Monsters, Madness and Magic

Join Justin as he chats with actor Kevin J. O’Connor about monster movies, books, Francis Ford Coppola, method acting, The Mummy, and more!Kevin J. O'Connor bio:"Kevin's first dream was to be a cartoonist, but in later years decided to on acting. Getting his early training in Chicago, his first movie role was in Peggy Sue Got Married. He has since appeared in over 30 films as well as ABC's short-lived Gideon's Crossing. He recently appeared in as Igor in Stephen Sommers's Van Helsing. He also worked with Sommers in The Mummy and Deep Rising."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube.

Join Justin as he chats with actor Philip Shahbaz about perseverance, his pilgrimage through the Middle East, Altair, Assassin’s Creed, and more! Philip Shahbaz bio:"Philip Shahbaz (born July 1, 1974) is an American actor who is known as the voice of Altaïr Ibn-LaʼAhad in the Ubisoft video game Assassin's Creed, for his portrayal of Hollywood legend Peter Bogdanovich in Hulu's Welcome to Chippendales, and for his recurring role as Rabbi Akiva in The Chosen, the hit television drama about the life of Jesus, and those who knew him."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube.

Join Justin as he chats with actor Roger Clark about life in Ireland, theater, Arthur Morgan, Rockstar Games, Red Dead Redemption, motion capture, and more!Roger Clark bio:"Roger Clark was born in New Jersey, raised in Ireland and trained in the U.K. He attended University of Glamorgan in Cardiff, Wales and achieved a BA in Theatre, Media and Drama. His professional acting debut was in 2000 with the Wales Actor's company and their production of 'Juno and the Paycock'. Most of his resume lies in theatre, voice over, television and motion capture. He has performed in a total of 45 countries and now lives and works in New York."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube.

Join Justin as he chats with creature actor and special effects legend Tom Woodruff Jr. about Terminator, monster movies, becoming a demon, Fred Ward, Stan Winston, and more!Tom Woodruff Jr. bio:"Tom Woodruff Jr. (born January 21, 1959) is an American actor, director, producer and special effects supervisor. He won an Academy Award for Best Special Effects for his work on the 1992 dark fantasy film Death Becomes Her; that same year he was also nominated for the same award for Alien 3.Some of his most notable works include: Starship Troopers (1997), Cast Away (2000), It (2017) and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube.

Join Justin as he chats with actor and martial artist Ludi Lin about his childhood, Final Fantasy, anime, Liu Kang, Mortal Kombat, and more!Ludi Lin bio:"Ludi Lin is a unique actor striding Hollywood and China and one of the most outspoken voices in Asian Representation in Hollywood. Being born in China, he received his education and enculturation in many different countries around the world. Rather than deciding to be an actor, he feels he simply never succumbed to the pressures of giving up on being one because he believes that people are all born actors and we're here to to tell our stories.Ludi's upcoming projects include: MORTAL KOMBAT, SON OF THE SOUTH, THE GHOST BRIDE, the Chinese adaptation of HUMANS and two shorts including IN A NEW YORK MINUTE and SUMMER KNIGHT. He recently joined the cast of MORTAL KOMBAT as Liu Kang, AQUAMAN as Captain Murk in the 2018 DC film, AQUAMAN. He is well known as Zack, The Black Power Ranger in THE POWER RANGERS, Lions Gate's franchise. He was also seen in Season 2 of Netflix's MARCO POLO along with Chinese films COME ACROSS LOVE and TAKES ME TO THE ENDS OF EARTH. Ludi's other credits include the Chinese MONSTER HUNT and LOST IN HONG KONG - one of China's biggest box office Chinese films released to date.In 2017, Ludi was honored at the Hawaii European Film Festival Awards, receiving the Rising Star Award. Variety presented their Asian Stars: Up Next Award to Ludi at the 2nd International Film Festival & Awards in Macao.Ludi was born in Fuzhou, a city along the southern coast of China. His full immersion into western culture came at the age of 9 when he was sent abroad to Sydney Australia to further his studies. Finally, when he was 17 he moved to Vancouver Canada to complete his university education. The allure to act for Ludi began from an early age when he watched his mother's performances from behind the curtain of a Chinese Theatrical stage. Ironically, she urged him not to follow her footsteps but in spite of her dire warnings, he continued to pursue the art and eventually graduated with a double major in Dietetics and Theatre from the University of British Columbia. After graduating, Ludi took a 2 year souljourn around Asia proper where he refined his martial arts skills in Thailand and Japan; studying Muay Thai and JiuJitsu for extended periods. Subsequently, Ludi returned to Vancouver to work as an actor, and honed his skills on shows such as LEVEL UP! and HOLIDAY SPIN. He was also cast in a number of Chinese co-productions, that put to use his unique language skills, films such as, I'M SORRY, I LOVE YOU (2013) and A Servant of Two Masters. Working in China afforded Ludi the chance learn in a different environment and work with legends of the Chinese industry such as Barbara Wong, a revered female director out of Hong Kong, and Jackie Chan and his stunt fighting team.The welcome he experienced and his deepening impression on Chinese audiences made him decide to continue establishing himself in China. Ludi currently maintains residences in Beijing and Vancouver and is a competitive snowboarder, a Master Scuba diver, and student of different martial art forms. He feels grateful to be an actor who can share his art with the world."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube.

Join Justin as he chats with stage and screen actor James Marsters about his days of high school hell-raising, the French Revolution, Macbeth, theater, being expelled from Julliard, Buffy, and more!James Marsters bio:"James graduated from Davis High School and attended Juilliard, the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts, and the American Conservatory Theatre. After spending ten years doing stage work he finally moved to L.A. to pursue a career in film and television. After appearing in several guest roles he finally got his big break as Spike in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Originally, the character was suppose to be killed after a few episodes but Spike became so popular that he was promoted to a regular on the show. After the show ended, he appeared as Spike in the spin-off Angel and in several movies. James is also a talented musician; his band Ghost of the Robot released their first album, Mad Brilliant, in 2003."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube.

Join Justin and Angelique as they chat with actor Brad Greenquist about mime, Kenpo, Pet Sematary, Stephen King, Star Trek, and more!Brad Greenquist bio:"Brad Greenquist is a character actor best known for his portrayal of Victor Pascow in Pet Sematary. Mr. Greenquist was born in Fort Meade, Maryland, and grew up in Falls Church, Virginia. In 1983, after earning a BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University, he went to New York City and quickly began performing in the Off-Off-Broadway theater circuit. His first feature film, The Bedroom Window, put him on the map, and he has been working steadily ever since in films, television and on the live stage. Mr. Greenquist lives in Santa Monica, California."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube.

Join Justin as he chats with stage and screen actor Benjamin Byron Davis about Lord Byron, the history of acting, Dutch van der Linde, Rockstar, Red Dead, mushrooms, and more!Benjamin Byron Davis bio:"Benjamin Byron Davis is an accomplished actor, writer and director, known for his dynamic range and versatility in portraying complex characters. His commanding voice and formidable and magnetic screen presence in film, television, performance capture and theater have garnered legions of fans and social media followers worldwide.Ben appears in Marvel Studios' "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," written and directed by longtime friend and collaborator James Gunn. The film, which takes place after 'Thanos' was defeated in "Avengers: Endgame," is the culmination of the iconic trilogy; its highly successful predecessors, "Guardians of the Galaxy" (2014) and "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" (2017), amassed over $1.6 billion in worldwide box office receipts. Ben plays hapless OrgoCorp Security Guard 'Bletelsnort' opposite Guardians 'Mantis' (Pom Klementieff) and 'Drax' (Dave Bautista). GOTG Vol. 3 was released on May 5, 2023 by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures and earned $289 million globally on opening weekend.In the can is a starring role in the "Borderlands" feature film, which is Lionsgate, Eli Roth and Tim Miller's eagerly anticipated adaptation of the uber successful video game. Ben plays Pandora's arms dealer 'Marcus Kincaid,' opposite Cate Blanchett's infamous outlaw 'Lilith.' An important character within the Borderlands universe, 'Marcus' is a weapons dealer and entrepreneur who appears in all the main Borderlands video games. He is known for his gruff demeanor, sharp wit, distinctive accent, penchant for telling tall tales about his past exploits and willingness to do whatever it takes to make a profit. Borderlands is one of the world's most successful game franchises, with more than 68 million units sold-in worldwide and includes "Borderlands 2" which is the highest-selling title in the history of 2K; and "Borderlands 3," which was awarded Best Ongoing Game at Gamescom 2020.In the arena of performance capture, Ben created the iconic character of 'Dutch van der Linde,' the complex, compelling and charismatic gang leader in Rockstar Games's Red Dead Redemption (2010) and Red Dead Redemption II (2018). The character of 'Dutch' was described by Twinfinite as "one of the greatest villains of this generation," and they selected Ben as the "Best Actor of 2018." "Red Dead Redemption II" upon release had the largest opening weekend in the history of entertainment generating $725 million in revenue in 3 days and (as of May 2023) is the 8th highest grossing video game of all time!In recent film performances, Ben played 'Agent Burleigh' in Marvel's "Ant-Man and the Wasp" opposite Paul Rudd and Randall Park; and 'Antonio Fowler' in the action/horror/thriller "The Belko Experiment," written and produced by James Gunn. A veteran of over thirty episodes of television, Ben has delivered memorable comedic and dramatic turns in series roles.Ben was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the youngest of three brothers. His parents are retired, Jessica from teaching and William from finance. Ben graduated from the Noble and Greenough School (MA), where he was awarded the Eaton Prize for Excellence in Performing Arts, went on to attend the University of Chicago where he sat on the board of the University Theatre, and finally to NYU's Tisch School of the Arts where he graduated with honors and a Playwrights Horizons Theatre School "Achievement in Acting" award (1996).His early work in theater featured two solo shows that he wrote and performed: "In Absentia" (HERE, NYC, 1995 and The Evidence Room, LA, 2001); and "Big Shot" (Lillian Theater, LA, 2002 and Trilogy Theater, NYC, 2002). Ben has appeared in numerous stage roles, including 'Lord Byron' in "Bloody Poetry" (nyte/Classic Stage Company, NYC, 1998) and 'Woland' in "The Master and Margarita" (Zoo District/Hudson Backstage, LA, 2000).Directing in theater, Ben's projects have included the one-act play "Godfather Death" (Sacred Fools Theater Company, 2001/LA Weekly Award nomination for best director) and the development and direction of acclaimed poet/performer Joe Hernandez-Kolski's solo shows."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube.

Join Justin as he chats with actor and puppeteer Allan Trautman about the Tarman, Return of the Living Dead, Jim Henson, puppetry, Dinosaurs, and more!Allan Trautman bio:"Allan Trautman was born in Brooklyn, NY and moved to Miami Beach with his family at the beginning of 9th grade. He began acting in Miami Beach Senior High under the direction of famed drama teacher Jay Jensen. He spent four years in St. Louis at Washington University, earning a BA in Physics and Drama. He then earned an MFA in Acting from the California Institute of the Arts, where he met his wife, Diane. While in St. Louis, he began his puppetry career working on The Letter People at public TV station KETC. He performed in all 60 15-minute episodes, each one shot on a Friday (he skipped classes).Two years after graduating from CalArts, while working full-time at Leo's Stereo in the San Fernando Valley, a friend told him about an audition notice for a "puppet school" sponsored by Sid and Marty Krofft. Allan spent the summer of 1980 at what were a series of workshops under the direction of Tony Urbano. There he met other young puppeteers who all became lifelong friends-Bruce Lanoil, Kevin Carlson, Tim Blaney, and others.Much of the 1980s were spent working on projects for the Kroffts and for Dave Pavelonis and his Peppercorn Productions, as well as pursuing his acting career. During this time he was sent on an audition for Return of the Living Dead, and was cast as the Tarman, who went on to become an iconic zombie film character-among the first to ask specifically for "Brains!"In 1990, as part of the then-pending purchase of The Muppets by the Walt Disney Company, Jim Henson came to Los Angeles to direct Muppetvision 3-D, an attraction for Disney's theme parks. Again, a friend was able to get Allan into the audition, and this was the beginning of Allan's career with The Jim Henson Company and the Muppets.In 1991 Allan joined the cast of the ABC-TV series Dinosaurs as the animatronic puppeteer for Fran Sinclair. That show remained in production for 65 episodes, until the end of 1993, introducing Allan to sophisticated animatronics. This experience continued with movies like Babe, Men in Black, Doctor Dolittle, Jack Frost, The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas, Monkeybone, Cats and Dogs, Men in Black II, and The Country Bears.After Dinosaurs, two producers on that show requested his presence on their next show, Unhappily Ever After, a sitcom on the brand-new WB Network. Allan puppeteered Mr. Floppy, the lead character's wise-cracking (imaginary) talking bunny, voiced in front of a live audience by Bobcat Goldthwaite.In the meantime, Allan's work with The Muppets included videos such as It's Not Easy Being Green and Muppet Classic Theatre, the movie Muppets from Space, and, for TV, Muppets Tonight, It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie, and The Muppets' Wizard of Oz. In the summer of 2005, Allan became a founding member of Puppet Up!-Uncensored, Henson Alternative's puppet/improv show. He performed in the show off-Broadway, at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, on tour throughout the U.S., and on the historic Chaplin Stage on The Jim Henson Company lot. He also acted as puppetry technique instructor. He was one of three on-set puppeteers during production of The Jungle Book (2016), and was a core puppeteer on The Happytime Murders. Allan continues to work in physical as well as digital puppetry, in shows such as Splash and Bubbles for PBS Kids, and has moved into directing for that show and others."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube.

Join Justin as he chats with stage and screen actor Harry Groener about Broadway, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, theater life, dance, musicals, the mayor, and more!Harry Groener bio:"Harry Groener (born September 10, 1951) is a German-born American actor and dancer, perhaps best known for playing Mayor Wilkins in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (seasons 3, 4 and 7).Groener's reputation in New York City rests almost entirely on his work in musical theater. However, the bulk of his roles outside New York have been in classical drama or contemporary plays like Eastern Standard. His Broadway credits include Is There Life After High School?, Will Parker in Oklahoma! (Tony Award nomination, Theatre World Award), Munkustrap in Cats (Tony Award nomination), Georges/George in Sunday in the Park with George, and Bobby Child in Crazy for You (Tony Award and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations)."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube.

Join Justin as he chats with veteran stage and screen actor Lee Arenberg about pirates, Pintel, filming abroad, character acting, Once Upon A Time, and more!Lee Arenberg bio:"Lee Arenberg has the remarkable ability to morph himself into frightening aliens, twisted psychotherapists, lascivious entertainment executives and everything in between. Most frequently referred to as a character actor, Arenberg maintains a flourishing acting career--almost 20 years spanning television, stage and film. Arenberg has appeared in more than 30 movies, including Cradle Will Rock, RoboCop 3, Waterworld, Bob Roberts, The Apocalypse, Cross My Heart and the fantasy adventure feature Dungeons & Dragons. Bitten by the acting bug at age eight when he portrayed David in his Hebrew school play, "Killing Goliath", Arenberg notes that the parable "could be the title of any actor's chances in this game." A native Angeleno, Lee attended Santa Monica high school with "brat packers" Sean Penn, Robert Downey Jr. and Emilio Estevez, and co-wrote a play with Estevez which was directed by Penn. Lee's first professional job was in 1986 at the Mark Taper Forum in "Ghetto", a play directed by Gordon Davidson. Within weeks he was cast in three films, including the role of Norton in the feature Tapeheadsopposite Tim Robbins and John Cusack. Guest appearances on television began in 1987 with the hit sitcom Perfect Strangers, and have continued with memorable roles such as the parking space-stealing New Yorker on Seinfeld and as the murderous rock promoter opposite Katey Sagal and Sam Kinison in Tales from the Crypt, as well as roles on Arli$$, Friends, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager. Arenberg can also be seen in the role of the notoriously huge studio head, Bobby G., on the controversial syndicated comedy Action opposite series star Jay Mohr. Arenberg names his family and friends as his inspirations, and states that having grown up on Los Angeles' Westside, he was able to see actors as the parents of friends and classmates, not as just as movie stars. "It also gave me an honest assessment of the industry and what I was getting myself into," he laughs. He credits "fear of failure" as his main motivation, and admires the talents and creativity of such legendary actors Paul Muni, Lon Chaney and Boris Karloff. Lee also credits much of his development as an actor to his participation in the Actors' Gang, one of Los Angeles' oldest theater companies. The Actors' Gang was founded by Lee in 1981 with Tim Robbins and other friends from UCLA. After 20 years as an actor in the group, Lee recently made his writing and directing debut with Foursome, a play about golf, sex and witchcraft. In his leisure time, Arenberg enjoys golf, cooking, blues harmonica, video games and pitching for his softball team Bubblin' Crude, which is made up of other actors, many of whom are friends from high school. He is involved with St. Jude's Children's Hospital and other children's health causes, and animal rights organizations, participating regularly in fund raising efforts on behalf of those charitable causes."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube.

Join Justin and Angelique as they chat with prolific actor Andrew Divoff about Wishmaster, beer, the Wayans brothers, immigrating to the United States, and much more!Andrew Divoff bio:"Andrew Daniel Divoff is a Venezuela-born Russian actor and stuntman, best known for playing the evil Djinn in the first two Wishmaster films and the villains Cherry Ganz in Another 48 Hrs., Ernesto Mendoza in A Low Down Dirty Shame, Boris Bazylev in Air Force One, Ivan Sarnoff in CSI: Miami and Mikhail Bakunin in Lost.He was born on July 2, 1955 in San Tomé, Venezuela. His father is Russian and his mother, who was born in Venezuela, is of Irish descent. He lived in Vilassar de Mar (in Spain) from 1973-77. He lives in the United States. Divoff can speak eight languages: English, Spanish, Italian, French, German, Catalan, Portuguese, and Russian. He used to speak Romanian but forgot the language when he had no one with whom to speak it. He also acted in The Hunt for Red October, Air Force One and Toy Soldiers.Divoff has played many villains in film and on television, usually drug cartel leaders, and is best known for having played the nefarious Djinn in the first two films of the Wishmaster series. His other films include Another 48 Hrs., The Hunt for Red October, A Low Down Dirty Shame, Air Force One and Toy Soldiers. Divoff played the lead role in the Midnight Syndicate's Indie horror flick The Dead Matter. His television guest appearances include The A-Team, JAG and Highlander: The Series. He had a recurring role on Lost as Mikhail Bakunin.He appeared in "The Cost of Living", and later in "Enter 77" and "Par Avion". He later appeared, in flashbacks, in "One of Us," and reappeared in the episodes "D.O.C.", "The Man Behind the Curtain", "Through the Looking Glass" and "The Package". Divoff's latest work was a recurring role as Ivan Sarnoff on CSI: Miami Season 7 (2008-09). He also appeared in Air Force One.Divoff is an alumnus of Georgetown University, where he honed his skills in the study of languages, the result seeing him speak eight languages fluently. Andrew is a SAG actor and film producer with more than a hundred movies and television appearances to his credit. He has a driving passion for environmental issues, and has used his celebrity status, putting purpose ahead of profit, for several environmental causes. Andrew is a founder of Verdant Resource, Inc., a flexible purpose corporation dedicated to location, retrieval and provision of resources found throughout planet Earth, and promoting their use in a sustainable way of life employing verdant methods. He is also a partner in a private water utility, Alpine Village Water Company, LLC in Pinyon, California. Divoff was married to Russian actress Raissa Danilova in 1992 but they divorced in 1998. Divoff resides in Los Angeles."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube.

Join Justin as he chats with horror icon Anders Hove about becoming Radu Vladislas, growing up in Greenland, theater, drunken sword fights, Romania, and the fate of Subspecies 5!Anders Hove bio:"Anders Hove was born in Greenland on the 16th of January 1956 to a mother who was a nurse and a father who worked as a meteorologist. His father was politically involved in Greenland and helped the country work towards the government it has today. Spending most of his childhood there, Anders later moved with his parents to Thisted in Denmark when he was 14 years old. In the 1970s, Anders attended the Royal Academy in Denmark to learn formal acting. Before this he had studied law and economics and had planned on taking over his father's business. In 1980, he married an American dancer and choreographer named Ann Thayer Crosset, and they have two sons together, Anders Ezra and Elliot Todd. His first real movie role was in the Danish movie In the Middle of the Night (Middle of the Night), in which he played Nalle. After working in Denmark for a time as a stage and screen actor, Anders decided to try his luck on the American front. He and his wife sold their belongings and moved to the States. There he landed parts in shows like "Tales From the Crypt" and the sci-fi movie Critters 4 as 'Rick', the critter-infested ships captain, and the role that many know and remember him for, as the fiendish and obsessive 'Cesar Faison' on the daytime soap opera "General Hospital". He also worked in a Canadian soap opera called "Family Passions" with General Hospital co-star and friend Kin Shriner. Another former co-star on General Hospital, Michael Watson suggested that Anders should play the villainous vampire 'Radu Vladislas' in the Full Moon movie Subspecies. He ended up being in three sequels to the movie during the 90s playing the long-fingered, drooling, infamous Radu. Hove returned to Denmark in the mid 90s and has continued to act there, being a favorite actor of the 'Dogme'-directors, usually playing bad guys."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube.

Join Justin, Daniel, and Angelique as they chat with veteran stage and screen actor Brian Thompson about literature, the stage, screen writing red flags, Mortal Kombat, method acting, and more!Brian Thompson bio:"Brian Earl Thompson was born on August 28, 1959 in Ellensburg, Washington. Raised on the Columbia River in Longview, he learned the value of academics and athletics, as the son of two teachers and the second of six siblings. His interest in acting was first sparked during his senior year of high school with the role of the Russian ballet instructor, Boris Kolenkhov, in the comedy "You Can't Take it With You". Under the pretense of attending Central Washington University to play football and study business management, he quietly auditioned for every available play, treading the boards for a dozen school productions, from musicals and operas to the more lighthearted fare of Neil Simon.Earning a scholarship to the University of California-Irvine, he sailed through a three-year Master of Fine Arts program, learning from such theatrical luminaries as playwright Edward Albee, Robert Cohen and Jerzy Grotoswski, and supplementing his education through work with the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. He began to audition theatrically before graduation, and by that time, he had his SAG card, an agent and five professional credits, including James Cameron's The Terminator, where he and Bill Paxton's clothes were forcibly removed by a naked Arnold Schwarzenegger. About a year after Arnold took Brian's clothes, Sylvester Stallone wanted a hack at Brian as well. After seven auditions and a screen test, Brian earned the right to get impaled on a meat hook, then burned alive, Stallone's Cobra. This began a string of credits that has left Thompson in and around some of Hollywood's biggest and most projects.Brian has tackled two superhero roles as well: first, Conan the Librarian (1999), starring red in the title role, a PBS special to encourage kids to read. He also earned critical acclaim playing the larger-than-life role of Hercules in Jason and the Argonauts. Probably the first role that demanded use of his classical background as well as his 6' 3" muscled frame. Brian says that no gym can claim him as a member, and that his physique is kept honed by years of windsurfing and kitesurfing. Taking a curiously "musical" approach to his craft, the actor continually seeks fresh rhythms for each new role. Brian verifies his well-rounded nature with a resume that lists such special skills as martial arts (black belt Hapkido), piano and sushi rolling. He currently resides at home with his son Jordan and daughter Daphne."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube.

Join Justin as he chat with voice and screen actor Lawrence Bayne about Pink Floyd, X-Men: The Animated Series, voicing Cable, Disney, and more!Lawrence Bayne bio:"Lawrence Bayne is an actor of Scottish and Cree descent known for his roles in film, music videos, television series and as a voiceover actor for animation and video games. As an announcer and narrator, he has presented awards, commentated sporting events and documentaries for CBC Radio, the National Hockey League, National Geographic and others. Bayne is also a singer, poet and musician, and his band is named "Simple Damned Device".Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube.

Join Justin as he chats with veteran voice and stage actor Stuart Zagnit about Little Shop of Horrors, musicals, voicing Professor Oak, the Pokemon phenomenon, and more! Stuart Zagnit bio:"Stuart Zagnit (sometimes credited as Stan Hart) is an American voice, film and television actor. He has worked in Broadway, off-Broadway, regional and national tours, television, films, commercials, and voice-overs. Zagnit has worked as a voice actor for 4Kids Entertainment, DuArt Film and Video, and TAJ Productions."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube.

Join Justin as he chats with veteran stage, screen and voice actor Raphael Sbarge about growing up behind the stage, acting methods, breaking into the business, Once Upon A Time, Mass Effect, and more!Raphael Sbarge bio:"Raphael Sbarge has been a working actor for more than five decades. Growing up in New York City's Lower East Side, Raphael began working on Sesame Street at the age of four. His did his first Broadway show at 16, opposite Faye Dunaway and his first big film, Risky Business starring Tom Cruise, as he was graduating high school at 18. His mother, Jeanne Button, was a Broadway costume designer and his father, Stephen Sbarge, was an artist, photographer, and documentary filmmaker.He has performed in theaters all over the country, including at Yale Rep, Long Wharf, Mark Taper, and Kennedy Center. He has performed on stage with Al Pacino, Frank Langella, Gwyneth Paltrow, as well Jason Robards and Colleen Dewhurst in the Bway revival of Ah, Wilderness.He has been in many successful films, including Independence Day with Will Smith, Pearl Harbor with Ben Affleck and the cult classic Carnosaur for Roger Corman. He will be in the new Universal/Blumhouse film, The Exorcist: Believer, with Ellen Burstyn, Jennifer Nettles, Leslie Odom Jr. and Ann Dowd which opens on Friday, October 13th, 2023.Raphael's resume includes more than 100 guest appearances and series regular roles on network television shows, including the long-running ABC hit Once Upon a Time as Dr Hopper, Stephen Bochco's Murder in the First for TNT, and The Guardian with Simon Baker, for CBS. He has recurred on many series including Star Trek: Voyager, Dexter, Prison Break, Longmire, 24, among many others. He has done extensive voice work in video games including lead roles in Mass Effect - The New York Times Game of the Year - and its two sequels, as well Knights of the Old Republic, a popular Star Wars game.As a director, Raphael received his first Emmy nomination for LA Foodways, for PBS. His recent feature film, Only in Theaters, opened in Los Angeles and NYC to critical acclaim, played 80 theaters around the country and is now available on Amazon and on DVD, distributed by Kino Lorber. Other films and series Raphael has directed include The Bird Who Could Fly, The Tricky Part, A Concrete River: Reviving the Waters of Los Angeles, 10 Days in Watts, and more."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube.

Join Justin, Daniel, and Angelique as they chat with legendary film composer Charles Bernstein about the Elm Street franchise, the early days of composition, underground Jazz clubs in France, navigating the industry, and more!Charles Bernstein bio:Talented, prolific and versatile film composer Charles Bernstein was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His family moved to Los Angeles when he was young, and he eventually conducted his own orchestral music at age sixteen and later studied composition with Vitorio Giannini and Vincent Persichetti at Juilliard in NYC. Bernstein also attended the University of California; he received an Outstanding Graduate of the College Award, a Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship and a Chancellor's Doctoral Teaching Fellowship while working with American composer Roy Harris. His impressively eclectic musical style ranges from comedy to drama to action to horror. Bernstein has supplied the scores for a bunch of enjoyably down'n'dirty early drive-in exploitation features: he turned up the funk with "That Man Bolt," went all-out groovy for the "Invasion of the Bee Girls," and kicked out the tuneful swinging country jams on "White Lightning" (a snippet of this score was used in Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill Vol. 1," and more extensively in his "Inglorious Basterds"), followed "by Gator," "A Small Town in Texas," and "Nightmare in Badham County." Bernstein's scores in the horror genre are especially chilling and effective: Among his finest fright film scores are "Hex," "Sweet Kill," "The Entity" (this is one of Bernstein's most inspired, inventive and underrated scores; it was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Music), "Cujo," Wes Craven's terrifying classics "A Nightmare on Elm Street," and "Deadly Friend," as well as "April Fool's Day." Moreover, Bernstein has done scores for a large number of made-for-TV movies. He won an Emmy Award for his score for the "Little Miss Perfect." His scores for "Enslavement" and "The Sea Wolf" were nominated for Emmy Awards while his score for "The Man Who Broke A 1,000 Chains" received a Cable ACE Award nomination for Original Score. Outside of his substantial film and television work, Bernstein has also done music for Off-Broadway theater, modern dance, and the World Festival of Sacred Music, played jazz in the cellars of Paris, and danced and played folk music with the Greeks and gypsies from the Balkans. His music is frequently heard in hip-hop samples, and is featured in the 2023 Drake/21 Savage hit, "Rich Flex." Moreover, Bernstein has written the acclaimed books "Film Music and Everything Else" and "Movie Music: An Insider's View." He won an ASCAP Deems Taylor Award for his writing on music. Bernstein has been a former Vice President and long-serving member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Board of Governors. He is a current Vice President and Board member of the Society of Composers and Lyricists, and is on the Board of Directors of the ASCAP Foundation. In addition, Charles Bernstein has taught on the graduate film scoring faculty at USC and holds an annual film scoring seminar in the summer at UCLA Extension."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube.

Join Justin as he chats with stage, screen and voice over actor Andrew Kavadas about medieval history, fantasy fiction, King Arthur and the Knights of Justice, music and more!Andrew Kavadas bio:"Andrew Kavadas is a Canadian actor and voice actor who works for Ocean Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia. He is known for R. L. Stine's Monsterville: Cabinet of Souls (2015), The 13th Warrior (1999) and The Accused (1988). Andrew voiced Arthur King in King Arthur and the Knights of Justin - he also voiced Simon Belmont in the Captain N: The Game Master animated series."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube.

Join Justin and Angelique as they chat with veteran stage and screen actor Mark Metcalf about theater, Animal House, Twisted Sister, Seinfeld, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and more!Mark Metcalf bio:"Mark Metcalf (born March 11, 1946) is an American television and film actor often playing the role of an antagonistic and aggrieved authority figure.He is best known for his role as sadistic ROTC officer Douglas C. Neidermeyer in the 1978 American comedy film Animal House, a character he later emulated in the 1984 music videos for the songs "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock" by the heavy metal band Twisted Sister.He is also known for playing the role of The Maestro on two episodes of the sitcom Seinfeld as well as for his recurring role as The Master on the supernatural drama series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off series Angel."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube.

Join Justin and Daniel as they chat with veteran voice actor Doug Stone about comedy, impressions, M.A.S.K., Metal Gear, his cat shelter, and more!Visit Doug’s no-kill cat shelter at the link below and consider donating:https://www.kittybungalow.org/Doug Stone bio:"Doug Stone is a voice actor who is best known for providing the English voice of Psycho Mantis from the popular video game Metal Gear Solid, as well as the voice of Matt Trakker and several other characters in M.A.S.K., and Dragonborg in Beetleborgs Metallix."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube.

Join Justin, Daniel, and Marcus as they chat with actors Simon Templeman and Michael Bell about acting, theater, films, Legacy of Kain, remote recording, M.A.S.H, and more!Simon Templeman bio:"Simon Templeman is a British actor who is widely known for voicing Kain from the Legacy of Kain video game franchise. He also voiced Doctor Doom from the Fantastic Four animated series, Loghain from Dragon Age, Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Neema from Mass Effect and Gabriel Roman from Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. He had two children with his wife, Rosalind Chao."Michael Bell bio:"Michael Bell is an American voice actor who is known for voicing Gleeman Vox from Ratchet: Deadlocked, Raziel from The Legacy of Kain video game series, Chas Finster and Dru Pickles from Rugrats and several Smurfs from The Smurfs cartoon. He also voiced in The Transformers: The Movie, Challenge of the Super Friends, and did live-action acting for several episodes of Star Trek and Dallas."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube.

Join Justin as he chats with bassist David Ellefson about growing up in the Midwest, Megadeth’s early years, Jazz, marching band, the ugly side of touring, and his new projects!David Ellefson bio:"David Warren Ellefson (born November 12, 1964) is an American musician, best known for his long tenure as the bassist and backing vocalist for thrash metal band Megadeth across two stints.Ellefson initially became an accomplished bassist and honed his songwriting skills while leading several of his own bands through the club scene of North America's Midwest region before relocating to Los Angeles. He was then the bassist of Megadeth from 1983 to their breakup in 2002, and again from 2010 to 2021.Ellefson co-founded the hard rock band the Lucid in 2021 alongside vocalist Vinnie Dombroski (Sponge), guitarist Drew Fortier (formerly of Bang Tango), and drummer Mike Heller (Fear Factory, Malignancy, Raven). In addition to playing bass guitar in Megadeth and the Lucid, Ellefson had various side projects, which include Temple of Brutality, F5, Killing Machine, and Metal Allegiance."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube.

Join Justin as he chats with prolific actor and director William B. Davis about the X-Files, acting methods, radio drama, theater, and his new book!William B. Davis bio:"William Bruce Davis (born January 13, 1938) is a Canadian actor, best known for his role as the Cigarette Smoking Man on The X-Files. Besides appearing in many TV programs and movies, he founded his own acting school, the William Davis Centre for Actors Study. In his personal life, he is an avid water-skier, lectures on skepticism at events such as the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry's CSICon, and advocates for action on climate change. In 2011 he published his memoir, Where There's Smoke ... The Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube.

Join Justin and Daniel as they chat with video game designer and CEO of Obsidian Entertainment Feargus Urquhart about tabletop RPGS, fantasy, science fiction, beta testing classic games, and more!Feargus Urquhart bio:"Feargus Urquhart is a Scottish-American video game designer and CEO of Obsidian Entertainment.Urquhart is best known for his work at Interplay Entertainment, particularly as leader of Black Isle Studios, Interplay's internal role-playing video game division which Urquhart established in 1997. With them, Urquhart worked on the first two Fallout games.When Interplay ran into financial difficulties and Black Isle's future became uncertain, Urquhart and several other industry veterans departed to found Obsidian Entertainment in 2003."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube.

Join Daniel as he chats with vocalist Tim “Ripper” Owens about reuniting with K.K Downing, Transformers, screaming, song writing, navigating the pandemic, and more!Tim Owens bio:"Timothy S. "Ripper" Owens (born September 13, 1967) is an American heavy metal singer who currently performs with KK's Priest, Spirits of Fire, the Three Tremors and A New Revenge. He first gained attention as the lead singer of Judas Priest and then Iced Earth. He took the nickname "Ripper" from the Judas Priest song "The Ripper" during his time in the tribute band British Steel.In 2020, Owens was announced as the frontman for the band KK's Priest, which also features former Judas Priest member KK Downing."Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.

Join Justin, Nick, and Angelique as they chat with filmmaker and co-founder of Troma Entertainment Lloyd Kaufman about cinema history, free speech, #shakespearesh!tstorm, The Toxic Avenger, and doing drugs. Lloyd Kaufman bio:"Stanley Lloyd Kaufman never really wanted to make movies, he wanted to work in Broadway musicals. During his years in Yale he was introduced to "B" pictures and the works of Roger Corman. Lloyd later got the opportunity to executive-produce a short movie made by a fellow student. The film, called "Rappacini", got him even more interested in movies. He bought his own camera and took it with him to Chad, Africa, were he spent his summer. There, he shot a 15-minute film of a pig being slaughtered. That was his first movie, and was the birth of what was later to become known as Troma Films. He showed the footage of the squealing pig being killed to his family, and their reaction to it made him wonder if making movies that shocked audiences would keep them in their seats to see what would happen next.He wanted to be a director right then and there, so he got a couple of friends at Yale and made his second movie, The Girl Who Returned. People loved it, and he went straight to work on other films, helping out on projects like Joe, Rocky and Saturday Night Fever.Lloyd put in a lot of long, hard hours in the film business, just to be in the credits and to get money for his next project, a full-length feature. It was a tribute to Charles Chaplin, Harold Lloyd and the classic era of silent-film comedy. Even though Lloyd hated the movie when it was completed, people seemed to love it. He formed a studio called 15th Street Films with friends and producers Frank Vitale and Oliver Stone. Together, they made Sugar Cookies and Cry Uncle, directed by John G. Avildsen. A friend from Yale, Michael Herz, saw Lloyd in a small scene in "Cry Uncle" and contacted him to try to get into the film business. Kaufman took Herz in, as the company needed some help after Oliver Stone quit to make his own movies. Michael invested in a film they thought would be their biggest hit yet, Schwartz: The Brave Detective (aka "Big Gus, What's the Fuss?"). It turned out to be a huge flop and 15th Street Films was ruined. Lloyd and Michael owed thousands of dollars to producers and friends and family members who had invested in the picture.Lloyd, trying to find a quick way to pay off the bills, made The Divine Obsession, and with Michael formed Troma Studios, hoping to make some decent movies, since they only owned the rights to films they thought were poor. They were introduced to Joel M. Reed, who had an unfinished movie called "Master Sardu and the Horror Trio". The film was re-edited and completed at Troma Studios (which consisted of just one room) during 1975, re-titled and released in 1976 as Blood Sucking Freaks (aka "Bloodsucking Freaks"). It was enough of a success to enable them to pay the rent so they wouldn't lose the company.Lloyd later got a call from a theater that wanted a "sexy movie" like The Divine Obsession, but about softball (!). The resulting film, Squeeze Play, used up all the money Troma had earned from "Bloodsucking Freaks" and, as it turned out, no one wanted to see it--not even the theater owner who wanted it made in the first place (he actually wanted a porno movie). Just when things looked their darkest, they got a call from another theater which was scheduled to show a film, but the distributor pulled it at the last minute. Troma rushed "Squeeze Play" right over, and it turned out to be a huge hit. Lloyd, Michael and Troma eventually made millions from it, and had enough money to buy their own building (which remains as Troma Headquarters). Troma then turned out a stream of "sexy" comedies-- Waitress!, The First Turn-On!!, Stuck on You!--but there was a glut of "T&A" films on the market. Lloyd noticed that a lot of comedies were being made and decided to make one, but much different than the rest. After reading an article that claimed horror movies were dead, Lloyd got the idea to combine both horror and comedy, and Troma came up with "Health Club Horror"--later re-titled and released as The Toxic Avenger, a monster hit that finally put Troma on the map.Lloyd Kaufman and Troma have become icons in the cult-movie world, and Troma has distributed over 1000 films. Lloyd has continued his career as a director in addition to producing, and Troma has turned out such films as Monster in the Closet, Class of Nuke 'Em High, Combat Shock, Troma's War, and Fortress of Amerikkka, and Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead, which follows an army of undead chickens as they seek revenge on a fast food palace."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube

Join Justin and crew as they chat with author and actress Barbie Wilde about fiction, Rod Serling, sci-fi, serial killers, Hellraiser, music, and more!Barbie Wilde bio:"In pursuit of an acting career, Canadian actress Barbie Wilde moved to London, England many years ago. Wilde has performed in cabaret in Bangkok; traveled to Bombay to appear in the Bollywood blockbuster, 'Janbazz', which also starred Anil Kapoor of 'Slumdog Millionaire' fame; robotically mimed with English TV legends Morecombe and Wise; and danced professionally at the top nightclubs of New York City, London and Amsterdam with the dance/mime group, Shock. She has also appeared as the Female Cenobite in the classic cult horror movie 'Hellbound: Hellraiser II' and as a vicious mugger in 'Death Wish III'.Wilde has worked as an assistant casting director for the BBC production of 'The Buddha of Suburbia' and as a casting director for MTV's London production of 'The Real World'.While working as a television presenter/host/scriptwriter, she has appeared in 'The American Hot 100' (Skytrax TV); 'The Morning Show' and 'Supersonic' (Music Box TV); 'The Small Screen', a film review program for London Weekend Television; 'Hold Tight' (where she interview Cliff Richard, Iggy Pop, the B52s and John Lydon); a music show for Granada Television and a live music program, 'The Gig', for London Weekend Television. Barbie also co-presented 'Sprockets' in 1991, a film program for Dandelion Productions that still shows regularly on SKY TV in the UK.In 2009, Wilde contributed a well-received short story, entitled 'Sister Cilice', to the 'Hellbound Hearts' Anthology (Pocket Books), edited by Paul Kane and Marie O'Regan. The stories in Hellbound Hearts were based on Clive Barker's mythology from his novella 'The Hellbound Heart', the basis for the 'Hellraiser' film franchise.In 2011-17, Wilde contributed 10 more short stories to different horror and crime anthologies: 'U for Uranophobia' for 'Phobophobia'; 'American Mutant: Hands of Dominion' for 'Mutation Nation'; 'Polyp' for 'The Mammoth Book of Body Horror' (reprinted in 'The Unspoken' in 2013); 'A is for Alpdrücke' for 'The Demonologia Biblica'; 'Zulu Zombies' for 'Bestiarum Vocabulum' (reprinted in Gorezone #29); 'The Cilicium Pandoric' for Gorezone #30; 'Mr Duggin's Stigmata', 'Botophobia' for 'Phobophobias', 'Blue Eyes' for 'Green and Pleasant Land' and "Patient K" (Dark Discoveries Magazine and Demain Publishing).Wilde's first novel, 'The Venus Complex', a fictionalized diary of a serial killer, was published by Comet Press in late 2012. America's best-selling horror magazine, Fangoria, has called Wilde "one of the finest purveyors of erotically charged horror fiction around".In 2015, SST Publications published a full color, illustrated short horror story collection called 'Voices of the Damned', which contained 9 of Wilde's stories to date, plus two previously unpublished ones. All the stories in the collection were accompanied by top artists of the horror genre, such as Clive Barker, Nick Percival, Daniele Serra, Vincent Sammy, Ben Baldwin, Tara Bush, Steve McGinnis and Eric Gross. Publishers Weekly gave the book a starred review, calling it "...a delight for the darker senses, this is a satisfying triumph in a befitting, unforgiving, style. "In early 2018, Wilde joined forces with director, writer and composer Chris Alexander ('Blood for Irina', 'Queen of Blood', 'Female Werewolf', 'Blood Dynasty', 'Space Vampire') to co-produce and co-write a horror film called 'Blue Eyes', based on a short story by Wilde.In November 2018, Comet Press released the audio book of The Venus Complex, narrated by Hellraiser horror icon, Doug Bradley."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube

Join Justin and Angelique as they chat with actor Simon Bamford about Clive Barker, Hellraiser, Nightbreed, theater, Peter Vincent, and more!Simon Bamford bio:"Simon Bamford is an English film, television and stage actor. He is well known for playing the Butterball Cenobite in Hellraiser in 1987 and its sequel Hellbound: Hellraiser II in 1988.Simon graduated from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in 1981. At the Young Vic in London, he played Ernst Robel in Spring Awakening, At the Chichester Festival Theatre he played opposite Nicholas Parsons and Ruthie Henshall as 'Gabby' in Follow the Star, In Cairo and Bucharest he performed in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) and played Roy in Neville's Island. He played the Butterball Cenobite in the first two Hellraiser films. He also created and played the role of Ohnaka in Clive Barker's film Nightbreed. In 2009, he played Derek in Book of Blood for Matador Pictures, Gary in Dead of the Nite shot in Cardiff and is currently filming the season finale to Dark Ditties presents ‘Stained’ and the anthology film Mosaic. On television, he can be seen in the SKY TV 'Better Effect' commercials. In 2000, he won actor of the year award for his portrayal of Pip in Great Expectations at the Vasa Theatre in Stockholm, and has also designed and directed several international tours including The Big Day in Sofia, Qatar and Dubai as well as Educating Rita in Kuala Lumpur. In 2004 he took a production of Shirley Valentine to Karachi to help raise money for a new school."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube

Join Justin as he chats with comedian and voice actor Richard Steven Horvitz about Broadway, improv, Power Rangers, Invader Zim, sitcoms, and more!Richard Steven Horvitz bio:Richard Horvitz began acting professionally at the age of 10. As a child, he appeared in numerous stage productions. Among the most notable, the musical "Oliver!", starring Dick Shawn and Stubby Kaye. Also as a child, Richard starred in numerous commercials and made many television guest appearances on such shows as Diff'rent Strokes, Head of the Class, You Can't take it with you, Rags to Riches and many more. As an adult, Richard attended UCLA before leaving to star in the TBS original TV series Safe at Home. In 1987, Richard starred along with Mark Harmon and Kirstie Alley in the Carl Reiner-directed film, Summer School, for Paramount Studios. Most recently, Richard co-starred in the Warner Bros. film, The Informant! as Matt Damon's attorney, "Bob Zaideman". In 2011, Richard can be seen, alongside Steve Carell, in Crazy, Stupid, Love.. Other notable films include Race to Space, The Legend of Galgameth for the Disney Channel and also the film Storm, starring Martin Sheen. Richard also continues to make guest appearances on television, including numerous appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Jimmy Kimmel Live!. Fans of animation will recognize many of Richard's iconic characters, including "Zim" on Nickelodeon's Invader ZIM, "Billy" on Cartoon Networks' The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy ("The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy"), "Dagget" on Nickelodeon's The Angry Beavers and many more. Video game titles include, "Psychonauts", "Destroy All Humans", "Kinectimals", "Metal Gear Solid 4" "Ratchet and Clank: Crack in Time" and many other games. Savvy viewers will also recognize Richard as the "Green Grapes" in the Fruit of the Loom commercials."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube

Join Justin as he chats with actor David Ajala about Star Trek: Discovery, The Royal Shakespeare Company, the art of acting, Heath Ledger and The Dark Knight!David Ajala bio:David Ajala (born 21 May 1986) is a British actor. He is known for his roles as Manchester Black in Supergirl (2018–2019), Captain Roy Eris in Nightflyers (2018), and Cleveland "Book" Booker in Star Trek: Discovery (2020–2024).David Ajala was born in Hackney, London. He is of Nigerian Yoruba origin. He trained at the Anna Scher Theatre. In an interview for Interview Magazine Ajala said: "When I went to secondary school, my maths teacher said I had way too much energy and was too mischievous. He tried to convince me that if I did acting, I'd be popular with the girls."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube

Join Justin as he chats with Sabaton vocalist Joakim Broden about the new album The War To End All Wars, history, touring, film, and more!Joakim Broden bio:"Joakim "Jocke" Brodén (born 5 October 1980) is a Swedish musician who is the lead vocalist, keyboardist and occasional third guitarist of the power metal band Sabaton. He and bassist Pär Sundström formed the band in 1999."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube

Join Justin, Daniel, and Jason as they chat with writer, director and voice of Solid Snake David Hayter about Metal Gear Solid, Watchmen, Alan Moore, comics, and more!David Hayter bio:"David Hayter was born on February 6, 1969 in Santa Monica, California, USA as David Bryan Hayter. He is known for writing the screenplays to X-Men (2000), X-Men 2 (2003), and Watchmen (2009). He is best known as the voice of Solid Snake in the English versions of the Metal Gear Solid franchise."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube

Join Justin, Daniel and David as they chat with author and researcher Chris Bennett about Aleister Crowley, monster movies, the hermetic brotherhood of Luxor, and his book Liber 420: Cannabis, Magickal Herbs and the Occult! Chris Bennett bio:"Chris Bennett has been researching the historical role of cannabis in the spiritual life of humanity for more than a three decades. He is co-author of Green Gold the Tree of Life: Marijuana in Magic and Religion (1995); Sex, Drugs, Violence and the Bible (2001); and author of Cannabis and the Soma Solution (2010); Liber 420: Cannabis, Magickal herbs and the Occult (2018); and Cannabis: Lost Sacrament of the Ancient World (2023) . He has also contributed chapters on the the historical role of cannabis in spiritual practices in books such as The Pot Book (2010), Entheogens and the Development of Culture (2013), Seeking the Sacred with Psychoactive Substances (2014), One Toke Closer to God (2017), Cannabis and Spirituality (2016) and Psychedelics Reimagined (1999). Bennett’s research has received international attention from the BBC , Guardian, Sunday Times, Washington Post, Vice and other media sources. He currently resides in Nova Scotia, Canada."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube

Join Justin and Nick as they chat with musician Jeff Black of Gatekeeper and Encloaked about Final Fantasy, heavy metal, music production, and fantasy fiction!Jeff Black bio:"Musician, Producer, Educator. Founding member of GATEKEEPER and ENCLOAKED."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube

Join Justin and crew as they chat with actress Lisa Wilcox about working the stage, Jonathan Frakes, Robert Englund, and becoming the Dream Master!Lisa Wilcox bio:Wilcox was born in Columbia, Missouri. In 1984, Wilcox made her film debut in Gimme an 'F'. From 1985 to 1987, Wilcox guest starred on the television series Hardcastle and McCormick (1985), You Again? (1986), CBS Schoolbreak Special (1987), Valerie's Family: The Hogans (1987), Mr. Belvedere (1987), and MacGyver (1987). In 1988, Wilcox guest starred on the television series It's a Living and Hotel before portraying Alice Johnson in the fantasy horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master.In 1989, Wilcox had a recurring role on Knots Landing as Ellen and guest starred on Something Is Out There before reprising her role as Alice in A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child.The same year, Wilcox portrayed Yuta in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation called "The Vengeance Factor".Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube

Join Justin and Nick as they chat with musician Kyle McNeil of Seven Sisters and Phantom Spell about Baldur’s Gate, JRPGS, science fiction, Shadow of a Fallen Star, metal, and more!Kyle McNeil bio:"Kyle is a UK-based metal guitarist & vocalist of heavy metal bands Seven Sisters and Phantom Spell. He is also the owner of Wizard Tower Studios."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube

Join Justin and Nick as they chat with director Dwight Little about the Halloween franchise, resurrecting Michael Myers, television vs. film, and managing personalities on set!Dwight Little bio:"Dwight Hubbard Little (born January 13, 1956) is an American film and television director, known for directing the films Marked for Death, Rapid Fire, Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home, Murder at 1600 and Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers. He has also directed several episodes of acclaimed television series such as 24, Prison Break, Dollhouse, Bones and Nikita. Little was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He studied film at USC."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube

Join Justin and Angelique as they chat with veteran actor Jonathan Stark about Fright Night, Billy Cole, the House franchise , and Tom Holland’s new comic!Jonathan Stark bio:Gordon Johnston "Jonathan" Stark (born February 16, 1955) is an American television producer, writer, and actor.Stark created, along with his writing partner, Tracy Newman, the sitcom According to Jim and won an Emmy for his co-writing on "The Puppy Episode" in which Ellen DeGeneres's character Ellen Morgan came out of the closet on Ellen in 1997.As an actor, he is best known for playing the vampire bodyguard and servant Billy Cole in Fright Night (1985), Sergeant Krieger in Project X (1987), and Charlie in House II: The Second Story"Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube

Join Justin and David as they chat with author, researcher and musician Joshua Cutchin about fairy folklore, alien abductions, cryptids, film, and mastering the tuba!Joshua Cutchin bio:"JOSHUA CUTCHIN has appeared on a wide variety of paranormal programs discussing his work, including Coast to Coast AM and the hit History Channel television show 'Ancient Aliens.' He is the author of seven critically-acclaimed books: 2015's 'A Trojan Feast: The Food and Drink Offerings of Aliens, Faeries, and Sasquatch' (translated into Spanish as 'Banquete Troyano'); 2016's 'The Brimstone Deceit: An In-Depth Examination of Supernatural Scents, Otherworldly Odors, & Monstrous Miasmas'; 2018's 'Thieves in the Night: A Brief History of Supernatural Child Abductions'; and 2020's 'Where the Footprints End: High Strangeness and the Bigfoot Phenomenon,' Volumes I & II, with Timothy Renner. In 2022, he released his two-part masterwork: 'Ecology of Souls: A New Mythology of Death & the Paranormal.'2023 marked the release of his first fictional novel, 'Them Old Ways Never Died,' as well as his curated collection of essays, 'Fairy Films: Wee Folk on the Big Screen.'Joshua has been invited to speak at Georgia MUFON Events, the International Fortean Organization's FortFests (MD 2016 & 2019), X-Filers United! conference (RI 2019), ConCarolinas (NC 2019-2021), Strange Realities Conference (TN 2019-2023), East West Bookshop, Tewksbury Public Library's Fright Nights (2020), Morbid Anatomy (2022), Phenomenacon (2020, hosted by Greg & Dana Newkirk), the Worldwide Metaphysical Tribe (IL 2022), The Midwest Conference on the Unknown (MO 2022), DragonCon (GA 2022-2023), Archives of the Impossible (TX 2023), and An Inquiry Into Anomalous Experiences & the Phenomenon (NYC 2023)."Visit Joshua Cutchin’s official website here!Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube

Join Tommy Clark and Walter Ball of the Necrocasticon Podcast as they fill-in for Justin to chat with legendary vocalist Biff Byford about Saxon, Carpe Diem, heavy metal, medieval history, Indian food, Transformers, and everything in between!Biff Byford bio:Peter Rodney "Biff" Byford (born 15 January 1951) is an English singer best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Saxon.Byford was born in Skelmanthorpe, West Yorkshire, the youngest of four children to Ernest Charles and Irene Byford. He has a brother, a half-sister from his father's side, Enid, who is 20 years older than him and a half-brother Michael from his mother.Byford was just 11 years old when his mother died. "Being so young," he says, "it was a crushing blow. But that, I think, is when that will to survive was built in."Only two years later his father, whom Byford describes as a violent alcoholic, suffered a terrible accident while at work at a textile mill, losing an arm after it was entangled in a piece of heavy machinery.He joined a youth club band at 14. When he was 15, in 1966, having left school to work as a junior carpenter, his first steady girlfriend, Linda, fell pregnant. They were promptly married. But the marriage didn't last, even though the couple had two children.At 18, in 1969, he was employed at the Shuttle Eye pit at Flockton, near Huddersfield. At six-foot-one, he was considered too tall to work underground, in tunnels only three feet high. So instead he worked in the boiler house, manning a giant steam engine that drew up the coal from a mile deep."Listen to the Necrocasticon here!Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube

Join Justin, Daniel, and Angelique as they chat with veteran actor Nigel Bennett about theater, Forever Knight, film, Guillermo del Toro, and vampires!Nigel Bennett bio:"An accomplished theatre actor, Mr. Bennett appeared on the British stage for fifteen years before moving to Canada in 1986. During this time, he starred in "The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole" at the Wyndhams Theatre in London's West End. He also performed in "Ghosts", "Private Lives" and "Rookery Nook" at such theaters as the Haymarket Theatre in Leicester, the Crucible Theatre, the Bristol Old Vic and the King's Head Theatre Club, as well as many seasons on the stages of Canterbury, Newcastle, Nottingham, Plymouth, Manchester, Liverpool and Sheffield in England. From 1992-1996, he starred as the powerful and seductive "Lucien LaCroix" in the Gemini-nominated television series, Forever Knight. In 1995, he received the prestigious Gemini Award for his role in the series, and it was on this show where he made his directorial debut.His feature film work includes co-starring with Gene Hackman in Narrow Margin, The Outside Chance of Maximilian Glick, a poignant drama that was voted Best New Film at both the Toronto Festival of Festivals and the Vancouver International Film Festival in 1988, Legends of the Fall starring Brad Pitt, Murder at 1600 starring Wesley Snipes, Top of the Food Chain, a science fiction feature that premiered at the 1998 Toronto Film Festival and The Skulls starring Craig T. Nelson."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube

Join Henry as he fills in for Justin and chats with metal legend Dee Snider about censorship, finding inspiration during the pandemic, his new album Leave A Scar, and working with George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher!Dee Snider bio:Daniel Snider (born March 15, 1955) is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and songwriter of the heavy metal band Twisted Sister. The band's song "We're Not Gonna Take It" reached No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and was ranked No. 47 on 100 Greatest 80's Songs. Snider later formed and was the lead singer in the heavy metal bands Desperado, Widowmaker, and SMFs (Sick Mother Fuckers). He also released several solo albums. Snider was ranked #83 in the Hit Paraders Top 100 Metal Vocalists of All Time."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube

Join Justin as Jason as they chat with veteran voice actor Michael Gough about Diablo, Deckard Cain, Rock ‘n Roll, inspiration, and everything in between!Michael Gough bio:"Michael J. Gough is an American voice actor from San Jose, California who is known for voicing Shrek in various games and Commissioner James Gordon from Batman: Arkham Origins. He also voiced Gnasty Gnorc from Spyro the Dragon and other video games and cartoons such as Winnie the Pooh and Diablo."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube

Join Justin and Nick as they chat with legendary Goosebumps cover artist Tim Jacobus about creativity, inspiration, digital illustration versus traditional, R.L. Stine, and things that go bump in the night!Tim Jacobus bio:"Tim Jacobus (born April 21, 1959) is an American artist best known for illustrating the covers for nearly one hundred books in R. L. Stine's Goosebumps series. He has done over three hundred book covers and paintings for various different series, novels and video games. He currently resides in New Jersey, doing most of his art digitally.He attended the Spectrum Institute for the Advertising Arts in Hillsborough Township, New Jersey."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube

Join Justin as he chats with veteran voice actor Rob Paulsen about music, creativity, passion, funny voices, and more!Rob Paulsen bio:"Robert Paulsen is an American voice actor and singer from Detroit, Michigan. He is known for voicing Raphael in the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon, Yakko Warner in Animaniacs, Pinky in Pinky and the Brain, Carl Wheezer in Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Hadji in Jonny Quest, Donatello in the 2012 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon, Party Juju and Tlaloc in Tak and the Power of Juju, P.J. in Goof Troop and A Goofy Movie and Peck in Barnyard. He is also the host of a voice over talk show called "Talkin' Toons with Rob Paulsen".Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube

Join Justin as he chats with prolific character actor Steven Williams about the civil rights movement, 1960’s Chicago, theater, the X-files, Supernatural, and keeping it real!Steven Williams bio:"Steven Williams is an American actor in films and television. He is known for his roles as Captain Adam Fuller on 21 Jump Street, Lt. Jefferson Burnett on The Equalizer, Det. August Brooks on L.A. Heat, X on The X-Files, Russell "Linc" Lincoln in Linc's, and Rufus Turner in Supernatural."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube

Join Justin, Daniel, and Angelique as they chat with prolific producer, filmmaker and founder of Full Moon Features Charles Band about his new biography Confessions of a Puppet Master, castles, VHS, and Gary Busey!Charles Band bio:"Charles Band is a writer, producer, director and publisher. He was born on December 27, 1951 in Los Angeles, California, as Charles Robert Band. His father was producer and director Albert Band and his brother is composer Richard Band.Band has been writing, producing and directing films in the horror, science fiction, fantasy and comedy genres since the 1970s both for other company's and with his own studios, Empire Pictures and Full Moon Features. He was instrumental in ushering in the home video boom of the early 1980s with his companies Meda (later renamed Media Home Entertainment) and Wizard Video, the latter imprint which was responsible for being among the first entities to distribute European horror movies from such now celebrated filmmakers as Jess Franco and Lucio Fulci.Band is perhaps best known for his work with Empire Pictures, making such pictures as Ghoulies, The Dungeonmaster, Terrorvision, Re-Animator and From Beyond and later, with Full Moon Features making films like Puppetmaster, Doctor Mordrid, Subspecies, Pit and the Pendulum, Castle Freak and many more.Despite the changes in the home video and theatrical film marketplaces, Band has never stopped making and distributing movies. Many of his classic Full Moon pictures can be found on his Full Moon Streaming channel and now on the Full Moon Amazon channel. Band also distributes hundreds of his own and other filmmakers movies on DVD and Blu-ray via Full Moon Direct, along with a myriad toys and related Full Moon universe merchandise.Recent Full Moon Features productions include Evil Bong High 5, Trophy Heads, Killjoy's Psycho Circus, Ravenwolf Towers and Puppetmaster: Axis Termination."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube

Join Justin and crew as they chat with production designer and special effects artist Mick Strawn about breaking the law, building tree-houses, Dokken, Dream Warriors, and getting shit done!Mick Strawn bio:"Mick Strawn is known as an Production Design, Art Direction, Special Effects, Co-Producer, Production Designer, and Set Designer."Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.Monsters, Madness and Magic on YouTube

Join Justin and Angelique as they chat with Academy Award Winning make-up and special effects artists Matthew Mungle about classic monsters, Mausoleum, Silver Bullet, Dracula, and more!Matthew Mungle bio:"Academy Award winner Matthew W. Mungle is regarded as one of Hollywood's premier Make-up Effects & Prosthetic Artists. With over 250 film and television projects to his credit, Matthew has earned accolades and recognition as one of the industry's top masters of Makeup Effects Illusionist.Born in Durant, Oklahoma in 1956, Matthew was one of five children born to Atoka dairy farmer Jene and Becky Mungle. As a boy he recalls seeing Frankenstein, Dracula and The Mummy. In 1964 with the release of The Seven Faces of Dr. Lao and The List of Adrian Messenger, Matthew credits the films as having been his greatest influence and deciding factor in becoming a Make-up Effects Artist. He was fascinated with the make-up, often "borrowing" his mother's cosmetics to create his own version of horror. In 1968, a film that would revolutionize make-up effects and further impact the small-town boy from Atoka was the release, Planet of the Apes. It is hard to say how many times Matthew saw the film. What he did know was that he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his idols, namely Lon Chaney, Sr., Jack Pierce and John Chambers, who won the Academy Award for the specialized make-up creations for Planet of the Apes. As he got older, he would learn from books and magazines such as Richard Corson's Stage Make-up & Dick Smith's Do It Yourself Monster Make-up Handbook and would send away for theatrical make-up from New York and Dallas specialty stores - experimenting with face casts and prosthetics on willing family members and friends. Although his parents thought it was a phase he would soon outgrow, Matthew knew differently.Return of the Planet of the Apes was released when he was a sophomore in High School and he encouraged the owner of the local movie theatre to let him dress up as one of the chimpanzees to promote the film. Not only did he dress and act the part but also created his own prosthetic make-up. The realism was so startling to the small town of Atoka, that many thought Hollywood had sent an actor to hype the film! Matthew would continue to promote films at the Thompson Theatre in Atoka by applying his own make-up and costumes until he graduated from High School.Although his sights were still on Hollywood, at his father's insistence, he applied and was accepted into Oklahoma State University as a theatre arts major in 1975 after graduating from Atoka High School. Working with props and make-up for various productions, Matthew eagerly absorbed the educational tools being given.Matthew finally arrived in Hollywood in December 1977 after applying and being accepted into Joe Blasco's Make-up Center - the premier academy responsible for training many of the film and television industry's elite Make-up Artists. "From the very beginning, Matthew showed exceptional talent!" claims Blasco, whose own career as a top make-up artist turned educator, has been instrumental in graduating Academy Award winners. "I instinctively knew that Matthew had what it takes to become a success in this business. His dedication to the art form and rapid ability to master the craft led me to hire him as an instructor following his graduation from my school in 1978. He stayed on-staff as a teacher until his own popularity as a working make-up artist became too demanding."Matthew credits Joe Blasco with his professional start & as mentor in the industry. "I was a sponge, absorbing every ounce of knowledge I could. Whether learning the techniques of beauty make-up or casting molds and working with prosthetics, I wanted to be as versatile as I could". Today, Matthew is a veteran voice to up-and-coming artists hoping to find their own niche in the industry. "If you want to be a working make-up artist, then you should learn and perfect all areas of the craft".Matthew's professional career began on low-budget projects such as The Dorm That Dripped Blood, The Kindred, War Party, The Guardian & Navy Seals which taught him to think quickly on his feet and how to be a great department head Make-up Artist. Matthew joined I.A. Local 706 in the summer of 1989 and passed his test to become a Journeyman Make-up Artist in early 1990. His first major film was working with Ve Neil on Edward Scissorhands in 1990. Matthew has accumulated an impressive list of credits and an equally impressive genre of box office successes including: Bram Stoker's Dracula, earning him an Oscar in 1992 with Michelle Burke & Greg Cannom; Schindler's List, giving him another nomination in 1993 with Christina Smith & Judy Cory; creating Arnold's pregnancy stomach in the comedy spoof Junior; tackling special make-up effects for Outbreak, Congo, Primal Fear, and aging James Woods to 72 in Ghosts of Mississippi, which earned Deborah Lamia Denaver & him his 3rd Osc