‘THE CHRISTMAS CHOIR’
CAST BIOS
JASON GEDRICK (Peter Brockman) – Jason Gedrick got his first acting break in his native Chicago when the film “Bad Boys,” starring Sean Penn, was filmed on location there. Then a high school student, he landed a role as an extra and Penn's encouragement inspired him to pursue acting.
Gedrick soon landed leading roles in several films, including “Iron Eagle,” “Stacking” and “The Heavenly Kid.” He went on to co-star with Meg Ryan and Kiefer Sutherland in “Promised Land.” His other feature film credits include Ron Howard's “Backdraft,” Oliver Stone’s “Born on the Fourth of July,” and Mike Binder’s “Crossing the Bridge.” He simultaneously pursued stage work, starring on Broadway in Our Town with Don Ameche and Helen Hunt, as well as in the Off-Broadway production of Mrs. Dally has a Lover with Judith Ivey.
In television, Gedrick starred as murder defendant Neal Avedon in Stephen Bochco's “Murder One” series and then went on to star in the critically acclaimed CBS series “EZ Streets.” Then Gedrick starred with Danny Aiello and Joe Mantegna in Mario Puzo's “The Last Don,” a six-hour mini-series which was a huge rating success for CBS. This led to his starring role in Mario Puzo's “The Last Don II.” Gedrick played the series lead on the CBS drama “Falcone,” based on the feature film “Donnie Brasco.” He starred on the critically acclaimed NBC series “Boomtown” and most recently, in the NBC series “Windfall.”
In 2005, Gedrick was on stage again opposite Hector Elizondo in Wrong Turn at Lungfish directed by Gary Marshall for The Falcon Theater. His recent television work includes Hallmark’s “Hidden Places,” A&E’s “Kings of South Beach,” and Lifetime’s “Wisegal.” Gedrick has appeared in the independent features “Jesus, Mary & Joey” and “One-Eyed King,” directed by Oscar® winner Bobby Moresco, and he recently wrapped “Shannon’s Rainbow,” starring opposite Claire Forlani, Eric Roberts and his “Iron Eagle” co-star Louis Gossett Jr.
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RHEA PERLMAN (Sister Agatha) – Emmy®–winning actress Rhea Perlman has been a star of television, stage and film for more than 30 years.
This past summer, Perlman stared in Jan Schütte’s “Love Comes Lately,” earning praise for her role as Reisel, a long-suffering lover.
Perlman next stars in Mike Elliott’s family film “Beethoven: The Reel Story” for Universal Home Entertainment. She plays a movie producer in the long-running franchise.
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Perlman is a four-time Emmy Award winner for her role as Carla on the NBC hit “Cheers.” She was nominated an unprecedented 10 times over the 11 year series and appeared in all 273 episodes.
Her other television credits include “Law & Order: SVU,” “Kate Brasher” and “Pearl,” in which she was both the star and executive producer.
Perlman has starred in more than 15 television movies, including “Houdini,” “Secret Cutting” and “How to Marry a Billionaire.” Her feature film credits include “Sunset Park,” “Canadian Bacon,” “Carpool” and “Matilda,” which co-starred her husband, Danny DeVito.
Perlman starred in the Broadway production of The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife, the off- Broadway play The Exonerated and the London West End revival of Boeing-Boeing. Her performance as the forbearing housekeeper, Bertha, earned rave reviews from critics and fans alike.
Perlman began writing children’s books in 2005, producing a series entitled Otto Pillip: Undercover, about a precocious young secret agent who loves wordplay and palindromes.
Born in Brooklyn, Perlman graduated from Hunter College in New York with a Theatre degree and was later awarded an honorary doctorate degree in Fine Arts. She is a mother of three and well-known children’s advocate recognized for her involvement in a variety of charities, including LA’s Best, CASA and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Diabetes Center. A champion of children’s literacy, she also helps promote public libraries.
Perlman lives with her family in Los Angeles.
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TYRONE BENSKIN (Bob) – Tyrone Benskin has been a part of the Canadian and international cultural landscape for over 20 years now, and he shows no signs of slowing down. Studying theater at the university level in Montreal, Benskin has become a significant presence in theater, film, television and music. His theater credits include feature appearances on such celebrated stages as the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, the National Arts Centre and the Centaur Theatre in Montreal. His many acclaimed performances include Mr. M in the South African play My Children My Africa and the 71-year-old Nelson Williams Johns in the Black Theatre Workshop and Centaur productions of Wade in the Water.
His more than 70 film and television credits include the CTV/Lifetime TV movie “Mind Over Murder,” TNT’s “The Wool Cap” and the civil rights drama “Deacons for Defense” opposite Forrest Whitaker and the late Ossie Davis. Benskin can also be seen in the NBC mini-series “10.5: Apocalypse” and as Karl Lubinsky in the hit sci-fi series “Charlie Jade,” which airs in
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Canada, South Africa, France and Japan. His feature films include “Jack Paradise” and the blockbuster “300.”
Benskin’s voice may be recognizable, as he has voiced a number of commercials and has lent his tones to such animated characters as Kobalt in “Flash Gordon” and Rousso in the Muppet- style pre-school series “Whimzie’s House.”
Benskin is a published songwriter and composer, as well as a director and writer. He also sits as President of the Board of Creations, Etc., a youth arts and outreach organization. He is a National and Executive Councillor for the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA), Canada’s national actors union, and he is currently the Artistic Director of Black Theatre Workshop, Canada’s oldest black theater company.
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MARIANNE FARLEY (Marilyn) – By the time she was 19, Marianne Farley knew her career would take place under the lights. She recorded an album in Quebec from which several songs made the Top 10. In the wake of this achievement, she recorded an adaptation of her CD, Histoire Sans Prénom, for the French market. But acting had always been her passion, so she decided to focus her energy on becoming a film actor. Her talent was quickly recognized. Farley began with parts on shows for young people like “Big Wolf on Campus,” “Vampire High” and “Seriously Weird.” Then, being fully bilingual in English and French, she became a librarian in “Macaroni Tout Garni,” a very popular children’s show. Following this, she had a starring role in the thriller “La Peau Blanche” (“White Skin”), which won the Best First Feature Film Award at the Toronto Film Festival and the Claude Jutras Award at the Genies.
Following this success she landed major roles in “Les Invincibles” and “Nos Étés,” two prime- time series in Québec. In the U.S., she played in “The Dead Zone” and had supporting roles in TV movies “Forbidden Secrets” and “No Brother of Mine.” Farley can be seen in the upcoming series “Le Gentleman,” where she will play the lead female character. She will soon begin work on “Les Lucides,” a Quebecois feature film.
Farley has also produced four short films.
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