Boogie Nights - About The Cast

Boogie Nights: About The Cast

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Mark Wahlberg (Eddie Adams/Dirk Diggler) made his feature film debut in Penny Marshall's comedy Renaissance Man as a young army recruit, and followed with The Basketball Diaries, based on Jim Carroll's book, opposite Leonardo DiCaprio. His first starring role was in Universal Pictures' Fear, directed by Jamie Foley, and recently he starred opposite Bill Paxton in Traveller. Currently, Wahlberg is filming his starring role in The Big Hit.

Wahlberg began his career in the entertainment industry as a hip-hop artist. He has two hit albums to his credit, "Music For The People" and "You Gotta Believe."

Burt Reynolds (Jack Horner) continues to be one of the world's best recognized, most beloved superstars. With a career that spans nearly 30 years, he was recently seen starring in Striptease opposite Demi Moore, as well as Citizen Ruth with Swoozie Kurtz, Two If By Sea with Sandra Bullock and Denis Leary, The Maddening with Angie Dickenson, and Mad Dog Time with Richard Dreyfuss and Jeff Goldblum. He will next co-star with Cathy Moriarty in the futuristic thriller The Master Mechanic.

Reynolds first gained critical attention with his performance in the Oscar-nominated classic Deliverance. He has a remarkable roster of more than 50 films, including Hustle , The Longest Yard, Hooper , The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas, City Heat, as well as such renowned hits as Smokey and The Bandit, The Cannonball Run series and Stroker Ace for director Hal Needham, with whom Reynolds has had a long association.

Equally at home behind the camera as he is acting, Reynolds has directed several films, including Gator, Sharkey's Machine and the comedy The End.

Having made more than 200 television appearances, Reynolds recently returned to the medium where he began his tenured career to star in his series "Evening Shade." His performance in the series garnered him his ninth People's Choice Award for Favorite Male Performer in a New Television Series, the Emmy Award for Best Performance in a Comedy and the Golden Globe Award for Best Performance in a Comedy.

John C. Reilly (Reed Rothchild) made his feature film debut in 1989 as a gung-ho Vietnam recruit in Brain De Palma's Casualties of War. Most recently, he starred in Hard Eight, and will next be featured in the upcoming The Thin Red Line, directed by Terence Malick.

Among the many memorable characters that Reilly has portrayed are the junkie drummer in Georgia by Ulu Grosbard; the local island constable in Taylor Hackford's Dolores Claiborne ; a menacing bad guy in The River Wild; and Johnny Depp's best friend, Tucker, in What's Eating Gilbert Grape.

Reilly's other film credits include Tony Scott's Days of Thunder, Stacey Cochran's Boys, Danny DeVito's Hoffa, Phil Joanou's State of Grace and the psychological thriller Nightwatch , opposite Ewan McGregor and Nick Nolte.

This versatile actor's theatrical credits include the Steppenwolf Theater company's production of John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath," "Little Egypt" at the Met Theatre in Los Angeles, as well as many other stage productions in his hometown of Chicago.

Julianne Moore, (Amber Waves) an actress of exceptional range, has delivered outstanding work in both box office hits and arthouse films. Most recently, she starred opposite Jeff Goldblum in Steven Spielberg's box office blockbuster hit The Lost World. Moore's next film, the independent feature The Myth of Fingerprints, will screen at the Toronto Film Festival, prior to a specialized release in 1997. She has also completed work on the Coen brothers' The Big Lebowski, slated for release in 1998.

Moore was nominated for Independent Spirit Awards for both Robert Altman's Short Cuts and Haynes' Safe. She also received critical acclaim for her performances as Yelena in Louis Malle's Vanya on 42nd Street and Dora Maar in James Ivory's Surviving Picasso. Additional credits include The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, Benny & Joon, The Fugitive and Nine Months.

Heather Graham (Rollergirl) is among Hollywood's most sought-after actresses since her role as Lorraine in the critically acclaimed sleeper hit Swingers opposite Jon Favreau. Recently cast in New Line's science fiction, action adventure thriller Lost in Space, she will next be seen starring opposite Robert Downey Jr. in Two Girls and A Guy.

Bolstered by a number of impressive and acclaimed performances, she has starred in independent feature films ranging from Gus Van Sant's Drugstore Cowboy to David Lynch's Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me and Diggstown.

For television, she starred in David Lynch's television series "Twin Peaks" as well as opposite Jessica Lange in the Hallmark movie "O' Pioneers."

Nicole ARI Parker (Becky Barnett) lists among her feature film credits John Waters' Hairspray, Nigel Finch's Stonewall, The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls In Love and Rebound, directed by Eriq LaSalle. She has worked on two Spike Lee productions, Mo' Better Blues and Crooklyn. Parker will next be seen in the upcoming films Spark and Wim Wenders' End of Violence, as well as "Subway Stories," which was executive produced by Rosie Perez, for HBO.

Philip Seymour Hoffman (Scotty J.) has worked with a number of acclaimed directors, including Paul Thomas Anderson for Hard Eight , Martin Brest for Scent of A Woman and Jan DeBont for Twister . Among his additional film credits are Nobody's Fool, The Getaway, When A Man Loves A Woman, My New Gun and Triple Bogey on a Par Five Hole

An accomplished actor in theater, Hoffman has worked with Mark Wing Davey, Peter Sellers, Austin Pendleton and Bob Falls in New York, Chicago and on tour in Europe.

Hoffman graduated from the New York University Tisch School of the Arts.

Don Cheadle (Buck Swope) was named Best Supporting Actor by the Los Angeles Film Critics for his breakout performance opposite Denzel Washington in Devil In A Blue Dress. Most recently, he was seen in Volcano opposite Tommy Lee Jones and Rosewood for director John Singleton. Cheadle will next be seen in Bullworth , directed by Warren Beatty, in an ensemble cast including Oliver Platt, Halle Berry, Paul Sorvino, as well as Beatty himself. Currently, he is filming Out of Sight, starring George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez, for director Steven Soderbergh. Among his additional feature film credits are Hamburger Hill, Colors and Meteor Man.

Cheadle, who is perhaps best known for his two year stint on the highly praised television drama "Picket Fences," was recently seen starring in HBO's "Rebound," directed by Eriq LaSalle. His additional film credits include recurring roles on the hit series "Fame," "The Golden Palace" and "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."

A talented musician who plays saxophone, writes music and sings, Cheadle is also an accomplished director with three productions to his credit, "Cincinnati Man," "The Trip" and "Groomed." His stage credits include roles in "Leon, Lena and Lenz," "The Grapes of Wrath," "Liquid Skin," "`Tis a Pity She's a Whore" and Athol Fugard's South African play "Blood Knot."

Ricky Jay (Kurt Longjohn) has performed on stage and television on five continents as a sleight-of-hand artist. His one man show, "Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants," set records as the fastest-selling attraction in Off-Broadway history and garnered Jay the Lucille Ortel and Obie awards. Most recently, he can be seen in the numerous airings of the HBO version of his show.

His acting credits include David Mamet's House of Games, Things Change and Homicide. He is currently filming the new James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies in Europe. Through his consulting firm Deceptive Practices, Jay has provided expertise to such productions as Forrest Gump , Congo , I Love Trouble, Leap of Faith and Sneakers.

An historian in the fields of deception and unusual entertainment, Jay is the author of The Magic Book, Many Mysteries Unraveled, Cards as Weapons, the ongoing Jay's Journal of Anomalies and Learned Pigs & Fireproof Women, which became the basis for a television special which Jay wrote, hosted and produced.

William H. Macy (Little Bill) was most recently seen in the blockbuster hit Air Force One with Harrison Ford, and the highly acclaimed Coen brothers film Fargo, for which he garnered an Academy Award nomination. Upcoming for Macy are starring roles in Pleasantville and Civil Action opposite John Travolta. Indisputably one of the industry's busiest and most well-respected actors, Macy's feature film credits include four with director David Mamet: Oleanna, Homicide, Things Change and House of Games. He has also appeared in such acclaimed films as Mr. Holland's Opus, Murder In The First, The Client, Searching For Bobby Fischer , Benny & Joon, Shadows and Fog and Radio Days.

Macy received a 1997 Emmy nomination for his recurring role on the critically acclaimed hit television series "ER." He also has an extensive background in theater in Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, such as "Our Town," "Bodies, Rest & Motion," "The Dining Room," "Oh Hell" and David Mamet's "Oleanna."

Luis Guzman (Maurice TT Rodriguez) is a well-known character actor who has worked extensively in film and television. Among his film credits are Crocodile Dundee II, Black Rain, Cadillac Man, Q & A, Naked in New York, Mr. Wonderful and Carlito's Way. For television, Guzman has appeared on "Law & Order," "New York Undercover," "NYPD Blue," "Walker, Texas Ranger" and "Miami Vice."

Philip Baker Hall (floyd Gondolli) was most recently seen in Wolfgang Peterson's Air Force One, starring Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman. His feature film credits include Midnight Run, Say Anything, An Innocent Man, Kiss of Death, The Rock, Hard Eight and Secret Honor, for which he received a New York Critics' Drama Desk nomination. Hall will next be seen in Peter Weir's The Truman Show, starring Jim Carrey, and Larry David's Sour Grapes.

On television, Hall has guest-starred in several series, including "Seinfeld," "Chicago Hope," "Cheers," "L.A. Law," "Third Rock From the Sun," M*A*S*H*," "Civil Wars," and David Kelley's "The Practice." In addition, he has appeared in such theater productions as "The Inspector General," "Death of a Salesman" and "All My Sons."

Melora Walters (Jessie St. Vincent) has a strong background in film, television and theater. Her film credits include Hard Eight, Dead Poet's Society, Beethoven, Ed Wood and Eraser.

In television, she had recurring roles on "NYPD Blue" and "Roseanne." Walters has also made guest appearances on "Murphy Brown, " "Seinfeld," "Dream On" and "Picket Fences."

Robert Ridgely , (The Colonel) a veteran character actor known to film and television audiences worldwide, passed away in February after battling cancer.

Most recently, he appeared in Paul Thomas Anderson's Hard Eight and That Thing You Do, for director Tom Hanks. Ridgely was a respected comedian who appeared in several films for Mel Brooks, including Robin Hood: Men in Tights, and a memorable role as the hangman in Blazing Saddles. Among his other film credits, he was featured in Philadelphia, The Ref, Beverly Hills Cop II and Melvin and Howard. He also appeared in numerous television series, including "Get Smart," "Sea Hunt" and "Coach."

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