Tag: bios

Birthday Bios

Happy Birthday to comedian/actor David Alan Grier!

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Grier was born on June 30, 1956, in Detroit, Michigan. He received a B.A. from the University of Michigan and an M.F.A. from Yale School of Drama.

After graduating he was nominated for his role as Jackie Robinson for a Tony for Best Feature Actor in the 1981 musical “The First.” Grier has a long history on Broadway, having been nominated for Tony awards, and performing in productions such as “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, David Mamet’s play “Race” with James Spader, Kerry Washington and Richard Thomas, and “Porgy and Bess” with Audra McDonald.

Grier, however, is probaby best known for being a cast member on Keenen and Damon Wayans’ sketch show “In Living Color,” which ran from 1990 to 1994. He’s also had roles in shows and movies like superhero parody “Blankman,” Amazon Women on the Moon,” “The Cosby Show” spin-off “A Different World” with Lisa Bonet, “Boomerang,” Tales From the Hood,” “Pinky and the Brain” (voice), “McHale’s Navy” (1997), “Bewitched” (2005), and most recently “Peeples” with Craig Robinson and Kerry Washington.

Grier also co-starred with Bonnie Hunt in the film “Jumanji” before joining the cast of her show “Life with Bonnie,” which ran for two seasons.

Birthday Bios

Happy birthday to actor Yancey Arias!

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Happy birthday to actor Yancey Arias, born June 27, 1971, in NYC. Of Puerto Rican and Colombian descent, Arias first demonstrated his talent for performing as a child. A professional singer, he began singing at 12, and his ability to act was discovered during his high school years, when he was selected to study drama summers at Stage Door Manor in New York state. Arias went on to study drama at Carnegie Mellon University, but left his junior year for a five-year stint performing in Miss Saigon on Broadway.

A familiar face to TV viewers, Arias first appeared on television as Emilio Gonzales on soap opera “One Life to Live” from 1994 to 1997. He’s also had roles in a long list of shows, including “The Mentalist,” “Knight Rider,” “Bones,” “Medium,” as appeared in movies like “Legion,” “Live Free or Die Hard,” “The Time Machine,” “CSI” and “CSI: Miami,” the miniseries “Kingpin,” “Charmed,” “The Sopranos,” “Elementary,” “Warehouse 13,” “Revenge,” and “Castle.”

With less of a presence on the “big screen,” Arias still has seen success playing in “Live Free or Die Hard,” and genre flicks, “The Time Machine” and “Legion.”

At only 43, Yancey Arias has seen much success, and with three releases due this year and in 2015, he is sure to continue to making his mark on both the small and big screens.