Matt Battaglia
Encyclopedia
Matteo Martin "Matt" Battaglia (born September 25, 1965) is an American actor and former American football
player.
and is of half Italian
and half German/Dutch
heritage.
When Battaglia was three years old, his family moved north from Tallahassee, Florida and he grew up in the towns of Tucker, Georgia
and Lithonia, Georgia
, two suburbs east of Atlanta. His family currently resides in Roswell, Georgia
. As a high school athlete, Battaglia served as team captain for his school's wrestling and football teams. In wrestling he placed second in the AAU's
Southeastern States
Championship, qualifying him to compete in the National AAU Tournament. But a football scholarship led him to the University of Louisville
, where he became an All-America
n and All-South middle linebacker
, leading the nation in tackles both his junior and senior seasons with 153 and 166 tackles respectively, in only 11 games per year. Battaglia broke former All-Pro Otis Wilson
's college tackling record. He was team captain his junior and senior year and was voted Most Valuable Player
by his teammates and coaches. Battaglia went on to play in the National Football League
with the Cleveland Browns
and Philadelphia Eagles
. Two years later, his career ended abruptly after a broken bone was discovered in his neck. He returned to school, graduating from the University of Louisville with a degree in business and an emphasis in finance. In September 2006, he was named to the All-time University of Louisville team, with such football greats as Johnny Unitas
, Mark Clayton, Tom Jackson
, Deion Branch
, Joe Jacoby
, Dwayne Woodruff
and Frank Minnifield
.
In 2006, Battaglia married Tina Frazier from Greenville, South Carolina. Their first child, Blaize Christian Battaglia was born in Los Angeles on May 11, 2008. Their second child, Paxton Rose Battaglia was born in Los Angeles on October 17, 2009.
Battaglia served as Co-producer
on the film Brothers, starring Tobey Maguire
, Natalie Portman
and Jake Gyllenhaal
. The film is a remake of the 2004 Danish film by Susanne Bier
. The remake was directed by six-time Academy Award nominee Jim Sheridan
, from a script written by David Benioff
, and was released worldwide on December 4, 2009 by Lionsgate.
Battaglia was also a Co-executive producer on the 2009 horror film Kill Theory, directed by Chris Moore.
Battaglia formed Matt Battaglia Productions to produce feature films and television shows. His first acquisition was in 2008 for the life rights to "The Marlboro Marine"
, which is currently in development as a documentary. He continued with optioning some best selling books including the national bestseller "Bad Monkeys" by Matt Ruff and "Or I'll Dress You in Mourning" by Larry Collins and Dominque Lapierre. Mourning was adapted into a screenplay by screenwriters Brian Klugman
& Lee Sternthal. In 2010, he closed a deal with Fox Television Studios
to develop "Bad Monkeys" into a one hour drama. In 2011, he Executive Produced the television show "Last Shot with Judge Gunn", which he sold straight into syndication with 150 episodes in season one and closed a deal with Fox Television on another one hour drama entitled "Pyrates" which he partnered with Ridley Scott
and Tony Scott
and their Scott Free Productions to produce. In 2011, he also Executive Produced the documentary "Do As You Likey".
As a feature film actor, Battaglia has acted in the Marvel Comics
Thor
, Sony Pictures
action thriller Half Past Dead
with Steven Seagal
, Morris Chestnut
and rap artist JaRule
. He replaced Jean-Claude Van Damme
in the lead role of Luc Devereaux in the action movies Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms
and Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business
. He has also acted in Kiss of a Stranger, Pendulum and the direct-to-video
film Raven.
On the television front, Battaglia is known for his recurring role as Drew Boyd in the North American version of the series Queer As Folk. Other notable guest appearances include an episode of NBC
's hit sitcom Friends
(playing the fireman boyfriend of Lisa Kudrow
's character), two episodes on 24
, two episodes of HBO's Big Love
, and appearances in Shark
, CSI: NY
, Bones
, Charmed
, and CSI: Miami
.
Battaglia currently serves on the board of advisors for the G.I. Film Festival, which honors the successes and sacrifices of US soldiers through the medium of film.
"The Mint Jubilee" in 1995, an enormous charity event which in its first ten years raised over $4 million for cancer patients and has provided financial resources to scientists, cancer centers and hospitals committed to finding cures and controls for cancer. This non-profit organization
was created by Battaglia in memory of his mother Nancy Van Cleve Battaglia, who died of cancer in 1993. The black tie gala
takes place in Louisville, Kentucky
the night before the Kentucky Derby
. Battaglia helped to create, develop, grow and brand the organization into becoming one of the most prestigious charity events in the world, becoming a world class event attracting high profile celebrities, entertainers and dignitaries from around the globe. The Mint Jubilee has been televised worldwide in over 130 countries and over 200 million homes. Past celebrities have included Vince Vaughn
, Jim Caviezel, Kid Rock
, Kate Capshaw
, Jessica Capshaw
, Felicity Huffman
, Shannon Elizabeth
, Chloë Sevigny
, Uncle Kracker
, Leslie Bibb
, Prince Albert of Monacco, Bob Costas
, Evander Holyfield
, Wendi Malick, poker champion Phil Helmouth and Thora Birch
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player.
Background and football
Battaglia, one of four siblings, was born in Tallahassee, FloridaTallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
and is of half Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
and half German/Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
heritage.
When Battaglia was three years old, his family moved north from Tallahassee, Florida and he grew up in the towns of Tucker, Georgia
Tucker, Georgia
Tucker is a census-designated place in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 27,581 at the 2010 Census. Although central Tucker, also known as "Main Street Tucker", is laid out as a planned "railroad town," it has never been formally incorporated. Municipal services such as...
and Lithonia, Georgia
Lithonia, Georgia
Lithonia is a suburban town in eastern DeKalb County, Georgia, incorporated as a city. Lithonia's population was 1,924 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
, two suburbs east of Atlanta. His family currently resides in Roswell, Georgia
Roswell, Georgia
Roswell is a city located in northern Fulton County; it is a suburb of northern Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The 2010 Census population was 88,346. It is the eighth largest city in Georgia...
. As a high school athlete, Battaglia served as team captain for his school's wrestling and football teams. In wrestling he placed second in the AAU's
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...
Southeastern States
Southeastern United States
The Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....
Championship, qualifying him to compete in the National AAU Tournament. But a football scholarship led him to the University of Louisville
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General...
, where he became an All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n and All-South middle linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
, leading the nation in tackles both his junior and senior seasons with 153 and 166 tackles respectively, in only 11 games per year. Battaglia broke former All-Pro Otis Wilson
Otis Wilson
Otis Ray Wilson is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League for the Chicago Bears and the Los Angeles Raiders. He won a Super Bowl as a member of the 1985 Chicago Bears...
's college tackling record. He was team captain his junior and senior year and was voted Most Valuable Player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
by his teammates and coaches. Battaglia went on to play in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
with the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Two years later, his career ended abruptly after a broken bone was discovered in his neck. He returned to school, graduating from the University of Louisville with a degree in business and an emphasis in finance. In September 2006, he was named to the All-time University of Louisville team, with such football greats as Johnny Unitas
Johnny Unitas
John Constantine Unitas , known as Johnny Unitas or "Johnny U", and nicknamed "The Golden Arm", was a professional American football player in the 1950s through the 1970s, spending the majority of his career with the Baltimore Colts. He was a record-setting quarterback, and the National Football...
, Mark Clayton, Tom Jackson
Tom Jackson (American football)
Thomas Louie "Tom" Jackson, also referred to as "TJ" or "Tommy", is an NFL analyst for ESPN and a former Pro Bowl linebacker for the Denver Broncos.-College:...
, Deion Branch
Deion Branch
Anthony Deion Branch, Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisville.He has also played for the Seattle Seahawks...
, Joe Jacoby
Joe Jacoby
Joseph Erwin Jacoby is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins...
, Dwayne Woodruff
Dwayne Woodruff
Dwayne Woodruff is a former professional American football player who played cornerback twelve seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he accumulated 37 interceptions after being drafted in the sixth round...
and Frank Minnifield
Frank Minnifield
Frank Minnifield is a former American football player who played defensive back for the Cleveland Browns from 1984-92.Minnifield attended Henry Clay High School in Lexington...
.
In 2006, Battaglia married Tina Frazier from Greenville, South Carolina. Their first child, Blaize Christian Battaglia was born in Los Angeles on May 11, 2008. Their second child, Paxton Rose Battaglia was born in Los Angeles on October 17, 2009.
Career
Battaglia has had a successful career as an actor and producer in film and television, appearing in over 70 films, network pilots and television shows.Battaglia served as Co-producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
on the film Brothers, starring Tobey Maguire
Tobey Maguire
Tobias Vincent "Tobey" Maguire is an American actor and producer. He began his career in the 1980s, and has achieved his greatest fame for his role as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films.-Early life:...
, Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman
Natalie Hershlag , better known by her stage name Natalie Portman, is an actress with dual American and Israeli citizenship. Her first role was as an orphan taken in by a hitman in the 1994 French action film Léon, but major success came when she was cast as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequel...
and Jake Gyllenhaal
Jake Gyllenhaal
Jacob Benjamin "Jake" Gyllenhaal is an American actor. The son of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner, Gyllenhaal began acting at age ten...
. The film is a remake of the 2004 Danish film by Susanne Bier
Susanne Bier
Susanne Bier is a Danish film director best known for her feature films Brothers, After the Wedding and the Academy-Award-winning In a Better World.-Life and work:Susanne Bier was born to Jewish parents in Copenhagen, Denmark...
. The remake was directed by six-time Academy Award nominee Jim Sheridan
Jim Sheridan
Jim Sheridan is an Irish film director. A six-time Academy Award nominee, Sheridan is perhaps best known for his films My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father, Get Rich or Die Tryin and In America.-Life and career:...
, from a script written by David Benioff
David Benioff
-Early life:Born David Friedman in New York City, he changed his name to David Benioff, his mother's maiden name. He is the youngest of three children....
, and was released worldwide on December 4, 2009 by Lionsgate.
Battaglia was also a Co-executive producer on the 2009 horror film Kill Theory, directed by Chris Moore.
Battaglia formed Matt Battaglia Productions to produce feature films and television shows. His first acquisition was in 2008 for the life rights to "The Marlboro Marine"
James Blake Miller
James Blake Miller is an American Iraq War veteran, who served in the United States Marine Corps and was dubbed "the Marlboro Man" / "Marlboro Marine", after an iconic, close-up photograph of his scarred, dirt-smeared, battle-weary face, with a cigarette in his mouth, was published on the front...
, which is currently in development as a documentary. He continued with optioning some best selling books including the national bestseller "Bad Monkeys" by Matt Ruff and "Or I'll Dress You in Mourning" by Larry Collins and Dominque Lapierre. Mourning was adapted into a screenplay by screenwriters Brian Klugman
Brian Klugman
Brian Klugman is an American actor.Klugman was born in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father is a real estate broker, and his mother is a school teacher. Klugman's uncle is Golden Globe Award-winning actor Jack Klugman. Klugman has two brothers and one sister: Michael "Mike"...
& Lee Sternthal. In 2010, he closed a deal with Fox Television Studios
Fox Television Studios
Fox Television Studios, Inc. is the TV production arm of the News Corporation's Fox Entertainment Group, as well as being the production arm of Fox and a production arm of 20th Century Fox Television, Inc., itself a division of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation...
to develop "Bad Monkeys" into a one hour drama. In 2011, he Executive Produced the television show "Last Shot with Judge Gunn", which he sold straight into syndication with 150 episodes in season one and closed a deal with Fox Television on another one hour drama entitled "Pyrates" which he partnered with Ridley Scott
Ridley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott is an English film director and producer. His most famous films include The Duellists , Alien , Blade Runner , Legend , Thelma & Louise , G. I...
and Tony Scott
Tony Scott
Anthony D. L. "Tony" Scott is an English film director. His films include Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop II, The Last Boy Scout, True Romance, Crimson Tide, Enemy of the State, Spy Game, Man on Fire, Déjà Vu, The Taking of Pelham 123, and Unstoppable...
and their Scott Free Productions to produce. In 2011, he also Executive Produced the documentary "Do As You Likey".
As a feature film actor, Battaglia has acted in the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
Thor
Thor (film)
Thor is a 2011 American superhero film based on the comic book character of the same name published by Marvel Comics. It is the fourth film released as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe...
, Sony Pictures
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. is the television and film production/distribution unit of Japanese multinational technology and media conglomerate Sony...
action thriller Half Past Dead
Half Past Dead
Half Past Dead is a 2002 action movie in which a criminal infiltrates a prison to interrogate a prisoner about the location of a fortune in gold while an undercover FBI agent has to stop him. The film stars Steven Seagal, Morris Chestnut, Ja Rule, Nia Peeples, Kurupt, and Claudia Christian...
with Steven Seagal
Steven Seagal
Steven Frederic Seagal is an American action film star, producer, writer, martial artist, guitarist and reserve deputy sheriff. A 7th-dan black belt in Aikido, Seagal began his adult life as an Aikido instructor in Japan...
, Morris Chestnut
Morris Chestnut
Morris L. Chestnut is an American film and television actor. He is known for his roles as teenage father Ricky Baker in the 1991 film Boyz n the Hood, groom-to-be Lance Sullivan in the 1999 film The Best Man, as Tracy Reynolds, NBA star in the 2002 film Like Mike, and as the Visitor Ryan in the...
and rap artist JaRule
Ja Rule
Jeffrey Atkins , better known by his stage name Ja Rule, is an American rapper, singer, and actor.Born in Hollis, Queens, he began his career in the group Cash Money Click and debuted in 1999 with Venni Vetti Vecci and its single "Holla Holla"...
. He replaced Jean-Claude Van Damme
Jean-Claude Van Damme
Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg , professionally known as Jean-Claude Van Damme, is a Belgian martial artist and actor, best known for his martial arts action films, the most successful of which include Bloodsport , Kickboxer , Double Impact , Universal Soldier , Hard Target , Timecop ,...
in the lead role of Luc Devereaux in the action movies Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms
Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms
Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms is a 1998 direct-to-video science fiction film, sequel to the 1992 film Universal Soldier. Despite featuring the same characters as the original, the film features none of the original cast or crew. It was followed the same year with triquel titled Universal...
and Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business
Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business
Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business is a 1998 direct-to-video science fiction film. It was produced as a miniseries for a potential TV series. Like Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms, none of the actors or crew of the original returned, but all the cast and crew from the first sequel...
. He has also acted in Kiss of a Stranger, Pendulum and the direct-to-video
Direct-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
film Raven.
On the television front, Battaglia is known for his recurring role as Drew Boyd in the North American version of the series Queer As Folk. Other notable guest appearances include an episode of NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's hit sitcom Friends
Friends
Friends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
(playing the fireman boyfriend of Lisa Kudrow
Lisa Kudrow
Lisa Valerie Kudrow is an American actress, best known for her role as Phoebe Buffay in the television sitcom Friends, for which she received many accolades including an Emmy Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards...
's character), two episodes on 24
24 (TV series)
24 is an American television series produced for the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration...
, two episodes of HBO's Big Love
Big Love
Big Love is an American television drama that aired on HBO between March 2006 and March 2011. The show is about a fictional fundamentalist Mormon family in Utah that practices polygamy...
, and appearances in Shark
Shark (TV series)
Shark is an American legal drama created by Ian Biederman that originally aired on CBS from September 21, 2006 to May 20, 2008. The series stars James Woods.-Synopsis:...
, CSI: NY
CSI: NY
CSI: NY is an American police procedural television series that premiered on September 22, 2004, on CBS. The show follows the investigations of a team of NYPD forensic scientists and police officers as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths as well as other crimes...
, Bones
Bones (TV series)
Bones is an American crime drama television series that premiered on the Fox Network on September 13, 2005. The show is based on forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology, with each episode focusing on an FBI case file concerning the mystery behind human remains brought by FBI Special Agent...
, Charmed
Charmed
Charmed is an American television series that originally aired from October 7, 1998, until May 21, 2006, on the now defunct The WB Television Network. The series was created in 1998 by writer Constance M...
, and CSI: Miami
CSI: Miami
CSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....
.
Battaglia currently serves on the board of advisors for the G.I. Film Festival, which honors the successes and sacrifices of US soldiers through the medium of film.
Philanthropy
As a television producer and philanthropist, Battaglia co-founded with Tommy and Chris ThienemanChris Thieneman
Chris Thieneman is a real estate developer and former mayoral candidate for the city of Louisville. Currently, he serves as the President and CEO of Thieneman Real Estate and Thieneman Multi-Family properties....
"The Mint Jubilee" in 1995, an enormous charity event which in its first ten years raised over $4 million for cancer patients and has provided financial resources to scientists, cancer centers and hospitals committed to finding cures and controls for cancer. This non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
was created by Battaglia in memory of his mother Nancy Van Cleve Battaglia, who died of cancer in 1993. The black tie gala
Black tie
Black tie is a dress code for evening events and social functions. For a man, the main component is a usually black jacket, known as a dinner jacket or tuxedo...
takes place in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
the night before the Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
. Battaglia helped to create, develop, grow and brand the organization into becoming one of the most prestigious charity events in the world, becoming a world class event attracting high profile celebrities, entertainers and dignitaries from around the globe. The Mint Jubilee has been televised worldwide in over 130 countries and over 200 million homes. Past celebrities have included Vince Vaughn
Vince Vaughn
Vincent Anthony "Vince" Vaughn is an American film actor, screenwriter, producer and comedian. He began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before attaining wider recognition with the 1996 movie Swingers...
, Jim Caviezel, Kid Rock
Kid Rock
Robert James "Bob" Ritchie , known by his stage name Kid Rock, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and rapper with five Grammy Awards nominations...
, Kate Capshaw
Kate Capshaw
Kate Capshaw is an American actress. She is known for her role as Willie Scott in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. She is married to Steven Spielberg.-Early life:...
, Jessica Capshaw
Jessica Capshaw
Jessica Brooke Capshaw is an American actress. She is known for her role as Jamie Stringer in The Practice and for her role as Dr...
, Felicity Huffman
Felicity Huffman
Felicity Kendall Huffman is an American film, stage, and television actress. She is known for her role as executive producer Dana Whitaker on the ABC television show Sports Night , which earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination, and as hectic supermom Lynette Scavo on the ABC show Desperate...
, Shannon Elizabeth
Shannon Elizabeth
Shannon Elizabeth is an American actress and former fashion model. Elizabeth is well known for her roles in comedy films such as Scary Movie, American Pie, and Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back. She is also well known for her work in horror films such as Thirteen Ghosts, Cursed, and Night of the Demons...
, Chloë Sevigny
Chloë Sevigny
Chloë Stevens Sevigny is an American film actress, fashion designer and former model. Sevigny gained reputation for her eclectic fashion sense and developed a broad career in the fashion industry in the mid 1990s, both for modeling and for her work at New York's Sassy magazine, which labeled her...
, Uncle Kracker
Uncle Kracker
Matthew Shafer is an American rock musician known as Uncle Kracker. His singles include "Follow Me", "Smile", and "Drift Away". His music was more rap rock-based at the start of his career before turning in a more rock and Top 40 style music direction on later releases.-Biography:Shafer was born...
, Leslie Bibb
Leslie Bibb
Leslie Louise Bibb is an American actress and former fashion model. She transitioned into film and television in late 1990s. She appeared in television shows such as Home Improvement , before she appeared in her first film, the comedy Private Parts , which was followed by her first show The Big Easy...
, Prince Albert of Monacco, Bob Costas
Bob Costas
Robert Quinlan "Bob" Costas is an American sportscaster, on the air for the NBC network since the early 1980s.-Early life:...
, Evander Holyfield
Evander Holyfield
Evander Holyfield is a professional boxer from the United States. He is a former undisputed world champion in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions, earning him the nickname "The Real Deal"...
, Wendi Malick, poker champion Phil Helmouth and Thora Birch
Thora Birch
Thora Birch is an American actress. She was a child actor in the 1990s, starring in movies such as All I Want for Christmas , Patriot Games , Hocus Pocus , Now and Then , and Alaska . She came to prominence in 1999 after earning worldwide attention and praise for her performance in American Beauty...
.