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USA Today
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Renée Elise Goldsberry dishes on her childhood disco basement – and where she keeps her Tony
As she exited the Tony Awards stage following an electrifying "Hamilton" reunion performance, Renée Elise Goldsberry threw her arm around the musical's supernova creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and could be seen mouthing, "I love you, I love you, I love you." Reminded of the moment, she squeals. "I didn't know the (TV) audience could see that! But I do absolutely love him and I was so grateful to just celebrate the love. That all of (the original cast) was there meant the world to us and that is a blessing that doesn't exist without Lin." The luminous Goldsberry, 54, owns a lengthy resume spanning film ("All About You"), TV ("One Life to Live," "The Good Wife," a background singer on "Ally McBeal") and theater ("The Color Purple," "Rent"). But it was her Tony Award-winning turn as Angelica Schuyler, the sister-in-law of Alexander Hamilton, that catapulted her to mainstream stardom. Her most high-profile role since leaving the show in 2016 also showcased her comedic deftness – playing Wickie Roy, the endearingly self-centered "fierce one" in three seasons of "Girls5Eva," the Peacock-turned-Netflix series about a '90s-era girl group attempting a modern reboot. The character spotlighted Goldsberry's vocal prowess. But her recently released debut album, "Who I Really Am," takes its title to heart with 12 original pop/funk/soul songs – plus a reimagined guitar-centric take "Satisfied" from "Hamilton" – to underscore her capabilities. The effervescent Goldsberry tells us about her new music, the albums that shaped her and other essentials. Renée Elise Goldsberry musical influences include Carole King, Donna Summer Growing up in the '70s and '80s, Goldsberry immersed herself in the music of the eras. She maintains deep affection for Carole King's "Really Rosie," Stevie Wonder's "Songs in the Key of Life," Donna Summer's "Bad Girls" and, as befitting a theater kid, the soundtracks to "Grease," "The Wiz" as well as, she excitedly recalls, "Fame." "I played that album and walked around the house like I was reliving the movie," she says with a laugh of the Irene Cara-loaded soundtrack that bore the hit title track and heartrending ballad, "Out Here on My Own." Renée Elise Goldsberry grew up with a disco in her basement Goldsberry was born in San Jose, California, but grew up in Houston and Detroit. No matter where the family settled, her father Ron would "put his pennies together" and remake the basement into a disco with mirrors on the wall, disco lights and a massive sound system. She remembers spinning under sparkly lighting as an 8-year-old to Michael Jackson's "Rock With You," and watching the adults clamor around a basement bar. "It was a place to celebrate music," she says. "That's how great the love of music was in our house, so it should not be incredibly surprising that it means so much to me." Which songs on her new album she wants people to hear Goldsberry jokes that she's "greedy or delusional" when asked which songs on her new album she most wants people to hear. Her hope is that "anyone who needs anything will find something." Her stylistic shifts from '70s-tinged soul and gospel ("Twinkle," "Who I Really Am") to carefree '80s bliss ("Skate Song") are indicative of her generational upbringing and "decades of listening to radio." In the pre-digital age, music fans had no choice but to listen to various stations and make their own playlists by recording songs on a separate cassette player. "Because we're making our own playlists now, you can't define anyone by one genre," she says. "The influences are so diverse." Renée Elise Goldsberry loves French fries – and running Running is more than exercise for Goldsberry. Her favorite thing to do is go outside, breathe the air and pick the furthest spot as a goal to reach. She's been trying to find time in the midst of album promotion to "run up a hill" because "it fills my soul." Goldsberry also tries to eat healthily, but don't put a French fry near her and expect it to go uneaten. "I found Sara (Bareilles) at Cynthia (Erivo)'s Tonys afterparty and someone walked by with a container of hot fries and I was like, 'This is heaven!,'" she says with a contented sigh. Renée Elise Goldsberry believes in celebrating awards Her own Tony and Grammy (also for "Hamilton") are kept in the piano room in the parlor of her New York home. But, she specifies, her hardware is no more important than the other trophies brought into the house. "Every award everyone gets sits above the fireplace," says the mom of teens Benjamin and Brielle with husband Alexis. "I feel like when you're a parent, there is not a place for a shrine to you, but it is important to celebrate. It feels good to see these things around in your home." What Renée Elise Goldsberry learned from playing Wickie Along with the inherent humor in a pack of personality-fueled women trying to reclaim their moment in pop music, the root of "Girls5Eva" is its lesson in perseverance. It's a mindset that Goldsberry can appreciate. "I believe in the magic that really fueled Wickie and Dawn (Bareilles, who wrote "Don't Want to Love You" on Goldsberry's album) and Gloria (Paula Pell) and Summer (Busy Philipps). I believe it's never too late," she says. Goldsberry also credits her stint as Wickie as an influence on her own album. "It isn't an accident that Wickie came into my life. She doesn't ask herself questions, she just moves forward," she says. "And the actresses who are a part of my life – Sara, Busy, Paula – they all have so much to say. They'll never stop moving forward and putting goodness into the world and that inspired me." This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
India.com
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- India.com
Spider-Man' Actor Jack Betts Dies At 96
Los Angeles: Veteran actor Jack Betts, best known for his role in 'Spider-Man', has died. He was 96. As per Bett's nephew, Dean Sullivan, Hollywood actor breathed his last on Thursday at home in Los Osos, California, The Hollywood Reporter reported. A member of The Actors Studio, Betts portrayed Llanview Hospital doctor Ivan Kipling on ABC's One Life to Live from 1979-85, and his soap opera resume also included stints on General Hospital, The Edge of Night, The Doctors, Another World, All My Children, Search for Tomorrow, Guiding Light, Loving and Generations. Betts bluffed his way into starring as the avenging title character in Franco Giraldi's Sugar Colt (1966), where he was billed as Hunt Powers for the first time. The film kicked off a run of about 15 spaghetti Westerns for him through 1973 but left him without the fame enjoyed by another American star of similar Italian fare. He made his big-screen debut in The Bloody Brood (1959), starring Peter Falk, then joined Anthony George, Sebastian Cabot and Doug McClure in 1961 to play detective Chris Devlin on the second and last season of CBS' Checkmate, created by Eric Ambler. Betts appeared four times on CBS' Perry Mason from 1961-66 before he met Giraldi about starring in Sugar Colt. He told the director that he could ride a horse and had just won a shooting contest -- of course, he had never been on a horse or handled a gun -- but he spent the next three weeks learning those skills at John Wayne's ranch before reporting for duty at Cinecitta in Rome. He is survived by his nephew Dean, his nieces, Lynne and Gail, and his sister, Joan.
New York Post
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
‘Spider-Man' and ‘One Life to Live' star Jack Betts dead at 96
Jack Betts has passed away at 96 years old. The actor starred on the soap opera 'One Life to Live' from 1979 to 1985, appearing in 20 episodes as Llanview Hospital's Dr. Ivan Kipling. Betts' nephew, Dean Sullivan, told The Hollywood Reporter that the star died in his sleep at his house in Los Osos, California, on Thursday. 7 Jack Betts at The Cocktail Hour play opening, LA, California, April 19, 1990. MediaPunch via Getty Images 7 Doris Roberts and Jack Betts arrive at the party celebrating the 200th Episode of 'Everybody Loves Raymond' on October 14, 2004 at Spago in Beverly Hills, California. Getty Images Betts lived with 'Everybody Loves Raymond' actress Doris Roberts before her death at age 90 in 2016. The two would attend events together over the years and Roberts even directed a play written by Betts, about a soap opera, titled 'Screen Test: Take One.' The close pals first met in 1954 at The Actors Studio in New York City in 1954. Decades later, in 1988, Betts accepted Roberts' offer to move from the Big Apple into the downstairs apartment at her Hollywood Hills home. 7 Actor Jack Betts. Columbia Pictures 'We were best friends to the very end, we had wonderful times together,' he gushed following her death. Betts was also known for starring as Henry Balkan – the Oscorp board chair who fired Norman Osborn (Willem Defoe) – in Sam Raimi's 2002 'Spider-Man.' Norman then became the villainous Green Goblin and vaporized Henry and the board. While on 'The Dev Show' in 2020, Betts spoke about filming the Oscorp boardroom shot and how he asked Raimi, 65, if he could add some of his own spin onto the scene. 7 Jack Betts is seen on May 6, 2016. GC Images 'I really looked [Defoe] right in the eye, and I had kind of a smile in my eye — you know, like, 'You're fired, you motherf–ker,'' the actor explained. 'After, I finished it, [Raimi] said, 'That's it. Terrific. Print that one.'' 'My point being is that I wanted to add something just a little different to it instead of doing it the same way over and over and over and over. [Raimi] he was willing to do that. He really was. Wonderful man to work with.' The Hollywood vet was raised in Jersey City, New Jersey, before moving to Miami with his family at age 10. The actor received his degree in theater from the University of Miami, and shortly after graduation, relocated to New York to begin acting. 7 Jose Ferrer, Jack Betts in 'Another World.' Courtesy Everett Collection Betts landed his first role as a supporting actor in the 1953 Broadway adaptation of William Shakespeare's 'Richard III.' For two seasons, from 1960 to 1962, Betts played detective Chris Devlin in the CBS mystery series 'Checkmate' opposite Anthony George, Sebastian Cabot and Doug McClure. The show, created by Eric Ambler, followed private detectives solving cases in San Francisco with the help of a British criminologist. Betts appeared four times on CBS' Perry Mason from 1961-66 before he met Giraldi about starring in Sugar Colt. He told the director that he could ride a horse and had just won a shooting contest — of course, he had never been on a horse or handled a gun — but he spent the next three weeks learning those skills at John Wayne's ranch before reporting for duty at Cinecittà in Rome. Shortly after, he entered the soap opera world, landing a role on 'General Hospital' from 1963 to 1965. 7 Jack Betts, Barbara Lord, Peter Falk in 'The Bloody Brood.' Courtesy Everett Collection From there, Betts made his mark on the franchises, and along with 'One Life to Live,' he had parts on 'The Edge of Night,' 'The Doctors,' 'Another World,' 'All My Children,' 'Search for Tomorrow,' 'Guiding Light,' 'Loving,' 'The Young and the Restless,' and 'Generations.' Some of Betts most memorable television roles included 'Seinfeld,' 'Frasier,' 'Everybody Loves Raymond,' 'Monk,' and 'Friends.' His last credited series was on the Freeform drama 'Good Trouble' in 2019. 7 Barbara Bain, Jack Betts in 'Silver Skies.' Courtesy Everett Collection When Betts stepped onto the spaghetti Western scene in 1966 as the title character Hunt Powers in Franco Giraldi's 'Sugar Colt,' he was able to turn that film into 15 others until 1973. But Betts didn't get the same credit as a certain fellow western star did. 'In the hotel next to mine was Clint Eastwood,' he recounted in a 2021 interview. 'He'd go up to his mountain and do his Western and I'd go up to my mountain and do my Western. But while his films had distribution all over the world, my films were distributed [everywhere] except Canada and America.' Betts is survived by his sister, Joan – who is set to turn 100 this year – nephew Dean, and nieces, Lynee and Gail.
Time of India
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
TV star Erika Slezak joins the star cast of General Hospital
Erika Slezak, the six-time Daytime Emmy Award-winning actress best recognized for her legendary performance as Victoria "Viki" Lord on One Life to Live, is officially boarding the General Hospital cast. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The soap opera legend, who is 78 years old, will return to ABC's daytime drama later this fall in her first comeback to daytime since One Life to Live ended its run in 2012. "I am excited to announce that my good friend and former One Life to Live co-star, Erika Slezak, will guest on General Hospital this Fall," stated Frank Valentini, ex-OLTL executive producer and current GH executive producer, in a press statement. "Stay tuned and keep watching as we set out to bring another daytime legend to Port Charles." Though Slezak's upcoming role is a secret, fans are already abuzz with excitement about the possibility of her character disrupting the status quo in the small town of Port Charles — and if this might possibly herald crossover storylines with other popular One Life to Live characters. The statement further noted that Slezak herself remains in the dark about precisely which character she will be playing and when her debut will be broadcast, but is excited to reunite with longtime collaborator Valentini and become a part of the talented group cast of General Hospital. "At this point, Erika has no idea which character she will be portraying or when her episodes will air," the release went on, "but is looking forward to working with Executive Producer Frank Valentini and the cast of GH once again! Additional information as it becomes available." A Storied Legacy in Daytime Erika Slezak is commonly cited as being one of the greatest soap opera actors ever. She portrayed Victoria Lord on One Life to Live for over four decades, from 1971 until the show's conclusion in 2012, bringing immense depth and humanity to the role. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Viki's character — a newspaper heiress with a heart of gold and a complicated past, including a long battle with dissociative identity disorder — remains one of daytime's most complex and beloved heroines. Throughout her remarkable career, Slezak has taken home six Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, a benchmark that endures to this day. Her impact on the genre is immense, and the fact that she is back is a big deal for long-time fans of OLTL and GH alike.
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Erin Moriarty of 'The Boys' has Graves' disease: 'Felt the light coming back on' with treatment
Erin Moriarty, the outspoken and righteous Starlight of "The Boys," is speaking out about her health, specifically her ongoing battle with an autoimmune disorder. Moriarty, 30, revealed to her Instagram followers on Friday that she was diagnosed last month with Graves' disease, an autoimmune disorder in which the thyroid becomes overactive. In the caption of her post, Moriarty expresses the positive effects of treatment but reveals the disorder could have been identified earlier "if I hadn't chalked it all up to stress and fatigue." The "Jessica Jones" and "One Life to Live" actor shared a carousel of photos including text message exchanges with her parents. In one screenshot Moriarty tells her mother "I really need relief" as she details her discomfort. "I can't live like this forever," she writes. "It's not just fatigue — it's an ineffable, system wide cry for help and I don't know how long I can remain in this state," Moriarty continues in her text to her mother. Read more: Eric Dane is angry about ALS: There's 'a good chance' he'll die while daughters are young Moriarty did not reveal too much about her symptoms, noting in her caption that "autoimmune disease manifests differently in everybody/every body." According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of Graves' disease can include "feeling nervous or irritable," slight tremors of the hands or fingers, weight loss, menstrual changes and heart palpitations. Wendy Williams, Daisy Ridley and Missy Elliott have also spoken publicly about living with Graves' disease. "Within 24 hours of beginning treatment, I felt the light coming back on," Moriarty said in her caption. "It's been increasing in strength ever since." She did not reveal the details of her treatment, but Moriarty told her father in a text message, "I already feel a world of a difference" and that she has since been thinking, "'Damn, this is how I'm supposed to feel? I've been missing out!'" Read more: Miley Cyrus, on the verge of a new era, reveals 'traumatic' health scare: 'excruciating' Since "The Boys" premiered on Prime Video in 2019, Moriarty has starred as superhero Annie January, a.k.a. Starlight, who possesses the power to fly and manipulate light. Without spoiling too much about the series, it now seems Moriarty knows what it's like to lose her spark on- and off-screen — and how to get it back. She concluded her post by urging followers to listen to their bodies and seek medical attention when something feels off. "If [your light] is dimming, even slightly, go get checked," she said. "Don't 'suck it up' and transcend suffering; you deserve to be comfy. S—'s hard enough as is." Sign up for Screen Gab, a free newsletter about the TV and movies everyone's talking about from the L.A. Times. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
