San Pedro, Los Angeles, California
Encyclopedia
San Pedro is a port district of the city of Los Angeles, California
, United States. It was annexed in 1909 and is a major seaport of the area. The district has grown from being dominated by the fishing industry
to become primarily a working class community within the city of Los Angeles.
zone (Köppen climate classification), experiencing mild, wet winters and warm to hot summers. Breezes from the Pacific Ocean tend to keep the beach community cooler in summer and warmer in winter than those in further inland Los Angeles; summer temperatures can sometimes be as much as 18 °F (10 °C) warmer in the inland communities compared to that of San Pedro and other Los Angeles coastal communities. The area also sees a phenomenon known as the "marine layer", a dense cloud cover caused by the proximity of the ocean that helps keep the temperatures cooler throughout the year. When the marine layer lasts for days at a time and extends farther inland during the months of May and June, it is called June Gloom
.
The site, at the southern end of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, on the west side of San Pedro Bay
, was used by Spanish ships starting in the 1540s.
discovered the bay in 1542 which would become San Pedro. Santa Catalina Island
, named after St. Katherine of Alexandria
, was claimed for the Spanish Empire
the next day, on her feast day, November 25. In 1602–1603, Sebastián Vizcaíno
(1548–1624) officially surveyed and mapped the California coastline, including San Pedro Bay, for New Spain
.
The Tongva
, or Gabrielino, Indians called the San Pedro area Chaaw.
is the site of the first Spanish
land grant
in Alta California
, New Spain
. The land was granted in 1784 by King Carlos III to Juan Jose Dominguez, a retired Spanish soldier who came to California with the Gaspar de Portolà
expedition.
When New Spain
won its independence from the Spanish Empire
and Alta California
became part of Mexico
, the trade restrictions were lifted, and the town flourished.
Under United States control after 1848, when the United States defeated Mexico in the Mexican-American war, the harbor was greatly improved and expanded under the guidance of Phineas Banning
and John Gately Downey, the seventh governor of California after the Free Harbor Fight
. San Pedro has now become the largest port on the West Coast of the United States and the busiest port in the country.
took control of a tract of land next to the bay and added to it in 1897 and 1910. This became Fort MacArthur
in 1914 and was a coastal defense site for many years. Woodrow Wilson
transferred 200 United States Navy
ships from the Atlantic to the Pacific in 1919 when tension arose between the United States and Japan over the fate of China. San Diego Bay
was considered too shallow for the largest ships, so the battleship
s anchored in San Pedro Bay on 9 August 1919. Local availability of fuel oil minimized transportation costs, and consistently good weather allowed frequent gunnery exercises off the nearby Channel Islands of California
. The heavy cruiser
s of the Scouting Force
were transferred from the Atlantic to San Pedro in response to the 1931 Japanese invasion of Manchuria. By 1934, 14 battleships, two aircraft carrier
s, 14 cruisers, and 16 support ships were based at San Pedro. On 1 April 1940, the Pacific Fleet
battleships sailed to Hawaii
for annual fleet exercises. The battleships remained in the Hawaiian Islands
to deter Japanese aggression until the attack on Pearl Harbor
. San Pedro remained a popular shore leave
port for Navy ships through World War II; but the battle fleet never returned.
. The odd shape is still seen in the map of the city.
San Pedro, Wilmington, and Terminal Island are the locations of the Port of Los Angeles.
, a 1500 feet (457.2 m)-long suspension bridge
linking San Pedro with Terminal Island
and named after California Assembly
man Vincent Thomas. It is the third longest suspension bridge in California. Nearby is the Los Angeles Maritime Museum
, the largest maritime museum
in California, as is the museum ship
SS Lane Victory
, a fully operational victory ship
of World War II and National Historic Landmark
. There is also the famous "Ports O' Call" tourist destination built in 1963 which provides many interesting shopping venues and a host of unique waterfront eateries.
The Frank Gehry
-designed Cabrillo Marine Aquarium
had its origins in the old Cabrillo Beach Marine Museum which was located in the historic Bath House at Cabrillo Beach. The Point Fermin Light
house, a Victorian-era structure built in the late 19th century, still exists as a museum and park on a bluff overlooking the ocean. The Korean Bell of Friendship
is a massive bronze memorial bell
donated by South Korea
in 1976 to the people of Los Angeles.
The church of Mary Star of the Sea
is a prominent landmark with a steeple-top statue overlooking the harbour.
On July 19, 2003, the San Pedro Waterfront Red Car Line
was opened, along the waterfront between downtown San Pedro and the Cruise Ship Terminal. This line includes two newly constructed trolleys built to resemble the wood-bodied 500 class cars introduced in 1905 for the Pacific Electric Railway
, which once operated more than 1000 miles (1,609.3 km) of track running streetcars and interurbans in Southern California. The 1.5 miles (2.4 km) line operates along former Pacific Electric right-of-way. The line, rebuilt and maintained by the Port of Los Angeles
, also has one original restored Pacific Electric interurban, which is used only for special charter excursions and special events. The original car is in fact Pacific Electric 963 (former Los Angeles Pacific 713 as built in 1907) rebuilt by Richard Fellows and renumbered 1058. Discussions have been held to extend the line to the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium
. Port of LA Waterfront Red Car Line
Twenty-Eighth Street in San Pedro, between Gaffey Street and Peck Avenue, is the steepest section of public roadway in Los Angeles. For about 50 feet (15.2 m), the street climbs at a 33.3% angle, although the rest of the street is less steep.
There is also "sunken city" that is just east of Point Fermin where the land literally "sunk" into the sea.
, Italian, and Greek
. San Pedro is home to the largest Italian-American community in Southern California
, centered on the "Via Italia" (South Cabrillo Avenue). Estimates state that the community numbers about 45,000 Italian-Americans. San Pedro is also considered the heart of the Croatian and Norwegian communities in Los Angeles. The Croatian community, originally composed of seafarers and fishermen from the Dalmatia
(especially the islands of Brač
, Hvar
, Vis
and Korčula
) region, has been present in San Pedro since the settlement began more than 200 years ago. The City of Los Angeles even named a stretch of 9th Street "Croatian Place" in honor of the city's old Croatian community. There are reportedly more than 35,000 Croats in San Pedro, making it the biggest Croatian community on the Pacific. The Norwegian presence can be felt at the Norwegian Seamen's Church
.
A large portion of San Pedro is also composed of Mexican-Americans, Hispanic
immigrants and African-Americans with long-time roots in the community. Much of their populations are based in the older, east side of the community surrounding the downtown area and bordering the Port of Los Angeles.
Until February 1942, San Pedro was home to a vibrant Japanese
immigrant community of about 3,000 people who lived in what had been described as a " typical Japanese Fishing Village" on Terminal Island
(East San Pedro).
These Japanese immigrants pioneered albacore fishing out of San Pedro Bay and harvesting abalone off of White Point, thus leading the way in establishing a viable fishing industry in San Pedro. The 48-hour forced expulsion of these San Pedro residents and the razing of their homes and shops, as part of the Japanese-American internment during World War II, is described in Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston
's memoir Farewell to Manzanar
.
s "Mapping L.A." project supplied these San Pedro neighborhood statistics: population: 78,405; median household income: $57,198.
The ethnic composition is 44.6% non-Hispanic white, 4.5% Asian
, 6.0%
African American
, 40.6% Latino
and 4.4% belong to other groups. Mexican (31.5%) and Italian (8.4%) are the most common ancestries.
"19,639 (24.5%) of residents are foreign born, low for the city of Los Angeles but about average for the county. Mexico (49.8%) and Italy (4.4%) are the most common foreign places of birth".
"22.8% of residents 25 and older have a four-year degree".
"The median age is 34".
"Average household size is 2.5 people".
"There are 3,393 families headed by single parents. The rate is 17.5%. The percentages of divorced males, divorced females, widowed males and widowed females are among the county's highest".
"There are 6,559 veterans, or 11.0% of the population. The percentage of veterans who served during 1990-99 is among the county's highest".
had its United States headquarters in San Pedro. In 1997 the airline moved its U.S. headquarters to Norwalk, California
.
San Pedro also has the Port' O Call Village which is close to the water with many seafood restaurants and art galleries.
Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn' office is located on Beacon Street.
The San Pedro Superior Court is located on 6th Street.
The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services
operates the Torrance Health Center in Harbor Gateway
, Los Angeles, near Torrance
and serving San Pedro.
The United States Postal Service
operates the San Pedro Post Office at 839 South Beacon Street and the Eastview Post Office at 28649 South Western Avenue. The USPS also operates the Seafarers Post Office at Suite A at 93 Berth in close proximity to the San Pedro Post Office.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons
operates the Federal Correctional Institution, Terminal Island
on Terminal Island
and in San Pedro.
. The area is within Board District 7. As of 2008 Dr. Richard Vladovic represents the district.
San Pedro High School, Mary Star of the Sea High School, and the Port of Los Angeles High School are primary senior high schools within the region. San Pedro High School is home to the protected landmarks in the form of The English Language Arts and Administration Buildings (c. 1939, 1936, resp.). The school recently celebrated its 100 year anniversary in 2003. It is home to both the Marine Science and Police Academy Magnet programs. Port of Los Angeles High School is a public charter high school, fusing a college preparatory program with elective coursework in International Business and Maritime Studies. Such studies reinforce the significant impact of California's ports on the global economy and international trade.
As of 2002 test scores tend to be higher in the area's elementary schools than in its middle and high schools.
Primary schools (Grades 1–5)
Secondary schools (Grades 6–12)
Continuation schools
Grades 1–8
Grades 6–12
Grades 9–12
operates the San Pedro Regional Branch Library at 931 South Gaffey. The library offers free Internet access as well as movies and books. A library card is required for any loan. This library was opened in 1983 in the presence of the late Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley
.
Art
Acting
Music
Politics
Science
Sports
Writers and poets
Film and television
The Infamous
.jpg)
. In 2003, it created a weekly, More San Pedro, in the San Pedro Harbor Area. More San Pedro was cancelled in 2008 after the Breeze was purchased by MediaNews Group
. The San Pedro News-Pilot, long the area's daily newspaper, ceased publishing in 1998. The News-Pilot traced its history back to 1906; it was created from the merge of the San Pedro Daily News and the San Pedro Pilot. Some of the staff of the N-P were hired by the South Bay Daily Breeze; still covering San Pedro is former News-Pilot reporter Donna Littlejohn. A community website, called www.sanpedronewspilot, is not connected to the original newspaper of a similar name. In 2002, the Long Beach Press-Telegram
launched the monthly publication San Pedro Magazine serving the San Pedro and Rancho Palos Verdes areas. San Pedro Magazine was cancelled in December 2008 after the Press-Telegram eliminated their magazine department. In January 2009, a new independently-owned monthly magazine called San Pedro Today debuted. Other papers available for subscription or purchase include the Los Angeles Times
and the Long Beach Press-Telegram
. San Pedro is also the publishing home of the free left-leaning alternative newspaper, the Random Lengths News.
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, United States. It was annexed in 1909 and is a major seaport of the area. The district has grown from being dominated by the fishing industry
Fishing industry
The fishing industry includes any industry or activity concerned with taking, culturing, processing, preserving, storing, transporting, marketing or selling fish or fish products....
to become primarily a working class community within the city of Los Angeles.
Geography
San Pedro is located at 33°44′9"N 118°17′32"W (33.73583, -118.29139).Climate
The district is situated in a Mediterranean climateMediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate is the climate typical of most of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, and is a particular variety of subtropical climate...
zone (Köppen climate classification), experiencing mild, wet winters and warm to hot summers. Breezes from the Pacific Ocean tend to keep the beach community cooler in summer and warmer in winter than those in further inland Los Angeles; summer temperatures can sometimes be as much as 18 °F (10 °C) warmer in the inland communities compared to that of San Pedro and other Los Angeles coastal communities. The area also sees a phenomenon known as the "marine layer", a dense cloud cover caused by the proximity of the ocean that helps keep the temperatures cooler throughout the year. When the marine layer lasts for days at a time and extends farther inland during the months of May and June, it is called June Gloom
June Gloom
June Gloom is a southern California term for a weather pattern that results in cloudy, overcast skies with cool temperatures during the late spring and early summer. June Gloom in southern California is caused by the marine layer effect common to the West Coast, and is enhanced by the Catalina eddy...
.
History
San Pedro Bay (California)
San Pedro Bay is an inlet on the Pacific Ocean coast of southern California, United States. It is the site of the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach, which together form the fifth-busiest port facility in the world and easily the busiest in the Western Hemisphere...
, was used by Spanish ships starting in the 1540s.
Origin of name
San Pedro was named for St. Peter of Alexandria, a Fourth Century bishop in Alexandria, Egypt. His feast day is November 24 on the local ecclesiastical calendar of Spain, the day on which Juan Rodriguez CabrilloJuan Rodríguez Cabrillo
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo was a Portuguese explorer noted for his exploration of the west coast of North America on behalf of Spain. Cabrillo was the first European explorer to navigate the coast of present day California in the United States...
discovered the bay in 1542 which would become San Pedro. Santa Catalina Island
Santa Catalina Island, California
Santa Catalina Island, often called Catalina Island, or just Catalina, is a rocky island off the coast of the U.S. state of California. The island is long and across at its greatest width. The island is located about south-southwest of Los Angeles, California. The highest point on the island is...
, named after St. Katherine of Alexandria
Catherine of Alexandria
Saint Catherine of Alexandria, also known as Saint Catherine of the Wheel and The Great Martyr Saint Catherine is, according to tradition, a Christian saint and virgin, who was martyred in the early 4th century at the hands of the pagan emperor Maxentius...
, was claimed for the Spanish Empire
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....
the next day, on her feast day, November 25. In 1602–1603, Sebastián Vizcaíno
Sebastián Vizcaíno
Sebastián Vizcaíno was a Spanish soldier, entrepreneur, explorer, and diplomat whose varied roles took him to New Spain, the Philippines, the Baja California peninsula, the California coast and Japan.-Early career:...
(1548–1624) officially surveyed and mapped the California coastline, including San Pedro Bay, for New Spain
New Spain
New Spain, formally called the Viceroyalty of New Spain , was a viceroyalty of the Spanish colonial empire, comprising primarily territories in what was known then as 'América Septentrional' or North America. Its capital was Mexico City, formerly Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire...
.
The Tongva
Tongva
The Tongva , also referred to as the San Gabriel Band, are a historic Native American people who have inhabited an area in present-day Los Angeles and Orange counties, California, for many centuries before the arrival of Europeans. Tongva means "people of the earth" in the Tongva language, an...
, or Gabrielino, Indians called the San Pedro area Chaaw.
Settlement
European settlement began in 1769 as part of an effort to populate California, although trade restrictions encouraged more smuggling than regular business. Rancho San PedroRancho San Pedro
Rancho San Pedro was one of the first California land grants, and the first to win a patent from the United States. The land grant was validated by the Mexican government at in 1828, and a US patent validating was issued in 1858...
is the site of the first Spanish
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....
land grant
Land grant
A land grant is a gift of real estate – land or its privileges – made by a government or other authority as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service...
in Alta California
Alta California
Alta California was a province and territory in the Viceroyalty of New Spain and later a territory and department in independent Mexico. The territory was created in 1769 out of the northern part of the former province of Las Californias, and consisted of the modern American states of California,...
, New Spain
New Spain
New Spain, formally called the Viceroyalty of New Spain , was a viceroyalty of the Spanish colonial empire, comprising primarily territories in what was known then as 'América Septentrional' or North America. Its capital was Mexico City, formerly Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire...
. The land was granted in 1784 by King Carlos III to Juan Jose Dominguez, a retired Spanish soldier who came to California with the Gaspar de Portolà
Gaspar de Portolà
Gaspar de Portolà i Rovira was a soldier, governor of Baja and Alta California , explorer and founder of San Diego and Monterey. He was born in Os de Balaguer, province of Lleida, in Catalonia, Spain, of Catalan nobility. Don Gaspar served as a soldier in the Spanish army in Italy and Portugal...
expedition.
When New Spain
New Spain
New Spain, formally called the Viceroyalty of New Spain , was a viceroyalty of the Spanish colonial empire, comprising primarily territories in what was known then as 'América Septentrional' or North America. Its capital was Mexico City, formerly Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire...
won its independence from the Spanish Empire
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....
and Alta California
Alta California
Alta California was a province and territory in the Viceroyalty of New Spain and later a territory and department in independent Mexico. The territory was created in 1769 out of the northern part of the former province of Las Californias, and consisted of the modern American states of California,...
became part of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, the trade restrictions were lifted, and the town flourished.
Under United States control after 1848, when the United States defeated Mexico in the Mexican-American war, the harbor was greatly improved and expanded under the guidance of Phineas Banning
Phineas Banning
Phineas Banning was an American businessman, financier, and entrepreneur.Known as "The Father of the Port of Los Angeles," he was one of the founders of the town of Wilmington, which was named for his birthplace...
and John Gately Downey, the seventh governor of California after the Free Harbor Fight
Free Harbor Fight
Free Harbor Fight refers to the legal battle in the late nineteenth century on the West Coast of the United States, around the case Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce vs. Huntington and the Southern Pacific....
. San Pedro has now become the largest port on the West Coast of the United States and the busiest port in the country.
United States Navy Battle Fleet home port 1919–1940
In 1888, the War DepartmentUnited States Department of War
The United States Department of War, also called the War Department , was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army...
took control of a tract of land next to the bay and added to it in 1897 and 1910. This became Fort MacArthur
Fort MacArthur
Fort MacArthur is a former United States Army installation in San Pedro, Los Angeles, California . The fort is named in honor of Lieutenant General Arthur MacArthur...
in 1914 and was a coastal defense site for many years. Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
transferred 200 United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
ships from the Atlantic to the Pacific in 1919 when tension arose between the United States and Japan over the fate of China. San Diego Bay
San Diego Bay
San Diego Bay is a natural harbor and deepwater port adjacent to San Diego, California. It is 12 mi/19 km long, 1 mi/1.6 km–3 mi/4.8 km wide...
was considered too shallow for the largest ships, so the battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
s anchored in San Pedro Bay on 9 August 1919. Local availability of fuel oil minimized transportation costs, and consistently good weather allowed frequent gunnery exercises off the nearby Channel Islands of California
Channel Islands of California
The Channel Islands of California are a chain of eight islands located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California along the Santa Barbara Channel in the United States of America...
. The heavy cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
s of the Scouting Force
Scouting Fleet
The Scouting Fleet was part of the United States Fleet in the United States Navy, and renamed the Scouting Force in 1930.Established in 1922, the fleet consisted mainly of older battleships and initially operated in the Atlantic...
were transferred from the Atlantic to San Pedro in response to the 1931 Japanese invasion of Manchuria. By 1934, 14 battleships, two aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
s, 14 cruisers, and 16 support ships were based at San Pedro. On 1 April 1940, the Pacific Fleet
United States Pacific Fleet
The United States Pacific Fleet is a Pacific Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources under the operational control of the United States Pacific Command. Its home port is at Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hawaii. It is commanded by Admiral Patrick M...
battleships sailed to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
for annual fleet exercises. The battleships remained in the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
to deter Japanese aggression until the attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
. San Pedro remained a popular shore leave
Shore leave
Shore leave is the leave that professional sailors get to spend on dry land. It is culturally infamous for its excess. Sailors without family obligations and with basic lodging needs provided aboard ship may spend their wages for the journey in a brief period of extravagance ashore and return to...
port for Navy ships through World War II; but the battle fleet never returned.
Los Angeles annexation
In 1906, the City of Los Angeles annexed the Harbor Gateway, a long narrow strip of land connecting the city to the coast, and in 1909, the city annexed San Pedro and the adjacent town of WilmingtonWilmington, Los Angeles, California
Wilmington is a district of Los Angeles, with industry as its primary economic activity. It lies adjacent to the Port of Los Angeles, San Pedro, and Harbor City. Wilmington is the site of Banning House and Drum Barracks, or Camp Drum, the only major American Civil War landmark in California. The...
. The odd shape is still seen in the map of the city.
Port of Los Angeles
Locations of interest
One San Pedro landmark is the Vincent Thomas BridgeVincent Thomas Bridge
The Vincent Thomas Bridge is a long suspension bridge, opened in 1963, crossing the Los Angeles Harbor in the U.S. state of California, linking San Pedro, Los Angeles, with Terminal Island. The bridge is signed as part of State Route 47. It is named for California Assemblyman Vincent Thomas of San...
, a 1500 feet (457.2 m)-long suspension bridge
Suspension bridge
A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. Outside Tibet and Bhutan, where the first examples of this type of bridge were built in the 15th century, this type of bridge dates from the early 19th century...
linking San Pedro with Terminal Island
Terminal Island
Terminal Island is an island located in Los Angeles County, California between Los Angeles Harbor and Long Beach Harbor. Originally a mudflat known to the Spanish as Isla Raza de Buena Gente, and later called Rattlesnake Island, it has officially been Terminal Island since 1918...
and named after California Assembly
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
man Vincent Thomas. It is the third longest suspension bridge in California. Nearby is the Los Angeles Maritime Museum
Los Angeles Maritime Museum
The Los Angeles Maritime Museum is a non-profit museum.-The Museum:The Los Angeles Maritime Museum is located on the main channel in Los Angeles Harbor, San Pedro, California, in the former Municipal Ferry Terminal building. The ferry ceased after the Vincent Thomas Bridge was opened to traffic in...
, the largest maritime museum
Maritime museum
A maritime museum is a museum specializing in the display of objects relating to ships and travel on large bodies of water...
in California, as is the museum ship
Museum ship
A museum ship, or sometimes memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public, for educational or memorial purposes...
SS Lane Victory
SS Lane Victory
SS Lane Victory is a Second World War Victory ship which is preserved as a museum ship in the San Pedro area of Los Angeles, California. As a rare surviving Victory ship, it is a U.S...
, a fully operational victory ship
Victory ship
The Victory ship was a type of cargo ship produced in large numbers by North American shipyards during World War II to replace shipping losses caused by German submarines...
of World War II and National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
. There is also the famous "Ports O' Call" tourist destination built in 1963 which provides many interesting shopping venues and a host of unique waterfront eateries.
The Frank Gehry
Frank Gehry
Frank Owen Gehry, is a Canadian American Pritzker Prize-winning architect based in Los Angeles, California.His buildings, including his private residence, have become tourist attractions...
-designed Cabrillo Marine Aquarium
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is an aquarium in San Pedro, California, United States, a community within Los Angeles. It concentrates on the marine life of Southern California...
had its origins in the old Cabrillo Beach Marine Museum which was located in the historic Bath House at Cabrillo Beach. The Point Fermin Light
Point Fermin Light
-History:The original fourth order Fresnel lens was removed in 1942 and a wood replica lantern was installed in 1974. The lighthouse was saved from demolition in 1972 and refurbished in 1974, and a new lantern room and gallery were built by local preservationists...
house, a Victorian-era structure built in the late 19th century, still exists as a museum and park on a bluff overlooking the ocean. The Korean Bell of Friendship
Korean Bell of Friendship
The Korean Bell of Friendship is a massive bronze bell housed in a stone pavilion in Angel's Gate Park, in the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles, California...
is a massive bronze memorial bell
Bell (instrument)
A bell is a simple sound-making device. The bell is a percussion instrument and an idiophone. Its form is usually a hollow, cup-shaped object, which resonates upon being struck...
donated by South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
in 1976 to the people of Los Angeles.
Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church, San Pedro, California
Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish located in San Pedro, California, dedicated to Our Lady, Star of the Sea. Located on a hill overlooking the Port of Los Angeles, Mary Star of the Sea has sometimes been known as the "Fishermen’s Parish" because of its close ties with...
is a prominent landmark with a steeple-top statue overlooking the harbour.
On July 19, 2003, the San Pedro Waterfront Red Car Line
Port of LA Waterfront Red Car
The Port of Los Angeles Waterfront Red Cars are a 1.5-mile heritage streetcar line in San Pedro, Los Angeles, home of the city's port. Their route runs south over a former Pacific Electric right-of-way from the World Cruise Center cruise ship terminal under the Vincent Thomas Bridge to the...
was opened, along the waterfront between downtown San Pedro and the Cruise Ship Terminal. This line includes two newly constructed trolleys built to resemble the wood-bodied 500 class cars introduced in 1905 for the Pacific Electric Railway
Pacific Electric Railway
The Pacific Electric Railway , also known as the Red Car system, was a mass transit system in Southern California using streetcars, light rail, and buses...
, which once operated more than 1000 miles (1,609.3 km) of track running streetcars and interurbans in Southern California. The 1.5 miles (2.4 km) line operates along former Pacific Electric right-of-way. The line, rebuilt and maintained by the Port of Los Angeles
Port of Los Angeles
The Port of Los Angeles, also called Los Angeles Harbor and WORLDPORT L.A, is a port complex that occupies of land and water along of waterfront. The port is located on San Pedro Bay in the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles, approximately south of downtown...
, also has one original restored Pacific Electric interurban, which is used only for special charter excursions and special events. The original car is in fact Pacific Electric 963 (former Los Angeles Pacific 713 as built in 1907) rebuilt by Richard Fellows and renumbered 1058. Discussions have been held to extend the line to the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is an aquarium in San Pedro, California, United States, a community within Los Angeles. It concentrates on the marine life of Southern California...
. Port of LA Waterfront Red Car Line
Twenty-Eighth Street in San Pedro, between Gaffey Street and Peck Avenue, is the steepest section of public roadway in Los Angeles. For about 50 feet (15.2 m), the street climbs at a 33.3% angle, although the rest of the street is less steep.
There is also "sunken city" that is just east of Point Fermin where the land literally "sunk" into the sea.
Special events
- "Warner On Wednesdays Film Festival (W.O.W.)" and live musical theatre and plays performed throughout the year by The Relevant Stage Theatre Company, the resident theatre company at the historic Warner Grand Theatre, which also produces a Summer Performing Arts Youth Camp known as TRS Youthorizons. http://therelevantstage.com
- "Be Entertained" year-round by the Golden State Pops Orchestra throughout San Pedro (resident orchestra at the historic Warner Grand theatre and featured ensemble at the Cabrillo Beach 4 July Celebration....www.gspo.com)
- Annual Los Angeles Harbor Holiday Afloat Parade: December 5, 2009 at 6:00pm. LA Harbor Main Channel
- Annual Holiday Spirit of San Pedro Parade: the 2006 parade was the 27th
- Annual Taste of San Pedro, held at Point Fermin Park. The event features local restaurants and musicians.
- Annual Shakespeare by the Sea, Los AngelesShakespeare by the Sea, Los Angeles- Shakespeare by the Sea :Shakespeare by the Sea is a nonprofit organization that was launched in 1998 by Producing Artistic Director Lisa Coffi. Shakespeare by the Sea offers a free repertory season that runs for nine weeks throughout Los Angeles and Orange County. All performances are admission...
Festival, held at Point Fermin Park each summer. The company offers free presentations of Shakespeare's works in a family friendly environment. http://www.shakespearebythesea.org - Annual Chocolate Lobster Dive-a-Thon, held at Cabrillo Beach where participants SCUBA dive for "chocolate lobsters" for prizes.
- First Thursday Artwalk & Dining, held in Downtown San Pedro on Sixth and Seventh Streets between Pacific Avenue and Mesa.
- Annual Festival of Philippine Arts & Culture, held at Point Fermin Park. Now in its 16th year, FPAC is the largest presenter of Philippine arts and culture in Southern California presenting over 1200 artists in 9 disciplines and attracting over 20,000 audience members from all over the country. The event will be September 8 & 9.
- Annual performance of The NutcrackerThe NutcrackerThe Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre in St...
at the Warner Grand Theater. The event is put on by the San Pedro City Ballet and usually takes place in late November. General seating is typically sold out and tickets for balcony seats are donated to local schools. http://www.sanpedrocityballet.org - Annual Los Angeles Harbor International Film Festival, "To build a bridge between the people of the region and the people of the world. Held in May.
Demographic history
Ethnically diverse, San Pedro was a magnet for European immigrants from various countries for years, reflected in the number of restaurants representing diverse cuisines, especially Croatian, Portuguese, MexicanMexican cuisine
Mexican cuisine, a style of food that originates in Mexico, is known for its varied flavors, colourful decoration and variety of spices and ingredients, most of which are native to the country. The cuisine of Mexico has evolved through thousands of years of blending indigenous cultures, with later...
, Italian, and Greek
Cuisine of Greece
Greek cuisine is a Mediterranean cuisine, sharing characteristics with the cuisines of Italy, the Balkans, Turkey, and the Levant. Contemporary Greek cookery makes wide use of olive oil, vegetables and herbs, grains and bread, wine, fish, and various meats, including poultry, rabbit and pork. Also...
. San Pedro is home to the largest Italian-American community in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
, centered on the "Via Italia" (South Cabrillo Avenue). Estimates state that the community numbers about 45,000 Italian-Americans. San Pedro is also considered the heart of the Croatian and Norwegian communities in Los Angeles. The Croatian community, originally composed of seafarers and fishermen from the Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
(especially the islands of Brač
Brac
Brač is an island in the Adriatic Sea within Croatia, with an area of 396 km², making it the largest island in Dalmatia, and the third largest in the Adriatic. Its tallest peak, Vidova Gora, or Mount St. Vid, stands at 778 m, making it the highest island point in the Adriatic...
, Hvar
Hvar
- Climate :The climate of Hvar is characterized by mild winters and warm summers. The yearly average air temperature is , 686 mm of precipitation fall on the town of Hvar on average every year and the town has a total of 2800 sunshine hours per year. For comparison Hvar has an average of 7.7...
, Vis
Vis (island)
Vis is the most outerly lying larger Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea, and is part of the Central Dalmatian group of islands, with an area of 90.26 km² and a population of 3,617 . Of all the inhabited Croatian islands, it is the farthest from the coast...
and Korčula
Korcula
Korčula is an island in the Adriatic Sea, in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia. The island has an area of ; long and on average wide — and lies just off the Dalmatian coast. Its 16,182 inhabitants make it the second most populous Adriatic island after Krk...
) region, has been present in San Pedro since the settlement began more than 200 years ago. The City of Los Angeles even named a stretch of 9th Street "Croatian Place" in honor of the city's old Croatian community. There are reportedly more than 35,000 Croats in San Pedro, making it the biggest Croatian community on the Pacific. The Norwegian presence can be felt at the Norwegian Seamen's Church
Norwegian Seamen's Church, San Pedro
The Norwegian Seamen's Church is a Norwegian Church Abroad that doubles as the Church of Sweden Los Angeles , also known as the Swedish Seamen's Church. It is located in the San Pedro area of Los Angeles, California and is also part of the Church of Sweden Abroad...
.
A large portion of San Pedro is also composed of Mexican-Americans, Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
immigrants and African-Americans with long-time roots in the community. Much of their populations are based in the older, east side of the community surrounding the downtown area and bordering the Port of Los Angeles.
Until February 1942, San Pedro was home to a vibrant Japanese
Japanese diaspora
The Japanese diaspora, and its individual members known as , are Japanese emigrants from Japan and their descendants that reside in a foreign country...
immigrant community of about 3,000 people who lived in what had been described as a " typical Japanese Fishing Village" on Terminal Island
Terminal Island
Terminal Island is an island located in Los Angeles County, California between Los Angeles Harbor and Long Beach Harbor. Originally a mudflat known to the Spanish as Isla Raza de Buena Gente, and later called Rattlesnake Island, it has officially been Terminal Island since 1918...
(East San Pedro).
These Japanese immigrants pioneered albacore fishing out of San Pedro Bay and harvesting abalone off of White Point, thus leading the way in establishing a viable fishing industry in San Pedro. The 48-hour forced expulsion of these San Pedro residents and the razing of their homes and shops, as part of the Japanese-American internment during World War II, is described in Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston
Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston
Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston is an American writer. Her writings are mostly focused on the ethnic diversity of the United States...
's memoir Farewell to Manzanar
Farewell to Manzanar
Farewell to Manzanar is a memoir published in 1973 by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston. It was adapted in the form of a television movie in 1976 starring Yuki Shimoda, Nobu McCarthy, Pat Morita, and Mako....
.
Demographics (today)
In 2009, the Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
s "Mapping L.A." project supplied these San Pedro neighborhood statistics: population: 78,405; median household income: $57,198.
The ethnic composition is 44.6% non-Hispanic white, 4.5% Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
, 6.0%
African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
, 40.6% Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
and 4.4% belong to other groups. Mexican (31.5%) and Italian (8.4%) are the most common ancestries.
"19,639 (24.5%) of residents are foreign born, low for the city of Los Angeles but about average for the county. Mexico (49.8%) and Italy (4.4%) are the most common foreign places of birth".
"22.8% of residents 25 and older have a four-year degree".
"The median age is 34".
"Average household size is 2.5 people".
"There are 3,393 families headed by single parents. The rate is 17.5%. The percentages of divorced males, divorced females, widowed males and widowed females are among the county's highest".
"There are 6,559 veterans, or 11.0% of the population. The percentage of veterans who served during 1990-99 is among the county's highest".
Economy
At one point Eva AirEVA Air
EVA Airways Corporation "; ) is an airline based at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport near Taipei, Taiwan, operating passenger and dedicated cargo services to over 40 international destinations in Asia, Australia, Europe and North America. EVA Air is largely privately owned and flies a fully...
had its United States headquarters in San Pedro. In 1997 the airline moved its U.S. headquarters to Norwalk, California
Norwalk, California
Norwalk is a suburban city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 105,549 at the 2010 census, up from 103,298 at the 2000 census, making it the 58th most populous city in California and the 255th nationally....
.
San Pedro also has the Port' O Call Village which is close to the water with many seafood restaurants and art galleries.
Government and infrastructure
The San Pedro Superior Court is located on 6th Street.
The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services
Los Angeles County Department of Health Services
Health services to over 10 million residents in the Los Angeles County are provided by the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Mental health services are provided by the County Department of Mental Health...
operates the Torrance Health Center in Harbor Gateway
Harbor Gateway, Los Angeles, California
The Harbor Gateway is a neighborhood in southern part of the city of Los Angeles, California. As of the 2000 census, the neighborhood had a population of 39,860.-Description:...
, Los Angeles, near Torrance
Torrance, California
Torrance is a city incorporated in 1921 and located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Torrance has of shore-front beaches on the Pacific Ocean, quieter and less well-known by tourists than others on the Santa Monica Bay, such as those of neighboring...
and serving San Pedro.
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
operates the San Pedro Post Office at 839 South Beacon Street and the Eastview Post Office at 28649 South Western Avenue. The USPS also operates the Seafarers Post Office at Suite A at 93 Berth in close proximity to the San Pedro Post Office.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons
Federal Bureau of Prisons
The Federal Bureau of Prisons is a federal law enforcement agency subdivision of the United States Department of Justice and is responsible for the administration of the federal prison system. The system also handles prisoners who committed acts considered felonies under the District of Columbia's...
operates the Federal Correctional Institution, Terminal Island
Federal Correctional Institution, Terminal Island
Federal Correctional Institution, Terminal Island is a low-security prison for men located on Reservation Point on Terminal Island and in San Pedro, Los Angeles. The other Federal prison in the Los Angeles area is the Metropolitan Detention Center in Downtown Los Angeles...
on Terminal Island
Terminal Island
Terminal Island is an island located in Los Angeles County, California between Los Angeles Harbor and Long Beach Harbor. Originally a mudflat known to the Spanish as Isla Raza de Buena Gente, and later called Rattlesnake Island, it has officially been Terminal Island since 1918...
and in San Pedro.
Public schools
San Pedro is served by the Los Angeles Unified School DistrictLos Angeles Unified School District
Los Angeles Unified School District is the largest public school system in California. It is the 2nd largest public school district in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population...
. The area is within Board District 7. As of 2008 Dr. Richard Vladovic represents the district.
San Pedro High School, Mary Star of the Sea High School, and the Port of Los Angeles High School are primary senior high schools within the region. San Pedro High School is home to the protected landmarks in the form of The English Language Arts and Administration Buildings (c. 1939, 1936, resp.). The school recently celebrated its 100 year anniversary in 2003. It is home to both the Marine Science and Police Academy Magnet programs. Port of Los Angeles High School is a public charter high school, fusing a college preparatory program with elective coursework in International Business and Maritime Studies. Such studies reinforce the significant impact of California's ports on the global economy and international trade.
As of 2002 test scores tend to be higher in the area's elementary schools than in its middle and high schools.
Primary schools (Grades 1–5)
- 15th Street Elementary
- Bandini Elementary
- Barton Hill Elementary
- Cabrillo Early Education Center
- Cabrillo Elementary
- Leland Elementary
- Park Western Harbor Magnet
- Point Fermin Elementary
- San Pedro/Wilmington Early Education Center
- South Shores Magnet for the Visual and Performing Arts Elementary School
- Taper Elementary
- Taper Avenue Elementary Technology Magnet Center
- White Point Elementary
- Crestwood Elementary
- 7th Street Elementary
Secondary schools (Grades 6–12)
- Dana Middle School
- Dodson Middle School (though actually located in Rancho Palos Verdes it is part of LAUSD)
- San Pedro High SchoolSan Pedro High SchoolSan Pedro High School is a public high school in the Los Angeles Unified School District and is located in the San Pedro portion of the city of Los Angeles, California. In 2003, the school celebrated its 100th Anniversary....
http://www.sanpedrohs.org/- San Pedro High School Marine Science Magnet
- San Pedro High School Police Academy
- Port of Los Angeles High School
Continuation schools
- Angel's Gate Continuation High
- Cooper Community Day School
- Harbor Community Adult School
- Harbor Occupational Center
Private schools
Private schools in San Pedro include:Grades 1–8
- Holy Trinity School—Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los AngelesRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Los AngelesThe Archdiocese of Los Angeles is an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the archdiocese comprises the California counties of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura. The diocesan cathedral is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the...
Grades 6–12
- Rolling Hills Preparatory SchoolRolling Hills Preparatory SchoolRolling Hills Preparatory School is a private coeducational school in San Pedro, California.Founded in 1981, the school has approximately 236 students enrolled in grades 6 through 12. Approximately 26% of students receive some degree of financial aid.The Head of School is Peter McCormack.From 1981...
—the current location opened on February 6, 2007.
Grades 9–12
- Mary Star of the Sea High SchoolMary Star of the Sea High SchoolMary Star of the Sea High School is the only private, Roman Catholic high school in San Pedro which serves the Los Angeles Harbor and surrounding communities. The school is operated by Mary Star of the Sea Parish under the supervision of the Department of Catholic Schools of the Archdiocese of Los...
—Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles
Libraries
Los Angeles Public LibraryLos Angeles Public Library
The Los Angeles Public Library system serves the residents of Los Angeles, California, United States. With over 6 million volumes, LAPL is one of the largest publicly funded library systems in the world. The system is overseen by a Board of Library Commissioners with five members appointed by the...
operates the San Pedro Regional Branch Library at 931 South Gaffey. The library offers free Internet access as well as movies and books. A library card is required for any loan. This library was opened in 1983 in the presence of the late Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley
Tom Bradley (politician)
Thomas J. "Tom" Bradley was the 38th Mayor of Los Angeles, California, serving in that office from 1973 to 1993. He was the first and to date only African American mayor of Los Angeles...
.
Churches and community services
San Pedro has Catholic, Baptist (Southern and American Baptist Association), Pentecostal, Episcopal, Lutheran, Methodist, Mormon, Jewish, Presbyterians, Seventh Day Adventists and Hope Chapel congregations. There are also bilingual churches like the Korean Methodist Church on 6th St, the Primera Iglesia Bautista Mexicana (First Baptist Mexican Church) on Centre and Sepulveda, built in 1922. This church is associated with the American Baptist Churches USA. The Hispanic Salvation Army on Bandini Street and also Faro de Esperanza (Lighthouse of Hope) from the Assemblies of God. In San Pedro, some churches give other community services such as free meals, ESL for Hispanics and computer classes. Homeless people may get free meals thru the First Baptist Church on the 500 block on 7th St or the Mary Star of the Sea church on the 800 block. Along 7th St in San Pedro, there are four congregations: the Beth-el Jewish Synagogue, the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, the First Baptist Church (Southern Association), and the Saints of the Latter Days church (Mormons).Notable residents
- Elmer BattersElmer BattersElmer Batters was a pioneer fetish photographer who specialized in capturing artful images of women with an emphasis on stockings, legs, and feet: ahead of his time in popularizing foot fetishism imagery as erotic entertainment.-Career:Batters started out publishing his photographs himself, and...
, nylon/foot fetish photographer - Mister CartoonMister CartoonMark Machado, better known as Mr. Cartoon or more commonly just Cartoon, is a Mexican American tattoo artist and graffiti artist based in Los Angeles, California....
, Mexican American tattoo artist and graffiti artist - Jay MeuserJay MeuserJay Meuser was an American abstract expressionist painter. Meuser's style was versatile and his works prolific, in his lifetime he worked as an illustrator, portrait painter and cartoonist for several newspaper editorial pages.-Biography:He married Dorothy Ellen Morris in 1938...
, Abstract Expressionist Artist lived in San Pedro from 1944 until his passing away in 1963. A bronze plaque is mounted on a building in his honor in the heart of the art gallery district on 7th Street in San Pedro. - Scott StantisScott StantisScott Brian Stantis is an American editorial cartoonist.-Career:Scott is currently the Editorial Cartoonist for The Chicago Tribune and USA Today. He began his career with The Chicago Tribune on September 1, 2009 following the paper's nine-year search to replace Jeff MacNelly, who died in June 2000...
, Editorial cartoonist for the Chicago Tribune and USA Today and creator of the comic strips "The Buckets" and "Prickly City". Lived in San Pedro 1977–1986 and married a woman from San Pedro.
Acting
- Mike LookinlandMike LookinlandMichael Paul "Mike" Lookinland is an American actor. He is best known for his role as the youngest brother Bobby Brady on The Brady Bunch from 1969 until 1974.-Early life:...
, who played the youngest brother, Bobby Brady, on The Brady Bunch television series from 1969 until 1974, lived in San Pedro while a child actor. - Patrick MuldoonPatrick MuldoonPatrick Muldoon is an American actor.-Early life:Muldoon was born in San Pedro, California, the son of Deanna, a homemaker, and William Patrick Muldoon II, a personal injury lawyer. He is of Irish descent on his father's side and of Croatian descent on his mother's side...
, had regular recurring roles in the well-known soap operas Days of Our Lives and Melrose Place. Starred in 1997 film Starship TroopersStarship TroopersStarship Troopers is a military science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein, first published as a serial in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction and published hardcover in December, 1959.The first-person narrative is about a young soldier from the Philippines named Juan "Johnnie" Rico and his...
. - Sharon TateSharon TateSharon Marie Tate was an American actress. During the 1960s she played small television roles before appearing in several films. After receiving positive reviews for her comedic performances, she was hailed as one of Hollywood's promising newcomers and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for...
, actress and wife of Roman PolanskiRoman PolanskiRoman Polanski is a French-Polish film director, producer, writer and actor. Having made films in Poland, Britain, France and the USA, he is considered one of the few "truly international filmmakers."...
, brutally murdered by the "Manson Family". - D. L. HughleyD. L. HughleyDarryl Lynn "D. L." Hughley is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He is perhaps best known as the star of the ABC/UPN sitcom The Hughleys, and as one of the four comedians featured in the Spike Lee film The Original Kings of Comedy. Additionally, he has been the host of CNN's D. L...
, comedian and actor. Attended San Pedro High School. - Kirk HarrisKirk HarrisActor-writer Kirk Harris has been the lead actor in several films that have had arthouse theatrical releases in the US.He is currently starring in the western thriller "The Sorrow" for director Vernon Mortensen. He stars in the film with newcomer Ryan Ballance, John Savage, Michael Madsen and...
, actor and filmmaker. Starred in Chamaco with Martin Sheen and Michael Madsen, among other films. Lives in South Shores, San Pedro.
Music
- AmbrosiaAmbrosia (band)Ambrosia is an American rock band formed in southern California in 1970. Ambrosia had five Top Forty hit singles between 1975 and 1980.-Formation and inspiration:...
: Well-known classic rock band with top 40 hits including "You're the Biggest Part of Me" and "(That's) How Much I Feel". - John BettisJohn BettisJohn Bettis is an American lyricist who has co-written many famous popular songs over the years. In 2011, John was inducted into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame as well as the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame....
: Lyricist for many big artists including: Michael Jackson, Madonna, The Carpenters, Whitney Houston and others. He has won an Emmy award and has been nominated for an Oscar for his work on the Godfather III theme song. - Minutemen: the band members for the influential and eclectic punk rockPunk rockPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band grew up in San Pedro and the band was formed there. Bassist/songwriter Mike WattMike WattMichael David Watt is an American bassist, singer and songwriter.He is best known for co-founding the rock bands Minutemen, dos, and Firehose; , he is also the bassist for the reunited Stooges and a member of the art rock/jazz/punk/improv group Banyan as well as many other post-Minutemen...
still lives in San Pedro and is an active participant in its music scene. Drummer George HurleyGeorge HurleyGeorge Hurley is a drummer noted for his work with The Minutemen and fIREHOSE.Even though he went to the same high school as D. Boon and Mike Watt he did not meet them until around 1978. That same year, Hurley formed The Reactionaries with Boon, Watt, and Martin Tamburovich...
still lives in San Pedro, as well. - Krist NovoselicKrist NovoselicKrist Anthony Novoselic II is a Croatian-American rock musician, best known for being the bassist and co-founder of the grunge band Nirvana. After Nirvana ended, Novoselic formed Sweet 75 and then Eyes Adrift, releasing one album with each band...
, the bassist of NirvanaNirvana (band)Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
, grew up in San Pedro before moving to Aberdeen, WashingtonAberdeen, WashingtonAberdeen is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States, founded by Samuel Benn in 1884. Aberdeen was incorporated on May 12, 1890. The city is the economic center of Grays Harbor County, bordering the cities of Hoquiam and Cosmopolis...
. - Art PepperArt PepperArt Pepper , born Arthur Edward Pepper, Jr., was an American alto saxophonist and clarinetist.About Pepper, Scott Yanow of All Music stated, "In the 1950s he was one of the few altoists that was able to develop his own sound despite the dominant influence of Charlie Parker" and: "When Art Pepper...
, JazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
saxophonist, was born and raised there. - Brenton WoodBrenton WoodBrenton Wood is an American singer and songwriter, best known for his two 1967 hit singles: "The Oogum Boogum Song" and "Gimme Little Sign".-Career:...
, singer and songwriter, his biggest hit "Gimme Little Sign" reached #9 on the pop charts in 1967. - Eric ErlandsonEric ErlandsonEric Erlandson is an American musician known as the co-founder, former songwriter and lead guitarist of alternative rock band Hole.-Early life and career:...
, co-founder of and lead guitarist for 1990s rock/grunge band HoleHole (band)Hole is an American alternative rock band that originally formed in Los Angeles in 1989. The band is fronted by vocalist/songwriter and rhythm guitarist Courtney Love, who co-founded Hole with former songwriter/lead guitarist Eric Erlandson...
. 1981 graduate of San Pedro High School. He also attended Holy Trinity Catholic School, Dana Junior High School (now Middle School) and Los Angeles Harbor College. - Blu, Rapper was born in San Pedro, California
- Jim KortheJim KortheJim Korthe was an American heavy metal musician. He was a drummer in the 1980s thrash metal band Phantasm and later fronted the nu metal band 3rd Strike.-Life and musical career:...
, vocalist for rap-metal group 3rd Strike3rd Strike3rd Strike was a nu metal group, started by Jim Korthe , Todd Deguchi , Erik Carlsson , PJ McMullan and Gabe Hammersmith . Their lyrics were primarily based upon the former lives of the group's members...
, grew up in San Pedro. He died in his San Pedro home in January 2010. - Mark PowellMark PowellMark Powell may refer to:* Mark Powell , British fashion designer* Mark Powell , American symphony and opera conductor* Mark Powell , American photographer* Mark Powell , Australian footballer...
, artist and drummer of The Get SetThe Get Set-Biography:Formed in 2001, Los Angeles-based The Get Set featured Rob Goraieb and Mark Powell who were previously in the popular rock band Kosmos Express....
, Kosmos ExpressKosmos ExpressKosmos Express was a rock band from the 1990s. They were represented in both the mainstream and Christian market.-Biography:From early 1997 to mid-1998, Kosmos Express released two critically acclaimed records, Now, featuring the hit song “Beautiful”, co-produced by Craig Nepp and Simulcast,...
was born in San Pedro, California - Miguel (singer)Miguel (singer)Miguel Jontel Pimentel, who performs under the mononym Miguel, is an American recording artist, songwriter and producer. Signed to Jive Records in 2007, Miguel released his debut album, All I Want Is You, in November 2010. The album was preceded by the release of the single "All I Want Is You",...
, grew up and went to high school in San Pedro
Politics
- John S. Gibson, Jr.John S. Gibson, Jr.John S. Gibson, Jr. was a powerful San Pedro, California, politician who was on the Los Angeles City Council for thirty years between 1951 and 1981. He was the president of the council for sixteen of those years and was acting mayor when the mayor was out of the city...
, a Los Angeles City CouncilLos Angeles City CouncilThe Los Angeles City Council is the governing body of the City of Los Angeles.The Council is composed of fifteen members elected from single-member districts for four-year terms. The president of the council and the president pro tempore are chosen by the Council at the first regular meeting after...
man, lived there until his death in 1981. - James HahnJames HahnJames Kenneth "Jim" Hahn is an American politician. Hahn was elected the 40th Mayor of Los Angeles in 2001. He served until 2005, at which time he was defeated in his bid for re-election...
, former Mayor of Los Angeles, is a current resident. - Janice HahnJanice HahnJanice Kay Hahn is the U.S. Representative from California's 36th congressional district and a member of the Democratic Party. She was previously a Los Angeles City Councilwoman representing the 15th district from 2001 to 2011...
, current City Councilwoman for the 15th district. - A.E. HenningA.E. HenningAugust E. Henning, known as A.E. Henning, was a civil engineer and businessman who was a member of the Los Angeles City Council between 1929 and 1933, disbursement officer for the California State Emergency Relief Administration from 1934 to 1937 and chief of the Park Division, California...
, Los Angeles, California, City Council member, 1929–33 - Xavier Hermosillo, former Chief of Staff for the State of California Republican Party. Former award-winning newsprint reporter, television commentator and radio talk show host.
- Joe HillJoe HillJoe Hill, born Joel Emmanuel Hägglund in Gävle , and also known as Joseph Hillström was a Swedish-American labor activist, songwriter, and member of the Industrial Workers of the World...
, a radical songwriter, labor activist, and member of the Industrial Workers of the World, lived and worked in San Pedro in the early years of the 20th Century and here began his labor organizing years. - Yuri KochiyamaYuri KochiyamaYuri Kochiyama is a Japanese American human rights activist.Kochiyama was born Mary Yuriko Nakahara in San Pedro, California. After the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Kochiyama's father was imprisoned the same day...
, civil rights activist & Nobel Peace prize nominee. Held a dying Malcolm X in her arms after an assassin had shot him. - Mike LansingMike LansingMichael Thomas Lansing is a former Major League Baseball infielder who played for the Montreal Expos, Colorado Rockies, and the Boston Red Sox between 1993 and 2001...
, school board member for the Los Angeles Unified School District. Also the Executive Director of the Los Angeles Harbor Boys and Girls Club. - Vincent ThomasVincent ThomasVincent Tomasevich-Thomas was a Democratic Party politician from California who represented San Pedro's 68th and 52nd Districts in the California Assembly from 1941 to 1979. -Childhood and education:...
, California Assemblyman representing the 68th (later redrawn as the 52nd) Assembly district from 1940 through 1978. The famous Vincent Thomas BridgeVincent Thomas BridgeThe Vincent Thomas Bridge is a long suspension bridge, opened in 1963, crossing the Los Angeles Harbor in the U.S. state of California, linking San Pedro, Los Angeles, with Terminal Island. The bridge is signed as part of State Route 47. It is named for California Assemblyman Vincent Thomas of San...
is named after him. Thomas lived in San Pedro until his death in 1980,
Science
- John OlguinJohn OlguinJohn Main Olguin was an American aquarium official who served as the museum director of the Cabrillo Marine Museum, which has since been renamed the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, from 1949 until 1987, when he became director emeritus...
, director of the Cabrillo Marine AquariumCabrillo Marine AquariumCabrillo Marine Aquarium is an aquarium in San Pedro, California, United States, a community within Los Angeles. It concentrates on the marine life of Southern California...
from 1949 until 1987. Founder member of the American Cetacean SocietyAmerican Cetacean SocietyFounded in 1967, the American Cetacean Society was the first whale conservation group in the world. ACS is a 501 non-profit organization with an office in San Pedro, California and chapters in Los Angeles, Orange County, Puget Sound , Monterey, San Francisco, and a Student Coalition based out of...
and the "father of recreational whale watching."
Sports
- Joe Amalfitano, long-time third base coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Part of the 1981 and 1988 World Series championship teams.
- Alan AshbyAlan AshbyAlan Dean Ashby is a former catcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays, and Houston Astros...
, Catcher for the Houston AstrosHouston AstrosThe Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
and Toronto Blue JaysToronto Blue JaysThe Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
in the 1970s-1980s. - Denise AustinDenise AustinDenise Austin is an American fitness instructor, author, columnist, and former member of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.-Early life:Austin was born Denise Katnich in San Pedro, California...
, Fitness personality - Ronnie Barber Sr., played tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs in the old AFL.
- James CottonJames CottonJames Cotton is an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter, who has performed and recorded with many of the great blues artists of his time as well as with his own band.-Career:...
, ex-CSULB basketball standout. Sharpshooting guard was selected in the second round by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1997 NBA Draft. Played two seasons for Seattle. - Joe DaneloJoe DaneloJoseph Peter Danelo is a former American football placekicker who played in the National Football League for the Green Bay Packers, the New York Giants, and the Buffalo Bills between 1975 and 1984...
, ex-kicker for the New York Giants - Mario DaneloMario DaneloMario Danelo was an American college football placekicker.-High school career:Danelo was an all–Los Angeles linebacker at San Pedro High School in San Pedro, California. Danelo was also a fullback and kicker at his high school...
, record-setting ex-placekicker for the 2006 NCAA national champion USC Trojans fell to his death in the cliffs overlooking Santa Catalina Island in San Pedro in 2007. - Gary GabelichGary GabelichGary Gabelich was a Croatian-American race car driver who set the land speed record with his rocket-powered vehicle "Blue Flame" on October 23, 1970, achieving an average speed of . Only 13,000 lbs. s.t...
, set the Guinness Book of World Records driving his rocket-powered "Blue Flame" vehicle for a world land speed record of 622.287 M.P.H. at Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah on October 23, 1970. Record stood for 13 years. - Bob GrossBob GrossRobert Edwin Gross is a retired American basketball player formerly in the NBA. A 6'6" 200 lb forward, he attended Seattle University and California State University, Long Beach, and was selected in the 1975 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. He was also selected in the 1975 ABA Draft by...
, starting small forward for the Portland Trail Blazers 1977 NBA championship team. - Brian HarperBrian HarperBrian David Harper is a former catcher in Major League Baseball who played for teams in both the American and National Leagues during his 16-year career and is currently the manager of the Chicago Cubs' AA club, the Tennessee Smokies.-Minor leagues:Harper was drafted by the California Angels in...
, former starting catcher for the 1991 World Champion Minnesota Twins. Manager of Los Angeles Angels triple-A affiliate Salt Lake City Bees. - Dennis JohnsonDennis JohnsonDennis Wayne Johnson nicknamed "DJ", was an American professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association's Seattle SuperSonics, Phoenix Suns and Boston Celtics and coach of the Los Angeles Clippers...
, Boston Celtic and Seattle SuperSonics basketball great in the 1970s and 1980s. Won three NBA championship rings. - Richard Johnson, former USFL and Detroit Lion wide receiver.
- Ed JurakEd JurakEdward James Jurak is an American retired baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball from 1982 through 1989. He played for the Boston Red Sox from 1982 to 1985, the Oakland Athletics in 1988, and the San Francisco Giants in 1989...
, utility infielder for the Boston Red Sox in the 1970s and 1980s. - Andy Lopez, former head baseball coach of at the University of Florida. Coached Pepperdine University in 1992 to the College World Series title. Currently the head baseball coach at the University of Arizona.
- Garry Maddox, 8-time golden glove winning and starting center fielder for the 1980 World Champion Philadelphia Phillies.
- Haven MosesHaven MosesHaven Christopher Moses is a former American football wide receiver. Haven played collegiately for Los Angeles Harbor College and San Diego State University. He was drafted by the American Football League's Buffalo Bills in the first round of the 1968 Draft and played for the Bills from 1968 to...
, former starting wide receiver for the Denver Broncos in the 1970s. Started in Super Bowl XII versus the Dallas Cowboys. - Willie NaullsWillie NaullsWilliam Dean "Willie" Naulls is a retired American basketball player. A 6'6" power forward/center, he played professionally in the National Basketball Association from 1956 to 1966....
, ex-UCLA basketball great. Played power forward/center for New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics. 4-time NBA All-Star with the Knicks in the 1950s. Won 3 NBA Championships with the Celtics in the 1960s. - Robb NenRobb NenRobert Allen Nen is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. He spent most of his career as a closer. He is the son of former major league first baseman Dick Nen. He currently works in the Giants' front office as a special assistant to General Manager Brian Sabean.Nen is best...
, former relief pitcher for the Texas RangersTexas Rangers (baseball)The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
, Florida MarlinsFlorida MarlinsThe Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...
, and San Francisco GiantsSan Francisco GiantsThe San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division.... - Angela NikodinovAngela NikodinovAngela Nikodinov , is an American figure skater. She is the 2000 Four Continents Champion.-Biography:Nikodinov is the daughter of Bulgarian immigrants and speaks Bulgarian fluently...
has finished in the top five in the U.S. National Figure Skating Championships 7 times (1996–2004) and placed 4th in the World in 2002. - Raul Rojas, featherweight boxing champion in the 1960s.
- Norm SchachterNorm SchachterDr. Norm Schachter in Brooklyn, New York was an American football official in the National Football League for 22 years from 1954 to 1975. Over his career in the NFL, he worked three Super Bowls , 11 conference championship games, and was the referee for the first Monday Night Football game in...
, three time Super BowlSuper BowlThe Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
referee in the National Football LeagueNational Football LeagueThe 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...
. - Tim WrightmanTim WrightmanTimothy Jon "Tim" Wrightman is a former professional American football tight end. He played for two seasons for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. Wrightman played college football at UCLA and was drafted in the 3rd round by the Chicago Bears in the 1982 NFL draft...
, ex-UCLA star and starting tight end for the dominant 1985 Super Bowl XX Champion Chicago Bears. - Petros PapadakisPetros PapadakisPetros Papadakis is an American television personality and radio co-host of the Petros and Money Show on Fox Sports Radio. He is a former tailback and American football team captain for the University of Southern California Trojans football team. He is also known as "The P."Papadakis's family...
, Former Captain of USC Trojans Football Team
Writers and poets
- Louis AdamicLouis AdamicLouis Adamic was a Slovenian American author and translator.- Biography :Adamic was born at Praproče Mansion in Praproče near Grosuplje, in what is now Slovenia...
, 1899–1951 Slovenian-American novelist and journalist who wrote about American minorities and immigrants. - Richard ArmourRichard Armour (poet)Richard Willard Armour was an American poet and author who wrote over sixty-five books.-Life and work:Armour was born in San Pedro, Los Angeles, California. His father was a druggist, and Armour's autobiographical Drug Store Days recalls his childhood in both San Pedro and Pomona...
, poet and author who wrote over sixty books, was born in San Pedro on July 25, 1906. - Charles BukowskiCharles BukowskiHenry Charles Bukowski was an American poet, novelist and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural and economic ambience of his home city of Los Angeles...
, author and poet, lived there in his later years.
- "San Pedro is real quiet. It used to be a seaport full of whorehouses and bars. I like the quietness. They ask you how you're doing, they really want to know."
- Richard Henry Dana, Jr.Richard Henry Dana, Jr.Richard Henry Dana Jr. was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts, a descendant of an eminent colonial family who gained renown as the author of the American classic, the memoir Two Years Before the Mast...
author of the famous memoir
Two Years Before the MastTwo Years Before the Mast is a book by the American author Richard Henry Dana, Jr., published in 1840, having been written after a two-year sea voyage starting in 1834. A film adaptation under the same name was released in 1946.- Background :...
. Dana was not a resident but rather a famous visitor to San Pedro, who wrote about the experience in his memoir. San Pedro's first middle school is named after him. - Richard Henry Dana, Jr.
- "Two days brought us to San Pedro, and two days more (to our no small joy) gave us our last view of that place, which was universally called the hell of California and seemed designed in every way for the wear and tear of sailors. Not even the last view could bring out one feeling of regret. No thanks, thought I, as we left the hated shores in the distance, for the hours I have walked over your stones barefooted, with hides on my head, -- for the burdens I have carried up your steep, muddy hill, --for the duckings in your surf; and for the long days and longer nights passed on your desolate hill, watching piles of hides, hearing the sharp bark of your eternal coyotes, and the dismal hooting of your owls." Excerpt from Two Years Before the MastTwo Years Before the MastTwo Years Before the Mast is a book by the American author Richard Henry Dana, Jr., published in 1840, having been written after a two-year sea voyage starting in 1834. A film adaptation under the same name was released in 1946.- Background :...
[At the time, San Pedro had no dock. Everything had to be loaded onto smaller boats and rowed ashore.]- Jeanne Wakatsuki HoustonJeanne Wakatsuki HoustonJeanne Wakatsuki Houston is an American writer. Her writings are mostly focused on the ethnic diversity of the United States...
, author of the popular memoir
Farewell to ManzanarFarewell to Manzanar is a memoir published in 1973 by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston. It was adapted in the form of a television movie in 1976 starring Yuki Shimoda, Nobu McCarthy, Pat Morita, and Mako....
on the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. She briefly lived in East San Pedro (Terminal IslandTerminal IslandTerminal Island is an island located in Los Angeles County, California between Los Angeles Harbor and Long Beach Harbor. Originally a mudflat known to the Spanish as Isla Raza de Buena Gente, and later called Rattlesnake Island, it has officially been Terminal Island since 1918...
). - Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston
- "In those days it [East San Pedro] was a company town, a ghetto owned and controlled by the canneries. The men went after fish, and whenever the boats came back-day or night-the woman would be called to process the catch while it was fresh. One in the afternoon or four in the morning, it made no difference...I can still hear the whistle--two toots for French's, three for Van Camp's--and she [Mom] and Chizu would be out of bed in the middle of the night, heading for the cannery." Excerpt from Farewell to ManzanarFarewell to ManzanarFarewell to Manzanar is a memoir published in 1973 by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston. It was adapted in the form of a television movie in 1976 starring Yuki Shimoda, Nobu McCarthy, Pat Morita, and Mako....
- Louis L'AmourLouis L'AmourLouis Dearborn L'Amour was an American author. His books consisted primarily of Western fiction novels , however he also wrote historical fiction , science fiction , nonfiction , as well as poetry and short-story collections. Many of his stories were made into movies...
, Western Fiction Writer. 1
- Louis L'Amour
- "The worst times were when he was "on the beach" - on shore, in San Pedro, California, between ships and broke. "I slept in boxcars and under piles of lumber, and took jobs no one else wanted. I was 18 and looked 24. There were several times I went three and four days without eating. I didn't beg or steal, just went without. I'd like to recover for my readers what it's really like to be hungry. I have a penchant for stories about survival, lessons in survival. I've been a survivor most of my life." L'Amour chronicled some of his experiences on the beach in San Pedro in is 1980 book YonderingYonderingYondering is a collection of short stories by popular American author Louis L'Amour. Rather than deal with L'Amour's traditional subject matter of the Old West, Yondering contains adventure stories, primarily set in the first half of the 20th century...
.."- Sandrot Meallet, author of the novel
- "Meallet calls the people he grew up with in the Rancho San Pedro Housing Project ' the most wonderful people I ever knew. These kids had to grow up in a constant state of cultural crisis, always reacting to the police, their messed up parents, and neighborhood gang leaders. It takes superhuman strength to get through it and be aware.' "
- Scott O'DellScott O'DellScott O'Dell was an American children's author who wrote 26 novels for young people, along with three novels for adults and four nonfiction books...
, author of young-adult literature, lived in East San Pedro (Terminal Island) during his childhood.
- Scott O'Dell
- "Island of the Blue DolphinsIsland of the Blue DolphinsIsland of the Blue Dolphins is a 1960 American children's novel written by Scott O'Dell. The story of a young girl stranded for years on an island off the California coast, it is based on the true story of Juana Maria, a Nicoleño Indian left alone for 18 years on San Nicolas Island in the 19th...
, though it is based upon the true story of a girl who lived alone on a California island for eighteen years, came from the memory of my years at San Pedro and Dead Man's IslandDeadman's Island (San Pedro)Deadman's Island was one of two islands near San Pedro, Los Angeles, California in the 19th century. The land, sometimes referenced as Dead Man's Island, Isla Del Muerto, and Reservation Point, was dredged away in 1928 as part of a harbor development effort...
, when, with other boys my age, I voyaged out on summer mornings in search of adventure."- John ShannonJohn Shannon (novelist)John Shannon is a contemporary American author, lately of detective fiction. He began his career with four well-reviewed novels in the 1970s and 1980s, then in 1996 launched the Jack Liffey mystery series...
, Mystery Novelist
- John Shannon
- "It was interesting. San Pedro may have been the last great place to grow up in the L.A. area -- a harbor, a real sense of community, a real Left, even a literary history: Charles BukowskiCharles BukowskiHenry Charles Bukowski was an American poet, novelist and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural and economic ambience of his home city of Los Angeles...
, Louis AdamicLouis AdamicLouis Adamic was a Slovenian American author and translator.- Biography :Adamic was born at Praproče Mansion in Praproče near Grosuplje, in what is now Slovenia...
, even Richard Henry Dana stayed [here] for a time. I could ride the ferry across to Terminal Island, hang out at the docks, walk down the harbor among the commercial fishing boats with old Sicilians and Croatians mending their nets, catch crawdads in Averill Park."- Diana L Guerrero, author of
- "San Pedro was a great place to grow up because it was such a close knit fishing village that helped me develop love for animals and the environment. My connection with nature and animals began at our home near the cliffs of Royal Palms and my professional path began at the Cabrillo Beach Museum under the tutelage of John Olguin. John was the first to put me in front of an audience. As for my writing? In the 9th grade we produced a magazine called, "The Perpetual Wave" and I believe that the article inside the magazine was my first published work.
Film and television
- Anthony "Twan" Huljev, a filmmaker (of Croatian ancestryCroatsCroats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
, born and raised in San Pedro), producer of the award-winning underground film "Night Train"Night Train (1999 film)Night Train is a 1999 film directed by Les Bernstien and starring John Voldstad, Barry Cutler, Nikoletta Skarlatos, Pedro Aldana, Donna Pieroni and Dan Shor. Night Train was filmed almost entirely in the border city of Tijuana, Mexico....
which won awards for Best CinematographyCinematographyCinematography is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography...
and Best New Director at the 2000 FantaSporto International Film Festival in Porto, PortugalPortoPorto , also known as Oporto in English, is the second largest city in Portugal and one of the major urban areas in the Iberian Peninsula. Its administrative limits include a population of 237,559 inhabitants distributed within 15 civil parishes...
. Son of Vladimir Huljev (co-founder of the American-Croatian ClubCroatian-AmericanCroatian Americans are citizens of the United States of Croatian descent.-Numbers:According to the 2007 US Community Survey, there are 420,763 Americans of full or partial Croatian descent....
in 1958, annexing the Croatian Hall in the early 1970s). Grandson of Vido Druskovich, a fisherman on the locally legendary fishing vessel "San Pedro Boy", on which he lost his life in April 1971. From 1999 to 2006, Anthony was the Los Angeles Regional Director for Burning ManBurning ManBurning Man is a week-long annual event held in the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada, in the United States. The event starts on the Monday before the American Labor Day holiday, and ends on the holiday itself. It takes its name from the ritual burning of a large wooden effigy on Saturday evening...
http://regionals.burningman.com/; from 1998 to 2002 he produced the Burning Man Opera http://www.burningmanopera.org/. Owner of extensive email lists and blogs featuring art, music, film, entertainment, and events in southern California http://www.twanslist.com, as well as casino gaming: poker, blackjack, casino games, sports betting http://www.poker-finder.com, and horse racing. Anthony maintains close ties to the San Pedro community, with many family members and friends in residence, including Minutemen founder Mike WattMike WattMichael David Watt is an American bassist, singer and songwriter.He is best known for co-founding the rock bands Minutemen, dos, and Firehose; , he is also the bassist for the reunited Stooges and a member of the art rock/jazz/punk/improv group Banyan as well as many other post-Minutemen...
and former KXLUKXLUKXLU is an FM radio station broadcasting out of Loyola Marymount University in southwest Los Angeles, California. It was first on the air in 1957, and recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. It is a non-commercial college radio station that plays many styles of music broadly classified under...
radio personality Brother Matt Matich, with whom he is an occasional guest on The Watt From Pedro Show http://twfps.com/. Anthony lived next door to musician Krist NovoselicKrist NovoselicKrist Anthony Novoselic II is a Croatian-American rock musician, best known for being the bassist and co-founder of the grunge band Nirvana. After Nirvana ended, Novoselic formed Sweet 75 and then Eyes Adrift, releasing one album with each band...
, a fellow Croatian-American, when Krist lived with his family in San Pedro, prior to their moving to Aberdeen, WashingtonAberdeen, WashingtonAberdeen is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States, founded by Samuel Benn in 1884. Aberdeen was incorporated on May 12, 1890. The city is the economic center of Grays Harbor County, bordering the cities of Hoquiam and Cosmopolis...
where, some years later, Krist became the bassist in the rock band NirvanaNirvana (band)Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
. - Lincoln Ruchti - Director of the documentary Chasing Ghosts: Beyond the ArcadeChasing Ghosts: Beyond the ArcadeChasing Ghosts: Beyond the Arcade is a documentary film directed by Lincoln Ruchti about the golden age of video arcade games. The film premiered January 22, 2007 at the Sundance Film Festival and has also been shown at the 2007 Los Angeles Film Festival, as well as other film...
- Robert TowneRobert TowneRobert Towne is an American screenwriter and director. His most notable work may be his Academy Award-winning original screenplay for Roman Polanski's Chinatown .-Film:...
, writer, director, producer, actor. Raised in San Pedro. His father owned a popular dress shop that was on 6th Street. One of the best script doctors in Hollywood, he contributed crucial scenes to such films as Bonnie and ClydeBonnie and Clyde (film)The film was originally offered to François Truffaut, the best-known director of the New Wave movement, who made contributions to the script. He passed on the project to make Fahrenheit 451. The producers approached Jean-Luc Godard next...
(1967) and The GodfatherThe GodfatherThe Godfather is a 1972 American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. With a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola and an uncredited Robert Towne, the film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard...
(1972). Also wrote Chinatown (1974), Mission: ImpossibleMission: Impossible (film)Mission: Impossible is a 1996 action thriller directed by Brian De Palma and starring Tom Cruise. Following on from the television series of the same name, the plot follows a new agent, Ethan Hunt and his mission to uncover the mole within the CIA who has framed him for the murders of his entire...
(1996), Mission: Impossible IIMission: Impossible IIMission: Impossible II is a 2000 action film directed by John Woo, and starring Tom Cruise, who also served as the film's producer...
(2000), The Last DetailThe Last DetailThe Last Detail is a 1973 American comedy-drama film directed by Hal Ashby with a screenplay adapted by Robert Towne from a novel of the same name by Daryl Ponicsan. The film became known for its frequent use of profanity.-Plot:...
(1973), ShampooShampoo (film)Shampoo is a 1975 satirical film written by Robert Towne and directed by Hal Ashby. It stars Warren Beatty, Julie Christie and Goldie Hawn, with Lee Grant, Jack Warden, Tony Bill and in an early film appearance, Carrie Fisher....
(1975). The Writers Guild of America, westWriters Guild of America, westWriters Guild of America, West is a labor union representing film, television, radio, and new media writers. The Guild was formed in 1954 from five organizations representing writers, which include the Screen Writers Guild...
recently ranked Chinatown, behind only CasablancaCasablanca (film)Casablanca is a 1942 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid, and featuring Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre and Dooley Wilson. Set during World War II, it focuses on a man torn between, in...
and The Godfather, as the third greatest English language screenplay of all time. - Peter V. Manghera, hosted a Public-access televisionPublic-access televisionPublic-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...
talk show on cable TV. The series was created and produced with his brother Jeff Manghera, who handled the production chores. Their show, Pete's Place, was broadcast on Cox Communications Inc., Palos Verdes (previously Dimension Cable) from February 1994 to December 2008 and had included many notable personages, including Rep. Jane Harmon (D-CA), Mayor James Hahn, and District Attorneys Steve Cooley and Gil Garcetti. The series ended production in December 2008 when the Public-access televisionPublic-access televisionPublic-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...
cable TV channel and production studios were eliminated by Cox Communications, Inc.. - Enzo Giobbe - Director of photography on many Hollywood and European movies. Director and cinematographer on some of the most popular music videos during the 1980s. Raised in San Pedro. His father was a well known commercial fisherman who owned several fishing boats. His mother owned a popular children's clothing store on 6th Street.
The Infamous
- Joe "Pegleg" Morgan, ex-godfather of the Mexican MafiaMexican MafiaThe Mexican Mafia , also known as La Eme , 13 is a Mexican American criminal organization, and is one of the oldest and most powerful prison gangs in the United States.-Foundation:...
prison gang. Joe, who was of Croatian-American heritage spent his early years in San Pedro. Moved to East L.A. in his teens. He was the link between the Mexican Mafia and the West Coast Italian crime syndicates criminal activities of the 1970s. Joe Morgan was the character " JD " in Edward James OlmosEdward James OlmosEdward James Olmos is an American actor and director. Among his most memorable roles are William Adama in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica, Lt...
1992 movie American MeAmerican MeAmerican Me is a 1992 biographical crime drama film produced and directed by Edward James Olmos, his first film as a director, and written by Floyd Mutrux and Desmond Nakano. Olmos also stars as the film's protagonist, Montoya Santana...
.
Television
- NCIS: Los Angeles (2009)
- Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2009)
- Mad MenMad MenMad Men is an American dramatic television series created and produced by Matthew Weiner. The series premiered on Sunday evenings on the American cable network AMC and are produced by Lionsgate Television. It premiered on July 19, 2007, and completed its fourth season on October 17, 2010. Each...
(2007)- in Season 2, Episode 12 - The Mountain King, scenes are shot in San Pedro near Point Fermin and Cabrillo Beach. The original Don's wife, Anna Draper, is shown to live in the area.
- "Don disembarks from a bus at San Pedro, pauses to look around in a picturesque manner, and heads on his way."
- "It appears that Don and Anna lived for a time in the San Pedro area of L.A."
- in Season 2, Episode 12 - The Mountain King, scenes are shot in San Pedro near Point Fermin and Cabrillo Beach. The original Don's wife, Anna Draper, is shown to live in the area.
- DexterDexter (TV series)Dexter is an American television drama series, which debuted on Showtime on October 1, 2006. The sixth season premiered on October 2, 2011. The series centers on Dexter Morgan , a bloodstain pattern analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department who moonlights as a serial killer...
(2006)- Episode: Born Free (2006)
- Episode: Dex, Lies, and Videotape (2007)
- Episode: Waiting to Exhale (2007)
- Episode: Dex, Lies, and Videotape (2007)
- Episode: Our Father (2008)
- Episode: Do You Take Dexter Morgan? (2008)
- Episode: Finding Freebo (2008)
- Episode: The Damage a Man Can Do (2008)
- Episode: Blinded by the Light (2009)
- The O.C.The O.C.The O.C. is an American teen drama television series that originally aired on the Fox television network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 21, 2007, running a total of four seasons...
(2003)- The popular television show The O.C. filmed on location in San Pedro; footage taken include 5 scenes in 4 different episodes.
- Season 1, Episode 21: "The Goodbye Girl"
- Season 1, Episode 24: "The Proposal"
- Season 1, Episode 24: "The Proposal"
- Season 3, Episode 5: "The Perfect Storm"
- Season 3, Episode 1:"The Aftermath"
- Covert Action (2002)
- CSI: MiamiCSI: MiamiCSI: 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....
(2002)- TV-Series 2002–Present
- TV-Series 2002–2003
- Robbery Homicide Division (2002)
- TV-Series 2002–2003
- 2424 (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...
(2001)- TV-Series 2001-????
- AliasAlias (TV series)Alias is an American action television series created by J. J. Abrams which was broadcast on ABC for five seasons, from September 30, 2001 to May 22, 2006...
(2001)- TV-Series 2001–2006
- Fear FactorFear FactorFear Factor is an American stunt/dare reality game show. The original Dutch version was called Now or Neverland. When Endemol USA and NBC adapted it to the American market in 2001, they changed the name to Fear Factor. The show pits contestants against each other in a variety of stunts for a...
(2001)- TV-Series 2001–2006
- Power Rangers in SpacePower Rangers in SpacePower Rangers in Space is a television show that aired in 1998 as the sixth season and fourth installment of the Power Rangers franchise...
(1998)- TV-Series 1998–1999
- RiptideRiptide (TV series)Riptide is a TV detective series that ran on NBC from 1983 to 1986, starring Perry King, Joe Penny, and Thom Bray. Riptide was created by Frank Lupo and Stephen J. Cannell, and produced by Stephen J. Cannell Productions. The main theme was composed by Mike Post and Pete Carpenter...
(1984)- TV-Series 1984–1986
- Cousin Skeeter (1998)
- 240-Robert (1979)
- TV-Series 1979–1981
- Waterfront (1954)
- TV-Series 1954–1956
- My So-Called LifeMy So-Called LifeMy So-Called Life is an American teen drama television series created by Winnie Holzman and produced by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz. It originally aired on ABC from August 25, 1994, to January 26, 1995 and was distributed by The Bedford Falls Company with ABC Productions. Set at the...
(1994) was filmed at San Pedro High School. - Mr Show with Bob and David (1998)Season 4 Episode 5
- "Knight Rider"
- TV-Series 1982–1986
- "Wonder Woman"
- TV-Series 1975–1979
- "The A-Team"
- TV-Series 1983–1987
- "Who's the Boss"
- TV-Series 1977
- The San Pedro Beach Bums
Film
- The community of San Pedro, California is a very popular location for filming. Films shot in San Pedro include:
- The Most Dangerous GameThe Most Dangerous Game"The Most Dangerous Game", also published as "The Hounds of Zaroff", is a short story by Richard Connell. It was published in Collier's Weekly on January 19, 1924....
is a 1932 film adaptation of the 1924 short story of the same name by Richard ConnellRichard ConnellRichard Edward Connell Jr. was an American author and journalist, probably best remembered for his short story "The Most Dangerous Game". Connell was one of the most popular American short story writers of his time and his stories appeared in the Saturday Evening Post and Collier's Weekly...
. - Landmark black-and-white 1933 horror/adventure film King KongKing Kong (1933 film)King Kong is a Pre-Code 1933 fantasy monster adventure film co-directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, and written by Ruth Rose and James Ashmore Creelman after a story by Cooper and Edgar Wallace. The film tells of a gigantic island-dwelling apeman creature called Kong who dies in...
. - Iconic 1936 comedy film by Charles Chaplin about the Great DepressionGreat DepressionThe Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, Modern TimesModern Times (film)Modern Times is a 1936 comedy film by Charlie Chaplin that has his iconic Little Tramp character struggling to survive in the modern, industrialized world. The film is a comment on the desperate employment and fiscal conditions many people faced during the Great Depression, conditions created, in...
. - Classic 1937 comedy film Nothing SacredNothing Sacred (film)Nothing Sacred is a 1937 Technicolor screwball comedy film made by Selznick International Pictures and distributed by United Artists. It was directed by William A. Wellman and produced by David O. Selznick, from a screenplay credited to Ben Hecht, based on a story by James H. Street...
. - Academy Award nominated American film The Long Voyage HomeThe Long Voyage HomeThe Long Voyage Home is an American drama film and directed by John Ford. It features John Wayne, Thomas Mitchell, Ian Hunter, Barry Fitzgerald, Wilfrid Lawson, John Qualen, Mildred Natwick, Ward Bond, among others....
released in 1940 and directed by John FordJohn FordJohn Ford was an American film director. He was famous for both his westerns such as Stagecoach, The Searchers, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and adaptations of such classic 20th-century American novels as The Grapes of Wrath...
. - Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc. (1941) the RepublicRepublicA republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
Movie serial. - Raging Bull, which stars Robert De NiroRobert De NiroRobert De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film roles were in Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets, both in 1973...
, who won an Academy Award for the part, as Jake LaMottaJake LaMottaGiacobbe LaMotta , better known as Jake LaMotta, nicknamed "The Bronx Bull" and "The Raging Bull", is a former American world middleweight champion boxer...
. - Escape from the Planet of the ApesEscape from the Planet of the ApesEscape from the Planet of the Apes, directed by Don Taylor, is a 1971 science fiction film starring Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Bradford Dillman and Ricardo Montalbán. It is the third of five films in the original Planet of the Apes series produced by Arthur P. Jacobs, the second being Beneath the...
, the 1971 science fiction film starring Roddy McDowallRoddy McDowallRoderick Andrew Anthony Jude "Roddy" McDowall was an English actor and photographer. His film roles included Cornelius and Caesar in the Planet of the Apes film series...
, Kim HunterKim HunterKim Hunter was an American film, theatre, and television actress. She won both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, each as Best Supporting Actress, for her performance as Stella Kowalski in the 1951 film A Streetcar Named Desire...
, and Bradford DillmanBradford Dillman-Early life:Bradford Dillman was born on April 14, 1930 in San Francisco, California, the son of Josephine and Dean Dillman, a stockbroker. He studied at Town School for Boys and St. Ignatius High School. Later he attended the Hotchkiss boarding school in Connecticut, where he became involved in...
. It is the second sequel to the Planet of the ApesPlanet of the Apes (1968 film)Planet of the Apes is a 1968 American science fiction film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, based on the 1963 French novel La Planète des singes by Pierre Boulle. The film stars Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, James Whitmore, James Daly and Linda Harrison...
movie of 1968, the first sequel being Beneath the Planet of the ApesBeneath the Planet of the ApesBeneath the Planet of the Apes is a 1970 American science fiction film directed by Ted Post and written by Paul Dehn. It is the second of five films in the original Planet of the Apes series produced by Arthur P. Jacobs...
(1970). - Chinatown, the 1974 film directed by Roman PolanskiRoman PolanskiRoman Polanski is a French-Polish film director, producer, writer and actor. Having made films in Poland, Britain, France and the USA, he is considered one of the few "truly international filmmakers."...
featuring many elements of the film noirFilm noirFilm noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
genre, particularly a multi-layered story that is part mysteryMystery filmMystery film is a sub-genre of the more general category of crime film and at times the thriller genre. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of a crime by means of clues, investigation, and clever deduction.The...
and part psychological drama. The movie won several high-profile awards, including an Academy Award in 1975 for Best Writing and Original Screenplay for Robert TowneRobert TowneRobert Towne is an American screenwriter and director. His most notable work may be his Academy Award-winning original screenplay for Roman Polanski's Chinatown .-Film:...
. - Private BenjaminPrivate BenjaminPrivate Benjamin is a 1980 American comedy film starring Goldie Hawn. The film was one of the biggest box office hits of 1980, and also spawned a short-lived television series. The film is ranked 82 on the American Film Institute's "100 Funniest Movies" poll, and 59 on Bravo's "100 Funniest...
, the 1980 comedy film which tells the story of Judy, a wealthy Jewish woman, who joins the Army when her new husband dies on their wedding night. - Swing ShiftSwing Shift (film)Swing Shift is a 1984 feature film directed by Jonathan Demme and produced by and starring Goldie Hawn with Kurt Russell. It also starred Christine Lahti, Fred Ward and Ed Harris...
, the 1984 feature film directed by Jonathan DemmeJonathan DemmeRobert Jonathan Demme is an American filmmaker, producer and screenwriter. Best known for directing The Silence of the Lambs, which won him the Academy Award for Best Director, he has also directed the acclaimed movies Philadelphia, Rachel Getting Married, the Talking Heads concert movie Stop...
and produced by and starring Goldie HawnGoldie HawnGoldie Jeanne Hawn is an American actress, film director, producer, and occasional singer. Hawn is known for her roles in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Private Benjamin, Foul Play, Overboard, Bird on a Wire, Death Becomes Her, The First Wives Club, and Cactus Flower, for which she won the 1969...
with Kurt RussellKurt RussellKurt Vogel Russell is an American television and film actor. His first acting roles were as a child in television series, including a lead role in the Western series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters...
. It also starred Christine LahtiChristine LahtiChristine Lahti is an American actress and film director. Lahti has had a successful career in television and film. Throughout her career she has garnered 2 Golden Globe Awards from 8 Nominations, An Emmy Award from 6 Nominations and 2 Academy Award nominations...
. - To Live and Die in L.A., the neo-noirNeo-noirNeo-noir is a style often seen in modern motion pictures and other forms that prominently utilize elements of film noir, but with updated themes, content, style, visual elements or media that were absent in films noir of the 1940s and 1950s.-History:The term Film Noir was coined by...
American film released in 1985 and directed by William FriedkinWilliam FriedkinWilliam Friedkin is an American film director, producer and screenwriter best known for directing The French Connection in 1971 and The Exorcist in 1973; for the former, he won the Academy Award for Best Director...
. The movie is based on the novel written by former Secret ServiceUnited States Secret ServiceThe United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...
Agent Gerald Petievich, who co-wrote the screenplay with Friedkin. The picture stars William L. Petersen, Willem DafoeWillem DafoeWillem Dafoe is an American film, stage, and voice actor, and a founding member of the experimental theatre company The Wooster Group...
, John TurturroJohn TurturroJohn Michael Turturro is an American actor, writer and director known for his roles in the films Do the Right Thing , Miller's Crossing , Barton Fink , Quiz Show , The Big Lebowski , O Brother, Where Art Thou? and the Transformers film series...
, John PankowJohn PankowJohn Pankow is an American film and stage actor. He is perhaps best known for a supporting role on the sitcom Mad About You .-Early life:...
, and others. The film tells the story of how two U.S. Secret Service agents set out to arrest a counterfeiter, using any means necessary. The agents do not let the law stand in their way. - Wanted: Dead or Alive is a 1987 film directed by Gary Sherman and starring Rutger Hauer as Nick Randall, the descendant of the character played by Steve McQueen in the television series of the same name.
- The 1987 film Some Kind of Wonderful stars Eric StoltzEric StoltzEric Hamilton Stoltz is an American actor, director and producer. He is widely known for playing the role of Rocky Dennis in the biographical drama film Mask, which earned him the nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture...
, Lea ThompsonLea ThompsonLea Katherine Thompson is an American actress and director. She is best known for her 1990s NBC situation comedy Caroline in the City and her portrayal of Lorraine Baines McFly, Marty McFly's mother, in the Back to the Future trilogy...
, and Mary Stuart MastersonMary Stuart MastersonMary Stuart Masterson is an American film, stage and television actress and director.-Early life:Masterson was born in New York City to writer/director Peter Masterson and actress Carlin Glynn. She has two siblings: Peter Masterson Jr., and Alexandra Masterson, who are both involved in the...
. It was one of the many successful teen dramas written by John Hughes in the 1980s, although this one was directed by Howard DeutchHoward DeutchHoward Deutch is an American film director. His most recent theatrical release was My Best Friend's Girl, starring Jason Biggs, Kate Hudson, Dane Cook, and Alec Baldwin...
. The film's title comes from a song written by John EllisonJohn EllisonJohn Ellison is an American/Canadian musician, best known for writing the song "Some Kind of Wonderful". He was born in Landgraff, a small, poverty-stricken coal mining village near Welch, West Virginia, on August 11, 1941, and is a dual citizen of the United States and Canada, receiving his...
that was a hit for Grand Funk RailroadGrand Funk RailroadGrand Funk Railroad is an American rock band that was highly popular during the 1970s. Grand Funk Railroad toured constantly to packed arenas worldwide. A popular take on the band during its heyday was that, although the critics hated them, audiences loved them...
. - A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream MasterA Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream MasterA Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master is a 1988 American slasher film and the fourth film in the Nightmare on Elm Street series. The film was directed by Renny Harlin.-Plot:...
is the fourth film in the A Nightmare on Elm StreetA Nightmare on Elm StreetA Nightmare on Elm Street is a 1984 American slasher film directed and written by Wes Craven, and the first film of the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. The film features Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, Ronee Blakley, Amanda Wyss, Jsu Garcia, Robert Englund, and Johnny Depp in his feature film...
series. It was released in 1988. The film was directed by Renny HarlinRenny HarlinRenny Harlin is a Finnish-American film director and producer. He is best known for Die Hard 2 , Cliffhanger , The Long Kiss Goodnight and Deep Blue Sea...
. - The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, the 1988 comedy film, the first in a series of movies starring Leslie NielsenLeslie NielsenLeslie William Nielsen, OC was a Canadian and naturalized American actor and comedian. Nielsen appeared in more than one hundred films and 1,500 television programs over the span of his career, portraying more than 220 characters...
, Priscilla PresleyPriscilla PresleyPriscilla Presley is an American actress and businesswoman. She is the ex-wife of singer Elvis Presley, and the mother of singer-songwriter Lisa Marie Presley....
, George Kennedy, and O. J. SimpsonO. J. SimpsonOrenthal James "O. J." Simpson , nicknamed "The Juice", is a retired American collegiate and professional football player, football broadcaster, and actor...
. - Colors the 1988 film starring Sean PennSean PennSean Justin Penn is an American actor, screenwriter and film director, also known for his political and social activism...
and Robert DuvallRobert DuvallRobert Selden Duvall is an American actor and director. He has won an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards and a BAFTA over the course of his career....
and directed by Dennis HopperDennis HopperDennis Lee Hopper was an American actor, filmmaker and artist. As a young man, Hopper became interested in acting and eventually became a student of the Actors' Studio. He made his first television appearance in 1954 and appeared in two films featuring James Dean, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant...
. The rest of the cast includes stars such as: Glenn PlummerGlenn PlummerGlenn E. Plummer is an American film and television actor.Plummer was born in Richmond, California. He has appeared in numerous films and television series, primarily in supporting roles or small bit parts, such as High Top in Colors. His prominent roles came in the films Menace II Society, Speed,...
, Grand L. BushGrand L. BushGrand Lee Bush is an American actor of stage, television and major motion pictures.-Personal life:Bush was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Essie and Robert Bush, who was an actor...
, Don CheadleDon CheadleDonald Frank "Don" Cheadle, Jr. is an American film actor and producer. Cheadle rose to prominence in the late 1990s and the early 2000s for his supporting roles in the Steven Soderbergh-directed films Out of Sight, Traffic, and Ocean's Eleven...
, Damon WayansDamon WayansDamon Kyle Wayans is an American stand-up comedian, writer and actor, one of the Wayans brothers.-Early life:Wayans was born in New York City, New York, the son of Elvira, a homemaker and social worker, and Howell Wayans, a supermarket manager...
, Leon RobinsonLeon RobinsonLeon Preston Robinson IV usually credited as simply Leon, is an American actor and singer, who began his professional career as an actor in 1981.-Personal life:...
, and María Conchita AlonsoMaria Conchita AlonsoMaría Conchita Alonso , better known as María Conchita, is a Venezuelan Grammy Award-nominated singer and actress.- Early life :...
. - The AbyssThe AbyssThe Abyss is a 1989 science fiction film written and directed by James Cameron. It stars Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and Michael Biehn. The original musical score was composed by Alan Silvestri...
is a 1989 science fictionScience fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
film which was written and directed by James CameronJames CameronJames Francis Cameron is a Canadian-American film director, film producer, screenwriter, editor, environmentalist and inventor...
, starring Ed HarrisEd HarrisEdward Allen "Ed" Harris is an American actor, writer, and director, known for his performances in Appaloosa, Radio, The Rock, The Abyss, Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, A History of Violence, and The Truman Show. Harris has also narrated commercials for The Home Depot and other companies...
, Mary Elizabeth MastrantonioMary Elizabeth MastrantonioMary Elizabeth Mastrantonio is an American actress and singer known for her role as Carmen in The Color of Money, as well as for her roles as Lindsey Brigman in The Abyss, Gina Montana in Scarface, and Maid Marian in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.-Personal life:Mastrantonio was born in Lombard,...
, and Michael BiehnMichael BiehnMichael Connell Biehn is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in James Cameron's science fiction action films The Terminator as Kyle Reese, Aliens as Cpl. Dwayne Hicks, and The Abyss as Lt. Coffey. He has also acted in such films as Tombstone, The Rock, and Planet Terror...
. - The Hunt for Red OctoberThe Hunt for Red OctoberThe Hunt for Red October is a 1984 novel by Tom Clancy. The story follows the intertwined adventures of Soviet submarine captain Marko Aleksandrovich Ramius and CIA analyst Jack Ryan.The novel was originally published by the U.S...
the 1990 film based on the best-selling novel of the same name. - Boyz n the HoodBoyz N the HoodBoyz n the Hood is a 1991 American hood film written and directed by John Singleton. Starring Cuba Gooding, Jr., Ice Cube, Laurence Fishburne, Morris Chestnut, Nia Long, Angela Bassett and Regina King, the film depicts life in poor South Central Los Angeles, California and was filmed and released...
, rapper Ice Cube's first production film in 1991. - Successful 1992 film A Few Good MenA Few Good Men (film)A Few Good Men is a 1992 drama film directed by Rob Reiner and starring Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, and Demi Moore. It was adapted for the screen by Aaron Sorkin from his play of the same name. A courtroom drama, the film revolves around the trial of two U.S...
, starring the star packed cast of Tom CruiseTom CruiseThomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....
, Demi MooreDemi MooreDemi Guynes Kutcher , known professionally as Demi Moore, is an American actress. After minor roles in film and a role in the soap opera General Hospital, Moore established her career in films such as St...
, Jack NicholsonJack NicholsonJohn Joseph "Jack" Nicholson is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is renowned for his often dark portrayals of neurotic characters. Nicholson has been nominated for an Academy Award twelve times, and has won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice: for One Flew Over the...
, Kevin PollakKevin PollakKevin Elliot Pollak is an American actor, impressionist, game show host, and comedian. He started performing stand-up comedy at the age of 10 and touring professionally at the age of 20...
, Kevin BaconKevin BaconKevin Norwood Bacon is an American film and theater actor whose notable roles include Animal House, Diner, Footloose, Flatliners, Wild Things, A Few Good Men, JFK, Apollo 13, Mystic River, The Woodsman, Trapped, Friday the 13th, Hollow Man, Tremors, Death Sentence, Frost/Nixon, Crazy, Stupid, Love....
, J. T. WalshJ. T. WalshJames Thomas Patrick "J. T." Walsh was an American character actor. He appeared in many well-known films, including Nixon, Hoffa, A Few Good Men, Backdraft, Miracle on 34th Street, Breakdown, and Good Morning, Vietnam.Walsh was known for his roles as "quietly sinister white-collar sleazeballs"...
and Kiefer SutherlandKiefer SutherlandKiefer Sutherland is an English-born Canadian actor, producer and director, best known for his portrayal of Jack Bauer on the Fox thriller drama series 24 for which he has won an Emmy Award , a Golden Globe award , two Screen Actors Guild Awards and two Satellite...
. - Clear and Present DangerClear and Present Danger (film)Clear and Present Danger is a 1994 film directed by Phillip Noyce, based on the book of the same name by Tom Clancy. It is a subsequent release to the 1992 film Patriot Games, which in itself is a subsequent release to the 1990 film The Hunt for Red October.It is the last film to feature Harrison...
the 1994 film directed by Phillip NoycePhillip NoycePhillip Noyce is an Australian film director.-Life and career:Noyce was born in Griffith, New South Wales, attended Barker College, Sydney, and began making short films at the age of 18, starting with Better to Reign in Hell, using his friends as the cast...
, based on the book of the same name by Tom ClancyTom ClancyThomas Leo "Tom" Clancy, Jr. is an American author, best known for his technically detailed espionage, military science, and techno thriller storylines set during and in the aftermath of the Cold War, along with video games on which he did not work, but which bear his name for licensing and...
; starring Harrison Ford. - Heat the 1995 remake of L.A. TakedownL.A. TakedownL.A. Takedown is a crime/thriller made for TV movie that aired on NBC on August 27, 1989 at 9 pm. It was written and directed by Michael Mann, and its ensemble cast includes Scott Plank, Alex McArthur, Michael Rooker, Daniel Baldwin, and Xander Berkeley. Takedown starred Plank as Det. Vincent Hanna...
, a 1989 television movieTelevision movieA television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
written and directed by Michael MannMichael Mann (film director)Michael Kenneth Mann is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. For his work, he has received nominations from international organizations and juries, including those at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, Cannes and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
. Critical and commercial success, grossing $187,436,818 worldwide. - OutbreakOutbreak (film)Outbreak is a 1995 American disaster film starring Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, Morgan Freeman, and Kevin Spacey. The film was directed by Wolfgang Petersen. In addition, Outbreak features Cuba Gooding, Jr., Donald Sutherland, and Patrick Dempsey....
(1995) is a suspense film starring Dustin HoffmanDustin HoffmanDustin Lee Hoffman is an American actor with a career in film, television, and theatre since 1960. He has been known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and vulnerable characters....
, Rene RussoRene Russo- Early life :Russo was born in Burbank, California, the daughter of Shirley , a factory worker and barmaid, and Nino Russo, a sculptor and car mechanic who left the family when Rene was two. Her father and maternal grandfather were of Italian descent. Russo grew up with her sister, Toni, and their...
, Morgan FreemanMorgan FreemanMorgan Freeman is an American actor, film director, aviator and narrator. He is noted for his reserved demeanor and authoritative speaking voice. Freeman has received Academy Award nominations for his performances in Street Smart, Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption and Invictus and won...
and Kevin SpaceyKevin SpaceyKevin Spacey, CBE is an American actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and crooner. He grew up in California, and began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, before being cast in supporting roles in film and television...
. The film was directed by Wolfgang PetersenWolfgang PetersenWolfgang Petersen is a German film director and screenwriter. His films include The NeverEnding Story, Enemy Mine, Outbreak, In the Line of Fire, Air Force One, The Perfect Storm, Troy, and Poseidon...
. In addition, Outbreak features Cuba Gooding, Jr.Cuba Gooding, Jr.Cuba M. Gooding, Jr. is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his Academy Award-winning portrayal of Rod Tidwell in Cameron Crowe's 1996 film Jerry Maguire, and his critically acclaimed performance as Tré Styles in John Singleton's 1991 film Boyz n the Hood.-Early life:Gooding was born...
, Donald SutherlandDonald SutherlandDonald McNichol Sutherland, OC is a Canadian actor with a film career spanning nearly 50 years. Some of Sutherland's more notable movie roles included offbeat warriors in such war movies as The Dirty Dozen, , MASH , and Kelly's Heroes , as well as in such popular films as Klute, Invasion of the...
, and Patrick DempseyPatrick DempseyPatrick Galen Dempsey is an American actor, known for his role as neurosurgeon Dr. Derek Shepherd on the medical drama Grey's Anatomy. Prior to Grey's Anatomy he made several television appearances and was nominated for an Emmy Award...
. - A Walk in the CloudsA Walk in the CloudsA Walk in the Clouds is a 1995 American romantic drama film directed by Alfonso Arau. The screenplay by Robert Mark Kamen, Mark Miller, and Harvey Weitzman is based on the 1942 Italian film Four Steps in the Clouds by Piero Tellini, Cesare Zavattini, and Vittorio de Benedetti.-Plot:Shortly after...
the 1995 romance filmRomance filmRomance films are love stories that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate involvement of the main characters and the journey that their love takes through courtship or marriage. Romance films make the love story or the search for love the main plot focus...
directed by Alfonso ArauAlfonso Arau-Biography:Arau was born in Mexico City, the son of a doctor. He directed the films Zapata: The Dream of a Hero, Like Water for Chocolate , A Walk in the Clouds with Keanu Reeves and Anthony Quinn, and the Hallmark Hall of Fame production A Painted House, adapted from the John Grisham novel of the...
and produced by the Zucker brothers; it is a remake of a 1942 Italian film of the same title. It stars Keanu ReevesKeanu ReevesKeanu Charles Reeves is a Canadian actor. Reeves is perhaps best known for his roles in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Speed, Point Break and the science fiction-action trilogy The Matrix...
, Giancarlo GianniniGiancarlo GianniniGiancarlo Giannini is an Italian actor and dubber.Giannini was born La Spezia, Liguria, Italy. He studied at the Accademia Nazionale d'Arte Drammatica in Rome, and made his film debut in a small part in Fango sulla metropoli in 1965...
, Anthony QuinnAnthony QuinnAntonio Rodolfo Quinn-Oaxaca , more commonly known as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican American actor, as well as a painter and writer...
and Aitana Sánchez-GijónAitana Sánchez-GijónAitana Sánchez-Gijón is a Spanish-Italian film actress.Best known for playing dramatic roles in Spain, Sánchez-Gijón is known in the United States for her portrayal of Victoria Aragon, a pregnant and abandoned Mexican-American winegrower's daughter who is helped by travelling salesman Paul Sutton ...
. - The Usual SuspectsThe Usual SuspectsThe Usual Suspects is a 1995 American neo-noir film written by Christopher McQuarrie and directed by Bryan Singer. It stars Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio del Toro, Chazz Palminteri, Kevin Pollak, Kevin Spacey and Pete Postlethwaite....
is a 1995 American film written by Christopher McQuarrieChristopher McQuarrieChristopher McQuarrie is an American screenwriter, producer and director. His screenplays include The Usual Suspects, for which he won the 1996 Academy Award, The Way of the Gun and Valkyrie....
(who earned an Oscar for the screenplay) and directed by Bryan SingerBryan SingerBryan Singer is an American film director and film producer. Singer won critical acclaim for his work on The Usual Suspects, and is especially well-known among fans of the science fiction and superhero genres for his work on the X-Men films and Superman Returns.-Early life:Singer was born in New...
. It stars Kevin SpaceyKevin SpaceyKevin Spacey, CBE is an American actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and crooner. He grew up in California, and began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, before being cast in supporting roles in film and television...
(who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting ActorAcademy Award for Best Supporting ActorPerformance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
for his performance), Gabriel ByrneGabriel ByrneGabriel James Byrne is an Irish actor, film director, film producer, writer, cultural ambassador and audiobook narrator. His acting career began in the Focus Theatre before he joined Londo's Royal Court Theatre in 1979. Byrne's screen debut came in the Irish soap opera The Riordans and the...
, Chazz PalminteriChazz PalminteriCalogero Lorenzo "Chazz" Palminteri is an American actor and writer, best known for his performances in The Usual Suspects, A Bronx Tale, and his Academy Award nominated role for Best Supporting Actor in Bullets Over Broadway....
, Stephen BaldwinStephen BaldwinStephen Andrew Baldwin is an American actor, director, producer and author. One of the Baldwin brothers, he is known for his roles as William F. Cody in the western show The Young Riders and as Stuart in the movie Threesome...
, Pete PostlethwaitePete PostlethwaitePeter William "Pete" Postlethwaite, OBE, was an English stage, film and television actor.After minor television appearances including in The Professionals, Postlethwaite's first success came with the film Distant Voices, Still Lives in 1988. He played a mysterious lawyer, Mr...
, Benicio del ToroBenicio del ToroBenicio Monserrate Rafael del Toro Sánchez is a Puerto Rican and Spanish actor and film producer. He won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a BAFTA Award for his role as Javier Rodríguez in Traffic . He is also known for his roles as Fred Fenster in The Usual...
and Kevin PollakKevin PollakKevin Elliot Pollak is an American actor, impressionist, game show host, and comedian. He started performing stand-up comedy at the age of 10 and touring professionally at the age of 20...
. - The Crossing GuardThe Crossing GuardThe Crossing Guard is a 1995 independent film directed and written by American actor Sean Penn. It stars Jack Nicholson, David Morse, Anjelica Huston and Robin Wright Penn.- Plot :...
is a 1995 independent filmIndependent filmAn independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
directed and written by American actor Sean Penn. It stars Jack NicholsonJack NicholsonJohn Joseph "Jack" Nicholson is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is renowned for his often dark portrayals of neurotic characters. Nicholson has been nominated for an Academy Award twelve times, and has won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice: for One Flew Over the...
, David MorseDavid Morse (actor)David Bowditch Morse is an American stage, television, and film actor. He first came to national attention as Dr. Jack Morrison in the medical drama St. Elsewhere from 1982 to 1988...
, Anjelica HustonAnjelica HustonAnjelica Huston is an American actress. Huston became the third generation of her family to win an Academy Award, for her performance in 1985's Prizzi's Honor, joining her father, director John Huston, and grandfather, actor Walter Huston. She later was nominated in 1989 and 1990 for her acting in...
and Robin Wright Penn. - Freeway the 1996 thriller film starring Reese WitherspoonReese WitherspoonLaura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon , better known as Reese Witherspoon, is an American actress and film producer. Witherspoon landed her first feature role as the female lead in the film The Man in the Moon in 1991; later that year she made her television acting debut, in the cable movie Wildflower...
, Kiefer SutherlandKiefer SutherlandKiefer Sutherland is an English-born Canadian actor, producer and director, best known for his portrayal of Jack Bauer on the Fox thriller drama series 24 for which he has won an Emmy Award , a Golden Globe award , two Screen Actors Guild Awards and two Satellite...
and Brooke ShieldsBrooke ShieldsBrooke Christa Shields is an American actress and model. Some of her better-known movies include Pretty Baby and The Blue Lagoon, as well as TV shows such as Suddenly Susan, That '70s Show and Lipstick Jungle....
. The movie is a black comedyBlack comedyA black comedy, or dark comedy, is a comic work that employs black humor or gallows humor. The definition of black humor is problematic; it has been argued that it corresponds to the earlier concept of gallows humor; and that, as humor has been defined since Freud as a comedic act that anesthetizes...
loosely modeled after the story of Little Red Riding HoodLittle Red Riding HoodLittle Red Riding Hood, also known as Little Red Cap, is a French fairy tale about a young girl and a Big Bad Wolf. The story has been changed considerably in its history and subject to numerous modern adaptations and readings....
. - 1996 Academy Award-nominated action film The RockThe Rock (film)The Rock is a 1996 action film that primarily takes place on Alcatraz Island and in the San Francisco Bay area. It was directed by Michael Bay and stars Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage and Ed Harris. It was produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer and released through Hollywood Pictures. The film...
. - Face/OffFace/OffFace/Off is a 1997 action thriller film directed by John Woo, starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage. The two both play an FBI agent and a terrorist, sworn enemies who assume the physical appearance of one another....
the 1997 critical and financial successful action thriller film, starring John TravoltaJohn TravoltaJohn Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...
and Nicolas CageNicolas CageNicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...
. - Beverly Hills NinjaBeverly Hills NinjaBeverly Hills Ninja is a 1997 action comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, written by Mark Feldberg and Mitch Klebanoff, and starring Chris Farley. The main plot revolves around Haru , who was found by a clan of ninjas as an infant in an abandoned treasure chest and was raised by them...
the 1997 film starring Chris FarleyChris FarleyChristopher Crosby "Chris" Farley was an American comedian and actor. Farley was a member of Chicago's Second City Theatre and cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1995....
as a bumbling Beverly Hills ninjaNinjaA or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
. Written by Mark Feldberg and Mitchell Klebanoff and directed by Dennis DuganDennis DuganDennis Dugan is an American director, comedian, and actor. He is most famous for his partnership with comedic actor Adam Sandler, with whom he directed the films Happy Gilmore, Big Daddy, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, You Don't Mess with the Zohan, Grown Ups, Just Go With It, and Jack and...
, the film was released the same year of Chris Farley's death. Also stars Nicollette SheridanNicollette SheridanNicollette Sheridan is an English film and television actress. She is best known for her roles as Edie Britt on Desperate Housewives and as Paige Matheson on Knots Landing.-Early life:...
, Robin ShouRobin ShouShou Wan Por , known professionally as Robin Shou, is a Hong Kong martial artist and actor. Frequently appearing in numerous martial arts films, Shou was most successful for playing the role of Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat & Gobei with the late Chris Farley in Beverly Hills Ninja.-Career:Shou's first...
, Nathaniel ParkerNathaniel ParkerNathaniel Parker is an English actor best known for playing Detective Inspector Thomas "Tommy" Lynley in the BBC crime drama series The Inspector Lynley Mysteries.-Personal life:...
, Soon-Tek OhSoon-Tek OhSoon-Tek Oh |M*A*S*H]], Charlie's Angels, Airwolf, Magnum, P. I., Hawaii Five-O, Kung-Fu, Zorro, and Touched By An Angel....
, Keith Cooke, and Chris RockChris RockChristopher Julius "Chris" Rock III is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. He was voted in the US as the 5th greatest stand-up comedian of all time by Comedy Central...
. - Batman & Robin the fourth installment in the comic bookComic bookA comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
-inspired film series initiated by Tim BurtonTim BurtonTimothy William "Tim" Burton is an American film director, film producer, writer and artist. He is famous for dark, quirky-themed movies such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet...
, and the second directed by Joel SchumacherJoel SchumacherJoel T. Schumacher is an American film director, screenwriter and producer.-Early life:Schumacher was born in New York City, the son of Marian and Francis Schumacher. His mother was a Swedish Jew, and his father was a Baptist from Knoxville, Tennessee, who died when Joel was four years old...
. Released in 1997, it starred George ClooneyGeorge ClooneyGeorge Timothy Clooney is an American actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. For his work as an actor, he has received two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award...
as BatmanBatmanBatman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
and Chris O'DonnellChris O'DonnellChristopher Eugene "Chris" O'Donnell is an American actor. He has played Robin in two Batman films, Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, Charlie Simms in Scent of a Woman, Finn Dandridge in Grey's Anatomy, Peter Garrett in Vertical Limit, and more recently, Jack McAuliffe in The Company. O'Donnell...
returning as RobinRobin (comics)Robin is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, originally created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson, as a junior counterpart to DC Comics superhero Batman...
, and introduced BatgirlBatgirlBatgirl is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, frequently depicted as female counterparts to the superhero Batman...
(Alicia SilverstoneAlicia SilverstoneAlicia Silverstone is an American actress, author, and former fashion model. She first came to widespread attention in music videos for Aerosmith, and is perhaps best known for her roles in Hollywood films such as Clueless and her portrayal of Batgirl in Batman & Robin .-Early life:Silverstone...
), a niece of Bruce Wayne's butler, Alfred (Michael GoughMichael GoughMichael Gough was an English character actor who appeared in over 150 films. He is perhaps best known to international audiences for his roles in the Hammer Horror films from 1958, and for his recurring role as Alfred Pennyworth in all four movies of the Burton/Schumacher Batman franchise,...
). The villains in this movie are Poison Ivy, played by Uma ThurmanUma ThurmanUma Karuna Thurman is an American actress and model. She has performed in leading roles in a variety of films, ranging from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action movies. Among her best-known roles are those in the Quentin Tarantino films Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill...
, Mr. FreezeMr. FreezeMr. Freeze, real name Dr. Victor Fries , is a DC Comics supervillain, an enemy of Batman. Created by Bob Kane, he first appeared in Batman #121 ....
, played by Arnold SchwarzeneggerArnold SchwarzeneggerArnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
(who received top billing for this film), and BaneBane (comics)Bane is a fictional character who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1 , and was created by Chuck Dixon, Doug Moench, and Graham Nolan. Bane has been one of Batman's more physically and intellectually powerful foes...
, played by Jeep Swenson. - AmistadAmistad (1997 film)Amistad is a 1997 historical drama film directed by Steven Spielberg based on the true story of a mutiny in 1839 by newly captured African slaves that took place aboard the ship La Amistad off the coast of Cuba, the subsequent voyage to the Northeastern United States and the legal battle that...
is a 1997 Steven SpielbergSteven SpielbergSteven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
film based on a slave mutiny that took place aboard a ship of the same name in 1839, and the illegalIllegal drug tradeThe illegal drug trade is a global black market, dedicated to cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of those substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs by drug prohibition laws.A UN report said the...
activity that followed. Starred Matthew McConaugheyMatthew McConaugheyMatthew David McConaughey is an American actor.After a series of minor roles in the early 1990s, McConaughey gained notice for his breakout role in Dazed and Confused . He then appeared in films such as A Time to Kill, Contact, U-571, Tiptoes, Sahara, and We Are Marshall...
, Morgan FreemanMorgan FreemanMorgan Freeman is an American actor, film director, aviator and narrator. He is noted for his reserved demeanor and authoritative speaking voice. Freeman has received Academy Award nominations for his performances in Street Smart, Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption and Invictus and won...
, Anthony HopkinsAnthony HopkinsSir Philip Anthony Hopkins, KBE , best known as Anthony Hopkins, is a Welsh actor of film, stage and television...
, Stellan SkarsgårdStellan SkarsgårdStellan John Skarsgård is a Swedish actor, known internationally for his film roles in Angels & Demons, Breaking the Waves, The Hunt for Red October, Ronin, Good Will Hunting, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist,...
, and Djimon HounsouDjimon HounsouDjimon Diaw Hounsou is a Beninese actor and model. As an actor, Hounsou has been nominated for two Academy Awards.-Early life:Djimon Hounsou was born in Cotonou, Benin, in 1964, to lbertine and Pierre Hounsou, a cook. He emigrated to Lyon in France at the age of thirteen with his brother, Edmond....
. - Highest grossing film of all time, 1997 romantic drama filmRomance filmRomance films are love stories that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate involvement of the main characters and the journey that their love takes through courtship or marriage. Romance films make the love story or the search for love the main plot focus...
TitanicTitanic (1997 film)Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Rose's fiancé, Cal...
, by James CameronJames CameronJames Francis Cameron is a Canadian-American film director, film producer, screenwriter, editor, environmentalist and inventor...
. - The Lost World: Jurassic ParkThe Lost World: Jurassic ParkThe Lost World: Jurassic Park is a 1997 science fiction thriller film, directed by Steven Spielberg. The film was produced by Bonnie Curtis, Kathleen Kennedy, Gerald R. Molen and Colin Wilson...
the 1997 science fiction filmScience fiction filmScience fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
and the second Jurassic Park film as part of the Jurassic Park franchise. - Wild ThingsWild ThingsWild Things is a 1998 erotic thriller film starring Matt Dillon, Neve Campbell, Kevin Bacon, Denise Richards, Theresa Russell and Bill Murray. It was directed by John McNaughton. In some countries the film was released as Sex Crimes...
is a 1998 erotic crime filmCrime filmCrime films are films which focus on the lives of criminals. The stylistic approach to a crime film varies from realistic portrayals of real-life criminal figures, to the far-fetched evil doings of imaginary arch-villains. Criminal acts are almost always glorified in these movies.- Plays and films...
starring Matt DillonMatt DillonMatthew Raymond "Matt" Dillon is an American actor and film director. He began acting in the late 1970s, gaining fame as a teenage idol during the 1980s.- Early life :...
, Kevin BaconKevin BaconKevin Norwood Bacon is an American film and theater actor whose notable roles include Animal House, Diner, Footloose, Flatliners, Wild Things, A Few Good Men, JFK, Apollo 13, Mystic River, The Woodsman, Trapped, Friday the 13th, Hollow Man, Tremors, Death Sentence, Frost/Nixon, Crazy, Stupid, Love....
, Denise RichardsDenise RichardsDenise Lee Richards is an American actress and former fashion model of Croatian and Welsh descent. She has appeared in films including Starship Troopers, Wild Things, and The World Is Not Enough...
, Neve CampbellNeve CampbellNeve Adrianne Campbell is a Canadian actress. After beginning her career on stage, and on numerous commercials, she starred on the Canadian television series Catwalk. She then rose to international fame on the Golden Globe-winning 1990s television series Party of Five, playing the role of teenager...
and Bill MurrayBill MurrayWilliam James "Bill" Murray is an American actor and comedian. He first gained national exposure on Saturday Night Live in which he earned an Emmy Award and later went on to star in a number of critically and commercially successful comedic films, including Caddyshack , Ghostbusters , and...
. It was directed by John McNaughtonJohn McNaughtonJohn McNaughton is an American film and television director, originally from Chicago, Illinois.-Biography:His first feature film, made in 1986, was Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, a film McNaughton directed, co-wrote, and co-produced. Numerous complications plagued the controversial film,...
. - The Thin Red LineThe Thin Red Line (1998 film)The Thin Red Line is a 1998 American war film which tells a fictional story of United States forces during the Battle of Mount Austen in World War II. It portrays men in: C Company, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division; in particular those soldiers played by Sean Penn, Jim...
is a 1998 war filmWar filmWar films are a film genre concerned with warfare, usually about naval, air or land battles, sometimes focusing instead on prisoners of war, covert operations, military training or other related subjects. At times war films focus on daily military or civilian life in wartime without depicting battles...
which tells the story of United States forces during the Battle of Guadalcanal in World War II. It marked Terrence MalickTerrence MalickTerrence Frederick Malick is a U.S. film director, screenwriter, and producer. In a career spanning almost four decades, Malick has directed five feature films....
's return to filmmaking after a twenty-year absence. - The Big LebowskiThe Big LebowskiThe Big Lebowski is a 1998 comedy film written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Jeff Bridges stars as Jeff Lebowski, an unemployed Los Angeles slacker and avid bowler, who is referred to as "The Dude". After a case of mistaken identity, The Dude is introduced to a millionaire also named...
, the 1998 American comedy film written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Jeff BridgesJeff BridgesJeffrey Leon "Jeff" Bridges is an American actor and musician. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Otis "Bad" Blake in the 2009 film Crazy Heart....
stars as Jeffrey Lebowski, an unemployed Los Angeles slackerSlackerThe term "slacker" is used to refer to a person who habitually avoids work. Slackers may be regarded as belonging to an antimaterialistic counterculture, though in some cases their behavior may be due to other causes ....
and avid bowler, who refers to himself as "The Dude". - Fight ClubFight Club (film)Fight Club is a 1999 American film based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk. The film was directed by David Fincher and stars Edward Norton, Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter. Norton plays the unnamed protagonist, an "everyman" who is discontented with his white-collar job...
the 1999 feature filmFeature filmIn the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
adaptation of the 1996 novel Fight ClubFight Club (novel)Fight Club is a 1996 novel by Chuck Palahniuk. It follows the experiences of an unnamed protagonist struggling with insomnia. Inspired by his doctor's exasperated remark that insomnia is not suffering, he finds relief by impersonating a seriously ill person in several support groups...
by Chuck PalahniukChuck PalahniukCharles Michael "Chuck" Palahniuk is an American transgressional fiction novelist and freelance journalist. He is best known for the award-winning novel Fight Club, which was later made into a film directed by David Fincher and starring Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter...
; adapted by Jim UhlsJim UhlsJim Uhls born as James Walter Uhls is an American screenwriter and producer who rose to fame with his script adaptation of the critically acclaimed novel Fight Club...
, directed by David FincherDavid FincherDavid Andrew Leo Fincher is an American film and music video director. Known for his dark and stylish thrillers, such as Seven , The Game , Fight Club , Panic Room , and Zodiac , Fincher received Academy Award nominations for Best Director for his 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and...
, and starring Edward NortonEdward NortonEdward Harrison Norton is an American actor, screenwriter, film director and producer. In 1996, his supporting role in the courtroom drama Primal Fear garnered him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor...
, Brad PittBrad PittWilliam Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received two Academy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one...
, Helena Bonham CarterHelena Bonham CarterHelena Bonham Carter is an English actress of film, stage, and television. She made her acting debut in a television adaptation of K. M. Peyton's A Pattern of Roses before winning her first film role as the titular character in Lady Jane...
, and Meat LoafMeat LoafMichael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor...
. - Gone in 60 Seconds the 2000 action film, starring Nicolas Cage, Angelina JolieAngelina JolieAngelina Jolie is an American actress. She has received an Academy Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards, and was named Hollywood's highest-paid actress by Forbes in 2009 and 2011. Jolie is noted for promoting humanitarian causes as a Goodwill Ambassador for the...
, Giovanni RibisiGiovanni RibisiGiovanni Ribisi is an American actor. His film credits include Gone in 60 Seconds, Boiler Room, Saving Private Ryan, The Mod Squad, The Gift, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Lost in Translation and more recently, Public Enemies and Avatar...
, and Robert DuvallRobert DuvallRobert Selden Duvall is an American actor and director. He has won an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards and a BAFTA over the course of his career....
; directed by Dominic SenaDominic Sena-Life and career:Sena was born in Niles, Ohio. He is of Italian-American heritage. His family hails from the town of Bagnoli Irpino, Avellino, Italy. As one of the founders of Propaganda Films, Sena worked primarily in music videos early in his career. Sena directed several of Janet Jackson's...
, and written by Scott RosenbergScott RosenbergScott Rosenberg is an American actor, screenwriter and film producer.- Biography :Born in Needham, Massachusetts in 1963, Rosenberg received a Bachelor's Degree from Boston University. He earned his MFA from UCLA...
. It was produced by Jerry BruckheimerJerry BruckheimerJerome Leon "Jerry" Bruckheimer is an American film and television producer. He has achieved great success in the genres of action, drama, and science fiction. His best known television series are CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, Eleventh Hour, Without a Trace, Cold Case, The...
, and is a remake of the 1974 H.B. Halicki film Gone in 60 SecondsGone in 60 Seconds (1974 film)Gone in 60 Seconds is a 1974 American action film written, directed, produced by, and starring H.B. 'Toby' Halicki. It centers on a group of car thieves and the 48 cars they must steal in a matter of days. The film is famous for having wrecked and destroyed 93 cars in a 34-minute car chase scene....
. - Charlie's AngelsCharlie's Angels (film)Charlie's Angels is a 2000 American action comedy film directed by McG, starring Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu as three women working for a private investigation agency...
(2000) is an action/comedy film based on (and something of a sequel to) the 1970s television series Charlie's AngelsCharlie's AngelsCharlie's Angels is a television series about three women who work for a private investigation agency, and is one of the first shows to showcase women in roles traditionally reserved for men...
. The angels were played by Cameron DiazCameron DiazCameron Michelle Diaz is an American actress and former model. She became famous during the 1990s with roles in the movies The Mask, My Best Friend's Wedding, and There's Something About Mary. Other high-profile credits include the two Charlie's Angels films, voicing the character Princess Fiona...
(Natalie Cook), Drew BarrymoreDrew BarrymoreDrew Blyth Barrymore is an American actress, film director, screenwriter, producer and model. She is a member of the Barrymore family of American actors and granddaughter of John Barrymore. She first appeared in an advertisement when she was 11 months old. Barrymore made her film debut in Altered...
(Dylan Sanders), and Lucy LiuLucy LiuLucy Alexis Liu is an American actress and film producer. She became known for playing the role of the vicious and ill-mannered Ling Woo in the television series Ally McBeal , and has also appeared in several Hollywood films including Charlie's Angels, Chicago, Kill Bill, and Kung Fu Panda.-Early...
(Alex Munday). - U-571U-571 (film)U-571 is a 2000 film directed by Jonathan Mostow, and starring Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, Harvey Keitel, Thomas Kretschmann, Jon Bon Jovi, Jack Noseworthy, Will Estes, and Tom Guiry...
is a 2000 movie directed by Jonathan MostowJonathan MostowJonathan Mostow is an American film director, writer and producer.-Biography:A graduate of Hopkins School in New Haven, Connecticut and Harvard, Mostow also trained at the American Repertory Company and New York City's Lee Strasberg Institute...
, and starring Matthew McConaugheyMatthew McConaugheyMatthew David McConaughey is an American actor.After a series of minor roles in the early 1990s, McConaughey gained notice for his breakout role in Dazed and Confused . He then appeared in films such as A Time to Kill, Contact, U-571, Tiptoes, Sahara, and We Are Marshall...
, Bill PaxtonBill PaxtonWilliam "Bill" Paxton is an American actor and film director. He gained popularity after starring roles in the films Apollo 13, Twister, Aliens, True Lies, and Titanic...
, Harvey KeitelHarvey KeitelHarvey Keitel is an American actor. Some of his most notable starring roles were in Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets and Taxi Driver, Ridley Scott's The Duellists and Thelma and Louise, Ettore Scola's That Night in Varennes, Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, Jane Campion's The...
, Jon Bon JoviJon Bon JoviJon Bon Jovi is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor, best known as the founder, occasional rhythm guitarist, and lead singer of rock band Bon Jovi, which was named after him...
, Jack Noseworthy, Will EstesWill EstesWill Estes is an American actor best known for his role as JJ Pryor, on the NBC drama American Dreams. In 2010, he joined the cast of Tom Selleck's new CBS police drama Blue Bloods...
, and Tom GuiryTom GuiryThomas John Guiry is an American actor.Guiry was born in Trenton, New Jersey and attended St. Gregory the Great school in Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey from kindergarten through eighth grade, and then high school at Notre Dame High School in Lawrenceville, New Jersey...
. In the movie, a German submarineSubmarineA submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
is boarded in 1942 by disguised American submariners seeking to capture its Enigma cipher machine. - One Night at McCool'sOne Night at McCool'sOne Night at McCool's is a 2001 American dark comedy/neo-noir film, directed by Harald Zwart and starring Liv Tyler, Matt Dillon, Michael Douglas, John Goodman, Paul Reiser, Reba McEntire and Andrew Dice Clay.-Plot:...
the 2001 dark comedy, directed by Harald ZwartHarald ZwartHarald Zwart is a Norwegian film director.Although born in the Netherlands, Zwart was raised in Fredrikstad in Norway. As early as age eight, he started making short films. He attended the Dutch Film Academy in Amsterdam where he received great acclaim for his student film Gabriel's Surprise...
and starring Matt DillonMatt DillonMatthew Raymond "Matt" Dillon is an American actor and film director. He began acting in the late 1970s, gaining fame as a teenage idol during the 1980s.- Early life :...
, Michael DouglasMichael DouglasMichael Kirk Douglas is an American actor and producer, primarily in movies and television. He has won three Golden Globes and two Academy Awards; first as producer of 1975's Best Picture, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and as Best Actor in 1987 for his role in Wall Street. Douglas received the...
, Paul ReiserPaul ReiserPaul Reiser is an American stand-up comedian, actor, television personality, author, screenwriter and musician. He is most widely known for his role on the long-running television sitcom Mad About You.-Early life:...
, John GoodmanJohn GoodmanJohn Stephen Goodman is an American film, television, and stage actor. He is best known for his role as Dan Conner on the television series Roseanne for which he won a Best Actor Golden Globe Award in 1993, and for appearances in the films of the Coen brothers, with prominent roles in Raising...
, Liv TylerLiv TylerLiv Rundgren Tyler is an American actress and model. She is the daughter of Aerosmith's lead singer, Steven Tyler, and Bebe Buell, model and singer. Tyler began a career in modeling at the age of 14, but after less than a year she decided to focus on acting. She made her film debut in the 1994...
, Reba McEntireReba McEntireReba Nell McEntire is an American country music artist and actress. She began her career in the music industry as a high school student singing in the Kiowa High School band , on local radio shows with her siblings, and at rodeos. As a solo act, she was invited to perform at a rodeo in Oklahoma...
and Andrew Dice ClayAndrew Dice ClayAndrew Dice Clay is an American comedian and actor who played the lead role in the film The Adventures of Ford Fairlane.Clay has been in several movies and has released a number of stand-up albums...
. - The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of FearThe Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of FearThe Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear is a 1991 comedy film starring Leslie Nielsen as the comically bumbling Police Lt. Frank Drebin of Police Squad!. Priscilla Presley plays the role of Jane, with O.J. Simpson as Nordberg and George Kennedy as police captain Ed Hocken...
the 1991 sequel to the 1988 film The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! was also filmed in San Pedro. - High CrimesHigh CrimesHigh Crimes is a 2002 American thriller film directed by Carl Franklin. The screenplay by Yuri Zeltser and Grace Cary Bickley is based on a novel by Joseph Finder.-Plot:...
, the 2002 American drama film/thriller film starring Ashley JuddAshley JuddAshley Judd is an American television and film actress, who has played lead roles in films including Ruby in Paradise, Kiss the Girls, Double Jeopardy, Where the Heart Is and High Crimes...
and Morgan FreemanMorgan FreemanMorgan Freeman is an American actor, film director, aviator and narrator. He is noted for his reserved demeanor and authoritative speaking voice. Freeman has received Academy Award nominations for his performances in Street Smart, Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption and Invictus and won...
. - Catch Me If You CanCatch Me If You CanCatch Me If You Can is a 2002 American biographical comedy-drama film based on the life of Frank Abagnale Jr., who, before his 19th birthday, successfully performed cons worth millions of dollars by posing as a Pan American World Airways pilot, a Georgia doctor, and a Louisiana parish prosecutor...
the 2002 motion picture set in the 1960s. It was directed by Steven SpielbergSteven SpielbergSteven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
and adapted by Jeff NathansonJeff NathansonJeff Nathanson is an American film writer, film producer, and director.He is best known for his work on the Rush Hour series, Catch Me If You Can, The Terminal, and The Last Shot, and has also co-written a story draft for the film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull with George Lucas...
loosely from the book by Frank Abagnale, Jr. and Stan Redding. The lead actors were Leonardo DiCaprioLeonardo DiCaprioLeonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio is an American actor and film producer. He has received many awards, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his performance in The Aviator , and has been nominated by the Academy Awards, Screen Actors Guild and the British Academy of Film and Television...
and Tom HanksTom HanksThomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
, with a supporting role by Christopher WalkenChristopher WalkenChristopher Walken is an American stage and screen actor. He has appeared in more than 100 movies and television shows, including Joe Dirt, Annie Hall, The Deer Hunter, The Prophecy trilogy, The Dogs of War, Sleepy Hollow, Brainstorm, The Dead Zone, A View to a Kill, At Close Range, King of New...
. - Red DragonRed Dragon (film)Red Dragon is a 2002 thriller film based on Thomas Harris' novel of the same name and featuring psychiatrist and serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter. It is a prequel to The Silence of the Lambs....
, a 2002 thriller film, based on the novel of the same name written by Thomas HarrisThomas HarrisThomas Harris is an American author and screenwriter, best known for a series of suspense novels about his most famous character, Hannibal Lecter...
featuring the brilliant psychiatristPsychiatristA psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
and serial killer Dr. Hannibal LecterHannibal LecterHannibal Lecter M.D. is a fictional character in a series of horror novels by Thomas Harris and in the films adapted from them.Lecter was introduced in the 1981 thriller novel Red Dragon as a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer...
. - A Man ApartA Man ApartA Man Apart is a 2003 action-thriller-drama film directed by F. Gary Gray and released by New Line Cinema. The film stars Vin Diesel and Larenz Tate. The story follows undercover DEA agent Sean Vetter who is on a vendetta to take down a mysterious drug lord named Diablo after his wife is murdered...
the 2003 action film starring Vin DieselVin DieselVin Diesel is an American actor, writer, director and producer. He became known in the early 2000s, appearing in several successful Hollywood films, including The Fast and the Furious and xXx...
and directed by F. Gary Gray. - The Shape of ThingsThe Shape of ThingsThe Shape of Things is a 2001 play by American author and film director Neil LaBute and a 2003 American romantic comedy-drama film. It premièred at the Almeida Theatre, London in 2001 with Paul Rudd as Adam, Rachel Weisz as Evelyn, Gretchen Mol as Jenny, and Fred Weller as Phillip. The play was...
is a play by American author and film director Neil LaButeNeil LaButeNeil N. LaBute is an American film director, screenwriter and playwright.-Early life:LaBute was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Marian, a hospital receptionist, and Richard LaBute, a long-haul truck driver. LaBute is of French Canadian, English and Irish ancestry, and was raised in Spokane,...
apapted to a 2003 American movie. Starring Paul RuddPaul RuddPaul Stephen Rudd is an American actor and screenwriter. He has primarily appeared in comedies, and is known for his roles in the films Clueless, Wet Hot American Summer, Anchorman, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Dinner for Schmucks, The Object of My...
, Rachel WeiszRachel WeiszRachel Hannah Weisz born 7 March 1970)is an English-American film and theatre actress and former fashion model. She started her acting career at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where she co-founded the theatrical group Cambridge Talking Tongues...
, Gretchen MolGretchen MolGretchen Mol is an American actress and former model. She is known for her roles in films like Rounders, Celebrity, 3:10 to Yuma, The Thirteenth Floor,and The Notorious Bettie Page, where she played the title character...
, and Fred WellerFred WellerFrederick Weller is an American actor.- Personal life :Weller was born in New Orleans and is a cousin of actor Peter Weller. He is a graduate of Jesuit High School, a Catholic all-boys high school in New Orleans, and the University of North Carolina. He married Ali Marsh on September 6, 2003...
. - 50 First Dates50 First Dates50 First Dates is a 2004 American romantic comedy film directed by Peter Segal and written by George Wing. The film stars Adam Sandler as a woman-chasing veterinarian and Drew Barrymore as an amnesiac, along with Rob Schneider, Sean Astin, Lusia Strus, Blake Clark, and Dan Aykroyd.Most of the film...
the 2004 romantic comedyRomantic ComedyRomantic Comedy can refer to* Romantic Comedy , a 1979 play written by Bernard Slade* Romantic Comedy , a 1983 film adapted from the play and starring Dudley Moore and Mary Steenburgen...
starring Adam SandlerAdam SandlerAdam Richard Sandler is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, musician, and film producer.After becoming a Saturday Night Live cast member, Sandler went on to star in several Hollywood feature films that grossed over $100 million at the box office...
and Drew BarrymoreDrew BarrymoreDrew Blyth Barrymore is an American actress, film director, screenwriter, producer and model. She is a member of the Barrymore family of American actors and granddaughter of John Barrymore. She first appeared in an advertisement when she was 11 months old. Barrymore made her film debut in Altered...
and directed by Peter SegalPeter SegalPeter Segal is an American film director, with credits in producing, writing, and acting. He has had general success in the comedy film genre.-Filmography:*Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult *Tommy Boy...
. Other cast members included Rob SchneiderRob SchneiderRobert Michael "Rob" Schneider is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and director. A stand-up comic and veteran of the NBC sketch-comedy series Saturday Night Live, Schneider has gone on to a successful career in feature films, including starring roles in the comedy films Deuce Bigalow:...
and Sean AstinSean AstinSean Astin is an American film actor, director, voice artist, and producer better known for his film roles as Mikey Walsh in The Goonies, the title character of Rudy, and Samwise Gamgee in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. In television, he appeared as Lynn McGill in the fifth season of 24...
. - The Black DahliaThe Black Dahlia (film)The Black Dahlia is a 2006 neo noir crime film directed by Brian De Palma. It is based on the novel of the same name by James Ellroy, writer of L.A. Confidential and starred Josh Hartnett, Scarlett Johansson, Aaron Eckhart and Hilary Swank. The story is based on the murder of Elizabeth Short...
, the Academy Award-nominated 2006 film directed by Brian De PalmaBrian De PalmaBrian Russell De Palma is an American film director and writer. In a career spanning over 40 years, he is probably best known for his suspense and crime thriller films, including such box office successes as the horror film Carrie, Dressed to Kill, Scarface, The Untouchables, and Mission:...
. It is based on the novel of the same name by James EllroyJames EllroyLee Earle "James" Ellroy is an American crime fiction writer and essayist. Ellroy has become known for a so-called "telegraphic" prose style in his most recent work, wherein he frequently omits connecting words and uses only short, staccato sentences, and in particular for the novels The Black...
, which was based on the murder of Elizabeth Short. - Shelter (2007 film)Shelter (2007 film)Shelter is a 2007 American film directed and written by Jonah Markowitz. It stars Trevor Wright, Brad Rowe, and Tina Holmes. It was the winner of "Outstanding Film – Limited Release" at the 2009 GLAAD Media Awards, Best New Director and Favorite Narrative Feature at the Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film...
, a 2007 film starring Trevor WrightTrevor WrightTrevor Christopher Wright is an American actor.Wright was born in Pomona, California. His breakthrough acting role was in the 2007 film Shelter....
, Brad RoweBrad Rowe (actor)Brad Rowe is an American film and television actor who began his career in movies such as Invisible Temptation and Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss ....
and Tina HolmesTina HolmesTina Holmes is an American television and film actress.- Early years and education :Holmes grew up in New York City and Connecticut. An Ivy Leaguer, she attended Yale University for two years followed by a move to Paris, France studying French Literature at the Sorbonne...
. A big part of the story takes place in San Pedro and Zach, the hero, lives there with his family. - The Midnight Meat TrainThe Midnight Meat TrainThe Midnight Meat Train is a 2008 horror film based on Clive Barker's 1984 short story of the same name, which can be found in Volume One of Barker's collection Books of Blood...
, a 2008 horror film based on Clive BarkerClive BarkerClive Barker is an English author, film director and visual artist best known for his work in both fantasy and horror fiction. Barker came to prominence in the mid-1980s with a series of short stories which established him as a leading young horror writer...
's 1984 short story of the same name. - CloverfieldCloverfieldCloverfield is a 2008 American disaster-monster film directed by Matt Reeves, produced by J. J. Abrams and written by Drew Goddard.The film follows six young New Yorkers attending a going-away party on the night that a gigantic monster attacks the city...
, a 2008 monster/horror film directed by Matt ReevesMatt ReevesMatthew George "Matt" Reeves is an American film writer, director and producer.-Early life:Reeves was born in Rockville Centre, New York, and raised in Los Angeles, California. He began making movies at eight years old, directing friends with a wind-up camera. Reeves met and became friends with J.J...
, produced by J. J. AbramsJ. J. AbramsJeffrey Jacob "J. J." Abrams is an American film and television producer, screenwriter, director, actor, and composer. He wrote and produced feature films before co-creating the television series Felicity...
and written by Drew GoddardDrew GoddardDrew Goddard is an American film and television screenwriter and producer best known for his collaborations with Joss Whedon and J.J. Abrams .Goddard joined the crew of Lost as a freelance writer for the first season in 2004...
. - Pearl HarborPearl HarborPearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
, where a scene was filmed at the Warner Grand TheatreWarner Grand TheatreThe Warner Grand Theatre is an historic movie palace which was opened on January 20, 1931. It is located in San Pedro, California, at 478 West 6th Street in the United States of America....
. - Primary Colors, a 1998 film starring John TravoltaJohn TravoltaJohn Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...
. - HancockHancock (film)Hancock is a 2008 American action-comedy superhero film directed by Peter Berg and starring Will Smith, Jason Bateman, and Charlize Theron. It tells the story of a vigilante superhero, John Hancock from Los Angeles whose reckless actions routinely cost the city millions of dollars...
, the 2008 comedy superhero film directed by Peter Berg and starring Will SmithWill SmithWillard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood...
, Jason BatemanJason BatemanJason Kent Bateman is an American television and film actor. After appearing in several 1980s and 1990s sitcoms including It's Your Move, and The Hogan Family, Bateman came to prominence in the early 2000s for playing Michael Bluth on Arrested Development, for which he won a TV Land, a Golden...
and Charlize TheronCharlize TheronCharlize Theron is a South African actress, film producer and former fashion model.She rose to fame in the late 1990s following her roles in 2 Days in the Valley, Mighty Joe Young, The Devil's Advocate and The Cider House Rules...
. The train wreck scene was filmed in San Pedro, California, in conjunction with Pacific Harbor Line RR. PHL SD18 diesel locomotive #40 was changed by the movie crews to the fictitious Southland & Western RR. - G-ForceG-Force (film)G-Force is a 2009 spy-fi comedy film produced by Jerry Bruckheimer for Walt Disney Pictures in Disney Digital 3-D. Written by Cormac and Marianne Wibberley, the film is the directorial debut of Hoyt Yeatman, whose earlier work includes contributions in the area of visual effects...
the Disney movie about special agent pets had a few action sequences towards the end of the film taking place on 9th street and Ports O' Call. When the rodents showcase their hamster ball motorcycle you can clearly see the port of LA in the distance. When the government agents reach a fictional theme park, they are actually in the Ports O' Call parking lot when they set off all of the fireworks . - (500) Days of Summer, the 2009 film where the wedding scene in the park was filmed at the Point Fermin LightPoint Fermin Light-History:The original fourth order Fresnel lens was removed in 1942 and a wood replica lantern was installed in 1974. The lighthouse was saved from demolition in 1972 and refurbished in 1974, and a new lantern room and gallery were built by local preservationists...
house. - Crank: High Voltage (2009)
- The Ugly TruthThe Ugly TruthThe Ugly Truth may refer to:*The Ugly Truth , a 2009 romantic comedy*"The Ugly Truth", an episode of the TV series Farscape*Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth, the fifth book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series...
(2009) - Fast & Furious (2009)
- The Most Dangerous Game
Press
Many city residents subscribe to or purchase the local newspaper, the Daily BreezeDaily Breeze
The Daily Breeze is a 70,000-circulation daily newspaper published in Torrance, California. It serves the South Bay cities of Los Angeles County. Its slogan is "LAX to LA Harbor".- Early history :...
. In 2003, it created a weekly, More San Pedro, in the San Pedro Harbor Area. More San Pedro was cancelled in 2008 after the Breeze was purchased by MediaNews Group
MediaNews Group
MediaNews Group, based in Denver, Colorado, is one of the largest newspaper companies in the United States. It is privately owned and operates 56 daily newspapers in 12 states, with combined daily and Sunday circulation of approximately 2.4 million and 2.7 million, respectively...
. The San Pedro News-Pilot, long the area's daily newspaper, ceased publishing in 1998. The News-Pilot traced its history back to 1906; it was created from the merge of the San Pedro Daily News and the San Pedro Pilot. Some of the staff of the N-P were hired by the South Bay Daily Breeze; still covering San Pedro is former News-Pilot reporter Donna Littlejohn. A community website, called www.sanpedronewspilot, is not connected to the original newspaper of a similar name. In 2002, the Long Beach Press-Telegram
Long Beach Press-Telegram
The Press-Telegram is a daily newspaper published in Long Beach, California. Tracing its history to 1897, it is currently published by the Los Angeles Newspaper Group, a division of newspaper conglomerate MediaNews Group, which purchased the newspaper from Knight Ridder in 1997; Ridder and Knight...
launched the monthly publication San Pedro Magazine serving the San Pedro and Rancho Palos Verdes areas. San Pedro Magazine was cancelled in December 2008 after the Press-Telegram eliminated their magazine department. In January 2009, a new independently-owned monthly magazine called San Pedro Today debuted. Other papers available for subscription or purchase include the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
and the Long Beach Press-Telegram
Long Beach Press-Telegram
The Press-Telegram is a daily newspaper published in Long Beach, California. Tracing its history to 1897, it is currently published by the Los Angeles Newspaper Group, a division of newspaper conglomerate MediaNews Group, which purchased the newspaper from Knight Ridder in 1997; Ridder and Knight...
. San Pedro is also the publishing home of the free left-leaning alternative newspaper, the Random Lengths News.
See also
- List of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments in the Harbor area
- Palos Verdes Peninsula Land ConservancyPalos Verdes Peninsula Land ConservancyThe Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy is a non-profit organization that is based in Palos Verdes, CA, whose mission is "Preserving land and restoring habitat for the enjoyment and education of all." Founded in 1988, the PVPLC has protected of open space as nature preserves on the Palos...
External links
- San Pedro homepage
- San Pedro Chamber of Commerce
- San Pedro Today magazine
- San Pedro Waterfront
- Port of Los Angeles
- Japanese Immigrants at Terminal Island
- Japanese Immigrants at White Point
- Furasato: The lost Village of Terminal Island
- Random Lengths News
- San Pedro/Los Angeles Croatians
- SanPedroNewsPilot.com