Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step relatives related by adoption or marriage; and members of the same clan or lineage.

The incest taboo is and has been one of the most common of all cultural taboos, both in current nations and many past societies, Most modern societies have laws regarding incest or social restrictions on closely consanguineous marriages. In some societies, such as those of Ancient Egypt and others, brother–sister, father–daughter, and mother–son, cousin-cousin, uncle-niece, aunt-nephew, and other permutations of relations were practiced among royalty as a means of perpetuating the royal lineage. In addition, the Balinese and some Inuit tribes have altogether different beliefs about what constitutes illegal and immoral incest. However, parent-child and sibling-sibling unions are almost universally forbidden.

Consensual adult incest is seen by some as a victimless crime. However, children born of close incestous unions have greatly increased risk of death and disability at least in part due to genetic diseases caused by the inbreeding.

Steven John "Steve" Wilkos ( /ˈwɪlkoʊs/; born March 9, 1964) is an American television personality, a former U.S. Marine and officer with the Chicago police. He currently hosts his own talk show, The Steve Wilkos Show, and is also known as the former director of security on The Jerry Springer Show. Wilkos had previously substituted for Springer as host on several occasions before being given his own talk show.

Wilkos was born in Chicago, Illinois. He graduated from Lane Technical High School in 1982 then joined the United States Marine Corps, serving from 1982 to 1989. He joined the Chicago Police Department in 1990. His wife, Rachelle Wilkos, is the executive producer for Springer as well as his own show; Steve and Rachelle have two children, Ruby (born 2003) and Jack (born 2005). They lived in Park Ridge, Illinois while working in Chicago. Steve and his family currently reside in the Stamford, Connecticut area where the show is now taped.

Wilkos has experience in MMA and is well versed in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Suzanne Pleshette (January 31, 1937 – January 19, 2008) was an American actress.

After beginning her career in the theatre, she began appearing in films in the early 1960s, such as Rome Adventure (1962) and Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963). She later appeared in various television productions, often in guest roles, and played the role of Emily Hartley on The Bob Newhart Show from 1972 until 1978, receiving Emmy Award nominations for her work.

She continued acting until 2004, and died from respiratory failure as a result of lung cancer in 2008.

Pleshette was born in Brooklyn Heights, New York City, of Jewish Russian heritage. Her mother, Geraldine (née Kaplan), was a dancer and artist who performed under the stage name Geraldine Rivers. Her father, Eugene Pleshette, was a stage manager, network executive and manager of the Paramount Theater in Brooklyn. She graduated from Manhattan's High School of Performing Arts and then attended Syracuse University for one semester before transferring to Finch College.

Tom Berenger (born May 31, 1949) is an American actor known mainly for his roles in action films.

Berenger's father was a printer for the Chicago Sun-Times. Berenger has a sister, Susan. He picked "Berenger" as his professional name, after a school friend, because there was already a "Tom Moore" in the Actors' Equity Association. He graduated from Rich East High School in Park Forest, Illinois, in 1967. Berenger studied journalism at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri, but decided to seek an acting career following his graduation. The Tom Berenger Acting Scholarship Fund was established in 1988 by Tom Berenger to award Theatre students for excellence in performance. He worked first in regional theatre and moved to New York City in the 1970s.Is of Irish heritage.

Berenger worked in soap operas and had a starring role on One Life to Live. His feature film debut was the lead in Rush It (1976), an independent film now mostly forgotten except for those of its cast members who went on to greater renown. In 1977, Berenger had a small but noticeable role as a murderer in Looking for Mr. Goodbar. In 1978, he had a starring role in In Praise of Older Women for Avco-Embassy Pictures. In 1979, he played Butch Cassidy in Butch and Sundance: The Early Days, a role he got in part because of his resemblance to Paul Newman, who played the character in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). These early roles highlighted Berenger's ability to play both villains and heroes.

Isabelle Anne Madeleine Huppert (French pronunciation: [izabɛl yˈpɛʁ]; born 16 March 1953/1955) is a French actress who has appeared in over 90 film and television productions since 1971. She has had 14 films in official competition at the Cannes Film Festival, and won the Best Actress Award twice, for Violette Nozière (1978) and La pianiste (2001). She is also the most nominated actress for the César Award, with 13 nominations. She won a César Award for Best Actress in 1996 for her performance in La Cérémonie.

Huppert was born in Paris, the daughter of Annick Beau, a teacher of English, and Raymond Huppert, a safe manufacturer. Her father was born Jewish and converted to Catholicism; he was descended from immigrants from Hungary. She was raised in a western suburb of Ville-d'Avray. Huppert was encouraged by her mother to begin acting at a young age, and became a teenage star in Paris. She later attended Versailles Conservatoire, where she won a prize for her acting. She is also an alumna of the National Conservatory of Dramatic Art of Paris, CNSAD.