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ABOUT
THE CAST
PATRICK
STEWART (Professor Charles Xavier)
reprises his role as the wheelchair-bound mentor of the X-Men, and
the world’s most powerful telepath.
Stewart
recently returned as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the latest installment
of the phenomenally successful "Star Trek" franchise,
"Star Trek: Nemesis." He is starring and producing "The
Lion in the Winter," for television, and appears on the London
stage in "The Master Builder."
Stewart
supplied the voice of Pharaoh Seti in the animated film "The
Prince of Egypt" and as the voice of King Goobot in Nickelodeon
Movies' highly successful computer animated film "Jimmy Neutron:
Boy Genius."
His
many film credits include "Jeffrey," "Hedda,"
"Dune," "Excalibur," "L.A. Story,"
"Death Train," "Robin Hood: Men in Tights,"
"Gunmen," "Masterminds," "The Pagemaster,"
"The Conspiracy Theory," "Safe House" and "Doc
Savage."
Stewart
originated the role of Captain Picard in the hit television series
"Star Trek: The Next Generation," which aired from 1988
to 1994. The role earned him Best Actor nominations from the American
TV Awards and the Screen Actors Guild. He also directed several
episodes of the series, including "A Fistful of Datas,"
which won an Emmy® Award.
Stewart
earned a Screen Actors Guild Award® nomination for his portrayal
of Ebenezer Scrooge in TNT's "A Christmas Carol," which
he produced with Robert Halmi for Hallmark Entertainment. Also for
TNT, Stewart played the title role in "King of Texas,"
an updated version of Shakespeare's classic "King Lear,"
set during the Mexican revolt of the mid-1800s. Stewart also co-produced
"King of Texas" with Hallmark.
He
was honored with Emmy and Golden Globe® nominations for Best
Actor in a Dramatic Series or Miniseries for his role as Captain
Ahab in USA Network’s "Moby Dick," which also starred
Gregory Peck and Henry Thomas.
Stewart's
television credits include the title role of "The Canterville
Ghost" for ABC and Hallmark Hall of Fame, TNT’s "In
Search of Dr. Seuss," and Fox’s animated series "The
Simpsons." He has also hosted several documentary series, including
"The Shape of the World" on PBS, and TNT’s "MGM:
When the Lion Roars," a six-part series on the history of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
For
the BBC, Stewart has been seen in the acclaimed miniseries "I,
Claudius," "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" and "Smiley’s
People." He also portrayed Salieri in "The Mozart Inquest,"
Oedipus in "Oedipus Rex," and Reverend Anderson in "The
Devil’s Disciple."
In
the summer of 2000, Stewart starred in the Broadway production of
Arthur Miller’s Tony®-nominated play "The Ride Down
Mt. Morgan" and in 1998 he played "Othello" at the
Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C. In 1996, in honor of his
work in the theater, Stewart received the prestigious Will Award
from The Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C. The award is given
annually to an individual who makes "a significant contribution
to classical theatre in America."
In
the same year, Stewart brought "A Christmas Carol," his
award-winning adaptation of Dickens’ classic tale, to an exclusive
engagement at the Doolittle Theatre in Los Angeles. This acclaimed
one-man show, in which he played over 40 characters, earned Stewart
a Drama Desk Award for Best Solo Performer in 1995. When Stewart
presented "A Christmas Carol" at London’s Old Vic
Theatre, he received an Olivier Award nomination as Best Actor and
won the Olivier Award for Best Entertainment.
Stewart
brought "A Christmas Carol" back to Broadway for eight
benefit performances over the 2001 holiday season. The ticket sales
from the sold-out performances were the highest single week sales
for any play in the history of Broadway.
In
1995 Stewart starred as Prospero in the Broadway production of Shakespeare’s
classic "The Tempest," for which he received a Best Actor
nomination from the Outer Critics Circle. In 1971 he appeared on
the New York stage in Peter Brook's now legendary production of
"A Midsummer Night’s Dream."
Stewart
is an Honorary Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company
(RSC), having been made an Associate Artist in 1967. He has played
Shylock, Henry IV, Titus Andronicus, Oberon, Leontes, Touchstone,
Launce, and Enobarbus in RSC productions.
Stewart won the Society of West End Theaters’ (SWET) Award
for his performance as Enobarbus in Peter Brook’s production
of "Anthony and Cleopatra," and was nominated for his
Shylock in "The Merchant of Venice."
He
has also starred in many contemporary works with the RSC, including
premiere productions by Tom Stoppard, Edward Bond, Howard Barker
and David Rudkin. In 1986, he played the title role in Peter Shaffer’s
play "Yonadab" at the National Theater.
Stewart
has adapted other works for the stage, television and radio, including
two works by Mikhail Bulgahov, "The Procurator" (from
the novel The Master and Margarita) and "A Country Doctor’s
Notebook." In 1992, he directed the music/drama "Every
Good Boy Deserves Favor" by Tom Stoppard and Andre Previn,
starring along with four other cast members of "Star Trek:
The Next Generation" and the Orange County Symphony Orchestra.
The same production was presented with symphony orchestras in Minneapolis,
Chicago and Atlanta.
In
1993 Stewart won a Grammy® Award for his narrative work on the
Best Spoken Word Album for Children, "Prokofiev: Peter and
the Wolf."
HUGH
JACKMAN (Logan / Wolverine)
reprises his "X-Men" role as a solitary fighting machine
who possesses amazing healing powers, retractable adamantium claws
and an animal-like fury.
Jackman's
first major U.S. film appearance in "X-Men" resulted in
leading roles in "Someone Like You" and "Swordfish."
He received a 2002 Golden Globe nomination for "Kate and Leopold."
He
currently is before the cameras in the adventure "Van Helsing,"
and will then star on Broadway in "The Boy from Oz," based
on the life of Peter Allen.
Prior
to his star-making role in "X-Men," Jackman played Curly
in Trevor Nunn's revival of "Oklahoma," at Britain’s
National Theater. His performance earned him an Olivier Award nomination
for Best Actor in a Musical. The production also received an International
Emmy Award in the Performing Arts category.
Jackman's
career began in Australia with leading roles in the independent
films "Paperback Hero" and "Erskineville Kings,"
for which he received a Best Actor award from the Australian Film
Critics Circle and a Best Actor nomination from the Australian Film
Institute. In 1999, he was named "Australian Star of the Year"
at the Australian Movie Convention. In addition he appeared in the
hit Australian television series "Corelli" and "Halifax
f.p."
Jackman
received the MO Award (Australia's Tony Award) for Best Actor in
a Musical for his performance in the legit production of "Sunset
Boulevard" and an MO Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical
for his performance as Gaston in "Beauty and the Beast."
IAN
McKELLEN (Magneto)
reprises his role as the strongest and most powerful mutant. X2
reunites McKellen and director Bryan Singer, with whom he previously
collaborated on the 1998 film "Apt Pupil," as well as
on "X-Men."
Last
year, McKellen was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting
Actor for his performance as Gandalf the Grey in Peter Jackson's
"The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring." In
September of 2001 he celebrated his fortieth anniversary as an actor
with a return to Broadway, starring opposite Helen Mirren in Richard
Greenburg's
new adaptation of Strindberg’s "Dance of Death,"
directed by Sean Mathias.
Recently,
he was a guest "voice" on "The Simpsons."
McKellen,
who was knighted in 1991 for his services to the performing arts,
has been honored with more than thirty international awards for
his performances on stage and latterly on screen. He won the Tony
Award as Salieri in Peter Shaffer's
"Amadeus"
(1981); and an Emmy Award as Best Supporting Actor in HBO's "Rasputin"
(1996).
He
was European Actor of the Year for his screen version of "Richard
III" (1996); and received Academy Award, Golden Globe, Screen
Actors Guild Award and Golden Satellite nominations for Best Actor
for his portrayal of Hollywood director James Whale in Bill Condon’s
"Gods and Monsters" (1999).
McKellen’s
numerous motion picture credits also include "Swept From the
Sea," "Bent," "Thin Ice," "Restoration,"
"Jack and Sarah," "The Shadow," "Cold Comfort
Farm," "And the Band Played On" (for which he won
a CableACE Award and received an Emmy Award nomination for Best
Supporting Actor), "Six Degrees of Separation," "Last
Action Hero," "I’ll Do Anything," "The
Ballad of Little Jo," "Scandal," "Plenty,"
"Zina," "The Keep," "Walter," "Priest
of Love," "The Promise," "Alfred the Great,"
"A Touch of Love/Thank You All Very Much" and "The
Bells of Hell Go Ting-A-Ling-A-Ling."
McKellen
was born in the industrial north of England on May 25, 1939, the
son of a civil engineer. He first acted at school and at Cambridge
University, where he studied English Literature and appeared in
twenty-one undergraduate productions. Without any formal dramatic
training, he made his professional debut in 1961 at the Belgrade
Theatre in Coventry. Then, for three seasons, he worked his apprenticeship
with other regional companies, culminating with the opening of the
Nottingham Playhouse, where he was directed by his childhood hero,
Tyrone Guthrie.
His
first London appearance in "A Scent of Flowers" (1964)
won him the Clarence Derwent Award and an invitation from Laurence
Olivier to join his new National Theatre Company at the Old Vic
Theatre. This was followed by two seasons with the touring Prospect
Theatre, storming the 1969 Edinburgh Festival as Shakespeare’s
Richard II and Marlowe’s Edward II. These played for two sell-out
seasons in London and were televised, as well. His "Hamlet"
followed, and established McKellen as one of the leading classical
actors of his generation. In 1972, he co-founded the democratically
run Actors’ Company, which visited the Brooklyn Academy of
Music in 1974.
His
work with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) at Stratford-upon-Avon
and in London (1974-78) included plays by Brecht, Chekhov, Ibsen,
Marlowe, Shaw, Stoppard and Wedekind. For director Trevor Nunn he
played Romeo (with Francesca Annis), Macbeth (with Judi Dench) Leontes,
Toby Belch, Face and Iago (with Willard White).
At
the Royal National Theatre, where he is a member of the Board, McKellen’s
hits include "Wild Honey," "Coriolanus," "The
Cherry Orchard," "The Critic," "Bent,"
"Napoli Milionaria," "Uncle Vanya," "An
Enemy of the People" and as Captain Hook/Mr. Darling in "Peter
Pan." As "Richard III", he toured the world from
Tokyo to Los Angeles and later co-wrote, co-produced and starred
in the motion picture version.
His
position as an openly gay advocate for social change has coincided
with his career. He was the original Max in Sherman's "Bent,"
and for the 1994 Gay Games in New York City, he devised and performed
on Broadway his autobiographical anthology, "A Knight Out at
the Lyceum." Raising funds for local youth/gay/AIDS charities,
this solo show has since been to South Africa, up and down the U.K.
across the U.S. and, most recently, Canada, as "A Knight Out
in Vancouver," a benefit fundraiser for the Vancouver Playhouse,
which he performed while shooting X2. McKellen continues as a member
and volunteer for Stonewall UK, which he co-founded in 1988 to lobby
gay/lesbian equality. He devises the annual "Equality Show"
at London's Royal Albert Hall.
HALLE
BERRY’s (Storm) spectacular performance in
"Monster’s Ball" won her an Academy Award, a SAG
Award™, and the Berlin Film Festival's Silver Bear Award as
Best Actress. She also received Golden Globe and AFI Award nominations
and was named Best Actress by the National Board of Review.
This
year, she starred alongside Pierce Brosnan in the latest James Bond
blockbuster, "Die Another Day." Her next film is the thriller
"Gothika," also starring Penelope Cruz and Robert Downey
Jr.
Berry
made her feature film debut in Spike Lee’s "Jungle Fever."
She has since starred in "Bulworth" opposite Warren Beatty,
"Why Do Fools Fall in Love," "Losing Isaiah,"
opposite Jessica Lange, "Executive Decision," with Kurt
Russell (winning a Blockbuster® Award for Best Actress in an
Action Drama), "The Flintstones," with John Goodman, "The
Last Boy Scout," "Strictly Business," and "Boomerang,"
opposite Eddie Murphy. She also received the NAACP Image Award for
her role in "Swordfish," in which she appeared with Hugh
Jackman.
Berry's
performance in "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge" earned
her an Emmy, a Golden Globe, a SAG and an NAACP Image Award. In
addition she won the NAACP Image Award for Best Actress and Best
Newcomer Award from the Hollywood Women’s Press Club for her
performance in the title role in the Alex Haley mini-series "Queen,"
the highest rated sequel in television history. Berry's television
work includes starring roles in the highly rated mini-series, "Oprah
Winfrey Presents: The Wedding" (ABC) and in Showtime’s
original telefilm "Solomon and Sheba" with Jimmy Smits.
Berry
was honored by the Harvard Foundation, receiving a Cultural Artist
of the Year Award in recognition of her achievements as an actress
and received a Crystal Award from Women in Film.
FAMKE
JANSSEN (Jean Grey)
returns as one of the planet’s most powerful telepaths and
telekinetics, second only to Prof. Xavier.
Janssen
starred with Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilson in Betty Thomas' "I
Spy," based on the successful 1960s TV series. She stars with
Ray Romano in the upcoming independent film "Eulogy."
Initially
known as the lasciviously lethal assassin, Xenia Onatop, in the
James Bond megahit "GoldenEye," Janssen received critical
acclaim for her star making performance opposite Jon Favreau in
the romantic comedy "Love and Sex," which premiered at
the Sundance Film Festival.
She
appeared in Gary Fleder's "Don't Say a Word," with Michael
Douglas, "Rounders," opposite Matt Damon, John Turturro
and John Malkovich, Woody Allen’s "Celebrity," with
Winona Ryder, Kenneth Branagh and Leonardo DiCaprio, and "House
on Haunted Hill," opposite Geoffrey Rush.
Her
film credits also include Ted Demme’s "Monument Avenue,"
Robert Rodriguez’ "The Faculty," Stephen Sommers’
"Deep Rising," Robert Altman’s "The Gingerbread
Man," John Irvin’s "City of Industry," Clive
Barker’s "Lord of Illusions," and Paul Mones’
"Fathers and Sons," which marked her feature film debut.
Born
in Holland, Janssen moved to the United States where she has made
her home for the last twelve years. She majored in writing and literature
at Columbia University and studied stage craft with Harold Guskin.
JAMES
MARSDEN (Cyclops)
reprises his role as a character whose eyes release an optic blast,
which, at full power, can punch holes through mountains.
Marsden
stars in the upcoming independent features "The 24th Day"
with Scott Speedman, "Interstate 60" with Gary Oldman
and Amy Smart, and "The Notebook" with Ryan Gosling, James
Garner and Joan Allen. He also appeared on the Emmy Award-winning
series "Ally McBeal," as Ally's love interest, Glenn Foy.
Prior
to "X-Men," Marsden starred in the thriller "Disturbing
Behaviour," with Katie Holmes and Nick Stahl. He also starred
opposite Norman Reedus and Kate Hudson in the drama, "Gossip,"
and in the comedy, "Sugar and Spice."
An
Oklahoma native, Marsden discovered his natural acting talent after
his mother convinced him to enroll in a tenth grade drama class.
A brief stint at Oklahoma State University confirmed Marsden’s
ambition to pursue acting as a career. He headed to Los Angeles
and, within two months, began working steadily in various television
productions. His TV credits include starring roles in the highly
rated mini-series "Bella Mafia" and the family oriented
drama "Second Noah." Marsden also originated the role
of Griffin on the hit series "Party of Five" and played
Doc Barker in the HBO film "Public Enemy #1."
REBECCA
ROMIJN-STAMOS (Mystique)
returns as the evil and enchanting metamorph, who can transform
into anyone or anything she touches.
Romijn-Stamos
co-starred opposite Al Pacino in "Simone." She recently
starred with Antonio Banderas in Brian De Palma’s film noir
"Femme Fatale." Both films came on the heels of her starring
role in "Rollerball," opposite Chris Klein and LL Cool
J, and the hugely successful "X-Men."
Romijn-Stamos
has made the successful leap from international model to busy actress.
She began her acting career with memorable appearances on the hit
television shows "Friends" and "Just Shoot Me,"
cameos in films such as "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged
Me," and hosting "MTV's House of Style."
In
her career as a model, Rebecca graced the covers of Cosmopolitan
(including their biggest selling issue of the 90s), People, Marie
Claire, Glamour, Elle, FHM, Shape, and the 1999 Sports Illustrated
Swimsuit Issue. She has been featured in numerous prestigious print
and television ad campaigns including Tommy Hilfiger, Pantene, Miller
Lite, Halston, a "Got Milk?" ad and is currently the face
of Liz Claiborne.
ANNA
PAQUIN (Rogue)
returns as the alienated teenage girl who can absorb the powers
of everyone she touches.
Paquin
stunned the world in 1993 with her film debut in "The Piano,"
winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She appears
in Spike Lee's "The 25th Hour," with Ed Norton and Philip
Seymour Hoffman, and in the upcoming films "Darkness,"
with Lena Olin, for director Juame Balaguero, and Miramax's "Buffalo
Soldiers," co-starring Joaquin Phoenix and Ed Harris.
In
addition to "X-Men," Paquin’s film credits include
"Finding Forrester," "Almost Famous," "A
Walk on the Moon," "All The Rage," "Hurlyburly,"
"She's All That," "Fly Away Home" and "Jane
Eyre."
She
appeared in the theater production of "This is Our Youth"
in London's West End and received a Drama Desk nomination for Best
Actress for her most recent stage performance in Rebecca Gilman's
"The Glory of Living" at New York's MCC Theater.
ALAN
CUMMING (Nightcrawler)
co-wrote, co-directed, produced and acted (all with Jennifer Jason
Leigh) in the feature film "The Anniversary Party," which
premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and won a National Board of
Review Award and two Independent Spirit Award nominations. He also
directed the short films "Butter" and "Burn Your
Phone."
Cumming
filmed a starring role in Dough McGrath's "Nicholas Nickleby."
His film credits include "Spy Kids," "Spy Kids 2,"
"Josie and the Pussycats," "Company Man" (as
Cuban Dictator General Batista), "Titus," "Get Carter"
"Urbania," "Eyes Wide Shut," "Plunkett
and MacLean," "Emma," "Circle of Friends,"
"Goldeneye" and "Buddy."
He
also appeared in the New York production of "Design for Living"
and won a Tony Award, as well as awards from Drama Desk, Outer Critics
Circle, Theater World, New York Press, FANY and New York Public
Advocate for his performance in "Cabaret." Last summer
he launched a new theater company The Art Party. He adapted and
appeared in the company's first production, "Elle," by
Jean Genet.
Cumming
played Hamlet at London’s Donmar Warehouse, winning the TMA
Best Actor Award and a Shakespeare Globe nomination. He received
Olivier Award nominations for "Cabaret," "La Bete"
and "Conquest of the South Pole." He also spent
seasons with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National
Theatre.
He
trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and now
resides in New York City. His first novel, Tommy’s Tale, was
published by HarperCollins.
BRIAN
COX (Stryker)
won the 2001 Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries
or Motion Picture Made for Television for his portrayal of Nazi
war criminal Hermann Goering in the TNT original film "Nuremberg,"
as well as receiving SAG and Golden Globe Award nominations. His
film "LIE," an official selection of the 2001 Sundance
Film Festival, was released last year to critical acclaim. His masterful
portrayal of Big John in the film earned an AFI Award Nomination
and a Golden Satellite Award.
Cox
was most recently seen in "The Ring," with Naomi Watts,
and Spike Lee's "The
25th Hour," with Ed Norton. He also co-starred in "The
Bourne Identity," with Matt Damon, and in "The Rookie,"
with Dennis Quaid.
His
film credits include "The Affair of the Necklace," The
Minus Man," "For the Love of the Game," "Rushmore,"
"The Corrupter," "The Boxer," "The Long
Kiss Goodnight," the Academy Award-winning "Braveheart,"
"Rob Roy," "Hidden Agenda" (Special Jury Prize,
Cannes Film Festival), as well as originating the celluloid Hannibal
Lecter in Michael Mann's cult classic "Manhunter."
Cox
has won two Olivier Awards for Best Actor for his performances in
"Titus Andronicus" at the Royal Shakespeare Company's
Swan Theatre and "Rat in the Skull" at the Royal Court.
He recently returned to the London stage to star in the world premiere
of Connor McPherson's "Dublin Carol," which opened the
new Royal Court Theatre. Recent New York theatre credits include
the Broadway production of "Art" and "St. Nicholas"
at Off Broadway's Primary Stages, for which he won the Lucille Lortel
Award for Outstanding Actor and received Drama Desk and Outer Critic's
Circle nominations.
Other
theatre credits include "St. Nicholas" at The Bush Theatre
in London and the Matrix Theatre in Los Angeles; "King Lear"
and "Richard III" at the National Theatre in London and
"Skylight" at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles.
Cox
made his television directing debut with the hit HBO prison drama
"OZ." He is the author of two books, Salem to Moscow:
An Actors Odyssey and The Lear Diaries.
KELLY
HU (Yuriko Oyama / Deathstrike)
stars with Jet Li and DMX in "Cradle to the Grave," a
new action feature produced by Joel Silver. She recently played
the role of Cassandra in the box office hit "The Scorpion King."
Hu also appeared opposite Russell Crowe in "No Way Back,"
and played Dorothy Manzarek in Oliver Stone's "The Doors."
In
addition to her feature film roles, Hu starred in the CBS action
drama "Martial Law," which received a TV Guide Award for
Best New Drama Series. She also co-starred with Don Johnson and
Cheech Marin in "Nash Bridges."
Born
in Honolulu of Chinese, Hawaiian and English descent, Hu always
wanted to be an actress. She catapulted into the spotlight in 1985,
when she was crowned Miss Teen USA. In 1993 she was crowned Miss
Hawaii USA, and went on to become a finalist in the Miss USA Pageant.
Her exposure in contests led to modeling assignments in the U.S.
and internationally.
A black
belt in martial arts, Hu continues to train in both karate and kick
boxing.
SHAWN
ASHMORE (Bobby / Iceman) reprises the role he created
in "X-Men." His career took off in 1994 when he was nominated
for a Gemini Award for his work as Waylon Tibbins, the starring
role in the TV movie "Guitarman." At age 17 he landed
the role of Jake on the Nickelodeon series "Animorphs."
Two seasons later, he had a starring role in the Disney series "In
A Heartbeat."
Ashmore
starred in The Disney Channel's hit TV movie "Cadet Kelly,"
and played Trevor Brewster in the pilot "Being Brewster."
He has made guest appearances in the television series "The
Outer Limits" and "Smallville." He recently completed
a pilot for his own series, "Aces," in which Daniel Baldwin
plays his father.
AARON
STANFORD (Pyro)
landed the role of Oscar Grubman in Gary Winick's film "Tadpole"
on graduating from the acting program at Rutgers University. Stanford
stars opposite Sigourney Weaver and Bebe Neuwirth in the film and
received critical acclaim for his performance at last year's Sundance
Film Festival. Stanford also appeared in Woody Allen’s "Hollywood
Ending" and most recently in Spike Lee's "25th Hour."
Last year he had a recurring role on the series "Third Watch."
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