for Theatre, Jeff began doing stand-up comedy at the famed Yuk-Yuks in Toronto which led to a continuing role in the comedy series sitcom King Of Kensington and Hanging In. His break out role was starring in the award-winning TV series Night Heat as the Italian police Detective, Frank Giambone. After completing 96 episodes and being nominated for best actor, Jeff combined his skills as a black belt in Taekwondo and became a full-fledged martial arts star. Starring in more than 14 Hollywood action films, including, Martial Outlaw, Mission Of Justice, Last Man Standing, and Universal Soldier. Lately, he has worked on the TV shows JAG, Matlock, 24, N.C.I.S., The Wire, Sons Of Anarchy, and just recently Person Of Interest. Also in the films, S.W.A.T., The Invasion, Undertakers Wedding, Lake City, Unstoppable, and soon to be released Bolden.
Robert Donald Kilpatrick, Jr. (born August 20, 1949 in Orange, Virginia, USA) is an American character actor with over 85 film and TV appearances to his credit. He made his film debut relatively late in 1985 with The Toxic Avenger.
Kilpatrick was born in Orange, Virginia. Kilpatrick attended at University of Richmond, Virginia. He is best known for his appearances as villains, often alongside Hollywood's leading action stars such as Jean-Claude Van Damme in Death Warrant, Bruce Willis in Last Man Standing and Steven Seagal in Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995) where he played a mercenary on a train with Everett McGill. He has appeared alongside Chow Yun-fat in Replacement Killers (1998), Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Caan in Eraser (1996), and The Presidio (1988) opposite Sean Connery and Mark Harmon. He also starred in Free Willy 3 and more recently in Parasomnia (2008). One of the few films that Kilpatrick played a lead role in was 1994's Open Fire. In 1995, he co-starred in the Star Trek: Voyager episode Initiations, in the 2000 episode Drive and in 1998 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode entitled The Siege Of AR-558.