The Curse Of The Jade Scorpion Press Kit/The Curse of the Jade Scorpion Press Kit.iso/mac/Production Notes/ABOUT THE CAST.txt

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ABOUT THE CAST

    DAN AYKROYD (Chris Magruder) was honored with an Academy Award®
nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Boolie Werthan in the Best Picture
winner “Driving Miss Daisy.”  He is well known to film audiences for his work in more than
40 features, including Ivan Reitman’s “Ghostbusters” and “Ghostbusters II,” both of which
he also co-wrote; “Trading Places,” with Eddie Murphy; “Dragnet,” which he also co-
wrote; “My Girl”; and “Chaplin.”  This summer, he was seen in the blockbuster “Pearl
Harbor” and made a cameo appearance in Ivan Reitman’s sci-fi comedy “Evolution.”
Aykroyd first came to fame as one of the original “Not Ready For Primetime Players”
on “Saturday Night Live.”  While on the show, he created many of its most popular and
enduring characters, including the Coneheads patriarch, Beldar, and Elwood Blues, who,
together with John Belushi’s Jake Blues, formed “The Blues Brothers.”
He and Belushi later brought “The Blues Brothers” to the big screen in the hit film of
the same name, co-written by Aykroyd.  His many other film credits include “Twilight Zone:
The Movie”; Steven Spielberg’s “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”; “Spies Like Us,”
which he also co-wrote; “My Stepmother Is an Alien”; “Nothing But Trouble,” which he also
co-wrote; “Sneakers”; “Coneheads,” which he also co-wrote; “My Girl 2”; “Exit to Eden”;
“Tommy Boy”; “Grosse Pointe Blank”;
“Blues Brothers 2000,” which he co-wrote and produced; the computer animated comedy
“Antz”; “Diamonds,” with Kirk Douglas; “Stardom”; and “The House of Mirth.”
His upcoming films include “The Devil and Daniel Webster,” also starring Anthony
Hopkins, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Alec Baldwin, who also directed the film; and “Who
Shot Victor Fox,” with Kathy Bates and Rupert Everett.

    ELIZABETH BERKLEY (Jill) was most recently seen on the big screen in Oliver
Stone’s “Any Given Sunday,” starring Al Pacino, Cameron Diaz, Dennis Quaid and Jamie
Foxx.  On television, she recently starred in the longform projects “Becoming Dick,”
directed by Bob Saget, and “The Elevator.”
    Berkley trained as a dancer and performed with the American Ballet Theatre and
the New York City Ballet before segueing to acting.  When she was still in her teens, she
landed a regular role on the popular Saturday morning series “Saved By the Bell.”
    She made her feature film debut starring in Paul Verhoeven’s “Showgirls.”  Her
subsequent film credits include “The First Wives Club,” starring Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton
and Bette Midler, “The Real Blonde,” and “The Last Call.”  She also had a recurring role on
ABC’s acclaimed series “NYPD Blue,” in addition to guest starring on numerous other
television series.

    HELEN HUNT (Betty Ann Fitzgerald) is one of today’s most honored actresses, as
well as one of the busiest.  In 1998, she won an Academy Award®, a Golden Globe
Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award for her work in Jim Brooks’ “As Good As It
Gets,” opposite Jack Nicholson.
Last year, Hunt starred in four high profile feature films, beginning with Robert
Altman’s “Dr. T & the Women,” opposite Richard Gere.  Following in quick succession, she
starred with Kevin Spacey and Haley Joel Osment in “Pay It Forward,” with Tom Hanks in
“Cast Away,” and opposite Mel Gibson in “What Women Want,” winning Blockbuster
Awards for the two latter films.  Hunt had previously won a Blockbuster Award for her
work in the mega-hit “Twister.”
    Hunt is also well known to television audiences for her role as Jamie Buchman on
the long-running series “Mad About You.”  Nominated for seven Emmy Awards for
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in as many seasons, she won the award
four consecutive times.  Her work on the show also earned her three Golden Globe
Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award and three American Comedy Awards.  In addition,
Hunt made her directorial debut on one of the series’ final episodes.
    Hunt had earlier received widespread praise for her performance in the award-
winning independent feature “The Waterdance,” in which she starred with Eric Stoltz and
Wesley Snipes.  Her additional film credits include “Kiss of Death,” “Bob Roberts,” “Mr.
Saturday Night,” “Next of Kin,” “Miles From Home,” “Project X,” “Peggy Sue Got Married”
and “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.”
    Prior to “Mad About You,” Hunt had regular roles on several series, including the
acclaimed “St. Elsewhere.”  She has also starred in more than 15 telefilms, including “In the
Company of Darkness,” “Murder in New Hampshire: The Pamela Smart Story,” “Into the
Badlands,” “Bill: On His Own,” “Choices of the Heart” and “The Miracle of Kathy Miller,” in
which she played the title role.
    Hunt has also performed on the stage, making her Broadway debut in 1989 in
Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town.”  Her other stage work includes the role of Bianca in the
Shakespeare in the Park production of “The Taming of the Shrew,” and she more recently
starred as Viola in “Twelfth Night,” presented at Lincoln Center.

    BRIAN MARKINSON (Al) counts “The Curse of the Jade Scorpion” as his third
outing with Woody Allen, following roles in “Small Time Crooks” and “Sweet and
Lowdown.”  He has also worked repeatedly with director Mike Nichols in the films “What
Planet Are You From?,” “Primary Colors” and “Wolf.”  His additional film credits include “City
of Angels,” “Volcano,” “Up Close & Personal,” “Apollo 13,” “The Hard Truth,” “Mixed Nuts”
and “The Doctor.”
    On television, Markinson has appeared in numerous longform projects, including
“The Sports Pages,” “Take Me Home: The John Denver Story,” “Forgotten Sins,” “In the
Blink of an Eye,” “Fall Into Darkness,” “White Mile,” “Witness to the Execution,” “In the Line
of Duty: The Price of Vengeance,” “Columbo: Butterfly in Shades of Gray,” “Sinatra” and “A
Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story.”
    In addition, Markinson has had recurring roles on several series, including “Dark
Angel,” “Party of Five,” “NYPD Blue,” “Millennium” and “Star Trek: Voyager.”  His other
television credits include guest roles on such series as “The X-Files,” “Star Trek: Deep
Space Nine,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” “Law & Order,” “Murphy Brown” and
“China Beach.”

    WALLACE SHAWN (George Bond), one of today’s most recognizable character
actors, previously worked with Woody Allen in the films “Shadows and Fog,” “Radio Days”
and “Manhattan.”  Film audiences also remember him for his roles in Amy Heckerling’s hit
comedy “Clueless,” and in Louis Malle’s acclaimed “My Dinner With Andre,” which he also
co-wrote.  Malle also directed Shawn in “Vanya on 42nd Street,” “Atlantic City” and
“Crackers.”
Shawn’s work with other directors includes Sidney Lumet’s “Critical Care,” Alan
Rudolph’s “Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle” and “The Moderns,” Blake Edwards’ “Micki &
Maude,” Rob Reiner’s “The Princess Bride,” Stephen Frears’ “Prick Up Your Ears,” James
Ivory’s “The Bostonians” and Robert Altman’s “Atlantic City.”  His voice has also been
heard in the animated hits “Toy Story,” “Toy Story 2” and “The Goofy Movie.”  Among his
other film credits are “My Favorite Martian,” “Scenes From the Class Struggle in Beverly
Hills” and “Hotel New Hampshire.”
On television, Shawn recently starred in the Marilyn Monroe biopic “Blonde” and the
telefilm “Noah.”  He was also a regular on the series “Clueless,” reprising the role of the
teacher Mr. Hall, and had recurring roles on the shows “Murphy Brown,” “Star Trek: Deep
Space Nine,” “The Cosby Show” and “Taxi.”
    In addition to his acting, Shawn is also a noted playwright.  His most celebrated
work, “The Designated Mourner,” debuted at the National Theatre in London, starring Mike
Nichols and Miranda Richardson.  Shawn later adapted the play into a widely praised
feature film, again starring Nichols and Richardson, for director David Hare.  In 2000, the
play “The Designated Mourner” made its American debut in an off-Broadway run, starring
Shawn, which received rave reviews.  He also wrote and starred in the plays “Marie and
Bruce,” “Aunt Dan and Lemon” and “The Fever.”

    DAVID OGDEN STIERS (Voltan) is a familiar face, as well as voice, to both film and
television audiences.  Woody Allen previously directed him in the films “Everyone Says I
Love You,” “Mighty Aphrodite,” “Another Woman” and “Shadows and Fog.  He has also
lent his distinctive voice to the animated hits “Beauty and the Beast,” “Pocahontas” and
“The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” and he can be heard this summer in “Atlantis: The Lost
Empire.”  He will next be seen with Jim Carrey in “The Majestic,” and includes among his
other film credits “Jungle 2 Jungle,” “Steal Big, Steal Little,” “Bad Company,” “Doc
Hollywood,” “The Accidental Tourist,” “The Man With One Red Shoe,” “Magic” and “Oh,
God!.”
    Stiers was honored with two Emmy Award nominations for his unforgettable
portrayal of Major Charles Emerson Winchester on the hit series “M*A*S*H.”  He was also
Emmy-nominated for his work in the telefilm “The First Modern Olympics.”  His extensive
television credits also include the longform projects “Justice League of America,” “The Last
of His Tribe,” “Wife, Mother, Murderer,” “The Final Days,” “Hoover vs. The Kennedys,” “Day
One,” “North & South” and “North & South II,” “Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry,” “Anatomy of
an Illness,” “The Innocents Abroad” and eight “Perry Mason” telefilms.
    Starting out in the theatre, Stiers studied under John Houseman at the Julliard
School.  Upon graduating, he became a charter member of Houseman’s acting company,
appearing in such plays as “The Beggar’s Opera,” “Measure For Measure” and “The Lower
Depths.”  He made his Broadway debut in “Ulysses in Night Town,” with Zero Mostel, and
later created the role of Feldman the Magnificent in “The Magic Show.”  He has also starred
in and directed regional productions of “Love Letters” and “Autumn Canticle,” and directed
an award-winning production of “Scapino” at San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre.
    In addition to his acting, Stiers has conducted some 40 symphony orchestras in
cities across the country, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Chicago and
Honolulu.  He is also the principal guest conductor/associate conductor of the Yaquina
Orchestra and the Ernest Bloch Music Festival.

CHARLIZE THERON (Laura Kensington) has emerged as one of the film industry’s
most sought-after leading ladies.  She previously worked with Woody Allen as part of an
all-star ensemble cast in “Celebrity.”  More recently, she starred in the romantic drama
“Sweet November,” opposite Keanu Reeves; the fable “The Legend of Bagger Vance,”
with Matt Damon and Will Smith; the true-life drama “Men of Honor,” with Robert De Niro
and Cuba Gooding, Jr.; and “The Yards,” with Mark Wahlberg and Joaquin Phoenix.
Theron also co-starred with Michael Caine and Tobey Maguire in Lasse Hallström’s
acclaimed drama “The Cider House Rules,” based on John Irving’s best-selling novel.  She
next stars in Luis Mandoki’s action thriller “24 Hours,” with Courtney Love.
    A native of South Africa, Theron began her career as a model, working extensively
in such fashion capitals as Milan and Paris before moving to the United States.  In 1996,
she made her feature film debut in the crime drama “2 Days in the Valley,” joining an
ensemble cast that also included James Spader, Eric Stoltz and Jeff Daniels.  Theron
received critical raves for her standout performance as Helga, Spader’s murderously
seductive partner.
    That same year, Tom Hanks cast her as Tina, Tom Everett Scott’s hometown
girlfriend, in his directorial debut feature “That Thing You Do!.”  Theron went on to star in
Jonathan Lynn’s “Trial and Error,” with Michael Richards and Jeff Daniels, and then co-
starred with Al Pacino and Keanu Reeves in the thriller “The Devil’s Advocate.”
Her other film credits include starring roles in the comedy “Wakin’ Up in Reno,” with
Billy Bob Thornton and Patrick Swayze; the thriller “The Astronaut’s Wife,” opposite Johnny
Depp; John Frankenheimer’s action thriller “Reindeer Games,” with Ben Affleck; and the
family film “Mighty Joe Young,” with Bill Paxton.



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