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A talented character actor known for his military roles, Ronald Lee Ermey was in the United States Marine Corps for 11 years. He rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant, and later was bestowed the honorary rank of Gunnery Sergeant by the Marine Corps, after he served 14 months in Vietnam and later did two tours in Okinawa, Japan. After injuries forced him to retire from the Corps, he moved to the Phillipines, enrolling in the University of Manila, where he studied Criminology and Drama. He appeared in several Filipino films before being cast as a helicopter pilot in Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now (1979). Due to his Vietnam experiences, Coppola also utilized him as a technical adviser. He got a featured role in Sidney J. Furie's The Boys in Company C (1978), playing a drill instructor. Ermey worked with Furie again in Purple Hearts (1984).

However, his most famous (or infamous) role came as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket (1987), for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe. He did win the best supporting actor award from The Boston Society of Film Critics. Since then, he has appeared in numerous character roles in such films as Leaving Las Vegas (1995), Se7en (1995) and Dead Man Walking (1995). However, Ermey prefers comedy to drama, and has a comedic role in Saving Silverman (2001).

Raynor Scheine was born on 19 January 1942 in Emporia, Virginia, USA. He is an actor, known for My Cousin Vinny (1992), Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994) and The Rookie (2002).

June Harding was born on 7 September 1937 in Emporia, Virginia, USA. She was an actress, known for The Trouble with Angels (1966), Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (1963) and The Fugitive (1963). She died on 22 March 2019 in Deer Isle, Maine, USA.

Phil Harvey was born on 11 May 1921 in Emporia, Kansas, USA. He was an actor, known for Touch of Evil (1958), The Tarnished Angels (1957) and The Land Unknown (1957). He died on 5 January 2021 in Ojai, California, USA.

Thelma Hill was born Thelma Floy Hillerman in Emporia, Kansas. Her family moved to Los Angeles, California during her early teen years. Living just blocks from the Mack Sennett studio, Thelma became one of the star struck, wide eyed girls who hung out near the studio peering through the gates. It took her five years, but eventually, using her womanly wiles, she weaseled her way through the gates and quickly caught the eye of Sennett himself and F. Richard "Dick" Jones, a producer and director who would work with Thelma in over a dozen films.

Thelma did bit parts and extra work throughout her school years, working weekends and during vacations. Because of her youth, beauty, and spunk, she quickly became "everybody's protégé."

When Mack Sennett revived his famous "Bathing Girls," Thelma the first to don the suit, as most of her parts up till then had been in bathing suits. In her first movie, "Picking Peaches," she had dived off a pier.

Because of her "mah jongg" bathing suit, she became quickly known as the "Mah Jongg Bathing Girl," although she'd already carried around a nickname since her first days on the set: "Pee-Wee," the little black-eyed youngster who grew up on the old lot.

As she matured she was hired to double for Mabel Normand, who, because of a roaring cocaine habit often showed up late for work or not at all. It was about this time that Thelma became a flapper; a style of women who were known for their androgynous bodies, flimsy and revealing clothing, and the traditional male behaviors smoking, heavy drinking, and casual sex. It was the drinking that eventually led to Thelma's downfall. Near the end of her first year in film, 1924, her big break came when she got the lead opposite Ralph Graves in the two reel comedy "Love's Sweet Piffle" directed by Edgar Kennedy.

Thelma was the first Sennett bathing beauty, and one of the few, to make it into feature films. She starred opposite Ben Turpin in "The Prodigal Bridegroom," and got one of the two female leads in the hilarious Laurel & Hardy "Two Tars" in 1928.

When Hollywood brought Jimmy Murphy's comic strip "Toots and Casper" to life on the big screen, Thelma got top billing opposite Bud Duncan as Casper, with Cullen Johnson as Buttercup and George Gray as Casper's boss. The series ran from 1927 through 1929.

One biographer wrote that she starred opposite a solo Stan Laurel (in "Pie-Eyed") but calling 24 seconds on the screen as a starring role seems a stretch.

Everyone in Hollywood knew Thelma was a real trooper with a knack for comedy. She willingly dropped her good looks to don thick black-rimmed glasses and a wild hairdo and work on two reel comedies rather than full length dramatic films. No part was too small for her. Later, during talkies, she played a bit part of a patient in the waiting room in W. C. Fields' "The Dentist." Today, all copies have been so cut up and repaired that her short scene has been lost.

She left Mack Sennett for a short stint with the Film Booking Offices of America (FBO) (also known as FBO Pictures Corporation) in 1927, and afterwards was signed by MGM to play a role in "The Fair Coed." It was about this time that she got engaged to St. Elmo Boyce, her director on the "Toots and Casper" shorts and a former Sennett cinematographer. Boyce and Hill both had drinking problems, Boyce having DUI arrests on his record. The relationship and Boyce's career began to fizzle and Boyce committed suicide in 1930 by poisoning. He'd just finished work on Columbia Pictures' most expensive film to date, "Dirigible."

Thelma Hill did not make the transition to talkies well. Her drinking and depression were starting to take their toll. She began working free lance for a variety of studios. She had made over 20 films in 1929, but with the advent of talkies and the end of frenetic slapstick comedy, she would work on just seven films over the next five years.

Her first sound film was "The Golfers" with the Sennett studios. Her next role was in a musical called "Two Plus Fours" featuring Bing Crosby as one of the Rhythm Boys. She took a small role in Frank Capra's drama, "The Miracle Woman," starring Barbara Stanwyck, a few more small, uncredited parts, one short educational film starring a very, very young Shirley Temple, and ended her career in 1934 at "The Lot of Fun," Hal Roach Studios, in the movie "Mixed Nuts." Her role was small, but unforgettable as she becomes the target of a professor of entomology's Arabian Sand Fleas.

She married John Sinclair (I), W. C. Fields' stunt double and gag writer, and settled into the role of housewife less than ten minutes away from the original Mack Sennett studios.

Whether fueled by her depression or her husband's hanging around with W. C. Fields, famous for his drinking, Thelma drank away her health and youth and died before her thirty-second birthday in 1938.

Biographers mistakenly attribute her cause of death to acute alcohol poisoning (erroneously reported as a "stomach ailment" in her obituary), but records show she had spent the last month of her life at the Edward Merrill Sanitarium (mistakenly listed in Culver City; actually in Venice, CA). She had been diagnosed with chronic alcoholism in 1932 and with pellagra (a B-vitamin deficiency, specifically niacin, often found in alcoholics) in 1937. The effects of malnutrition caused by alcoholism affect all organs in the body, and her official cause of death following an autopsy was cerebral hemorrhage.

Her body was cremated and the ashes were interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park.

Harry Cheshire was born on 16 August 1891 in Emporia, Kansas, USA. He was an actor, known for Impact (1949), The First Traveling Saleslady (1956) and Dangerous Mission (1954). He died on 16 June 1968 in Orange County, California, USA.

James P. Burtis was born on 12 May 1893 in Emporia, Kansas, USA. He was an actor, known for The Return of Jimmy Valentine (1936), Mister Dynamite (1935) and The Mystery Man (1935). He died on 24 July 1939 in California, USA.

Spencer Hill is the son of Don Hill, a Representative in the Kansas state legislature and pharmacist, and Robbie Hill. He has an older sister, Holly Stone, who has two children, Rylie and Jackson. Spencer graduated from Emporia High School and Kansas State University and played football at both Kansas State University and Emporia State University while in college. He also began modeling while in school and moved to Los Angeles in 2003 and began his acting career with several roles in short films and commercials. He was also voted one of America's 50 most eligible bachelors in 2003 by cosmopolitan magazine. He then appeared in HBO's Six Feet Under (2001) as well as the movie Sacrifice (2005) and continued to model for companies such as McDonald's, Target, Coors Light, Dr. Pepper, Bud Light, Pinnacle supplements, and many others. His acting career continues to build speed as he has appeared in episodes of CSI:NY, Criminal Minds, and most recently, Knight Rider and the David Twohy film A Perfect Getaway due out in 2009.

Jim Everett was born on 3 January 1963 in Emporia, Kansas, USA. He is an actor, known for 1st & Ten (1984), NFL Monday Night Football (1970) and The NFL on CBS (1956). He has been married to Laura Reyes since April 2023. He was previously married to Rachel Wolven and Christin Strouse.

Shamila Beslow is an award winning talented Casting Director, Executive Producer, Assistant Director, Writer, Actress, Model and Global Pageant Queen. Shamila has been in the entertainment business for over 28 years.

Shamila has not only stared in numerous TV, Film, Theater, Magazine, and online Projects, taking on lead, supporting, casting director, EP. AD roles in all. Her commitment to her work and natural on and off-screen magnetism have earned her a reputation as a top rising overall star in the entertainment business. Shamila's journey in all of these fields has enabled her to collaborate with renowned directors, producers, actors and actresses. Her performances have garnered praise for critics and viewers alike. You can see Shamila's work in many feature films and TV series such as "The Perfect Christmas, Swagger,10 Mintues Ago, St. Louis Blues (a 4Corners TV production), , and D.J. The Greatest Super Hero, Trapped In The Game and House Hunters.

David Lee Garver was a student at the University of Kansas when he received his first film credit in Tim Burton's Mars Attacks! (1996). Shortly after, he was cast in Biohazardous (2001) which led to starring roles in Bedford Springs (2002) and Slumming (2005), for which he received a Best Actor nomination at the AOF Film Festival. Recent awards include Best Supporting Actor for Division (2022) at the 2022 Lady Filmmakers Festival and Best Horror for Gravedigger (2022) at Kevin Smith's inaugural 2022 SModcastle Film Festival. Garver produced both films in addition to acting in them. He is also a musician and an audiobook narrator.

Adam J. Jefferis is an American actor. Adam was born in Emporia, Kansas. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in Theatre Arts from The University of Nebraska-Lincoln before moving to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. Jefferis resides in Los Angeles, CA with his jill-of-all-trades wife Rynn Vogel. Adam is a valued company member and performs regularly at The Actors' Gang (2008-present), under the artistic direction of Tim Robbins. He is known for 2 Broke Girls (2011), Sassy Batman (2014), and Casual (2015).

Elliott Sadler was born on 30 April 1975 in Emporia, Virginia, USA. He is an actor, known for TNA iMPACT! Wrestling (2004), Blake Shelton: Ol' Red (2002) and ESPN Speedworld (1979). He has been married to Amanda Prince since 17 January 2009.

Mark Essex was born on 12 August 1949 in Emporia, Kansas, USA. He died on 7 January 1973 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.

Dean Smith was born on 28 February 1931 in Emporia, Kansas, USA. He was an actor, known for He Got Game (1998), ESPN College Basketball (1979) and Without Bias (2009). He was married to Linnea Smith and Margaret Ann Cleavinger. He died on 7 February 2015 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.

Sepideh Haftgoli was born on 22 October 1980 in Emporia, Kansas, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for 2:22 (2017), IM Nowruz (2012) and Making a Killing (2023).

Melora Creager was born March 25, 1966 to an administrator and physicist at a university, and a graphic designer. Being a very artistic family, the children were 'practically required' to learn an instrument. At the age of five, Melora took up the piano. At nine, she took up the cello, around which her professional life now revolves. She quit cello in the 8th grade, when she learned that it wasn't cool. After high school, she got her chance to escape from Kansas by attending Parsons School of Designs in New York. There, her college friends encouraged her to take up the cello again to supplement their live gigs. After a few years, she quit school and focussed entirely on her music. In 1991, she formed the beginnings of Rasputina, seven girls in Victorian undergarments rocking out on the cello. As time went on and she became more knowledgable in the areas, she trimmed the group down to three girls [now two] and a live drummer. Their major releases included Thanks For the Ether [1996], How We Quit the Forrest [1998], Cabin Fever! [2002], and Frustration Plantation [2004]. Specialising in 'funny, depressing' songs, the music of Rasputina is rich, powerful, beautiful, and surprisingly original. Melora currently lives in Brooklyn with her daughter, Hollis.

Clint Bowyer was born on 30 May 1979 in Emporia, Kansas, USA. He has been married to Lorra Bowyer since 2014. They have one child.

William L. White was born on 17 June 1900 in Emporia, Kansas, USA. He was a writer, known for Journey for Margaret (1942), They Were Expendable (1945) and Lost Boundaries (1949). He was married to Kathrine. He died on 26 July 1973 in Emporia, Kansas, USA.

James Still was born on 31 May 1959 in Emporia, Kansas, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Little Bear (1995), The Velocity of Gary (1998) and Paz (2005).

Vinton Vernon was born on 23 October 1899 in Emporia, Kansas, USA. He was an assistant director, known for The Poseidon Adventure (1972), West Side Story (1961) and The Manchurian Candidate (1962). He died on 27 June 1991 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

William Allen White was born on 10 February 1868 in Emporia, Kansas, USA. He was a writer, known for In the Heart of a Fool (1920), A Certain Rich Man (1921) and Mary White (1977). He was married to Sally Lindsay. He died on 31 January 1944 in Emporia, Kansas, USA.

Jack was first bitten by the acting bug at 5 years old. At his kindergarten graduation program, he played Little Jack Horner where he "stuck in his thumb, pulled out a plum, and said 'What a good boy am I'". The sound of audience laughter at that moment was a sound that had him hooked for life. He continued doing as much theatre as he could throughout elementary and high school before entering the theatre program at UMKC in Kansas City, MO.

A life-altering moment came just before the start of his second semester when his father died unexpectedly of a heart attack at 41. Jack was very close to his father and was severely rocked by the experience. The next year, Jack decided to go 500 miles away to college in Watertown, WI, to Maranatha Baptist Bible College. At Maranatha, he performed in 11 shows during 8 semesters, in addition to playing football and attending the occasional class. He graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Theatre Education - not that he ever intended to be a teacher. As he explains, the college was small enough that "as slow as I was, I could still play football", and they did not offer a performance degree in theatre, so he took the closest thing.

After graduation he moved to Jacksonville, FL, and started figuring out how to be an actor. On-screen, he landed his first paid role as a pirate in a Laser Tag instructional video, for which he was ecstatic to be paid $100. His first professional stage work came at the Alhambra Dinner Theatre as Willum Cubbert in "The Nerd", cast in the same week he was hired as an emcee at a local comedy club.

Even before getting married in 2002, Jack began making plans to move to Los Angeles. Although he was getting steady stage and on-camera acting work in the Florida market, he felt that he had hit a glass ceiling, and the need to move to the larger market was clear. Jack and his wife Gloria pulled into Los Angeles on his birthday in 2004.

Jack has appeared on the live stage literally thousands of times throughout the years, both as an actor and stand-up comedian. As an actor, he has won numerous awards including a Best Actor/Season award for the role of Starbuck in The Rainmaker at Theatre Winter Haven. As a comedian, one of his favorite experiences was the opportunity to open for Larry the Cable Guy for a week.

One of Jack's most important on-going projects is Young Stars Theatre, a non-profit theatre for youth performers that he co-founded and runs with his wife. YST is a community theatre project primarily for youth performers 18 and under. They have been operating this project continuously since 2000, first in Jacksonville, FL then in North Hollywood, CA, and since 2016, at the Fremont Centre Theatre in South Pasadena CA.

Eva Johnson was born on 2 October 1899 in Emporia, Kansas, USA. She was an actress, known for A Man's Duty (1919). She was married to Earl Ellsworth Jackson, Turner G. Sloan, Jr. and Holland J. Loud. She died on 15 April 1956 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Henry Jordan was born on 26 January 1935 in Emporia, Virginia, USA. He died on 21 February 1977 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.