Possibly Pack

James Spader

Born on 7th February 1960, James Spader Bused tables, shoveled manure, and taught yoga before landing his first roles. He graduated from TV movies to Brat Pack Films, playing the bad guy before his critically acclaimed peformance in Sex Lies and Videotape led to bigger and more varied roles.

Spader's hits during the 80's include Pretty In Pink, Less Than Zero and Mannequin and although not having the lead role in any of these movies, the part he did play was always pivotal.

An actor with a taste for extremes, James Spader has forged a career built upon exploring the darker side of human nature. Most recently Spader attracted the attention of television critics and audiences alike with his portrayal of the ethically-challenged attorney, Alan Shore, on ABC’s “The Practice,” a role that won him an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. He returns this year to headline David E. Kelley’s new drama, “Boston Legal".

Ralph Macchio

Ralph Macchio Handsomely featured, lanky Italian-American actor with boyish looks that initially assisted his career, but in more recent years have probably restricted his opportunities at getting stronger, dramatic roles. Started out in various TV commercials in the late 1970's before appearing in the puerile comedy movie _Up The Academy (1980)_ , then a regular role on the TV series "Eight is Enough" (1980) followed by a decent performance as teenager "Johhny Cade" in the The Outsiders (1983) based on the popular S.E. Hinton novel about troubled youth.

In 1984, Macchio scored the lead role in the The Karate Kid (1984) directed by Rocky (1976) director John G. Avildsen. The film was a phenomenal success, being highly popular with adults and children alike. Macchio played an awkward teenager, "Daniel LaRusso", moving from Newark, NJ to California with his well meaning mother. However, he runs into trouble being bullied by local thugs, falls for a girl from a wealthy family, and then finds a new "father figure" in his apartment building's Oriental handyman, who teaches him karate and inner wisdom, and guides him to win the local martial arts tournament. The movie spawned two equally popular sequels The Karate Kid Part II, (1986) and The Karate Kid Part III, (1989), both again starring Macchio and Pat Morita, and both directed by John G. Avildsen.

Macchio also starred in the blues road movie Crossroads (1986), featured alongside Joe Pesci in My Cousin Vinny (1992) and, looking to toughen up his image, Macchio played a hit man in A Good Night to Die (2003). Arguably, movie audiences still identify Macchio very strongly with his "Karate Kid" role, but as his features have gained a more weathered, adult edge, he has found opportunities and positive reviews from appearances in stage productions showcasing his acting talent. It would be great to see this versatile actor score some broader and more challenging film roles.