Ian Abercrombie, the veteran British character actor best known for playing Elaine Benes' boss Mr. Pitt on Seinfeld, has died. Abercrombie appeared in dozens of other parts over his 50-plus-year career. He was 77. more ›

A big-time scam artist was busted and fined close to $1 million for allegedly running a fake talent agency promising nonexistent work for aspiring models and actresses over the course of nearly six years, the Department of Consumer Affairs announced yesterday. That's a whole lot of useless headshots. more ›

Actor Robert De Niro was in court yesterday testifying against a gallery director accused of pocketing $77,000 from the sale of his father's paintings. Salander-O'Reilly Galleries owner Lawrence Salander was already sentenced to six years in prison for the $120 million fraud scheme over the summer, but De Niro claimed that gallery director Leigh Morse stole two of his father's paintings and sold them, pocketing the profits for herself. more ›

Pete Postlethwaite, a brilliant actor who was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in In the Name of the Father, died in England yesterday at the age of 64. The cause was cancer. Besides being a unique and talented performer, Postlethwaite was also a principled, decent man who protested the U.S.-led folly in Iraq and adapted his home to become environmentally-responsible, installing a wind turbine and other features, the Independent reports. more ›

The family of murder suspect and aspiring actor Michael Brea insist he is a "compassionate, gentle, intelligent, spiritual and loving man," despite his being charged with murder for hacking his mother to death with a Masonic sword because he believed she was possessed by the devil. But that's only because the Brea who suspected his mother of black magic and allegedly yelled at her to "repent, sinner" is not the Brea they know and love! They write in a statement, "His brother, father and friends stand by him and will aid with his recovery in every possible way." more ›

There's something comforting about knowing that most of the time, if you ask your server if they have a job outside of serving, they will tell you they are an actor. You can spend your meal knowing that whatever you do, you are secondhandedly supporting the arts by either giving them a good tip, or giving them quality material. But has New York's Bedbug Scare 2010 begun to put an end to all of that? The Wall Street Journal reports that the city's struggling actors are now turning to the lucrative business of bedbug hunting. Now we're just one step away from the bugs invading Broadway. Seriously, folks. more ›

Ah, Jeff Daniels. The actor's been a breath of fresh air since at least 1981, when he first strolled onscreen in Ragtime—and then defiantly burst off it in Woody Allen's The Purple Rose of Cairo—and he's maintained a distinctive anti-Hollywood authenticity to this day. Despite appearing in over 60 films and TV shows over the years, Daniels makes his home in Michigan, where he grew up helping out in his father's lumber yard. There he runs a theater company—named The Purple Rose—in his hometown of Chelsea, producing his own plays and other works. more ›

Actor Kal Penn, best known for his role as Kumar in the "Harold & Kumar" stoner movie franchise, is abandoning his post as Associate Director of Public Engagement of this great nation and heading back to the entertainment business. The reason? A very Harold & Kumar Christmas! Penn, a Jersey native, left showbiz in 2008 to campaign for Barack Obama, but is leaving the administration to begin filming the new Christmas-themed movie in June. According to EW, the film should be released in 2011, and the studio is contemplating shooting the film in 3-D. But shouldn't all those delicious burgers be in Smell-O-Vision? more ›

Over the past twenty years, congenital scene-stealer Sam Rockwell has slowly but surely slinked into the public consciousness, invariably with a mouthful of food and a mischievous grin. With eye-catching work in films including Box of Moonlight, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Choke, Matchstick Men, and Moon, the endearingly eccentric actor has now established himself as the number one guy we'd take a spontaneous road trip with (though we might think twice about letting him drive). more ›

A Hells Kitchen man has been charged with beating his girlfriend's dog with a belt and blinding it in one eye when she was out of town for an acting gig. Joseph Graves, 30, is accused of abusing Broadway actress Ashley Yeater's four-year-old Yorkshire terrier when he was supposed to be pet-sitting the pooch on Jan. 16. more ›

Some banks have been hit hard by the economy, and some threatened by Obama, but only one has been broken into by a wasted Rip Torn. It was first reported over the weekend that 78-year-old actor Torn was arrested for breaking into a Salisbury, Connecticut bank with a loaded revolver after closing hours, and jailed on $100,000 bail. It's now been revealed that Torn had no intention of robbing the bank—in fact, he was so plastered that he thought the back window to the bank, which he smashed open, was his front door. more ›

If you've seen the Coen brothers film A Serious Man—and if you haven't, you really should; it's arguably the best American film of 2009—you know that it wasn't just star Michael Stuhlbarg who got robbed at The Golden Globe awards this week. (Robert Downey Jr. for Sherlock Holmes? Really?) One of the funniest performances in a movie full of them was delivered by actor Fed Melamed, a New York native who plays insufferably sanctimonious wife-stealer Sy Ableman to perfection. (Check out a clip below.) more ›

One 31-year-old Queens man, Brandon Morris, has a killer look... and it's getting him cast as some of America's Most Wanted. According to the Daily News he's a regular on the show, where he's played more bad guys than any other actor. While they usually won't cast the same actor over and over again — the producers say his multiethnic background keeps them bringing him back, noting he's portrayed "Hispanic, Native American, Jewish. His look can really change." He says, "If anything, I'm happy I'm doing my small part to catch these guys." So... if you ever see this guy on the subway, just keep in mind he's not really a rapist, murderer or one of the other unsavory characters he's played. more ›

Earlier today, family members said actor and comedian Dom DeLuise had passed away. The cause was not disclosed, but his agent said the 75-year-old actor "had high blood pressure, he had diabetes, he had lots of things," though he seemed fine a few weeks ago. DeLuise was born in Brooklyn and attended the High School for Performing Arts (he went to Tufts for college) and performed on Broadway and Off-Broadway before appearing in movies. He became beloved to many for his roles in Mel Brooks films ( as hosted an episode of the Muppet Show (see it here, parts one, two, and three). more ›

As luck would have it, a New York Times editor was on the C train platform at Penn Station Monday afternoon when a man fell down onto the tracks and cracked his skull. Lucky not because the editor rescued the man, but lucky for the Times because he gave his card to the guy who did, a 33-year-old actor named Chad Lindsey (pictured), who has come forward to tell his story to the paper. Reached by phone, he tells the Times, "I’m of many minds of being in the spotlight, but what the hey, I’m an actor—shocker." Lindsey was on his way to a "reading" when the man took a nosedive off the platform.

I’m kind of zoned out, and I saw this guy come too quickly to the edge. He stopped and kind of reeled around. I felt bad, because I couldn’t get close enough to grab his coat. He fell, and immediately hit his head on the rail and passed out. I dropped my bag and jumped down there. I tried to wake him up. He probably had a massive concussion at that point. I jumped down there and he just wouldn’t wake up, and he was bleeding all over the place. I yelled, ‘Contact the station agent and call the police!’ which I think is hilarious because I don’t think I ever said ‘station agent’ before in my life. What am I, on ‘24’?

Jeremy Piven is expected to appear live and in person before an Actors' Equity grievance committee tomorrow in order to defend himself against producers of Speed-the-Plow who accuse him of faking mercury poisoning last December to escape his contractual obligation to the Broadway production. It was originally assumed that Piven's lawyers would plead his case, but the Posts's Michael Riedel says the hard-partying actor is expected to surface. Unless, as one producer quipped, he "has too much sushi on the plane from LA." Hey-oh! When he quit, Piven's physician claimed the mercury levels in the star's blood were "very elevated," and last month Piven agreed to a second blood test administered by a doctor hired by the producers. (The results of that test are not known.) If the grievance committee rules against Piven, he'll be forced to settle financially with the producers or risk expulsion from the stage union. And though there are five actors on the committee, the unnamed producer says that doesn't necessarily bode well for Piven: "I don't think many theater actors are in favor of what he's doing. They take jobs on Broadway very seriously, and he's a Hollywood actor, behaving like one." more ›

Mr. Show, Arrested Development, the stand-up stage, The Year One Super Bowl commercial from last night...you know who David Cross is by now. Currently he's filming a new series with Will Arnett for Britain's Channel 4, and come this summer you'll be able to soak up his wisdom in the written word when his book "I Drink For A Reason" hits shelves. Recently he told us about the Arrested Development movie, an upcoming Squeakel, and what he thinks of a law banning fans from talking to him. Tomorrow night he'll return to the stage, joining Zach Galifianakis, Janeane Garofalo, Demetri Martin, John Oliver and Paul F. Tompkins for “Stand-Ups Give BAC,” a benefit for the Brooklyn Autism Center. more ›

According to NYPD statistics, overall subway crime dropped by 3% in 2008, with murders down to two from four in 2007. There were an average 6.3 major felonies a day last year, compared with 7.4 in 2006 (there was an average of 17 in 1997). But robberies are on the rise: 823 occurred last year, up from 796 in '07. And there were three rapes reported last year, as opposed to just one in '07. Still, the NYPD's John Hall tells the Post crime is "so low that it's getting more and more difficult to keep it there," and attributes the stats to a crackdown on people walking between moving cars, which criminals do when trolling for victims. more ›

We've been big fans of Aziz Ansari since he first hit the comedy scene all those years ago, and it seems like since then he's been speedily checking things off his To-Do list. He launched off the stand-up stage to get his own MTV series (Human Giant), is now in an anxiously awaited spin-off of The Office (he clears up the plotline below), and he's been busy filming movies with the likes of Seth Rogan and Paul Rudd. Not too shabby. This weekend he returns to New York, after moving out to Los Angeles—catch his Glow in the Dark Tour (not to be confused with Kanye's) at Comix this Friday or Saturday (buy tickets). more ›

In Gus Van Sant's new film Milk, which opens Wednesday, Alison Pill plays Anne Kronenberg, the brassy lesbian hired by gay rights activist Harvey Milk to take charge of his fourth, ultimately successful, campaign for city supervisor. The 23-year-old's performance was cited by the Times as one of five to watch out for this year: "Women are rare in this movie, but as the campaign gathers momentum, this one holds the screen like a channel swimmer chugging steadily along in a sea of testosterone-fueled flamboyance." more ›

A day after Antitrust star Tim Robbins excoriated the Board of Elections in an open letter that described commissioner Gregory Soumas as a "petty vindictive corrupt scumbag," the bureaucrats have fired back with their own open letter! After some boilerplate about how the NYC BOE "takes special pride in the conduct of the November 4, 2008 election," and how they "recognize the need for all voters to be informed of all electoral procedural requirements," the letter gets down to brass tacks: "We also recognize and applaud that passion of Mr. Robbins exhibited with regard to his Election Day experience. Therefore, to harness the passion of Mr. Robbins, and to further the purpose of the NYC BOE, we hereby extend our invitation Mr. Robbins to join the NYC BOE to produce voter participation service announcements." Your move, Norville Barnes! more ›

Born and raised in New York City, Campbell Scott—son of George C. Scott and Colleen Dewhurst—is a quintessential New York actor. Famous but not too famous, courteous but still salty, Scott has distinguished himself as a deeply thoughtful performer and director who balances his time between theater and indie film. His screen roles include standout performances in films like Singles, Roger Doger, David Mamet's The Spanish Prisoner, the under-appreciated black comedy The Secret Lives of Dentists, and Six Degrees on ABC. more ›

If you thought Barack Obama's decisive victory might shut up Arlington Road star Tim Robbins, well, you don't know Tim Robbins. First he was outraged when poll workers wouldn't let him vote at his regular voting place on Election Day, then he was doubly incensed when the Board of Elections publicly blamed the snafu on him (for supposedly registering twice with a different address). Now the Fraternity Vacation star has gone all Huff Post on the BoE with—fasten your seat belts—a witheringly contemptuous open letter. It begins: Dear [Board of Elections Commissioner Gregory] Soumas, I would like to publicly apologize for being such a dim-witted dilettante on Election Day. I was under the naïve assumption that I could vote where I voted in the last two elections." It gets worse from there, and after ruthlessly rocking Soumas's cradle with a mystical river of sarcasm, Robbins's ire reaches its highest fidelity with, "...you are a petty vindictive corrupt scumbag." You gonna take that, Soumas?! more ›

More on Tim Robbins Voter-gate! City Room has a thorough exposé on what went wrong for the Tapeheads star on Election Day, when he showed up to vote at the YMCA on West 14th Street and was told that his name was not in the Poll List Book. His misadventures got a lot of media attention after he refused to fill out a provisional ballot, accused poll workers of trying to "intimidate" him, and finally got a judge at the Board of Elections office to issue an order permitting him to vote. more ›

Tim Robbins made a big stink at the YMCA on West 14th Street this morning when he was told that his name was not on the voter list. According to City Room, Robbins has been voting at the same polling place since 1997, but for some unknown reason, his name was nowhere to be found when he went in this morning. The Times happened upon him sitting in a folding chair looking dejected and annoyed: "The poll workers here know me...The woman said she remembered seeing me here for the primaries." more ›

There is growing speculation that 83-year-old actor Paul Newman is battling lung cancer. According to LA Times blog The Dish Rag, Newman is receiving outpatient treatment at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan. Rumors about Newman’s ill health have escalated since last week, when Martha Stewart published the above photo on her website, depicting a frail Newman attending a benefit for his Hole in the Wall Gang summer camp for children with cancer and other serious illnesses. more ›

Not long after graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Kelly Overton got a big break when she was cast in the memorable Broadway stage adaptation of The Graduate, with Jason Biggs in the Dustin Hoffman role and Kathleen Turner famously baring all for her portrayal of Mrs. Robinson. Film and TV roles followed, including a part in The Ring Two. Overton has also been busy with a project of her own, a low-budget indie thriller called The Collective that she co-wrote and co-directed with husband Judson Pearce Morgan. In it, she plays a woman who rushes to New York City after getting a cryptic voice mail message from her sister, who has since disappeared. Her search points the way to a creepy, clandestine society that, judging by the film's trailer, loves getting freaky in old cathedrals. The Collective will premiere in New York on May 31st as part of the Brooklyn International Film Festival, with a second screening on June 5th. Details here. more ›

It says a lot about Harvey Fierstein's distinctiveness that it's almost impossible to even say the name 'Harvey' without thinking of that endearingly gravelly voice. Whether you know him as Homer Simpson's assistant Karl, Robin Williams's brother in Mrs. Doubtfire, or Hairspray's Edna Turnblad, the Brooklyn-born actor's uninhibited, self-assured persona is thoroughly his own. Now the four-time Tony winner is back on Broadway with A Catered Affair, the musical adaptation of the 1956 film about a blue collar Bronx couple and their increasingly elaborate plans for their daughter's wedding. Fierstein wrote the book and plays the family's closeted uncle with a poignant mix of humor and regret. The show also stars Tom Wopat and Faith Price, who yesterday received a Tony nomination for her performance. more ›

Elaine Stritch's long and colorful career is packed with so many memorable roles that it's impossible to really say what she's best known for. Her show-stopping rendition of "Ladies Who Lunch" in Sondheim's Company? Or maybe her Tony-nominated performance in Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance? Her movie and television appearances in everything from Woody Allen's Small Time Crooks to 30 Rock? Or her critically-acclaimed solo cabaret show, which she's taken from Broadway to the intimate Cafe Carlyle, just downstairs from her home in the Carlyle Hotel? And this season fans of the incomparable Stritch have another winner to add to their collection: her short but poignant portrayal of Nell in Samuel Beckett's Endgame. more ›