Julie

Julie, San Francisco.

Volleyball player, therapist.

Photograph © 2015 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Bethel A.M.E. Church - Manhattan, Kansas

Flowers are laid on the steps of the Bethel A.M.E. Church in Manhattan, Kansas, expressing support for this church, and the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina.



Photograph © 2015 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Women with Red Hair

Women with red hair: Striking, fiery, extraordinary.

Photograph © 2015 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Crystle Lampitt

Crystle is from Indonesia, and modeled in a variety of countries before becoming an NBC-affiliate news personality.  

Photograph © 2015 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

David Dastmalchian - Actor, Writer

A few days before I met David Dastmalchian, I watched him star in the new CBS television show CSI: Cyber.  His portrayal of the character Logan was haunting.

Among his many credits are The Dark Knight, Prisoners, Intruders and The Employer.  

Look for David in Under the Pyramid and Marvel's Ant-Man, presently in post-production, and being released in 2015.

David has now written and starred in a newly-released movie, Animals, which The New York Times featured in this article. Co-starring with David is Kim Shaw, who is superb as Bobbie. You may also read Roger Ebert's review here.  

Animals received Special Jury Recognition at the South by Southwest Film Festival.

Although David's personality is warm and demonstrative, and his smile engaging, he told me he prefers to be photographed in a more serious fashion. I photographed him this way, and with his uninhibited smile.

Photograph © 2015 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Ballet Shoes

Kansas City Ballet dancers use as many as 60 pairs of dance shoes a year. 

Occasionally, a pair is used for one performance only.

Photograph © 2015 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Brandy Burre - Actress

When I met Brandy Burre,  her hair was pulled back, and her features, elegance and dazzling smile reminded me of Audrey Hepburn.

You know Brandy from her recurring role as Theresa D'Agostino, the Washington, DC-based lawyer and political consultant in the popular HBO series The Wire.

Among other projects, she also landed a role in Listen Up Philip starring Jason Schwartzman and Elisabeth Moss.

In 2014, Robert Greene collaborated with Brandy to make the  documentary Actress, where she plays herself. She has quite a story.

Photograph © 2015 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Bob Gale: Writer of Screenplays and Comic Books

In the summer of 1980, Bob Gale was looking through his father's high school year book and discovered his father was senior class president. He wondered about his fathers personality at that age, what other students thought of him, and what it would be like to be in school with his parents.

He teamed up with Robert Zemeckis, and began writing the movie Back to the Future. 

Their script was rejected 40 times before it was accepted.

Bob and Robert also wrote the two sequels; Bob produced all three.

In 1985, both were nominated for an Academy Award.

Bob has written a host of additional movies, and also written stories for comic books, including Marvel and DC Comics, and was one of the writers on The Amazing Spider-Man.

He resides in Los Angeles.

Photograph © 2015 Larry F. Levenson. 

All rights reserved.

Jim Eisenreich - Baseball Player

Jim Eisenreich enjoyed a 15-year career playing baseball for both American League and the National League teams, including the Kansas City Royals.

When he played for the Philadelphia Phillies, his excellent batting average helped the team win the National League pennant.

Jim has Tourette syndrome, and he voluntarily took himself out of the game for a few years while he underwent treatment. Kirby Puckett took his place on the Minnesota Twins roster.

He was the first recipient of the Tony Conigliaro Award given annually to a Major League Baseball player who has overcome a significant obstacle in his life.

Jim established the Jim Eisenreich Foundation for children with Tourette syndrome. The goal of the foundation is to help children with the syndrome achieve personal success.

Photograph © 2015 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Bob Kendrick - Negro Leagues Baseball Museum

#AfricanAmericanLeaders

"You need to see the pain that (African Americans) have suffered, but you also need to see their successes."

Bob Kendrick is making, and preserving, history as President of the landmark Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. 

It is the only museum in the United States dedicated solely to the Negro Leagues' contribution to baseball and American culture.

Anyone who has been around Bob knows he is an unsurpassed ambassador and historian.

This article, written by Nate Taylor and published in The New York Times, tells the story.

Photograph © 2015 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Lee Judge - Political Cartoonist, Writer

Lee Judge arrived at the Kansas City Star newspaper in 1981, after being a political cartoonist for the Sacramento Union and the San Diego Union.

His cartoons have appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Sun-Times, The Boston Globe, Washington Monthly and National Review.

He also writes a blog, Judging the Royals, an inside look at baseball and the Kansas City Royals.

Lee's work has been featured on Good Morning America, The MacNeil / Lehrer NewsHour and C-Span.

Photograph © 2015 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Nate Bukaty - Sports Radio

Nate Bukaty is a part of the morning show on Sports Radio 810 WHB.

 
Nate has traveled with the Kansas City Royals hosting pre-game and post-game radio shows, is a sideline reporter for Kansas University Football, the play-by-play voice for Kansas Women's Basketball and was the clubhouse reporter for FOX Sports Net Kansas City Royals post-game coverage.

Now, Sporting Kansas City, the soccer team, has appointed Nate play-by-play announcer for the 2015 season. He will be the lead voice on locally-televised matches and select radio broadcasts.

Photograph © 2015 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Willie Wilson - Baseball Great

It is opening day for the Kansas City Royals baseball team, and I want to honor Willie Wilson. 

Willie was the lead-off hitter for the Royals, and helped win the World Series in 1985.

Photograph © 2015 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Chad Troutwine: Entrepreneur, Movie Producer

After earning a law degree, Chad Troutwine was awarded an MBA from Yale School of Management, and a masters degree from Harvard Kennedy School. 

Chad co-founded Spectrum Station, an early childhood education center, then went on to establish Veritas Prep, the world's largest privately-held college test preparatory and admissions consulting company. 

These accomplishments landed him on the cover of Entrepreneur magazine, and Forbes magazine named him Forbes Future Capitalist of the Year.

In his spare time, Chad has produced 15 independent movies.

He resides in Malibu, California.

Photograph © Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Gary Jenkins - Documentary Producer

Gary Jenkins was a police officer for 25 years. He is also an attorney, a book author and a movie maker.

As a police Detective, Gary was part of the Intelligence Unit, utilizing a camera for surveillance. He enjoyed his time behind the camera and decided to pursue a few ideas.
 
Gary started by preserving his family's history through the eyes of his mother, then created lifetime-legacy videos for hospice patients.

Soon, he was producing video projects for organizations. One of his projects is included as part of the curriculum in public school districts and for diversity training.
 
To view Gary's work, go to LifeDocumentaries, and scroll laterally through the images at the top of the page. Subjects include slavery, the underground railroad and organized crime.

Photograph ©Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

United States Marine Corps Dress Uniform

My subject is a Major in the United States Marine Corps Reserve.

Veterans Day is Wednesday, November 11, 2015.

Thank a veteran, and anyone currently serving. 

Photograph © 2015 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Dancing Shoes

These lovingly-worn Capezio Tele Tone® tap shoes belong to entertainer Lonnie McFadden, a remarkable singer, trumpet player and tap dancer.

Photograph © 2015 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Alex Czuleger, Talent Manager

Alex Czuleger is Talent Manager at The Green Room in Los Angeles.

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

Harley Hood - From The Documentary, "Rich Hill"

This is Harley Hood, one of the principals in the award-winning documentary, "Rich Hill" - Rich Hill Film. 

Watch it on PBS, Monday, January 5th, at 9:00 pm central time.

In this image, Harley is signing an autograph for a fan of the movie.

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

Robert Mankoff: Cartoonist, Author

Bob Mankoff graduated from The High School of Music and Art in New York City, then Syracuse University.  When he told his parents he wanted to be a cartoonist, they were not exactly supportive.

He submitted over 500 of his cartoons to The New Yorker magazine before they published one. He was hoping they would hire him.

In the meantime, Bob founded The Cartoon Bank, a licensing platform for The New Yorker cartoons and art.

Eventually, he was hired as a cartoonist and Cartoon Editor for The New Yorker, the positions he holds today.

To fully appreciate Bob, visit BobMankoff.com and scroll down to the CBS 60-Minutes interview he did in March of 2014, and the Pete Holmes Show interview. You may also read this article in The Washington Post.

While visiting his website, you may order his newest book, How About Never, Is Never Good For You? - My Life in Cartoons (Henry Holt and Co. publishing). It is a New York Times Best Seller.

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

Ballerinas

Ballerinas, Friends

Rachel Coats, Jill Marlow Krutzkamp, Alisha Brach.

Kansas City Ballet
Kansas City Dance Festival

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

Dell Godbold - Illustrator, Designer, Painter

Illustrator and designer
Dell Godbold is founder of Godbold, Inc., a communications, marketing and graphic design company.

His clients are major forces in their respective industries: Anheuser-Busch, R. J. Reynolds, ABC Television Network, Sprint, Hallmark, Miller Brewing Company, Belize Legacy Resort, to name a few.

Dell studied at the Kansas City Art Institute, Scottsdale Artists' School, and Plein-Air Painters of Bennington, Vermont.

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

Lauren LaPointe - Competitive Pro/Am Ballroom Dancer

I have photographed competitive dancer Lauren LaPointe many times, and this is my favorite.

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

Noreen C. Thompson, RN, MSN, APRN-BC: Advanced Practice Nurse, Researcher

Noreen C. Thompson is Clinical Nurse Specialist at The University of Kansas Hospital in Kansas City. Preceding this, she was Assistant Professor of Nursing at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.  

Noreen has authored and co-authored numerous published journal articles, participated in clinical research studies, and is a member of the Hospital Ethics Committee and Critical Incident Response Team.

Of many awards received, two were the Expert Alumni Award for Clinical Excellence by The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing Science) in 2012, and the 2013 March of Dimes Future of Nursing Award.

Noreen also wrote and played the principal role in the short video, "Let's Be Honest", and a consultant for the video biography, "From the Bottom."

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

Jennifer Holliday - The Original Dreamgirl

#WomenYouShouldKnow

Jennifer Holliday earned a Drama Desk nomination for her role in the Broadway show Your Arms Too Short to Box With God, a Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical in the Broadway musical Dreamgirls, and a Grammy Award for her version of, "And I Am Telling You I Am Not Going."

You also saw her in television shows Touched By An Angel, Hangtime, and she was a recurring guest star on Ally McBeal.

Behind the scenes, Jennifer's life was very different. She would sing to packed theaters on Broadway, then go home depressed. Her weight soared to nearly 400 pounds, and on her 30th birthday, she hit the lowest point of her life. 

Additionally, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, which caused temporary loss of sight, paralysis and more depression.

I admire people who come back from adversity, and Jennifer certainly has. As you can see in this photograph, she is strong and happy. Her multiple sclerosis is in remission, and her voice magnificent.

In the time separating our two appointments, she visited a retail store to see how her new CD was being displayed. A shopper recognized Jennifer and gushed that her mother loved Jennifer's music. The young lady telephoned her mother, and Jennifer sang to her over the telephone. That is a class-act.

After living in New York City for three decades, Jennifer resides in Atlanta.

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

Holly Starr - Television Personality

Viewers in Las Vegas and Kansas City love fashionably-elegant television personality, spokesperson, model and actress Holly Starr. 

She is a classy lady who made me laugh.

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

Jeffrey Owen Hanson: Painter, Philanthropist -- Includes Updates

Artist Jeffrey Owen Hanson is legally blind. 

On his 19th birthday, he set a goal to reach a million dollars in charitable donations of his artwork by the time he was twenty years old, and he made it with two months to spare.

Jeffrey's paintings are in the homes of Sir Elton John, Warren Buffet, Susan Sarandon, Billy Joel, Bill Gates, the late Harold Ramis, Olivia Wilde, and many others.

When I photographed Jeffrey, he showed me his 30" x 30" acrylic painting on heavily-textured canvas titled, "One Night in Nice."

His loss of sight is attributed to an optic tumor, neurofibromatosis, which was diagnosed when he was 12 years old.

* Update 2015: CBS Sunday Morning included a segment about Jeffrey in late March, 2015. 

* Update 2021: Jeff was diagnosed with a newly-found brain tumor in October, 2020. He passed on December 20, 2020. He raised millions of dollars for charity by donating his award-winning artwork. You will be missed, Jeffrey.

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

Eduardo Sanchez - Director, Producer, Screenwriter

Eduardo Sanchez was born in Cuba. His family eventually came to the United States, settling in Maryland.

With a degree from film school, Eduardo and Daniel Myrick wrote and shot a movie about three student filmmakers who disappeared in the Black Hills of Maryland. 

They named their movie The Blair Witch Project. It grossed over $248 million worldwide.

Eduardo still lives in Maryland, and is working on television and movie projects with completion dates of 2014 and 2015.

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

Ethnic Beauty

Rich, warm skin-tones and darker hair and eyes are exceptionally stylish. 

The trend in fashion is to move away from the Kate Moss-look as demographics change within the United States.

The beauty industry is promoting and capitalizing on the look of ethnic women, like Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez, whom they say have individual, exotic appeal.

Perhaps this change indicates we are more culturally-aware, and open to diversity.

Model: L.P.

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

DC-3 Airliner

This majestic Douglas DC-3 sits atop The Roasterie in Kansas City, Missouri.

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

Laura Katherine Hunt

Laura Katherine Hunt embarked on her ballet career at Montgomery Ballet in Montgomery, Alabama, then furthered her training at Alabama Dance Theatre. 

She received scholarships and attended Joffrey Ballet School, Ballet Academy East, School of American Ballet, and American Ballet Theatre.

Laura dances as Alice in, "Alice (in Wonderland)", and she celebrates her seventh season with Kansas City Ballet. 

This photograph is not an "Alice" production image; we were just having fun while she modeled her grandmother's veil.

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

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.

Larry the Cable Guy

Daniel Lawrence Whitney grew up on a farm in Nebraska. 

In college, he had roommates from southern states, and that is where his simulated thick, southern accent originated.

He dropped out of college to pursue comedy, utilizing "Larry" from his middle name.

Pawnee City, Nebraska named a street after him, and he has generously donated money to the high school there for theatrical equipment.

"Larry" and his wife live on a large farm near Lincoln, Nebraska. 

He has never worked for a cable television company in any capacity.

Photograph © 2009 Larry F. Levenson. 

All rights reserved.

Blake Robbins - Actor, Writer, Director

After graduating with a college degree, Blake Robbins followed his heart and attended The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City.

His extensive theater background includes Broadway, Odyssey Theater, Atlantic Theater Company, Black Dahlia Theater and more. For his performance in Placement, he was awarded the LA Weekly Award for "Best Solo Performance" of the year. 

You have seen Blake in dozens of prime-time and cable television shows including The Office, Private Practice, Medium, 24, The O.C., Oz, Firefly, and Cold Case. Plus, his movie credits are constantly growing.

Most recently, he wrote and directed The Sublime and Beautiful, which has garnered numerous awards, and is in high-demand at film festivals. 

Blake, James Burgess Cox and Baruch B. Kaufman are presently in pre-production for a new movie, Ctrl Alt Delete. Production is scheduled to begin January 2015.

If you would like to financially support, "Ctrl Alt Delete", I did, you may do so here: KickStarter.

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

Casey Twenter: Co-Writer, "Rudderless"

The world premiere of the movie, "Rudderless", was at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. It stars Billy Crudup, Anton Welchin, Felicity Huffman, Selena Gomez, and Laurence Fishburne.

This is the directorial debut of William H. Macy, and was written by Casey Twenter, Jeff Robison and William H. Macy.

Here is the trailer. And, go here for one of the sound tracks (scroll down to the red "play" button).

Here is a scene with Selena Gomez.

Look for Rudderless in theaters October 17th.

Pictured is Co-Writer, Casey Twenter.

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