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Linda Blair

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From the age of five, Linda Blair had to get used to the spotlight, first as a child model and then as an actress, when out of 600 applicants she was picked for the role of Regan, the possessed child, in The Exorcist (1973). Linda quickly rose to international fame, won the Golden Globe, and seemed to be set to take the Academy Award for that role, but when it leaked how some parts of the role were not performed by her (the demonic voice was dubbed by Mercedes McCambridge, and eight seconds of a stunt dummy were used) that dream broke, and with that disappointment probably came the first blow to what looked like the beginning of an A-list career.


Over the next few years she had no trouble securing lead roles in a number of pictures, including the highly successful television films Born Innocent (1974) (the #1 TV movie of that year) and Sarah T. – Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic (1975), as well as the Exorcist sequel Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977). However, when she was peer pressured into buying cocaine at the age of 18, it led to an arrest and subsequent sentencing to three years probation. The much-publicized drug bust caused Linda to be blacklisted in Hollywood, and her career was soon reduced to B-movies and occasional TV guest appearances only.

Although her career never returned to its former glory, Linda proved to be a good sport about embracing the change, and out of the ’80s emerged lead roles in two cult classics: the women-in-prison film Chained Heat (1983) and the femme fatale vigilante action film Savage Streets (1984). She continued acting in numerous films throughout the ’80s and ’90s, including the Exorcist spoof Repossessed (1990). In 1997, she also took to the Broadway stage and starred as “Rizzo” in the revival of “Grease.” She received widespread mainstream attention again in the 2000’s with the theatrical re-release of the Exorcist, followed by a hosting job on the hit Fox Family TV series Scariest Places on Earth(2000), which ran for six years and followed Linda as she visited notorious “haunted” locations around the world.

Linda was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to Elinore, a real estate agent, and James, an executive headhunter. She has a brother, Jimmy, and a sister, Debbie. Linda has been a Hollywood icon for over 40 years, but it is her first love of animals that has ultimately taken center stage in her life. She now runs the Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation, a non-profit 501C3 tax deductible organization dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating abused, neglected, and abandoned animals from the harsh streets of the Los Angeles area, as well as from the overcrowded and overwhelmed city and county animal shelters. She works and lives on the 2-acre rescue sanctuary full-time in California, which was featured on The Today Show in a segment titled “From Devil to Angel.” Of course, she also makes frequent appearances at horror fan conventions to celebrate the legacy of the Exorcist.

– IMDb Mini Biography By: <elmic@post8.tele.dk> and R. Taylor

Marla Gibbs

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Armed with an acid dry wit and a full arsenal of sarcasm and sass, African-American character comedienne Marla Gibbs showed up on 70s TV with a bang in middle age (44). Landing the feisty maid role on the popular ground-breaking CBS comedy, The Jeffersons(1975), eventually led to her very own sitcom, 227 (1985), a decade later and international celebrity. A divorced mother with three children (Angela Elayne Gibbs, Dorian, Joseph) at the time of her initial success, it was a job transfer from Detroit to Los Angeles, while working as a United Airlines reservation clerk, that set up this more-than-welcome surprise and change of destiny.

Following high school, Marla attended Peters Business School (1950-1952) and toiled for a time as a receptionist and switchboard operator in the Detroit area. Eventually, she secured work with United Airlines. After moving to Southern California on a transfer, Marla gave acting a try and initially studied at the Mafundi Institute and Watts Writers Workshop, located in the Watts area of L.A. Bitten hard by the acting bug, she went on to appear in a number of local productions, including “Medea”, “The Amen Corner” and “The Gingerbread Lady”.

After only a couple of minor film parts, including the “blaxploitation” film, Black Belt Jones(1974), she nabbed the role of “Florence Johnston”. The maid was initially set up as a mere one-shot guest part but Marla showed the character’s potential. And, so it came to be that “Florence Johnston” became THE scene-stealing foil to Sherman Hemsley‘s equally mouthy, money-minded “George Jefferson”. Until the show became a certified hit, Marla cautiously kept her job with the Airlines. With wisecracks and Emmy nominations (totaling 5) a plenty, however, Marla never had to look back. The role of “Florence” was a natural for a spin-off series and it happened with the sitcom, Checking In (1981), in which the character becomes a housekeeper for a very swanky hotel. The show was harmed, however, by a writer’s strike before it could gain a core audience. Fortunately for Marla, she was ushered right back into the Jefferson household following its quick demise (four episodes). Two months after the last “Jeffersons” episode aired in July of 1985, “227” was included in that year’s fall schedule.

Daughter Angela Elayne Gibbs produced an award-winning play by Christine Houstonentitled “227”, with Marla as the lead, at Marla’s own local Crossroads Theatre, which the actress founded in 1981. The play was a solid hit and Marla wisely purchased the TV rights. Once “The Jeffersons” was over, she pushed for “227” as a sitcom vehicle. Producer Norman Lear gave it the green light and Marla settled right back in for another popular series ride (for NBC), this time as resident gossip “Mary Jenkins”, whose demeanor was warmer and more approachable than the feisty “Florence” character. This series, which featured spitfire Jackée Harry as vampish neighbor, “Sandra”, ran for five years.

An eight-time NAACP Image Award winner, Marla has received several honors over the years, including Essence Woman of the Year. She has not carried a series since “227”, but has been seen from time to time on other popular shows, including ER (1994), Cold Case(2003), Chappelle’s Show (2003), Judging Amy (1999), Touched by an Angel (1994), The King of Queens (1998) and Dawson’s Creek (1998). She has also had recurring roles on daytime (Passions (1999)) as well as prime-time (Pryor’s Place (1984), The Hughleys(1998)) and gave a knowing portrayal as Natalie Cole‘s mother in the heart-warming TV movie, Lily in Winter (1994).

In later years, Marla turned up again on the big screen with plucky roles in Up Against the Wall (1991), The Meteor Man (1993), Lost & Found (1999), Foolish (1999), Border to Border (1998), The Brothers (2001), and standout roles in The Visit (2000) and Stanley’s Gig (2000).

Elsewhere, Marla’s voice has been heard on the animated TV series, 101 Dalmatians: The Series (1997) and, in addition to acting, sang the theme song to the film, Stanley’s Gig(2000), “In the Memory of You”, which will be included on a CD, entitled “Scenes In Jazz”. Marla owned a jazz club for some time in South Central L.A. called “Marla’s Memory Lane, a jazz and supper club that ran from 1981 to 1999. She released her own CD of music, “It’s Never Too Late”, in May 2006, and co-wrote with Ray Colcord, the theme song to her starring series, 227 (1985).

Marla’s older sister, Susie Garrett, who co-starred on the hit sitcom, Punky Brewster(1984), died of cancer in 2002. Fully recovered after suffering a small aneurysm and stroke a few years ago, the actress recently performed in the comedy play, “Boeing-Boeing”, in Kansas City, a role created on film by the equally sarcastic Thelma Ritter, back in the 1960s.

– IMDb Mini Biography By: Gary Brumburgh / gr-home@pacbell.net

Pooja Batra

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Pooja Batra was born in India to an army officer and his wife. Early in life she showed grit and determination winning multiple track and field events on a national level. She shot to fame when she was crowned Miss India in 1993. She quickly went on to become one of the top supermodels in India walking the ramp in over 250 fashion shows in India and abroad. Soon, Pooja set her sights on pursuing an acting career. In 1997, her first feature film Virasat (1997) sky-rocketed her to instant stardom with stupendous box office earnings and got her critical acclaim. For her portrayal of the betrayed lover in Virasat(1997), she won the Zee Cine Award for the Best Supporting Actress and was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Filmfare Awards. This was followed by her second film Bhai (1997) which was also a box office hit confirming her appeal to the masses. She has subsequently starred in over twenty films including Dil Ne Phir Yaad Kiya (2001) and Haseena Maan Jaayegi (1999), establishing herself as an accomplished actress. Her latest film Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story (2005), in which she portrays Queen Noorjehan, is a highly anticipated film to be released in mid 2005 on the 351st anniversary of the Taj Mahal. Pooja maintains homes in Bombay and Los Angeles.

– IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous

Spouse (1)

Sonu Ahluwalia (9 February 2003 – present) ( filed for divorce)

 

Trivia (22)

Miss India 1993.
Almost joined the Indian Air Force as a pilot.
Launched and was spokesperson for Head & Shoulders in India.
Was the most sought after catwalk model and has walked the ramp in over 250 fashion shows in India and overseas.
Graduated from the prestigious Fergusson College in Pune, India, majoring in Economics.
Has an MBA in marketing from Symbiosis College, Pune, India.
She created a sensation when she first appeared in her first film Virasat which shot her to instant fame & critical acclaim.
Her film Bhai (1997) was a box office hit. She was paired with Sunil Shetty. They were cast in three more films together: Farz (2001), Kuch Khatti Kuch Meethi (2001) and Ittefaq (2001).
She was paired opposite Sanjay Dutt in Haseena Maan Jaayegi (1999) which was the biggest box office hit of 1999.
After Virasat (1997), Director Priyadarshan cast her in three more films: Megham (1999), Chandralekha (1997) and Kashmakash.
She was nominated for Filmfare, Screen, Sansui and Zee Awards for the Best Supporting Actress in the film Virasat (1997). She won the Sansui Award for the Best Supporting Actress in 1997.
Ambassador for Parag Sarees. Was signed by Hindustan Lever in an exclusive contract for three years for Liril soap.
Has volunteered time and money to charitable causes including AIDS (Mukti Foundation), Homeless children, the Bombay Police Department and injured soldiers in the Kashmir War.
Did pro bono work in the film My Little Devil (1999) (translated as “My Little Devil” in English) which was subtitled in Hindi, English and French to raise funds for the poor children in India. The film was co-produced by NFDC-La Fete (Canada) and directed by Gopi Desai. The film was screened at the 24th Annual Montreal World Film Festival, 2000; Chicago International Children’s Film Festival, 2000; 10th Annual Philadelphia Film Festival of World Cinema, 2001 and the Indian Film Festival in Malaysia, 2005.
Her Film Chandralekha (1997) broke records at the box office and was re-made in four different languages (Malayalam, Hindi, Telegu, and Tamil).
She turned down the film Only You (1999). The role was subsequently given to Sushmita Sen.
Plays Queen Noorjehan in the highly anticipated film, Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story(2005).
Starred in director Nitish Roy’s shelved film ” Heartbeat” opposite Aryan Vaidm. This was in 2001.
Starred in Basu Chatterjee’s shelved film “Hum Tum “(1997).
Starred in the shelved movie The Fine Arts “Khajuraho”(2000) Starring Raveena Tandon,Deepti Bhatnagar,Pooja Batra,Sharad Kapoor, Gulshan Grover, Divya Dutta,Bikram Saluja,Om Puri, Music Anu Malik, Produced by Sunil Bohra, Directed by Aruna Raje.
Married Nawaab Shah in 2019.
Played and important part in coordination with Hollywood actors like Sylvester Stallone, Denise Richards and Brandon Routh to act in Hindi film Kambakkht Ishq 2009.

Ken Davitian

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Ken Davitian was born on June 19, 1953 in Los Angeles, California, USA as Kenneth Davitian. He is an actor and producer, known for Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006), Get Smart (2008) and S.W.A.T.(2003). He has been married to Ellen Baca since July 22, 1977. They have two children.

Opened The Dip in 2003. The Dip is a restaurant in Hollywood that specializes in French Dip sandwiches.
He is of Armenian descent.
Winner of the “Best Villain – Feature” award for Abstraction (2013) at the 2013 Action On Film International Film Festival.
Nominated for “Outstanding Cast Performance” in Abstraction (2013) at the 2013 Action On Film International Film Festival.

LOS ANGELES – FEB 22: Ken Davitian at the Night of 100 Stars Oscar Viewing Party at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 22, 2015 in Beverly Hills, CA

Spouse (1)

Ellen Baca (22 July 1977 – present) ( 2 children)

Sophia Gasca

Posted on by Dr Kamyar Tarigi

Sophia Del Rio is a Colombian American actress.

She was born in Miami, FL and raised in Colombia, Venezuela and Florida. Sophia has been trained by Lesly Kahn and Margie Haber.

While pursuing her career as an actress, she simultaneously works in the fashion industry with Women Management. She is an avid boxer, tennis player and painter. Sophia has partnered with No Kid Hungry, ASPCA, and Tree People for the sake of positive change.

Sophia Gasca is an actress, known for Mood Swings (2019), The Row (2018) and Ballers(2015).

Tracee Lee Cocco

Posted on by Dr Kamyar Tarigi

Tracee Lee Cocco was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and moved to California with her family at the age of 2. She grew up in Santa Ana, California and graduated from the Santa Ana High School in 1979. Throughout the following years, Cocco started to work as model and was featured as model for Alberto Mousse in several magazines. She also worked as model for Revlon, Jimmy Z Ad, Pool & Spa Magazine, 7Up, the Auto Stereo Sound Magazine, and McDonald’s.

Beside her work on Star Trek where she received her SAG card, Cocco was also featured as Marla in the daily soap General Hospital and as a regular lifeguard in several episodes of Baywatch. Among her film work are the drama Gross Anatomy (1989, with Clyde Kusatsu, J. Patrick McNamara, Kay E. Kuter, Steven Culp, Gordon Clapp, David Coburn, Richard Penn, and Dana Vitatoe) and the science fiction film Demolition Man (1993, with Bob Gunton, Bill Cobbs, and Chris Durand). Following her background work in Demolition Man, Cocco was cast as the lead computer voice in the Demolition Man Pinball game in 1994.

In 1996 she was featured as a bar character in the science fiction film Barb Wire, with Clint Howard, Shelly Desai, and Peewee Piemonte. A featured fight scene with her and Pamela Anderson was cut from the final film. Other film work includes the science fiction film Virtuosity (1995, with Louise Fletcher, Danny Goldring, Michael Buchman Silver, and Frank Welker) and the action comedy Bulletproof (1996, with Maury Sterling) as well as the 1995 video game Angel Devoid: Face of the Enemy.

In the early 1990s, Cocco was part of the group of background regulars who made a promotional tour for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. She appeared as a Ferengi along with Cameron, Joyce Robinson, and Michael Braveheart. She continued to appear on conventions throughout the United States and was most recently a guest at the London Film & Comic Con in 2012.

Tracee Lee Cocco (born 2 March ) is an actress, model and stuntwoman who worked on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Voyager. She was most visibly seen as Lieutenant Jae, a regular background character on The Next Generation, between the fourth and seventh season. She was one of the background performers who also appeared in the three Next Generation feature films Star Trek Generations, Star Trek: First Contact, and Star Trek: Insurrection. Cocco also worked as stand-in for Alice Krige (“Borg Queen”) in Star Trek: First Contact.

In “Descent” she played one of the Borg drones mentally damaged by Lore’s experimentation. On Deep Space 9, she could sometimes be seen in alien make-up in Quark’s and played several aliens such as an Antican. Cocco was one of several regular background performers from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager who participated in the filming of the interactive movie Star Trek: Borg; she is most notably seen as a Starfleet science officer visible in the corridor aboard the USS Cheyenne at the start of the movie. She also appeared as an alien bar character in the 1996 video game Star Trek: Klingon.

According to the call sheets, Cocco was scheduled to appear in the fourth season episodes “First Contact” in a scene in Ten Forward, “Galaxy’s Child” in scenes on the bridge, and “Identity Crisis”, “Qpid”, and “In Theory” in scenes in Ten Forward and engineering but was either not filmed or cut from the final episodes. She was also scheduled to appear at the ops station in the fifth season episode “Ensign Ro”, in engineering scenes in the episodes “The Game” and “Conundrum”, in corridor scenes in “Ethics”, in Ten Forward scenes in “The Outcast”, and on the bridge in “Imaginary Friend” and “I Borg” but was not seen in the final episodes.

 

 

Natasha Alam

Posted on by Dr Kamyar Tarigi

Born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Natasha, Russian abbreviation for Natalia, attended school at the University of Technology for Aviation. In search of independence, Natasha moved to Moscow to model under “Red Stars” model management. A few years later, Natasha was scouted by the Italian agency, “International Model Management” (“IMM”) that sent her to Rome, Paris, Milan, and London to model for Gucci, Versace, John Galiano, Rocco Barrocco, Christian Dior, Trussardi, Vivienne Westwood, and many other top designers. In 1996, Natasha met Amir Ebrahim Pahlavi Alam, the grandson of the Shah of Iran. The couple married in New York in 1998 and moved to London, where Natasha enrolled in “The Method Center” to study the “Lee Strasberg’s Acting Technique.” In 2001, Natasha and her husband moved to Los Angeles to continue her studies in acting, vocals, speech, and accent reduction with Ivana Chubbuck, Howard Fine, Lesly Kahn, Carol Rogers, and Bob Corff. Natasha’s hard work started to pay off when she booked her first acting job on the television show Fastlane (2002).

Best known for her role as Yvetta on the hit HBO series, “True Blood,” Natasha has found success on both the big and small screen since arriving in Hollywood all the way from Tashkent, Uzbekistan. After moving to Moscow, Natasha began a globe-trotting career as a print and runway model for Gucci, Versace, John Galliano, Christian Dior and many other top designers. Natasha then transitioned into acting, moving to London to train at “The Method Center” and learn the “Lee Strasberg Acting Technique. After studying under well-known teachers Ivana Chubbuck, Howard Fine, Lesly Kahn, and Bob Corff, Natasha booked her first acting job on the Fox Television show “Fastlane” (2002). She has since appeared on a wide variety of television shows, including “NYPD Blue”, “CSI”, “NCIS”, “Just Shoot Me”, “The Bold and the Beautiful”, “Nip/Tuck”, and “Entourage”, among others. Natasha has also appeared in over a dozen films, including “The Women (2008)”, opposite Meg Ryan, Eva Mendes, and Bette Midler. Despite having a busy work schedule, Natasha loves spending time with her young daughter, Valentina, and her new role…as a mom.

– IMDb Mini Biography By: Ashley Brauer

 

Cao Yong

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Cao Yong (Chinese: 曹勇; born June 9, 1962 in Xinxian, Henan, China) is a Chinese artist whose work depicts Tibet. He spent a year alone in the mountains of Tibet and the paintings he produced were exhibited in Beijing in early 1989. He was subsequently arrested by the Chinese Authorities, with the Beijing Police burning seven of the paintings. He escaped with his fiancée Aya Goda to Japan.[1]

Yong began painting when he was 11 years old. Due to his family background, he was considered politically questionable by the Chinese authorities. He studied for a short period with the noted artist Yu Ren who was staying briefly in Xinxian.[2] He attended Henan University and graduated with a BA in Fine Arts. Following his graduation, he took a position as Assistant Professor of Art at Tibet University. He spent seven years in Tibet and spent a year living alone in mountain caves of Ali, West Tibet, so he could copy the remains of ancient Tibetan wall paintings of the Guge kingdom.[3]

In 1989, he went over to Japan after a private exhibition of Beijing. He continued producing “The Split Layer of Earth – Mount Kailas” series while he was engaged in the wall painting production of the commerce space. The notable work produced aqua fantasy of 60mx 4 m in Yokosuka Daiei in 1991 and produced dragons of 50mx 8 m in Ise Bunkamura in 1993. In 1992, he held a private exhibition in the O ART Museum of Tokyo.

In 1994, Cao went to the United States and held a private exhibition in Synchronicity Space of the New York SOHO. In 1999, he established Cao Yong Editions Inc in LA. In 2002, he produced “Freedom” in the anniversary of 9/11 terrorist incidents. “Free-Freedom” received Artist of the Year 2002, and Cao received an “Outstanding Volunteer” prize and a letter of thanks from the Los Angeles Fire Department (from a total of 118 stations).

Cao produced an oil painting, “We The People”, in commemoration of the Federal Constitution memorial day in 2005. In 2006, he was conferred the “2006 Inspiration Award” from the International Leadership Foundation (ILF).

In 2008, he produced “Voice of the East”. The painting was selected by the Olympic committee to print on china and use as a special gift for the VIPs who attended the Olympics. Cao produced “Love without border” for the Sichuan earthquake.

The Forest Lawn Museum located at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California has showcased a retrospective of acclaimed Chinese immigrant Cao Yong’s original oil paintings that explore his own, highly personal journey to Tibet, Japan, India, Nepal, China, Cairo, France, Italy and the United States over a 30-year period. “Art Without Boundaries” by Cao Yong, Citizen of the World will be showing from July 27, 2017 – December 14, 2017.[4]

 

Sharyn Wynters

Posted on by Dr Kamyar Tarigi

Sharyn Wynters has always had an eye for the stage. But, her life has taken many turns, granting her the chance to evolve as a model-actress-naturopath-author-singer and champion for humanity. After high school, Sharyn entered a beauty pageant and became Miss Pennsylvania in the Miss World contest. This led to a modeling job in New York for Oleg Cassini, the world-renowned designer (and dress designer for Jacqueline Kennedy). While modeling, Sharyn met actress Bobbi Shaw, who convinced her to pursue a career in acting. As a young woman in her early twenties, she packed up her things and drove to LA-and within two weeks, she was cast as Cat Girl in the original Batman TV series . This led to a TV and film career, with credits including: The Rockford Files, Kojak, The Odd Couple, Hook Line & Sinker, Westworld, and Funny Lady. With a growing acting career, Sharyn’s life took another turn. She developed cancer and was told it would eventually take her life. Refusing to accept this, she traveled to Texas to enlist the help of Dr. William Donald Kelly. Her decision not only left her cancer-free, but also gave her a new passion. Sharyn studied dozens of healing disciplines including Metabolic Nutrition, Cranial Sacral, Acupuncture, Reflexology, Meditation, Pilates, Hypnosis, Rolfing, Feldenkrais, Yoga, and many others. She acquired a degree as a naturopath from the Clayton School of Natural healing, and a degree from the Santa Monica School of Massage Therapy. After many years as a naturopath, Sharyn decided to write a book. She is co-author of, The Pure Cure: A Complete Guide to Freeing your Life from Dangerous Toxins-a reflection of over 30 years of research into the dangers of the toxins in our modern living environment and how to avoid them. Of this part of her life Sharyn says: An important part of healing is learning to listen to your inner voice. Healing is an adventure! Illness is our body trying to teach us how to be well. Sharyn has a strong commitment to humanity and a passion for making a difference. Following the release of her book, she dedicated herself to influence as many lives as possible- in as many ways as possible. She became a popular speaker at conferences and seminars; she hosted a Talk Radio show on health and healing; and she worked with Fran Drescher, creator of the Cancer Schmancer movement (www.cancerschmancer.org). Sharyn is the recipient of the Naturopathic Doctor of the year award from the Qi Gong Congress (2011) and the Lifetime Achievement award from the Amazing Women Organization (2010). At the turn of the millennium, Sharyn asked herself, “What else have I always wanted to do that I have not already done?” The answer to that question came passionately-“…to be a torch singer of romantic jazz.” Sharyn contacted an old friend, Dini Clarke (Billie Holliday’s piano player)and began to take voice lessons. Within a year and a half she recorded her first album, “Reflections of Love.” Of this experience Sharyn says: As long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to reach out and touch the souls of others. First it came through my modeling and acting, then by healing therapies. Now I am overjoyed that I can also heal through song. Then, on a Sunday morning in mid 2018, after a 40-year hiatus from acting, Sharyn was overcome with a strong desire to return to acting. She said out loud, “I want to get back into acting!” That same day, Sharyn went to a baby shower and sat next to a talent agent who asked, “Have you ever considered getting back into acting?” Within weeks, Sharyn re-connected with Bobbi Shaw-Chance (now a renowned acting teacher ) and following a showcase, was offered the starring role in Night Mistress. With the ability to captivate an audience and years of experience, Sharyn Wynters has begun yet another adventure.

– IMDb Mini Biography By: Sharyn Wynters