Silbermann is a German surname meaning "silver man" and may refer to:

• Ben Silbermann, co-founder of Pinterest
• Gottfried Silbermann (1683-1753), German manufacturer of pipe organs
  • Andreas Silbermann (1678-1734), German manufacturer of pipe organs, older brother of Gottfried
  • Johann Andreas Silbermann (1712–1783), German manufacturer of pipe organs, son of Andreas
• David Silbermann, fictitious Jew in the novel Silbermann by Jacques de Lacretelle
• Jake Silbermann, American actor who plays Noah Mayer on the soap opera As the World Turns

Silberman is a surname that may refer to:

• Benedict Silberman (1901-1971) composer and conductor

• Charles E. Silberman (1925-2011) American journalist
• Laurence H. Silberman (Laurence Silberman)(1935- ) American federal judge
• Neil Asher Silberman
• Rosalie Silberman Abella
• Serge Silberman
• Dr. Peter Silberman, fictional character from the Terminator franchise

See also[link]

• Silverman
• Victor Zilberman (born 1947), Romanian boxer
• Noam Zylberman (1987-1990), Canadian voice actor
• LEO (spacecraft) nicknamed Silvermann

This page or section lists people with the surname Silberman. If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.

Gottfried Silbermann (January 14, 1683 – August 4, 1753) was an influential German constructor of keyboard instruments. He built harpsichords, clavichords, organs, and fortepianos; his modern reputation rests mainly on the latter two.

Life[link]

Very little is known about Silbermann's youth. He was born in Kleinbobritzsch (now a part of Frauenstein, Saxony) as the youngest son of the carpenter Michael Silbermann. They moved to the nearby town of Frauenstein in 1685, and it is possible that Gottfried also learnt carpentry there. He moved to Straßburg in 1702, where he learnt organ construction from his brother and came in touch with the French-Alsatian school of organ construction. He returned to Saxony as a master craftsman in 1710, and opened his own organ workshop in Freiberg one year later. His second project in Germany was the "Grand Organ" in the Freiberg Cathedral of St. Mary, finished in 1714. In 1723 he was bestowed the title Königlich Pohlischen und Churfürstlich Sächsischen Hof- und Landorgelmachers ("Honorary Court and State Organ Builder to the King of Poland and Elector of Saxony") by Frederick I.^[1] Silbermann died in Dresden in 1753, probably as the result of a tin-lead poisoning, while still working on the organ at the Hofkirche.

Silbermann organ in Freiberg Cathedral

Silbermann's organs[link]

The organs that Silbermann and his brother Andreas Silbermann built show a clear and distinctive style, both in architecture and in their music qualities. Silbermann never deviated from this style. Silbermann's ability to earn money with organ construction was remarkable, leading him to uncommon wealth. His economic operation and slow consolidation of his position eventually created a near monopoly. His apprentices had to pledge never to work in Central Germany.

Silbermann's non-negotiable style was not welcome everywhere , an important example of an opponent being Johann Sebastian Bach, who, unlike Silbermann who tuned in meantone temperament, preferred a more flexible tuning.

Silbermann designed and built approximately 50 organs, 29 of which are still in existence in Saxony, including the organ in the Hofkirche in Dresden. The Hofkirche organ and that of Freiberg Cathedral are considered his greatest works. The organ in Freiberg Cathedral has three manuals and 41 stops divided between Oberwerk, Hauptwerk, Brustwerk and Pedal. Silbermann's organs are characterised by the use of strong reeds, a broad range of stops, and pipes with a high tin content, which adds a distinctive brightness to the tone.^[2]

Silbermann and the piano[link]

Silbermann was also a central figure in the history of the piano. He transmitted to later builders the crucial ideas of Bartolomeo Cristofori (the inventor of the piano), ensuring their survival, and also invented the forerunner of the damper pedal.

Evidence from the Universal-Lexicon of Johann Heinrich Zedler indicates that Silbermann first built a piano in 1732, only a year after Cristofori's death. Silbermann may have found out about Cristofori's invention as follows. In 1709, Scipione Maffei did research on the newly invented piano, including an interview with Cristofori, and published his findings (with a ringing endorsement of the instrument) in a 1711 Italian journal article. In 1725, this article was translated into German by the Dresden court poet Johann Ulrich König, who was almost certainly a personal acquaintance of Silbermann.

In his mature pianos, Silbermann scrupulously copied the complex action found in Cristofori's last instruments, failing only to produce a correct copy of the back check. Silbermann also copied another ingenious Cristofori invention, the inverted wrest plank (see Bartolomeo Cristofori for the function of this device). In other respects (case construction, choice of wood species, string diameters and spacing, keyboard design), Silbermann relied on his own experience as a harpsichord builder.

During the 1740s, King Frederick the Great of Prussia became acquainted with Silbermann's pianos and bought a number of them (the early 19th century musicologist Johann Nikolaus Forkel claims this number was 15, though Stewart Pollens (reference below) believes this to be "certainly exaggerated"). Two of Silbermann's pianos are still located in Frederick's palaces in Potsdam today; they stand out for their elegant but plain and sober design amid the elaborate splendor of their surroundings.

The forerunner of the damper pedal[link]

Silbermann invented a device by which the player could lift all of the dampers off the strings, permitting them to vibrate freely, either when struck or sympathetically when other notes were played. This is the function in later pianos of the damper pedal. Silbermann's device was different from the modern damper pedal in two respects. First, it was not actually controlled by a pedal, but rather was a hand stop, which required the player to cease playing on the keys for a moment in order to change the damper configuration. Thus, it was a device for imparting an unusual tonal color to whole passages, rather than a means of nuanced expression as the pedal is today. Second, Silbermann's device was bifurcated, permitting the dampers of the treble and bass sections to be lifted separately. This latter feature has recently been reintroduced to the piano, in the form of the fourth and fifth pedals of pianos made by the Borgato firm; see Innovations in the piano.

There are at least two possible reasons for why Silbermann invented his damper-lifting mechanism. First, as an organ builder, he may have favored the idea of providing the player with a variety of tonal colors. The same impulse led German harpsichord builders of the time occasionally to include two-foot (two octaves higher than normal pitch) and sixteen-foot (one octave lower) choirs of strings in their instruments.

In addition, Silbermann had until 1727 built very large hammer dulcimers, called pantaleons, on behalf of Pantaleon Hebenstreit, who achieved a sensational career with virtuosic playing on this demanding instrument. The pantaleon, like any other hammered dulcimer, had no dampers and thus created a wash of sound. Silbermann later had a falling out with Hebenstreit and was blocked by a royal writ from building any further pantaleons. Stewart Pollens conjectures that in adding the damper-raising stop to the piano, Silberman may have been attempting to partially circumvent this restriction.

Silbermann and Bach[link]

The 18th century musician Johann Friedrich Agricola tells a story about the relationship of Silbermann, Johann Sebastian Bach, and pianos. After Silbermann had completed two instruments, Agricola says, he showed them to Bach, who replied critically, saying that the tone was weak in the treble and the keys were hard to play. Silbermann was stung and angered by the criticism, but ultimately took it to heart and was able to improve his pianos (exactly how is not known, but it may have been the result of Silbermann's encountering Cristofori's most mature instruments). The improved Silbermann pianos met with Bach's "complete approval" ("völlige Gutheißung"), and indeed a preserved sales voucher dated May 8, 1749 shows that Bach acted as an intermediary for Silbermann in the sale of one of his pianos.

Silbermann's pupils[link]

Silbermann's most important contribution to the piano may have been as the teacher of other builders. His nephew and pupil Johann Andreas Silbermann was the teacher of Johann Andreas Stein, who perfected the so-called "Viennese action", found in the pianos used by Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. Another group of Silbermann pupils were the so-called the "twelve apostles". These builders fled Germany during and after the time of chaos created by the Seven Years' War (1756-1763), migrating to England, where economic prosperity was creating new opportunities for instrument builders. The "twelve apostles" included Johannes Zumpe, whose invention of an affordable small square piano greatly popularized the instrument. They also included Americus Backers, one of the inventors of the "English action", which was a modified version of the Cristofori action.

Silbermann's role was crucial because, unlike other builders of his day, he refused to compromise on the quality of the action. Cristofori's action was complex and hard to build, leading many builders (e.g. Zumpe) to use instead a simplified, but clumsier action. Through Backers and others, the original conception of a complex but effective action survived. The English action was later modified and improved further by Sébastien Érard and Henri Herz to yield the action used in all grand pianos today. With the advent of industrial methods of manufacture, it ultimately became economical to include the complex modern action even in inexpensive pianos, thus vindicating Silbermann's original decision.

Silbermann's fame as a builder and teacher was such that for many decades he was regarded as the inventor of the piano; it was only with nineteenth century scholarship that this honor was restored to Cristofori.

References[link]

• The organ portion of this article is based on a translation from the German Wikipedia. The original is located here.
• For the piano portion, the following two reference works were relied on:
  • Good, Edwin M. (1982). Giraffes, black dragons, and other pianos : a technological history from Cristofori to the modern concert grand. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. 
  • Pollens, Stewart (1995). The Early Pianoforte. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• www.silbermann.org Gottfried-Silbermann-Society
• (German) Life of Silbermann
• (German) www.silbermannorgel-crostau.de Silbermann organ at Crostau

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There are many people in history who are commonly appended with the phrase "the Great", or who were called that or an equivalent phrase in their own language. Other languages have their own suffixes such as e Bozorg and e azam in Persian and Urdu respectively.

In Persia, the title "the Great" at first seems to be a colloquial version of the Old Persian title "Great King". This title was first used by the conqueror Cyrus II of Persia.^[1]

The Persian title was inherited by Alexander III of Macedon (336–323 BC) when he conquered the Persian Empire, and the epithet "Great" eventually became personally associated with him. The first reference (in a comedy by Plautus)^[2] assumes that everyone knew who "Alexander the Great" was; however, there is no earlier evidence that Alexander III of Macedon was called "the Great".

The early Seleucid kings, who succeeded Alexander in Persia, used "Great King" in local documents, but the title was most notably used for Antiochus the Great (223–187 BC).

Later rulers and commanders began to use the epithet "the Great" as a personal name, like the Roman general Pompey. Others received the surname retrospectively, like the Carthaginian Hanno and the Indian emperor Ashoka the Great. Once the surname gained currency, it was also used as an honorific surname for people without political careers, like the philosopher Albert the Great.

As there are no objective criteria for "greatness", the persistence of later generations in using the designation greatly varies. For example, Louis XIV of France was often referred to as "The Great" in his lifetime but is rarely called such nowadays, while Frederick II of Prussia is still called "The Great". A later Hohenzollern - Wilhelm I - was often called "The Great" in the time of his grandson Wilhelm II, but rarely later.

Rulers[link]

• Abbas I of Persia (1571–1629), Shah of Iran
• Akbar (1542–1605), ruler of the Mughal Empire of South Asia, mainly India
• Alain I of Albret (1440–1522), French aristocrat
• Alexander the Great (356-323 BC), King of Macedonia, Persia, Greece, Egypt, and all of Mesopotamia
• Alexander I of Georgia (1386–1446), King of Georgia
• Alfonso III of León (c. 848-910), King of León, Galicia and Asturias
• Alfred the Great (848/849-899), King of Wessex
• Antiochus III the Great (c. 241–187 BC), ruler of the Seleucid Empire
• Ashoka the Great (c. 304–232 BC), Indian emperor of the Maurya dynasty
• Ashot I of Iberia “the Great”(died 826/830), presiding prince of Iberia (modern Georgia),
• Askia Mohammad I (c. 1442–1538), ruler of the Songhai Empire
• Bhumibol Adulyadej (born 1927), King of Thailand
• Bolesław I Chrobry (967-1025), sometimes called "the Great", first King of Poland
• Bruno the Great (925–965), Archbishop of Cologne and Duke of Lotharingia (also listed in the following section)
• Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke (1736–1809), founder and ruler of the Rattanakosin Kingdom (in what is now Thailand)
• Cnut the Great (c. 985 or 995-1035), King of Denmark, England, Norway and parts of Sweden
• Casimir III the Great (1310–1370), King of Poland
• Catherine the Great (1729–1796), Empress of Russia
• Chandragupta II (reigned 375-413/415), also known as Vikramaditya, ruler of the Gupta empire in India
• Charlemagne (died 814), King of the Franks and Emperor of the Romans
• Chulalongkorn (1853–1910), King of Siam (now Thailand)
• Chlothar II (584-629), King of Neustria and King of the Franks
• Conrad, Margrave of Meissen (c. 1097-1157), Margrave of Meissen
• Constantine I (c. 272-337), Roman emperor
• Cyaxares the Great (c. 625-585 BC), third king of Media
• Cyrus the Great (c. 600 BC or 576 BC–530 BC), founder and ruler of the Persian or Achaemenid Empire
• Darius the Great (550 – 486 BC), third ruler of the Persian Empire
• Devapala (died 850), ruler of the Pala Empire in the Indian subcontinent
• Dionysius I, Greek tyrant of Syracuse^[3]
• Ferdinand I of León and Castile (c. 1015–1065), King of León and Count of Castile
• Frederick the Great (1712–1786), King of Prussia
• Genghis Khan (1162?-1227), founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire
• Gero (c. 900–965), ruler of Marca Geronis, a very large march in Europe
• Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden (1594–1632), King of Sweden, founder of the Swedish Empire, and noted military leader
• Gwanggaeto the Great, King of Goguryeo, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea^[4][5]
• Hanno the Great, the name of three leaders of Carthage, in the 4th, 3rd, and 2nd centuries BC
• Henry I, Duke of Burgundy (946–1002)
• Henry IV of France (1553–1610), King of France and King of Navarre
• Herod the Great (73/74 BC-4 BC), King of Judea
• Hugh the Great (898-956), Duke of the Franks and Count of Paris
• Hugh Magnus of France (1007–1025), co-King of France
• Hugh I, Count of Vermandois (1057–1101)
• Humphrey I de Bohun (died c. 1123), Anglo-Norman aristocrat
• Ivan III of Russia (1440–1505), Tsar of Russia
• John I of Portugal (1358–1433), King of Portugal and the Algarve
• John II of Aragon (1398–1479), King of Aragon and, through his wife, King of Navarre
• Justinian I (483-565), Byzantine Emperor
• Kamehameha I (c. 1758-1819), first King of Hawai'i
• Kanishka (died c. 127), ruler of the Kushan Empire in Central Asia and parts of India
• Kvirike III of Kakheti (1010–1029), King of Kakheti in eastern Georgia
• Kublai Khan (1215–1294), Mongol ruler in the 13th century and Emperor of China; founder of the Yuan Dynasty
• Llywelyn the Great (c. 1172–1240), Prince of Gwynedd and de facto ruler of most of Wales
• Louis I of Hungary (1326–1382), King of Hungary, Croatia and Poland
• Mangrai the Great (1238–1317), Lanna, northern Thailand
• Emperor Meiji (1852–1912), Emperor of Japan
• Mircea I of Wallachia (1355–1418)
• Mithridates II of Parthia (died 88 BC), ruler of the Parthian Empire (in present day Iran)
• Mithridates VI of Pontus (134 BC–63 BC), ruler of Pontus and the Bosporan Kingdom
• Mstislav I of Kiev (1076–1132), Grand Prince of Kievan Rus
• Naresuan (1555–1605), King of Ayutthaya
• Narai (1633–1688), King of Ayutthaya (in what is now modern Thailand)
• Odo the Great (died c. 735), Duke of Aquitaine
• Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor (912-973)
• K'inich Janaab' Pakal (603-683), ruler of the Mayan city-state of Palenque
• Parakramabahu I of Polonnaruwa (1123–1186), King of Sri Lanka
• Peter Krešimir IV of Croatia (died 1075), King of Croatia
• Peter the Great (1672–1725), Tsar of Russia
• Peter III of Aragon (1239–1285), King of Aragon and King of Sicily
• Pompey (106 BC-48 BC), military and political leader of the late Roman Republic, rival of Julius Caesar
• Radama I (1793–1828), first king of greater Madagascar
• Raja Raja Chola I (c. 947-1014), Indian emperor of the Cholas.^[6][7][8]
• Rajendra Chola I (reigned 1014–1044), Tamil King of India
• Ramesses II (reigned 1279 BC – 1213 BC), considered the greatest pharaoh of Ancient Egypt
• Ram Khamhaeng (around 1237 to 1247-1298), King of Sukhothai (in present day Thailand)
• Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona (1082–1131), also Count of Provence and various other counties
• Rhodri the Great (c. 820–878), King of Gwynedd (in present day Wales)
• Roman the Great (after 1160-1205), Grand Prince of Kiev
• Saladin (c. 1138-1193), Kurdish Sultan of Egypt and Syria, founder of the Ayyubid dynasty, and victor over the Crusaders
• Samudragupta (c. 335–375), ruler of the Gupta empire in the Indian subcontinent
• Sancho III of Navarre (c. 992-1035), King of Kingdom of Navarre
• Sargon of Akkad (died c. 2215 BC), ruler of the Akkadian Empire
• Sejong the Great (1397–1450), Korean king^[9]
• Shapur II (309-379), king of the Sassanid Empire, Persia
• Simeon I of Bulgaria (864/865-927), ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire
• Stephen III of Moldavia (1433–1504), Prince of Moldavia (Romania)
• Stephen Uroš IV Dušan of Serbia (c. 1308-1355), King of Serbia and Emperor of the Serbs and Greeks
• Taksin (1734–1782), King of the Thonburi Kingdom (Thailand)
• Tamar (1160-1123), Queen of the Georgian Empire
• Timur (1336–1405), better known as Tamerlane, founder of the Timurid Dynasty
• Theobald II, Count of Champagne (1090–1151), Count of Blois and of Chartres as Theobald IV, Count of Champagne and of Brie
• Theodoric the Great (454-526), King of the Ostrogoths, regent of the Visigoths and a viceroy of the Byzantine Empire
• Theodosius I (347-395), Roman emperor
• Tigranes the Great (140-55 BC), Emperor of Armenia
• Tiridates III of Armenia (285-339), King of Armenia
• Umar (c. 586 to 590–644), second caliph of the Muslim Empire
• Valdemar I of Denmark (1131–1182), King of Denmark
• Valentinian I (364-375), Roman Emperor
• Vladimir I of Kiev (c. 958-1015), ruler of Kievan Rus
• Vytautas (c. 1350-1430), archduke of the Lithuanian Grand Duchy
• William I, Count of Burgundy (1020–1087), Count of Burgandy and Mâcon
• William V, Duke of Aquitaine (969-1030), also Count of Poitou
• Xerxes I (519-465 BC), King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire (Persia)
• Yu the Great (c. 2200-2100 BC), legendary ruler in ancient China

Religious figures[link]

• Abraham the Great of Kashkar (ca. 492-586), monk and saint of the Assyrian Church of the East
• Abraham Kidunaia (died c. 366, hermit, priest, and Christian saint of Mesopotamia
• Albertus Magnus (1193/1206–1280), medieval German philosopher and theologian
• Anthony the Great (c. 251–356), early Christian saint of Egypt
• Babai the Great (c. 551–628), Assyrian church leader
• Basil of Caesarea (330-379), Greek bishop and theologian
• Bruno the Great (925–965), Archbishop of Cologne and Duke of Lotharingia (also listed in the previous section)
• Euthymius the Great (377-473), abbot and Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox saint
• Gertrude the Great (1256-c. 1302), German Benedictine, mystic, theologian and Roman Catholic saint
• Pope Gregory I (c. 540-604)
• Hiyya the Great, 3rd-century rabbi, Palestine
• Pope John Paul II (1920–2005)
• Pope Leo I (c. 391 or 400-461)
• Macarius of Egypt (c. 300-391), Egyptian hermit
• Pope Nicholas I (c. 800-867)
• Photius I of Constantinople (c. 810–c. 893), Eastern Orthodox saint and Patriarch of Constantinople
• William of Maleval (died 1157), founder of the Catholic congregation of Williamites

Other[link]

• Beli Mawr, a figure in medieval Welsh literature and genealogies
• Emmy the Great, folk singer
• Matteo Rosso the Great, Roman politician and father of Pope Nicholas III
• Prokop the Great, Hussite general in Bohemia

See also[link]

• Epithet
• List of monarchs by nickname
• List of nicknames of European Royalty and Nobility: G-I
• James, son of Zebedee, also known as James the Greater, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus
• Ajax (mythology), called Ajax the Greater
• Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, whose common honorific "Mahatma" means "Great Soul"

Notes[link]

Van Hansis
Born	Evan Vanfossen Hansis (1981-09-25) September 25, 1981 (age 30) North Adams, Massachusetts, US
Occupation	Film, television actor

Van Hansis (born Evan Vanfossen Hansis on September 25, 1981 in North Adams, Massachusetts) is an American actor. Hansis, who uses the name Van professionally, starred on the long-running CBS soap opera As the World Turns as Luke Snyder, the son of one of the show's signature supercouples, Holden and Lily Snyder (played by Jon Hensley and Martha Byrne, later Noelle Beck), although the character's biological father is Damian Grimaldi. Hansis made his first appearance on December 14, 2005, taking over the role from Jake Weary, and played the character until the end of the show's run, appearing in its final episode, which aired on September 17, 2010.

More recently, Hansis has had guest roles on television series and starred in a feature film, Occupant. In addition, he played the male lead role in a short film, Wedding Day (in production), produced by Peter Sterling.

Biography[link]

Hansis is originally from North Adams,^[1] but moved to Greenfield in the third grade when his mother became a principal in the Gill-Montague Regional School District.^[1] He attended Four Corners School and later the Greenfield Center School. Hansis began acting in theater camp as a child. He attended high school at a boarding school called Walnut Hill, in Natick, because, he says, he knew by then he wanted to be an actor "and it was a good school for that." He was able to flex his early acting muscles performing at the Shea Theater.

Hansis graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 2004, receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from the School of Drama. Prior to joining As The World Turns, he starred in the Broadway play The Laramie Project in Pittsburgh, among other stage shows. In 2006 he also starred in the short film The Time Machine. He has worked professionally at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts, in productions of On the Razzle, Twelfth Night, and The Indian Wants the Bronx. From Sept. 2007 to mid-January 2008 he appeared off-Broadway in a production of Charles Busch's Die, Mommie, Die! In 2007, he was nominated for his first Daytime Emmy Award. He received a second nomination in 2008 and a third in 2009.

In March 2010, Hansis was cast in his first movie, an independent horror movie titled "Occupant"^[2] that was filmed in late April and early May 2010. The film premiered on the opening night of the Gotham Screen Film Festival & Screenplay Contest on October 14, 2011 in New York City. On October 18, 2011, the film was released on-demand in many cable systems and on most digital platforms (i.e., iTunes, Amazon, Blockbuster, PlayStation) in the U.S. and Canada. A full list of providers, as well as trailers, interviews and other information can be viewed at the movie's website.

On October 26, 2011, Van Hansis was guest star on the series Psych (season 6) episode 3. He played the character Adrian Viccellio, a man with a rare blood disease who attempted to drain Lassiter's blood for his own use.

On November 4, 2011, Hansis was a guest star on the series Nikita (season 2) episode 7. He played Yuri Lavrov, a man from Alexandra's past who was sent to kill her.

On February 2, 2012, Hansis was a guest star on the series The Mentalist (season 4) episode 13. He played Derek, an aspiring fashion designer suspected of committing a murder.

Career[link]

As the World Turns[link]

Shortly after Hansis took over the role, the character came out as gay in a storyline in spring 2006. Luke subsequently became romantically involved with Noah Mayer (played by Jake Silbermann), a pairing hailed as the first gay supercouple in soap opera history, despite controversy about their storyline. In the last months of the show, after having broken up with Noah, Luke became romantically involved with Dr. Reid Oliver (played by Eric Sheffer Stevens), until Reid's death following an accident. Luke and Noah appeared together for the last time on the show's penultimate episode: Noah was preparing to move to Los Angeles to make a film, while Luke was remaining behind in Oakdale, still grief-stricken over the loss of Reid. It was not made clear whether Luke and Noah would ever renew their romance. Their final interaction ended with Noah inviting Luke to come to L.A. someday and then briefly kissing him in the WOAK newsroom in an homage to their first kiss, with which Hansis and Silbermann made television history in an episode that aired August 17, 2007, by portraying American daytime drama's first ever gay male kiss.

While many fans bemoaned the fact that the three gay characters ended up either alone or dead, in stark contrast to the happier resolutions provided for many of the heterosexual characters, Hansis noted in an interview that "Luke becomes the focused character of the end of the show, and he is a gay character", and sees Luke as "the point of view character for the wrapping up [of] this 54-year-old show." Hansis further noted that Luke "has got a whole life out there somewhere for him, and he is going to rise above these tragedies. I think it's in his character to do that."^[3]

Filmography[link]

Hansis starred as, Danny Hill, in the thriller Occupant. The film premiered on the opening night of the Gotham Screen Film Festival & Screenplay Contest on October 14, 2011 in New York City. On October 18, 2011, the film was released on-demand in many cable systems and on most digital platforms (i.e., iTunes, Amazon, Blockbuster, PlayStation) in the U.S. and Canada. A full list of providers, as well as trailers, interviews and other information can be viewed at the movie's website. The DVD is scheduled to be released at a later date.

Hansis also has the lead role in Wedding Day (in production), a short film produced by Peter Sterling and written by Shai Trichter. Hansis plays Chris, the former boyfriend of the bride who arrives at the rehearsal dinner after party and the joyous evening takes an unexpected turn.

Television[link]

On October 26, 2011, Van Hansis was guest star on the series Psych episode 3. He played the character Adrian Viccellio, a man with a rare blood disease who attempted to drain Lassiter's blood for his own use.

On November 4, 2011, Hansis was a guest star on the series Nikita episode 7. He played Yuri Lavrov, a man from Alexandra's past who was sent to kill her.

On February 2, 2012, Hansis guest starred on the series The Mentalist episode 13. He played Derek, a suspect in the murder of a fashion designer.

Complete Chronological Listing of Performances[link]

FILMS

Occupant , 2010 (Danny) (dir. Henry S. Miller)

The Lady Killer 2007 (Noah)(Student Film)

The Time Machine , 2006 (Jesse)(Spinset Production)

TELEVISION

The Mentalist - Red Is The New Black, 2012 (Derek)

Nikita – Clawback, 2011 (Yuri Lavrov)

Psych - This Episode Sucks, 2011 (Adrian Viccellio)

As The World Turns , 2005 to 2010 (Luke Snyder)

THEATER

Dance Dance Revolution (Wiggles), 2008 - New York (dir. Alex Timbers)

Die Mommie Die! (Lance Sussman), 2007- New York (dir. Carl Andress)

The Red Beard of Esau (reading), 2007- New York (dir. Alex Timbers)

Johnny Applef?%ker, 2007 - New York (dir. Stephen Brackett)

An Evening Honoring ‘The Laramie Project, 2006 – New York (dir. Moises Kaufman)

On The Razzle (Ragamuffin), 2005- Williamstown (dir. David Jones)

The Witching Hour (Dr. Scott/ Washington Otis), 2005 (dir. Amanda Charlton)- Willamstown

Polaroid Stories (Narcissus), 2004 – Williamstown

Twelfth Night – Williamstown

Blood on the Cat’s Neck – Williamstown

The Laramie Project, 2002 (Stephen Mead Johnson, Doc O'Connor) – Pittsburgh (dir. Jesse Berger)

Orpheus, 2002 – Pittsburgh/CMU

A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Flute) – Huntington Theatre, Boston

INTERNET

Henry Davis January 2007 (Zeke Farrow)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Van Hansis at the Internet Movie Database
• VanHansis.com: Fan Website
• Happy Birthday,Van Hansis! Facebook page A fan tribute in honor of Van Hansis.

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Jake Silbermann ( /ˈsɪlbərmən/; born on June 1, 1983) is an American actor.

Biography[link]

Silbermann was born June 1, 1983, and is a native of New York City. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in theater from Syracuse University, where he participated in many productions including Three Sisters and True West. He played a leading role in the 2006 film, Brunch of the Living Dead.

The 6'1" brown-haired, blue-eyed actor joined the cast of As the World Turns in March 2007 and attended the GLAAD Media Awards with co-stars Van Hansis and Jennifer Landon two months before he even aired. His on-air debut was on June 1, 2007, in the role of Noah Mayer. Noah's romance with Luke Snyder (Van Hansis) was a huge hit with fans and was featured on Entertainment Tonight.

Despite the fact that Silbermann identifies as straight, when asked if he was worried about playing gay in his first high-profile gig, Silbermann responded: "I didn't hesitate for a second." In fact, his excitement about playing Noah was only heightened after his experience at the aforementioned GLAAD gala. "It was emotional. People are very excited about this," Silbermann says, "and it was great being at the awards and feeling that and realizing that this is more than a role".

Prior to joining the cast of As the World Turns, he appeared in a national television ad campaign for Gillette Fusion Power. In his spare time, he enjoys working out and cooking.

Career[link]

[edit] As the World Turns

Silbermann joined the CBS soap opera As the World Turns as Noah Mayer, on June 1, 2007, which was also his 24th birthday. With Luke Snyder (played by Van Hansis), Silbermann's character was part of a pairing hailed as the first gay male soap opera supercouple despite controversy about their storyline.

Primetime appearances[link]

On April 28, 2008, Silbermann appeared on an episode of Gossip Girl, "Desperately Seeking Serena".

Commercials and modeling[link]

Silbermann has appeared in a 2010 AT&T commercial. Silbermann is signed with Robyn Ziegler Management, DNA Model Management in New York City.

Other projects[link]

Silbermann produced and wrote the script for Stuffer, a short film which is currently being shown at film festivals throughout America.

External links[link]

• Jake Silbermann at the Internet Movie Database
• AfterElton.com Interview with Jake Silbermann