Brave Cast Bios

7/31/2019 Brave Cast Bios

1/7

ABOUT THE VOICE CAST

KELLY MACDONALD (Merida) portrays Margaret Schroeder on Boardwalk Empire. Shes also knownfor pivotal roles in work by some of the most influential filmmakers of our time: No Country for Old Menby the Coen brothers; Gosford Park, directed by Robert Altman; and Trainspotting by Danny Boyle.

For each of the past two seasons of Boardwalk Empire, Macdonald garnered an Emmy nomination,plus two consecutive Golden Globe Award nominations and successive Screen Actors Guild Awardswith the ensemble cast of the hit HBO series from creator Terence Winter and executive producer MartinScorsese. Macdonald stars as an Irish widow and mother who captures the attention of NuckyThompson (Steve Buscemi), the undisputed ruler of Atlantic City during Prohibition. Boardwalk Empirereturns to HBO for a third season in September.

The native of Glasgow, Scotland, made her acting debut as Diane, Rentons (Ewan McGregor) one-nightstand in Trainspotting (1996). In 2001, she played Mary, the visiting servant who works for MaggieSmiths countess in Gosford Park (SAG, Critics Choice Awards for the ensemble). Macdonaldgarnered the London Critics Circle Award for British Supporting Actress, a BAFTA nomination and aSAG Award (ensemble) for her performance as the wife of Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) in No Countryfor Old Men. Macdonald is next seen opposite Keira Knightley, Jude Law and Aaron Johnson in JoeWrights adaptation of Tolstoys Anna Karenina, which opens September 7 in the U.K. and November 9in U.S. theaters.

Macdonalds screen credits include The Decoy Bride opposite David Tennant, Choke with SamRockwell and Anjelica Huston (Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize for the ensemble), Nanny

McPhee with Emma Thompson, Lassie with Peter OToole, All the Invisible Children for Mehdi Charefand Emir Kusturica, John Crowleys Intermission, Cousin Bette with Jessica Lange, Elizabeth withCate Blanchett, Strictly Sinatra, Gregg Arakis Splendor, Phil Joanous Entropy, Mike Figgis TheLoss of Sexual Innocence, Hugh Hudsons My Life So Far, Stella Does Tricks and Some Voicesopposite Daniel Craig. For Two Family House, Macdonald received an Independent Spirit Awardnomination for Best Female Lead. She made cameo appearances as The Grey Lady in Harry Potter andthe Deathly Hallows: Part 2, as Peter Pan in Marc Forsters Finding Neverland, in MichaelWinterbottoms Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story, and in The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.

For television, Macdonald garnered an Emmy Award for her performance as the title character oppositeBill Nighy in the HBO original film The Girl in the Caf, directed by David Yates from a screenplay byRichard Curtis. She also co-starred with Tim Roth and John Simm in Skellig for SKY and portrayed

journalist Della Smith in the groundbreaking BBC miniseries State of Play.

Best known to U.S. audiences for his comedic work, BILLY CONNOLLY (King Fergus) gave a movingperformance as the loyal servant John Brown in the highly acclaimed Mrs. Brown. A stand-up comedianwho has toured the world, Connollys recent film credits include Gullivers Travels, The X-Files: I Wantto Believe, Fido, Garfield 2, Lemony Snicket: A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Last Samuraiand Timeline. His previous film credits include Peter Kosminskys White Oleander, Troy Duffys TheBoondock Saints and the sequel All Saints Day, Stephen Metcalfes Beautiful Joe and BarryLevinsons An Everlasting Piece, Stanley Tuccis The Impostors, Absolution with Richard Burton,Bullshot and Water with Michael Caine, Crossing the Line with Liam Neeson, the Muppets Treasure


2/7

Island, Gabriel and Me, Gentlemans Relish and The Man Who Sued God, as well as the acclaimedBBC productions Down Among the Big Bad Boys and The Life and Crimes of Deacon Brodie. Hisvoice is also featured on the animated films Pocahontas and Open Season. He is featured inQuartet, directed by Dustin Hoffman and co-starring Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon and TomCourtenay.

Connolly is most recognizable from his hit television series Head of the Class, which was later spun offinto his own series, Billy. His other television work includes appearances on the sitcom Pearl withRhea Pearlman and Malcolm MacDowell, comedy specials for HBO and BBC, as well as Billy Connollys

World Tour of Scotland, a six-part series documenting a tour of his beloved homeland, and The BiggerPicture, a series on Scottish art. Connolly has also released numerous home videos, including 25 BC,Billy and Albert, An Audience With Billy Connolly, Billy Connolly Live and Live 94.

Connollys eclectic career also includes performances in the BBCs Androcles and the Lion, theScottish Opera production of Die Fleidermaus and his own play The Red Runner, which performed topacked houses at the Edinburgh Festival. He began his career as a musician, touring with Gerry Raffertyand the folk band The Humblebums. Connollys humorous introduction soon became an audiencefavorite, and in 1971, he played his first solo concert. This led to The Great Northern Welly Boot Show,a mixture of music and talk that established his talent as a popular entertainer. He went on to release adouble album and a No. 1 hit single, D.I.V.O.R.C.E. Since then, he has released numerous hit comedyrecords and published several comedic books.

EMMA THOMPSON (Queen Elinor) is one of the worlds most respected talents for her versatility inacting as well as screenwriting. She appears in Men in Black 3 and co-stars with Dakota Fanning andGreg Wise in the upcoming Effie, which features a screenplay by Thompson. She will shoot BeautifulCreatures this summer on location in Louisiana.

In 1992, Thompson caused a sensation with her portrayal of Margaret Schlegel in the Merchant-Ivoryadaptation of E.M. Forsters Howards End. Sweeping the Best Actress category wherever it wasconsidered, the performance netted her a BAFTA Award, Los Angeles Film Critics Award, New YorkFilm Critics Award, Golden Globe and Academy Award. She earned two Oscar nominations thefollowing year for her work in The Remains of the Day and In the Name of the Father. In 1995,

Thompsons adaptation of Jane Austens Sense and Sensibility, directed by Ang Lee, won theAcademy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay as well as the Golden Globe for Best Screenplay andBest Screenplay awards from the Writers Guild of America and the Writers Guild of Great Britain,among others. For her performance in the film, she was honored with a Best Actress award fromBAFTA and nominated for a Golden Globe and an Academy Award.

In 2010, Thompson reprised the title role of the magical nanny in Nanny McPhee Returns, for whichshe also wrote the screenplay and acted as an executive producer. Thompson created the character forthe screen originally in 2004, in her own adaptation of Nanny McPhee, directed by Kirk Jones.

In 2008, Thompson starred with Dustin Hoffman in director Joel Hopkins charming romance LastChance Harvey and was nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Actress for her performance. In

2006, she co-starred, to critical acclaim, with Dustin Hoffman, Will Ferrell and Maggie Gyllenhaal inStranger Than Fiction, directed by Marc Forster and produced by Thompsons frequent collaboratorLindsay Doran. In 2004, Thompson brought JK Rowlings character of Sybil Trelawney to the screen inHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which was directed by Alfonso Cuaron. In 2007, shereprised the role in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, directed by David Yates.

Thompson was born in London to Eric Thompson, a theater director and writer, and Phyllida Law, anactress. She read English at Cambridge and was invited to join the universitys long-standing Footlightscomedy troupe, which elected her vice president (Hugh Laurie waspresident). While still a student,Thompson co-directed Cambridges first all-women revue Womens Hour, made her television debuton BBC-TVs Friday Night, Saturday Morning as well as her radio debut on BBC Radios Injury Time.


3/7

Throughout the 1980s Thompson frequently appeared on British TV, including widely acclaimedrecurring roles on the Granada TV series Alfresco, BBCs Election Night Special and The CrystalCube, the latter written by fellow Cambridge alums Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie. She also had ahilarious one-off role as upper-class twit Miss Money Sterling on The Young Ones. In 1985, Channel 4offered Thompson her own TV special, Up for Grabs, and in 1988, she wrote and starred in her ownBBC series called Thompson. She worked as a stand-up comic when the opportunity arose andearned 60 in cash on her 25th birthday in a stand-up double bill with Ben Elton at the CroydonWarehouse. She says its the best money shes ever earned.

Thompson continued to pursue an active stage career concurrently with her TV and radio work,appearing in A Sense of Nonsense, which toured England in 1982, as well as the self-penned ShortVehicle at the Edinburgh Festival in 1983, Me and My Girl first at Leicester and then Londons WestEnd in 1985, and Look Back in Anger at the Lyric Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, in 1989.

Thompsons feature-film debut came in 1988, starring opposite Jeff Goldblum in the comedy The TallGuy. She then played Katherine in Kenneth Branaghs film-directing debut, Henry V, and went on tostar opposite Branagh in three of his subsequent directorial efforts, including Dead Again (1991),Peters Friends (1992) and Much Ado About Nothing (1993).

Thompsons other film credits include Junior (1994), Carrington (1995) and The Winter Guest

(1997). She has starred in three projects directed by Mike Nichols, including Primary Colors (1998)and the HBO telefilms Wit (2001, in a Golden Globe-nominated performance) and Angels in

America (2002, Screen Actors Guild Award nomination and Emmy Award nomination). Also in2002, Thompson starred in Imagining Argentina for director Christopher Hampton and Love Actuallyfor director Richard Curtis. The latter film netted Thompson a number of accolades, including Best

Actress in a Supporting Role at the 2004 Evening Standard Film Awards, a nomination for BestSupporting Actress at the 2004 BAFTA Awards, Best Supporting Actress at the 2004 London FilmCritics Circle Awards and Best British Actress at the 2004 Empire Film Awards.

Thompson is chair of the Helen Bamber Foundation, a U.K.-based human rights organization formed inApril 2005 to help rebuild the lives of survivors of gross human rights violations. On behalf of thefoundation, Thompson co-curated Journey, an interactive art installation which uses seven transport

containers to illustrate the brutal and harrowing experiences of women sold into the sex trade.Thompson and Journey have traveled to London, Vienna, Madrid and New York, among otherlocales, for exhibitions and interviews.

Thompson is also an ambassador for the international development agency ActionAid and has spokenpublicly about her support for the work the NGO is doing, in particular about the HIV/AIDS epidemicthat continues to sweep Africa. She has been affiliated with the organization since 2000 and thus farhas visited ActionAid projects in Uganda, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Liberia, Burma and South Africa.

Thompson has served as president of the Teaching Awards. Founded in 1998, these awards are opento every education establishment in England, Wales and Northern Ireland teaching pupils between theages of 3 and 18, to nominate and celebrate teachers (and schools) who transform lives and help

young people realize their potential.

JULIE WALTERS (voice of the Witch) has portrayed the maternal Mrs. Weasley in all of the HarryPotter films. She served as the voice of Miss Montague in 2011s Gnomeo & Juliet.

A two-time Academy Award nominee, Walters gained her first nomination in 1984 for her feature-filmdebut in the title role of Educating Rita, also winning BAFTA and Golden Globe Awards for herperformance. She earned her second Oscar nod for her work in Stephen Daldrys Billy Elliot. Herportrayal of Billys ballet teacher in that film also brought her BAFTA, Empire, Evening Standard Film andLondon Film Critics Circle Awards, in addition to Golden Globe and European Film Award nominations


4/7

and two Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, one for Supporting Actress and a second, sharedwith her castmates, for Outstanding Cast Performance. Walters has also earned BAFTA Awardnominations for her roles in Personal Services and Stepping Out, winning a Variety Club Award forthe latter.

Walters more recently co-starred with Meryl Streep in the worldwide musical smash hit Mamma Mia!She includes among her other film credits Julian Jarrolds Becoming Jane, Driving Lessons, Wah-Wah, Calendar Girls, Before You Go, Roger Michells Titanic Town, Girls Night, IntimateRelations, Sister My Sister, Just Like a Woman, Buster and Stephen Frears Prick Up Your Ears.

Walters is also well known to British television audiences. In 2010, she earned dual BAFTA TV Awardnominations, both in the category of Best Leading Actress, for her work in the telefilms A Short Stay inSwitzerland and Mo, winning the award for the latter. She previously won three consecutive BAFTA TV

Awards in 2002, 2003 and 2004 for her roles in Strange Relations, Murder (for which she also won aRoyal Television Society Award) and the series The Canterbury Tales (which also won a BroadcastingPress Guild Award). She has earned four more BAFTA TV Award nominations: in 1983 for the miniseriesBoys From the Blackstuff, in 1987 for the series Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV, in 1994 for thetelefilm The Wedding Gift and in 1999 for the series Dinnerladies. Her many other television creditsinclude Filth: The Mary Whitehouse Story, The Ruby in the Smoke, Ahead of the Class, TheReturn, Oliver Twist, Jakes Progress, Pat and Margaret, The Summer House, Julie Walters andFriends, Talking Heads and The Birthday Party.

An accomplished stage actress, Walters won an Olivier Award in 2001 for her performance in ArthurMillers All My Sons, and she was earlier nominated for an Olivier for her work in Sam Shepards Foolfor Love. She had made her London stage debut in Educating Rita, creating the role that she wouldlater bring to the big screen. Her theater credits also include productions of such plays as Jumpers,Having a Ball, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, When I Was a Girl I Used to Scream andShout, Tennessee Williams The Rose Tattoo and the musical Acorn Antiques.

In addition to her acting work, Walters first novel, Maggies Tree, was published in 2006.

One of the U.K.s most prolific and respected film and television actors,ROBBIE COLTRANE (voice of

Lord Dingwall) earned BAFTA and Los Angeles Film Critics Circle Award nominations for hisperformance as Hagrid in Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone. He reprised his role in Harry Potterand the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Gobletof Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and HarryPotter and the Deathly Hallows. He appears in Great Expectations for Mike Newell and, in November2011, received the British Academy Scotland Award for Outstanding Contribution to Film.

Coltrane first appeared on the circuit in 1973 with Young Mental Health, a 50-minute documentarywhich he both directed and produced; it won the Scottish Education Council Film of the Year Award. Hethen enjoyed five successful years in live theater, before making a huge impact on fast-developingalternative comedy television shows in the early 80s. Appearances included Alfresco, Kick Up theEighties, Laugh??? I Nearly Paid My Licence Fee and Saturday Night Live. Hes made star

appearances in 14 Comic Strip productions, including The Hunt for Tony Blair, and was awarded thePeter Sellers Award for Comedy at the 1991 Evening Standard British Film Awards for his contribution tofilm comedy and for Nuns on the Run.

Coltrane is remembered fondly for his role in John Byrnes drama Tutti Frutti, in which his performanceearned him his first BAFTA Best Actor nomination. His towering performance in the phenomenallysuccessful Granada series Cracker was central to the programs success. Nine films over three yearsearned the series awards galore, most notably two BAFTA Best Drama Series Awards in 1995 and 1996,Royal Television Society Award for Best Drama, Broadcasting Press Guilds 1993 Award for Best Series;USA CableACE Awards for Best Movie or Mini Series.


5/7

Coltranes portrayal of Fitz has been recognized with BAFTA Awards as Best Television Actor in 1994,1995 and 1996; a Silver Nymph Award for Best Actor from the 1994 Monte Carlo Television Festival;Best Television Actor at the 1993 Broadcasting Press Guilds Awards; Royal Television Societys 1994

Award for Best Male Performer; FIPAs Best Actor Award; and a CableACE Award in the U.S. for BestActor in a Movie or Miniseries.

Among Coltranes TV credits are The Planman, which he also executive-produced; the final episode ofFrasier; a one-off TV film of Cracker, written by Jimmy McGovern and directed by Antonia Bird;Robbie Coltranes B Road Britain, a documentary series for ITV; and Murderland, the critically

acclaimed three-part British television series created by David Pirie and directed by Catherine Morshead.

Coltrane has written three books, including Coltrane in a Cadillac, Coltranes Planes and Automobilesand B-Road Britain.

Coltranes career also involves some 55 films, including Mona Lisa, Danny Champion of the World,Henry V, Nuns on the Run, Perfectly Normal, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Buddy,Montana, Frogs for Snakes, Message in a Bottle, Golden Eye, The World Is Not Enough, FromHell, Stormbreaker, Oceans Twelve, The Brothers Bloom, Tales of Despereaux, The Gruffaloand Arthur Christmas.

Coltrane was awarded the OBE in the 2006 New Years Honours List for his Services to Drama.

An established star of film, television and theater, Scottish actorKEVIN MCKIDD (voice of LordMacGuffin/Young MacGuffin) made his feature-film debut in 1996, starring in Gillies MacKinnonsSmall Faces, which was quickly followed by a starring role alongside Ewan McGregor in the filmTrainspotting.

Presently, McKidd is gracing the small screen in his fourth season on the hit ABC show GreysAnatomy. He stars as the psychotic armed robber Cameron in director Simon Abouds romantic thrillerComes a Bright Day. Imogen Poots, Craig Roberts and Timothy Spall co-star.

Demonstrating how easily he can transition from television to film, as well as from one genre to the next,

McKidd co-starred in the 2008 romantic comedy Made of Honor, in which he captured the heart ofMichelle Monaghans character as she embarked on a trip to Scotland and was swept away by hischarm. The film was a box-office success and further solidified McKidds female fan base.

In 2010, McKidd was seen alongside Rosario Dawson, Uma Thurman and Pierce Brosnan in ChrisColumbus film Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, based on the book by RickRiordan. He also played Poseidon in the tale of a young boy who discovers hes the descendant of aGreek god and sets out on an adventure to settle an on-going battle between the gods.

McKidd recently starred alongside Josh Harnett, Demi Moore, Woody Harrelson and Ron Perlman inBunraku. In this action-packed drama, McKidd played an outrageous and virulent criminal whoterrorizes the town. Bunraku was written and directed by Guy Moshe and was released in September

2011.

Taking on a different facet of the entertainment industry, McKidd voiced the lead role of Captain SoapMacTavish in one of the highest-selling video games of all time, Activisions Call of Duty: ModernWarfare 2. Breaking the first- and five-day sales records since its release in November 2009, Call ofDuty: Modern Warfare 2 lets gamers play as MacTavish. McKidd reprised the role in Call of Duty:Modern Warfare 3, released in November 2011.

In 2007, McKidd made his debut on American network television in NBCs drama Journeyman as a SanFrancisco newspaper reporter and family man who inexplicably begins to travel through time and change
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114474/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117951/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117951/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114474/


6/7

peoples lives. Prior to Journeyman, McKidd starred in HBOs Golden Globe and Emmy-nominatedhistorical drama series Rome.

McKidds film credits include Hannibal Rising, Ridley Scotts Kingdom of Heaven, the musical by IrwinWinkler called De-Lovely" with Kevin Kline and Ashley Judd, and Sixteen Years of Alcohol, for whichhe was nominated for Best Actor at the British Independent Film Awards. Credits also include NicholasNickleby, Hideous Kinky" with Kate Winslet and Max with John Cusack.

McKidds television credits include The Virgin Queen, Gunpowder, Treason and Plot, North Square,

The Key, Anna Karenina, Richard II and Looking After Jo Jo. His theater credits include RichardIII, Britannicus, for which he won an Ian Charleston Award, and Far Away.

Born and raised in Scotland, McKidd was a member of the Moray Youth Theatre. He became involved inthe Bedlam Theatre Company while he was a student at the University of Edinburgh. He landed his firstrole in the Wild Cat Theatre Company-produced stage play The Silver Darlings, for which he won theGulliver Award. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.

CRAIG FERGUSON (voice of Lord Macintosh) entered the world of late-night comedy following adiverse and eclectic career that encompasses film, television and the stage. Since taking the helm of theLate, Late Show on January 3, 2005, the show has set all-time viewer records in the seven years that it

has been on the air.

Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Ferguson got his start in the entertainment industry as a drummer for someof the worst punk bands in the U.K., a profession he held for several years. Following his musical stint,he began bartending in a local pub in Glasgow where he was introduced to Michael Boyd, the artisticdirector of The Tron Theatre in Glasgow, who persuaded Ferguson to give acting a go. After several low-paying acting gigs, Ferguson discovered he had a knack for comedy and was soon the star of his ownBBC television show, The Ferguson Theory.

After several stints on the English comedy circuit, Ferguson brought his act to America in 1995 to starwith Betty White and Marie Osmond in the short-lived ABC comedy Maybe This Time. After the showended, ABC decided to add the talented Scotsman to The Drew Carey Show, playing Drew Careys

boss, Nigel Wick, from 1996-2003.

Ferguson has also become a huge success on the North American comedy circuit. He has performed tosold-out theaters all over the country and sold out Carnegie Hall in October 2010. Additionally, Fergusonhas two widely acclaimed stand-up comedy specials, A Wee Bit o Revolution, which premiered onComedy Central and was released on Home Video in 2009, and Does This Need to Be Said, whichpremiered on Epix in February 2011, aired on Comedy Central and was released on home video in fall2011.

Ferguson wrote the feature films The Big Tease and Saving Grace. In 2003, he made his directorialdebut with Ill Be There, which he also wrote and starred in. Ill Be There went on to receive the

Audience Award for Best Film at the Aspen, Dallas and Valencia film festivals. Ferguson was also named

Best New Director at the Napa Valley Film Festival. Fergusons other film credits include Niagra Motel,Lenny the Wonder Dog, Prendimi lanima, Life Without Dick, Chain of Fools, Born Romantic andThe Big Tease. In March 2010, Fergusons voice was featured in the animated feature How to TrainYour Dragon as the Viking Gobber, and in 2011, he gave voice to Owl in Disneys Winnie the Pooh. InOctober, Ferguson will be performing for the first time his highly praised stand-up at New York CitysRadio City Music Hall.

In April 2006, Ferguson released his first novel Between the Bridge and the River, a best-seller abouttwo childhood friends from Scotland and two illegitimate half-brothers from the Deep South who sufferand enjoy bizarre adventures that are interconnected and, even more surprisingly, meaningful. The


7/7

eclectic cast of characters features Socrates, Carl Jung and Tony Randall, while love, greed, hope,revenge, organized religion and Hollywood also make special appearances.

Ferguson came into his own on the Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson, winning his first Emmynomination in 2006 as well as receiving the 2009 Peabody Award for Excellence in Broadcasting for hisinterview with Archbishop Desmond Tutu. In February 2008, he succeeded in becoming a U.S. citizen.Soon after, he hosted the White House Correspondents Dinner attended by President George W. Bush.Critics raved about his witty and comical speech to the 3,000 attendees, which included political

journalists, celebrities and Washingtons power players. In 2009, HarperCollins published Fergusonsmemoir America on Purpose, a book about why and how he became an American. The book was listedon the New York Times best-seller list.

Ferguson also serves on the board of the Lollipop Theater Network. The mission of the Lollipop TheaterNetwork is to bring movies that are currently in theatrical release to hospitalized children facing chronicand life-threatening illnesses nationwide.

ABOUT THE MOVIE:Set in the rugged and mysterious Highlands of Scotland, DisneyPixars Brave follows the heroic journey of Merida(voice of Kelly Macdonald), a skilled archer and headstrong daughter of King Fergus (voice of Billy Connolly) andQueen Elinor (voice of Emma Thompson). Determined to change her fate, Merida defies an age-old custom sacred tothe unruly and uproarious lords of the land: massive Lord MacGuffin (voice of Kevin McKidd), surly Lord Macintosh(voice of Craig Ferguson) and cantankerous Lord Dingwall (voice of Robbie Coltrane), unleashing chaos in the

kingdom. When she turns to an eccentric Witch (voice of Julie Walters), she is granted an ill-fated wish and theensuing peril forces Merida to harness all of her resourcesincluding her mischievous triplet brothersto undo abeastly curse and discover the meaning of true bravery. Directed by Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman, andproduced by Katherine Sarafian, Brave is a grand adventure full of heart, memorable characters and signature Pixarhumor. Opens on June 22, 2012, in Disney Digital 3D in select theaters.

Documents

Brave Cast Bios