ICE CUBE (Nick Persons) has, as the head of his production company Cube Vision, written, produced and starred in the cult hit Friday and its successful sequels Next Friday and Friday After Next. Cube Vision was also responsible for The Players Club, in which Cube made his directorial debut. He recently starred in and executive produced the back-to-back hits Barbershop and Barbershop 2: Back in Business. He also produced and starred in All About the Benjamins and recently produced Beauty Shop starring Queen Latifah.
Other film credits include the critically acclaimed Three Kings opposite George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg, the action drama Torque, John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars, Anaconda with Jennifer Lopez and Jon Voight, Trespass and Higher Learning. Cube made his feature film debut in John Singleton’s classic Boyz N the Hood. He will next star in Revolution Studios’ action thriller XXX: State of the Union opposite Samuel L. Jackson and Willem Dafoe.
Cube continues to be one of the most recognized hip-hop artists in the recording industry. His thriving music career included the double-platinum success of both discs of his double album “War and Peace.” As a solo artist, Cube recorded such hit albums as “Lethal Injection,” “Bootlegs & B-Sides,” “The Predator” and “Amerikkka’s Most Wanted.” His collaborative effort with Mack-10 and WC formed the group Westside Connection whose second album, “Terrorist Threats,” was released in December 2003 and marks their follow up effort to 1996’s double-platinum seller “Bow Down.” A collection of his greatest hits, featuring two new songs, was released by Priority Records in December 2001.
NIA LONG (Suzanne Kingston) has built a reputation as an actress of exceptional range, delivering outstanding work in box office hits, independent features and television.
Long recently starred in Charles Shyer's remake of Alfie opposite Jude Law and in Mario Van Peebles' critically acclaimed documentary Baadasssss! opposite Van Peebles.
Long also starred in 20th Century Fox's box office hit Big Momma's House opposite Martin Lawrence. Her role in this film garnered her a 2001 NAACP Image Award Nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture and a 2001 Blockbuster Award Nomination for Favorite Actress.
Long's other film credits include: Boiler Room, Best Man, The Broken Hearts Club, In Too Deep, Held Up, Stigmata, Soul Food, Made in America, Friday, Boyz ‘N the Hood and Love Jones, which won the prestigious Audience Award at Sundance.
Long is currently starring on NBC's critically acclaimed drama "Third Watch" as Sasha Monroe, a tough cop dedicated to improving her community. The show is in it's fifth season and is syndicated on A&E. For her work, Long received a 2004 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series.
Long's other television credits include "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," "Judging Amy," "If These Walls Could Talk 2" and "ER."
JAY MOHR (Marty) burst onto the screen and received critical acclaim for his role opposite Tom Cruise in the box office hit Jerry Maguire directed by Cameron Crowe. Born in Verona, New Jersey, Mohr performed stand-up comedy at colleges and comedy clubs before joining the cast of “Saturday Night Live,” where he gained national attention for his uncanny impressions of Christopher Walken, Ricki Lake and Sean Penn, among others.
Mohr has starred in such films as Simone with Al Pacino, the independent film Seeing Other People, Pay It Forward opposite Kevin Spacey and Helen Hunt, Picture Perfect opposite Jennifer Aniston, Go with Scott Wolf, the ensemble drama Playing by Heart, Suicide Kings with Denis Leary and Christopher Walken, the comedy spoof Mafia, as well as the films Small Soldiers, Paulie and 200 Cigarettes.
His television projects include starring as “Peter Dragon” in the highly acclaimed series, “Action,” and lending his voice to Drew Barrymore’s “Olive, the Other Reindeer.” An avid sports fan, he hosted the weekly sports/comedy/variety show “Mohr Sports” for ESPN. When not appearing in film or TV projects, Mohr can be found on stage at comedy clubs and college campuses across the country.
M.C. GAINEY (Al) is one of Hollywood’s busiest character actors, appearing in everything from action blockbusters to Sundance films. Gainey’s most recent role was in the Broken Lizard Comedy Troupe’s Club Dread. He was also recently in Wonderland, Terminator 3, The Cooler, The New Guy, Diary of a Sex Addict, The Haunting, Happy Texas, Last Rites, Ringmaster, Meet the Deedles, and Con Air. Other film credits include The Fan, The Secret Agent Club, Citizen Ruth, Geronimo, The Mighty Ducks, An Innocent Man, Soul Man, and Pennies From Heaven.
Along with his feature film credits, Gainey has also played numerous roles on television. Most recently, he was in “UC: Undercover,” “Dead Last,” and “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.” He has also appeared in guest spots including “The Pretender,” “Nash Bridges,” “The X-Files,” “Walker Texas Ranger,” “Adventures of Brisco County Jr.,” “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” “Designing Women,” “Matlock,” “L.A. Law,” “Night Court,” “Simon & Simon,” “Cheers,” “Hart to Hart” and “Happy Days.”
ALEISHA ALLEN (Lindsey Kingston) was born and raised in New York City, and has been modeling for print and television ads since the age of four. As a six-year-old she appeared on the series "Blue's Clues," and later she became a series regular on the popular Disney TV show "Out of the Box."
A singer and ballerina, as well as an actress, Allen most recently starred in the comedy- hit School of Rock with Jack Black. She has also appeared in the feature films The Best Man and Finding Forrester.
PHILIP DANIEL BOLDEN (Kevin Kingston) most recently appeared as ‘Mack, Jr.’ in Johnson Family Vacation opposite Steve Harvey and Vanessa L. Williams. Other film appearances include The Animal and Little Nicky.
On television, Bolden has guest-starred on “According to Jim,” “CSI: Miami,” “Malcolm in the Middle” and has had recurring roles on both “My Wife and Kids” and “The King of Queens.” He also appeared in the telefilm “Play’d: A Hip Hop Story.”
Bolden, who was born in New Orleans, had a breakout role in a McDonald’s commercial with Kobe Bryant and had a leading role in Macy Gray’s music video “Sweet Baby.”
TRACY MORGAN (Voice of Satchel Paige) is a stand-up comedian and actor. He was a popular member of the cast of “Saturday Night Live” from 1996 to 2003 when he departed to star in his own series “The Tracy Morgan Show.” Born and raised in New York City, Morgan first gained attention in the recurring role of Hustle Man on the comedy series “Martin.” He made his film debut in A Thin Line Between Love and Hate and has since been seen in Half Baked, 30 Years to Life, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Head of State and the upcoming The Longest Yard.
Between film and television roles, he continues to work the national stand-up comedy circuit. He has had an hour-long stand-up special on Comedy Central and lent his voice to the network’s series “Crank Yankers.”
NICHELLE NICHOLS (Miss Mabel) will always be Commander Uhura to legions of Star Trek fans, but her extensive resume showcases her many other talents. In addition to acting, Nichols has established herself as a singer, writer and gifted stage performer.
Born in Robbins, Illinois, Nichols started her career at age 16. She got her first big break touring with Duke Ellington, and also sang with Lionel Hampton. Her performances took her across the United States, through Canada and to Europe. She performed in “The Roar of the Grease Paint, the Smell of the Crowd” and “For My People,” and also starred in James Baldwin’s play “Blues for Mr. Charlie.”
She soon found herself before the camera, starring on Gene Roddenberry’s series “The Lieutenant.” Her next starring role cemented her in pop culture history as Lt. Nyota Uhura on the science-fiction series “Star Trek.”
The series was the first to feature a regular black role, and Nichols became a role model for African-American women across the country. She broke ground by being half of television’s first interracial kiss, with co-star William Shatner. When the series ended in 1969, Nichols went on to star in six Star Trek feature films. She has also appeared in The Supernaturals and most recently in Snow Dogs alongside Cuba Gooding, Jr.
Nichols is also an accomplished stage performer. She has been nominated twice for the Sarah Siddons Award for Best Actress, for her performances in “Kicks and Company” and “The Blacks.” She received rave reviews for her performance in “Horowitz and Mrs. Washington” and starred in “Reflections” at the Westwood Playhouse, a cabaret-style show in which Nichols saluted her most notable influences by channeling legendary female entertainers.
To the pleasure of many “Star Trek” fans, Nichols released her autobiography Beyond Uhura: Star Trek and Other Memoirs in 1994. She followed up her writing debut with the science-fiction novel Saturn’s Child, which was a hit among sci-fi fans.
Nichols is also a noted philanthropist. She received the NASA Public Service Award for her efforts in recruiting minorities to space study, and she continues to serve as a member of the Board of Governors of the National Space Society and as a member of the Advisory Board of the International Space Camp.
