Actors

Nielsen is best known for his comic roles in Airplane! and the Naked Gun films. He's been acting since the late forties, after he was taught radio broadcasting by Lorne Greene. He's just written a "fictional autobiography" called "The Naked Truth," a pun-encrusted look at nearly fifty years of show business.

Handler has played leading roles in seven Broadway productions including, "Six Degrees of Separation," "Brighton Beach Memoirs," and "Master Harold. . . and the boys." He's 32 now; seven years ago he was diagnosed with leukemia. He had a bone marrow transplant, and he's now considered free of the disease. He has a new monologue, "Time on Fire," about his four year struggle with leukemia.

The theater director and actor is a member of playwright David Mamet's circle of theater innovators. Macy has most recently starred in Mamet's new play "Oleanna", and was featured in his film "Homocide". They co-founded the Atlantic Theater Company, an ensemble which performs mainly original works by American writers. Members of the company wrote "A Practical Handbook For The Actor", from notes taken during acting workshops led by Mr. Macy. One critic writes that the ensemble "has rescued theater from the mindless".

Bridges comes from a famous family: his father is Lloyd Bridges, star of the TV series "Sea Hunt"; his brother is actor Beau Bridges. He's starred in the movies like "Starman," "The Last Picture Show," "The Fabulous Baker Boys," and "The Fisher King." Now he's let his hair grow for the new film, "American Heart," directed by Martin Bell. Bridges plays a newly released ex-con who is "cornered" by his teen-age son whom he abandoned.

Belushi is starring in the upcoming ABC series, "Wild Palms," produced by Oliver Stone. It's a thriller set in the future. Belushi plays a television executive caught up in the computer-generated world of illusion that his network broadcasts. Belushi is the brother of the late John Belushi.

Ullman is best known for her work with director Ingmar Bergman. She's making her directing debut with the new film, "Sofie," based on a novel by Danish writer Henri Nathansen. Ullman also travels around the world on behalf of starving children, as Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF

Verdon starred in "Damn Yankees," "Sweet Charity." "Redhead," and "Chicago." She won four Tony awards, and she's about to receive a lifetime achievement award from the New Dramatists Playwrights Workshop.

Among his many roles in entertainment, Shearer is also one of the creators of and performers in the mock-rock group Spinal Tap. He also does several voices on "The Simpsons." Shearer has a new book of the columns he wrote for the Los Angeles Times Magazine. He'll also be appearing tomorrow at The Museum of Television & Radio in New York City, to talk about his work on "Saturday Night Live" and his syndicated radio program, "Le Show."

O'Toole is the star of "Lawrence of Arabia," "The Lion in the Winter," and "My Favorite Year." He has a new autobiography about the start of his career, called "Loitering with Intent.

Gomez is based in San Francisco. Her new show, "Memory Tricks," is running at the Public Theater in New York. Gomez talks about her mother, who worked as an exotic dancer, and who now suffers from Alzheimer's disease.