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1-50 of 86
- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Linda Edna Cardellini was born in Redwood City, California, to Lorraine (Hernan) and Wayne David Cardellini, a businessman. She is of Italian (from her paternal grandfather), Irish (from her mother), German, English, and Scottish descent. Linda grew up in the San Francisco Bay area, California, the youngest of four children. She became interested in acting at age ten, when she performed a singing role in a school Christmas play. She continued to do school productions and community theater.
Linda attended Saint Francis High School in Mountain View, California. After graduating, she had to decide whether to go to New York to pursue theater or Los Angeles to pursue film and television. She chose LA. Linda was cast in her first role, on the series Bone Chillers (1996). Her breakthrough part came when she was cast in Freaks and Geeks (1999). She played academic decathlete Lindsay Weir on the celebrated series, which won an Emmy Award in the Category of "Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series".
Cardellini captured the hearts of young girls, boys and teenagers, worldwide, for her portrayal of Velma in Warner Bros.'s Scooby-Doo (2002). She also co-starred in 'Brian Robbins'' Good Burger (1997), Legally Blonde (2001), with Reese Witherspoon, and Tom McLoughlin's The Unsaid (2001) with Andy Garcia, as well as in the Adam Sandler-produced comedy, Grandma's Boy (2006).
In 2005, Cardellini starred in the ensemble film, American Gun (2005), for IFC Films, alongside Donald Sutherland, Forest Whitaker and Marcia Gay Harden. "American Gun" was the debut feature of director/co-writer Aric Avelino, which has earned a Best Picture nomination at the Independent Spirit Awards in 2007. In the same year, Cardellini delivered a heartfelt performance as a jilted lover in Ang Lee's highly-acclaimed drama, Brokeback Mountain (2005), which garnered major accolades from critics, including an Academy Award nomination and Golden Globe win for Best Picture and Outstanding Ensemble in a Motion Picture Drama by the Screen Actor's Guild.
It was upon working with Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana on this film, that they later cast her in CBS's Hallmark Hall of Fame mini-series Comanche Moon (2008), a testament to their trust in Cardellini's talent and presence on screen. Cardellini starred alongside Val Kilmer and Steve Zahn in the six-hour, epic mini-series in 2008, written by McMurtry (based on McMurtry's novel of the same name), directed by Simon Wincer and executive-produced by Ossana. This western, which was the prequel to "Lonesome Dove," (the television series created in 1989 by McMurtry) aired on three consecutive evenings for two hours each night.
In 2008, Cardellini portrayed the lead role of 'Julie Ingram' in the feature film "The Lazarus Project" starring alongside 'Paul Walker'. Directed by John Glenn, this thriller tells the story of a former criminal who is drawn into an illicit endeavor and subsequently finds himself living an inexplicable new life working at a psychiatric facility.
In 2011, Cardellini co-starred in Jonathan Hensleigh's independent feature film "Kill the Irishman," alongside Christopher Walken, Ray Stevenson and Val Kilmer. The film was based on the true story of Danny Greene, a tough Irish thug working for mobsters in Cleveland during the 1970s. In February 2012, Cardellini starred as 'Kelli' in the independent film "Return," opposite Michael Shannon and John Slattery which earned Cardellini an Independent Spirit Award nomination for "Best Female Lead." "Return" was featured in the Director's Fortnight section at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival and was an official entry at The Deauville, London and Palm Springs International Film Festivals. "Return" follows 'Kelli' as she returns home from war and learns how to adjust to a slower, normal life.
In 2013, Cardellini was almost unrecognizable, but turned heads, for her provocative portrayal of 'Sylvia Rosen,' 'Don Draper's' married mistress, in a guest arc in the sixth season of the critically acclaimed AMC series, "Mad Men." She received her first Emmy nomination for "Outstanding Guest Actress in A Drama Series" for her portrayal.
Working in both film and television, Linda is well-known for her portrayal of 'Nurse Samantha Taggart' on NBC's highly-rated, critically acclaimed series, "ER". She will next be seen as 'Meg Rayburn' in Netflix's new untitled family drama series created by Glenn Kessler, Daniel Zelman and Todd Kessler. Cardellini also has a co-starring role in the indie comedy Welcome to Me (2014), opposite an all-star cast that includes Kristen Wiig, Tim Robbins, Joan Cusack, James Marsden and Wes Bentley. The film is directed by Shira Piven. "Welcome to Me" was produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay and premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.
On the small screen, Cardellini was a guest star, playing 'Dr. Megan Tillman', in CBS' Person of Interest (2011). The crime drama show was created by Jonathan Nolan and stars Jim Caviezel, Taraji P. Henson and Michael Emerson. Cardellini also lends her voice to a diverse group of animated series including Nickelodeon's "Sanjay & Craig" wherein she plays 'Megan,' IFC's "Out There" wherein she voices 'Starla,' and Disney's "Gravity Falls," in which she is 'Wendy.' Cardellini's past voiceover work includes the role of 'Bliss,' the family daughter in the ABC animated television program, The Goode Family (2009).
Linda has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre from Loyola Marymount University, and completed a summer study program at the National Theatre in London. She resides in Los Angeles.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Ross Malinger was born on 7 July 1984 in Redwood City, California, USA. He is an actor, known for Sleepless in Seattle (1993), Sudden Death (1995) and Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher (1996).- Actress
- Cinematographer
- Producer
Carol Jones was born on 1 May 1955 in Redwood City, California, USA. She is an actress and cinematographer, known for There's Gotta Be Something More (2018), Knots Landing (1979) and The Waltons (1972). She has been married to Tony Potter since 14 February 1989. They have five children.- Alex Black was born on 20 April 1989 in Redwood City, California, USA. He is an actor, known for Spider-Man (2002), Bubble Boy (2001) and 13 Going on 30 (2004).
- Although probably best known for his recurring role as the mean history teacher, Mr. Stern, on Nickelodeon's "iCarly," Joseph's roles run the gamut from psychiatrists to psychopaths. Specializing in dry-witted characters that could snap at any moment, Joseph admits he enjoys playing the type of people that, "you know something's off with them, but you're not quite sure what...and it drives you crazy!" If you're looking for a nervous accountant who just might also be a serial killer, Joseph Buttler's body of work speaks for itself.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
This starlet of the early 50s once self-deprecatingly described herself as "a poor man's movie star". She was born Joyce Elaine Mackenzie in Redwood, California, a doctor's daughter. During the war years her sobriquet was 'Joyce the Joiner', toiling as a carpenter's assistant at the shipbuilding company Western Pipe and Steel. This helped pay for her acting tuition. After the war, Joyce got her foot in the door selling tickets and getting occasional acting gigs at the Pasadena Playhouse. Like so many other debutantes, she was spotted by a talent scout (in 1948) and wound up as the only female character (albeit uncredited) in the air force drama Twelve O'Clock High (1949). Her first featured role for 20th Century Fox was as a rival to Dorothy McGuire in the marital comedy Mother Didn't Tell Me (1950). Joyce had a rare opportunity for top billing on a loan-out to RKO, but the resulting second feature (Destination Murder (1950)) turned out to be a tepid potboiler for which the studio had acquired the rights on the cheap from a Poverty Row outfit. Nonetheless, Joyce racked up fifteen film credits over the next three years, including solid supporting roles in A-grade releases like Broken Arrow (1950), On the Riviera (1951), The Racket (1951) and Deadline - U.S.A. (1952), opposite big time box-office stars James Stewart, Danny Kaye, Robert Mitchum and Humphrey Bogart, respectively. She also famously played Jane to Lex Barker's Tarzan in Tarzan and the She-Devil (1953) (again for RKO), becoming the eleventh actress cast in that role thus far. Her penultimate film was The French Line (1953), a musical comedy (released in 3-D) in which Joyce (playing a model) swapped identities with Jane Russell.
Joyce retired from acting in the early 60s after guest starring in an episode of Perry Mason (1957). By 1976, she had switched professions, working as an English teacher at a high school in Laguna Niguel, California. She was married three times, respectively to real estate mogul Walter Leimert, construction tycoon Robert L. Driver and, finally, to Victor Benedict Hassing, who predeceased her in 1980.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Writer
Joshua Randolph Outzen is an up and coming actor from Redwood City, CA. He lived with his parents and younger sister in Folsom, California for 11 years. A couple years in Soldotna, Alaska and then Parker, Colorado for 9 years. He played multiple sports until junior year of High school when he got introduced to Improv and found a passion for acting. He did 3 years of theatre and has since been doing film acting in 55+ short films, web series and indie films over the past 9 years. In 2017 he was a finalist in the New Mexico Film Foundation Actor Showcase. Some of his film roles include small speaking roles in the horror movies "Body Keepers" and "Terror Tales". Along with a lead role in the recently released western "Death Alley". He will next be seen in 2 supporting roles with the comedy "Pay to Die" and horror comedy "Desert Fiends". Along with 2 lead roles in a new thriller "Like & Subscribe" and new horror film "Pater Noster".- Camera and Electrical Department
- Writer
- Actor
David W. Donoho was born in Redwood City, California, USA. He is a writer and actor, known for Domino (2005), Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985) and Deep Cover (1992). He was previously married to Holly Marie Combs.- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Chris Roberts founded Ascendant Pictures in early 2003 and in just a short time, established himself and the company as a force in the world of independent film production and finance. In 2004, Roberts earned an Executive Producer credit on The Punisher and produced The Big White (Robin Williams, Holly Hunter, Woody Harrelson) and Lord Of War (Nicolas Cage, Ethan Hawke, Jared Leto). In 2005, Roberts produced Lucky Number Slevin. In addition, he served as Executive Producer on The Jacket (Adrien Brody and Keira Knightly) and the upcoming Robert Towne film, Ask The Dust (Colin Farrell and Selma Hayek). The end of 2006 finds him producing the effects laden sci-fi Viking project, Outlander starring Jim Caviezel, Sophia Myles and Jack Huston and to be directed by Howard McCain. Principal photography began October 16 in Nova Scotia and will continue through January 2007. Roberts will also serve as Executive Producer on Black Water Transit which films January 2007 in New Orleans.
Prior to founding Ascendant, Roberts was Chairman and CEO of Digital Anvil (DA), the game development and digital effects company he founded in 1996 with funding from Microsoft and Advanced Micro Devices. Roberts guided DA's growth to annual revenues of $14 million, prior to the release of many of its games in development. His innovations changed the gaming industry. His games were the first to perfect the use of 35mm film as narrative in interactive game titles, and DA became the first interactive entertainment company to produce a game title, Wing Commander, into a $25 million feature film, directed and produced by Roberts. The film starred Freddie Prinze, Jr. (I Know What You Did Last Summer), Saffron Burrows (Deep Blue Sea) and Matthew Lillard (Scooby Doo).
DA and the video game titles it created won numerous gaming awards and the company became a digital effects powerhouse, creating all of the digital effects for the Wing Commander movie and contributing to the digital effects for several other films, including Spy Kids. In December of 2000, Roberts sold DA to Microsoft. DA remains a successful subsidiary of Microsoft and content provider for the XBox.
In 1987, Roberts joined Origin Systems, Inc. (OSI), which was later acquired as a wholly owned subsidiary by Electronic Arts (EA) in 1992 for $30 million. Roberts was instrumental in OSI's growth from a company with $4 million in annual revenues to a company with annual revenues of $50 million. In 1990, Roberts developed Wing Commander, which set a new standard in PC games and evolved into a franchise series of game titles, all developed and produced by Roberts. With its cinematic quality, clearly developed story lines and well-known actors, the Wing Commander series created a whole new genre within the gaming industry known as the "interactive movie." By 1995, the Wing Commander series had generated well over $110 million in revenues, and from 1990 to 1995, the Wing Commander series accounted for more than 60% of OSI's revenue. In addition to selling more than 3 million units worldwide by 1995, the Wing Commander series won a record setting number of gaming awards. To date, the series has generated over $400 million in global retail revenue.
A gaming wonder kid, Roberts sold his first computer game at the age of 14, and by the age of 20, Roberts had developed three #1 hits in his native U.K.: Match Day, Wiz Adore and Stryker's Run.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Stunts
Bob Sherman was born on 16 November 1940 in Redwood City, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Hellboy (2004), Little Shop of Horrors (1986) and The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). He died on 30 August 2004 in England, UK.- Editor
- Editorial Department
- Producer
Chris Lebenzon's career as an editor has spanned four decades and genres from action to drama, fantasy, musicals, comedy, and animation. He is known for his longtime collaborations with director Tim Burton and producer Jerry Bruckheimer. He has earned accolades including Oscar nominations for the iconic classic Top Gun (1986) and submarine thriller Crimson Tide (1995). He won American Cinema Editors' Eddie Awards for Tim Burton's adaptation of the musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) and live action fantasy, Alice in Wonderland (2010). The films he has edited have grossed over 13 billion dollars worldwide.
With Burton, he has edited classic films, such as: Batman Returns (1992), Ed Wood (1994), Big Fish (2003), and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005). Additionally, he has worked on stop- motion animated films such as Frankenweenie (2012), Corpse Bride 2005), and the holiday classic The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), for which he was consulting editor.
With producer Jerry Bruckheimer and the late Tony Scott he has also edited: Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), Days of Thunder (1990), and Enemy of the State (1998).
Moreover, he edited over 12 films with Jerry Bruckheimer: this included Dominic Sena's Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000), Simon West's Con Air (1997), Michael Bay's Armageddon (1998), Pearl Harbor (2001), and Joseph Kosinski's Top Gun: Maverick (2022) as the additional editor.
Lebenzon's credits also include John Hughes' Weird Science (1985), Martin Brest's Midnight Run (1988), Disney's Maleficent (2014), and Ruben Fleisher's Uncharted (2022).- Actress
- Producer
Cory Oliver was born in Redwood City, California, USA. She is known for BASEketball (1998), God's Not Dead (2014) and Dead Man on Campus (1998).- Alana Curry was born in Redwood City, California, but she was raised in Hawaii and then Arizona. She started out her career by doing ballet and tap dance. After studying ballet for 12 years, she decided to pursue acting. During high school, she appeared in several commercials and films.
After graduation from high school, Alana moved to Los Angeles and acted in various roles in films, television, commercials, and voice-overs. She has guest-starred in small parts on such TV shows as "Robbery Homicide Division", "The Bold & the Beautiful", "Beverly Hills 90210", and "Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher". Her film credits include a small role in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003), as well as a string of independent films including Is This Seat Taken (2003) and Changing Fates.
She also participates in many charity events as well as appearing at numerous film conventions. She is also a part of The Hollywood Hoopsters, a celebrity basketball team that raises money for different schools. - Director
- Actress
- Writer
Kandis Fay was born on 16 February 1985 in Redwood City, California, USA. She is a director and actress, known for I Am Not a Hipster (2012), Masters of Sex (2013) and Farah Goes Bang (2013). She has been married to Cameron Fay since 4 September 2015. They have one child.- Actor
- Producer
- Executive
Julian Edelman was born on 22 May 1986 in Redwood City, California, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for 80 for Brady (2023), Almost Friday TV (2022) and Ballers (2015).- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Producer
Alexi James was born in Redwood City, California, USA. Alexi is an actor and producer, known for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Seeking Justice (2011) and Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017).- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Actor/dancer/choreographer Christopher Riordan was born in Redwood, California on November 25, 1937, and entertained in song-and-dance shows around the San Jose and San Francisco area from age four. Following high school, he left home and headed straight to Hollywood to follow his boyhood dream.
Once in Hollywood, his life changed completely. Almost immediately he was given a small role in Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956) and, after a chance meeting with actor Montgomery Clift, was given the uncredited role of his teenage son in a brief, final scene of the Civil War drama Raintree County (1957) but the scene was deleted before its general release.
Christopher spent the next few years dividing his time between stage and nightclub work. He sang and danced in such road shows as "Damn Yankees," "Carnival" and "Girl Crazy" and musical revues including "The Best of Broadway" and "That's Show Biz!" In 1962, he happened to be seen at an audition by Fred Astaire and his choreographer Hermes Pan and was hired by them to be a dance partner with lovely Barrie Chase for a new Las Vegas nightclub act they were breaking in. This union with Chase consisted of appearing at the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas and performing on the TV variety show The Hollywood Palace (1964). He then went on to assist Mr. Pan with choreography in such films as My Fair Lady (1964) and The Great Race (1965), as well as on TV in a Carol Channing special.
Spotted on various popular TV shows such as The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952), Batman (1966), The Andy Griffith Show (1960), Dr. Kildare (1961), The Fugitive (1963),The Outer Limits (1963), The Monkees (1965), Perry Mason (1957) and The Lucy Show (1962), he could also be seen here and there as a dancer in the teen-oriented films Looking for Love (1964) and A Swingin' Summer (1965), among others. Also, at this point in time, he began to show up in a number of swinging Elvis Presley films. He was initially hired as a background dancer in the popular Presley vehicle Viva Las Vegas (1964) co-starring Ann-Margret, which worked so well that he went on to appear as a utilitarian player in five others, more than any other performer: Roustabout (1964), Tickle Me (1965), Spinout (1966), Clambake (1967) and Double Trouble (1967), not to mention a couple of Presley's documentaries. He was the only male on the list of people "to be called" whenever Elvis came into town for a film and was called his "favorite dancer." Eventually, Christopher received featured actor billing in the cult films The Gay Deceivers (1969) and Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970).
Elsewhere, Christopher found a degree of stability working with American International Pictures working as either a dancer or assistant choreographer on such "beach party" styled films as The Girls on the Beach (1965) and The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini (1966). He went on to serve as choreographer for Annette Funicello and others in the stock car racing movies Fireball 500 (1966) and Thunder Alley (1967).
Most of his later years were spent on various stages as an actor or choreographer. He wrote, directed and co-produced a local Los Angeles interview show called "Show Talk" in 1989. He also moved away from Southern California for a time in the 1990s and became the artistic director at the Lyric Theater where he directed the musical "Once Upon a Mattress" and then helmed a production of "Don Juan in Hell starring George Chakiris in Ashland, Oregon. He also lived for a time in Puerto Vallarta where he often performed at a local nightclub.
Christopher eventually returned to the Los Angeles area and found himself on TV once again courtesy of "adopted son" director Victor Nelli Jr. in episodes of Ugly Betty (2006) and Black-ish (2014), among others. He became a semi-regular on the comedy Superstore (2015) as employee Chris and retired after five seasons.
Away from the camera, Christopher continues to make guest appearances at various autograph conventions and Presley festivals. He has one son, Sean, by a brief 1960's marriage who works behind the scenes in films and television.- Additional Crew
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Writer
Sarah Clifford was born on 5 July 1978 in Redwood City, California, USA. Sarah is an assistant director and writer, known for The Old Man (2022), Think Like a Dog (2020) and Stumptown (2019).- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Nick was born in Redwood City, California on February 23rd, 1964.
Nick's introduction into the Entertainment Industry was providing Celebrity voices to numerous radio stations in the Silicon Valley, as well as Morning Shows nationwide. Working with such notable talents as "Mancow" Muller, Mark S. Allen (Mark at the Movies on Reelz) and his then partner Ebro Darden (VP Emmis Communications).
Nick's acting debut came as a featured background player as a Bellboy in Warner Brothers, "The Rookie", which starred in and was directed by Oscar Award Winning Director Clint Eastwood.
Nick moved to the Sacramento area in 1991, where he met writer/director Joe Carnahan while auditioning for Carnahan's movie "Split". Fenske went on to work with Carnahan on countless other projects including "Blood, Guts, Bullets and Octane", "Smokin Aces", "Stretch" and "State of Affairs".
In 2000 Nick provided the voice of Sammy Sosa for MTV's Celebrity Deathmatch in "Deathbowl 2000". He also provided the voice for the Winchester Mystery House's, "Audio Guided Tour", as well as the voice for WMH's, "Walk Amongst the Spirits".
Nick's Network Debut was on NBC's "State of Affairs", which starred Katherine Heigl and Alfre Woodard. Nick most chilling performance was as Mass Murder Terrence Lee Horton in "In the Eyes of a Killer" which starred both Costas and Louis Mandylor, who also directed the film.
Nick more recently has focused on creating and writing a new streaming Crime Drama series "Orchard Park", as well as writing some screenplays he hopes to produce as feature films.- Timothy Pojim was born in Redwood City, California to immigrant parents - a Kenyan mother and Ugandan father. He has two younger siblings and three older half-siblings. Although his family moved frequently, Timothy spent most of his younger years in Tracy, California. He caught the acting bug at age seven after performing in a children's play, portraying a biblical rapper prophesying the return of Christ. Pojim graduated from John C. Kimball High School in 2014. He ran track and field at De Anza College before transferring to the University of California, Riverside. While exploring career paths he became passionate about photography, thus leading to a solo freelance venture capturing portraits and events throughout California. He moved to Los Angeles in 2020 to pursue acting and filmmaking.
- Heidi Thomas was born on 9 March 1967 in Redwood City, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Ricochet (1991), Back to Even (1998) and Night of the Running Man (1995).
- Stunts
- Actress
Robin Bonaccorsi was born doing sports, riding mini bikes and fell in love with cars while her brother and father were always wrenching under the hood of one. She continued her childhood love of soccer into college. After graduating from SDSU and wanting to avoid the "real world" she went to work at Club Med in Haiti and stumbled upon a film set. That is where the love affair with the film business started.
She worked for a film producer for free while waiting tables at night. Working almost every position on the crew until she found her glass slipper ... the stunt department. The perfect blend of her sports and her love of the film business.
Since the moment the light bulb went off, she has been working as a professional stunt performer and stunt driver.
The continual gift of challenging yourself physically and mentally are the things that keeps her coming back for more. The people that she works with have an unspoken world of "trust". They have each other's lives in their hands. Stunt performers do not need any corporate "trust" retreats, they give it up to coworkers every job.
The fellow stunt performers and crew members that make up this business along with the creativity and problem solving needed to accomplish the stunts are truly what makes this job special.
Over the years she has been lucky enough to experience fire burns, stunt car driving, ground pounding, more ground pounding, fights, sports, action acting and so much more.
She is very grateful she was able to follow her passion in life.- Audrey (born Audrey Virginia Proulx) is an American pop singer/songwriter. She was born on February 16, 1992 in Redwood City, California to Tom and Barbara Proulx and has a younger brother, Ian. At age 3, she started playing the violin, with her mother driving her 30 minutes each way for two 15-minute lessons a week. At age 6, she began singing and writing songs. Audrey later attended Stanford University, where she received a BS in computer science, and then immediately entered the Stanford Graduate School of Business, pursuing a joint MS in computer science and MBA. Despite her family's background in engineering, music was always her passion. Working with producers Juan Covarrubias and Chris Seefried, in 2015, she released her first original album "Colors," which she describes as giving a "glimpse into the various colors of my life, from self-discovery to love to pursuing my greatest passion--music." Following her album, Audrey released her first music video for her song "Try."
- Stunts
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Ron Kauk's first experiences in rock go back to his fourteen years, he had traveled Yosemite with his backpack during a school trip. "The instructor had bet a milkshake that I wouldn't be able to climb a crack, I still remember today the feeling of happiness that I managed in the last meters before the exit." enrolls with his brother in a rock climbing course at Tuolumne Meadows. "In town, I was climbing the school walls, doing at least 100 finger pull-ups a day, and memorizing the Yosemite routes guide almost by heart." During the summer of 1973, Ron spent many weekends in the area, and felt provided by the "Stonemasters", a band of climbers who lodged at Camp 4 in tents and old buses. After spending the whole summer of 1974 in the valley, he ends up in high school. He stays there for a day and decides never to breathe the air of a classroom again. He then moved to Camp 4 to live with people such as Jim Bridwell, Dale Bard and John Bachar. "It was Jim Bridwell who set the tone, he began to tackle very short and very physical routes. The most important thing was to climb a route, if possible on sight and increasingly difficult". By 1974 Ron was able to onsight Nabisco Wall, at the time the toughest route in the valley. In 1975, he managed the first free sequence of Astroman and several openings like Tales of Power, Separate Reality and Midnight Lightening. At the age of seventeen, he struggled for five days in the 1000 vertical meters of the great wall of El Capitan. Then, still at El Capitan and in the company of Steve Sutten, he climbed the North American wall in winter under an icy storm. With Dale Bard, he completed Window Tears, a difficult Yosemite icefall. In 1978, he created Le Nez en tête and in one day. The same year, Ron and Chapman left for Canada, for Mount Kitchener, they managed the north face. In 1979, Ron took part with John Roskelly and Kim Schmitz in an expedition to Uli Biaho's tower in the Karakoram. On the way back, Ron felt like he had done the trick and his motivation waned, he settled on the eastern slope of the Sierra and earned his living sometimes as a logger, sometimes as a miner. Sometimes, after work, he would climb some rocks in Tuolumne.
In 1986, Ron won a bouldering competition in the USA, Yvon Chouinard then offered him a ticket so that he could come to France to take part in a meeting. "During these competitions, I had rediscovered the spirit of the 70s: European climbers excited my curiosity and motivated me." For several years, Ron will successfully participate in many international competitions. Then, in 1993, the difficult routes attracted him again. "I've always been open to growth in the sport. I also believed that the Spits bindings could breathe new life into the rather stagnant environment of Yosemite and breathe new life into free climbing." The purist camp refused to hear about it, until Ron opened Crossroads in 1993, considered at the time to be a revolutionary route. Thanks to systematic training, on his thirty-seventh birthday, Ron was the first American to climb an 8c route, Burn For You.
He now runs Sacred Rok, a non-profits association. The mission of Sacred Rok is to support youth incarcerated youth the focus and self-discipline represented by rock climbing, with the aim of helping them learn to apply that same focus and self-discipline when back out on the street.- Michelle McLaughlin was born on 19 June 1986 in Redwood City, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Bad Ideas (2012), Satan's House of Yoga (2005) and Marty Jenkins and the Vampire Bitches (2006). She has been married to F.P. Santangelo since 7 November 2010. They have one child.