Jodi Lyn O’Keefe, who we watched grow up on television as Don Johnson’s rebellious daughter Cassidy in the long running CBS hit Nash Bridges, was most recently a series regular on FOX’s critically acclaimed Prison Break where she played the deliciously evil Gretchen. She will next be seen in the upcoming movie, Class, on the Hallmark Channel.
O’Keefe’s episode work includes guest and recurring performances on Lost, Two and a Half Men, Boston Legal, Dharma and Greg, Criminal Minds, CSI: NY, and many more. On film, she is best remembered for starring in She’s All That with Freddie Prinze Jr, for which she won the “Best Bad Girl” Young Hollywood Award, and a series of popular horror films including Halloween: H20, Devil in the Flesh Part II and more. She also starred with Billy Baldwin in Red Rover and with James Franco in Whatever it Takes. One of her favorite experiences was starring with Jimmy Woods in a short film he wrote and directed: Falling in Love in Pongo Ponga.
Born in Cliffwood Beach, New Jersey, O’Keefe began her career as a model at the age of eight when she decided that her older sister’s life as a successful professional model in the U.S. and Europe was fun and exciting. She was signed by the Ford Modeling Agency in New York. One of her first print assignments was for Babies First Highlights and her long hair (almost to her knees) was highlighted by the famous Louis Licari. This “living doll” was in constant demand. She starred as the Gitano Girl in the print and television campaign “Spirit of the Family” and later as the “Candies Girl” for the famous shoe company.
Jodi Lyn attended public school when not working, but the teasing about her height (her mother called her a “Great Dane puppy who went from 5’ to 5’9” in one summer) made the shy Jodi Lyn very uncomfortable. At age 13 she signed with J. Michael Bloom for theatrical representation and joined the cast of Another World as the youngest member of the Corey family. Her first trip to Los Angeles was for the final screen test for “Nash Bridges;” three blondes and Jodi Lyn. She and her mom celebrated with dinner at the famous Chateau Marmont. The next six years were spent in San Francisco with the “Bridges” cast and crew who became her wonderful nurturing new family. Mom stayed until Jodi Lyn was 18 and she spent her yearly hiatus from the series working on films in Los Angeles.
This self taught gourmet chef loves preparing almost any cuisine and giving lots of dinner parties for friends and family. Exercise includes hiking Fryman Canyon, bike spinning and pilates. A true fashion slave, Jodi Lyn works to support her “habit of dressing up and buying lots of shoes.”
Kelly Stables was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. It was here where Kelly developed her passion for performing by singing and dancing at The Muny Opera. She graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri, Columbia with a degree in Communication with an emphasis on Television/Theatre Performance.
During the ides of March of 2000, Kelly moved to Los Angeles. She was fortunate enough to meet the Academy award winning, legendary make-up artist Rick Baker, who helped her land the role of “Evil Samara” in THE RING 2, after doing stunts in THE RING. For each day of shooting THE RING 2, it took Mr. Baker and his team 5 ½ hours to apply the prosthetic make-up on Kelly.
Kelly has performed in over 2 dozen theatre productions in Los Angeles, had a recurring role on GREEK, and made appearances on LIFE, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, 'TIL DEATH, and starred with Paul Sorvino and Jenny McCarthy in SANTA BABY 2. Her most recognizable role, however, is playing Jon Cryer’s receptionist/love interest on the #1 television comedy TWO AND A HALF MEN as “Melissa.” Most recently, Kelly shot a new sit-com for ABC called ROMANTICALLY CHALLENGED, starring alongside Alyssa Milano, Kyle Bornheimer and Josh Lawson.
Born in Liverpool, England, he had a disrupted Childhood with no mother or father and a broken family. He left home at 16 and joined Royal Air Force.
He became very interested in sports and became very successful as an amateur boxer being ranked number 2 in the UK and 9th in the world and reaching the England Seoul Olympic squad. He took redundancy from the Royal Air Force in 1998 and went to London.
He started modelling and did some extra work. Got the bug for acting and took part in drama workshops at the Madder market Theatre (Norwich, England) also taking part in workshops at the Actors Centre (London), modelling to pay his way through drama school, and he currently trains at the LA Actors Centre in Los Angeles California, (Meisner Technique).
He says, not knowing a single person in the industry in London, the first 8 months where the hardest constantly networking and not really knowing much about the craft of acting. He finally landed his first role, a commercial for Faberge.
An interest was shown by the producer of the American Gladiators (UK version) Ken Warick now producer of American Idol. He was contracted to work on the last two series, 26 episodes (Gladiator name Diesel) before the series ended. During this time as a Gladiator he would attend school seminars in England, Ireland and Wales talking to children about health, fitness and drug abuse.
He then landed a role in James Bond ‘The World Is Not Enough’ (director Michael Apted) and another in Attila the Hun (director Dick Lowery) for USA network and a nice juicy role in Wesley Snipe’s Blade 2. Daz has also been involved with the making of Sony Play Station’s ‘God of War’ Series, he plays the character ‘Kratos’ where his involvement stretches him from the motion capture to the live events scheduled around the country. He also appears in various guest UK and US television shows such as NCIS, The UNIT, etc, etc. He has since worked on numerous studio and independent films both in the USA and UK and co-producing a couple of them. Daz guest presents sports equipment for various shopping channels both in the US and abroad i.e. QVC etc.
He really enjoyed working on a comedy feature titled ‘Caffeine’ (director John Cosgrove), opposite Katherine Heigl ‘we are on a terrible blind date he says’ which he thoroughly enjoyed this as it’s very much a change from the stereotypical roles he normally works on.
Daz says, he believes in natural talent, which sometimes you don’t know you have until you try this along with a good acting coach and the right frame of mind, perseverance and focus will lead to success.
Hobbies include: keeping fit and healthy, travelling, reading, the latest gadgets, meeting people from everywhere.
Mitchell, originally from Cleveland, Ohio, arrived in Los Angeles late in 2003 and has laid the foundation to what is sure to be a long and outstanding career. He has guest starred on shows such as Cold Case, The Unit, Still Standing, CSI:NY, The OC, the ABC pilot Him & US with Kim Catrall and a recurring role on the hit show CSI. Along with his television success, Mitchell made his first feature film appearance in the 2007 Paramount feature film ZODIAC, starring Jake Gyllenaal and directed by David Fincher.
Jordan Rider started on the stage when he was 11 years old, playing "The King" in "The King and I." For the next six years, he performed in a variety of musicals, comedies, dramas, one-acts, and choral groups. At Cornell University, he decided acting is what he wanted to do with his life; after 9 main-stage and black-box runs, he graduated with a B.A. in Theater Arts. Playing "Anthony" in Wendy MacLeod's "The House of Yes" was the highlight of his college career. During a short stint in NYC, he landed multiple roles in an Off-Off-Broadway Variety Show and promptly decided to head west. While in L.A., he appeared on two NBC primetime shows: a recurring character on "American Dreams" and a co-starring role on the NBC series, "Medium." His continuing education in L.A. has included a three month acting class with Adilah Barnes, The Second City Improv Immersion Class with David Razowsky, and Michael Donovan's Commercial Acting Class. He currently studies with John Homa.
Marlene Forte was born in Cuba and raised in Union City, NJ (where all the Cubans who never made it to MIAMI lived)! A founding member of LAByrinth Theater Company in NYC, Ms. Forte just finished a successful run of the Pulitzer Prize winning play ANNA IN THE TROPICS at Portland’s Center Stage. Some of her other theater credits include, UNMERCIFUL GOOD FORTUNE (Seattle Rep); BY REASON OF and CUTTING OPEN WINGS (Intar); NIGHT SKY and STANDING ON MY KNEES (Hudson Guild).
Her performance in the indie movie LENA”S DREAMS received international and critical acclaim. She can also be seen in Jim Mc Kay’s OUR SONG and HBO’s REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES. She also just rapped her latest movie, TAKING CHARGE, shot in Tucson.
TV recurring and guest-star roles include; NIP/TUCK, THE GEORGE LOPEZ SHOW, CSI MIAMI, MY WIFE AND KIDS, CROSSING JORDAN, FAMILY LAW, JUDGING AMY, FOR THE PEOPLE, LAW & ORDER, just to name a few.
This spring she will workshop DIAS Y FLORES by Oliver Mayer (BLADE TO THE HEAT) with LAByrinth in the Kitchen Series at the Public Theater in NYC.
Other indie film credits include: ANYONE; THE LOVE MACHINE and CUSP (IFC); MOMENT TO MOMENT and WHAT REALLY HAPPENED DURING THE MISSILE CUBAN CRISIS (Show Time); and the soon to be released INDOCUMENTADOS.
Born in Los Angeles, Melissa didn't have to travel far to pursue her dream. But that hasn't made it any less of a journey. Before she even realized it could one day be a career option, Melissa knew she wanted to act. She kick started her career when she began modeling at 16 with LA Models. She saw much success, doing various print ads and when her print agent called with a movie audition Melissa was shocked. When she got a callback she was even more excited. Melissa didn't end up getting the job but one thing was sure. Something inside Melissa came to life and from that moment she knew exactly where she wanted to be, and that is in movies. Her pursuit continues! She currently studies with acting coach John Homa, and has appeared in numerous National and international print and commercial ads. Soul Fire Rising is her first webisode and a production she is very proud to be a part of.
Nikita and Jade Ramsey twin sisters were born and raised in Bournemouth, a small town in the south of England. They made the move to Los Angeles to pursue their acting careers.
Being twins has given them many opportunities to work together. This year sees the release of ‘ALL ABOUT EVIL’ a feature film starring Natasha Lyonne, Thomas Dekker and Mink Stole. They play murderous twins, who are released from a mental asylum on their 18th birthdays. Another feature film they star in, “The Myth of the American Sleepover” just premiered at this years SXSW Film Festival, winning the Special Jury award for ‘Best Ensemble Cast’ They appeared as the ‘brit_twins’ on the TV Series ‘Movie Mob’, as well as starring in ‘Disneys Backstage Pass’, ‘Jonas Brothers 3D Movie’, as well as numerous voiceover and commercial work.
Ashton Blanchard hails form Davenport Iowa, the small town where Cary Grant went to die. After leaving her poor river town she studied theatre at the University of Iowa where she decided to cut the prerequisites and move to Los Angeles. Since her arrival she has experienced success on the stage in one of LA’s longest running productions, Eavesdropper. Soon after, the entire United Kingdom fell in love with her as the lovable runaway in the quirky campaign for Oasis, Coca- Colas top selling drink overseas. She embraced having her face all over London’s billboards and underground only to be called back to LA to star in the psychological thriller, Trap. In between taking improv classes, dancing to Tom Petty, and starring in music videos for The Monsters of Folk, Ashton finds time to train her dog Rhett Butler and write her ridiculously honest and sometimes touching blog, A Brave Girl. She is excited to be working with Soul Fire Rising and hoping her demonic role will cure her chronic fear of scary movies and things that go bump in the night.
Jackie Geary is a Long Island native, who graduated from Columbia University before coming out to L.A. She has since been seen on such shows as CRIMINAL MINDS, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, WITHOUT A TRACE, and WILL & GRACE; and in features such as IN HER SHOES. Most recently she guest starred on both UNITED STATES OF TARA and CASTLE, which airs in May, 2009. She was thrilled to work on SOUL FIRE RISING with so many people she loves and respects, and is overjoyed to have survived the makeup process!
Jamison Haase is originally from Cedar, a very small town in Minnesota. At the age of sixteen, he auditioned for his very first play on a dare and was given a part (to this day, the only role in which he can still remember his lines), and he fell very much in love with the world of acting. Jamison Haase graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth with a BFA in Acting in November of 1997, and quickly made a name for himself in Minneapolis, performing in commercials, plays, dance concerts, industrial videos, and movies.
After joining SAG and AFTRA (on the same day), Jamison suddenly found the market in Minneapolis too small to continue to work there. So, in January of 2000 he moved to Los Angeles. For several years Jamison appeared in theater productions all around Los Angeles, most notably with Ken Roht's Orphean Circus. Then, Jamison placed all his focus on the film and television industry.
Since that moment, Jamison Haase has been steadily working: from studio features such as "Crossing Over," starring Harrison Ford and Ray Liotta, to indies such as "Miss Ohio" and "Scratching the Surface", to many television shows like "Heroes," "Without a Trace," "Prison Break," "2 1/2 Men" and "Cold Case," just to name a few.
Beginning in 2007, Jamison Haase started using his knowledge and experience to teach other actors in the film and television industry, and recently opened his own school, called L.A. On-Camera Training Center.
A self proclaimed "work of art in progress," Aimee Lynn Chadwick hails from the small cape cod town of Sandwich, MA. While performing in professional theatre growing up, she craved more, and made the leap to Los Angeles alone, with her backpack, $100, and a mission. In the short time she has been in L.A., Aimee has been in various national TV commercials, including a 3spot T-Mobile Campaign. She made her Big Screen Debut in the Hillary Duff movie, "A Cinderella Story" starring as the Disenchanted-monotype Goth DJ, "Astrid." She has also landed roles on such TV shows as LAS VEGAS, and the "Return of the Living Dead 4 & 5" movies. She is honored and proud to be a part of "Soul Fire Rising."
Ryan hails from Boston, Massachusetts where he has been regarded the best actor of his generation by himself and his family. He graduated from Boston College with a finance degree and excelled as a Division 1 wrestler as well as a member of the rugby team. Ryan has studied with acclaimed acting coaches Oleg Tabakov of the Moscow Arts Theater, Michael Howard in New York, Patsy Rodenberg of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Michelle Danner of the Larry Moss Studios, and Margie Haber. Ryan has appeared in numerous independent films, and his television credits include NBC's Frasier and MTV's Undressed.
Mark Overholt is an independent film actor who has appeared in numerous films since beginning work in the Cleveland theatre scene. He has studied with luminary acting coaches including the legendary Jeff Cory. Mark has been the recipient of two Best Actor awards including the MethodFest film festival award for best actor. Having worked in TV and film genres ranging from comedy to drama, horror to sci-fi, Mark is currently working on his own feature—a dark comedy which he wrote.