Biography
Susan King's Contender Q & A, featuring leading actors, actresses, directors and writers, will appear in The Envelope every week throughout awards season.
Susan King
Contender Q&A
Sharon Gless, from 'Cagney and Lacey' to 'Nip/Tuck'
September 11, 2008
Sharon Gless may have turned 65 this year and qualified for Medicare, but she's not looking to retire any time soon. In fact, the Emmy Award-winning star of "Cagney and Lacey" and "The Trials of Rosie O'Neill" is busier than ever. She has a kicky supporting role as the neurotic but loving mother of spy Jeffrey Donovan on USA's action comedy hit "Burn Notice" and is the recipient of an Emmy nomination in a guest starring role for her creepy turn as a stalker who makes life hell for Sean McNamara (Dylan Walsh) on FX's "Nip/Tuck." Her performance as the domineering, disturbed and murderous agent -- and stuffed bear maker -- Colleen Rose, was startling, complex and even, at times, sympathetic.
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Is Jon Hamm Emmy's main man?
July 9, 2008
Matinee-idol handsome Jon Hamm, 37, has been a working actor for the last eight years appearing on TV series such as "Providence," "The Division" and "The Unit" and in such films as "Kissing Jessica Stein" and "We Were Soldiers."
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What was Kim Cattrall doing in Rudyard Kipling's bathtub?
July 8, 2008
Though Kim Cattrall is best known as Carrie Bradshaw's man-eating friend Samantha Jones in the HBO comedy series "Sex and the City" and in this summer's hit movie based on the show, the English-born Canadian-raised 51-year-old actress has a strong background in theater.
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Kristin Chenoweth pushing for an Emmy?
June 17, 2008
Kristin Chenoweth, 39, is a Tony Award-winning musical comedy star, best known for originating the role of Glinda in the Broadway blockbuster "Wicked." The diminutive actress also has made her mark in movies -- she plays Reese Witherspoon's sister in the upcoming holiday film "Four Christmases" -- as well as on TV, most notably on "The West Wing."
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Sean Combs' 'Raisin' d'etre
June 9, 2008
Sean Combs, a.k.a. Diddy, P. Diddy, Puff Daddy and Puffy, has conquered the worlds of rap music, record producing and clothing design.
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Kevin Spacey: I started stuffing envelopes for Jimmy Carter in 1976
June 2, 2008
Kevin Spacey's got the acting chops, alright.
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Richard Chamberlain: Nervous in paradise
May 28, 2008
Richard Chamberlain, a trim and youthful 74, cherry picks his acting assignments these days.
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'Freeheld' director takes up the fight
February 14, 2008
Back in 2005, Det. Lt. Laurel Hester learned she was dying from lung cancer. A 25-year veteran of the Ocean County, N.J., police force, Hester had no idea of the hurdles she would have to overcome to transfer her pension to her domestic partner, auto mechanic Stacie Andree. After all, it was an automatic given for heterosexual married couples to inherit pensions; why not same-sex partners? But the county's elected officials -- the Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders -- denied her request to have her pension transferred to Andree after she died.
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Ruby Dee's big break
January 30, 2008
Who says there are no decent film roles for women over 40? Ruby Dee found one at 83.
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Christina Applegate is serious about comedy
January 14, 2008
Christina Applegate made her television debut at the age of 3 months with her mother, Nancy Lee Priddy, in the soap opera "Days of Our Lives." But she hit TV stardom playing Kelly Bundy, the dumber-than-dumb blond daughter on the long-running series "Married ... With Children."
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Watch out forÂ… Josh Brolin
November 27, 2007
To say that Josh Brolin is having a banner year is something of an understatement. The 39-year-old actor, who is the son of James Brolin -- and yes, Barbra Streisand is his stepmom -- has appeared in four films this year: "Planet Terror," "In the Valley of Elah," "American Gangster" and "No Country for Old Men," based on Cormac McCarthy's best-seller.
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Rachel Griffiths is on the Emmys' buddy list
September 12, 2007
Though the majority of actresses complain about the lack of complex roles for women in film and television, Australia's Rachel Griffiths has had little to complain about in her career.
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Emmys' ace of Spader
August 30, 2007
James Spader first made a name for himself as a handsome, smarmy yuppie who made Molly Ringwald miserable in "Pretty in Pink."
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Get 'closer' to Kyra
August 23, 2007
Kyra Sedgwick, who is nominated for an Emmy for best actress in a drama for TNT's "The Closer," believes it's imperative to have a speech prepared for awards shows "just in case" one wins.
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'Messing' with old pal Emmy
August 15, 2007
Debra Messing is calling from her cellphone in a limo heading to JFK, where she's flying to Boston for a hair and make-up test for her latest film, an updated remake of the Claire Booth Luce classic play "The Women," directed by "Murphy Brown" creator Diane English.
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Mother superior
July 17, 2007
Sally Field, 60, first came into viewers' homes in fall 1965 in the ABC comedy series "Gidget." She quickly segued into such sitcoms as "The Flying Nun" and "The Girl With Something Extra."
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More than Mr. Mom
July 5, 2007
Though the name of the ABC comedy series is "Desperate Housewives," the male actors on the popular Emmy Award-winning show saw their characters beefed up in the third season, especially Doug Savant's Tom Scavo.
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Move over, June Cleaver
June 20, 2007
Though she's only 36, Tichina Arnold is a 25-year veteran of films, TV and music. Her name is being bandied about as a potential Emmy nominee for her delightfully funny turn as the strong-willed, no-nonsense Rochelle, the mother of a teenage Chris Rock on the acclaimed CW comedy series "Everybody Hates Chris."
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Making a killing
June 12, 2007
At first glance, a darkly humorous Grand Guignol thriller about a charming serial killer doesn't sound like an appetizing weekly TV series. But Showtime's "Dexter" is a delicious, addictive must-see especially for the lead performance of Michael C. Hall -- best known as the uptight gay mortician David Fisher on HBO's "Six Feet Under."
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'Diamond' days
February 19, 2007
Former model Djimon Hounsou has designs again this year on Oscar gold. He has received his second best supporting actor nomination for his harrowing, emotionally charged performance in "Blood Diamond," directed by Edward Zwick.
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Talking 'Babel'
February 15, 2007
Winner of the Golden Globe for best dramatic picture, "Babel" is nominated for seven Academy Awards including best picture, screenplay and director for Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.
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Oscar veteran
February 8, 2007
Will the eighth time be the charm for Peter O'Toole?
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'Notes' on a screenplay
February 7, 2007
You've adapted a couple of your screenplays from novels. What's your process?
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Talking with: Todd Field
January 31, 2007
Todd Field began his movie career as an actor 20 years ago in Woody Allen's comedy "Radio Days." Over othe years, he worked with such noted directors as Victor Nunez in 1993's "Ruby in Paradise" and Stanley Kubrick in the legendary filmmaker' final movie, 1998's "Eyes Wide Shut."
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Cruz control
January 24, 2007
With her Academy Award nomination for best actress for "Volver," Penelope Cruz could become the first actress to win for a foreign language role since Sophia Loren in 1961's "Two Women."
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Royal treatment
January 11, 2007
Critics and audiences have long considered Helen Mirren, 61, acting royalty.
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Super season
January 8, 2007
A year ago, Masi Oka, 32, was a typical working actor. Then he was cast in NBC's hit fantasy thriller series "Heroes" and his life and career dramatically changed.
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Ellen's anatomy
December 27, 2006
The gamine Ellen Pompeo, 37, received her first Golden Globe nomination earlier this month for best actress in a drama series for ABC's red-hot medical drama, "Grey's Anatomy."
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Talking with: Oliver Stone
December 20, 2006
Though Paul Greengrass' "United 93" -- the first feature film dealing with the tragedy of September 11, 2001 - has been receiving awards from critics' groups, Oliver Stone's "World Trade Center" actually was the bigger box office hit and garnered the best reviews for the Oscar-winning director in several years.
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Talking with: Ryan Gosling
December 12, 2006
One of the movie Cinderella stories of the 2006 has been the critical success of "Half Nelson," a shoe-string budget independent film from first-time director Ryan Fleck exploring the relationship between a drug-addicted teacher played by Ryan Gosling and his young student (Shareeka Epps).
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Talking with: Eugene Levy & Christopher Guest
November 16, 2006
Writer/director/actor Christopher Guest has taken on such subjects as small-town musicals, dog shows and folk music in his acclaimed faux comedic documentaries. In his latest comedy, "For Your Consideration," which opens Friday, he takes on awards' season hype.
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Talking with: Kirsten Dunst
November 2, 2006
It's been 12 years since Kirsten Dunst made her indelible film debut opposite Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt as a child bloodsucker in the hit "Interview With the Vampire."
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Talking with: Bennett Miller
March 4, 2006
Bennett Miller admits he's always felt like an outsider. But the 39-year-old filmmaker has found himself embraced by Hollywood's elite this year, with nominations from the Directors Guild of America and the Academy Awards for his work behind the camera on "Capote," his first narrative feature.
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Talking with: Keira Knightley
March 2, 2006
Keira Knightley's nude Vanity Fair cover has almost overshadowed her Academy Award nomination for best actress in "Pride & Prejudice."
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Talking with: Paul Giamatti
February 28, 2006
Paul Giamatti has long been a critics' darling. But he was never invited to join Oscar's ranks — until now.
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Talking with: Terrence Howard
February 23, 2006
Terrence Howard has been kicking around Hollywood since 1987, appearing in everything from "The Cosby Show" to "Big Momma's House" and "Ray." But nothing could have prepared him for the kind of year he'd experience in 2005.
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Talking with: Michelle Williams
February 16, 2006
Though the core of "Brokeback Mountain" is the doomed love affair between two cowboys played by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, no less important to the plot machinations of the melancholic western is the role of Alma, the embittered wife of Ledger's taciturn Ennis.
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Talking with: Grant Heslov
February 9, 2006
Though George Clooney has gotten the lion's share of the press for his film "Good Night, and Good Luck," his longtime friend Grant Heslov deserves a lot of credit for the success of the historical drama.
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Talking with: Fernando Meirelles
January 25, 2006
Few films have achieved so much so quietly this awards season as Fernando Meirelles' "The Constant Gardener."
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Talking with: Jeff Daniels
January 11, 2006
After 25 years of starring in a series of acclaimed films — both comedies and dramas — Jeff Daniels is finally getting the respect his critical admirers and fans have long believed he deserves.
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Talking with: Jason Lee
January 5, 2006
His name is Earl — but only on TV.
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Talking with: David Cronenberg
December 29, 2005
It's not only actors that get typecast.
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Talking with: Philip Seymour Hoffman
December 21, 2005
Philip Seymour Hoffman's days of flying under the radar in Hollywood are over, thanks to his illuminating turn as the flamboyant writer Truman Capote in the period drama, "Capote."
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Talking with: Tommy Lee Jones
December 15, 2005
Tommy Lee Jones doesn't suffer journalists lightly.
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Talking with: Paul Haggis
December 8, 2005
Paul Haggis is off to an impressive start in the awards game.
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Talking with: Felicity Huffman
November 30, 2005
It's a long way from Wisteria Lane to "Transamerica," but Felicity Huffman has made the most of the journey.
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