Bill Plympton - Cartoonist, Illustrator

Academy Award nominee Bill Plympton's cartoons and illustrations have appeared in The New York Times, The Village Voice, Vogue, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, and National Lampoon, as well as computer games, and numerous movies and television shows.

Three of the opening-sequence couch gags on The Simpsons were done by Bill.

With regard to music, Bill animated the music video for Kanye West's, "Heard 'Em Say", and created the music video for "Wierd Al" Yankovic's, "Don't Download This Song".

Photograph © 2014 Larry F. Levenson - SAG / AFTRA. All rights reserved.

Gerardo I. Lopez

Cuban-born Gerardo I. Lopez is CEO of AMC Theaters. 

With degrees from Georgetown University and Harvard Business School, his career is stellar as a business authority. 

Hispanic Business Magazine recognized him as one of the Top 100 Hispanic Business Leaders.

Prior to his move to AMC, Mr. Lopez was Vice-President of Starbucks Coffee, and President of Seattle's Best Coffee.

Photograph © 2014 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Greg Orman

Greg Orman worked his way through Princeton University, became an entrepreneur, and is an Independent candidate in Kansas running for a seat in the United States Senate.

When actress Debbie Reynolds and her son Todd Fisher planned a museum of Reynolds' Hollywood memorabilia in Tennessee, Greg loaned them money. 

His campaign has drawn national attention. Orman is expecting scrutiny, and says he is ready for it.

Pictured is Greg with his wife Sybil.


Photograph © 2014 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Ger Duany - Actor, Model

Ger Duany is an actor and model who was born in South Sudan.

In the early 1980's, he was recruited against his will to be a soldier in the Sudanese Civil War. When he was 14 years old, he fled to Ethiopia, then Kenya.

A humanitarian effort brought 3600 lost boys and girls to the United States. At 16, Ger was one of those boys; one of the Lost Boys of Sudan.

The Good Lie is the story of an American woman, played by Reese Witherspoon, welcoming Sudanese refugees to the United States, and one of them into her home. The movie is produced by Ron Howard.
 
Ger stars as Jeremiah.

I saw the movie at an advance-screening, and highly recommend you see it. 

To help South Sudanese children in crisis and Lost Boys and Girls' communities, you may donate to The Good Lie Fund.

Photograph © 2014 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Rob Benedict - Actor, Writer, Singer

Rob Benedict's degree in Performance Studies from Northwestern University paid off. 

You have seen Rob in House, Law & Order: LA, Felicity, Alias, Supernatural, The Mentalist, Franklin and Bash, 1600 Penn, Shameless, NCIS: Los Angeles and Cold Case, and this is a very small portion of his resume.

When he is not writing or starring in movies, commercials and television projects, Rob is front-man for Los Angeles-based rock band Louden Swain.

Photograph © 2014 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Edward Villella - Dancer

Edward Villella, recognized as the foremost male ballet dancer produced in America, changed the way men danced in America, and the way male dancers were perceived.

Edward entered School of American Ballet at age 10, however he discontinued his dance training to finish his academic studies. He lettered in baseball, earned a college degree and was a championship boxer. 

He returned to the School of American Ballet, and was soon invited to become a member of New York City Ballet where he was promoted to Soloist, then Principal Dancer. 

Edward received nearly every significant honor bestowed upon artists in the United States. He was appointed by President Johnson to the Presidents National Council of the Arts. He was the recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors, and awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Clinton. The Dance Heritage Coalition named him one of the first 100 of America’s Irreplaceable Dance Treasures and later, he was granted a fellowship to the Academy of Arts and Sciences. He holds 11 honorary doctorate degrees.

Edward was the first American male dancer to perform with the Royal Danish Ballet, and the only American asked to dance an encore at Bolshoi Theater in Moscow. He danced for President Kennedy’s inauguration and for Presidents Johnson, Nixon and Ford. He was Producer and Director for the PBS series, “Dance in America”, and won an Emmy Award for his CBS television production of, “Harlequinade.”

University of Pittsburgh Press has re-issued his autobiography, Prodigal Son: Dancing for Balanchine in a World of Pain and Magic, written with Larry Kaplan.
 
He resides in Manhattan, New York.

Photograph © 2014 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.