Fathers' Day - About The Cast

Fathers' Day: About The Cast

ROBIN WILLIAMS (Dale Putley) first dazzled audiences when he landed a guest starring role as Mork, an extra-terrestrial, on "Happy Days," which led to the hit spinoff TV series "Mork and Mindy."

In 1980, Williams made his film debut in Robert Altman's "Popeye," followed by "The World According to Garp" and "Moscow on the Hudson." "Good Morning, Vietnam" earned Williams his first Academy Award nomination as Best Actor. "Dead Poet's Society" earned him a second.

Williams next appeared opposite Robert De Niro in Penny Marshall's "Awakenings," for which he was honored by the National Board of Review; in Terry Gilliams's "The Fisher King," for which he received a third Oscar nomination; and in Steven Spielberg's "Hook" and Barry Levinson's "Toys."

His starring performance in "Mrs. Doubtfire" earned Williams a Golden Globe Award, and he was honored with a Special Achievement Award from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for his vocal performance as the Genie in Walt Disney Pictures' animated feature, "Aladdin."

Williams' recent films are "Nine Months," "Jumanji," "The Birdcage," "Jack" and Kenneth Branagh's "Hamlet." He has also completed a starring role in "Flubber" (a remake of the family comedy "The Absent-Minded Professor"), as well as in Woody Allen's "Deconstructing Harry," and he is currently in production on Gus Van Sant's drama, "Good Will Hunting."

Williams was born in Chicago and raised in northern California. He studied political science at Claremont College and theater at Marin College and at the Juilliard School in New York., then began his career as a stand-up comedian.

Williams has won four Grammy Awards and starred in HBO's "Robin Williams Live at the Met," the culmination of a 23-city tour. He and Billy Crystal have been a primary force and have appeared together (joined by Whoopi Goldberg) in the HBO fundraising comedy specials, "Comic Relief," annual benefits to aid the homeless.

BILLY CRYSTAL (Jack Lawrence) has found success in front of the camera as a performer in film and television, and behind the scenes as writer, director and producer.

A native of Long Island, New York, Crystal grew up surrounded by music, as his family owned and operated the legendary Commodore record label. Before college, he embarked on a career as a stand-up comedian and also appeared on television in the series "Soap," playing the first openly gay character on a network series.

During the 1984-85 television season, Crystal met with phenomenal national success on "Saturday Night Live," creating several memorable characters. Crystal produced the acclaimed HBO series "Sessions" and became the first comedian to appear in the Soviet Union which was later broadcast in his television special, "Midnight Train to Moscow."

Crystal has starred in the films "Running Scared," "Throw Momma From the Train," "Memories of Me" (which he also co-produced and co-wrote), "When Harry Met Sally...," "City Slickers" and "City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold" (which he also created and executive produced), and "Mr. Saturday Night" (which he also directed). His most recent films are "Forget Paris" and Kenneth Branagh's "Hamlet."

Crystal has hosted the Grammy Awards four times and the Oscar telecast five times. He is the winner of five Emmy Awards, six American Comedy Awards, and seven Cable Ace Awards, the latter a source of pride because they are all in different categories-host, comic, writer, producer and director.

A dedicated human rights activist, he and "Fathers' Day" co-star Robin Williams have hosted all seven "Comic Relief" telethons with Whoopi Goldberg.

JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS (Carrie) is best known for her starring role opposite Jerry Seinfeld in the critically-acclaimed Castle Rock/NBC-TV series, "Seinfeld," for which she received an Emmy Award, three additional Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe and a SAG Award, among many other honors. She also starred last fall opposite Kelsey Grammer in Neil Simon's TV adaptation of "London Suite."

Louis-Dreyfus was born in New York City, raised in Washington, D.C., and studied theater at Northwestern University. She performed with the Practical Theater Company, an improvisational group in the Chicago area, and became a member of Chicago's world-renowned Second City comedy troupe, which led to an invitation to join the ensemble cast of NBC-TV's "Saturday Night Live." She remained with the program for three years.

Louis-Dreyfus' film credits include Woody Allen's "Hannah and Her Sisters," "Soul Man," "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," "Jack the Bear" and "North."

NASTASSJA KINSKI (Collette) made her film debut as a teenager in 1975 in Wim Wenders' "False Move." After posing for a series of fashion photographs taken by director Roman Polanski and published in Vogue, she was cast in the title role in Polanski's "Tess," winning a 1981 Golden Globe Award as Best New Female Star of the Year in a Motion Picture.

Kinski's other credits include Francis Ford Coppola's "One From the Heart," "Cat People," "The Hotel New Hampshire," "Symphony of Love," "Maria's Lovers" (for which she won Italy's Donatello Best Actress Award ), "Paris, Texas," "So Faraway, So Close!" and "Terminal Velocity."
She recently completed starring roles in two films, "Somebody Is Waiting," with Gabriel Byrne and Shirley Knight; and Mike Figgis's "One Night Stand," in which she plays opposite Wesley Snipes and Robert Downey, Jr. She was also seen on NBC-TV's miniseries "The Ring," based on a novel by Danielle Steele.

CHARLIE HOFHEIMER (Scott), who made his motion picture debut in "Lassie," recently appeared in "Boys," starring Winona Ryder.

Hofheimer's stage credits include the Broadway version of "On the Waterfront." Off-Broadway he appeared in the Naked Angels production of "Angel" and in Craig Lucas's "Missing Persons." His regional theater credits include "Ruler of My Destiny" at the Long Wharf Theater Workshop.

On television, Hofheimer has appeared on "Law and Order," "New York News," Nickelodeon's "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" and "Saturday Night Live."

A resident of Brooklyn, New York, Hofheimer's interests include baseball, soccer, piano, horseback riding and hockey.

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