AMY LYNN BEST
 Amy Lynn Best has been called a "triple threat" in the independent horror film community as an actress, director and producer on the films "Severe Injuries" and "Splatter Movie: The Director's Cut". Her other film roles include "The Resurrection Game", "A Feast of Flesh" and the upcoming "George A. Romero Presents Deadtime Stories". In addition, she writes an ongoing column for Sirens of Cinema Magazine and co-created the popular women-in-horror website Pretty/Scary. You can visit her on the web at www.amylynnbest.net
CONRAD BROOKS
Dubbed the "John Gielgud of bad films" by Director Tim Burton, Conrad
Brooks is a 50-year horror movie veteran, appearing in nearly 200 films,
including 6 by legendary B-Movie director Ed Wood. Born in Baltimore, Conrad
switched coasts as a young man, moving to Hollywood to pursue a career in
films. There he met Ed Wood, and went on to appear in Plan 9 from Outer
Space, Bride of the Monster, Glen or Glenda, Sinister Urge, Jailbait, Night
of the Ghouls, The Beast of Yucca Flats, and countless others from the golden
age of film horror. Brooks worked with the top names in the horror industry,
including Bela Lugosi, Vincent Price, Tor Johnson, Vampira, and Criswell.
Later, he appeared in Fred Olen Ray’s Bikini Drive-in, starred with Vernon
Wells in Misfit Patrol, and played the bartender serving Johnny Depp in Tim
Burton's Ed Wood. Conrad remains very active to this day, producing and
directing his own line of Ed Wood styled B-Horror movies including the
Jan-Gel and Gypsy Vampire series. As a working actor, he continues to star in
current films, most recently in the upcoming Film Noir epic Taste of
Desperation, where he plays a devious landlord tied into a murderous mafia
plot.
DAVID CRAWFORD
David Crawford played Dr. Foster in George Romero's original Dawn of the
Dead, Diane Lane's father in Lady Beware, the cop in Bill Hinzman's Flesh Eater,
The Rev in Bill Schotten's Sabbath and many other roles. He has been an actor,
mostly on stage, all his life.
GWENDOLYN
Gwendolyn is the founder of the horror film production company Deadly
Underground Studios and the clothing company Zombie Apparel. An Ohio native,
she has coordinated over two dozen fashion shows and has produced, directed,
and written two feature length films: 2004's "Outside of Nowhere" and the
2007 dark comedy-horror "Edge of Midnight", in which she co-stars along with
area horror stars Amy Lynn Best, Robyn Griggs, Bill Homan, Tina Jane
Goldfarb, and Nic Pesante. Currently, she is working on a compilation of
short films, which includes the vampire noir "The Vamp Wore White" and the
Kurosawa-inspired horror-comedy "In a Zombie's House".
BRIAN HARNOIS
Brian Harnois is one of the stars of the Sci-Fi Channel's hit reality
show "Ghost Hunters" and the new “Ghost Hunters: International.” Harnois
originated the catch phrase "Dude, Run!" for Ghost Hunters when he and a
camera man ran out of the Eastern State Penitentiary after witnessing an
apparition. Brian became interested in the paranormal at the age of 11, when
he witnessed a full body apparition while sleeping over at a childhood
friend's home. He has studied the paranormal ever since, including but not
limited to the technical and scientific aspects. Having participated in well
over 500 paranormal investigations, Brian claims to have witnessed almost
every kind of paranormal activity generally accepted as identifiable,
including apparitions, shadows, levitation, and even exorcisms. In his new
series, Brian travels the world in search of signs of the supernatural.
“Ghost Hunters: International” which debuted in January, ranked as the
highest rated cable show of the night and as the Sci-Fi Channel’s highest
rated reality show ever.
CLAYTON HILL
Clayton Hill started entertaining at an early age. When he was six
years old he sang in beer gardens with 3 piece combos where they would throw
money at him. When he was a teenager he sang on the radio station, WTAE,
Pittsburgh on Saturday mornings in front of crowds of thousands of people. He
went into the Air Force for four years and sang with swing bands at the
officers and service clubs. When he was discharged, he immediately started
acting and singing in plays on the stage in Pittsburgh. He was particularly
in operettas where he sang and danced. He went to drama school for 2
semesters at the Pittsburgh Playhouse/Point Park College and appeared in many
student productions. Clayton then landed a role as lead zombie in George
Romero's; DAWN OF THE DEAD where he was also weapons coordinator. He is
known as sweater zombie in the United States and escalator zombie in Germany.
He has had speaking roles in many movies such as; All The Right Moves, with
Tom Cruise; Lady Beware, with Diane Lane; Knightriders, with Ed Harris;
Hellraisers III with Terry Farrell; Kid Brother with Caitlin Clarke; Silent
Witness with Valerie Bertinnelli; Marias Lovers with Robert Mitchum; The
Fish That Saved Pittsburgh with Stockard Channing; Rappin with Mario Van
Peebles; and Death Penalty with Colleen Dewhurst. Clayton was featured in
such movies as Gung Ho with Michael Keaton; Mrs. Soffell with Mel Gibson;
Stuck with Each Other with Tyne Daly, and Children of the Corn II where he
also did stunts. Clayton has worked with such directors as George Romero,
where he was 2nd assistant director for the movie, Knightriders and Ron
Howard, etc. He has cast over 25 movies as Location Casting Director along
with his wife, Sharon. (See bio for Sharon Ceccatti) - Hill. Clayton has done
location scouting for movies in many cities and in other countries, such as
Spain & Morocco. Claytons wife, Sharon was an assistant to David
Copperfield. Clayton traveled with the crew and appeared in Illusions with
David one on one in Caesars Palace in Lake Tahoe, Atlantic City and Las
Vegas. He appeared in other countries such as Germany, Spain, Czech Republic
and many others.
SHARON CECCATTI-HILL
Sharon Ceccatti-Hill began her career in show business singing and
dancing on stage in the Pittsburgh area, performing mostly in operettas.
Sharon Ceccatti-Hill is best known for playing the LEAD ZOMBIE NURSE in the
most remembered horror movie, DAWN OF THE DEAD a George Romero film.
Sharons picture is on the cover of the original VHS. She has become a horror
zombie legend all across Europe especially in Germany and is featured as such
on posters and many books in Germany. Sharon is scheduled for appearances in
Germany in December 2003. Some of the other films that she has appeared in
are, Hellraiser III, Knightriders, Marias Lovers, Death Penalty, Silent
Witness and Kid Brother (which won awards at the Montreal Film Festival) and
many more. Sharon has had a long career over 20 years as a movie and location
casting director casting principles, day players and extras. She has cast
such films as, Dominick and Eugene, starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Ray
Liotta; Lady Beware, starring Diane Lane and Michael Woods; Gung Ho,
starring Michael Keaton; Mrs.Soffell, starring Diane Keaton and Mel Gibson;
and All The Right Moves starring Tom Cruise, Leah Thompson and Craig T.
Nelson. She has worked with directors such as Ron Howard, George Romero,
Michael Chapman, Andrei Konchalovsky, and many more. From there she became
Assistant Director of Operations for eight years at a 26,000 seat
amphitheatre where she had an office backstage where she could keep a handle
on all theatre activities. During the season she had approximately 450 people
working for her during the shows. Approximately 800,000 people would attend
the concerts in a summer. Some of the acts that came thru were Billy Joel,
Phil Collins, Janet Jackson, Van Halen, Jimmy Buffett, AC DC, Rod Stewart,
Ozzy Osbourne, Brooks & Dunn, Steve Miller, Neil Young, Reba McIntyre,
and many more. Moving on and joining the DAVID COPPERFIELD TOUR the worlds
greatest magician as his personal assistant appearing on stage with him
traveling all over the world to Hungary, Czech Republic, Chile, Argentina,
Venezuela, Spain, Mexico, Canada, Switzerland and 11 cities in Germany,
putting on 500 shows a year. Playing Caesar Palace in Las Vegas, Atlantic
City and Lake Tahoe were the most exciting 3 months out of the year. Since
then, Sharon has been scouting locations for movies. The most interesting
scouting was for a month in Spain and some days in Morocco looking primarily
for bullrings. Occasionally being sent movie scripts, breaking down parts to
see who is best suited to appear in the movie.
KANE HODDER
Kane Hodder is best known for his portrayal as the machete-wielding
maniac "Jason Voorhees" in 4 of the "Friday the 13th" movies. "Part 7", "Part
8", "Jason Goes to Hell" and "Jason X". He is the only actor to have played
the character more than once. Kane is also a professional stuntman who has
appeared in over 150 films and television shows such as "Monster", "The
Devil's Rejects", "Daredevil", "Enemy of the State", "Gone in 60 Seconds",
"Batman Forever", "Hatchet", "Lethal Weapon III", "Alias", "Charmed",
"Walker, Texas Ranger" and "Nash Bridges". Despite the fact that Kane has
portrayed numerous psychos, maniacs and killers, you will find him to be very
friendly…or else…
JIM KRUT
Jim is the HELICOPTER ZOMBIE from the horror classic Dawn of the Dead.
In one of the most memorable scenes from George Romero’s classic “Dawn of the
Dead,” a helicopter blade slashes the top off zombie Jim Krut’s head. The
Bravo TV Network has featured it as one of the Top 100 Scariest Movie
Moments. For Gary Ugarek’s film “Trapped,” scheduled for release in late
2008, Jim plays the evil dude behind the zombie uprising. “Just love it!” he
says. He also has two roles in the 2008 “Zombthology” project, which features
four separate zombie shorts from independent filmmakers. Jim also stars in
“Squirrel,” a horror film by Roger Arnold scheduled for 2008 showings at
horror film festivals. Additionally, Jim acted in the eclectic 2006
independent film “The Guatemalan Handshake” (now released on DVD), and has a
cameo role in G. Joe Shelby's production of "The Green Man," also still in
production. On stage in Gettysburg, he has starred in plays such as
“Dracula,” “American Buffalo,” “The Zoo Story” and “Rats,” and directed plays
including “Vincent” and “Dracula.” A former actor with two Pittsburgh theatre
companies, he performed extensively in the United States, did tech work with
The Living Theatre and performed at Scotland’s Edinburgh Theatre Festival. A
communications executive, he has edited a magazine, won national awards for
his writing and photography, taught workshops on writing and design, and
enjoys radio, photography and video.
LEONARD LIES
Leonard Lies started working as a professional on the cult horror
classic, George Romero's Dawn of the Dead. His image as the Machete Zombie in
Dawn of the Dead has become a global horror icon. Leonard frequently
corresponds with fans from Japan, Germany, France, and the UK., and of course
throughout the U.S. His image is featured on a DVD contained in the new Dawn
of the Dead 4 disc set and on the 1st cover of the new Dawn of the Dead comic
series released in April 2004. Behind the zombie image is a serious film
producer and writer who is presently developing and producing "Reign of the
Dead", a zombie lover's film, based on a horror novel by his close friend and
associate Len Barnhart. The novel, Reign of the dead, with Leonard's new
zombie face splattered on the front cover, is gaining lots of "buzz" from
fans of the genre. Through his own production company Dream Catchers Films,
Inc., Leonard has also developed and written an ambitious production entitled
CHAINS OF POWER, an intense drama about psychiatric survivors, The One Flew
Over the Cuckoo's Nest of the 2000s; and he is also developing with his
friend and associate Alex Strang THE FABULOUS ADVENTURES OF MR. BUCKETHEAD, a
live action superhero with a comic twist. Mr. Buckethead, who has a bucket
for a head, spends much of his time saving the world from a variety of
monsters, intergalactic aliens, and interdimensional 'strange people. On a
more serious note Leonard is presently producing a nationally syndicated
documentary television series, entitled "No Grey Hair". Each segment will
feature African American role models whose impact on the African Community is
both motivational and inspirational.
TOM SAVINI
Born in Pittsburgh, Tom Savini is an American actor, stunt man,
director and award-winning special effects and makeup artist. Savini is
primarily known for his groundbreaking work in the field of special makeup
effects. He got his breakthrough working with Pittsburgh filmmaker George A.
Romero, providing a the wrist slashing effects in the opening scenes of
Martin (1977). The following year, working with an expanded budget on Dawn of
the Dead, Savini created his signature palate of severed limbs and
bite-marks. Some say the gore effects in Dawn have been widely imitated but
never bettered for sheer visceral impact, with the possible exception of
Savini's own work in Day of the Dead. Savini has also worked his special
effects magic on films by Dario Argento, Tobe Hooper and others.Perhaps
Savini's most noteworthy special effects occurred in the first installment of
Friday the 13th. Savini has also acted in numerous films. He played the
menacing biker called 'Blades' in Dawn of the Dead , a role he reprised with
a brief cameo appearance in the 2005 continuation of the series, Land of the
Dead. He also had a cameo as a sheriff in the 2004 remake of Dawn. Savini had
a more prominent role as biker/Renaissance fair participant Morgan in George
Romero's Knightriders, and had a small role as a biker in The Boy Who Loved
Trolls.. He played the whip-wielding, vampire-fighting biker 'Sex Machine' in
the 1996 Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez film From Dusk Till Dawn and in
2007, Tom took on a role in Planet Terror directed by Robert Rodriguez. He
played Deputy Tolo, who tries to save his town from an infestation of
zombies. Currently Savini is filming a role in which he plays a vampire in
the movie Lost Boys 2: The Tribe and has just completed the film The Dead
Matter, also featuring Andrew Divoff and Jim O'Rear. Savini runs the Special
Effects Make-Up Program at the Douglas Education Center in Monessen,
Pennsylvania and is the author of several books on special effects. You can
check out Tom’s official website at www.savini.com and you can check out his special effects school
at www.douglas-school.com
FRANK SERRAO
One of Frank's first professional acting parts was a lead zombie in George Romero's Dawn of the Dead. He went on to work at WQED-TV on two film projects: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court and Shakespeare's Hamlet, portraying the character Bernardo. Frank has appeared in many of the television and feature films produced in Pittsburgh like: Two Evil Eyes,The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh, Diabolique, Striking Distance,and Passed Away. He has also worked behind the scenes as a transportation department member on Citizen Cohn, Monkey Shines: An Experiment in Fear, The Jacksons':An American Dream, No Place like Home, Money for Nothing, and much more. Frank is also a middle school language arts teacher.
G. JOE SHELBY
Joe portrayed a motorcycle raider and Martinez, a "chinco looter" in
the horror classic Dawn of the Dead. Joe wore many hats during the film
production including that of assistant Make-Up artist. Joe has worked on over
50 movies doing such varied jobs as casting, acting, stunts, make-up
director, extra, SFX and more.
NICK TALLO
Nick portrayed on of the motorcycle raiders in Dawn of the Dead. He
has also appeared in the Romero classics Day of the Dead and Creepshow as
well as the Savini remake of Night of the Living Dead. He has worked in
entertainment for 35 years. He served as floor director for Mister Rogers'
Neighborhood in the 60's and worked on such films as Two Evil Eyes and The
Christmas Tree. Nick also appeared in the Moth Man Prophesy with Richard
Gere.
MIKE WATT
Mike Watt is a screenwriter, journalist and director, best known for the "zombie-noir", "The Resurrection Game" (which had its Pittsburgh Premiere at Comicon in 2004). As a journalist, Mike has written for Fangoria Magazine, Film Threat, Femme Fatales, Cinefantastique and is the current editor of Sirens of Cinema Magazine. His screenwriting credits include "A Feast of Flesh", "Splatter Movie: The Director's Cut", "Dead Men Walking" and G. Cameron Romero's "The Screening". He can be found at www.mike-watt.net and www.sirensofcinema.com
|