PDA Entertainment Search Results

Name Description
Santiago Cabrera Santiago Cabrera played Isaac Mendez on the hit show "Heroes"
Jack Coleman Jack Coleman plays Mr. Bennet on the hit show "Heroes". With his good looks and everyman air, this always-employed but often-anonymous character actor has book-ended his career with a pair of enigmatic, villainous TV turns. After studying acting at Duke University, Coleman honed his skills on stage. While performing in a Long Island stage production of Grease, he made his small-screen debut on the soap Days of our Lives as Jake Kositchek, the Salem Strangler. A quarter of a century later, his subtle but striking work on the sci-fi smash Heroes as a bespectacled and morally ambiguous character simply referred to as HRG (short for Horn-Rimmed Glasses) garnered him the most mainstream attention he'd had in 25 years in showbiz. Coleman kept busy in between, both on stage and on the small screen, notably with a six-season stint on Dynasty as the twice-married but gay Steve Carrington. The second actor to play the part after Al Corley left the series, Coleman was, to some fans, less believable in the part, which was one of the first homosexual characters on a prime-time drama. In the '80s and '90s, Coleman popped up all over the tube, usually playing white-collar types, on everything from Diagnosis Murder to Entourage. Although his Heroes role was initially a small one, the mysteriousness of the character — a ferociously loving father who happened to be an agent for a shady company — turned him into one of the series' breakout stars
Tawny Cypress Tawny Cypress played Simone Deveaux on the hit show "Heroes"
Noah Gray-Cabey Noah Gray-Cabey played Micah Sanders on the hit show "Heroes" Although this precocious juvenile player can't manipulate electronics like his seminal character on Heroes, Gray-Cabey is a real-life child genius, just like his small-screen alter ago. A skilled piano player before he was barely old enough to talk, he became the youngest person ever to perform at the Sydney Opera Hall at age 5. His incredible musical talent won him appearances on myriad talk and news shows, including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Dateline, Ripley's Believe It or Not! and The Oprah Winfrey Show, where he was spotted by the folks behind the sitcom My Wife and Kids and offered a recurring role. Gray-Cabey continued to pursue both of his artistic passions, performing concerts in between TV guest spots. But as of 2006, his schedule has been pretty tied up with his Heroes duties as a gifted little boy caught between his feuding super-powered parents.
Greg Grunberg Greg Grunberg plays Matt Parkman on the hit show "Heroes". Although he is the first to admit that much of his success is due to his longtime friendship with writer/director/producer J.J. Abrams — who cast Grunberg in plum roles on Felicity and Alias — this lovable schlub is no slouch on his own. After studying business in college, Grunberg founded a successful frozen-yogurt business and assisted film producers Dino De Laurentiis and Joel Silver before segueing into acting. The quintessential average joe, he quickly landed TV guest spots, small film roles and a number of commercials, often portraying blue-collar guys. But his kindergarten pal Abrams lifted him out of the ranks of no-name players by writing him a role as a sarcastic inventor on Felicity. 2001 found Grunberg briefly appearing on two Abrams shows simultaneously, when he took on a recurring part as a CIA field agent on Alias in addition to his Felicity duties. Although TV remained his primary medium, he popped up in small film roles, notably the Abrams' directed Mission: Impossible III. But despite all the help he got from his friend, in 2006 Grunberg snagged his highest-profile role to date all by himself, as a hapless cop who can read minds on Heroes.
Ali Larter Ali Larter played Niki Sanders/Jessica Sanders on the hit show "Heroes". Equal parts seductive, smart and headstrong, this comely blonde started out as a model before getting her big acting break in an unlikely place: Esquire. As the magazine's fake cover girl — a fictional, up-and-coming starlet named Allegra Coleman — Larter gained lots of real attention, even after she was revealed as a hoax. Soon she was booking guest spots on TV shows and in 1999 she made an auspicious film debut as an ambitious, whipped-cream-wearing cheerleader in Varsity Blues. A string of supporting roles followed — she was the brain in the Final Destination series, the ex in Drive Me Crazy and the exercise guru on trial for murder in Legally Blonde. But in 2006, the small screen afforded Larter her best part to date, as a single mother/stripper with a very dark side on the superhero drama Heroes
James Kyson Lee James Kyson Lee plays Ando Masahashi on the hit show "Heroes". Although this character actor was born in Korea, he came to prominence as a Japanese everyman with a superpowered pal on the sci-fi smash Heroes. Raised in the U.S. from age 10, Lee began studying music, dance and improvisation while attending the New England Institute of the Arts. In 2001, he reportedly sold his car and bought a one-way ticket to Hollywood, intending to pursue his showbiz dreams. Initially he performed live, appearing in West Coast productions such as Hair and playing piano and singing at local bars. But soon his easygoing attitude and average-Joe looks were tapped for a series of commercials (Red Robin, Hyundai, Butterfinger) and guest appearances. In fact, he landed his first small-screen gig on a 2003 episode of JAG at his first-ever TV audition. Within three years he had built up quite a résumé, including spots on The West Wing and Alias. Heroes, however, took his career to a super new level.
Masayori Oka Masayori Oka plays Hiro Nakamura on the hit show "Heroes". Smart, sweet and adorkable, Oka was bound for greatness from an early age. Of course, when he appeared on the cover of Time magazine as one of "Those Asian-American Whiz Kids" at age 12, a successful performing career probably didn't seem like his destiny. Although he always harbored acting ambitions, he graduated from Brown University as a computer-science major and quickly found work as a special-effects wizard at George Lucas' Industrial Light & Magic. While it must have been a thrill for the self-declared geek to work on the second Star Wars trilogy, Oka longed to be on camera. In the early '00s, he began landing bit movie parts and sitcom guest spots, even a recurring role as a lab technician on Scrubs. But nothing prepared him for his breakthrough role as Hiro, a space-bending, time-traveling master on Heroes. While the sci-fi series was a veritable smash, Oka was the show's breakout star, earning a Golden Globe nod for his work. Tapping into his real-life smarts (he reportedly has an IQ of 180) and initially speaking only in Japanese, Oka was convincing both as a nerdy office worker and as an English-speaking, sword-wielding warrior. And yet despite his overnight fame, Oka remained grounded off screen, continuing to drive a modest car (a 2000 Honda Accord) and consulting for ILM a few days a week.
Hayden Panettiere Hayden Panettiere plays Claire Bennet on the hit show "Heroes". A comely blonde who literally grew up in front of the camera, Panettiere was already a veteran of over 50 commercials when she landed a role on One Life to Live at age 4. Within a few years she was appearing in TV-movies and films, notably voicing the role of Dot in A Bug's Life and playing a succession of strong adolescents battling great odds, including cancer (twice) and child abuse. A string of impressive guest turns led to recurring roles on Ally McBeal (as the title character's long-lost daughter) and Malcolm in the Middle, as well as her first leading film role in 2005's Racing Stripes. In 2006, she donned a cheerleading outfit and held the fate of the world in her hands as one of the superpowered stars of the NBC drama Heroes.
Adrian Pasdar Adrian Pasdar plays Nathan Petrelli on the hit show "Heroes" With athletic good looks and a sexy but mysterious air, this former college football player has a love-hate relationship with Hollywood. Although he made his film debut in the 1986 blockbuster Top Gun, his breakout role came a year later as a reluctant vampire in the indie flick Near Dark. Able to embody sexy and scary simultaneously, Pasdar seemed poised to join the ranks of '80s leading men such as Jason Patric and Kiefer Sutherland. Instead, the rebel player quit the biz for two years. In the '90s he came back, turning in a string of solid supporting performances in mostly forgettable films and TV-movies, which prompted him to quit a second time. (During his hiatus he worked the register in a diner.) But performing won out in the end and when Pasdar returned, he turned to the small screen for meaty parts, winning kudos (if not viewers) as the corrupt title character in the short-lived series Profit. His marriage to Dixie Chick Natalie Maines and a recurring role on Judging Amy as a dangerous love interest for the title character raised his profile in the '00s, and suddenly the veteran actor was enjoying name recognition for the first time in his spotty career
Zachary Quinto Zachary Quinto plays Sylar on the hit show "Heroes". A nerdy computer whiz on 24, a brain-stealing serial killer on Heroes and Tori Spelling's gay best bud on So NoTORIous: this up-and-coming small-screen actor is nothing if not versatile. Intrigued by acting from an early age, Quinto began appearing in Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera productions as a child. But he decided to pursue acting as a vocation after being involved in a car accident at age 16. After high school, the dark and handsome player studied at Carnegie Mellon's prestigious acting conservatory, and a year after graduating, he began landing guest spots on diverse series, everything from Touched by an Angel to CSI. His recurring role on the third season of 24 upped his profile, but 2006 was his breakthrough year. Although his first series-regular gig on So NoTORIous was cut short when the campy show failed to get picked up for a second season, he quickly snagged his signature Heroes role. With his icy stare and monotone delivery, Quinto proved a breath-taking villain, and producers announced that he would become a series regular during the sci-fi smash's second season.
Sendhil Ramamurthy Sendhil Ramamurthy plays Mohinder Suresh on the hit show "Heroes". Since his mother, father and sister were all doctors, it's no wonder Ramamurthy initially followed in their footsteps. However while pursuing premed at Tufts University, the American hunk changed his focus after taking a college drama class in order to satisfy his arts requirement. After graduation, he studied at London's Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art and left with a comprehensive knowledge of the classics and his future wife — fellow thespian Olga Sosnovska — in tow. Due to his ethnic features, Ramamurthy was often invited to audition for what he deemed "stereotypical brown skin" roles: convenience store employees and terrorists. But he refused to be seen for these parts, opting instead to build his résumé slowly with meatier roles both on stage and in TV guest spots. Although Heroes creator Tim Kring originally intended to cast a fiftysomething actor in the role of genetics professor Mohinder Suresh, he rewrote the character once he saw Ramamurthy read for the part. It turned out to be a boon for both of their careers, as Heroes went on to be the breakout hit of the 2006-2007 television season with Ramamurthy as one of its breakout stars.
Milo Ventimiglia Milo Ventimiglia plays Peter Petrelli on the hit show "Heroes". A heartthrob who came to prominence on the small screen, Ventimiglia made viewers swoon as Alexis Bledel's brooding, on-again, off-again love interest on Gilmore Girls. His seductive charms also worked on his costar as they became a couple for a time off screen as well. In 2003 he signed on to star in his own spin-off, but when that project fell through he jumped networks (and many decades) with a recurring role as a '60s radical on the period saga American Dreams. While his next series, the tepid college drama The Bedford Diaries, came and went, Ventimiglia and his fabulously unruly hair and moody attitude were quickly snatched up for the smash fantasy drama Heroes in 2006. That same year, the actor — a veteran of low-rent horror flicks — made a bid for mainstream big-screen stardom playing Sylvester Stallone's son in the umpteenth Rocky sequel.