‘RELATIVE STRANGER’
CAST BIOS
MISS CICELY TYSON (Pearl) – Cicely Tyson’s life and career tell a story of personal excellence and profound choices. She is perhaps best known for her performances in roles that not only challenge universal stereotypes, but also raise the consciousness of audiences to our common humanity. This she consciously set out to do in groundbreaking award winning films and television dramas.
In 1962, she became the first black actress to co-star in a television drama series, “East Side – West Side.” It was in the role of George C. Scott’s secretary, Jane, that Ms. Tyson set the “natural trend,” by daring to wear her hair in its natural state and, in so doing, challenging the soul of African Americans to recognize the beauty in their own hair. In the role of Rebecca, her character in the feature film “Sounder,” for which she received an Oscar nomination, she once again validated African American beauty by wearing her hair in cornrow fashion.
A gifted actress, she represents success without compromise. She has been noted as being serious, soul stirring, powerful and majestic with extraordinary range. Over the span of her career, she has defied stereotypes. She sets standards and makes others rise to them. She is self-assured, knowing, and perceptive and has been credited by critics as having helped to shape and elevate an entire generation.
All of these attributes have led to her award-winning career. Ms. Tyson has received numerous Emmy nominations and received an Emmy for her performance in the role of Castalia in “The Oldest Confederate Widow Tells All,” an Ace award for the TV docudrama on Watts, “Heatwave,” and holds an unprecedented two Emmys for her performance as Jane, the title character in “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman.”
Among some of her other awarded films are, “A Woman Called Moses,” “The Marva Collins Story,” “The Woman of Brewster Place,” “Blessed Assurance,” “Fried Green Tomatoes,” “King,” “Mama Flora’s Family” and “A Lesson Before Dying,” based on the novel written by Ernest Gaines. Additional recognition of her talent have come from The National Council of Negro Women, PUSH, SOLO, CORE, The Martin Luther King Center, and a record thirteen Image awards from the NAACP.
Ms. Tyson has served as World Ambassador for UNICEF, calling her attention to the plight of children throughout the world and is currently involved with Save the Children. Along with Arthur Mitchell, its artistic director and actor Brock Peters, Cicely Tyson co-founded The Dance Theater of Harlem. She also co-chaired the first and second National Black Arts Festival in Atlanta with Harry Belefonte.
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On the occasion of Mr. and Mrs. Nelson Mandela’s first visit to America, Cicely Tyson served as Mistress of Ceremony for the tribute to Winnie Mandela held at BAM and was asked by Mayor Bradley to speak at the Tribute to Nelson Mandela in Los Angeles.
At the 1988 economic summit of world leaders in Texas, Ms. Tyson was selected by President Bush, Sr. to serve as Mistress of Ceremony. She was invited by President Carter to perform for President Shagari of Nigeria at a White House dinner and has served on the Kennedy Center Honors Board since his administration.
In 1994, Ms. Tyson co-starred in the TV drama series “Sweet Justice” and received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on August 21, 1997. In 2001, Ms. Tyson was called upon to serve as Mistress of Ceremony for President Clinton’s “Welcome to Harlem.” She also served as Emcee for the Democratic National Committee’s “A Night at the Apollo” fund raiser for voter registration.
In 2003, Ms. Tyson was appointed Commissioner by President George W. Bush, and acknowledged as a driving force in creating the National Museum of African History and Culture which will be located in Washington, D.C.
On November 3, 1996, the New Jersey Board of Education unanimously voted to change the name of a public middle school to the Cicely Tyson School of Performing and Fine Arts. Within a year it was expanded to a high school. The school, located in East Orange, N.J., has a student body close to 800 primarily underprivileged students. Among her many accolades, Ms. Tyson acknowledges this to be one of the most meaningful and is involved in many aspects of the students’ education.
Ms. Tyson believes that in an age of brokenness, self-aggrandizement, polarization and the increasing breakdown of family life, each one of us is an embodiment of an indomitable life- giving spirit and must be involved in some voluntary capacity ministering to the lives of those less fortunate. In this regard, over the years, she has solicited, collected and distributed clothing, food and toys to homes and shelters in the New York and New Jersey areas. In January 2005, she visited Phuket, Thailand, to assist in the planning and rebuilding of an elementary school that was devastated by the tsunami.
Ms. Tyson is currently involved with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia on the Market Women’s Project. She is a founding member of CHAA (Coalition for a Healthy and Active America), FuturePac, an organization dedicated to raising funds to support women with political aspirations, and spokesperson for the anti-smoking organization the American Legacy Foundation.
In 2006 Ms. Tyson starred in two films, which debuted in the same week. “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” debuted in first place, and “Because of Winn-Dixie” debuted third place for the
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week. Her latest work, “Relative Stranger” for the Hallmark Channel will air during the 2008 Holiday Season.
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ERIQ LA SALLE (Walter) – Raised in Hartford, Connecticut, Eriq La Salle, best known for his portrayal of Dr. Peter Benton on the NBC smash medical drama “E.R.,” has made a smooth transition into directing and producing with his production company Humble Journey Films.
La Salle has received three Emmy nominations for his work on “E.R.,” in addition to several Golden Globe, Screen Actor’s Guild, and NAACP Image Award nominations. In 2002, La Salle won his third NAACP Image Award.
La Salle shares Dr. Benton’s drive and determination. He is very active in developing film projects and in gaining experience on the other side of the camera. He has written, directed and produced several short films, two of which have won awards on the film festival circuit, including The Worldfest Houston Film Competition and The USA Film Festival.
In December of 1997, La Salle formed Humble Journey Films, a film and television production company, with partners Butch Robinson and D.J. Caruso. Humble Journey’s first project was Mind Prey, which La Salle produced, as well as starred in as Lucas Davenport. ABC aired the mystery-thriller in 1999. In 2000, he directed the pilot for Showtime’s television series, “Soul Food,” based on the successful film of the same name.
During his summer 2001 hiatus from “E.R.,” La Salle made his feature film directorial debut with “Crazy as Hell,” which he produced and starred in along with Mike Beach (“Waiting to Exhale”), Ronny Cox (“Robocop”), John C. McGinley (“Platoon”) and comedian Sinbad. In February 2002, “Crazy as Hell” made its debut as the opening film of the 10th Pan African Film Festival.
Under his Humble Journey banner, La Salle produced the Castle Rock Pictures film “The Salton Sea,” starring Val Kilmer. La Salle also directed the acclaimed short, “Psalms from the Underground,” which is a story of the struggle faced by the daughter of a slain black civil rights activist as she tries to fill her father's role in his organization.
In 2002, La Salle was seen alongside Robin Williams in Fox Searchlight Pictures’ thriller “One Hour Photo.” In November of 1996, Eriq directed and appeared in HBO Pictures’ “Rebound,” the true story of Earl Manigault, a legendary Harlem athlete whose basketball career was destroyed through drug addiction.
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La Salle's feature film credits include Gramercy Pictures' “D.R.O.P. Squad,” executive produced by Spike Lee, “Jacob's Ladder,” “Coming To America,” and “Five Corners.”
La Salle has guest-starred on several television series including “Without a Trace,” “L.A. Law,” “Quantum Leap,” “A Different World” as well as “HBO Vietnam War Stories.” He also had a three-month stint as a regular on the popular daytime drama “One Life to Live,” and in 1991, La Salle co-starred in “The Human Factor,” a short-lived medical series.
La Salle studied for two years at The Julliard School, after which he went on to study Theater Arts at New York University. One of his first acting jobs was a role for Joseph Papp's Shakespeare in the Park Theater Company. His first feature film role was only weeks after his graduation from New York University, in a low budget Italian movie shot in Florida.
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MICHAEL MICHELE (Charlotte) - A gifted actress, Michael Michele has won acclaim for her portrayals of strong and capable women on television as well as in feature films.
Born in Evansville, IA, she grew up a big basketball fan - playing in high school and making the state championships as well as participating in volleyball and track. In time, she developed a passion for acting which overwhelmed her enthusiasm for sports, and moved to the East Coast to concentrate on her career.
After a few small TV roles and commercial parts, she was cast in Mario Van Peebles's gritty urban drama “New Jack City.” A year later, she became a regular on the TV series “Dangerous Curves.” Next, she appeared in the mini-series “Trade Winds” which led to roles on “New York Undercover” and “Central Park West.” In addition to various appearances in feature films, Michele scored a major TV role in the critically acclaimed series “Homicide: Life on the Street,” receiving an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Actress in 1999.
Michele’s television success continued with three seasons on to the top-rated medical drama “ER,” where she starred as Dr. Cleo Finch and received an additional NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series in 2000. Following “ER,” Michele made her return to films and in 2003 appeared in two major motion pictures: “How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days” and “Dark Blue.” She recently starred opposite Taye Diggs in the television drama “Kevin Hill.”
A devoted mentor since she was a teenager, Michele is extremely active in working with underprivileged children. She is the founder of The Roundtable Chitchat Foundation, a nonprofit mentoring organization which strives to bridge the relationships of young women with adult mentors and guide them towards realizing their potential.
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MICHAEL BEACH (James) – Michael Beach was trained for the theater at the Juilliard School in New York City. While at Juilliard, Beach performed in over eighteen plays, as well as wrote and directed a few. He has performed off Broadway, in regional theater and in Los Angeles.
Two weeks after graduation, Beach was best friends with Wesley Snipes in “Streets of Gold,” then best friends with Kevin Bacon in “End of The Line,” also starring Holly Hunter. A string of films followed, including “Suspect” with Cher and Dennis Quaid, “Lean on Me” with Morgan Freeman, “In a Shallow Grave” and “Late for Dinner.”
Beach has been killed with the best of them. In James Cameron's “The Abyss,” he found a watery grave, then surrounded by feathers after being shot in Tony Scott's “True Romance,” and shot again while Andy Garcia and Richard Gere used him, one against the other, in “Internal Affairs.” Finally, after killing many himself, Bill Paxton gets the best of him in Carl Franklin's critical success, “One False Move.”
His most recent film credits include “Bad Company” with Laurence Fishburne and Ellen Barkin, “White Man's Burden” with John Travolta, “Waiting to Exhale,” in which he played Angela Bassett's husband, and “A Family Thing” with Robert Duvall and James Earl Jones.
In addition to his work in film, Beach has numerous television credits, some of which include “Open Admissions” with Jane Alexander, “Shannon's Deal,” a series created by John Sayles, “Gabriel's Fire,” again with James Earl Jones, and a recurring role in “Under Suspicion.” Beach currently recurs on “E.R.” as the husband of Gloria Reuben.
“Angel of Harlem,” his latest project, is a film directed and starring Eriq La Salle, with Forest Whitaker, Don Cheadle and James Earl Jones. The film premieres on HBO on October 12.
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DANA DAVIS (Denise) – Actress Dana Davis is probably best known for her series regular role in the second season of NBC’s hit show “Heroes” as Monica Dawson, a modern-day mimic able to recreate any physical talent that she sees – from sophisticated martial arts moves to virtuoso piano playing. Or perhaps she is even more recognizable from her star turn as Brittany Snow’s best friend Lisa Hines in the hugely successful teen thriller “Prom Night” for Sony Screen Gems.
On television, Davis starred as Chi McBride’s daughter Felicia Jones on ABC’s critically acclaimed series “The Nine,” has enjoyed recurring roles on The CW’s “Gilmore Girls,” “Veronica Mars,” Fox’s “The O.C” and “Boston Public,” as well as noteworthy guest star appearances on ABC’s “Pushing Daisies,” CBS’ “Cold Case,” and “CSI Miami.” She made her film debut in Universal’s Coach Carter with Samuel Jackson followed by her starring role as Denise Gilmore in New Line Cinema’s “Raise Your Voice” opposite Hillary Duff.
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When Davis isn’t performing, she loves to write – and has already demonstrated great talent in that medium as well – her very first script has been optioned by an independent film company. Davis is also an accomplished stage actress with numerous dramatic and musical theater credits to her name. What’s more, she is a classically trained musician, playing the violin in Raise Your Voice and earning a bachelors of fine arts in classical voice and strings from Loyola Marymount College.
With a great passion for children’s charities, Davis volunteers with Empowering Lives International, a nonprofit organization, which provides training, resources and encouragement to underprivileged East African children with the hope of breaking the cycle of poverty as they are given the tools and opportunities to realize their potential and importance in the world and in the eyes of God.
When Davis isn’t working or volunteering, she enjoys indoor rock climbing, playing Guitar Hero (all versions) and sour Skittles!
Davis was raised in the Midwest but currently resides in Los Angeles.
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CARLOS “LIL LOS” MCCULLERS II (Andy) - Carlos “lil los” McCullers II: Born in Harlem, bred in Los Angeles since the age of 5, this young man made his mark as the Oscar Mayer kid upon his induction to the city of the stars. Since moving to California in 2002, Carlos has been climbing his way up; one show at a time, one commercial at a time. Carlos is known for great guest appearances as well as a variety of principle roles in commercials. Starting with an appearance in ABC’s cult show, “Invasion,” Carlos then landed few key comedic lines with Kevin James in the “King of Queens.” Most recently Carlos appeared in “The Game” with Tia Mowry for CWTV. Carlos has also had the opportunity to work on a few upcoming film projects, including “Aussie and Ted” and “Around the World in 50 Years.” In 2007 Carlos landed the recurring role of ‘Young Gus’ on USA Networks top rated show “Psych” alongside co-star Dule Hill. His greatest accomplishment was his role opposite Eriq LaSalle in the soon to be released Hallmark TV Movie, “Relative Stranger.” Though most of Carlos’ exposure has been with quite serious or dramatic material, he has an enormous propensity for comedy. No matter what the platform, Carlos always rises to the occasion.
When you ask Los what his professional goals are he’ll tell you “the debut of my first television show and release of my CD…simultaneously”. Although television and film projects dominate his resume, his strength in music, preferably Hip Hop and R&B, are derived from accompanying his dad to label meetings from the age of infancy. A&R’s were amazed first by a 2-year old talking, but rapping was a whole other thing. Now, at 11 years old, Carlos has been booked to perform at venues including the House of Blues, the Hollywood Holiday Parade and just about every celebrity kid pajama party around town.
When Carlos is not headed to a taping, an audition or reviewing a script, you can find him on the
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field. Football, basketball and basketball are his sports of choice and he has been a team favorite by coaches and teammates. His passion for acting, music and athleticism have created a sense of balance and reinforced his dedication to the entertainment industry.
While the majority of child actors are destined for home schooling due to rigorous schedules, Carlos opted to continue attending regular classes. He is currently a member of the Performing Arts Academy at Millikan Middle school in Sherman Oaks, CA. Carlos has been able to maintain his studies and continue being an all around kid.
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