Shirley Knight: Actress (In the role of Jo Beth Anderson)
As an actress, Shirley Knight has worked extensively in the theatre, cinema, and television. She has received numerous honors including the Tony Award, three Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe awards, two Academy Award nominations, and the Venice Film Festival Best Actress Award. Nominations include two Tonys, two Drama Desks, nine Emmys, and three Golden Globes.

Her film credits and honors include "The Dark at the Top of the Stairs" (Academy Award nomination, Golden Globe Award), "Sweet Bird of Youth" (Academy Award nomination, Golden Globe nomination), "Dutchman" (Best Actress Venice Film Festival, Critics Prize Cannes - Producer), "The Group" (director Sidney Lumet), "The Rain People" (written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola), "Stuart Saves his Family" (director Harold Ramis), "As Good as it Gets" (director James Brooks), and "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood."

Recent films include "Open Window," which premiered at Sundance this year, and "A House on a Hill." Recent television includes "Desperate Housewives" and "House."

Shirley holds a Doctorate in Fine Arts from Lake Forrest College. She was married to the writer John R. Hopkins until his death and has two daughters, Kaitlin and Sophie Hopkins. She resides in New York City.
return to top

William R. Moses: Actor (in the role of Jed Colburn)
William Moses has worked as a professional actor in film and television for over twenty years. His film credits include "Mystic Pizza", "Trial by Jury", "Fun", and "Wicked."

Bill's acting career began in television with the hit CBS series, "Falcon Crest." After starring for six years on the show, he went on to appear in twenty five Perry Mason movies for NBC. His television movie credits include "To Love, Honor and Deceive", "The Haunting of Seacliff Inn", and "She Woke Up Pregnant." His series work includes a starring role in the syndicated series, "Fame LA" and a recurring role (two seasons) on "Melrose Place."

Most recently, Moses appeared in Douglas Jackson's film, "A Lover's Revenge" and in The Hallmark Channel's television series, "Jane Doe."
return to top

Karen Sillas: Actress (in the role of Letty Anderson)
Known for a variety of eclectic roles in film and television as well as on stage, Karen received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Actress in 1994 for her critically acclaimed performance in Tom Noonan's "What Happened Was" (Grand Jury Prize, Sundance Film Festival). She also received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Hal Hartley's "Simple Men." Other film credits include Hartley's "Trust", "Sour Grapes," (a black comedy by Larry David, co-creator of Seinfeld), "Reach the Rock" (John Hughs), and "Female Perversions" (Susan Streitfeld).

After receiving her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the theater program at the State University of New York at Purchase, Karen was selected to join the renowned Actor's Studio. During this time, she performed in "The Cherry Orchard," "Modigliani," and "Miss Julie."

In addition to her film and theater work, Karen starred in the CBS drama, "Under Suspicion" (Viewers of Quality Television Best New Actress Award) as well as the ABC tele-film, "Lies He Told" and the CBS tele-film, "Night Sins." Karen also recently completed work on the TBS dramatic television series, "Wanted."
return to top

Heidi Swedberg: Actress (in the role of Kay Colburn)
Heidi began her film career in Norman Jewison's "In Country." Subsequent films include "Hot Shots," "Kindergarten Cop," "Too Much Sun," and "Galaxy Quest." She has worked extensively in television and is perhaps best known from her work on "Seinfeld" as Susan, George's ill-fated love interest.

Heidi studied acting at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque and worked as an apprentice at the Actor's Theater of Louisville.
return to top

Harris Yulin: Actor (in the role of Rick Anderson)
Harris Yulin has worked extensively as an actor in theater, film and television. His film credits include "The Cradle Will Rock" (Tim Robbins),

"The Hurricane" (Norman Jewison), "The Million Dollar Hotel" (Wim Wenders), "Another Woman" (Woody Allen), "Scarface" (Brian De Palma), "Clear and Present Danger" (P. Noyce), and "Training Day" (Antoine Fuqua). He also has a principal role in Steven Shainberg's soon to be released, "Fur" and in Oren Rudavsky's acclaimed indie feature, "The Treatment."

Television credits include starring roles in numerous movies-of-the-week and guest roles on such series as 24, Third Watch, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The X Files and Murphy Brown. Yulin received Emmy nominations for his guest-starring roles on both "Frasier" and "La Femme Nikita."

On the New York stage, Yulin most recently appeared in James Lapine's "Fran's Bed." Other recent theater credits include the critically acclaimed production of Arthur Miller play, "The Price," and "The Diary of Anne Frank," for which Yulin won an Outer Critics Nomination (Featured Actor). In addition, Yulin directed the Horton Foote play, "Trip to Bountiful" at Manhattan's Signature Theatre Company, which won both "Outstanding Director" and "Outstanding Revival" at the 2006 Lortel Awards.
return to top

Thom Zimny: Film Editor
Thom Zimny has worked as an editor for film, television and music videos. His feature film credits include Eric Schaeffer's "Fall," Tanya Wexler's "Finding North," Alex Winter's "Fever." He was also an editor on the HBO series, "The Wire."

Zimny has edited a number of concert performances for Bruce Springsteen, including the 2003 CBS television special, "Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band," for which he received an Emmy award nomination for his editing. As well as serving as the editor on this special, he also served as a producer. And for the 2005 documentary, "Wings for Wheels: The Making of 'Born to Run'" Zimny served as director, producer and editor.

Most recently, Zimny served as the film editor on Ed Burns's feature film, "Purple Violets."
return to top

Michael Barrett: Director of Photography
Michael has served as director of photography on over fifteen feature films including "Safe Men" (October Films), "The Suburbans" (Columbia/Tristar), and "The Perfect You" (aka "Crazy Little Thing"). Most recently, he was the director of photography on Shane Black's "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang," and Emilio Estevez's "Bobby." He also worked as director of photography for the pilot and six episodes of the CBS television series, "CSI: Miami."

Barrett studied painting and printmaking at UCLA and received a Masters Degree in film from Columbia University. In addition to working as an apprentice to renowned cinematographers Allen Daviau, ASC and Haskell Wexler, ASC, Michael was a 1995 Eastman Kodak scholar.
return to top

Hyatt Bass: Writer/Director/Producer
"75 Degrees in July" marks Hyatt Bass's feature film debut. After graduating from Princeton University in 1991, she worked for three years as a production assistant, assistant editor and camera assistant in Los Angeles, where her experience ranged from a year-long stint at Roger Corman's Concorde Films to jobs on major studio pictures like "Sister Act" and "Tombstone." In 1994 Hyatt wrote, directed, produced and edited the short film, "Just Desert" which was made through the Panavision New Filmmaker Program. She is currently at work on her first novel.
return to top

Jeanne O'Brien: Producer
"75 Degrees in July" is Jeanne's first film as an independent producer.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from The University of Georgia, Jeanne began working in Los Angeles and was quickly promoted to motion picture literary agent at Metropolitan Talent Agency. There, she represented feature screenwriters and independent writer/directors before becoming a manager/producer at the Radmin Company.

Shortly after making "75 Degrees in July," Jeanne went to work with director Harry Winer as his Vice President of Creative Development. From 2002-2004, Jeanne was with IFP Minnesota as Funding Director where she helped create the McKnight Artists Fellowships for Filmmakers (MAFF) and administered the McKnight Artist Fellowships for Screenwriters.

Jeanne is presently producing a political comedy co-written by a D.C. insider; a cop drama feature on which she's partnered with George Tillman Jr.; and a horror feature set in her new hometown of New York City.
return to top