Buffalo's Got Talent

The Buffalo News · Mary Kunz Goldman · August 27, 2006          original article

You may not recognize them all, but a number of working actors have ties to Western New York


So you've heard of Christine Baranski and John Schuck. That's good. That's a start.

But wait: Who played Randy the Dress Salesman in the gross-out comedy "American Wedding"?

Who was the police chief in the Jim Carrey movie "Pleasantville"?

Here's a hint.  They're from our area.  A lot of actors are. You don't always know their names.  But they're there.

Brother Augustine Towey, who for a long time headed Niagara University's renowned theater and dance department, has seen many students go on to success. He has learned what to look for. "First, there has to be a certain amount of talent. Second, a certain amount of intelligence," he reflects.  "The third thing is - I don't like to call it drive, because then they sound like mad egomaniacs. But a stick-to-it quality, a sense of hustle.  Having a focus and purpose and going out and following through."

Saul Elkin, mainstay of UB's Theater Department, sighs when he thinks of the challenges even the most talented students have to face.  "It's a very difficult life," Elkin says.  "You go to the best places, L.A. and Chicago.  You start at the bottom.  The difficulty is getting that first role and being seen by agents and casting directors.  It's hard.  Once you get your toe in the door, things can begin to happen.

"Jack Hunter recently moved to Hollywood," he says, referring to a well-known Buffalo stage actor.  "He got a small role in a feature film.  Hopefully, for him, it's a beginning. There's no clear path."  Hunter appears in the 2006 horror film "Seance," starring Kandice Erickson and Ruby Garson.  He's Syd.  Watch for him.

First, some disclaimers: Because of space limitations, this is an incomplete list.  We know! It wasn't easy, but there are space limitations and you have to draw the line somewhere.  Also, these are strictly television and movie actors - not singers, dancers, producers, writers, costume designers or current stage actors (we hope to get to them some day soon).  Meanwhile, enjoy this huge, albeit arbitrary smorgasbord of talent, Buffalo-style:

SOME BIGGIES

1. William Sadler. A graduate of Orchard Park High School, the 56-year-old Sadler played the Grim Reaper in 1991's "Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey" (1991).  Other memorable roles included Colonel Stewart in "Die Hard 2: Die Harder," and Sergeant Toomey in "Biloxi Blues." On TV, he was in "Murphy Brown" and "Roseanne."  Yahoo! Movies praises Sadler's "chameleon-like ability to create characters" and points out that he has had more than 75 professional roles in New York theater.

2. William Fichtner.  In the '80s, Fichtner played a heartthrob on "As the World Turns."  Yahoo points out: "His unconventional looks - strong boned face and sad haunted eyes - contributed to his attractive intensity."  In the '90s, he was Ryan Sparks in "Grace Under Fire."  He played opposite Demi Moore in 1999's "Passion of Mind" (she played an editor, and he played an accountant pursuing her) and one of the fishermen in the George Clooney movie "The Perfect Storm."  He was also in "Crash."  Now 50, Fichtner is a graduate of Maryvale High School and is currently starring in the Fox series "Prison Break."

3-4. Tom Mardirosian and his brother, Oliver Clark.   Mardirosian, who taught acting school at Studio Arena Theatre, played Baba the Eunuch in "Don Juan Demarco," Nico Della Guardia in "Presumed Innocent" and Mr. Bubchik in the movie "Lady in the Water."  Clark, 67, has been called "owlish" and has played nerdy roles in movies like "A Star is Born" (the Streisand version), "The Landlord" and "Ernest Saves Christmas." He had a recurring role on "St. Elsewhere" as John Doe No. 6.

5. Jeff De Munn. Born in Buffalo in 1947, De Munn studied acting in London and spent two years in our National Shakespeare Company.  He played Houdini in the 1981 movie "Ragtime" and Clifford Odets in "Frances," opposite Jessica Lange. Other roles have included the D.A. who helps convict Tim Robbins of murder in "The Shawshank Redemption"; a professor in "Phenomenon" and a puzzled sheriff in "The Blob." He has appeared in TV shows including "Hill Street Blues," "Kojak" and "Law & Order," and, on stage, won a Tony Award for his role in "K2." 6. Ruben Santiago-Hudson. Santiago-Hudson, 49, wrote "Lackawanna Blues" in honor of his hometown. His family background was turbulent, and Yahoo recounts that he was raised by his mother and her landlady, whom he called "Nanny."  Of mixed African-American and Puerto Rican heritage, Santiago-Hudson struggled for years to find his niche before being cast as Buddy Bolden in the musical "Jelly's Last Jam," which starred Gregory Hines.  Since then, he played alongside Al Pacino in "Devil's Advocate" and starred as Henry VIII in the New York Shakespeare Company's production of "Henry VIII."

FOUR PRETTY BOYS OF VARRYING FAME

1. Chad Michael Murray, 25.  OK, he's big.  Murray is the It Boy, and has been for about five years now.  One of the most well-known actors to come from the area, he's a TV heartthrob, a regular on "Entertainment Tonight," magazine covers and teen fanzines.  The star of "One Tree Hill," Murray climbed to fame with memorable appearances on "The Gilmore Girls" and "Dawson's Creek."  He is beginning to conquer the big screen with "Freaky Friday," in which he played Lindsay Lohan's beau; "A Cinderella Story," with Hilary Duff; and last year's "House of Wax."

2. Stephen Wheeler, 28, played a Russian in this year's "The Good German," starring George Clooney and Cate Blanchett, and has also appeared on "Boston Legal," "Nip/Tuck" and "Commander in Chief."  The International Movie Database (IMDb) reports that he went to New York University's Tisch Drama School and is "a big fan of dance clubs, art, blackjack, Tears for Fears and Michael Buble."

3. Brett Vanderbrook.  This 24-year-old was mentioned in The News only once, in a NeXt story last year on frisbee playing. But he wrote his own biography on IMDb - a not uncommon practice.  (Excerpt: "He continued to perform throughout the rest of his years in public school, gaining a reputation as a strong character actor wherever he went.")  Vanderbrook, who grew up in Buffalo and Tonawanda and went to Fredonia State College, has been in five indie films made by X-Strike Studios.  In 2004, he played Benny in "River City Rumble."  (Movie blurb: "They came for fighting, they also came for eating burgers...")

 4. Brian Veronica, 25, attended RIT and earned a bachelor's in Industrial/Manufacturing Engineering before moving to California to act and, undoubtedly, breaking his parents' hearts in the process.  Veronica played a character named Joey Spadudu in a 2004 indie film, "Stateside," and an Actor Student in "The Falls" in 2003.  Recently, he got a big TV break when he appeared on "General Hospital" as star Sonny Corinthos' bodyguard.

ONE ACADEMIC WHO WAS ON "SEX AND THE CITY"

Brendan Powers, Chair of the Theatre Department, Niagara University. Powers' predecessor Towey tells of traveling with Powers to London, England.  "We went to the Marriott, checked in, and these two pretty girls said, "Where are you from?'  They saw we were from Niagara University.  They asked what we did. We said, "We're in theater.'   "Now, of course, they look at Brendan and say, "Oh, he has to be an actor.'  And they're right.  Next day Brendan says, "Know what? They checked me out, and they saw he was on "Sex and the City.'  It's not his proudest credit," Towey laughs, "but he was treated like a king in that hotel, and I was allowed to wash the floors, or something. Don't print that."
The "Sex and the City" episode Powers appeared in was in Season 4.  "It was a group scene. We went to a Chinese restaurant," Powers said.  "I had a pretty prominent part while we were filming it, but when it aired, it had gotten hacked."  You'd have to look sharp to spot him, Powers sighs. "I walk by in a quarter of a second."

A MOTHER/SON TEAM The mom: Terry Licata-Braunstein, the dark-haired, zesty star of the '70s "Talkin' Proud" commercials, has played bit parts in "The Rose," "Raging Bull" and "Law & Order" and played the tap teacher in Vincent Gallo's "Buffalo 66."
The son: Blair Ariel Braunstein, 19, has appeared as a day player on "The Sopranos" and as a stand-in on "Law & Order."  He was also an extra in "The Emperor's Club," the 2002 Kevin Kline movie about a prep school teacher trying to reform a bad student.

A DOZEN SEASONED PROS

1. Maury Chaykin.  Chaykin, who stars in the TV series "Nero Wolfe" on A&E, was born in Brooklyn in 1949, but went to UB.  In 1968, he founded the Swampfox Theater here.  The intrepid IMDb site helpfully reports: "His surname comes from the Russian word "Chayka,' which means "Seagull.'  His uncle is the director George Bloomfield."  After graduation, the site adds, he moved to Toronto, where he still lives. He has appeared on "CSI" and "Boston Legal" as well as 2005's "The Hunt for the BTK Killer."

2. Patrick Gallo.  The brother of Frankie Gallo of Blood, Sweat and Tears, Gallo was born in 1973 and raised in Buffalo, went to Lafayette High School and moved to New York City at 19.  He played Randy the Dress Salesman in the 2003 gross-out comedy "American Wedding" and has had roles in TV shows including "NYPD Blue" and "ER."

3. Joe Grifasi, 62, played Lt. Scott Connor in 2003 "Tarzan" episodes, and all through the '90s, he was on "Law & Order."  Yahoo calls him a familiar presence.   Grifasi, who attended the Yale School of Drama, has done off-Broadway plays, TV commercials, TV shows, you name it.  In March, he played a judge on the series "Conviction."  Five years ago found him playing Frankie's father on the show "Some of My Best Friends."  On the UPN series "The Beat," he played a guy who murdered his wife.

4. Armand Schultz.  Originally from Rochester, the 47-year-old Schultz is a graduate of NU and returns to lead soap opera workshops.  His TV credits include "The Practice," "Law & Order" and "Third Watch."

5. Stephen Henderson of UB's Theater Department has appeared on TV in "Conviction," "Hitman" and "Law & Order" (as Judge Marc Kramer).  A respected actor on Broadway and in L.A., Henderson was honored by the NAACP and the L.A. Drama Critics Circle for his role as Turnbo in August Wilson's "Jitney."

6. James Keane.  The distinguished-looking, 50-something Keane has appeared on TV in "Close to Home," "Everybody Hates Chris," "7th Heaven" and "The Practice."  
No stranger to the big screen, he was "Car Customer" in "Seabiscuit" and, more memorably, Police Chief Dan in "Pleasantville."  Keane also graced "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai," "Coneheads," TV's "The Paper Chase" and "Apocalypse Now" (he was Kilgore's Gunner).  Alas, in this year's "Bill's Gun Shop," he's identified on Yahoo! Movies simply as "balding man."

7. Rod Garr played Willie Morris in the 1994 film "Drop Squad," which starred Ving Rhames and also featured an uncredited cameo by Spike Lee.  TV credits include "Mind Games," "Sister, Sister," "Goodbye Mister Chimps," "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," "Law & Order" and "Trust."

8. Tom Todoroff.  Born in South Buffalo in 1957, he fell in love with acting when, as a second-grader in West Seneca, he played Santa Claus.  He graduated from Clarence Central in 1975, attended Juilliard and went on to work on the '91 miniseries "A Woman Named Jackie," as well as "All My Children," "Touched by an Angel" and "Dark Blue."  He can inspire local pride especially because his Buffalo regional accent initially kept him out of Juilliard! So the Internet tells us, anyway.   Todoroff is also a voice coach.  He coached the great London actor Bob Hoskins.

9. Josie DiVincenzo.  A guest star recently on "CSI" and "24," DiVincenzo earned her bachelor of arts degree in theater performance from SUNY Fredonia.  In the '90s, she was Pia Swanson in "Beverly Hills 90210," and she also appeared on "ER." She played (you guessed it) Josie in the 2003 movie "Daredevil," with Colin Farrell and Ben Affleck.  Critics take note: "DiVincenzo steals the show with her exhilarating performance," wrote Daily Variety. "Particularly effective is Josie DiVincenzo as the hot-tempered rebel," the L.A. Times wrote after one of her many stage performances.

10. Geri Jewell.  Jewell, 50, lived in Buffalo only until she was 18 months old. But she has done comedy shows here and attended family reunions.   She is something of a pioneer in that she is an actress with cerebral palsy.  Currently, she plays Jewel in the TV show "Deadwood."  Two years ago, she played Rose in "The Young and the Restless." She also lent her talent to "21 Jump Street" and "Strong Medicine."

11. Rebecca Grant.  Best known as a sportcaster, the 38-year-old Grant played Linda Santiago in the 2006 movie "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde."  Her TV credits include "Third Watch," "The District" and "She Spies."  12 and 13. Paul Vogt and Peter Allen Vogt. These Buffalo-born twins, now 42, starred in "Chicago Hope," "The In-Laws" and "Reno 911!," in which they played twin paintball snipers. Both also do individual work.   Two years ago, Peter Allen Vogt played Lord Crawley's Brother in "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement."

SEVEN MEN WITH SMALL ROLES

Anyone know these people?

1. Douglas Blakeslee, 42, was in "Groundhog Day," playing Man With a Snow Shovel.

2. Nick Denmon.  This 24-year-old, now a student at the University of Florida, played Hip-Hop Burn Victim in "Faded" ('05); FBI Agent in "Real Premonition" ('05) and Allan Harding in this year's "Vendetta" (not to be confused with "V for Vendetta").

3. Gregg Goulet, born in 1972, was the church organist in "Runaway Bride."

4. David Bortolucci, 37, went to college in Toronto and played Richard "Hands" Pope in the 2006 movie "Gardener of Eden."   He also appeared in two episodes of "The Lyon's Den," as Little Guy and Big Guy No. 1.

5. Marc Evan Jackson, 36, was Harried Guy in a 2006 episode of "According to Jim."  He was also Store Clerk in a 2002 episode of "One on One" and the Saucy Chef in 2002's "Garage: A Rock Saga."

6. Timothy Patrick Klein, 34, was on "Law & Order" in 2005, "The Wild Card" in 2004 and "Silence."  In the miniseries "The Phantom Eye" (1999), he played Society Cad.

OH, THE HORROR

1. John Karyus, 31, played Dicky in the upcoming 2007 flick "Psycho Cheerleaders"; the Peeper in "Poultrygeist: Attack of the Chicken Zombies!" (2006); Chutney in "Filthy McNasty" (2002), Lunatic in Waiting Room in "Lord of the Dead" (2000), and, intriguingly, the Grandmother in a 1998 movie, "Who's Minding the Wires?"   His resume reads: "Specializes in playing NERDS, GEEKS, FREAKS and WEIRDOS."

2. John Babcock, born in 1972, has appeared in "The Return of Dr. Rod" (2005), "Animal Attraction" (2004), "Aliens Among Us" (2004) and "Not Without My Hitler." (He was Hitler.)

3. Stan Klimecko, a Niagara Falls native, starred as Boris in "Day of the Dead 2: Contagium," released in 2005.

4. Jim Page, born in Buffalo in 1975, is mentioned here not because he played a prison guard in TV's "Shot in the Heart" in 2001, but because he appeared in "Cecil B. Demented," the 2000 John Waters movie.  Page, in that masterpiece, played Waiter in Kitchen.

5. Lilith Stabs is almost 40 now, but she is ageless, thanks to her roles in "Exterminator City" (2005), "Zombiegeddon" (2003) and 2001's "Cremains" (she played "Necromancer").  She was also Roxy in 1998's "Vampire Call Girls."

MODELS TURNED ACTORS

1. Wendie Malick.  Malick began her career as a Wilhelmina model and went on to TV shows like "Baywatch," "Just Shoot Me" (in which she played a former model, Nina Van Horn) and HBO's "Dream On."  She was also in the Buffalo-made film "Manna From Heaven."

2. Nancy La Scala, the daughter of a dairy farmer, began modeling at 19. Her break came when she played a debutante in "Species II." She was also on "Guilt" and "In the Cut" and played Robyn Marlowe on "Melrose Place."

3. Carrie Stevens, 37, is a former Playboy Playmate.  Three years ago, she played Angel Wanna Be in "Who's Your Daddy."  In 2002, she played Tara in "Redemption" and in 2002, she played Chelsea in "The Back Lot Murders," a grisly horror flick.  In the 2001 movie "Rock Star," she was Ghode's wife, Daphne.

4. Jessica White played "Bra Model" in this year's "Big Momma's House 2."  Six years ago, White starred as the 13-year-old Tessa in the movie, "First, Last and Deposit," about a mother (Sara Wilcox) and daughter trying to climb out of poverty.  White, a beautiful African-American swimsuit model, got her big breakthrough with Sports Illustrated's 2003 Swimsuit Issue.  The Web site www.askmen.com says, "She is honest, tough and foul-mouthed at times; just the right amount of "street' for our taste."

FAMILY AND FRIENDS

1. Keith Chambers.  Born in 1968, Chambers is of special interest because his mother-in-law is Leslie Uggams.  A graduate of SUNY Binghamton, he played Bartender No. 2 in the 2005 movie "Hitch," and also played Max in 2004 "Malevolence," a grisly horror movie.

2. Chelsea Noble, 42, played Kate, Kirk Cameron's girlfriend, on "Growing Pains."  She ended up marrying him for real.

3. James Read, 53, has had recurring roles in numerous series, including "Charmed," "Wildfire," "Remington Steele" and the miniseries "North and South."  More importantly, he learned riding from Patrick Swayze.

4. Christine Healy: Daughter of the late Buffalo sportscaster Chuck Healy, she played the Guardian of the Slayers in the "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" episode "End of Days."  She has also graced "Murder by Numbers," "The Pretender," "7th Heaven," "Liz: The Elizabeth Taylor Story," "ER," "Charmed" and "The Practice."

e-mail: mkunz@buffnews.com