Who is Rene Russo?

American actress, producer and model Rene Marie Russo was born in Burbank, California USA, on 17 February 1954, making Aquarius her zodiac sign. Primarily know for her modeling career, she’s also appeared in only TV series and movies, and is probably known best for playing the lead character Nina Romina in the critically acclaimed 2014 crime thriller movie “Nightcrawler”, written and directed by Dan Gilroy, and which also starred Jake Gyllenhaal and Bill Paxton. It follows conman Louis Bloom who’s ventured into crime journalism, and the movie won 44 of its 168 award nominations, including an Oscar nomination for Best Writing, Original Screenplay.

Education and early life

Rene was raised in Burbank alongside her sister Toni, solely by their mother Shirley (nee Balocca) as their father Nino Russo abandoned the family when Rene was two; Nino was a sculptor and car mechanic, while Shirley was a barmaid and factory worker.

Rene studied at Burroughs High School, and one of her classmates was future famous movie actor, screenwriter, producer and director Ronald William ‘Ron’ Howard. She suffered from scoliosis during her teenage years, and wore a full-torso brace, and was bullied because of her tall statute, scoliosis and being a geek, and thus dropped out during her second year at Burroughs.

She initially worked as a movie theatre cashier and at an eyeglass factory, prior to signing her first modelling contract and moving to New York City.

Life before acting

It was in 1972, aged 18 that Rene was noticed by a modelling scout while attending a concert of The Rolling Stones; she signed a contract with Ford Modeling Agency, and became one of the most sought after models in the USA.

In the ‘70s and the first half of the ‘80s, Rene could’ve been seen featured on the cover page of numerous fashion magazines, with some of the most popular amongst these having been “Cosmopolitan”, “Mademoiselle” and “Vogue”.

After Rene turned 30, the demand for her as a model began to wane, and she thus began studying acting, and appeared in a number of plays performed at small theatres; at one point, Rene was mentored by the late American actor Benjamin Norman Schultz, perhaps remembered better by his professional name Allan Rich.

Roles in TV series

Rene’s had only a single TV series role: she played the main character Eden Kendell in all the seven episodes of the 1987 adventure “Sable”, created by Gary Sherman, and which also starred Lewis Van Bergen and Ken Page. It follows a children’s book author who becomes a vigilante at night, and the series was nominated for an American Society of Cinematographers Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Regular Series.

Roles in movies

Rene made her debut film appearance in the 1988 romantic comedy “Meanwhile in Santa Monica”, directed by David Gamburg, and in which Rene starred alongside Richard Kind and Christopher Carroll. It follows a Russian emigrant family as they’re running their restaurant Russian Nights.

Some of Rene’s following roles were in the 1989 sports comedy “Major League”, the 1990 romantic fantasy comedy “Mr. Destiny”, and the 1991 crime action “One Good Cop”. The year 1992 saw her play Lorna Cole in the hit action crime thriller “Lethal Weapon 3”, which Richard Donner directed, and which starred Joe Pesci, Danny Glover and Mel Gibson. It follows police detectives Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh as they’re trying to catch a former police officer who’s selling guns to street gangs, and the movie won three of its seven award nominations.

Some of Rene’s notable performances in the remainder of the decade were in the 1996 romantic comedy “Tin Cup”, the 1997 adventure comedy “Buddy” and the 1999 romantic crime thriller “The Thomas Crown Affair”.

The year 2005 saw Rene play Toni, one of the main characters in the critically acclaimed crime sports drama “Two for the Money”, directed by D. J. Caruso, and which also starred Al Pacino and Matthew McConaughey. It follows a former college football star who’s suffered an injury, and become involved in the sports gambling business; the film was nominated for two awards.

Rene took a six-year break from 2005 through 2011, when she played Frigga in the action fantasy “Thor”, which Kenneth Branagh directed, and which starred Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins and Chris Hemsworth. It follows arrogant god Thor who’s been cast out of Asgard, and has become Earth’s (Midgard) defender; the movie won five of its 35 award nominations.

Rene’s since appeared in only a couple of movies, with her three most recent roles having been in the 2017 crime comedy “Just Getting Started”, and in 2019 the mystery horror thriller “Velvet Buzzsaw” and the action adventure “Avengers: Endgame”; she’s once again taken a break from acting, as she’s had no roles for three years now.

Other credits

Rene received special thanks for both the 1998 short action documentary movie “Pure Lethal! New Angles. New Scenes. And Explosive Outtakes” and the 2000 short documentary film “In the Line of Fire: The Ultimate Sacrifice”.

She produced the popular 2005 crime sports movie “Two for the Money”.

Some of Rene’s recent talk-show appearances have been in “Made in Hollywood”, “Dish Nation” and “Entertainers with Byron Allen”.

Awards and nominations

Rene’s won four of her 33 award nominations – a 1999 Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Supporting Actress – Action/Adventure”, for her performance in “Lethal Weapon 4”, and then three awards for her performance in “Nightcrawler”: a 2014 San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress, a 2015 AARP Movies for Grownups Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, and a 2015 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress.

She was nominated for a 2015 BAFTA Film Award for Best Supporting Actress, also for “Nightcrawler”.

Bipolar disorder

Rene made a guest appearance in the talk-show “The Queen Latifah Show” in 2014, and revealed that she’s been struggling with bipolar disorder since her teenage years. She was initially able to cope with the disorder, but an emotionally turbulent time led her to start taking medication which she had previously been reluctant to do; she’s revealed that the medication has made her life a lot easier.

Love life and marriage

Rene avoids sharing the details of her love life with the public, but has still allowed her fans to take a glimpse into it.

She’s been married to American screenwriter and director Daniel Christopher ‘Dan’ Gilroy since 14 March 1992; the two met on the set of the movie “Freejack”. Dan has 14 writing credits, and is probably known best for writing the 2014 movie “Nightcrawler”, the 2017 crime thriller film “Roman J. Israel, Esq.”, which was nominated for an Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Denzel Washington) and the 2019 horror mystery thriller movie “Velvet Buzzsaw”.

Rene gave birth to their daughter Rose Gilroy on 31 August 1993, and she’s today a model.

Rene’s yet to mention other men whom she’s maybe been with, she’s married to Daniel Christopher ‘Dan’ Gilroy as of April 2023, and they have a daughter together.

Interesting facts and hobbies

Rene loves American sports, with Major League Baseball (MLB) being her favorite; she’s a fan of the Boston Red Sox, and often attends their games played at Fenway Park.

She was cast to play Dr. Chase Meridian, Batman’s love interest in the critically acclaimed 1995 movie “Batman Forever”, however, after Michael Keaton (Batman) was replaced by Val Kilmer, she was replaced by Nicole Kidman.

Rene’s a deeply religious Christian.

She has six paternal half-siblings.

Rene’s allergic to sesame.

She doesn’t use Instagram, but her fan page is today followed by over 8,000 people, while more than 100 pictures have been posted onto it.

Rene’s favorite actress is Renee Zellweger, while some of her favorite movies include “Judy”, “Chicago” and “Shark Tale”.

Height, eyes and wealth

Rene’s age is 69. Her hair’s blonde and eyes are green, she’s 5ft 8ins (1.73m) tall and weighs around 140lbs (63kgs).

Rene’s net worth’s been estimated at over $40 million, as of April 2023.

Who is Dean Cain?

American actor, screenwriter and producer Dean George Cain (né Tanaka) was born in Mount Clemens, Michigan USA, on 31 July 1966, meaning that Leo’s his zodiac sign. He’s appeared in nearly 200 TV series and movies, and is probably known best for playing Marc Shelley in the 2014 adventure comedy movie “God’s Not Dead”, directed by Harold Cronk, and which starred Shane Harper, Kevin Sorbo and David A. R. White. It follows the life of philosophy professor Radisson, and the film won a 2015 MovieGuide Award for Most Inspiring Movie.

Dean’s still highly active in the film industry and is currently working on 11 projects, including the upcoming movies “Not for Sale: Florida”, “The Phantom Warrior” and “Little Angels”.

Education and early life

Dean and his older brother Roger were raised in Los Angeles, California solely by their actress mother Sharon Thomas, as Dean’s father abandoned the family before he was born; his mother married American movie director Christopher Cain in 1969, and he adopted both Dean and Roger.

Dean fell in love with acting at a very early age, and was 10 when he made his debut film appearance, playing Dean Russell in the 1976 family drama “Elmer”; hiss following roles were in the 1979 fantasy movie “Charlie and the Talking Buzzard”, and the 1984 drama film “The Stone Boy”.

He studied at Santa Monica School and was mostly into sports during his time there, playing baseball for the school’s team. Upon matriculating in 1984, Dean enrolled at Princeton University, at which he played football, and from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history in 1988.

Dean initially wanted to pursue football, and signed a contract with the Buffalo Bills of National Football League (NFL) upon graduation, but suffered a knee injury while exercising, ending his career before it could even properly start.

Roles in TV series

Dean made his debut TV series appearance in the 1989 episode “Things That Go Bump in the Night” of the drama “Christine Cromwell”, and the following years saw him appear in an episode of the drama “Life Goes On”, the comedy “Grapevine” and the musical comedy “Noel’s House Party”.

From 1993 through 1997, he starred as Clark Kent aka Superman in the critically acclaimed adventure comedy “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman”, created by Deborah Joy LeVine and Joe Shuster, and which also starred Teri Hatcher and Lane Smith. It follows the life of superhero Superman, and the series won two of its 20 award nominations.

Dean started off the 2000s by appearing in an episode of the comedy “Just Shoot Me!” and the comedy “Frasier”, and in 2003 and 2004, he portrayed Inspector Jack Ellis in the crime mystery “The Division”, created by Deborah Joy LeVine, and which starred Bonnie Bedelia, Nancy McKeon and Lisa Vidal. It follows five female police officers as they’re working in San Francisco, the series aired from 2001 through 2004 and won six of its 13 award nominations. Some of Dean’s TV series roles in the remainder of the decade were playing supporting characters in the family sports drama “Clubhouse”, the crime drama “Las Vegas” and the comedy “Entourage”.

From 2015 through 2017, he played Dr. Jeremiah Danvers in the popular action adventure “Supergirl”, which starred David Harewood, Melissa Benoist and Chyler Leigh, and was created by Greg Berlanti and Ali Adler. It follows the life of Superman’s cousin, who’s also a superhero, the series aired from 2015 through 2021, and won 15 of its 67 award nominations.

Dean’s since appeared in only two TV series, but including playing Pete Davenport in 34 episodes of the romantic drama “Hit the Floor” from 2013 through 2018, and John in eight episodes of the 2020 drama “The Platform”.

Roles in movies

Dean played Guy in Bar in the 1981 comedy “Going Under”, and some of his following support roles were in the 1995 short drama “Just Like Him”, the 1996 crime drama “Cutty Whitman” and the 1997 action crime comedy “Best Men”.

In 2001, he portrayed Shawn Kent in the critically acclaimed action adventure comedy “Rat Race”, directed by Jerry Zucker, and which starred Breckin Meyer, Amy Smart and Whoopi Goldberg. It follows a millionaire from Las Vegas, Nevada who’s set up a race for money, and the film was nominated for three awards. Some of Dean’s other notable performances in the 2000s were in the 2002 horror mystery “The Glow”, the 2005 action “Mayday” and the 2008 romantic comedy “Making Mr. Right”.

He played the lead character Sheriff Brody in the 2012 family fantasy “I Am… Gabriel”, directed by Mike Norris, and which also starred Gavin Casalegno and Elise Baughman; it follows a mysterious boy who’s trying to help the citizens of Promise, Texas.

Dean’s also known for playing Lue in the 2017 family drama “Horse Camp”, which Joel Paul Reisig wrote and directed, and which starred Elyse Ahmad, Syndney Anderson and Bonnie Ball. It follows Kathy who’s just arrived at a horse camp, and has begun feuding with mean local girl Stacy.

Dean’s three most recent film roles have been in the 2022 family drama “Miracle at Manchester”, the 2023 drama “Casting Stones” and the 2023 crime mystery thriller “Condition of Return”.

Other credits

Dean wrote the 1995 comedy series “Off Camera with Dean Cain”, the 2010 musical movie “Pure Country 2: The Gift” and the 2012 short film “The Read Pill”.

Dean has 16 producing credits to his name, with some of his most recent work having been on the 2019 documentary movie “Hate Among Us”, the 2020 drama film “Faith Under Fire”, and the 2022 drama movie “No Vacancy”.

Dean received special thanks for the 2005 short documentary movie “From Rivals to Romance: The Making of Lois and Clark”, the 2008 action adventure movie “Maximum Impact”, and the 2017 short comedy film “Extra School”.

Some of his recent talk-show appearances have been in “Lawrence Jones Cross Country”, “America Out Loud Podcast Network” and “Prime Time with Alex Stein”.

Awards and nominations

Dean’s won eight of his 14 award nominations. Some of his wins include a 2018 Festigious International Film Festival Award for Best Ensemble, for his and his colleagues’ performance in “2050”, a 2021 Green Mountain Film Festival Award for Best Supporting Actor, for his performance in “Break Every Chain”, and a 2022 Christian Film Festival Award for Best Supporting Actor, for “One Cop’s Journey”.

Love life and relationships

Dean avoids speaking about his love life in public, but it’s known that he and later famous American actress and model Brooke Shields dated while he was attending Princeton.

In 1991 and 1992, he dated American actress and producer Ami Dolenz, while the following year saw him date Teri Hatcher, a famous American actress; he also dated American professional volleyball player Gabrielle Allyse Reece around the same time. Dean then became engaged to American country music singer Mindy McCready, but there are no further details.

In 1998 and 1999, Dean was in a relationship with Spanish model Samantha Torres, and they have a son Christopher together, born on 11 June 2000; Samantha and Dean fought over their son’s custody, which was awarded to her in 2003.

He seems to be unattached as of April 2023, hasn’t married and has a son with his former girlfriend Samantha Torres.

Interesting facts and hobbies

Dean enjoys being active on Instagram and is today followed by more than 110,000 people, while he’s posted nearly 400 pictures, with most of these having been taken during his everyday life.

He’s a fan of tattoos, and has his own name in Japanese tattooed on his ankle.

Dean has a half-sister Krisinda Cain, who’s today an actress with 10 credits to her name.

He became a reserve police officer of the St. Anthony Police Department on 19 June 2018.

Dean voted for Bill Clinton twice, but is today a registered Independent, although voting for Donald Trump in both the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.

Dean’s favorite actor is Russell Crowe, and some of his favorite movies include “The Nice Guys”, “A Beautiful Mind” and “Cinderella Man”.

Height, eyes and wealth

Dean’s age is 56. He has brown eyes and black hair, is 5ft 11ins (1.82m) tall and weighs around 190lbs (85kgs).

Dean’s net worth’s been estimated at over $8 million, as of April 2023.

Who is Brendan O’Carroll?

Irish actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer and director Brendan O’Carroll, was born in Finglas, Dublin, Ireland, on 17 September 1955, meaning that Virgo’s his zodiac sign. He’s appeared in 20 TV series and movies, and has written 14, while he’s probably known best for writing 38 episodes of the hit comedy series “Mrs Brown’s Boys”, in which he’s also starring, alongside Jennifer Gibney and Eilish O’Carroll. The series has been airing since 2011, follows the lives of an elderly woman and her six children, and has won 15 of its 34 award nominations, including a 2012 BAFTA TV Award for Best Situation Comedy.

Education and early life

Brendan was raised alongside his 10 older siblings in Finglas, by their father Gerard O’Carroll who was a carpenter, and mother Maureen who was a Labour Party politician; Gerard passed away when Brendan was six, and Maureen was left to take care of her 11 children all by herself.

Brendan studied at Saint Gabriel National School (elementary) and was 12 when he dropped out, wanting to find work and financially support himself; he worked as a milkman and waiter, while he wrote short comedy stories in his spare time.

It’s believed that Brendan hasn’t completed his high school education.

Career beginnings

Early on in his career, which he launched in 1991, Brendan wrote the boxing movie “Sparrow’s Trap”, however, its shooting was abandoned midway through, and Brendan found himself bankrupt, more than a $1 million debt; the movie hasn’t been completed to this day, while Brendan has come out of his bankruptcy, and become a successful screenwriter and actor.

Roles in movies

Brendan made his debut film appearance in the popular 1996 comedy “The Van”, directed by Stephen Frears, and which starred Colm Meaney, Donal O’Kelly and Ger Ryan. It follows the life of baker Bimbo who’s just been fired, and the movie was nominated for only a single award.

Some of Brendan’s following roles were in the 1996 short comedy “Incense & Dipsticks”, the 1998 crime drama “Sweety Barrett” and the 1999 romantic comedy “Agnes Browne”.

Also in 1999, Brendan played Funeral Carriage Driver in the critically acclaimed biographical drama “Angela’s Ashes”, written and directed by Alan Parker, and which starred Emily Watson, Robert Carlyle and Joe Breen. Based on the eponymous autobiography by Frank McCourt, the movie follows Frankie and his family as they’re trying to escape poverty, and it won five of its 18 award nominations, including an Oscar nomination for Best Music, Original Score.

Brendan was then cast to appear in the 1999 short drama “Left Back”, the 2008 comedy “Dick Dickman P. I.” and the 2009 drama “The Fattest Man in Britain”.

He played Jimmy, one of the main characters in the 2013 comedy “The Security Men”, directed by David Drury, and which also starred Dean Andrews and Bobby Ball; it follows the lives of three security guards working at a shopping mall.

Brendan’s since appeared in only three movies: the 2013 comedy “Mrs Brown Rides again”, the 2014 comedy “Mrs Brown’s Boys D’Movie”, and the 2022 romantic comedy “Tyler Perry’s A Madea Homecoming”.

Roles in TV series

Brendan’s had roles in six TV series, including “Mrs Brown’s Boys”. He made his debut by playing Gypsy Joe in a 2004 episode of the comedy “Max & Paddy’s Road to Nowhere”, and from 2002 through 2008 he starred as Agnes Brown in all the seven episodes of the comedy “Mrs Brown’s Boys: The Original Series”; it also starred Jennifer Gibney and Fiona O’Carroll, and follows the lives of Agnes Brown and her children.

In 2017, Brendan played Mrs Agnes Brown in an episode of the comedy game-show “Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway”, and his only other two roles have been playing Mrs Agnes Brown once again in a 2020 episode of the family drama “Children in Need”, and Uncle Ronnie in a 2022 episode of the drama “The Walk-In”.

Writing, producing and other credits

Some of Brendan’s most notable writing work has been the 1995 comedy film “How’s Your Jolly Roger”, the 1999 romantic comedy movie “Agnes Browne”, and the comedy film “Brendan O’Carroll: How’s Your Raspberry Ripple?” also in 1999.

He also has eight producing credits, with some of his most recent work having been on the 2019 short movie “Seconds Out”, five episodes of the 2020 comedy talk-show “All Round to Mrs Brown’s”, and six episodes of the comedy series “Mrs Brown’s Boys” from 2016 through 2022.

Brendan received special thanks for the 2015 TV special “National Television Awards”.

Some of his most recent talk-show appearances have been in “The Tommy Tiernan Show”, “Granada Reports” and “This Morning”.

Awards and nominations

Brendan’s won 10 of his 21 award nominations, including the above mentioned BAFTA win for “Mrs Brown’s Boys”.

Some of his other wins include a 2014 Royal Television Society Award for Comedy Performance, a 2015 BAFTA Award, Scotland for Best Comedy or Entertainment and a 2016 Irish Film and Television Award for Best Lead Actor, all for his performance in “Mrs Brown’s Boys”.

Love life and marriages

Brendan married his first wife, Irish non-celebrity Doreen Dowdall in 1977, and their divorce was finalized in 1999; he hasn’t shared many details concerning his first wife, and she seems to prefer to stay away from media. Brendan and Doreen had four children, one of whom has passed away; their daughter Fiona’s today an actress, while their son Danny’s an actor and producer.

Brendan and Irish actress Jennifer Gibney exchanged vows in 2005, and are today living together in Davenport, Florida.

He hasn’t spoken about other women whom he’s maybe dated, Brendan’s married to his second wife Jennifer Gibney as of April 2023, and has four children with his first wife Doreen Dowdall.

Interesting facts and hobbies

Brendan was diagnosed with dyslexia sometime in his 30s, while his sons Eric and Danny were then also diagnosed with the disorder.

His grandfather Peter O’Carroll was shot dead on 16 October 1920; the case was investigated in the British genealogy documentary series “Who Do You Think You Are?” Two of Peter’s sons were volunteers with the Irish Republican Army.

Brendan’s also an author, having published his 2022 autobiography “Call Me Mrs Brown”.

He has a private Instagram account, which is today followed by over 1,400 people, while Brendan’s uploaded only five pictures onto it.

His favorite actors are Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hardy, while some of Brendan’s favorite movies include “The Imitation Game”, “The Grinch” and “The Couriers”.

Height, eyes and wealth

Brendan’s age is 67. He has blue eyes and is bald, is 5ft 5ins (1.65m) tall and weighs around 145lbs (66kgs).

Brendan’s net worth’s been estimated at over $6 million, as of April 2023.