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ABOUT THE CAST

 

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KIMBERLY WHALEN as Winter

 

The Leading Lady of A WINTER ROSE is the exquisitely talented Kim Whalen.  Equally noted for her acting and signing prowess, she delivers timeless performances in the role that was seemingly tailor made to showcase her rare talents.  Kim is a classically trained singer and began her career singing and acting on stage. Most notably as Louisa in The Fantasticks, Off Broadway. After being cast in her first feature film, The Tree of Life (Terrance Malick), Kim directed her focus on film and television. Some of her other credits include, Paradise Pictures (USA), Dakota's Summer (FOX), Jodi Arias: Dirty Little Secret (Lifetime), Code Black (CBS), CSI:Cyber (CBS), It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FXX), Surviving Jack (FOX), Perception (TNT), Body of Proof (ABC) and Lookbook, a digital series from The Lizzie Bennet Diaries creator Bernie Su.

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THERESA RUSSELL  as Rachal

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Theresa Russell, named one of the "100 sexiest stars in film history" (Empire Magazine), was born in San Diego, California. She was discovered by a photographer at the age of 12, and made her film debut in Elia Kazan's The Last Tycoon (1976), opposite Robert De Niro, Jack Nicholson and Robert Mitchum, at the age of 19. Her resume of nearly fifty films has centered on ground-breaking roles in acclaimed independent films, such as Bad Timing: A Sensual Obsession (1980), directed by Nicolas Roeg (whom she would later marry); Eureka (1983); Insignificance (1985); Aria (1987) and Ken Russell's Whore (1991). Her legendary star turn in the thriller, Black Widow (1987), co-starring Debra Winger, stands as one of the most iconic female crime dramas in cinema history. She has had roles in major film and television projects, including the feature films, Straight Time (1978), opposite Dustin Hoffman and Kathy Bates; The Razor's Edge (1984), opposite Bill Murray; Physical Evidence (1989) with Burt Reynolds; Kafka (1991), directed by Steven Soderbergh, playing opposite Jeremy Irons; Impulse (1990), directed by Sondra Locke; The Believer (2001), opposite Ryan Gosling; Luckytown (2000), with Kirsten Dunst and James Caan; Being Human (1994), opposite Robin Williams; Wild Things (1998), with Denise Richards, Matt Dillon and Kevin Bacon; Jolene (2008), opposite Jessica Chastain; the block-buster Spider-Man 3 (2007), and the mini-series Blind Ambition (1979), with Martin Sheen; Empire Falls (2005), with Ed Harris, Paul Newman and Helen Hunt; and Lifetime's Liz & Dick (2012), opposite Lindsay Lohan, portraying Elizabeth Taylor's mother.

 

Along with her then-partner, legendary jazz musician, Michael Melvoin, she has performed in jazz clubs throughout the United States. She is the mother of two sons (Statten Roeg and Maximillian Roeg).

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PAUL SORVINO as Skip 

 

Brooklyn-born actor Paul Sorvino began his career as a 16-year-old singer at a Catskills resort dreaming of becoming an opera singer. And it was no pipe dream. He had studied singing for years and, to this day, has a beautiful tenor voice. But rent and real life led

him into a variety of odd jobs and a stint in the Army.

 

His singing hopes somewhat stifled by asthma, he redirected his career into what promised to be a more lucrative field—acting. Years of acting and vocal lessons were largely supported through scholarships. After studying dramatic arts under the tutelage of renowned acting teacher Sanford Meisner at the prestigious American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City, Mr. Sorvino made his Broadway debut at 25 acting and singing in the original 1964 production of the musical “Bajour.”

 

Over the next three years, Mr. Sorvino worked a variety of jobs (salesman, chauffeur, etc.) while gaining prominence as an advertising writer/creative director and pursuing his acting career. He made his film debut in Carl Reiner’s 1970 comedy “Going Ape”

and began a career solely dedicated to acting and occasional singing.

 

At 40, the tenor made his lifelong dream come true with his operatic debut in “Die Fledermaus,” selling out six performances at the Seattle Opera (the impresario Glynn Ross told the press Mr. Sorvino had "one of the voices of the century"). The reviews included "he has an astonishing high C." In opera, he would go on to sing the lead in “The Most Happy Fella” in 2006 at The New York City Opera at Lincoln Center and sold out 15 critically acclaimed performances.

 

Mr. Sorvino has appeared in more than 165 films, and a variety of television shows. An accomplished stage actor, he won six awards for his performance in the Broadway production of the dark comedy “That Championship Season”—including a Drama Desk Award and the New York Drama Critics Award for Best Actor in 1972, and was nominated for a Tony Award in 1973. He reprised the role in the 1981 movie version, and directed and starred in the Showtime version of “That Championship Season” in 1999. His most recent role in the soon-to-be released film "Last I Heard" won him the Best Actor award at the Florida film festival.

 

Mr. Sorvino has also directed on Broadway, “Wheelbarrow Closers,” and off B’way’s “Marlon Brando Sat Right Here,” as well the film “The Trouble With Cali.” In 1987, he founded The American Stage Company on the campus of Fairleigh Dickinson University

and was its artistic director for three years.

 

On the big screen, he’s best known for his portrayal of tough guys and authority figures, in such standout performances as Paul Cicero in Martin Scorsese’s 1990 film “Goodfellas” and stressed-out police chief Capt. Edelson in William Friedkin’s 1980 drama “Cruising.” His many other noteworthy credits include the portrayal of Henry Kissinger in Oliver Stone’s 1995 “Nixon,” and as Fulgencio Capulet in Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 Shakespearean update “Romeo + Juliet” (1996).

 

On television, among other roles, he starred as detective Phil Cerreta on “Law & Order” and Al Miller on the sitcom “Still Standing.” Among his other starring roles on TV are Frank DeLucca in “That’s Life” and Detective Ike Porter in “The Oldest Rookie.”Early on, Sorvino suffered from severe asthma, but as an adult created and mastered breathing techniques that helped control attacks. He wrote the 1985 best-selling book “How to Become a Former Asthmatic" and founded the Sorvino Asthma Foundation to educate the public about asthma and techniques for managing the illness. He has been

honored twice by the Pope for his work with asthmatics as well as by the American Medical Association.

 

Paul is a Knight of the Great Cross in the order of The Carinzia, founded by Saint George in the 3rd century for the protection of the pope (Cavaliere Di Gran Croce); and a Knight of the Italian Republic. His family is noble; its coat of arms dating back to the twelfth century.

 

An actor, director, best-selling author, screenwriter, professional bronze sculptor, pianist, business man, operatic tenor and passionate cook, Sorvino still returns occasionally to his original dream and headlines his own concerts. He lives in Los Angeles and is the proud father of son Michael, and daughters Amanda and Academy Award-winning actress Mira Sorvino.

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ROBERT MIANO as Jimi

 

Robert Miano was born in New York City and raised in the South East Bronx around when Joe DiMaggio and Yogi Berra played for the New York Yankees. In school, Robert joined the Glee Club and realized that he had a gift for singing. At the age of 15, he started his showbiz career when a talent agent heard him singing with a Du-op Group on a Bronx street corner. This lead to a recording of "Kingdom Of Love" by the Preludes on the Cub Label, a new subsidiary of MGM Records. Today "Kingdom Of Love" is a collector's item and is still being played on the "Oldies but Goodies" Radio Station in New York. Through the years, Robert continued to make records and ultimately became a Columbia Recording Artist.

 

Robert loved singing for people by making personal appearances on TV, in nightclubs, hotels and concerts. On an open casting call, Robert auditioned for the lead rock singer in the play "Satyricon". He landed the role. The musical was presented at the Stratford Shakespearean festival in Ontario Canada and was a huge success. When Robert returned home to New York, he had a calling to travel around the world. With $200 and a round trip ticket, he took his guitar and duffel bag and flew off to Europe. He spent the next 2 1/2 years traveling around the world as a troupe adore. He earned his living by singing and playing his guitar on the streets, in restaurants and bars, wherever he found an audience. After Europe, he traveled to the Middle East, Africa, South America and then back home to New York where Robert decided to pursue another life-long dream of acting.

 

After studying with Lee Strasberg and Warren Robertson, Robert landed a lead role in the Broadway show "Fame", a play about the life of Marilyn Monroe. After 5 weeks of rehearsal, the play opened at the "Golden Theater" and sadly closed the following day.

 

Robert started his film career in New York, when director Michael Winner cast him as one of the muggers in the original Death Wish (1974) with Charles Bronson. Shortly after that, Howard Koch met Robert at the Plaza Hotel singing in the Green Tulip room. He offered Robert a role in the movie Badge 373 (1973) with Robert Duvall. After that, Robert had another calling and decided to move to Los Angeles, where he has lived for the past 30 years. In that period of time, Robert has appeared in over 100 feature films in starring or co-starring roles with actors like Al Pacino and Johnny Depp in Donnie Brasco (1997) where Robert played "Sonny Red". He co-starred with Jeremy Irons in Dungeons & Dragons (2000), a cameo with Kim Basinger in Jumpshot (2004) directed by Mark Rydell, with Morgan Freeman in Edison (2005), with Christopher Walken and Benicio Del Toro in The Funeral (1996) directed by Abel Ferrara, just to name a few.

 

Robert has also guest-starred on numerous TV shows like Frasier (1993), Caroline in the City (1995), The Shield (2002), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993), as a regular on General Hospital (1963), a recurring role on The Young and the Restless (1973), and many more.

 

When Robert is not working in front of the camera on a film or TV show, he dedicates his time coaching actors. Sharing his expertise in what he has learned over the years. He currently studies at the Actors Studio where he is a lifetime member. There is no finish line. It's about the journey and not the destination. One can always improve, says Robert.

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BILLY ZANE as Preston Holdsworth

 

William George Zane, better known as Billy Zane, was born on February 24, 1966 in Chicago, Illinois, to Thalia (Colovos) and William Zane, both of Greek ancestry. His parents were amateur actors and managed a medical technical school. Billy has an older sister, actress and singer Lisa Zane. Billy was bitten by the acting bug early on. In his early teens, he attended Harand Camp of the Theater Arts in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. In 1982, he attended the American School in Switzerland. His high school days were spent at Francis Parker High School in Chicago, Illinois. Daryl Hannah and Jennifer Beals also attended Parker, prior to Billy's attendance.

Soon after graduating from high school, Billy decided to venture out to California to attempt acting for the first time. Within three weeks, he won his very first big screen role in Back to the Future (1985), playing the role of Match, one of Biff Tannen's thugs. He would later reprise that role for the sequel Back to the Future Part II (1989). Then after a small role in the science fiction horror film Critters (1986), he landed starring roles in several television films. Billy played villain Hughie Warriner in the Australian thriller filmDead Calm (1989), where he met his future wife, Lisa Collins.

He also co-starred in Memphis Belle (1990), a film version of a 1944 documentary about a World War II bomber. In 1991, he appeared as John Justice Wheeler on several episodes of David Lynch's television series Twin Peaks (1990). Billy starred as the eponymous superhero in The Phantom (1996) and as Caledon Hockley in the billion dollar grossingTitanic (1997). Then, he starred in the television movie Cleopatra (1999) where he met his soon-to-be fiance, actress Leonor Varela from whom he subsequently separated. In 2005, he had a recurring role as the poetry loving ex-demon Drake on the television series Charmed (1998).

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TARYN MANNING as Patricia Rose 

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Taryn Manning was born in Falls Church, Virginia, to Bill Manning, a musician, and his wife Sharyn. At two months old, Manning's parents separated, and she moved with her mother and brother to Tucson, Arizona, where she was raised. Manning was active in dance, karate, and acting as a child. At age twelve, her family moved to California.

She landed her first major role in 2001 as "Maddy" in Crazy/Beautiful (2001). Her breakthrough role was "Nola", a prostitute in Memphis, Tennessee, in Hustle & Flow(2005) and was nominated by the Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards for Best Breakthrough Performance. The film also received a SAG award nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Cast.

She has worked on the CBS series Hawaii Five-0 (2010) and the FX series Sons of Anarchy (2008). Her feature credits include Love Ranch (2010), Cold Mountain (2003), 8 Mile (2002), A Lot Like Love (2005), White Oleander (2002) and Crossroads (2002).

She is also series regular on Orange Is the New Black (2013). In addition to acting, Manning is also a fashion designer, singer-songwriter and the vocalist for electronic duoBoomkat. She is also co-owner of the clothing brand "Born Uniqorn".

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JD PARSONS as Erik

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Newcomer to the big screen is JD Parsons playing the role of Erik, Winter's love interest, opposite Kim Whalen.

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EDWARD FURLONG

 

Born in Glendale, California, Edward Furlong had no acting ambitions until he was approached by casting agent Mali Finn, who was looking for a young actor to play the role of John Conner in what turned out to be one of the the biggest box-office hits of the 1990s, Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991). Finn instantly recognized his ability, and suggested him for the part, feeling that he could hold his own playing opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton.

 

For his career-starting role, Furlong earned an MTV movie award for best breakthrough role, and a Saturn Sci-Fi award for best young actor. From there, he took an unconventional route through Hollywood, which led to his working with some of the top people in the business, in both studio and independent films. His work has included starring opposite Jeff Bridges in American Heart (1992) for which he was nominated for an IFP Spirit award for best supporting actor. He has also starred in A Home of Our Own (1993) with Kathy Bates, Little Odessa (1994) with Tim Roth, The Grass Harp (1995) with Walter Matthau and Barbet Schroeder's Before and After (1996).

 

He also starred opposite Edward Norton in Tony Kaye's controversial and gripping drama American History X (1998) and in the hit comedy Pecker (1998). More recently, Furlong has been opposite Willem Dafoe in the prison drama Animal Factory (2000), directed by Steve Buscemi. He recently starred in Pupi Avati’s 11th-century tale, I cavalieri che fecero l'impresa (2001) ("The Knights of the Quest").

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GEORGE LAZENBY

 

George Lazenby was born on September 5th, 1939, in Australia. He moved to London, England in 1964, after serving in the Australian Army. Before becoming an actor, he worked as an auto mechanic, used car salesman, prestige car salesman, and as a male model, in London, England. In 1968, Lazenby was cast as "James Bond", despite his only previous acting experience being in commercials, and his only film appearance being a bit-part in a 1965 Italian-made Bond spoof. Lazenby won the role based on a screen-test fight scene, the strength of his interviews, fight skills and audition footage. A chance encounter with Bond series producer Albert R. Broccoli in a hair salon in 1966, in London, had given Lazenby his first shot at getting the role. Broccoli had made a mental note to remember Lazenby as a possible candidate at the time when he thought Lazenby looked like a Bond. The lengths Lazenby went to to get the role included spending his last pounds on acquiring a tailor-made suit from Sean Connery's tailor, which was originally made for Connery, along with purchasing a very Bondish-looking Rolex watch.

 

Lazenby quit the role of Bond right before the premiere of his only film, On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), citing he would get other acting roles, and that his Bond contract, which was fourteen pages thick, was too demanding on him.

 

In his post-Bond career, Lazenby has acted in TV movies, commercials, various recurring roles in TV series, the film series “Emmanuelle", several Bond movie spoofs, TV guest appearances, provided voice for several animated movies and series, and several Hong Kong action films, using his martial arts expertise.

 

 

SYLVIA SPROSS

 

Silvia Spross began her career as a street performer in Central Park, doing shows with a tap dancing puppet named Bonifaz. She attended Uta Hagen's HB Studio in Manhattan full-time for three years. Since then, Miss Spross has appeared in numerous independent films, working with actors such as Adrien Brody, Danny Glover, Martin Landau, Michael Rooker, Robert Miano, Christopher Masterson and the renowned Italian director Dario Argento. Miss Spross has also been featured in a number of theatrical productions, including the Off-Broadway show "St Nicholas At Christmas Tide.”  Miss Spross currently lives in Los Angeles.

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