Actors

La'Chris Jordan

La'Chris Jordan

La'Chris Jordan is a Los Angeles-based playwright, writer/director and proud Aniyunwiyan descendant (a 3rd great-granddaughter) of abolitionist and Underground Railroad conductor Charity Davis Broady. An alum of the 2021 BIPOC Writers Fellowship: Adapting Books to Screen and the Stowe Story Labs, La'Chris is known for writing female-led historicals, gritty dramas and gun-slinging westerns such as Piney Ridge, Roses in the Water and The Softwalkers. After graduating from the University of Washington, La'Chris began her career in journalism and public relations, working for advertising powerhouse F97 McCann Worldgroup and The Gulf News in Dubai, UAE. Upon her return to the U.S., La'Chris focused on theatre, TV and film which led to her being named 'One of the 50 Playwrights to Watch' by the Dramatists Guild as well as a Top 20 Semifinalist for the Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program at Juilliard. La'Chris' work has also been recognized by the Academy Nicholl Fellowship for Screenwriting (Top 10%), Sundance Episodic Lab, The Writers Lab NYC, and the Austin Film Festival, among many others. In 2019, La'Chris wrote, directed and produced her debut short, January 14th, which had its World Premiere at the Pan African Film Festival. The film went on to be the Official Selection of 75+ film festivals and obtain 50+ award wins and nominations. La'Chris recently adapted Dani Lamia's horror fiction novel The Raven for Level 4 Press. The founder of DiverseCinemadb, La'Chris recently launched an online interview series The American Aboriginals with Emmy-nominated producer Brian Isom.
Out of Time
LaDainian Tomlinson

LaDainian Tomlinson

From day one, LaDainian Tomlinson showed that he had the talent to be a successful running back in the National Football League. Not only is he the San Diego Chargers' most valuable player, he is also considered by many to be the NFL's most valuable player, and is well on his way to a Hall of Fame career. In many ways, Tomlinson's high school years on the football field at University High School in Waco, Texas were a sign of things to come. He earned Most Valuable Player for his district, and Offensive Player of the Year honors and even played against future Charger teammate Drew Brees in high school all-star games. Tomlinson played college football for the Horned Frogs of Texas Christian University, where he set several school records: 21 games with 100 yards rushing, 54 touchdowns and 6,337 all-purpose yards. Although he was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy following the 2000 season, Tomlinson finished fourth in the voting behind Chris Weinke, Josh Heuppel and high school all-star rival Drew Brees. Although he was snubbed in the Heisman voting, Tomlinson was definitely not snubbed by the San Diego Chargers in the 2001 NFL draft. San Diego had the first pick in the draft, but decided to trade down to the fifth pick and get more picks, allowing the Atlanta Falcons to draft the highly athletic Michael Vick. It seemed like the hand of fate was at work as the Chargers picked Tomlinson and Brees for their first two picks. So far, Tomlinson has accomplished a great deal in his brief NFL career. He has set team records with 1,683 yards rushing and 2,370 all-purpose yards and is the first player in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards and catch 100 passes in the same season. It will be interesting to see how far he can go before his NFL career is over.
LaDon Drummond

LaDon Drummond

LaDon Drummond is an award winning actress and screenwriter. Born and raised in Texas, she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre from Texas State University. In 1994, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in Hollywood. Her first acting job was in CBS's mini-series: "The Siege at Ruby Ridge", directed by Roger Young. During the late nineties, LaDon appeared on shows such as "Days of Our Lives", "The Practice" and "Any Day Now". She continued to hone her craft while performing on various LA stages. In 2001, LaDon received critical acclaim for her leading role in "Flirting With Morty", at The Company of Angels. The late, great Mr. Blackwell reviewed, "I was completely overcome by LaDon Drummond's performance as Baby and I guarantee that she will become a major star very soon. There were times I thought of Lana Turner." In 2002, LaDon met Italian director/writer, Giorgio Serafini. They married in 2004 and together formed a production company, West Arts, in 2007. Their first collaboration is a short film "War", written by Giorgio. LaDon plays a US soldier in Iraq. The film was selected to numerous festivals and can be found as a feature on the DVD of "The Good War", starring Roy Schieder. In 2008, the couple were on location in Torino, Italy, where Giorgio was directing an Italian television series, "Il Bene e il male". On June 4th, LaDon's birthday, she gave birth to their son, Johnny Sinclair. West Arts with Smile Production released the feature film "Johnny's Gone", in 2010. The film toured the festival circuit worldwide receiving eight awards and four nominations, of which LaDon was awarded Best Actress and Best Screenplay. West Arts with Barter Films released another award-winner with the documentary "Sin Fronteras/Without Borders", in 2014. LaDon narrates the delicate story of what happens to the Mexican deported once they are sent back home. LaDon and Giorgio reside in Los Angeles with their son, Johnny, who is also an actor. Her film work is credited alongside William Shatner, Christopher Lloyd, Jean Smart, Esai Morales, Wesley Snipes, Dolph Lungren, Billy Zane, Peter Bogdanovich, Dylan McDermott and Annie Potts.
LaFaye Baker

LaFaye Baker

LaFaye Baker A Diamond in the RAW - Hollywood Stuntwoman Death defying free falls, mind-blowing fire gags, action-packed car chases and breathtaking fight sequences all in a day's work for LaFaye Baker, an acclaimed professional stuntwoman in Hollywood. She is flawless as a diamond as one of the few, noted African-American stuntwomen carving her niche in Tinsel town. A career spanning over 25 years, LaFaye Baker has left an indelible mark on the field of stunt performing. To her chagrin, LaFaye's stunt work began as early as three months of age when she started tumbling and crawling in her parents' two-story home and walking as early as seven months. Her first acclaim beckoned with breaking the Guinness Book of World Records by twirling 58 hula-hoops at one time when she was only 12 years old. With her strong athleticism, LaFaye was introduced to stunt performing through a colleague in the probation field as a great alternative to releasing the stress of her physically demanding job. She was well trained in gymnastics and volleyball and added an innate athletic ability that proved to be beneficial in her career. After 10 years of daredevil free falls, LaFaye received the call of a lifetime from Academy Award Winner Halle Berry to serve as her stunt-coordinator for the big-budgeted, award-winning HBO film, "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge." At the time, no other African-American woman had served in such capacity. Making LaFaye a well respected, admired and sought after player in stunts. A dossier jaw-dropping landed LaFaye incredible opportunities in entertainment having doubled for over 40 of Hollywood's top-tiered actresses including Keesha Sharp, Angela Bassett, Alfre Woodard, Regina King, Regina Hall, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Lynn Whitfield and host of many others. Her career steaming ahead includes more than 130 movies, television shows, big-name features like Hannibal, Fracture with Anthony Hopkins, Green Lantern, House, Training Days, Last Ship and most recently Lethal Weapon starring Damon Wayans and Keisha Sharp. As a successful stuntwoman, LaFaye's career doesn't come without risks, she recalls an early mere miss on the 1996 music video set of the Grammy-Winning Fugees "Ready of Not" where she broke her jaw, splattered her mandible and required complete reconstructive surgery with titanium plates and screws. This incident didn't stop the affable Baker; she kept ticking even after the licking. Recognizing her often overlooked peers in stunts, LaFaye founded the Action Icon Conference/Awards which acknowledges the unsung shereos in Hollywood - the women who risk their lives in action-packed films thrilling audiences with their death defying athleticism. Such honorees and attendees have included Patricia Arquette, Maggie Q., Linda Hamilton, Lindsay Wagner, Gale Anne Hurd, Jamie Lee Curtis, Charlie Sheen, Jamie Alexander, Ming-Na Wen, Tanika Ray, Vivica Fox, Pam Grier, Shaun Robinson, Laila Ali and Gold Medalist Gabby Douglas. "The more you know, is the more you owe," says LaFaye. Enter Diamond in the RAW Foundation, a non-profit designed in 2008 by Baker to prime the Hollywood pump with at-risk teen girls, a population that often harbors a misplaced interest in life in front of the camera. Baker turns their attention to the work behind the camera, in the hopes that the 20 to 30 girls finishing her program annually will directly address the industry's continued race and gender imbalances. To the organization credit teen girls have collectively exercising team work by produced 10 short movies. Daring to be different and civic-minded, LaFaye Baker is truly a talent worth mentioning. Her career accomplishments have been featured in a documentary film about Hollywood Stunt She can also be found on the pages of Entertainment Weekly, EUR WEB, Odyssey Martial Arts Entertainment, Ozy Online Magazine, Essence Magazine, Jet, Wall Street Journal, Scholastic News, Rolling Out, the 2015 book Stuntwomen: The Untold Story and documentary. Recently, La Faye appeared on Lethal Weapon and in 2017 was featured on the segment of Comcast Xfinity commercial celebrating black women filmmaker behind the scene. In 2019 La Faye will be among one of the 1900 Entertainment Professionals featured in the Coffee table book Hollywood: Her Story, An Illustrated History of Women and the Movies by JiIl Tietjen. Baker has a degree from, California State University Long Beach, completed UCLA Film Entertainment and Digital Media Certificate Program and a 2018 graduate of the University of Miami Executive MBA Program. LaFaye declares that every journey in life is a lesson, which require the three D's of success, "Determination, Dedication and Discipline." Seemingly the explosive ingredients needed for perfecting her thrilling unrivaled stunts.