Alan Cumming
Alan Cumming has thrilled audiences around the world with his incredible talent, his openness and his passion, both as an artist and a humanitarian. Alan has earned many awards including the Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics’ Circle, Theatre World, NY Press, FANY and New York Public Advocate’s Awards. As an activist and humanitarian Alan has spoken out against inequality and prejudice, and has done much to promote sexual education and to support gay youth issues. He lives in New York with his husband, Grant, whom he married in a civil ceremony in London in January 2007.
Kathie Lee Gifford
Kathie Lee Gifford is best known as the former co-host of “Regis & Kathie Lee.” In her fifteen years on the show, Mrs. Gifford received nine Emmy nominations as co-host and two as executive producer. As a humanitarian she has lobbied to change laws concerning children living with HIV and regarding inhumane working conditions. In addition to her appearances on stage and television, Mrs. Gifford is also a playwright, singer, songwriter and producer.
Jude Law
Jude Law is an Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA, Tony, and Olivier Award nominated actor and made a huge international impression with his performance as Dickie Greenleaf in Anthony Mingella’s The Talented Mr. Ripley. He is known for his roles in films such as Cold Mountain, the Sherlock Holmes films opposite Robert Downey Jr., Closer, The Holiday, Enemy at the Gates, and Road to Perdition, to name a few. In 2009, he took on Hamlet in the West End and later on Broadway. He will return to the stage in December 2013 for the West End production of Henry V.
Josh Lucas
In the last number of years, he has starred alongside Jon Voight in Jerry Bruckheimer’s Glory Road, Kurt Russell and Richard Dreyfuss in Wolfang Petersen’s Poseidon, Morgan Freeman and Robert Redford in Lasse Hallström’s An Unfinished Life, and opposite Jamie Bell in David Gordon Green’s Undertow, produced by Terrence Malick. Additionally, he has worked with Christopher Walken in Around the Bend, with Jennifer Connelly and Eric Bana in Ang Lee’s Hulk, with Russell Crowe in Ron Howard’s Oscar-winning A Beautiful Mind, and opposite Reese Witherspoon in Disney’s smash hit Sweet Home Alabama. You can find out more information here.
SIR IAN MCKELLEN, CH, CBE
Ian McKellen is an English stage and screen actor, the recipient of the Tony Award and two Oscar nominations. McKellen is best known to moviegoers in recent years for his roles as Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy and as Magneto in the X-Men trilogy. His work has spanned genres from serious Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1979, and knighted in the 1991 New Year Honours for his outstanding work and contributions to the theatre. Visit Sir Ian McKellen’s official website here.
Christopher Meloni
Christopher Meloni is an Emmy-nominated actor who is best known for his roles on television in “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “Oz.” In Ireland, he won the Irish Times Best Actor Award for his role as Eddie Carbone in Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge at Dublin’s prestigious Gate Theatre. His film credits include Nights in Rodanthe, Runaway Bride, Wet Hot American Summer, Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, Carriers, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Chris is a longtime supporter of The Butler Child Advocacy Center, a program of the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore and a facility that Only Make Believe serves.
Hayley Mills
Hayley joined the Only Make Believe Board in 2002. She has worked on numerous motion pictures, television programs as well as on the stage since she was 12 years old and has known Dena Hammerstein for almost her entire career. She hosted the second annual Only Make Believe Gala Benefit in November 2002 at the Westside Theater.
Mike Myers
Mike Myers began his career with Toronto’s famed Second City comedy troupe, which ultimately led him to join the Chicago branch, a decision that would change his life forever. Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels’ discovery of Myers at Second City led to his Emmy award winning debut as a featured performer and writer on the show in 1989. In 1999, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me garnered numerous awards including several MTV Movie Awards, People’s Choice, a Blockbuster Entertainment award and a Grammy. Myers received a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame in July 2002 and also has a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame.
Petra Nemcova
Petra Nemcova is an international supermodel, gracing campaigns for Cartier, La Perla, Clarins, and Lancaster, working with Victoria Secret, and becoming the 2003 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition cover girl. She is also known for her philanthropic work. She is also the founder and chairwoman of Happy Hearts Fund and serves as an Ambassador at Large to Haiti. Petra’s numerous public speaking appearances have addressed important topics such as education at the UN Assembly ‘Education For All’ conference, disaster preparedness at TEDxObserver and the power of choice at a number of universities.
Brad Oscar
Brad Oscar originated the role of Franz Liebkind in the Broadway production of The Producers, and received a 2001 Tony nomination for his performance. He later went on to play the role of Max Bialystock over 1200 times on Broadway, in addition to other stage work that includes the original Broadway casts of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Aspects of Love and Jekyll and Hyde, among many others. Brad is a graduate of Boston University’s College of Fine Arts, and has taught musical theater technique at Marymount Manhattan College.
ALAN RICKMAN (1946-2016)
Alan Rickman is a renowned stage and screen actor. He is known for his breakout, Tony-nominated performance in Les Liasons Dangereuses, as well as his prolific film career, including films such as Die Hard, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Harry Potter film series, Michael Collin, and Dogma. His accolades include a BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award, Emmy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
SETH RUDETSKY
Seth plays many roles in the entertainment industry; he is the afternoon Broadway host on Sirius/XM radio, a Broadway pianist, and was the vocal coach for the Legally Blonde reality show on MTV. As a comic, he won the title “Funniest Gay Male in NY” at Stand-Up NY and spent two years as a comedy writer on THE ROSIE O’DONNELL SHOW, which earned him three Emmy nominations. Seth can also add actor, with roles on ALL MY CHILDREN and LAW AND ORDER: C.I., and author to his resume as he currently writes a weekly column at Playbill.com.
SUSAN SARANDON
Susan Sarandon is an Academy Award®-winning actor who has made a career of choosing diverse and challenging projects in both film and television. She is extremely versatile and brings her own brand of sex appeal and intelligence to every role – from her fearless portrayal in Bull Durham to her Oscar®-nominated performances in Thelma and Louise, Lorenzo’s Oil, The Client, and Atlantic City to her Academy Award®-winning and SAG Award®-winning role in Dead Man Walking. Ms. Sarandon is an activist for many progressive and political causes. In 2006, she received the Action Against Hunger Humanitarian Award. She was honored for her work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, an advocate for victims of hunger and HIV/AIDS, and a spokesperson for Heifer International. She is also involved with the Somaly Mam Foundation and Hope North.
JULIA STILES
After beginning her career in small parts in a New York City theater troupe, she has moved on to leading roles in plays by writers as diverse as William Shakespeare and David Mamet. Her film career has included both commercial and critical successes, ranging from teen romantic comedies such as 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) to dark art house pictures such as The Business of Strangers (2001). Stiles also actively supports a variety of progressive causes.
ZOË WANAMAKER, CBE
Zoë Wanamaker may be best known by a world-wide audience for her role as Madam Hooch in the film Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Wanamaker is best known in the UK for playing Susan Harper in the sitcom My Family. She played Clarice, one of the dimwitted twin sisters of Lord Groan in Gormenghast, a BBC television adaptation of Mervyn Peake’s trilogy. She has also appeared in a variety of films, programs, and plays. Her stage performance in Sophocles’ Electra, for which she won an Olivier Award, was widely acclaimed.
RACHEL WEISZ
Rachel Weisz won an Academy Award for her performance in The Constant Gardener. Born and raised in London, Weisz has also appeared in The Mummy films, About a Boy, Jean-Jacques Annaud’s Enemy at the Gates, Beautiful Creatures, Swept from the Sea, and Bernardo Bertolucci’s Stealing Beauty. Weisz made her London stage debut in Noel Coward’s Design for Living, directed by Sean Mathias, for which she received the London Drama Critics Award for Outstanding Newcomer. Weisz studied English at Cambridge University, where she also co-founded the Talking Tongues Theater Group.
RUTH WILSON
Ruth Wilson is a two-time Olivier Award winner, and was nominated for a BAFTA and Golden Globe for Best Actress in a mini-series for her role in Jane Eyre, as well as a Satellite Award, and won a Golden Globe for her role in The Affair.