EDIE FALCO (Jackie Peyton)
EDIE FALCO has won the Emmy® for “Best Actress in a Comedy” thus making her the only
actress to have won an Emmy® in both the comedy and drama categories. Other credits include
winner in AFI’s Top Ten TV Programs of 2009, as well as a 2009 Golden Globe® and SAG
nominee. She became the only actress to ever receive the Emmy® Award for ‘Outstanding Lead
Actress in a Dramatic Series,’ the Golden Globe® Award for ‘Best Performance by an Actress in a
Dramatic Television Series,’ and the SAG Award for ‘Outstanding Performance by a Female
Actor in a Drama,’ all in the same year for her performance as ‘Carmela Soprano’ in the
groundbreaking series The Sopranos’ debut season. She has subsequently been nominated for
each award for every eligible television season, winning two additional Emmy® Awards, another
Golden Globe® Award and SAG Award, as well as the American Film Institute’s Award for
‘Female Television Actor of the Year.’ Most recently, she appeared on Broadway with Ben
Stiller in House Of Blue Leaves in which she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress.
When she received the Television Critics Association Award (TCA) for ‘Individual Achievement in
Drama,’ it was the first time in the history of the TCA that this Award was presented to a
woman. She is also known to television audiences for her recurring roles in the dramatic series
Oz and the acclaimed NBC series Law & Order and Homicide. Falco made her Broadway debut in
the Tony® Award-winning play Sideman, which she originated in its off-Broadway production.
For her performance, she received a Theatre World Award and a Drama Desk Award
nomination for ‘Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play.’ She went on to
make her London stage debut in the West End premiere of Sideman, and thereafter opened the
London production of the highly successful play The Vagina Monologues. When Falco starred
opposite Stanley Tucci in the lauded revival of Frankie And Johnny In The Claire De Lune, the
play broke four house box-office records at Broadway’s Belasco Theatre, making it the most
successful play on Broadway all season. More recently she appeared off-Broadway in the
highly-acclaimed “This Wide Night.
For the feature film Cost Of Living, Falco received the American Film Institute’s ‘Best Actress’
Award. Her performance in the film Laws Of Gravity earned her an Independent Spirit Award
nomination for ‘Best Female Lead Actor.’ Her other film credits include A Price Above Rubies,
Copland, Trouble Corner, Private Parts, Hurricane, Layin’ Low, Breathing Room, The Funeral, The
Addiction, Bullets Over Broadway, Trust, The Unbelievable Truth, Random Hearts and the title
character in the award-winning film Judy Berlin. For her performance in John Sayles’ Sunshine
State, Falco received the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and New York Film Critics Online
Award for ‘Best Supporting Actress.’ She also starred in the feature films The Quiet, The Great
New Wonderful and Freedomland.
MERRITT WEVER (Zoey Barkow)
MERRITT WEVER graduated from LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and the Performing
Arts. Wever has appeared in such feature films as Righteous Kill, Into The Wild, Michael Clayton,
Neal Cassady, Twelve & Holding, A Hole In One, Season Of Youth, Bringing Rain, Signs, Series 7:
The Contenders, The Adventures Of Sebastian Cole, Arresting Gena, Tough (‘Best Actor’ award,
First Run Film Festival), Greenberg, The Missing Person and Tiny Furniture.
Her television credits include Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip, Conviction, ¼ Life, NCIS, The Wire,
Blue
River
and
Something
The
Lord
Made.
Her theater appearances include Sam & Lucy, Bad Girls, Smashing, Cave Dweller, Roulette, Cape
Cod Souvenirs, To Gillian On Her 37th Birthday, Running On Earth, Here We Are, Children Of The
Flames and Female of the Species.
EVE BEST (Dr. Eleanor O’Hara)
EVE BEST is an award-winning classically trained British actress. She has twice been nominated
for a Tony Award: in 2008 for her portrayal of ’Ruth‘ in The Homecoming, , and in 2007 for the
role of ’Josie,’ in Moon for the Misbegotten (in which she starred opposite Kevin Spacey). In
addition to the Tony nomination for Moon, she won both the Drama Desk and the Outer Critics
Circle Awards for Best Actress.
After reading English at Oxford, Best trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). She
made her professional London stage debut starring opposite Jude Law in Tis Pity She’s a Whore,
and won both the Evening Standard Award for Outstanding Newcomer and the London Critics
Circle Award for Most Promising Newcomer 1999. In 2003, she won the London Critics Circle
award for Best Actress in Mourning Becomes Electra, and in 2005. She won both the Olivier
Award for Best Actress and the London Critics Circle Award for Hedda Gabler.
Her additional theater credits include Three Sisters, The Coast of Utopia, The Heiress, and The
Cherry Orchard As You Like It The Misanthrope and Macbeth.
She starred as the title role in Dolley Madison for PBS in addition to such British television
credits as The Shadow Line, Prime Suspect VII, Lie With Me, Other People’s Children and
Shackleton.
Her feature film debut was in the Academy® Award nominated The King’s Speech, directed by
Tom Hooper, starring Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush, in which she plays Wallis Simpson,
opposite Guy Pearce.
PETER FACINELLI (Dr. "Coop" Cooper)
Peter Facinelli has established himself as one of Hollywood's most sought-after actors with
distinctive, versatile, and impressive performances.
Facinelli can currently be seen as Dr. Carlisle Cullen in “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part
1.” Since opening on November 18, it has made over $650 million worldwide at the box office.
He also starred in the first three installments of the blockbuster franchise, “Twilight,” “The
Twilight Saga: New Moon,” and “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse,” for Summit Entertainment. The
Twilight film franchise is based on Stephenie Meyer's #1 New York Times bestselling literary
series. All four films shattered multiple box office records. •3The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2” will be released in November 2012.
Facinelli recently wrapped production on season four of Showtime's critically acclaimed series
“Nurse Jackie.” Facinelli appears as Dr. Cooper, a golden boy afflicted with a quirky variation of
Tourette's Syndrome opposite Edie Falco. For its second season, “Nurse Jackie” earned 8 Emmy
nominations, a record for the network, including a nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series.
The show was also nominated for a 2011 Golden Globe Award in the Best TV Series Comedy
category and a 2011 Writers Guild Award for Comedy Series. “Nurse Jackie” was also named
one of the American Film Institute's Top Ten TV Shows of 2009.
Facinelli's career boasts over thirty feature films in which he has starred alongside award
winning actors such as Matthew Broderick in the dramedy, “Finding Amanda,” which premiered
at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. His portrayal in “The Big Kahuna” had Facinelli co-starring
alongside Kevin Spacey and Danny Devito and earned him rave reviews. Other feature film
credits include Penny Marshall's “Riding in Cars with Boys” opposite Drew Barrymore, “The
Scorpion King” opposite Dwayne Johnson, a starring role in Walter Hills' sci-fi thriller
“Supernova” with James Spader and Angela Bassett, “Tempted,” opposite Burt Reynolds and
Saffron Burroughs, “Dancer, Texas Pop. 81” with Breckin Meyer, “Foxfire” opposite Angelina
Jolie, and the cult classic “Can't Hardly Wait” opposite Jennifer Love Hewitt.
Facinelli also has an impressive television resume including a pivotal supporting role on the
2007 season of “Damages,” FX's award winning legal thriller starring Glenn Close. Additional
television credits include a recurring role on the award winning HBO Series Six Feet Under,” for
which Facinelli shared the cast's 2005 nomination for the SAG Award for Best Ensemble in a
Drama; as well as the starring role in McG's sexy one-hour drama “Fastlane” in 2003.
In 2010, Facinelli started a production company, Facinelli Films. Facinelli Films' first feature,
“Loosies,” will be released by IFC in select theaters in January 2012. Facinelli wrote and stars in
the fast-paced dramatic comedy about a successful pickpocket in the New York City subways.
Facinelli Films has also acquired the rights to the autobiography “Street Soldier: My Life as an
Enforcer for Whitey Bulger and the Boston Irish Mob” by Edward Mackenzie Jr. and Phyllis
Karas. With an adapted screenplay written by Nick Gordon, the untitled film will tell the story of
Edward Mackenzie Jr., a drug dealer and merciless “enforcer” for notorious Boston crime
kingpin, James “Whitey” Bulger. Brookstreet Pictures will co-produce. Facinelli Films has
optioned the rights to Jennifer Fosberry's New York Times bestselling children's storybooks “My
Name Is Not Isabella” and “My Name Is Not Alexander” for film and television development
opportunities. The storybooks explore some of the amazing people in history who have
changed the world. Through a heartwarming story, the tales of these historical figures unfold
and are told in a captivating way that inspire children to learn and let their own personalities
shine. Facinelli has also written and will produce and star in “El Chico Blanco,” which is slated to
shoot next year. The film follows the story of Ben Harper, a white kid growing up in a Hispanic
community who rises against racial tension and a stint in prison to lead the most powerful and
feared gang in the city. Facinelli Films is also adapting the documentary "The Last Word" into a
feature film. "The Last Word" is the true story of Johnny Frank Garrett, a convicted and
executed man in Texas, who professed his innocence until his last breath. On the night of his
execution, Garrett cursed everyone that was involved in convicting him. Almost immediately
after his death, others involved began to pass - seventeen in total. Facinelli recently wrote
“Accidentally in Love,” which premiered on The Hallmark Channel in February 2010 and starred
Jennie Garth.
Facinelli was born and raised in New York, and attended NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.
DOMINIC FUMUSA (Kevin Peyton)
DOMINIC FUMUSA recently starred in Sarah Ruhl's critically-acclaimed Passion Play in New
York. Other recent stage work includes Stephen Belber’s hit play Fault Lines, directed by David
Schwimmer at the Cherry Lane Theater. In New York and in London, Fumusa originated the role
of ‘Toddy Koovitz’ in Richard Greenberg’s Tony® Award-winning Take Me Out, directed by Joe
Mantello. In New York, London and Los Angeles, he created the character of ‘Vince’ (a role that
was specifically written for him) in Stephen Belber’s Tape. He also starred in the New York
premiere of Melissa James Gibson's Obie Award-winning Sic at SoHo Repertory. Fumusa made
his Broadway debut opposite Marisa Tomei and Quentin Tarantino in Wait Until Dark. Other
Broadway credits include A Flea In Her Ear at the Roundabout Theater Company. In addition, he
portrayed Mitch Albom in a six-month, twelve-city national tour of Tuesdays With
Morrie, opposite Harold Gould. Regional credits include plays at the Guthrie, Huntington,
Kennedy Center, Actors Theater of Louisville, Williamstown, NY Stage & Film, The Stratford
Festival of Canada and Chicago Shakespeare.
Fumusa’s television credits include Sex and the City, The Sopranos, SHOWTIME’s Brotherhood,
Kings, NYPD Blue, Hack, Numb3rs, Threshold, Bones and numerous appearances on Law &
Order and CSI.
His feature film work includes the upcoming independent comedy Not for Nothing and the
recently released films Staten Island (opposite Ethan Hawke) and Helena From The
Wedding. Other features include Management (with Jennifer Aniston), This Is A Story About
Ted And Alice (opposite Melissa Leo), Dealbreaker (directed and written by Gwyneth Paltrow),
Grilled (opposite Burt Reynolds), The Guru and Chloe’s Prayer.
Paul Schulze (Eddie Walzer)
PAUL SCHULZE is a true New Yorker: he was raised on the East Side and attended S.U.N.Y.
Purchase in Westchester County where he was exposed to theater. Not long after graduating,
he landed his first feature film role in the critically acclaimed, independent film Laws of Gravity,
which co-starred fellow S.U.N.Y. Purchase alum Edie Falco. Schulze went on to star in numerous
films and television series, most notably in The Sopranos where he played ‘Father Phil Intintola,’
a priest with an arguably inappropriate fondness for ‘Carmela Soprano’ (played by Falco). He
also appeared for three seasons in the hugely successful series 24 as CTU director ‘Ryan
Chappelle’ before his character’s unexpected and controversial demise.
Schulze’s other film credits include Panic Room, where he played the rookie cop opposite Jodie
Foster in one of the film’s most memorable and intense scenes, and Rambo, the latest
installment in the franchise, where he played missionary ‘Michael Burnett’ who continually
butts heads with Sylvester Stallone’s character.
Most recently, Schulze turned in an emotional performance on the crime-drama Law & Order:
SVU, playing ‘Patrick Holbart,’ a father who has unknowingly sold his children into a human
trafficking ring. He will next appear in the USA series Fairly Legal.
ANNA DEAVERE SMITH (Mrs. Akalitus)
ANNA DEAVERE SMITH has performed in film and television as well as on stage. She is probably
most recognizable in popular culture as ’Nancy McNally’ the National Security Advisor on NBC’s
hit, The West Wing.
Smith has been featured in several films, including The American President, The Human Stain,
Dave and Rent. She was a regular on the CBS series Presidio Med. She recently starred in the
independent film Rachel Getting Married, starring Anne Hathaway.
Smith also has an active career in the theater. She has been said to have created a new form of
theater, which combines journalism, dramatic writing and keen acting skills. She creates oneperson shows, based on interviews, in which she portrays several characters – as many as 46 in
one show. Smith performed Twilight: Los Angeles around the U.S. and on Broadway. It received
two Tony® nominations, an Obie, a Drama Desk Award, a Special Citation from the New York
Drama Critics and numerous other honors. President and Mrs. Clinton and Vice President Al
Gore attended her Washington, D.C. performance. She produced, wrote and performed the
movie version of Twilight: Los Angeles for PBS.
Another one of her plays, Fires In The Mirror, examined a race riot that occurred in Crown
Heights, Brooklyn (1991) when age-old racial tensions between Black and Jewish neighbors
exploded. It received an Obie Award, numerous other awards and was a runner-up for the
Pulitzer Prize. She performed the play around the U.S., in London and Australia. The film version
of Fires In The Mirror was also broadcast on PBS.
Her newest play, Let Me Down Easy, will be touring in the spring of 2011. The tour will begin in
Washington and will visit several other cities. The play ran with several extensions at the
Second Stage Theatre in New York. The subject is the resilience and vulnerability of the human
body. This play was inspired by work she did at the Yale School of Medicine, where she was a
Visiting Professor.
Smith has received many awards for her work in the theater, among them the prestigious
McArthur Prize. She has also received many honorary degrees including those from Juilliard,
Smith, Wesleyan and Northwestern. She is a professor at New York University.
STEPHEN WALLEM (Thor)
STEPHEN WALLEM was born and raised in Rockford, Illinois and worked as a stage actor and
After Dark Award-winning cabaret singer in Chicago before moving to New York to make his
television debut on NURSE JACKIE. National tours include Forever Plaid, Into The Woods and
Scrooge with Richard Chamberlain. He accrued nearly 2,500 performances as both ‘Jinx’ and
‘Sparky’ in various companies of Forever Plaid, including Chicago, Las Vegas, Denver and the
first national tour.
Wallem portrayed ‘Judas’/‘Padre’ in the Court Theatre’s acclaimed production of Man Of La
Mancha (After Dark Award for ‘Outstanding Performance,’ Joseph Jefferson Award for ‘Best
Ensemble’) and reprised his performance at the Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven. For the
Ravinia Festival, he appeared with Tony® winners Patti LuPone, Audra McDonald, Michael
Cerveris and George Hearn in A Little Night Music, Passion, Sunday In The Park With George and
Doll with David Hyde Pierce (all directed by Lonny Price). In New York, Wallem originated the
role of ‘Arvid’ in the Broadway workshop of Kristina, written by Benny Andersson and Bjorn
Ulvaeus of ABBA. He also performed his cabarets Off the Wallem and Schwartz and All at Don't
Tell Mama along with guest appearances in the Sondheim Unplugged series at the Laurie
Beechman Theater.
Wallem is also a playwright, composer, and director. Along with longtime collaborator Danny
Musha, he is the author of Something on My Mind, produced by Ben Vereen for Good Vibes and
the musical Frozen River, which work-shopped at Lamb's Theater in Manhattan. He co-directed
Is There Life After High School? at Chicago Academy for the Arts, and wrote and directed Crisis
at Broadway High. Wallem and Musha's ballad "Another New Place" was recorded by cabaret
duo Beckie Menzie and Tom Michael for their latest CD, Better Two-gether.
ARJUN GUPTA (Sam)
ARJUN GUPTA will soon be seen starring in the independent feature Love, Lies and Seeta, a
romantic comedy with an Indian flavor that tells the story of three guys that fall for one girl. He
made his feature film debut in Motherhood, opposite Uma Thurman and Minnie Driver. Set in
Manhattan, a mother prepares for her daughter’s birthday party and has no idea of the
challenges she’s about to face in order to pull off the event. Gupta portrays ‘Nikesh,’ a New
York City bike messenger, who inadvertently develops an interesting relationship with the
struggling mother.
Over the summer, Gupta traveled to Uganda to work with In Movement, a program that
implements arts education to disadvantaged youth. He developed a workshop that
incorporated dance, music, and acting training for the children. While there, Gupta also
collaborated with Breakdance Project Uganda to teach beat boxing to underprivileged children.
Born and raised in Tampa, Florida, Gupta currently resides in New York. He is a graduate of
NYU, Tisch School of the Arts.
GBENGA AKINNAGBE (Kelly Slater)
GUEST STAR??
GBENGA AKINNAGBE is best known for his breakout-starring role as ’Chris Partlow,’ on the
widely acclaimed series “The Wire.” Now being heralded for his arc on the award-winning CBS
series The Good Wife, he recently appeared on the big screen in the Warner Bros. comedy
Lottery Ticketwith a star-studded cast including Ice Cube, Terry Crews and Bow Wow.
Born in Washington,D.C. to Nigerian parents and raised in Silver Spring, Maryland, Akinnagbe
was the first in a family of six to be born in the United States. Upon graduating college,
Akinnagbe began working for the government while researching the craft of acting in his free
time. However, when his father passed away, he knew that it was time for a change so he quit
his job and began acting full-time. Over the next few years, he appeared on the stage in such
classics as Romeo and Juliet, Cyrano de Bergerac, Hambone, All in the Timing and Sophocles’
Trilogy of Oedipus.
He made his big screen debut opposite Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney in the awardwinning, Oscar® nominated independent film The Savages. In addition, he has also proven his
talent in such major movie blockbusters as The Taking of Pelham 123 alongside John Travolta
and The Edge of Darkness opposite Mel Gibson.
During his successful three years on The Wire, Akinnagbe became a series regular on the
SHOWTIME series Barbershop. He has appeared on TV’s biggest shows including Law and Order
SVU, Fringe, Cold Case, Numb3rs and Conviction. He currently can be seen in the recurring role
as ’Pastor Isaiah Easton‘ opposite Julianna Margulies in CBS’ The Good Wife.
Currently living in New York City, Akinnagbe works as a representative for such nonprofits such
as All for Africa, Rewired for Change and Shine on Sierra Leon.
LIZ BRIXIUS & LINDA WALLEM (Executive Producers/Writers)
LIZ BRIXIUS and LINDA WALLEM began working together in 2005.Linda Wallem grew up in
Rockford, Illinois, studied theater at the University of Minnesota and is a graduate of the Helen
Olsen School of Jazz, Tap and Ballet. She began her career as an actress in both television and
feature film, before becoming a writer on television’s Cybill, That ‘70s Show and The Comeback.
Liz Brixius grew up in Greenwood, Minnesota, and began her writing career as a poetry teacher
at the University of Massachusetts. She moved to the west coast, where she was hired to write
feature films for Sandra Bullock and Katherine Heigl, only to find herself back on the east coast
with Nurse Jackie, where she couldn't be happier.
RICHIE JACKSON (Executive Producer)
RICHIE JACKSON is the president of Jackson Group Entertainment, a production and
management firm. His producing credits include the Broadway musical A Catered Affair (‘Best
Musical,’ Drama League Award) written by Harvey Fierstein and John Bucchino, directed by
John Doyle, and the film Shortbus, written and directed by John Cameron Mitchell. Jackson
recently produced the highly-acclaimed off-Broadway play “This Wide Night” starring Edie
Falco.