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Harry T. Moore, Director
His many talents can be seen in films like his directorial breakout hit “New Jack City,” “Posse” and “Panther;” plus Michael Mann’s Oscar® nominated “Ali,” in which he received critical acclaim for his role as real life minister and human rights activist Malcom X; the multi-award-winning “Cotton Club” written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola; Clint Eastwood’s “Heartbreak Ridge;” and several projects with Ava DuVernay.
Throughout his career, Van Peebles has brought challenging, compelling material to the screen, including his hip hop coming-of-age film “We the Party,” for which he wrote, directed and produced; his documentary short “Bring You’re a Game;” and, of course, “Baadasssss!” This was Van Peebles’ odyssey about the making of his father’s groundbreaking film “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song” and was one of Ebert and Roeper’s ten best movies of the year for 2004.
As a director, Van Pebbles has affected unusually strong performances from his fellow actors. They often remark that he creates a collaborative climate where they feel free to do their best work. He believes his background as an actor helps him approach the actor’s character development process internally. Conversely, he believes being a director has made him a more trusting, nuanced actor. Being able to do both is like creative crop rotation for Van Peebles. Not many directors get the privilege of being directed by other strong filmmakers. Acting for others is still “super exciting” to him.
In 1994, Hofstra University awarded Van Peebles an honorary doctorate of humane letters. After earning a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Columbia University, Van Peebles spent two years working at New York’s Department of Environmental Protection before moving to Hollywood to try his hand at acting writing and directing.
In addition to directing and acting in features, Van Peebles is passionate about supporting education and eco-consciousness through media. With his reality show, Mario’s Green House, he teamed up with his five children and his father to chronicle the Van Peebles family’s often-humorous attempts to raise their eco-consciousness as they try to go green in Hollywood. Green “We never got to the full green, more like Olive green,” jokes Van Peebles.
Thurgood Marshall
Harry Lennix is an accomplished film, television, and stage actor. His recent credits include Warner Bros.’ “Man of Steel”, The CW’s “Emily Owens, M.D.”, Fox’s “Dollhouse,” HBO’s “Little Britain,” as well as the critically acclaimed series “24” as Walid Al-Rezani.
Harry Joseph Lennix III was born November 16, 1964 in Chicago, Illinois, to Lillian C. (Vines), a laundress, and Harry Lennix, Jr., a machinist. He is of African-American and Louisiana Creole descent. He was not always certain he wanted to be an actor. An A student, he decided to act in his high school’s play while he waited for the baseball season to begin. Lennix attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where he was recognized in “Who’s Who Among American College Students.” He majored in Acting and Direction at Northwestern and upon graduation stayed teaching in Chicago for a bit, before moving to New York, and from there to Los Angeles, California.
He has appeared in a veritable bevy of movies and guest-starring roles in many popular television shows such as ER (1994), Diagnosis Murder (1993), Century City (2004), and House (2004).
Lennix made his Broadway debut in August Wilson’s Tony nominated play, Radio Golf. He was seen on the big screen in Working Title’s “State of Play.” In 2006, Lennix starred in the Golden Globe nominated ABC show “Commander in Chief” as Jim Gardner, the Chief of Staff. His other appearances include the Oscar winning film “Ray,” “The Matrix: Reloaded,” and “The Matrix: Revolutions.” Lennix received critical acclaim and a Golden Satellite Award as Aaron in Julie Taymor’s “Titus” starring Anthony Hopkins. A host of other film credits include “Across the Universe,” “Barbershop 2,” and “Love and Basketball.” Lennix starred his as the legendary Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. in Showtime’s “Keep The Faith Baby,” for which he won a Black Reel Award and was nominated for both an NAACP Image Award and a Golden Satellite Award. He continued to make his presence known with recurring roles on “ER” and “Diagnosis Murder” and other guest starring appearances on shows such as “Law & Order: Los Angeles.” Lennix has directed and appeared in stage productions across the country, including the Northlight Theater Company’s production of Permanent Collection, at the Greenway Arts Alliance in Los Angeles. Under his directing consultation, it was remounted at Los Angeles’ Kirk Douglas Theater.
He directed the stage version of Robert Townsend’s The Five Heartbeats, which received 3 NAACP Theater Award nominations and The Glass Menagerie for the Steppenwolf Theater Company. As a stage actor, Lennix was the first distinguished recipient of an Ollie Award for his portrayal of Malcolm X at the Goodman Theater in Chicago and two Joseph Jefferson Citations for his roles in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and Caught in the Act. He also starred as King Hedley II, another play by August Wilson, at the Mark Taper Forum. In 2001, he was part of the first American company to be invited to the Royal Shakespeare Company in the production of Cymbeline. Lennix has also been extremely active in his native Chicago community where he was an English and music teacher before becoming an actor.
He founded Legacy Productions with renowned director Chuck Smith in 1989. The company is dedicated to promoting significant works about the African-American experience. He is on the staff of the Goodman Theater Co. He also is active in various civic groups and is on the Advisory Council for his alma mater, Northwestern University.
He resides in Los Angeles. Harry has two older brothers and an older sister and often returns to Chicago to visit his remaining family.
Harriette V. Moore
“I was born and raised in College Park, GA., where I grew up singing in church with my family. I realized from a young age that I desired to use my God-given gifts to spread joy and inspiration. In high school, I developed a strong passion for musical theatre and decided to pursue a career on Broadway. In 2013, months after earning a Bachelor of Arts in Musical Theatre from the University of Northern Colorado, I moved to New York City with five bags and A LOT of faith!. I had about one hundred fifty dollars to my name, no apartment, and no job, but I was committed to making my dreams a reality. After working regionally at the Arvada Center, the American Repertory Theatre, and Olney Theatre Center, I auditioned for the National Tour of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical and ended up booking the swing position on Broadway! Since then, I’ve gone on to be in the Original Off-Broadway cast of Invisible Thread, as well as the Original Broadway casts of Waitress and Frozen. In Frozen, I had the joy to standby for the role of Anna and the beautiful responsibility to show my little chocolate drops that they too can be princesses! I made history as the first Black woman to play the role on Broadway. Most recently, I played the role of Snow White in the world premiere of the Britney Spears musical Once Upon A One More Time! It’s my utmost desire to keep breaking down barriers and continue creating roles for Black women to lead and shine bright! Because WE deserve and representation MATTERS! ”
Sheriff McCall
Kevin spent 3 years traveling around the world, modeling for print ads and appearing in over 150 commercials, before landing in his breakout series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1995).
Kevin David Sorbo was born in Mound, Minnesota, on September 24, 1958, to Ardis (Thompson), a nurse, and Lynn Nain Sorbo, a high school teacher. His father was of Norwegian descent and his mother’s ancestry was English, Scottish, and German. In high school, he excelled at football, baseball and basketball; in college, he played these 3 sports, plus hockey. Kevin was also in a number of plays. After leaving college, Kevin joined an actors theater group, and traveled to Europe, then to Sydney, Australia appearing in commercials. At the end of 1986, he settled in Los Angeles. Kevin began to make guest appearances on such popular shows as Murder, She Wrote (1984). At 6′ 3″ and very muscular, Kevin was a natural for the title role in what would become his signature series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1995). Kevin became internationally famous, and he learned the craft of film-making well enough to direct and co-write some of the episodes. Kevin even studied martial arts in order to do many of his own stunts. In real life, Kevin’s heart is as big as Hercules’– he leads “A World Fit for Kids!” as the chair and spokesperson. Kevin devotes much of his time to “A World Fit For Kids!” which is a successful mentoring model that trains inner-city teens to use school, fitness, sports and positive role models for themselves, and then become the coaches and mentors for younger children. In 1998, Kevin married lovely actress Sam Sorbo, best known for her dual role on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1995) as Serena/the Golden Hind (“Hind” is a female red deer).
Reverend J.W. Bruno
Keith David is a classically trained actor, winning 3 Emmys out of 6 nominations as well as being nominated for a Tony award. He starred in the recently concluded TV series “Greenleaf” for Oprah Winfrey’s OWN network. Upcoming films include “Horizon Line” with Allison Williams (“Get Out”) and “Black As Night,” for Amazon.
In “Greenleaf” Keith portrayed ‘Bishop James Greenleaf’, the charismatic and God-fearing leader of the Calvary Fellowship and the patriarch of the family. The series followed the unscrupulous world of the Greenleaf family, their scandalous secrets and lies, and their sprawling Memphis megachurch. The series was praised for its push-and-pull dynamic, its hypocrisy, and its compelling characters. Keith’s stellar performance was best stated by The Hollywood Reporter, “… Keith David …is perfectly cast as Bishop Greenleaf. Whether he’s playing to the congregation at the altar or getting conspiratorial in a smaller venue, this is an unusually great and meaty role for David.”
On the big screen, Keith co-starred with Chadwick Boseman in “21 Bridges”. Prior credits include “Night School” with Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish and “Tales from the Hood 2”. Additional titles include the Academy award-winning films “Crash” and “Platoon.” He is widely recognized for appearing in the highly-acclaimed films Disney’s “The Princess and the Frog”, “Requiem for a Dream”, “Men at Work”, “They Live”, “There’s Something About Mary”, and “The Thing.”
Other recent TV credits include an upcoming appearance on “Creepshow,” “NCIS: New Orleans”, “Blackish,” MacGyver”, and “Fresh Off the Boat”. Earlier credits include “Community”, “Enlisted”, “ER”, and “Mister Roger’s Neighborhood”. On Broadway, Keith starred in August Wilson’s “Seven Guitars” and “Jelly’s Last Jam” for which he garnered a Tony Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical.
Keith’s work as a voice actor has made him a household name. His rich and powerful voice has been featured in national commercials, award shows, documentaries, video games, and animation. His work in narration has earned him three Emmys for Ken Burns’ “Jackie Robinson”, “The War”, and “Unforgivable Blackness – The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson”. Some of his other voice acting credits include countless fan favorites such as “Adventure Time”, “Bojack Horseman,” “Rick & Morty”, “Spawn”, and “Gargoyles”. Keith has lent his voice to many video game titles. Recently he portrayed the character “Spawn” in the reboot of the “Mortal Kombat” video game. Other appearances include the “Halo” series (games 2, 3, and 5), the “Saint’s Row” series (games 1, 2, and 4), as well as the “Mass Effect” series (games 1,2, and 3).
Born and raised in New York by his parents Lester and Dolores, Keith became interested in the arts at a very young age. After appearing in his school’s production of “The Wizard of Oz”, he knew this was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. He enrolled in New York’s High School of the Performing Arts and continued his studies at The Juilliard School. After graduation, he was immediately hired by Joseph Papp as an understudy for the role of Tullus Aufidius in William Shakespeare’s “Coriolanus.” His work with Mr. Papp and the New York Shakespeare Festival launched his incredible career.
In addition to his versatile acting and voiceover work, Keith is also a remarkable singer. He’s has been touring in 2 shows, “Too Marvelous for Words”, in which he portrays the legendary singer Nat King Cole, and a show about the incredible Blues singer Joe Williams, “Here’s to Life.”
Aunt Maise
Life and career
Sheléa Frazier was born in Redwood City, California and raised in Bakersfield, California. She has been singing and playing piano since she was a child. She has cited Natalie Cole’s album Unforgettable…with Love as the impetus for her desire to become a singer. Sheléa co-wrote and performed the theme song to the UPN television sitcom All of Us from 2003 to 2006. Sheléa began her professional career working with producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. In 2008, she sang lead on the track “Someone to Watch Over Me”, at the request of Take 6; the song was nominated for a Grammy. Afterward, Stevie Wonder contacted the singer for collaborations.
Sheléa first gained wider prominence in 2012 after she posted a YouTube video singing a medley of Whitney Houston covers after the singer’s death, which went viral. Later that year, she was invited to the White House to sing for the Obamas at the Gershwin Prize presentation. The next year, Sheléa performed a Whitney Houston tribute at the Grammy Museum.
Shelea’s debut album, Love Fell On Me, was released in 2013. The track “I’ll Never Let You Go” song peaked at 23 on Billboard’s Adult R&B chart. She also wrote and performed the 2011 track “Love Fell On Me” for the film Jumping the Broom.
In 2019, she released an album Pretty World. A Tribute to Allen & Marilyn Bergman, which included Stevie Wonder and Kirk Whalum. Later that year, Quincy Jones produced a concert special on PBS featuring the singer, called Quincy Jones Presents: Sheléa. Shelea’s performance featured David Foster.
She starred in the 2020 Clark Sisters biopic The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel as Dorinda Clark-Cole.
Harriet Moore
ROBINNE LEE plays LILLY in the current #1 hit limited Netflix series KALEIDOSCOPE produced by Ridley Scott that aired on January 1st.
She also stars as ‘Fabiola’ in the AMC limited series A LA CARTE which is premiering soon.
She plays ‘Ros Bailey’, the Head of Grey Enterprises in part 2 & 3 in the 50 SHADES OF GREY franchise.
She was a series regular in SUPERSTITION on the SYFY network. She had a memorable arc on the hit show BEING MARY JANE (BET) playing ‘Avery Daniels’ opposite Gabrielle Union and was also in the feature films HOTEL FOR DOGS, HITCH, SEVEN POUNDS and TIL DEATH DO US PART.
She appeared in SPEECH directed by Tatia Pillieva, starring Bryce Dallas Howard as Abraham Lincoln, Becki Newton as John F. Kennedy, Deborah Ann Woll as Lyndon B. Johnson, Gillian Zisner and Jimmy Carter and Robinne Lee as Barack Obama. Watch SPEECH
Robinne’s first novel, “The Idea of You” is published through St. Martin’s Press is currently starring ANNE HATHAWAY
KTLA Interview – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6brkKeIiE0
View her KCAL Weekend News interview about “The Idea of You” and FIFTY SHADES DARKER.
Producer
Producer Walter T. Shaw, the founder of Top Cat II Productions has spent the last 7 years painstakingly chronicling and archiving the life and assassination of Harry and Harriette Moore, and now joins with playwright John DiDonna to bring this tale of affecting personal tragedy and poignant historical sacrifice to the stage with their new work “The Price for Freedom”. In bringing this story to life, it also serves to chronicle the beginnings of the NAACP in Florida, the case of the Groveland Four, as well as the very start of what we now know as the modern Civil Rights Movement.
Production Manager, Editor
Gerry is a Producer, Production Manager, and Actor best known for The People vs Larry Flynt, Man on the Moon, Gangs of New York, Brokeback Mountain, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Upon graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Gerry worked as a Producer, Director and on-air talent for the North Carolina Public Television Network, contributing to PBS’s National Program Service. Since moving to New York City in 1979 Gerry has steadily worked in the motion picture industry.
Music Composer
Mervyn Warren, 5-time Grammy Award winner and 10-time Grammy Award nominee, is a highly accomplished film composer, record producer, lyricist, songwriter, arranger, pianist and vocalist.
Equally adept at any style, his work spans many genres – pop, R&B, hip-hop, classical, orchestral, jazz, vocal, country, and gospel. His client roster (from Barbra Streisand to Chicago to DMX) and his film scores (from comedy to drama to action) speak for themselves.
Warren was an original member of Take 6, the a-cappella sextet that took the world by storm in 1988. With them he recorded two albums – one platinum, and the other, gold. On those albums, Warren produced, co-wrote, and arranged most of the award-winning songs. Together they won four Grammy Awards, six Dove Awards, two Stellar Awards, and a Soul Train Award.
On his own, Warren earned an additional Grammy Award for the all-star ‘Handel’s Messiah: A Soulful Celebration,’ as well as five additional Grammy nominations, an additional Dove Award (of two nominations), and two Gospel Music Workshop of America Awards, including one for Contemporary Producer of the Year.
Warren co-produced with Babyface a Billboard No. 1 R&B hit – ‘Last Night’ by Az Yet; produced a Billboard Top Ten hit – ‘I Believe In You & Me’ (movie version) by Whitney Houston, from the Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum soundtrack to The Preacher’s Wife; and penned a Billboard No. 2 Dance hit – ‘The Power of One’ for Donna Summer.
Warren has written many arrangements for his mentors Quincy Jones and David Foster, ranging from Quincy’s ‘Q: Soul Bossa Nostra’ (on which Warren produced a track and co-produced a second), ‘Back on the Block’ and ‘Q’s Jook Joint’ to feature-film scores to various records with Michael Buble, Celine Dion, Brandy, Leann Rimes, and many others.
As of 2011, Warren divides his time between producing records and writing both underscore and songs for feature films, including the #1 hit, “The Wedding Planner” and the critically acclaimed “A Raisin In The Sun” (2008).
Composer, Music Editor
Composer and music editor Shie Rozow (pronounced shy ro-zov) has taken a different path than most
leading him to work on over 150 feature films including major international blockbusters like The Flash, The Lost City, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Hustle & Flow.
Armed with over 25 years of industry experience and driven by his lifelong passion for music and storytelling, Shie has earned 17 Golden Reel Award Nominations, winning for his work on Chicago (as assistant music editor), IMAX: Deep Sea, and Wu Tang: An American Saga. He brings his inexhaustible talent and natural ear for music to every story, weaving a rich musical narrative that compliments the filmmaker’s vision and unlocks new layers of depth.
Equally skilled working in film, TV, and video games, Shie has contributed his talent on hundreds of hours of TV including Desperate Housewives, Arrow, and most recently The CW’s Stargirl, along with Amazon’s anthology series Welcome to the Blumhouse and Shudder’s Creepshow. In addition, he has also worked on music for Disney theme parks and Cirque du Soleil. Shie also composes concert music, which has been performed from coast to coast, releasing his first album Musical Fantasy in 2016.
You can hear his music on Netflix’s documentary Shawn Mendes: In Wonder as well as award-winning indie features like Jasmine, Camp Arrowhead, Captain Hagen’s Bed and Breakfast, and the feature documentary The Last of the Winthrops. His scores to Matt and Maya, Lost Time, One Day You’ll Go Blind, and Body Language: Bill Shannon have all won Telly Awards.
A graduate of Berklee College of Music, where he completed his 4-year degree in just 5 semesters, (“being broke is a great incentive,” he explained), Shie lives in Los Angeles with his wife, two children, and their many pets. He enjoys photography, astronomy and SCUBA diving in his free time.
Casting Director / Producer
Ed Arenas has been in the film business for over 25 years. He left the world of professional consulting at Deloitte Touche after 3 years as a CPA and Small Business Consultant. He immediately became immersed in every aspect of the film industry creatively as well as “hands-on”. After working as a production assistant, and production coordinator, earning a “best boy” crew member credit, he then became personal assistant to director Russell Mulcahy (Highlander). It was during that period that he got involved with the casting process. Ed has had the privilege of working with directors such as Oliver Stone (Any Given Sunday), Darren Arronofsky (The Fountain), Michael Bay (Bad Boys II), Jerry Bruckheimer/Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean, Confessions of a Shopaholic), Steven Soderbergh (Che), Luc Besson/Louis Letelier (Transporter 2), David Mamet (The Spanish Prisoner), David Frankel (Devil Wears Prada), John Badham (Drop Zone), Alison Anders (Things Behind the Sun), Robert Townsend (Playin for Love) to name a few.
Always a champion of independent filmmakers, Ed Arenas has had the privilege to have had two award-winning films go to the Sundance Film Festival (2000 “Things Behind the Sun” – by Allison Anders, and 2004 “Inside Deep Throat” – by Brian Grazer). Also Tribeca Film Festival (2014 “Sunlight Jr.” – Laurie Collyer) and most recently best film winner at the Liverpool Film Festival (2018 “Off the Rails” – Damian Fitzsimmons)
Ed Arenas shares his time between Miami, New York, and Los Angeles. He enjoys dwellings as well as offices in these cities and resides wherever his work takes him. Affiliation with such notable projects has allowed Ed to cultivate synergistic relationships with the more notable casting directors such as Denise Chamian, Bonnie Timmerman, Kerry Barden, Billy Hopkins, Mary Vernieu, Ellen Chenoweth, Marjorie Simkin, Roger Mussenden, Fern Orenstein, Todd Thalor, Bonnie Zane. Ed has enjoyed growth in helping build projects using his time-earned relationships. Recently he has been working to quickly build packages and help produce cost-effective quality films using private equity which have quick turnaround in distribution.
Production Designer
Jerry Blohm was born in 1965 in Miami, Florida, USA. He is an art director, known for The Last of the Mohicans (1992), Into the Blue (2005), and Miami Vice (2006).
A Mario Van Peebels Film
Produced by Walter T Shaw
Producer Diana Ross Shaw
