Tammara Billik
Encyclopedia
Tammara "Tammy" Billik, is a major Hollywood casting director who has cast hundreds of roles in television. Her best-known casting decision is when she and veteran casting director Marc Hirschfeld cast Ed O'Neill
as Al Bundy
for Fox
Broadcasting's cult hit, Married with children.
In 1997 she also cast "The Puppy Episode
" of the ABC series Ellen
which saw Laura Dern, Emma Thomspon, Sean Penn and many others as part of Ellen Degeneres' history-making, coming-out experience.
and E.T.
As a casting assistant, she worked with top Casting Directors including Mike Fenton, Elisabeth Leustig, Mary Colquhoun and Judith Holstra/Marcia Ross. In 1987 she became the Casting Director of the Fox television series Married with children, and cast over 150 episodes of the series.
Billik received an Artios Award from the Casting Society of America
in 1997 for her work on the Emmy winning series Ellen http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108761/Ellen. Billik’s casting of that series included bringing on series regulars Jeremy Piven
and notable guest stars including, Emma Thompson, Jennifer Aniston
, ZZ Top
, Linda Ellerbee
, Laura Dern
. The “coming out” episode of Ellen The Puppy Episode
was viewed by 27 million on ABC when it aired on April 30, 1997.
Billik has also cast the long-running series, Unhappily Ever After
, for the now-defunct WB, which starred, Kevin Connolly, Nikki Cox
, Geoff Pierson
, Stephanie Hodge
, Kristanna Loken
and Ant (comedian)
. She then went on to cast the pilot and first season of the ABC
series Samantha Who which reunited her with Married with children star Christina Applegate
. In 1997, Billik won the prestigious Artios award for excellence in casting. She has been nominated on three additional occasions (twice for Ellen, and once for Samantha Who).
Billik is an Executive Producer on the short feature Boutonniere which is an official selection for the 2009 Sundance Film Festival
, and as Associate Producer on the Sony Digital-produced webseries “Star-ving” starring David Faustino
. In 2008, she launched AreUaStar for aspiring actors to connect with Casting Directors.
-
Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School
in Los Angeles. -
Admitted State Bar of California
in 1992.
from 1998-2004. She has also been a longstanding member of the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center, which is the largest GLBT social services organization in the world. Billik has also served as a board member for the Casting Society of America
.
Billik was honored with the Guardian of Justice award by Temple Kol Ami in 2000 and with an honorary Artios award from the Casting Society of America for her leadership in organizing Casting Directors into a collective bargaining unit – Teamsters Local 399.
Ed O'Neill
Edward Phillip "Ed" O'Neill, Jr. is an American actor. He is best known for his role as the main character, Al Bundy, on the Fox Network sitcom Married... with Children, for which he was nominated for two Golden Globes...
as Al Bundy
Al Bundy
Al Bundy is a fictional character from the U.S. television series Married... with Children. He was played by Ed O'Neill.-Character history:...
for Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
Broadcasting's cult hit, Married with children.
In 1997 she also cast "The Puppy Episode
The Puppy Episode
"The Puppy Episode" is a two-part episode of the situation comedy television series Ellen. The episode details lead character Ellen Morgan's realization that she is a lesbian and her coming out. It was the 22nd and 23rd episode of the series' 4th season...
" of the ABC series Ellen
Ellen
Ellen may refer to:* Ellen , a female given name* Television programs with Ellen DeGeneres:** Ellen , a sitcom about a bookstore owner...
which saw Laura Dern, Emma Thomspon, Sean Penn and many others as part of Ellen Degeneres' history-making, coming-out experience.
Career
Billik began her casting career working on movies including Raiders of the Lost ArkRaiders of the Lost Ark
Raiders of the Lost Ark is a 1981 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, produced by George Lucas, and starring Harrison Ford. It is the first film in the Indiana Jones franchise...
and E.T.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Melissa Mathison and starring Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore, and Peter Coyote...
As a casting assistant, she worked with top Casting Directors including Mike Fenton, Elisabeth Leustig, Mary Colquhoun and Judith Holstra/Marcia Ross. In 1987 she became the Casting Director of the Fox television series Married with children, and cast over 150 episodes of the series.
Billik received an Artios Award from the Casting Society of America
Casting Society of America
Founded in Los Angeles, California in 1982, the Casting Society of America is a professional society of about 350 casting directors for film, television, and theatre in Australia, Canada, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States. The society is not to be confused with an industry union. The...
in 1997 for her work on the Emmy winning series Ellen http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108761/Ellen. Billik’s casting of that series included bringing on series regulars Jeremy Piven
Jeremy Piven
Jeremy Samuel Piven is an American film producer and actor best known for his role as Ari Gold in the television series Entourage for which he has won three Emmy Awards as well as several other nominations for Best Supporting Actor....
and notable guest stars including, Emma Thompson, Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Joanna Aniston is an American actress, film director, and producer, best known for her role as Rachel Green on the television sitcom Friends, a role which earned her an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.Aniston has also enjoyed a successful film career,...
, ZZ Top
ZZ Top
ZZ Top is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "That Little Ol' Band from Texas". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based boogie rock, has come to incorporate elements of arena, southern, and boogie rock. The band, from Houston Texas, formed in 1969...
, Linda Ellerbee
Linda Ellerbee
Linda Ellerbee is an American journalist who is most known for several jobs at NBC News, including Washington, DC correspondent, host of the Nickelodeon network's Nick News, and reporter and co-anchor of NBC News Overnight, which was recognized by the jurors of the duPont Columbia Awards as...
, Laura Dern
Laura Dern
Laura Elizabeth Dern is an American actress, film director and producer. Dern has acted in such films as Smooth Talk , Blue Velvet , Fat Man and Little Boy , Wild at Heart , Jurassic Park and October Sky...
. The “coming out” episode of Ellen The Puppy Episode
The Puppy Episode
"The Puppy Episode" is a two-part episode of the situation comedy television series Ellen. The episode details lead character Ellen Morgan's realization that she is a lesbian and her coming out. It was the 22nd and 23rd episode of the series' 4th season...
was viewed by 27 million on ABC when it aired on April 30, 1997.
Billik has also cast the long-running series, Unhappily Ever After
Unhappily Ever After
Unhappily Ever After is an American sitcom that aired for 100 episodes on The WB network from January 11, 1995, to May 23, 1999, for a total of four and a half seasons...
, for the now-defunct WB, which starred, Kevin Connolly, Nikki Cox
Nikki Cox
Nicole Avery "Nikki" Cox is an American actress known mostly for her roles on the television series Unhappily Ever After, Las Vegas, and Nikki.-Early life:...
, Geoff Pierson
Geoff Pierson
Geoff Pierson is an American actor known for his role on The WB series Unhappily Ever After as Jack Malloy, the father of a dysfunctional family whose best friend is a stuffed animal rabbit named Mr. Floppy...
, Stephanie Hodge
Stephanie Hodge
Stephanie Hodge is an American actress and stand-up comedian. She was in the television series Suite Life of Zack and Cody starring as Brianna's mom.-Acting credits:...
, Kristanna Loken
Kristanna Loken
Kristanna Sommer Loken is an American actress known for her work in both film and television, and as a fashion model.-Early life:Loken was born in Ghent, New York, the daughter of Rande , a model, and Merlin "Chris" Loken, a writer and apple farmer. All four of her grandparents were born in Norway...
and Ant (comedian)
Ant (comedian)
ANT is an American stand-up comedian and actor. ANT prefers his name spelled in all capital letters.ANT performed at comedy clubs across the USA beginning in 1991...
. She then went on to cast the pilot and first season of the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
series Samantha Who which reunited her with Married with children star Christina Applegate
Christina Applegate
Christina Applegate is an American actress. She is best known for playing Kelly Bundy on the Fox sitcom Married... with Children. Since then, she has established a film and television career, winning a Primetime Emmy and earning Tony and Golden Globe nominations...
. In 1997, Billik won the prestigious Artios award for excellence in casting. She has been nominated on three additional occasions (twice for Ellen, and once for Samantha Who).
Billik is an Executive Producer on the short feature Boutonniere which is an official selection for the 2009 Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
, and as Associate Producer on the Sony Digital-produced webseries “Star-ving” starring David Faustino
David Faustino
David Anthony Faustino is an American actor and rap artist primarily known for his role as Bud Bundy on the sitcom Married with Children.-Early life:...
. In 2008, she launched AreUaStar for aspiring actors to connect with Casting Directors.
Education
1983 graduate of University of California, Los AngelesUniversity of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
-
Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School
Loyola Law School
Loyola Law School is the law school of Loyola Marymount University, a private Catholic university in the Jesuit and Marymount traditions, in Los Angeles, California. Loyola was established in 1920. Like Loyola University Chicago School of Law and Loyola University New Orleans College of Law , it...
in Los Angeles. -
Admitted State Bar of California
State Bar of California
The State Bar of California is California's official bar association. It is responsible for managing the admission of lawyers to the practice of law, investigating complaints of professional misconduct, and prescribing appropriate discipline...
in 1992.
Activism
Billik has served on the board of directors of the largest national gay & lesbian organization, the Human Rights CampaignHuman Rights Campaign
The Human Rights Campaign is the United States' largest LGBT advocacy group and lobbying organization; according to the HRC, it has more than one million members and supporters...
from 1998-2004. She has also been a longstanding member of the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center, which is the largest GLBT social services organization in the world. Billik has also served as a board member for the Casting Society of America
Casting Society of America
Founded in Los Angeles, California in 1982, the Casting Society of America is a professional society of about 350 casting directors for film, television, and theatre in Australia, Canada, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States. The society is not to be confused with an industry union. The...
.
Billik was honored with the Guardian of Justice award by Temple Kol Ami in 2000 and with an honorary Artios award from the Casting Society of America for her leadership in organizing Casting Directors into a collective bargaining unit – Teamsters Local 399.
External links
- http://www.areuastar.com Are You A Star
- http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0082436/ Tammara Billik IMDB
- http://www.billikwoodcasting.com Billik/Wood Casting
- http://www.altladies.com/Notable_Womyn2.htm Notable Woman
- http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/13/fashion/13publicists.html?pagewanted=2 New York Times