Daytime Soap Operas: Loving

His death was confirmed by his former OLTL co-star Anthony Crivello on Facebook, who posted pictures of their time together on the soap. Crivello played his son.

“It was a wonderful time, difficult hours and long days, but joyful each minute,” wrote Crivello.

Born on October 5, 1940, in Queens, Christopher got his start in the soaps in the 50s by playing Noel Douglas on The Edge of Night. He went on to become a journeyman actor in TV with roles in Buck Rogers, Cannon, Kojak, The Eddie Capra Mysteries, T.J. Hooker, Hunter, Murder, She Wrote and Simon & Simon.

In 1990, he signed on to ABC’s OLTL as the mobster Carlo Hessler. The character was killed off two years later, but the work didn’t end for Christopher; he then began playing Mortimer Bern, Carlo’s twin, on and off between 1996 and 2008.

Christopher went on to play Dante Partou on Loving from 1993-94. He also had an arc as Col. Dax on Guiding Light at the start of the aughts.

“May Thom fly on wings of angels to be beside his beloved Judith, and may they enjoy each other’s company once again, beside the pearly gates of heaven,” Crivello wrote on Facebook.

‘NCIS: Tony & Ziva’s Michael Weatherly And Cote De Pablo Set For MIPCOM Trip

Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo, the pair who play former special agents Anthony DiNozzo and Ziva David in the upcoming NCIS: Tony and Ziva, will be in town with Paramount Global at MIPCOM next month.

Weatherly and de Pablo will join Cohen, Paramount’s Chief Content Licensing Officer, on stage during his Media Mastermind interview on Tuesday, October 22.

The pair are starring in NCIS: Tony & Ziva, which picks up several years after the two characters reunited in an NCIS storyline. In the new show, they reunite to raise their daughter Tali (Isla Gie), who Tony has been fathering on his own, believing Ziva is dead. When Tony’s Paris-based security firm is attacked, they are forced to go on the run to figure out who’s after them, and whether they can trust each other again. Shooting is currently taking place in Budapest, Hungary.

The Paramount+ original series comes from CBS Studios and is being shopped at MIPCOM through Paramount Global Content Distribution.

The Tony and Ziva on-off relationship formed a major multi-season arc in the earlier era of CBS’s long-running crime procedural NCIS. De Pablo left the show in 2013 after 11 seasons, but unexpectedly returned in season 16 and 17. Weatherly left after 13 seasons, but returned earlier this year in an episode dedicated to Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard. David McCallum, who played Ducky, had passed away in 2023.

Brec Bassinger Leading Supernatural Thriller ‘The Evilry’

Elena Kampouris (My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3) has boarded alongside Bassinger, with the pair joining Dylan Walsh (Blue Bloods, Superman & Lois), Marissa Reyes (Ganymede), Evan Ross (The Loneliest Boy in the World), Tony Pierce (The Bodyguard) and Teri Polo (Loving, the Meet the Parents franchise).

The plot is being kept under wraps but is centered on a visiting relative, played by Kampouris, who is harboring a dark secret.

Bassinger is also starring in next year’s Final Destination: Bloodlines along with suspense thriller The Man in the White Van.

The Evilry is directed by Alexander Garcia from his own script. Garcia is producing under his Multi-Valence Productions banner with his producing partners Joanna Quezada, Mike Nease, and Chris Bradds. Anne Stimac, Fabian Alomar, David Bertolino, and Jason Baker are also producing. Executive producers include Scott Huneryager of ZaZa Rev Motion Pictures and William Day Frank.

Bassinger is repped by Paradigm, Industry Entertainment, and Work Management, Kampouris by Impression Entertainment, Walsh by Independent Artist Group and McGowan Rodriguez Management. Reyes is with Stewart Talent and The Michael Abrams Group, Ross is with Vault Entertainment and Myman Greenspan Fox Rosenberg Mobasser Younger & Light. Pierce is repped by Quezada Management, Polo by Gersh and McGowan Rodriguez Management.

Joseph Hardy Dies: Tony-Winning Broadway Director, Exec Producer Of ‘Ryan’s Hope’ Was 95

His June 6 death was confirmed by New York’s Primary Stages Off Broadway theater company. A resident since 2020 at the Actors Fund Home in Englewood, NJ, his passing last month was not widely reported.

Born March 8, 1929, in Carlsbad, NM, Hardy graduated from the Yale School of Drama and began his show business career working as a script editor for New York-based soap operas. He was soon making his way into the Off Broadway world, working extensively in small theaters before making his early mark with the original 1967 production of You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown at Theater 80 St. Marks in Manhattan’s East Village.

The musical, with music and lyrics by Clark Gesner based on the wildly popular Peanuts characters crated by cartoonist Charles M. Schulz, was a simply-staged production that would go on to become a staple of amateur and school theater seasons. The show featured a book by John Gordon — a pseudonym later revealed to cover Gessner, production staff and the original cast that included Bob Balaban, Gary Burghoff, among others.

By the time the Peanuts musical transferred to Broadway in 1971, Hardy already was there, having directed several Broadway productions including Play It Again, Sam, the 1969 Woody Allen comedy that first teamed Allen with his greatest muse, Diane Keaton. The actress was nominated for a Tony for her performance in the comedy.

In 1970, Hardy won the Tony Award for his direction of Child’s Play, Charles Marasco’s Tony-nominated dark mystery drama set in an exclusive boys boarding school. The production also won Tonys for actors Fritz Weaver and Ken Howard, as well as for sets and lighting.

Hardy’s other Broadway credits include Johnny No-Trump (1967); Bob and Ray – The Two and Only (1970); Children! Children! (1972); Gigi (1973); The Night of the Iguana (1976); and, in 1978, Diversions and Delights, a one-man show starring Vincent Price as Oscar Wilde. Hardy’s final Broadway credit was 1979’s Romantic Comedy starring Anthony Perkins and, in her Broadway debut, Mia Farrow.

His stage career also included a stint as Associate Artist at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, and he was a frequent director at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles.

Hardy also had a busy TV career: He directed, among other projects, Lily Tomlin’s first TV special in 1973; a 1974 TV-movie adaptation of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn; and, that same year, the TV film Great Expectations starring Michael York and Sarah Miles. He directed and executive produced the headline making 1970s teen drama James at 15 (later retitled James at 16).

Returning to his roots in daytime soaps, Hardy was hired in 1983 as an executive producer of ABC’s Ryan’s Hope, a once-popular serial that had experienced dwindling viewership since its mid-1970s heyday. Hardy became part of a new producing team that overhauled the serial by firing some of its most popular cast members and shifting the focus from its longtime setting of the Ryan family bar to the goings-on at a nearby deli. The ratings crashed, many ABC affiliates dropped the show, and within a few years the network replaced Hardy’s crew and rehired original producer Claire Labine.

Hardy’s Ryan’s Hope era became something of a cautionary tale for the daytime drama industry, as networks and producers would tread carefully ever after about making major shifts away from a serial’s founding focus.

Hardy, however, landed on his feet, soon hired as executive producer of ABC’s Loving and, from 1989-91, the hugely popular General Hospital.

After leaving General Hospital, Hardy spent much of the 1990s living and working in France. He returned to New York City later in the decade and continued directing at the Old Globe Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival and the Charlotte Rep. In 2008, he directed his old friend Lynn Redgrave in Grace for MCC Theater Off Broadway, and he reteamed with the star the following year for her acclaimed solo show Nightingale for New York City Center.

He is survived by sister Caroline Rackley of New Mexico. He requested that no service or memorial be held.

Cote de Pablo & Michael Weatherly To Host ‘NCIS’ Rewatch Video Podcast For Spotify

In each weekly podcast episode, de Pablo and Weatherly, along with a special guest, will rewatch iconic NCIS episodes.

Former franchise cast and guest stars making appearances include Sean Murray, Sasha Alexander, Eric Christian Olsen, Jon Cryer and more who will join the hosts to reminisce about the show’s impact in television and pop culture, and reveal exclusive behind-the-scenes moments from making the TV series.

Off Duty: An NCIS Rewatch, is produced by Spotify Studios in partnership with Rabbit Grin Productions. The show is executive produced by Jeph Porter and Rob Holysz. Produced by Natalie Holysz, Kasper Selvig and Derek Johnson.

Jeff Bridges, Dave Bautista, Bryan Cranston, Sam Elliott & More Set For Live-Action ‘Grendel’ Movie

Grendel is the tale of the legendary monster at the heart of the Beowulf epic poem who steps forth to tell his side of this riveting story. Directed by Robert D. Krzykowski (The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot), the film’s ensemble also includes Dave Bautista (Dune: Part Two) as Beowulf, Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) as King Hrothgar, Sam Elliott (A Star is Born) as The Dragon, Thomasin McKenzie (Last Night in Soho) as Queen Wealhtheow, and Aidan Turner (The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies) as Unferth. In addition to playing the role of The Shaper, famed recording artist and record producer T Bone Burnett will provide original songs for the film.

Krzykowski adapted the script from John Gardner’s critically acclaimed novel of the same name. Producers on the project include Brian Henson (The Muppet Christmas Carol, Farscape) and Vince Raisa (The Happytime Murders) for The Jim Henson Company, Krzykowski and Jay Glazer (Body Language, Get Luke Lowe), who together acquired the rights to the novel in 2020, Dennis Berardi (Monster Hunter, Frankenstein), and Jon D. Wagner (Bone Tomahawk, Haunt).

Exec producers include Bridges, John Sayles (Lone Star, Eight Men Out), Tamara Birkemoe, and Joe Jenckes of Ashland Hill Media Finance. Palisades Park Pictures are launching international sales at the upcoming Marché du Film, with CAA Media Finance and UTA Independent Film Group co-repping rights for North America. Ashland Hill Media Finance is financing, with Jim Henson’s Creature Shop (Five Nights at Freddy’s, Where the Wild Things Are) to handle the practical creature work and design. Production is slated to kick off in Europe later this year.

“Grendel represents everything I love about the movies,” Krzykowski said. “John Gardner’s mad masterpiece cleverly tackles what it is to be human through the wild-eyed lens of a monster. It’s an honor to work with such a remarkable group of storytellers, all of whom seek to bring something wonderful and unexpected to audiences now.”

Stated Palisades Park Pictures CEO Tamara Birkemoe, “We are delighted to be introducing this elevated, high-concept story to our distributors around the world. With this brilliant cast, Bob’s vivid vision and the extraordinary creative track record of our friends at The Jim Henson Company, we cannot wait to see Grendel come to life.”

Other feature titles on the Palisades’ Cannes sales slate include The Magic Faraway Tree starring Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy; That’s Amore! starring John Travolta, Katherine Heigl and Christopher Walken; Philip Noyce’s action-adventure Fast Charlie starring Pierce Brosnan, Morena Baccarin and James Caan; and Neil Marshall’s action thriller Duchess, starring Charlotte Kirk, Philip Winchester, Sean Pertwee, Colm Meaney and Stephanie Beacham.

Bridges is repped by CAA, MGMT Entertainment, Special Artists Agency and Hirsch Wallerstein Hayum; Bautista by CAA, Meisner Entertainment Group, and Jackoway Austen Tyerman; Cranston by UTA and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole; Elliott by Gersh and Berwick & Kovacik; McKenzie by UTA, Untitled Entertainment, Gail Cowan Management and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole; Turner by Curtis Brown Group, Lisa Richards, and Felker Toczek Suddleson; Burnett by LJ Entertainment; and Krzykowski by Neon Kite, Verve, and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman.

Teri Polo guests on FBI: International

‘NCIS’ Tony & Ziva Spinoff Series Gets Official Title

After referencing a couple of titles that had been floated, NCIS: Europe and NCIS: Trust No One, the duo announced that the official title of their new show will be NCIS: Tony & Ziva.

“It makes it really easy because the fans will know exactly what the show is. It’s about Tony and Ziva in Europe,” de Pablo said.

The action-packed spinoff, which has a 10-episode order, will follow Tony (Weatherly) and Ziva (de Pablo) as they find themselves on the run across the old continent.

Filming on the series — the second extension of the NCIS franchise beyond the U.S. after NCIS: Sydney — is slated to begin this summer in Budapest. John McNamara is the writer/showrunner.

On the mothership NCIS series, after Ziva’s (de Pablo) supposed death, Tony (Weatherly) left the NCIS team to go raise their daughter. Years later, Ziva was discovered alive, leading her to complete one final mission with NCIS before she was reunited with Tony and their daughter in Paris. Since then – and where we find them in the new Paramount+ original series – Tony and Ziva have been raising their daughter, Tali, together. When Tony’s security company is attacked, they must go on the run across Europe, trying to figure out who is after them and maybe even learn to trust each other again so that they can finally have their unconventional happily ever after.

“I expect intrigue, romance, a background of Europe, impossible situations that will make our life very complicated but somehow a little something about love,” de Pablo said.

Weatherly, de Pablo and McNamara executive produce NCIS: Tony & Ziva with Laurie Lieser, Christina Strain and Shelley Meals. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

PBS National Memorial Day Concert To Feature World War II Tribute And Gold Star Families Remembrance

The event, marking its 35th anniversary, honors members of the military and their families, with an evening of music and storytelling.

Among the segments planned are a tribute to World War II, featuring Bryan Cranston and spotlighting U.S. Army veteran John T. “Jack” Moran, who fought in the Battle of the Bulge. The segment also will mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

A remembrance of Gold Star families, featuring BD Wong, will spotlight the story of Vietnam veteran and Gold Star father Allen Hoe, who followed generations of his family into service. Two of his sons also served in the U.S. Army. One of his sons, First Lieutenant Nainoa K. Hoe, was killed in combat in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Another segment, featuring Jena Malone, will focus on the challenges of veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, with the story of U.S. Marine Corps veteran and amputee Kirstie Ennis, who sent on to become an adaptive athlete and has made it a mission to bring awareness to encourage others to reach out for help.

Also featured in the concert will be Cynthia Erivo, Gary LeVox, Jamey Johnson, Mary McCormack, Ruthie Ann Miles, Patina Miller and the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Jack Everly. The event also will include a Salute to Services with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Service Color Teams. Also participating will be members from The U.S. Army Herald Trumpets, The U.S. Army Chorus, The Soldiers’ Chorus of the U.S. Army Field Band, The U.S. Navy Band Sea Chanters, The U.S. Air Force Singing Sergeants and the Armed Forces Color Guard provided by the Military District of Washington, D.C.

The concert will air on PBS from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. ET, as well as to troops around the world on the American Forces Network. It also will stream at www.pbs.org/national-memorial-day-concert and YouTube, and will available as video on demand from May 26 to June 9.

The concert is a co-production of Michael Colbert of Capital Concerts and WETA, Washington, D.C.

Garret Dillahunt, Elizabeth Mitchell, Shawn Ashmore & Jessy Schram To Star In Psychological Thriller ‘The Huntsman’

An adaptation of Judith Sanders’s novel scripted by Steven Jon Whritner, the film centers on a repressed ICU nurse (Ashmore) volunteering as a reader for a recovering coma patient (Dillahunt), the prime suspect in the savage murders of six young women in a small southwestern town. The suspect’s wife (Mitchell), refusing to believe that her husband is the killer, struggles with the mounting complexities of the investigation. With a dedicated detective (Schram) trying to solve the mystery before more bodies turn up, numerous other suspects take the case on a spiraling journey.

Pic is fully financed by Frank Malinoski and produced by Plymouth Rock Entertainment’s Whritner (Jury Duty, Repo Men: Stealing for a Living) and SafeHouse Films’ Jacob Ryan Snovel (Agnes, upcoming Reverence), alongside Nicholas Clement (Out of Exile, upcoming Reverence) and Maddison Bullock (Ice: The Movie, upcoming Anywhere). The film is executive produced by Dillahunt, Sanders, and Malinoski.

Mark Rutman (Snowfall, Nashville) handled casting, with Jesse M. Bookout of Franklin, Weinrib, Rudell serving as production counsel.

“I’m excited to start shooting this dark and atmospheric story,” Harris said. “We live in a world where outward appearances are oftentimes deceiving, and one of the many intriguing aspects about this project was how the script addresses inner and outer identity, and the reasons why someone would be driven to kill, I’m drawn to material that takes the audience to the narrative edge, and with The Huntsman, we have a film that will shake the viewer up.”

“From Sanders’ gripping novel comes an amazing script by Whritner, which, in the hands of our visionary director and a brilliantly talented cast, will come a film that should engage, surprise and thrill the minds and hearts of adult audiences,” added EP Malinoski.

Next to be seen starring in Viggo Mortensen’s Western The Dead Don’t Hurt, Dillahunt’s other recent film credits include Red Right Hand and Where the Crawdads Sing. In recent years, he’s also been seen on shows like Hightown, Dead to Me, and Sprung.

Previously, Mitchell has appeared in series like The Santa Clauses, Outer Banks, The Expanse, Once Upon a Time and Lost, in addition to films like The Purge: Election Year.

Currently starring on ABC’s beloved procedural The Rookie, Ashmore’s other upcoming projects include the indies Just Breathe and It Feeds.

Schram stars on Chicago Med and has also been seen on shows like Nashville and Falling Skies. Additionally, she’s appeared in such films as Shot Caller and Unstoppable.

Known for his Heartland Emmy-winning 2017 documentary I Stand: The Guardians of the Water, which spotlighted the Standing Rock Sioux Nation’s fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline, Harris made his theatrical debut with the 2022 crime thriller Out of Exile, distributed by Saban Films and Paramount Pictures.

Harris is repped by Independent Artist Group and Mosaic; Dillahunt by IAG and D2 Management; Mitchell by IAG, Link Entertainment, and Hirsch Wallerstein Hayum; Ashmore by Gersh, Artistry Management, and Jackoway Austen Tyerman; and Schram by Industry Entertainment and Jackoway Austen.

‘Tyler Perry’s Beauty in Black’: Netflix Reveals Cast For New Series Under Creator’s First Look Deal

The pact calls for Perry will write, direct, and produce feature films and series under a multi-year first-look deal.

Tyler Perry’s Beauty in Black follows two women leading very different lives. While Kimmie is struggling to make a living after her mother kicked her out, and Mallory is running a successful business, they find themselves entangled in each other’s lives.

The cast includes Taylor Polidore Williams (Divorce in the Black; Snowfall) as Kimmie; Amber Reign Smith (Outlaw Posse; Wu-Tang: An American Saga) as Rain; Crystle Stewart (Tyler Perry’s The Oval; Acrimony) as Mallory; Ricco Ross (A Husband for Christmas; Aliens) as Horace; Debbi Morgan (Power; Power Book II: Ghost) as Olivia; Richard Lawson (Black Hamptons; For Colored Girls) as Norman; Steven G. Norfleet (Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire; Ruthless) as Charles; Julian Horton (National Champions; Tyler Perry’s Bruh) as Roy; Terrell Carter (Empire; Diary of a Mad Black Woman) and as Varney.

Other cast members are Shannon Wallace (Diarra from Detroit; City on a Hill) as Calvin; Bryan Tanaka (Entourage) as Officer Alex; Joy Rovaris (Saint Clare; The Neighborhood) as Gillian; Xavier Smalls as Angel; Charles Malik Whitfield (The Temptations; If Loving You is Wrong) as Jules; Tamera “Tee” Kissen (House Party; White Men Can’t Jump) as Body; Ursula O. Robinson (Hightown) as Delinda; Ashley Versher (This is Me… Now; Law and Order) as Lena; and George Middlebrook (The Final Play; McGraw Ave H-Block) will play Officer Trackson.

In February, Perry struck a first-look series deal with Netflix, adding to his pact with the streamer on movies. That’s on top of Perry’s BET deal for TV, which is ongoing with more than 10 series at the company.

‘FBI: International’ Adds Teri Polo To Season 3 Cast

FBI: International follows the elite operatives of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s International Fly Team. Headquartered in Budapest, they travel the world with the mission of tracking and neutralizing threats against American citizens wherever they may be. Not allowed to carry guns, the Fly Team relies on intelligence, quick thinking and pure brawn as they put their lives on the line to protect the U.S. and its people.

Cast also includes Luke Kleintank, Carter Redwood, Vinessa Vidotto, Eva-Jane Willias and Christina Wolfe.

Dick Wolf executive produces FBI: International with Chicago Fire creators Derek Haas and Matt Olmstead as well as director/executive producer Michael Katleman and Wolf Entertainment’s Arthur Forney and Peter Jankowski.

The series is produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, in association with CBS Studios.

Polo’s recent credits include a starring role in Fox series The Big Leap and Freeform’s The Fosters. She most recently reprised her role as Stef in The Fosters’ spinoff Good Trouble. She is best known for her role as Robert De Niro’s daughter, Pam Byrnes, in the Meet the Parents films. Polo is repped by Gersh, manager Bob McGowan at McGowan/Rodriguez Management and Kraditor & Haber.

Jennifer Leak Dies: ‘Yours, Mine And Ours’ Actress And Soap Star For ‘The Guiding Light’, ‘The Young And The Restless’ And ‘Another World’ Was 76

Leak was dealing with progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare neurological disease, in her final years.

“It is with a heavy heart that I share the news of Jennifer Leak’s passing. She wasn’t just my screen sister in ‘Yours, Mine and Ours,’ but also my beloved first wife. Jennifer was a remarkable woman, strong, lovely, and incredibly talented. My deepest condolences go out to her husband of 47 years, James D’Auria, and their multitude of friends.”

Yours, Mine and Ours featured Matheson as Mike, the son of Henry Fonda’s Frank Beardsley, while Leak portrayed Colleen, the daughter of Lucille Ball’s Helen North. The movie was about a blended family of 18 children.

Leak was born in Cardiff, Wales, in 1947, and started her screen career with the Mike Nichols-directed pilot for Wojeck in the mid-1960s. She later was cast in Nichols’ The Graduate, but had to drop out because of immigration complications.

Leak’s was also a soap operas regular. She played Gwen Sherman on The Young and the Restless, Olive Springer Gordon Randolph on Another World, and Blanche Bouvier on Guiding Light.

Leak had largely retired from screen acting by the mid-1980s, working as a sales agent for a real estate company.

She was married to Matheson from 1968 to 1971, and wed D’Auria in 1977. She is survived by her husband and brother.

Bryan Cranston To Narrate Doris Kearns Goodwin’s ‘An Unfinished Love Story’

Kearns Goodwin is releasing An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s on April 16 and the Breaking Bad star is providing some narration for the audiobook version.

Cranston will read the letters that Doris’s late husband Richard “Dick” Goodwin, a writer and presidential advisor, wrote to family and friends when he was in his twenties.

The book weaves together biography, memoir, and history. It will also feature historic archival recordings from speeches from JFK, LBJ, and Robert Kennedy.

The couple got to know Cranston when he was preparing to star as LBJ in Robert Schenkkan’s play All the Way. They also appeared together on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in 2018.

Dick and Doris Goodwin were married for forty-two years. Dick named and helped design Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society and was a speechwriter and close advisor to Robert Kennedy. The book is out via Simon & Schuster, which is also behind the audiobook version.

Cranston said, “The collective experience that Dick and Doris had with the highest level of U.S. politicians is unparalleled. Not just with the policies of the powerful, but with insight on their personal lives and sensibilities of how they framed the second half of the twentieth century. Doris really helps you navigate through the fascinating politics of the time, but with an emotional touch that lets you invest in Dick’s journey… it’s a love story, to a country and a partner.”

Goodwin added, “Dick and I had the pleasure of getting to know Bryan Cranston, one of the finest actors of our time, as he prepared for the role of LBJ in Robert Schenkkan’s play, All the Way. We so admired the dedication and talent that went into Bryan’s searing portrayal of LBJ during those chaotic, urgent and heady years of the Civil Rights Movement and his presidency. It was that personal connection to us and that era that brought Bryan to mind instantly as I thought about who might read excerpts from the scores of letters Dick, while still in his twenties, had written to his best college friend and his parents. How lucky for me—and for our listeners—that Bryan so graciously agreed to bring Dick’s words to life in a resonant and poignant performance that shows the young, idealistic, emotional, self-mocking, and reflective Dick Goodwin.”

Ron Harper, ‘Land of the Lost’ and ‘Planet of the Apes’ Actor, Dies at 91

Harper died Thursday of natural causes at his home in West Hills, his daughter, Nicole Longeuay, told The Hollywood Reporter.

After understudying for Paul Newman on Broadway, Harper portrayed Det. Bert Kling alongside Norman Fell, Robert Lansing, Gregory Walcott and Gena Rowlands on the 1961-62 NBC cop show 87th Precinct, based on the novels of Ed McBain.

He played Jeff Conway, the husband of Connie Stevens’ character, on the 1964-65 ABC sitcom Wendy and Me, also starring George Burns, who produced the show and appeared as the owner of the apartment building in which the young couple lives.

Next up for Harper were turns as the son of Jean Arthur’s lawyer — they both portrayed lawyers, in fact — on CBS’ The Jean Arthur Show in 1966 and Lt. Craig Garrison on the World War II-set Garrison’s Gorillas, which aired on ABC in 1967-68.

All four never made it to a second season, with 87th Precinct lasting 30 episodes, Wendy and Me 34, The Jean Arthur Show 12 and Garrison’s Gorillas 26.

In 1974, Harper finally seemed to have a hit on his hands when he landed the role of astronaut Alan Virdon on CBS’ Planet of the Apes. The series, after all, had come on the heels of the five Planet of the Apes movies and starred Roddy McDowall, who was in four of the films, as a chimpanzee.

However, the high-cost show, which also starred Jim Naughton as an astronaut, performed poorly in its Friday night slot and was canceled, with just 14 episodes airing.

“Our Planet of the Apes stories degenerated into The Fugitive with fur. I think that’s one of the things that curtailed what should have been a longer run,” Harper said in an interview for Tom Weaver’s 2008 book, I Talked With a Zombie.

Harper then joined Sid and Marty Krofft’s Land of the Lost in 1976 for its third and final season, stepping in for Spencer Milligan to play the family’s Uncle Jack on the NBC sci-fi show. He was on just 13 episodes, but those showed up often in repeats over the years.

“The stories were very good,” Harper said in 2005. “Each generation of children as they come up and are exposed to it like those stories and remember them, pass them right on. I have about three tapes, and I’ve been showing them to my daughter since she was 5. And she still, of all my series, loves Land of the Lost best.”

Ronald Robert Harper was born on Jan. 12, 1933, in Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania, outside Pittsburgh. He graduated from Turtle Creek High School and earned a scholarship to Princeton University, where he did two seasons of summer stock. He then was offered a fellowship to Harvard Law School.

“I kept saying to myself, ‘Should you waste your good education being an actor?’ And that little voice within me kept saying things like, ‘What do you want to take that fellowship to Harvard Law for? Be an actor. Starving is fun,’” he said in 1966. “And like the fool that any actor has to be, I listened to that dumb little voice.”

He studied with Lee Strasberg, served in the U.S. Navy and in 1959-60 was Newman’s understudy in Tennessee Williams’ Sweet Bird of Youth, directed by Elia Kazan. He got to play opposite Geraldine Page four times one week when Newman was ill.

“In my last performance of it, I saw Paul in the audience,” he recalled in 2015. “If he was not feeling too well, he was feeling a little bit better. He was a wonderful, sweet guy. I think he probably felt generous enough to say, ‘Let Ron do one or two of the performances.’”

After that, he appeared on installments of such shows as Tales of Wells Fargo, Thriller, Wagon Train and The Tall Man before landing on 87th Precinct.

Harper returned to Broadway in 1972 in 6 Rms Riv Vu and did lots of soap operas, among them Another World, Loving, Capitol, Generations, Where the Heart Is and Love of Life.

His résumé also included the movies The Wild Season (1971), The Odd Couple II (1998) and Pearl Harbor (2001) and TV guest stints on The Big Valley, Remington Steele, Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place, Walker, Texas Ranger, The West Wing and Cold Case.

In addition to his daughter, survivors include his son-in-law, Daniel; granddaughters Ronnie and Harper; and ex-wife Shirley. His first wife was actress Sally Stark.

‘Foundation’: Cherry Jones, Brandon P. Bell Among 8 New Series Regulars For Season 3; Pilou Asbæk Joins In Recasting

They join two previously announced new additions: CODA Oscar winner Troy Kotsur and Alexander Siddig. Foundation hails from series co-developer/executive producer/showrunner David S. Goyer.

Based on Isaac Asimov’s trilogy, the series chronicles the saga of The Foundation, a band of exiles who discover that the only way to save the Galactic Empire from destruction is to defy it. It follows the stories of four crucial individuals transcending space and time as they overcome deadly crises, shifting loyalties and complicated relationships that will ultimately determine the fate of humanity.

Season 2, which wrapped in September 2023, picked up more than a century after the Season 1 finale, with tension mounting throughout the galaxy. As the Cleons unravel, a vengeful queen plots to destroy Empire from within. Hari, Gaal, and Salvor discover a colony of Mentalics with psionic abilities that threaten to alter psychohistory itself. The Foundation has entered its religious phase, promulgating the Church of Seldon throughout the Outer Reach and inciting the Second Crisis: war with Empire.

Jones plays Foundation Ambassador Quent; Karlsen plays Bayta Mallow; Fern is Toran Mallow; Bell plays Han Pritcher, Lemarquis portrays Magnifico Giganticus; Wong-Loi-Sing is Song; and Bill plays Mayor Indbur.

Foundation, produced by Skydance Television, is showrun and executive produced by Goyer, with Bill Bost, Jane Espenson, Leigh Dana Jackson, Roxann Dawson, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Matt Thunell, and Robyn Asimov also serving as executive producers.

Asbæk is repped by UTA and Art Management. Karlsen is represented by the Independent Talent Group, and Anonymous Content. Fern is repped by CAA and 3 Arts Entertainment. Brandon P. Bell is repped by UTA and Anonymous. Lemarquis is repped by Independent Talent Group. Wong-Loi-Sing is repped by Gersh, No19 Talent Management, and Felker Toczek Suddleson Abramson McGinnis Ryan LLP. Bill is repped by Curtis Brown Group. Jones is repped by WME.

GH’s Rena Sofer Mourns the Death of Her Family’s Dog, Alfie

“I have too much to say. But I have no words right now. It’s all just so much pain,” wrote Sofer. “Yesterday was the most devastating yet expected day. But it was too soon.”

Alfie and his sister, Mega, were the first dogs that Sofer rescued, back in 2017 when she was playing THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL’s Quinn. Over the years, the actress and Bookstaver (as well as their daughter, Avalon) have opened up their home to several other rescue dogs and have fostered countless other canines. Alfie’s death comes eight months after the family lost one of their other rescue dogs, Princess Carolyn, in July 2023.

“I only had my boy for seven years and eight days. Cancer stole him from me, from Sandy, from Avalon, and from his sister, Mega. From everyone who knew and loved him,” Sofer continued. “I love all my dogs, but without remorse, Alfie was my favorite. My heart and soul dog. I am destroyed and numb. The greatest gift we ever gave each other was each other. I will miss you forever and ever and ever.”

“We have had many, many dogs, but Alfie was Rena’s baby boy and true love,” shared Sofer’s husband.

“He was only alive for seven years, but they were beautiful,” Bookstaver said of Alfie’s life with the family.

In a sweet video, Sofer cried while kissing Alfie’s head while hugging Mega with her other hand. “That’s your brother,” she laughed through her tears.

‘NCIS’ Tony & Ziva Spinoff Series Starring Michael Weatherly & Cote de Pablo Ordered By Paramount+

Nicknamed NCIS: Europe, the new spinoff, set to start production later this year, will follow Tony (Weatherly) and Ziva (de Pablo) as they find themselves on the run across the continent.

NCIS is one of CBS Studios’ most valuable franchises and its expansion has been a goal for the studio. This is one of two new NCIS offshoots greenlighted this year, along with the Young Gibbs prequel series for CBS NCIS: Origins. It is also the second extension of the NCIS franchise beyond the U.S., following NCIS: Sydney, which has been airing on CBS in the U.S.

After Ziva’s supposed death, Tony left the NCIS team to go raise their daughter. Years later, Ziva was discovered alive, leading her to complete one final mission with NCIS before she was reunited with Tony and their daughter in Paris. Since then – and where we find them in the new Paramount+ original series – Tony and Ziva have been raising their daughter, Tali, together. When Tony’s security company is attacked, they must go on the run across Europe, try to figure out who is after them and maybe even learn to trust each other again so that they can finally have their unconventional happily ever after.

“We’ve been talking about this story for many years, and now with John McNamara at the helm, we are ready,” Weatherly and de Pablo said. “The world of Tony and Ziva (and daughter Tali) promises to be an action-packed roller coaster fueled by love, danger, tears and laughter. We also want to acknowledge and thank the fans from around the world who supported the ‘Tiva’ movement for years. To this day, they say hello in grocery stores and on the street to tell us how much these characters mean to them and ask what Tony and Ziva are up to now. This is for you!”

Weatherly hinted at a potential ‘Tiva’ reunion last month when his New Year’s tweet, “It’s time to look at time and enjoy the moment!” prompted a fan to respond, “We all would rather look at you and Ziva reuniting.” Weatherly highlighted the comment, adding, “Stay tuned… for this might be an interesting year for such ‘moments’!” He further fueled speculation this week by responding to a fan tweet lamenting about him and de Pablo, “miss the chemistry and magic you both create,” with the cryptic, “the universe works in mysterious ways…”

De Pablo, Weatherly and McNamara executive produce the spinoff with Laurie Lieser, Christina Strain and Shelley Meals. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

“I’m incredibly excited to step into the NCIS universe with Cote and Michael and thrilled to explore it from a few new angles,” McNamara said. “Given that the franchise is such a global sensation, I think it’s phenomenal that CBS Studios and Paramount+ have given us the greenlight to shoot in Europe. As to the title of this series, if I told you what it is, I’d be violating the Espionage Act."

Weatherly, an original NCIS cast member, had been with the series since its launch in 2003. He left after 13 seasons and went on to headline on another CBS/CBS Studios drama Bull. Speculation about his potential return to the NCIS franchise picked up after Bull ended its run last spring. He recently did a cameo in the Ducky tribute episode of the mothership.

De Pablo joined NCIS in Season 3. She appeared in Seasons 3 through 10 and exited the series early in Season 11. In the Season 13 finale, it was revealed that Ziva apparently had died in an explosion in Israel. She returned three years later in 2019, where it was revealed she was alive and had gone into hiding. She made a surprise unannounced return in the last scene of the season 16 finale, which aired on May 21, 2019, in which Ziva arrives at Gibbs’ basement to warn him that his life is in danger. She later appeared in the first two episodes of the show’s 17th season and in that season’s tenth and eleventh episodes as part of her storyline.

Weatherly and de Pablo have remained close off-screen. In 2018, they teamed up to executive produce detective drama MIA, which was set up at CBS.

Twenty one seasons in — currently ranking as the third-longest-running U.S. primetime drama — the mothership series remains the most watched non-sports program on broadcast. A big global seller, which once ranked as the most watched drama in the world, the venerable procedural has spawned three spinoffs in the U.S., NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans as well as NCIS: Hawai’i, which is headed to its fourth season. The franchise recently went international with its first non-American offshoot, NCIS: Sydney, which also has done very well in the U.S., ranking as the most watched new series of the fall.h

Chef José Andrés Hosts Jamie Lee Curtis, Bryan Cranston & O’Shea Jackson Jr. In New Special

The Prime Video and Amazon Freevee collaboration celebrates the joy of cooking together and how food is a source of hope, inspired by Andrés’ work with the non-profit he founded in 2010, World Central Kitchen.

Andrés will host Jamie Lee Curtis, Bryan Cranston and O’Shea Jackson Jr. to join him in the kitchen, getting their hands dirty with approachable Spanish-influenced recipes while sharing stories that inspire them. Beyond cooking and conversation, the Chef will give viewers important takeaways to apply in their own homes while embracing imperfection and spontaneity in the kitchen.

Dinner Party Diaries with José Andrés is executive produced by José Andrés, Richard Wolffe, Matthew Goldberg, Ellen Rocamora, Max Wagner, Ryan Schiavo, and Michael Antinoro. The series is from Amazon MGM Studios.

Andrés is an internationally recognized humanitarian, culinary innovator, New York Times bestselling author, educator, Emmy award-winning television personality and owner of the award-winning José Andrés Group, which operates nearly 40 restaurants in the US and beyond.

In 2010, Andrés founded World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit organization that is first to the frontlines, providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate and community crises. His work has earned awards and distinctions including the 2015 National Humanities Medal from President Barack Obama, the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Association of Culinary Professionals and the Princess of Asturias Foundation’s 2021 Concordia Prize for his humanitarian work.

In 2023, Andrés founded the Global Food Institute at George Washington University in Washington DC, and he currently serves as the Co-Chair of President Biden’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition. As a naturalized citizen originally from Spain, Andrés has been an advocate for immigration reform.

‘Northern Exposure’ Available On Prime Video, Its First Time Ever On Any Streaming Platform

Northern Exposure starred Rob Morrow as Dr. Joel Fleischman, a recently graduated New York City physician, who is forced to practice in a small town in Alaska in order to repay the state for underwriting his medical education.

Created by Joshua Brand and John Falsey, the series ran on CBS from 1990-1995. Over the course of its run, it received 39 Emmy nominations, winning seven, including the 1992 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Supporting Actress for Valerie Mahaffrey, as well as four Creative Arts Emmy Awards, and two Golden Globes.

The ensemble cast also included Barry Corbin, Janine Turner, John Cullum, Darren E. Burrows, John Corbett, Cynthia Geary, Elaine Miles, Peg Phillips, Paul Provenza and Teri Polo. Morrow exited the series at the conclusion of Season 5 and Paul Provenza was cast as his replacement, Dr. Phil Capra. Polo was cast as Capra’s wife.

Bryan Cranston Has Big Screen Ideas For Potential Reboot Of ‘The Office’

“Let’s say that there’s not a reboot series, but what if there was a movie?” said Cranston, who directed The Office episode Work Bus in season 9. “Something to where we can see where these people are. These people in the entire cast that we’re curious about. We wondered at the end, where did they go? What did become of them?”

Fischer and Kinsey were all for it. “I would do it,” Kinsey said. “I would do it for my kids, because I think they would think that’s fun.”

“I mean, if [showrunner] Greg [Daniels] did it, because I would trust it. You know?” Fischer said. “As long as Greg is writing it and he’s in charge of it, then I say yes.”

Cranston said he’d have a minor role. “I just want to be an extra in it,” he said. “I would be an extra in it. I would be some guy. I’d be a crossing guard or something like that. Just something.”

Kinsey wanted more. “Maybe you’re like one of Dwight’s hired hands on Schrute Farms,” she said.

Of course, revival talk about The Office has been around since the series ended in 2013.

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