This Is a Test
‘ANNIE CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN’
CAST BIOS
MARIA THAYER (Annie) – A native of Oregon, actress Maria Thayer is best known for her comedic roles on blockbuster films ―Forgetting Sarah Marshall,‖ alongside Kristen Bell and Jason Segel, ―Accepted,‖ ―Hitch‖ and ―Strangers with Candy,‖ both the movie and the television series. After her turn in ―Forgetting Sarah Marshall‖ as a Mormon newlywed opposite ―30 Rock‖ star Jack McBrayer, she reunited with McBrayer again on his hit NBC show, playing his character’s shallow love interest, Jennifer, on a 2009 Valentine’s Day episode.
Her resume boasts additional roles in Universal Picture’s ―State of Play,‖ playing Sonia, a mistress of a congressman played by Ben Affleck, and guest spots on several series, including ―Will & Grace,‖ ―The Colbert Report,‖ ―Nip/Tuck,‖ ―Important Things with Demetri Martin,‖ ―Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,‖ ―Lipstick Jungle,‖ ―30 Rock,‖ ―House M.D.‖ and ―Traffic Light.‖
Currently, Thayer stars with Chris Elliott in the Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim comedy series, ―Eagleheart,‖ which parodies cop shows with humorous violence. Thayer has just finished filming the feature ―Let Go,‖ with David Denman and Gillian Jacobs.
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VICKI LAWRENCE (Mrs. Claus) – Multi-talented Vicki Lawrence was born in Inglewood, California where she excelled in dancing and singing, was a cheerleader and was voted ―Most Likely to Succeed‖ by her graduating class. From 1965 to 1967 Lawrence sang with the Young Americans musical group and also appeared in the feature film ―The Young Americans‖ which won an Academy Award® for Best Documentary.
During her senior year of high school, Lawrence sent Carol Burnett a letter including a local newspaper article mentioning their resemblance. Lawrence invited Burnett to the local fire department’s ―Miss Fireball Contest‖ in which she was performing. Burnett, looking for an actress to play her kid sister on her new variety series, contacted Lawrence and made arrangements to come to the event, and the rest is television history. ―The Carol Burnett Show‖ premiered in the fall of 1967; the same year Lawrence entered University of California Los Angeles to study theater arts. She spent eleven years with Burnett, earning one Emmy® Award and five Emmy® nominations.
After the Burnett show ended, Lawrence went on to star in her own TV series, ―Mama’s Family‖ with Ken Berry, Dorothy Lyman, Beverly Archer and Allan Kayser. The last original episode was made in January of 1990, completing five years of first-run syndication. Shortly thereafter, Lawrence became one of the few successful female game show hosts when she took on the daytime network-version of ―Win, Lose or Draw.‖ Lawrence further perfected her hosting skills
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on her own daytime talk show, appropriately called ―Vicki!‖ from 1992 to 1994. She received critical acclaim when she was the only talk show host since Oprah to be nominated for a Daytime Emmy® in her freshman year. In the fall of 1997, she briefly returned to daytime talk as the host of ―Fox After Breakfast‖ from New York City.
On stage, Lawrence has appeared in numerous productions, including Carousel, Send Me No Flowers, No, No, Nanette, My Fat Friend, Chapter Two, Twigs, Hello Dolly, Special Occasions, I’m Getting My Act Together and Taking It On The Road, Annie Get Your Gun and live from the Grand Ole Opry, Nunsense 3: The Jamboree which aired on TNN. Most recently she appeared in The Vagina Monologues.
In addition to acting and hosting, Lawrence is also an accomplished author and singer. In 1995 Simon and Schuster published her autobiography, Vicki!: The True Life Adventures of Miss Fireball, and Mama for President: Good Lord, Why Not? written by Vicki Lawrence and Monty Aidem as told by Thelma ―Mama‖ Harper was published in 2008. In 1973, Lawrence received a gold record as a recording artist for her international hit single, ―The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia.‖
Since 2002, Lawrence has spent much of her time on the road with her stage production Vicki Lawrence and Mama, A Two Woman Show. She also travels all over the country speaking to women’s organizations about her life and career, women's health and being a woman in a man's world. Lawrence’s efforts to protect women’s rights were recognized in 1988 when she was the first woman to be honored as ―Person of the Year‖ by the Coalition of Labor Union Women. Lawrence works with the Humane Society, and has worked with the American Heart Association on their ―Go Red for Women‖ campaign. She hosts the annual ―Walk for the Cure‖ in her hometown where all the proceeds go to breast and ovarian cancer research at Long Beach Memorial Center.
In 1974, Lawrence married the head of CBS make-up, Al Schultz, and they have two grown children, Courtney and Garrett. They live at the beach with their two dogs. In their spare time, Lawrence and her husband enjoy yacht racing, and own a 70-foot sloop named ―Vicki.‖
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VIVICA A. FOX (Lucy) – After completing her second season on HBO’s Emmy® Award nominated hit comedy, ―Curb Your Enthusiasm‖ as the feisty Loretta Black, Vivica A. Fox guest starred on Lifetime’s ―Drop Dead Diva‖ and recently starred in the Hallmark Channel Original Movie, ―Farewell Mr. Kringle.‖ She is also the voice of Angel Dynamite on Cartoon Network’s, ―New Scooby Doo.‖ In the world of reality, Fox hosted the TV Land Prime reality series, ―The Cougar‖ and teamed up with VH1 to executive produce and find the next great celebrity stylist in the reality series ―Glam God.‖
Switching over to dramatic roles, Fox co-starred in ―Trapped in Haitian Nights‖ where she
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played Detective Martin. In April of 2009, Fox starred as an FBI Agent in pursuit of a serial killer in the suspense thriller ―Junkyard Dogs,‖ and co-starred in ―Cover,‖ a film directed by Bill Duke and based on a true story about the effects of HIV and AIDS in the African American community.
Fox starred in and co-produced ―Three Can Play That Game‖ for Sony/Screen Gems, co-starring Tony Rock. This romantic comedy is the sequel to the hit feature film, ―Two Can Play That Game,‖ for which she was nominated for an Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture.
Fox has co-starred with some of Hollywood’s hottest actors, including Academy Award® winners Jamie Fox, Halle Berry and Whoopi Goldberg and Academy Award® nominees Will Smith, Uma Thurman and Queen Latifah. Fox’s feature credits include Quentin Tarantino’s ―Kill Bill,‖ ―Ella Enchanted,‖ ―Independence Day,‖ ―Soul Food,‖ ―Batman and Robin,‖ ―Kingdom Come,‖ ―Why Do Fools Fall In Love‖ and ―Juwanna Mann.‖ She also co-produced and starred in ―The Salon‖ with Academy Award® nominee Terrence Howard and in ―The Hard Corps‖ alongside Jean Claude Van Damme.
On the small screen, Fox co-executive produced and starred in the one-hour drama series ―Missing‖ for Lifetime Television, portraying FBI special agent Nicole Scott. Fox also appeared on the third season of ABC’s hit ballroom dancing competition, ―Dancing With The Stars‖ and served as an expert judge alongside Academy Award® winner Faye Dunaway on the WB reality show, ―The Starlet.‖ Fox's television films include Showtime's ―Hendrix‖ about acclaimed musician Jimi Hendrix, and the ABC/Disney movie of the week ―A Saintly Switch‖ opposite David Alan Grier and Rue McClanahan.
Fox has also enjoyed success guest starring in numerous television series, including ―Alias,‖ ―My Wife & Kids,‖ ―All of Us,‖ ―Eve‖ and the NBC comedy ―Out All Night,‖ playing Patti Labelle's feisty fashion designer daughter.
In 2008, Fox was honored at the NAACP Theater Awards where she received the prestigious Spirit Award for starring in and producing the stage play Whatever She Wants alongside Boris Kodjoe and Richard Roundtree. In 2005 and 2006, Fox won the NAACP Image Award and the Prism Award for Best Actress in a Television Series—Drama. In 2003 she was honored with the Lady of Soul Lena Horne Career Achievement Award. She and Will Smith won the MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss for ―Independence Day.‖ Fox has also been voted one of People magazine’s fifty most beautiful people. Currently, Fox is also busy launching her wig line.
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SAM PAGE (Ted) – Last season, Sam Page was simultaneously juggling three recurring arcs on such beloved series as AMC’s Golden Globe and Emmy® Award-winning ―Mad Men,‖ ―Desperate Housewives‖ and acclaimed ABC Family Channel series ―Greek.‖ His role as
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Christina Hendrick’s surgeon husband on ―Mad Men‖ continues, and he joined yet another cast in the form of an arc on ―Gossip Girl.‖ Additionally, he recently appeared on NBC’s new mystery series ―The Event,‖ ABC’s ―Castle‖ and FOX’s ―Lie to Me.‖ He previously starred as a handsome District Attorney with a heart of gold on the CBS drama ―Shark.‖ Aside from portraying an attorney with morals on a weekly basis, further testament to his acting ability was being able to hold his own alongside co-star James Woods.
He has since starred in the Spike TV original telefilm ―Red Line,‖ followed by the independent drama feature ―Falling Up‖ and will also appear in the indie drama ―Answers To Nothing.‖
Whether swimming with sharks or maneuvering throughout the supernatural events on the short-lived, yet critically acclaimed ―Point Pleasant,‖ Page continued to impress in a variety of roles. Additional credits include recurring arcs on the likes of ―American Dreams,‖ ―7th Heaven‖ and Ryan Murphy’s scathing look into the high school experience, ―Popular.‖
Page’s popularity likely originates from his role on the daytime drama ―All My Children,‖ which garnered him a slot amongst People magazine’s ―Most Eligible Bachelors.‖ Born in Milwaukee, Page earned himself a Bachelor’s degree in ecology and evolutionary biology from prestigious Princeton University where he also played baseball. Upon graduation, he moved to Manhattan to focus on his acting career. He eventually moved west to Los Angeles where he currently resides.
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NAY NAY KIRBY (Mia) – In her very short career, Nay Nay Kirby has a long list of accomplishments. She is a rapper, dancer and actress who has worked with The Wayans brothers, Eric LaSalle and Vivica A. Fox, just to name a few. She has appeared in several music videos with Michael Jackson, Cee Lo Green and Wayne Brady, short films, movies of the week and pilots. Some of her credits include the shorts ―The Morning After,‖ ―Bubblegum Bitch,‖ ―Going Home,‖ ―Switchboard‖ and ―The Break Up.‖ She has also appeared as a guest star on ―Hannah Montana‖ on the Disney Channel, and in Paramount Picture’s ―Dance Flick,‖ alongside the Wayans brothers.
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RYAN BITTLE (Dean) – Born in Los Angeles, Ryan Bittle attended The Juilliard School in New York and received training at The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. During his time at Juilliard, he appeared on stage, in productions of Macbeth, The Duchess of Malfi, No. 11 (Blue and White), Pericles, Summer Folk and Cyrano De Bergerac.
Bittle got his start onscreen playing Todd Wilkins in the television adaptation of the teenage book series, ―Sweet Valley High,‖ appearing in 24 episodes in the mid-nineties. From there, he went on to guest star on episodes of ―Boy Meets World,‖ ―Buffy the Vampire Slayer‖ and
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―Walker: Texas Ranger‖ and secured recurring roles on the long-running family drama, ―7th Heaven‖ as well as ―Dawson’s Creek.‖
His most recent credits include the feature films ―Take Me Home Tonight,‖ with Anna Faris and Topher Grace, the thriller ―Lure,‖ the Hallmark Channel Original Movie ―Backyard Wedding‖ and guest spots on ―CSI: Miami,‖ ―CSI: NY,‖ ―Numb3rs,‖ ―NCIS‖ and ―Dirt.‖
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RANDY GOODWIN (Barry) – Native Omaha, Nebraskan, Randy J. Goodwin began performing at the age of eight singing, dancing and acting in local theater productions through the GBT Academy of the Arts. He attended the University of Nebraska at Lincoln Architectural School and later joined the U.S. Air Force. After completing his tour of duty, he returned to the entertainment business, performing stand-up comedy and acting in Chicago and the surrounding Tri-State area.
After moving to Los Angeles, Goodwin’s acting career blossomed. He has starred in more than 38 network television shows, movies of the week and feature films, including ―The Vampire Diaries‖ as Dr. Jonas Martin, ―CSI,‖ ―CSI Miami,‖ ―Girlfriends,‖ ―NCIS‖ and ―The Natalie Cole Story‖ as Marvin Yancy.
Goodwin has worked with many well-known actors, producers and directors, including Jerry Bruckheimer, Kelsey Grammar, Keifer Sutherland, Alan Ball, Ed Norton, Debbie Allen, Wayne Brady, Taye Diggs, Pam Grier and Aaron Ekhardt, to name a few. He is happily married with six children, and is a writer and producer of several independent projects. Goodwin is also a lifelong member and supporter of the GBT Academy of the Arts in Omaha.
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PETER JASON (Santa Claus) – Prolific and versatile character actor Peter Jason was born in Hollywood and spent 18 years on the beaches of Southern California in Balboa. He attended Newport Harbor High School where he performed in his first play, The Man Who Came To Dinner, playing the lead role of Sheridan Whiteside.
Orange Coast College followed with many parts on stage, including his favorite part as Harold Hill in The Music Man. Always active in sports, Jason found he could now bring his physical talents to the stage. After college, Jason hitched-hiked to Peterborough, New Hampshire for a season of summer stock at the Peterborough Playhouse. He later found himself in Pittsburgh where he entered the drama department at Carnegie Institute of Technology. After Pittsburgh, he went back to California to help start the South Coast Repertory Company in his hometown of Newport, where he played roles in Sergeant Musgrave's Dance, Moon for The Misbegotten, Playboy of the Western World and Three Penny Opera.
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Arriving in Hollywood, Jason found work immediately on "The Red Skelton Show.‖ After more television roles in "Cimarron Strip," "Gunsmoke" and "Judd for the Defense," he landed his first movie, "Rio Lobo," starring John Wayne and directed by Howard Hawks. His long career followed, with 100 plus films and television appearances, and over 300 commercials and voiceovers.
Highlights of his career include television roles on ―Mike Hammer, Private Eye,‖ ―Silver Spoons,‖ ―Titus,‖ ―JAG‖ and ―Providence.‖ Most recently, he has been seen on ―Arrested Development,‖ ―Deadwood,‖ ―Desperate Housewives,‖ ―Mad Men,‖ ―Dirty Sexy Money,‖ ―Castle,‖ ―NCIS,‖ ―Justified‖ and in the Hallmark Channel Original Movie, ―Claire.‖ Feature film credits include ―Adaptation‖ with Nicholas Cage and Meryl Streep, ―Seabiscuit,‖ ―Employee of the Month,‖ ―Surviving Christmas,‖ ―Kicking and Screaming‖ and ―Milk,‖ to name a few.
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