‘GENERATION GAP’ CAST BIOS EDWARD ASNER (Bart Cahill) - Versatile, committed, eloquent and talented are all adjectives that describe actor/activist Ed Asner. Perhaps best known for his comedic and dramatic crossover as the gruff but soft-hearted journalist Lou Grant, the role he originated on the landmark TV news room comedy “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and continued in the newspaper-set drama “Lou Grant” -- which earned him five Emmys® and three Golden Globe® Awards. Asner received two more Emmy® and Golden Globe® Awards for the mini-series’ “Rich Man, Poor Man” and “Roots.” His prolific and much honored acting career demonstrates a consummate ability to transcend the line between comedy and drama. One of the most honored actors in the history of television; Asner has been the recipient of seven Emmy® Awards and 16 nominations, as well as five Golden Globe® Awards and served as National President of the Screen Actors Guild for two terms. He was inducted into the TV Academy Hall of Fame in 1996. Asner received the Ralph Morgan Award from the Screen Actors Guild in 2000 -- presented periodically for distinguished service to the Guild's Hollywood membership. In March 2002, he was again honored by The Guild as the 38th recipient of the prestigious Life Achievement Award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment, presented annually to an actor who fosters the highest ideals of the profession. In addition to his professional versatility, Asner has consistently served and committed himself to the rights of the working performer in addition to advocating for human rights, world peace, environmental preservation and political freedom. A passionate and informed spokesperson for the causes he supports, Asner is a frequent speaker on labor issues and a particular ally for the acting industry's older artists. Some of the many honors he has received throughout his career include the Anne Frank Human Rights Award, The Eugene Debs Award, Organized Labor Publications Humanitarian Award, ACLU's Worker's Right's Committee Award and the National Emergency Civil Liberties Award. Asner has more than 100 TV credits, which include starring in the series “Off the Rack,” “The Bronx Zoo” and “Thunder Alley.” Numerous guest appearances include roles in “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “ER,” “Arliss,” “The Practice” and a recurring role on “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.” Besides commercials and numerous books on tape, he has lent his voice to popular animated shows such as “The Simpsons,” “Spiderman” and “Boondocks.” Asner's dozens of motion picture roles include “They Call Me Mister Tibbs!,” “Fort Apache the Bronx,” “JFK” and the box office hit “Elf,” with Will Farrell and James Caan. He also appeared in the European production of “Giovanni XXIII” - the highest rated television mini-series in the history of Italian TV. Additionally, Asner has (more) HALLMARK CHANNEL / “Generation Gap” – Cast Bios – Page 2 starred in several Hallmark movies and was nominated for another Emmy® for one of those projects, entitled “The Christmas Card.” Most recently, he completed filming for “Gigantic” with John Goodman and Jane Alexander and currently is lending his voice to next year’s animated Pixar film, “Up.” # # # RUE McCLANAHAN (Kay) - Rue McClanahan, best known for her role as Blanche in NBC’s hit comedy series “The Golden Girls,” is an Emmy® Award winning actress who has had numerous memorable television and film roles. McClanahan’s television credits include CBS’ “Maude,” NBC’s “Mama’s Family” and the WB’s “Safe Harbor.” McClanahan was nominated for an Emmy® Award four times as best actress in a comedy series for her role in “The Golden Girls,” for which she won the award in 1987. She was also nominated for four Golden Globe® Awards for the role and won the Golden Apple Award. Her film credits include a role in “The Fighting Temptations” with Cuba Gooding Jr. and Beyonce Knowles and a starring role opposite Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau in their final comic collaboration, “Out to Sea.” McClanahan’s Broadway credits include “Wicked” and the acclaimed “Vagina Monologues.” She will also be starring in the new television series “Sordid Lives” on the Logo Channel. McClanahan is a breast cancer survivor who travels all over the country giving her speech, entitled “Aging Gracefully.” She was awarded the Gilda Radner Courage Award for her dedication to this important cause. Her autobiography, My First Five Husbands, was released early this year to rave reviews. McClanahan lives in Manhattan with her husband, Morrow Wilson. # # # ALEX BLACK (Dylan Statlan) - Alex Black is a native Californian who has been acting professionally since the age of six. He garnered attention almost immediately, winning a Young Artist Award early on for his work in the series "Charmed" and has worked extensively and consistently in both the feature and television arena. Kids everywhere know Black from his long-running role as Seth Powers on the hit Nickelodeon series "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide.” The young actor also had a recurring role in the Emmy Award winning Showtime series "Huff” and a supporting (more) HALLMARK CHANNEL / “Generation Gap” – Cast Bios – Page 3 lead in the telefilm "The David Cassidy Story" (he played Patrick Cassidy). Black also has extensive television episodic credits (“E.R.,” “CSI Miami,” among others) on his resume. Some notable feature film credits include "13 Going On 30" (playing the young Jennifer Garner's love interest) and "Bubble Boy,” with Jake Gyllenhaal. Black enjoys donating his time to children's charities, including his nine year involvement with Kids with a Cause. In addition, he has served three terms on the Youth Advisory Board. Black graduated from high school in June 2007. He enjoys snowboarding, basketball and golf. His favorite game is Guitar Hero, which he often plays with his older brother, Tony. # # # DANIELLE SAVRE (Jenny) – Nineteen-year-old Danielle Savre played the title role of Kaya in MTV’s first scripted series “Kaya.” She stars in the upcoming film “American Primitive,” opposite Josh Peck, Stacey Dash and Tate Donovan. Other feature credits include “Boogeyman 2,” “In the Land of Women” and “Bring It On: All or Nothing.” The young actress also counts series regular work on “Heroes” and “Summerland” among her credits, as well as appearances on numerous popular television series including “Charmed,” “Malcolm in the Middle” and “CSI.” Savre is currently recording her own album. Her hobbies include snowboarding, snow and water-skiing, soccer, horseback riding, surfing, dancing and gymnastics. # # # CATHERINE MARY STEWART (Veronica Statlan) - Catherine Mary Stewart was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and comes from a very strong academic family. Before retiring, her mother, Mary, was a physiologist, her father, (John) Ralph Nursall, was a renowned marine biologist from the University of Alberta. Her brother, Alan, was the Science Director at Science North in Sudbury, Canada; and now runs his own consulting business. He appears regularly on “Daily Planet,” a nationally-broadcast science news program on Discovery Channel Canada. Her second brother, John, is a freelance writer and has directed and produced multiple documentary projects. Rather than follow in the footsteps of her parents, Stewart chose a completely different direction. She started dancing at age seven and was extremely serious about it. She joined the (more) HALLMARK CHANNEL / “Generation Gap” – Cast Bios – Page 4 professional dance company "Synergy" at age 16 and toured Canada, the Middle East and Europe. At 19, she moved to London to further that career. For the next two years, in addition to dance, she studied drama, singing, dialects, etc. It was during this period that she landed her first motion picture role in the Menaham Golan musical, “The Apple” (1980). However, it was Stewart’s move to Los Angeles that really catapulted her career to the next level. She was cast in "Days of Our Lives” and originated the role of Kayla Brady. Stewart has since added numerous other television credits to her resume, both in series and telefilms. She also starred in the Sci-Fi film “The Last Starfighter,” as well as “Night of the Comet.” Other feature film credits include “Weekend at Bernie’s,” “Nighthawks” and “Mischief.” Stewart continues to delight her fans all over the world by doing what she loves to do. # # # JACK CONLEY (Johnny) – Jack Conley recently finished work on “The Fast and the Furious IV” and “G-Force,” a Jerry Bruckheimer production starring Nicolas Cage and Penelope Cruz that will be released in 2010. He most recently was seen co-starring in “Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay” and will be guest-starring on upcoming episodes of the hit series’ “House” and “Saving Grace.” Conley’s extensive television credits include many recurring roles on such series as “NYPD Blue,” “Angel,” “Big Day,” and “Freaks and Geeks.” He has appeared in several other movies that have aired on the Hallmark Channel, including “Detective,” “McBride” and “Johnson County War.” Conley has acted opposite some of the most respected names in the business, including Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Bruce Willis, Emma Thompson, John C. Reilly, and Alan Rickman. He has also worked for notable directors, including Curtis Hanson, Steven Soderbergh, Barry Sonnenfeld and Harold Becker, to name a few. Conley maintains his craft by performing on stage whenever possible, appearing most recently in lead roles in “The House of Blue Leaves,” “Sideman,” “Roger and Vanessa” and “Translations.” A blues aficionado, Conley keeps busy at the Kibbitz Room every second Saturday night with Scott Columbys’ Disciples of Redemption. He lives with his wife, Francesca and three cats in East Los Angeles. # # # (more) HALLMARK CHANNEL/ “Generation Gap” – Cast Bios – Page 5 RALPH WAITE (Chick) - Ralph Waite is probably best know for stalwart TV father homesteader John Walton, a character that will endure in the hearts of family-oriented viewers for decades to come.