CHEVY CHASE (Jack Sturges) first came to national prominence as a writer and performer with the original cast of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” for which he won two Emmy Awards.
In motion pictures, he starred in “Foul Play,” “National Lampoon’s Vacation,” “National Lampoon’s European Vacation” and “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” as well as “Fletch,” “Fletch Lives,” “Caddyshack,” “Spies Like Us,” “Three Amigos” and “Memoirs of an Invisible Man.” Earlier this year he starred in TriStar Pictures’ “Cops and Robbersons.”
Chase began his career in comedy as a writer and performer for Channel One, a local New York revue which spawned “The Groove Tube,” an off-off- Broadway production that was later made into a film. He has written for Lily Tomlin and the Smothers Brothers, and earned a Writers Guild Award for writing “Alan King’s Energy Crisis, Rising Prices and Assorted Vices” TV special. In addition, he won an Emmy Award for co-writing “The Paul Simon Special.”
In 1992, Harvard’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals, the nation’s oldest undergraduate dramatic group, named Chase its Man of the Year.
FARRAH FAWCETT (Sandy Archer) received Golden Globe Award nominations for her starring roles as Barbara Hutton in the miniseries “Poor Little Rich Girl,” as Beate Klarsfeld in the 1986 telefilm “Nazi Hunter: The Beate Klarsfeld Story” and as the battered wife Francine Hughes in the 1984 made-for-television movie “The Burning Bed.” For the latter she also received an Emmy Award nomination as best actress. In 1989 Ms. Fawcett starred as Diane Downs in the miniseries “Small Sacrifices,” for which she received both Emmy and Golden Globe Award nominations as best actress. In 1990, she won an ACE Award for best actress for her portrayal of Margaret Bourke-White in the telefilm “The Margaret Bourke-White Story,” based on the life of the famed photographer. Her other made-for-television movies include the highly rated “The Substitute Wife” and a special appearance in the upcoming CBS miniseries with Sidney Poitier “Children of the Dust.”
Fawcett also received a Golden Globe Award nomination for her work in the film version of “Extremities,” reprising her role in the 1983 off-Broadway production.
JONATHAN TAYLOR THOMAS (Ben Archer) recently provided the voice of Young Simba in Walt Disney Pictures’ “The Lion King,” the most successful animated film of all time. In addition, he plays Tim Allen’s middle son, Randy, in the top-rated Buena Vista Television series “Home Improvement.”
Thomas was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and moved with his family to Sacramento, California when he was 5. Prior to beginning his acting career in 1989, he worked as a fashion and print model in Sacramento and San Francisco. He also appeared in industrial films, commercials and as Tiny Tim in a regional production of “Scrooge.”
Prior to being cast in “Home Improvement,” Thomas played Kevin, Greg Brady’s son on the series “The Bradys.” He will next star in the feature film “Tom Sawyer” in the title role. In addition to acting, he maintains a straight “A” grade average in school and also enjoys fly fishing and traveling.
DAVID SHINER (Lloyd Small) made his American debut in the renowned Canadian circus “Cirque du Soliel” and toured North America from 1990 to the spring of 1991. Shiner began his career in 1981 performing and honing his craft on the streets of Rome, London, Paris and Munich. He was soon starring in Europe’s most prestigious circuses, including the German national circus Roncalli and the Swiss national circus Knie.
In 1993 Shiner wrote, starred in and co-directed with Bill Irwin the Broadway smash hit “Fool Moon” for which he received the Drama Desk Award and the Outer Critics Circle Award.”
Shiner’s feature film credits include “Lorenzo’s Oil” and Sam Shepard’s “Silent Tongue.” Shiner currently has a development deal with Fox. His short,
“The Last Seat” which he wrote, starred in and produced, was in competition at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
GEORGE WENDT (Chet Bronski) and Chevy Chase are reunited for the first time since the two starred together in “Fletch.” Wendt also appeared in “Guilty By Suspicion,” “My Bodyguard,” “Dreamscape,” “Gung Ho,” “No Small Affair,” and “Forever Young.”
After six years as an actor and comedy writer with Chicago’s Second City improvisational troupe, Wendt moved to Los Angeles for film and television work that led to his role as Norm, on the long-running NBC comedy “Cheers,” for which he received six Emmy Award nominations.
Wendt also appeared in a made-for-television movie “Hostage For a Day” directed by John Candy, and portrayed the title role in the BBC adapation of Ivan Goncharov’s classic novel, “Oblomov.” George is currently starring in an as-yet- untilted situation comedy for Walt Disney Television and CBS.
PETER APPEL (Tony) has appeared in a number of films, including Alan J. Pakula’s “Presumed Innocent,” Mike Nichols’ “Regarding Henry,” Paul Verhoeven’s “Basic Instinct,” Woody Allen’s “Shadows and Fog,” Tim Hunter’s “The Saint of Fort Washington,” Anthony Minghella’s “Mr. Wonderful,” and “Trip to Tunis,” directed by Peter Goedal, and “The Professional,” directed by Luc Besson. He most recently appeared in Caravan Pictures’ comedy “The Jerky Boys.”
Appel’s television credits include “N.Y.P.D. Blue,” “Here and Now,” “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles,” and “Law and Order.” On stage, Appel has performed with the New York Shakespeare Festival in such productions as “Him,” by and with Christopher Walken; “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Titus Andronicus,” and “The Taming of the Shrew.” His many other theater credits include the off-Broadway productions of “Marvin’s Room” and “The Good Times are Killing Me,” as well as “Interrogating the Nude” at the Yale Repertory Theatre.
RICHARD FORONJY’s (Murray) feature film credits include the hits “Carlito’s Way,” “Ghostbusters II,” “Midnight Run,” “One Upon a Time in America,” “Serpico,” and “The Jerk.” He also appeared in “The Public Eye,” “Oscar,” “True Confessions,” “City Heat,” and “Fun With Dick and Jane,” among many others.
On television, Foronjy’s numerous credits include his series-regular role on the drama “Under Suspicion.” He has also appeared on “Equal Justice,” “Hunter,” “Cagney and Lacey,” “Hill Street Blues,” “Hart to Hart,” and “Alfred Hitchcock Presents.” In addition, he has worked on some of the most popular sitcoms of the past two decades including “The Bob Newhart Show,” “Taxi,” “M*A*S*H,” “Who’s The Boss,” “Amen,” and “Get A Life,” to name a few.
ART LA FLEUR (Red Sweeney) has achieved wide recognition through his performances in feature films, television and stage productions. His most recent motion picture credits include featured or co-starring roles in “In the Army Now,” “The Sandlot,” “Jack the Bear,” “Forever Young,” “Mr. Baseball,” “Air America,” “Field of Dreams,” “Oscar” and “Cobra.” He also starred in numerous made-for-television movies including “Live From Death Row,” the Afterschool Special “Testing Dirty,” “The Penalty Phase,” “A Winner Never Quits,” “The Fifth Missile” and “Sometimes I Wonder.”
Also for television, Mr. LaFleur appeared on such popular sitcoms and dramas as “Doogie Howser, M.D.,” “Tales from the Crypt,” “Matlock,” “The Young Riders,” “Home Improvement,” “Northern Exposure,” “Life Goes On,” “thirtysomething” and “The Fanelli Boys.”
As a stage actor of note, he has appeared in numerous regional productions including “Much Ado About Nothing” for the Los Angeles Shakespeare Festival, “Requiem for a Heavyweight,” “Gods of the Lightning,” “Waiting for Lefty,” “Two Out Bottom of the Ninth,” “Black Angel” and “Safe House.”
RICHARD PORTNOW (Joey Renda) has achieved wide recognition for his work in theatre, motion pictures and television. His feature film credits include “Trial By Jury,” “Heart & Souls,” “Sister Act,” “Father of the Bride,” “For the Boys,” “Barton Fink,” “Kindergarten Cop,” “Havana,” “Chattahoochee,” “Twins,” “Say Anything,” “Good Morning, Vietnam,” “Tin Men,” and “Radio Days.” His upcoming features include director David Fincher’s “Seven” for New Line Cinema, and “S.F.W.” from Gramercy Pictures.
His many movies for television include the HBO feature “Naked Movie Star Game,” TNT’s “The Incredible Life and Times of Robert L. Ripley,” the PBS presentation of “The House of Blue Leaves” the Showtime original movie ‘“Dragstrip Girls,” and the network presentations of “Ed McBain’s 87th Precinct,” “Peter Gunn,” “Deadly Silence,” and “Original Sin.” In addition, Portnow has a recurring role on the new CBS series “Double Rush,” and also guest-starred on “The Nanny,” “The Commish,” “Seinfeld,” “Civil Wars,” “Homefront” and “Dear John.” Portnow’s Broadway credits include “A Month of Sundays” and ‘The House of Blue Leaves.” At the Royal Court Theatre in London’s West End, he appeared in “Moonchildren.”
Read more in the promotional material from the Man of the House Press Kit: