'Living Proof,' Lifetime Television's Marquee Original Movie Starring Emmy(R) and Grammy(R) Award Winner Harry Connick, Jr. Adds Star-Studded Lineup to
Cast,
Including Amanda Bynes, Angie Harmon, Swoosie Kurtz, Bernadette
Peters, Jennifer Coolidge, Regina King, Tammy Blanchard, John Benjamin
Hickey, Paula Cale and Trudie Styler
Oscar(R) Winner Renee Zellweger ("Chicago") Reteams with Craig Zadan and
Neil Meron, Executive Producers of the Oscar(R)-Winning "Chicago" as the
Producers for the Sony Pictures Television Project
Movie Airs in October as Centerpiece of Lifetime's 14th Annual
Award-Winning Public Awareness Campaign, "Stop Breast Cancer for Life"
LOS ANGELES, June 16 -- "Living Proof," Lifetime
Television's Marquee Original Movie starring Emmy(R) and Grammy(R) Award
winner Harry Connick, Jr. ("Hope Floats"), has added an array of acclaimed
actors to its ensemble cast. They include: Amanda Bynes ("Hairspray"),
Angie Harmon ("Women's Murder Club"), Emmy(R) winner Swoosie Kurtz
("Pushing Daisies"), Tony(R) winner Bernadette Peters ("Boston Legal"),
Jennifer Coolidge ("American Pie"), Regina King ("Ray"), Emmy(R) winner
Tammy Blanchard ("Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows"), John
Benjamin Hickey ("Flags of Our Fathers"), Paula Cale ("Providence") and
Trudie Styler ("Empire"). "Living Proof" will premiere in October 2008 on
Lifetime Television, as part of the Network's Stop Breast Cancer for Life
campaign during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
"Living Proof" is the moving true story of Dr. Dennis Slamon, the UCLA
doctor who developed the revolutionary breast cancer drug, Herceptin, and
his relentless battle to keep the drug trials afloat and save the lives of
thousands of women. The newly cast actors join Connick currently filming in
his hometown of New Orleans. "Living Proof" is produced by Academy
Award(R)-winning actress Renee Zellweger ("Chicago"), film and television
producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron ("Chicago") and Sony Pictures
Television.
The movie is also a reunion for Zadan and Meron with many of the cast
members. The producers previously worked with Peters ("Cinderella"),
Blanchard (Emmy(R) winner as young Judy in "Life with Judy Garland: Me and
My Shadows"), Cale ("Brian's Song" and "Martin & Lewis"), Styler
("Empire"), Hickey ("Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows" and the
television series "It's All Relative"), Bynes ("Hairspray"), and fellow
executive producer Zellweger ("Chicago").
The "Living Proof" cast includes:
-- Amanda Bynes as Jamie, Dr. Slamon's student assistant.
-- Angie Harmon portrays Lilly Tartikoff, wife of NBC Television president
Brandon Tartikoff, and the person responsible for raising money to
continue Dr. Slamon's research.
-- Swoosie Kurtz is Elizabeth, Nicole's grandmother fighting to keep her
granddaughter alive.
-- Bernadette Peters as Barbara, a retired art teacher and the first woman
in Dr. Slamon's drug trial saved by Herceptin.
-- Regina King plays Ellie, a fashion designer and breast cancer survivor.
-- Tammy Blanchard is cast as Nicole, the very first woman to ever receive
Herceptin.
-- John Benjamin Hickey is Blake, Dr. Slamon's friend and fellow
scientist.
-- Paula Cale portrays Dr. Slamon's compassionate wife, Donna.
-- Trudie Styler is Tina and Jennifer Coolidge is Tish, both participants
in Phase One of the Her2 study.
"Living Proof" is produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron's Storyline
Entertainment and Sony Pictures Television for Lifetime Television. Renee
Zellweger, Neil Meron and Craig Zadan ("Chicago"), and screenwriter
Vivienne Radkoff ("Tempted," "The Agency") are the executive producers. Dan
Ireland ("Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont," "Whole Wide World," "Passionada")
directs from a script written by Radkoff.
Amanda Bynes has numerous film and television credits including the
Golden Globe(R)-nominated "Hairspray," "Big Fat Liar" with Frankie Muniz,
"What a Girl Wants" with Colin Firth and Kelly Preston and "She's the Man."
In 2004, she loaned her voice to the animated hit film "Robots." On
television, Bynes starred in Nickelodeon's "All That" for four seasons and
her own variety sketch show, "The Amanda Show." Bynes recently branched out
with the launch of her own clothing company, "Dear by Amanda Bynes," with
Steve and Barry's.
Angie Harmon most recently starred in the ABC drama "Women's Murder
Club" and is best known for her starring role on NBC's Emmy(R)-winning
drama "Law & Order." Harmon made her network television series debut
starring opposite Eric Roberts on ABC's "C-16: FBI." Other television
credits include ABC's "Secrets of a Small Town." Harmon's film credits
include "Agent Cody Banks" and the independent film "Lawn Dogs" where she
made her feature film debut.
Swoosie Kurtz currently stars in the ABC series "Pushing Daisies." Her
work has spanned stage, screen and television. Kurtz's film credits include
"Citizen Ruth," "Liar, Liar," "Duplex," "Cruel Intentions," "The Rules of
Attraction," "Dangerous Liaisons" and "Reality Bites." The two-time Tony(R)
Award winner and Emmy(R) Award-winning actress, most recently twice
nominated for her work in "Huff" for Showtime, also starred in the NBC
series "Sisters" and "Love, Sydney."
Bernadette Peters is a two-time Tony(R) Award-winning actress who has
dazzled audiences and critics with her performances on stage, on
television, in concert and in the recording industry. While Peters is best
known for her work in the theatre, she boasts an impressive list of
television credits including "Ally McBeal," for which she received an
Emmy(R) nomination, "Cinderella," "What the Deaf Man Heard," "The Odyssey,"
"Fall From Grace," "The Last Best Year" and "Prince Charming." Peters has
appeared in 17 films including: "It Run in the Family," "Impromptu,"
"Pennies From Heaven," for which she received a Golden Globe(R) Award, "The
Jerk," "The Longest Yard," "Silent Movie" and "Annie" just to name a few.
Jennifer Coolidge is a versatile character actress with a long list of
credits, perhaps best known for playing the character "Stifler's mom" in
the film "American Pie." A long-running member of The Groundlings, Coolidge
made her television debut on "Seinfeld." Her other film credits include:
"American Pie 2," "Best in Show," "For Your Consideration," "Austin Powers:
The Spy Who Shagged Me," "Legally Blonde," "Legally Blonde 2: Red, White &
Blonde," "A Mighty Wind" and "Zoolander." On television, she has been seen
in "Nip/Tuck," "Joey," "According to Jim" and "Sex and the City."
Regina King starred in the Academy Award(R)-winning film "Ray." Her
other film credits include "Boyz n the Hood," "Poetic Justice," "Higher
Learning," "Friday," "Jerry Maguire," "Enemy of the State," "How Stella Got
Her Grove Back" and "Daddy Day Care." She also provided the voices of Huey
and Riley Freeman in "The Boondocks." She guest-starred on "24" and also
starred in HBO's "If These Walls Could Talk 2."
Tammy Blanchard made her mark in television starring as young Judy in
the television movie "Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows," for which
she won an Emmy(R) and was nominated for a Golden Globe(R). She also
starred in "Sybil" and the Emmy(R) nominated Lifetime Original Movie, "We
Were the Mulvaneys." Her feature film credits include "The Good Shepherd,"
"Bella" and "Stealing Harvard." Blanchard was nominated for a Tony(R) Award
in 2003 for "Gypsy." She began her career on the long-running daytime
drama, "Guiding Light."
John Benjamin Hickey starred in the Oscar(R) nominated feature film
"Flags of Our Fathers," directed by Clint Eastwood. His additional film
credits include "Then She Found Me" directed by Helen Hunt, "Freedom
Writers," "Infamous," "Flightplan," "The Bone Collector" and "The Ice
Storm." He has also made numerous television guest appearances including
"Brothers & Sisters," Law & Order," "Alias" and "NYPD Blue." He starred in
the Emmy(R) Award-winning and Golden Globe(R)-nominated "Life with Judy
Garland: Me and My Shadows."
Paula Cale is perhaps most recognizable from her role as Joanie Hansen
on the NBC drama "Providence." She starred in the television movies "Martin
and Lewis" and "Brian's Song" and guest-starred in the television series
"House" and "Ghost Whisperer." Most recently, she appeared in the Neil
LaBute play "Some Girl(s)" at the Geffen Playhouse.
Trudie Styler is an actress, producer, director and environmental
activist. Married to pop star Sting, she has appeared in numerous films
including "Alpha Male," "Bug," "Me Without You," "The Grotesque" and "Fair
Game." Her producing credits include "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels,"
"A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints," "Snatch" and "Sweatbox," which she
also directed. She appeared in the television miniseries "Empire" and had a
recurring role on "Love Soup."
"Living Proof" premieres during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
as the centerpiece of Lifetime's 14th annual multi-platform Stop Breast
Cancer for Life public service and advocacy campaign, which reaches women
and families in more than 96 million homes across the country in
partnership with the Network's cable affiliates, advertising sponsors and
twelve leading nonprofit organizations. Other original films that the
network has made previously for this commitment include the 2007 movie
"Matters of Life & Dating" starring Ricki Lake and the 2006 movie "Why I
Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy" starring Sarah Chalke, which was nominated
for an Emmy(R) Award in the category of "Outstanding Made for Television
Movie."
Sony Pictures Television is one of the television industry's leading
content providers. It produces and distributes programming in every genre,
including series, telefilms, theatrical releases and family entertainment
for network and cable television, as well as first-run and off-network
series for syndication. With more than 25 programs on the air, SPT boasts a
program slate that includes the top-rated daytime dramas and game shows,
landmark off-network series, original animated series and critically
acclaimed primetime dramas, comedies and telefilms. SPT also owns one-half
of cable channel GSN, and is a partner in FEARnet, the premier
horror/thriller website and VOD service. Sony Pictures Television oversees
all of Sony Pictures Entertainment's (SPE) domestic digital distribution
efforts across all platforms, including the internet and mobile.
Sony Pictures Television, advertiser sales, is one of the premiere
national advertising sales companies, handling the commercial inventory in
SPT syndicated series as well as in all of SPE's digital businesses, for
Sony BMG and for iN DEMAND's high-definition channel Mojo and Tennis
Channel, and is part owner of national media sales company ITN Networks,
Inc. SPT (http://www.sonypicturestelevision.com) is a Sony Pictures Entertainment
company.
Lifetime is the leader in women's television and one of the top-rated
basic cable television networks. A diverse, multi-media company, Lifetime
is committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information
programming, and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and
their families. Lifetime Television, Lifetime Movie Network, Lifetime Real
Women and Lifetime Digital (including myLifetime.com) are part of Lifetime
Entertainment Services, a 50/50 joint venture of Hearst Corporation and The
Walt Disney Company.
|