Actors

Whitaker is one of the most respected character actors in Hollywood, with a reputation for playibg roles that defy stereotypes associated with black actors. Whitaker was the British soldier kidnapped by the IRA in the "Crying Game." In "The Color of Money," he had a brief part as a pool hustler. He also starred in "Good Morning, Vietnam." His biggest starring role was portraying jazz great Charlie Parker in the movie, "Bird." Whitaker is currently co-starring in Robert Altman's new film, "Ready to Wear (Pret-A-Porter)."

Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews the new film, "Widow's Peak," starring Mia Farrow, Joan Plowright, and Natasha Richardson.

Movie critic Steven Schiff reviews "A Dangerous Woman" starring Deborah Winger. (PARTIAL REVIEW)

Stephen Schiff reviews the new film by director Jane Campion, "The Piano," starring Holly Hunter and Harvey Keitel.

Performer, comic and writer Sandra Bernhard. Some know her from her role in the ABC sitcom "Roseanne;" she also had a successful one-woman off-Broadway show called "Without You I'm Nothing," which was turned into a film and album of the same name. Her HBO special last year, "Sandra After Dark," satirized the old "Playboy After Dark" variety show. She appeared in Martin Scorsese's "King of Comedy," among other feature films. She was also linked as a possible love interest to Madonna.

Bassett recently had the intimidating job of playing the legendary singer in the new film, "What's Love Got to Do with it." Her performance has been widely praised. Bassett's other roles include the mother of a troubled teenager in "Boyz N the Hood," and the wife of the black Muslim leader in Spike Lee's "Malcolm X."

Handler has played leading roles in seven Broadway productions including, "Six Degrees of Separation," "Brighton Beach Memoirs," and "Master Harold. . . and the boys." He's 32 now; seven years ago he was diagnosed with leukemia. He had a bone marrow transplant, and he's now considered free of the disease. He has a new monologue, "Time on Fire," about his four year struggle with leukemia.

Actress Christine Lahti. She starred in the movie "Housekeeping," co-starred with Goldie Hawn in "Swing Shift," which won her the New York film Critics Award as Best Supporting Actress, and is now in the new film "Leaving Normal." (Universal Pictures) She also has a long stage career, appearing in "The Heidi Chronicles." She talks about how hard it is for women to get good roles in Hollywood, and how she's turned many down because she didn't like the characters she'd be portraying.

Film critic Maureen Corrigan reviews the new Disney animated film "Beauty and the Beast."

Essmann is known for portraying an eclectic mix of characters in his performance pieces. He's currently performing his one-man show, "Artificial Reality," in New York City.

Nuyen played Susie Wong in the Broadway production of "The World of Susie Wong," was in the film version of "South Pacific." And she played the Vietnamese doctor on the television show, "St Elsewhere." She's now starring "China Cry," a new movie on the Christian Broadcasting network

Film critic Stephen Schiff says Streep is best in comedies -- including this dysfunctional tale about a mother and daughter in Hollywood, written by Carrie Fisher, and adapted by her book of the same name.

A new made-for-TV movie about the late actress's life and television career, called Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter, is as awful as any tele-movie, says critic Maureen Corrigan. Since Ball's death last year, networks have been trying to recapture the magic of Lucy's sitcom -- an impossible task since, according Corrigan. the original show was nearly perfect.

Esposito has been featured in Spike Lee's movies Mo' Better Blues and Do the Right Thing. He joins Fresh Air to talk about the intensity of working on the set of Do the Right Thing, and how he started acting at the age of six.

Actress Pam Grier. She got her start playing tough, scantily-clad women in black exploitation films, such as "Black Mama, White Mama," "Foxy Brown," and "Sheba Baby." She played a hooker in "Fort Apache: The Bronx," and is now appearing in the new film, "The Class of 1999."

Actor Michael Moriarty. He's best-known for his roles in the films "Bang the Drum Slowly" and "Who'll Stop the Rain," and in the TV miniseries, "Holocaust." Moriarty is the star of a new TV series called "Law and Order," and he's also just produced an album of original jazz songs, called "Reaching Out."

Character actor Kurtwood Smith. Smith has a penchant for playing the heavy...in "Robocop" he played a sadistic killer, in "Dead Poets Society" he played a repressive father, and in "True Believer," he played an over-zealous attorney. His next role is in the upcoming comedy, "Quick Change." He plays a mafia don.

French actress Isabelle Adjani. Her most famous role was in the film "The Story of Adele H." Her latest film, for which she won the French equivalent of an Oscar for Best Actress, is about the life of Camille Claudel. Claudel was French sculptor Rodin's mistress and a sculptor in her own right.

Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews "Steel Magnolias," starring Dolly Parton, Olympia Dukakis, Shirley McLain, and Darrell Hannah as a group of friends in a small Southern town.

Critic-at-large Laurie Stone examines the role of women in two current offerings, the T-V sit-com "Anything But Love" starring Jamie Lee Curtis, and the movie, "sex, lies, and videotape."