Return to biography index

Brief Biographies
of Latter-day Saint and/or Utah
Film Personalities

A


Biographical sketches are arranged alphabetically on separate pages, by last name.
Click on the letters below:

A   Am   B   Be   Bl   Br   C   Ci   Co   D   Di   E   F   Fi   G   Go   H   He   Hi   I   J   Jo   K   L   Li   M   Mc   Mi
N   O   P   Pf   Q   R   Ri   S   Sh   Sl   St   T   U   V   W   Wh   Wi   X   Y   Z




Jamie Amann
Lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. Along with 8 other filmmakers, made the 23-minute film "Messages: A 2002 Olympic Documentary," which was shown at the 2003 Utah Short Film & Video Festival. The film focuses on aspects of Utah's culture during the 2002 Olympics. Made (along with Tyler Davis) the short (7 min., 30 sec.) film "The Raft," also shown at the 2003 Utah Short Film & Video Festival. "The Raft" is an adaptation of one of the best short stories from 2000, this film addresses the morality of the decisions that one man makes during World War II.
Liz Amber and Mark Amber
Latter-day Saints. Co-writers of "No Other Solution", a comical faux commercial for Listerine directed by Susan Teh and Jason Faller. The short film competed in BYU's Final Cut film festival in 2002 and was was voted Best Commercial.
Carlos Amezcua
Latter-day Saint. Convert. Served a 2-year full-time mission. Graduate of Brigham Young University (BYU). Lives in San Diego, California with his wife Mary. Has four children. Profiled in Church News, Dec. 20, 1997. High-profile anchor man on "KTLA Morning News." Guest appearances on TV series "7th Heaven" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Website: http://www.carlostv.com/. Bio from his website (http://www.carlostv.com/history.html):
Carlos Amezcua, co-anchor of the "KTLA Morning News," is an award-winning broadcast journalist. With a broadcasting career spanning over 25 years, Carlos has covered news around the world as a network correspondent for CBS and as an anchor/reporter in such major markets as New York, San Diego and Denver. He has also appeared on the "CBS Evening News" with Walter Cronkite, "NBC Nightly News" with Tom Brokaw, CNN and HBO's "America Undercover." Carlos has been the recipient of numerous awards including six Emmys for his journalistic efforts covering such stories as the devastating Northridge Earthquake, the Malibu Fires, the McDonald's Massacre in San Diego and one Emmy for "Outstanding Journalistic Enterprise" covering Mexican politics.

Carlos Amezcua created and produced the critically acclaimed "Comedy Compadres," the first all-Latino stand up comedy program in Los Angeles that aired on KTLA.

Carlos is active in the community, serving on various charity boards and professional organizations. In his spare time, he enjoys golf, surfing, skiing, watching hockey games and spending as much time as he can with his family. Carlos, his wife Mary and their five children make their home in the Los Angeles area.

Bio from IMDb.com (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0024782/bio):
His ancestors came to the New world from Spain in the late 1500s and a century or so later settled in the San Diego area. He first became acquainted with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at age 12 when his step-grandmother, a less-active member of the Church, signed him up with an LDS-sponsored Boy Scout troop. He and his brother both became Eagle Scouts and formed friendships with LDS boys. One of these friendships led him to attend BYU. He was baptized there and served a mission. Upon returning, he studied broadcasting at BYU and later did an internship at KTVX Channel 4 in Salt Lake City.

He has a gold record! He fulfilled one of his life long dreams when he got the chance to work with one of the greatest rock bands of all time, "Chicago". The trumpet player Lee Loughnane asked him to write Spanish lyrics for "Let it Snow" and Longhnane sang the song in Spanish. It is the only Spanish track on Chicago 26 "The Christmas Album."


Michael T. Amundsen
Latter-day Saint. Also credited as: Mike Amundsen. Has an MFA in Screenwriting from UCLA and is a member of I.A. 776, the Los Angeles union for Motion Picture and Videotape Editors. Michael has edited feature films and made documentaries around the world. He teaches screenwriting at the University of New Mexico and film production at the College of Santa Fe. Film editor of "Clubhouse Detectives" (1996), The Legend of Wolf Mountain (1992) and "The Witching of Ben Wagner" (1987). Assistant editor of "Midnight Run" (1988). Apprentice editor of "Witness," starring Harrison Ford. Director of the documentary "Take Willy With Ya": The Riding Greenoughs and the Golden Age of Rodeo (1989) and a PBS documentary about St. Johns, Arizona. Director of of the excellent but rather unseen documentary Church-funded video "Church In Action: The Walls Come Down." Director of "The Woman at the Well," plus 8 other seminary films for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Assistant director for the classic Church videos "The Phone Call" (1977) and "The Emmett Smith Story" (1979), directed by Douglas G. Johnson and filmed by a BYU crew. Assistant editor for the feature film "Harry's War" (1981), directed by Kieth Merrill.
Adam Thomas Anderegg
Latter-day Saint. Also credtied as: Adam Anderegg. Lives in American Fork, Utah with his wife, Carol. Graduate of Brigham Young University. Director of "The Touch" (short Biblical film) and the feature film "Jack Weyland's Charly," based on one of the most popular novels ever published in the Latter-day Saint market. Profile Page
Emily Anderegg
Latter-day Saint. Casting assistant for the Latter-day Saint-themed feature film "Jack Weyland's Charly" (2002), which was directed by Adam Anderegg.
Tyson Anderegg
Latter-day Saint. Appeared as the "airport todler" in the Latter-day Saint-themed feature film "Jack Weyland's Charly" (2002), directed by Adam Anderegg. Presumably Tyson is the son of the director.
Darin Andersen
Darin Andersen
Lives in Provo, Utah. Also credited as: Darin Anderson; Darin K. Andersen. Production designer/art director of "Handcart" (2002) and "Yankee 2 Kilo" (i.e. "Y2K"; 2001), both directed by Kels Goodman. Also credited as an associate producer and co-writer on "Y2K." Art director for the Latter-day Saint-themed direct-to-video film "A Pioneer Miracle" (2003), directed by T.C. Christensen. Other credits include work on short films and videos such as "Goin' Home" (or "Going Home"); "The Statue"; "The Fourth Trimester" and "Fields of Gold."
Duane Andersen
Latter-day Saint. Painter and budding filmmaker. Masters Degree in painting from State University of New York at Buffalo. Swing gang on TV movie "Battling for Baby" (1992). Andersen's film "Daniil Kharms' The Old Woman" is available through Films for the Humanities and Sciences (www.films.com). It starred Bryan Moss, former University of Moscow physics professor Anna Golub, Eric Bjarnson, Jjana Valentiner-Morrill and Dane Allred. The film was co-produced and edited by Scott M. Hurst; Jason Hatfield was the cinematographer. Andersen's short documentary "Shooting People" won a best short award at the Thunderbird International Film Festival (held at Southern Utah University). It starred Evan Dee Loveless, Scott Subiono, Melida Clarkson, and Melinda Renee. It also featured Bryan Moss, Eric Bjarnson, Dane Allred, and Eric Vaughan. It was also co-produced and edited by Scott Hurst and co-produced and photographed by Jason Hatfield. Bio from "Just Docs" film festival:
Duane Andersen currently teaches painting at Brigham Young University. He has directed several other film projects. His first film, "Old Woman," was based on a Russian short story and it featured at the International Cinema at BYU in 1999. More recently, he completed "Shooting People," a 15-minute piece about photographers' dilemma in extreme violent settings such as war.

Mark Andersen
Lives in Orem, Utah. His company, Rubber Ball Productions, provides royalty-free digital stock photography and film. Credited with additional photography in the Latter-day Saint-themed feature film "Out of Step" (2002). Director of photography for the Maren Ord music video "Everyday" (2002), which was directed by Ryan Little and which was included on the DVD/video release of the Latter-day Saint-themed feature film "The Singles Ward" (2002). "Everyday" is an original song written and performed by Ord, and the video features scenes from "The Singles Ward" (for which Ryan Little was the D.P.) as well as additional footage of Ord. Other film credits include commercials for Smith's, Kennecott Copper, and Garff Motors. Website: http://www.rubberball.com
Martin Andersen
Latter-day Saint. Lives in Orem, Utah. Sometimes credited as: Martin Anderson; Martin L. Andersen; Marten Andersen. Producer and director of short motivational films averaging 20 minutes in length, as well a some corporate videos. His videos include: Journey to Harmony (2002); Walls (2001); Turning Point (1996); Navigate Your Destiny (1999); The Quest for a Go-Getter (1990); Reach for the Stars (1995); Follow Your Heart (1998); Above and Beyond (1995); Dark Knight (1995); Back to the Vision (1993). His corporate videos include: Treasure Chest (1996), Dreamstealers II (1992), Rising Star Trek (1991). Some of these were made for NuSkin (although they aren't about the company). Many of these were made with cinematographer T.C. Christensen. Many of these are sold at Latter-day Saint Christian bookstores. Andersen was the film editor for the direct-to-video movie "Bug Off!" (2001), directed by T.C. Christensen. Also one of numerous credited "story consultans" for "Bug Off!" Andersen won a Chris Award in the "Business and Industry" cetegory at the Columbus Film and Video Festival in 1999 for a corporate video "Media Literacy." He received honorable mention in the "Education and Information" category at the same festival in 1998 for "Follow Your Heart," both of which me made for Nu Skin International. Sound recordist for the Gospel-themed short film "The Bridge" (1978).
Bill Anderson
Born 12 October 1911 in Smithfield, Utah. Died 28 December 1997, San Francisco, California. Birth name: William Hillyard Anderson. Sometimes credited as: William H. Anderson. Long-time producer of live-action feature films for the Walt Disney studios, including some theatrically-released films such as "Swiss Family Robinson" (1960, $40+ million U.S. gross, 2nd highest grossing movie of year) and "The Apple Dumpling Gang" (1975, $16.5 million gross). Over 25 other movie producing credits (many for which made-for-TV Disney movies), including: The Shaggy D.A. (1976); The Strongest Man in the World (1975); Superdad (1974); Charley and the Angel (1973); The Biscuit Eater (1972); $1,000,000 Duck (1971); The Barefoot Executive (1971); The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1969); Moon Pilot (1962); Zorro, the Avenger (1960); The Sign of Zorro (1960); Third Man on the Mountain (1959). Associate producer of "Old Yeller" (1957). Producer of TV series, including "Zorro" (late 1950s), "Swamp Fox" (1959) and "Texas John Slaughter" (1958-1961).
Craig Anderson
Editorial intern for the Leucadia film "Coyote Summer" (1996). Apprentice editor for Leucadia's "Wish Upon a Star" (1996), directed by Blair Treu. Credited by IMDb as music score coordinator for the feature film "Sleepy Hollow" (1999).
Dave Anderson
Tape operator for "The Children's Video Songbook, Vol. 1: My Heavenly Father's World" (1990), sold in Latter-day Saint bookstores.
David Anderson
Producer of numerous independent family films made in Utah, mostly direct-to-video productions. Producer of the Leucadia Film Corporation's "The Paper Brigade" (1996), "Wish Upon a Star" (1996) and "Just Like Dad" (1996), all directed by Blair Treu. Producer of Leucadia's "Coyote Summer" (1996), directed by Matias Alvarez. Producer of the TV movies "The Little Riders" (1996), directed by Kevin Connor, and "Windrunner" (1995), written by Mitch Davis. Producer of the feature film "Breaking Free" (1995) and "The Goodbye Bird" (1993). Producer of "Alan & Naomi" (1992), directed by Sterling Van Wagenen. Associate producer of Perry Lang's feature film "Men of War" (1994), starring Dolph Lundgren. Unit production manager of "What About Bob?" (1991) and "Navy SEALS" (1990).

According to IMDb.com, film producer David Anderson is the son of famed film director Michael Anderson -- the British-born filmmaker who directed over 40 movies, including "Summer of the Monkeys" (1998), "Logan's Run" (1976) and "Around the World in Eighty Days" (1956). IMDb.com also lists David Anderson as the stepson of actress Adrianne Ellis, the brother of actor Michael Anderson Jr., and the step-brother of actress Laurie Holden. These notes about Anderson's family relationships may be entirely inaccurate: We have been informed by a friend and collaborator of David Anderson that his father worked for the railroad and was NOT the film director MIchael Anderson.
David R. Anderson
Lives in Orem, Utah. Art director of "Turn the Gas Back On" and "Ballet Mechanique."
Dax Anderson
Lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. Assistant camera for "Just a Dream" (2001). Additional camera loader for "Drive Me Crazy" (1999). Loader for "Wish Upon a Star" (1996). Swing gang for the Leucadia-produced TV movie "Windrunner" (1995). Art department assistant for the Leucadia feature film "Alan & Naomi" (1992).
Duke Anderson
Costume assistant for the Leucadia TV movie "Windrunner" (1995). Stand-in for the Leucadia feature film "Alan & Naomi" (1992).
Glenn L. Anderson
Latter-day Saint. Author, screenwriter, media arts specialist. Works at Brigham Young University (BYU). Producer/director of the video, "Passport to Destiny" (1999). Screenwriter of the Disney TV movie "The Thanksgiving Promise" (1986), adapted from the novel Chester, I Love You by Blaine and Brent Yorgason. Screenwriter of the direct-to-video Latter-day Saint market feature film "The Shadow of Light" (2002) and the PBS documentary "LaVell Edwards: Spirit of Cougar Football" (2001; also producer). Author of 2 science fiction novels for the Latter-day Saint Christian market: The Millennium File (1986) and The Doomsday Factor (1988), as well as short stories including "Cryospawn" and "Shannon's Flight." Narrator for the KBYU video "Cinder Edna" (2001), a video taped version of an illustrated book.
Jack Anderson
Latter-day Saint. Pulitzer Prize-winning muckracker and Washington, D.C. journalist. If he knows the identity of "Deep Throat" (the still-anonymous source who helped take down Pres. Nixon), he isn't telling. Writer/reporter/host of a number of video and TV documentaries, including the video series "Government As It Is" (1980), with volumes on The Executive, Judicial, and Legislative branches, as well as "Encounter with the Unknown" (1973) and "Investigative Reports: Jack Anderson: JFK, The Mob And Me (A&E). Has hosted TV series, including "American Expose", "Jack Anderson: Confidential" and "Insiders With Jack Anderson."
Jon L. Anderson
Director of photography for the Latter-day Saint-themed hour-long KBYU dramatic film "Eliza and I" (1997), directed by Richard Dutcher. Producer of the Latter-day Saint-themed KBYU dance film "Woman, the Pioneer" (1997). Produced the documentary "The Dixie Cotton Mission" (1995), part of the "Utah Storybook" series.
Klay Anderson
Lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. Company: Klay Andersen Audio Inc., located in Salt Lake City. Website: http://www.klay.com/. Bio from website (http://www.klay.com/company/desc.html):
Klay Anderson is a 27-year audio veteran with "hands-on" experience as both a "user" and a supplier. For years, he has been a noted professional audio engineer and additionally he has been a consultant who designs, sells and installs professional audio systems. His firm, Klay Anderson Audio, provides, full-service, pro-audio sales and service throughout the world. The nine member, multi-million dollar company represents all the major, professional manufacturers of digital and analog sound equipment and supplies.

Klay Anderson Audio enthusiastically offers the full spectrum of audio services including consulting, professional audio equipment sales, installation and maintenance. Service areas include broadcast and recording facilities, auditoriums and concert halls, sound reinforcement, acoustical treatments, audio rentals and operators. The hallmark of the firm far exceeds specification of equipment. It is a penchant for excellence. Guiding this desire for quality are two axioms: "Good Sound Is The Absence Of Bad Sound" and "Anything that is not quite right is wrong!"


Lincoln Anderson
Stand-in for Ben Diskin, the child star, in Blair Treu's "Just Like Dad" (1995). Also worked as a stand-in in Treu's "The Paper Brigade" (1996). Also had a bit part on screen in "The Paper Brigade." Stand-in for 4th-billed star Adam Wylie in the Leucadia film "Breaking Free" (1995).
Luke Anderson
Lives in California. Born in Salt Lake City, Utah. Female. Small acting parts in "Strange Fits of Passion" (1999) and the TV movie "Halifax f.p: A Killing of Crows" (1998). Raiderette (cheerleader) for the Oakland Raiders football team. Model. Website: http://www.lukeanderson.com/
Luke Anderson
Lives in Utah. Male. Had a bit part as a football player in the Leucadia-produced TV movie "Windrunner" (1995). Camera loader for the Leucadia films "Coyote Summer" (1996) and "The Paper Brigade" (1996).
Margo Anderson
Lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. Hair stylist, make-up artist and costumer.
Matthew Anderson
Latter-day Saint. Co-wrote the feature-length screenplay "Pinewood Derby" (along with Kyle Snarr), which competed in the 2002 LDS Film Festival.
Michael Anderson
Michael Anderson
Michael O. Anderson
Lives in Layton, Utah. Sometimes credited as: Michael Anderson; Michael O. Anderson. Location scout for "A Midnight Clear" (1991). Location manager and transportation manager for the Feature Films For Families videos "The ButterCream Gang" (1992) and "Secret of Treasure Mountain" (1993). Production manager for the Feature Films For Families video "Rigoletto" (1993).
Orrin Anderson
Lives in Pleasant Grove, Utah with his wife Dianna. Assistant art director of the Church-produced TV movie "Mr. Krueger's Christmas" (1980) (starring Jimmy Stewart), and the feature film "Windwalker" (1980), both directed by Academy Award-winning director Kieth Merrill. Draftsman for the feature film "Harry's War" (1981), directed by Merrill.
Scott S. Anderson
Latter-day Saint. Sometimes credited as: Scott Anderson. Writer/director/star of the stage play "The Best Two Years of My Life," which is sold as a video in Latter-day Saint bookstores. The play is based on the true story of four Latter-day Saint missionaries in Holland. Anderson is currently producing and directing a feature film version, scheduled for theatrical release in Fall 2003.
Steve Anderson
Steve Anderson
Steven Anderson
Lives in Utah. Sometimes credited as: Steve Anderson; Steven Anderson; Steven W. Anderson. Prolific actor. Has appeared in dozens of feature films, TV movies, and direct-to-video films. Major roles include: Journey to Harmony (2002); Bug Off! (2001); The Judas Project (1993); Secret of Treasure Mountain (1993); In Your Wildest Dreams (1991); When a Stranger Calls (1979). Has made guest appearances on dozens of TV shows, including: The Amazing Spider-Man; Baywatch; China Beach; Coach; Diagnosis Murder; ER; Ellen; Everwood; The Facts of Life; Father Dowling Mysteries; Hunter; JAG; L.A. Doctors; Mad About You; Matlock; Murphy Brown; NYPD Blue; The Nanny; Ned and Stacey; Philly; The Practice; The Pretender; Sabrina, the Teenage Witch; Space: Above and Beyond; Star Trek: The Next Generation; Step by Step; Touched by an Angel; University Hospital; The Visitor; Wonder Woman; The X Files..
Susan Kay Anderson
Graduted with a theater degree from Brigham Young University (BYU) in 1987. Also credited as: Susan Kay McKinley; Susan Kay McKinley Anderson. Bio from BYU Theatre & Media Arts Alumni website (http://cfac.byu.edu/tma/portfolio_view.php?uid=Anderson,%20Susan%20Kay%20McKinley&category=Alumni):
Susan is currently the drama teacher at Provo High School. She has been teaching theatre or debate for fifteen years. She also has done some professional acting; her agent is Patti Miner with Lasting Impressions Talent Agency. She has appeared in television ("It's a Miracle"), commercials, and industrial films. She and her husband, Keith of 28 years, have five children and two grandchildren. She tries to participate in community acting when her schedule allows.

Joe Andreini
1st A.C. for "The Crow: Salvation" (2000), "Absence of the Good" (1999) and "The Rage" (1997). 2nd A.C. for "Divided by Hate" (1997), and "Same River Twice" (1996).
James Andrews
Actor from St. George area, Utah. Star of the "Don't Waste Utah" TV commercials and the short film "Backfire" (2000), which was shown at the Eclipse Film Festival. Small roles in "Christmas Mission" (sold in Latter-day Saint bookstores) and the movie "Pool Days" (1993).
Jan Andrews
Graduate of University of Utah. BA 1971, MA 1972, MFA 1998. Resident of Alpine, Utah. Award-winning filmaker. Director of documentaries "Who Owns the Past" (2000) and "Exiles Between Two Worlds" (1992). Bio from NFAA National Panel 2002 (http://www.nfaa.org/panel/PanelFV.htm)
Jan began making films in 1984 after returning from Egypt where she had conducted fieldwork as an anthropologist. Early in her college days she had been a photographer and had exhibited in several galleries in Utah and California. Cinematography added the element of sustained storytelling to the visuals of photography. Since that time she has made twelve films and videos each of which she wrote, directed, photographed and edited. Most of her films are of the experimental genre, including the documentaries and narratives. Jan's films have screened at film festivals around the country and in Europe, South America and Asia. Jan has had films broadcast on the Learning Channel, the Sundance Channel and several Community Access stations. For the past five years she has taught filmmaking (16mm) and film history at the University of Utah.

Justin Andrews
Best boy electric for the KBYU documentary "The Call of Story" (2002). Gaffer for the KBYU documentary "Letting God Have His Way: A Conversation about C.S. Lewis" (1999).
Lorelie Andrus
Teacher at Orem High School in Orem, Utah. Swing gang for Martin Andersen's short film "Follow Your Heart" (1998).
Mark Andrus
Screenwriter of four feature films: Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002); Life as a House (2001); As Good As It Gets (1997); Late for Dinner (1991). Nominated for an Academy Award for "As Good As It Gets." Profile Page
Alisa Anglesey
Latter-day Saint. Sometimes credited as: Alisa Angelsey. Graduate of Brigham Young University. Director of award-winning short films sold in Latter-day Saint Christian bookstores: In Time of Need (1999); The Good Samaritan; Elijah and the Widow of Zarephath (1997). Casting director for KBYU productions, such as the documentary "The Call of Story" (2002) and the award-winning short film "Roots & Wings" (2002). Served as a judge at the 2nd LDS Film Festival, held in Provo, Utah in November 2002. Director of the short experimental film "If I Only Was the Fellow" (2003, 2 minutes, color), which competed in the 3rd LDS Film Festival (Jan. 2004) and was described thus: "A commentary on Will S. Adkins' poem by R. Corey Lawrence." Profile Page
Allan Anopol
Utah-based film producer. Producer of the Vineyard Productions documentary "Backstage at the Ballet" (1995), executive produced by Scott Swofford. Production manager for T.C. Christensen's "Bug Off!" (2001). Producer of the Bridgestone Multimedia children's documentaries "Making Steel" (1995) and "A Day at the Farm" (1995), directed by George Griner. Appears briefly on screen as part of the alien council in "Bug Off!"
Beth Anopol
Lives in Utah. Production assistant for T.C. Christensen's "Bug Off!" (2001), on which Allan Anopol (presumably her father) was the production manager.
Bruce Aoki
Lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with his wife Anne. Company: Wildwood Productions, Inc. Provides complete film production. Producer/director of commercials and corporate films for clients such as Dodge Automotive, Ford, Chevron, Knott's Berry Farm, Princess Cruise Lines. Director of photography (cinematographer) of films/commercials for Belk Department Stores, Cedar Point Amusement Park, Knotts Berry Farms, Princess Cruise Lines.
Dean Aoki
First assistant camera for Eric Hendershot's direct-to-video family films "Message in a Cell Phone" (2000) and "Horse Crazy" (2001).
Margaret Aoki
Actress based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Also known as: Margaret Becker Aoki. Bit parts in the TV movie "Johnny Tsunami" (1999) and the feature film "Ski Patrol" (1990). Visual Media Coordinator at Salt Lake Community College (SLCC). Member of the executive board for the Utah Theatre Association (UTA). Host of the 1999 UTA Conference held at SLCC.
Lee Anne Archibald
Latter-day Saint. Production assistant for the "Late Show with David Letterman." Graduate of Brigham Yount University. Article: "Letterman's Top Two," by Scott Tiffany, BYU Magazine, Spring 1998.
Warren Archibald
Lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. Production assistant for "Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael" (1990) and the TV movie "The Revenge of Al Capone" (1989). Electrician for the BYU student film "Wildest Dreams" (1986).
David Archuleta
Latter-day Saint. Born 28 December 1990 in Miami, Floria. Lives in Murray, Utah. Birth name: David James Archuleta. At the age of 13 he won $100,000 when he came in first place in the national TV talent competition "Star Search" on CBS (2003-2004 season). Official website: http://davidarchuleta.net/. Bio from official website:
"Where did you get that voice"? From Jenny Jones to Naomi Judd, Ben Stein, Boyz II Men, Leann Rimes, Hillary Duff and Ahmet Zappa, it seems everyone who hears David wonders the same thing - How can a young kid living in Utah learn to sing like that?? He has been called "The Soul man from Utah," the "Soul Midget King," "Mini Motown Monster" and a singing prodigy, and this is just the beginning.

From Wayne Newton in the 50s and 60s, Michael Jackson and Donny Osmond in the 70s, Tevin Campbell in the 90s and Billy Gillman in 2000, only a handful of young male entertainers have been able to achieve National recognition. Now to add to this elite list of pre-teen young male singers is David Archuleta, whose natural "soulful" voice has captivated America through his performances on Jenny Jones and most recently as the junior singer grand prize winner of Star Search 2.

David Archuleta was born in Miami, Florida on December 28th 1990 and spent the first six years of his life in various cities in Florida. In February of 1997, David and his family moved to Salt Lake City, Utah where he lives with his parents, his brother and 3 sisters and 2 cats. He comes from a musical family where his mother sings both Spanish and English pop music, and his dad is a jazz trumpet player. David began singing at the age of 6 when he memorized several songs from the Les Miserables 10th anniversary concert, complete with English and Cockney accents. He also enjoyed singing songs from the movie Evita and songs he learned while at the amusement park Lagoon in Utah like Natalie Cole's "Pink Cadillac". Although David enjoyed singing, he still didn't feel comfortable singing in front of people. He just couldn't believe people would really want to hear his voice.

When he was 10 he participated in the Utah Talent Competition and although VERY reluctant to go perform in public, and feeling extremely nervous, he went onstage and sang "I Will Always Love You" and received a standing ovation, winning the kid division and realizing that people really did like to hear his voice. Several months passed and a new show started on TV, American Idol. David loved to watch and rewatch the performances and learned dozens of songs from the show including the song, "And I am Telling You, I'm Not Going" which has become one of his favorite songs to perform.

Towards the end of the American Idol first season, a friend of the family called about a show Jenny Jones was doing to feature talented kids across America and thought David should audition for the show. A show producer called and listened to an a capella recording of David singing "And I Am Telling You", and was so impressed, she asked him to rush a video and CD to them. A few days later, David and his dad were on a plane to Chicago to be on the show. While there he met AJ Gil from American Idol and formed a friendship with him, and a week later while in LA, met with AJ who then introduced David to the rest of the American Idol finalists including Kelly, Justin, Tamyra, Christina, Nikki, RJ, Jim, Ryan, and Ejay, and asked him to perform for them. They were absolutely amazed with his singing, and within a few days David was being introduced to many TV and Record label producers and executives.

The last several months have included performing 3 times on Star Search, being seen on CBS' The Early Show and has been the beginning of an exciting journey for David and his family. He is now in negotiations to record some new material and will be releasing a new CD soon.


Julio Arciniega
Latter-day Saint. Sometimes credited as: Julio Archiniega. Actor. Had a small role a teacher in the Disney TV movie "The Luck of the Irish" (2001). Has appeared in numerous films produced by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is on the Board of Trustees of the Utah Latino Organization.
Vaughn C. Armstrong
Also credited as: Vaughn Armstrong. As a student employee at the Media Arts Lab, he held the position of sound editing supervisor. Sound engineer for the Latter-day Saint/GLBT-themed documentary "Troy Through a Window" (2003), directed by BYU student film Brad Barber. Sound editor for "The Making of 'The Other Side of Heaven'" (2002) documentary featurette, about the making of Mitch Davis' Latter-day Saint-themed feature film, which was made in cooporation with Brigham Young University. Sound editor for the BYU student film "Daybreak (2000). Sound designer for the BYU student film "Sublimating Arthur" (2001). Composer and music mixer for the BYU student film "In Time of Need" (1999).
Scott Arneman
Lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. Also known as: Scott N. Arneman. Property master for the Disney TV movies "Double Teamed" (2002), "Hounded" (2001), "The Poof Point" (2001), and "The Luck of the Irish" (2001). Property master for: Bug Off! (2001); Nobody's Baby (2001); Jumping for Joy (2000); Return to the Secret Garden (2000); Stranger Than Fiction (1999); Friends & Lovers (1999); SLC Punk! (1999); No More Baths (1998); Coyote Summer (1996). Assistant property master for the TV movies "In My Sister's Shadow" (1997) and "Money Plays" (1997), Scott Featherstone's independent feature film "Same River Twice" (1996), Kieth Merrill's IMAX film "Ozarks: Legacy & Legend" (1995), and the TV miniseries "The Stand" (1994). Assistant property master for the big budget film "The Testaments of One Fold and One Shepherd" (2000), produced by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In property department for "The Robin Hood Gang" (1997). Art director for the TV movies "A Thousand Men and a Baby" (1997) and "Detention: The Siege at Johnson High" (1997). Appears briefly on screen as part of the alien council and in the restaurant scene in T.C. Christensen's "Bug Off!"
Andy Arness
Latter-day Saint. Created the 4-minute music video "Amazing" (2002), which competed in the 2nd LDS Film Festival, held in Provo, Utah in November 2002. The video is described thus: "Death comes to all, but thanks to the Savior, all shall live again." Wrote the feature-length screenplay "Below Par," which competed in the 2002 LDS Film Festival.
Brandon Arnold
Latter-day Saint. Film student at Brigham Young University (BYU). Director of short films "Loie" (2001); "Jip" (2001, peanut butter animation), "Arm for an Arm (2001) and "Men In Suits 2000" (2000). Screenwriter and cinematographer of short film "Hoagies" (2001). The documentary "Loie" was awarded Honorable Mention at the Young International LDS Film Festival in 2001. Made the short film "Pastor Inquist's Trip to Orlando" (2003, 8 minutes, color), which competed in the 3rd LDS Film Festival (Jan. 2004) and was described thus: "A clay animated film about Pastor Inquist's decision not to go on a trip to Orlando, based on a short story by Garrison Keillor." Director of the short black & white documentary "Flugtag" (2003, 7 minutes), which competed in the 3rd LDS Film Festival and was described thus: "A boot, an axe, a flying squirrel, and one man's quest to prove, once and for all, the superiority of art over logic and reason."
Douglas Arnold
Lives in Sandy, Utah. Sometimes credited as: Doug Arnold. Grip, electrician. Electrician for "The Right Temptation" (2000) and "Unhook the Stars" (1996). Best boy electric for the Leucadia film "Windrunner" (1995). Electrician for Leucadia's "Breaking Free" (1995).
Ty Arnold
Second assistant camera for Christian Vuissa's award-winning short BYU student film "Roots & Wings" (2002). First assistant camera for Vuissa's short film "Unfolding" (2003). Camera operator for the award-winning short BYU student film "The Promethean" (2003). Best boy for the award-winning short film "The Snell Show" (2002).
Spencer Arntsen
Latter-day Saint. Graduated in 2002 from Brigham Young University (BYU) with a Bachelors degree in Sociology. Teaches Upper School Spanish II and III at Realms of Inquiry, a private school in Salt Lake City, Utah. Also teaches film, cinematography and claymation elsewhere. Won Honorable Mention for the short film "Mara," which he and his team created as part of the 24-Hour Filmmaking Marathon competition at the 2nd LDS Film Festival, held in Provo, Utah in November 2002. Homepage: http://www.realmsofinquiry.org/Teacher%20Pages/spencer.htm
Ishmael Arredondo
Latter-day Saint and Scientologist. Born in Mexico City. Move to United States circa 1985. Moved to Los Angeles circa 1996. Full name: Ishmael Arredondo Henriguez. Producer of "El Espiritu de mi mama" (1999; a.k.a. "Spirit of My Mother") and the short film "Sin Papeles." On Vision Film Festival executive council.
James Arrington
Latter-day Saint. Lives in Orem, Utah. Playwright and actor. Department chair, and instructor of film and acting, at Utah Valley State College. Company: James Arrington Productions. Two of his one-man plays have been made into videos: "The Farley Family Reunion" (starring himself) and "J. Golden" (2000), starring Dalin Christiansen. Writer of the films "A Christmas Secret" and "Runt's Revenge." Writer of the industrial films "Happy Birthday Baby", "Cook Island". Major voice role (chamberlain) in the animated feature film "The Swan Princess" (1994), directed by Richard Rich. Did voice work for short animated videos directed by Richard Rich at Living Scriptures, Inc., including "The Miracles of Jesus" (1989). Appeared in TV movie "Petronella" (1978). Has written many plays about the nineteenth century: Brother Brigham; Wilford Woodruff; The Prophet; J. Golden; Independence, 1833. Writer (and star) of the contemporary Latter-day Saint stage comedies The Farley Family Reunion; The Farley Family 2: The Next Gyration and Farley Family Xmas, which premiered December 1997. Co-author (with Marviny Payne and Steven Kapp Perry) of The Trail of Dreams, a musical about Latter-days Saint pioneers. Author of the book Aunt Pearl's Family Reunion Book: Personal Pointers on "How to 'Farley-Up' Your Family Reunion". Well known for his stage portrayals of Brigham Young. His book, videos, and also a tape presentation -- "Brigham Young: Portrait of a Prophet" -- are available at Latter-day Saint bookstores.
Eric Artell
Latter-day Saint. Lives in Los Angeles, California, where he is pursuing an acting career. SAG. Had the title role in the Living Scriptures, Inc. docudrama "Joseph F. Smith," part of the Modern Prophets video series of videos about Latter-day prophets, directed by Laurie Stephens. Had a major supporting role in the Latter-day Saint-themed feature film "The Work and the Story" (2003), playing the part of "Kevin," a struggling young Latter-day Saint filmmaker. Major role in the award-winning film "Let Them Eat Cake," directed by Brian W. Petersen. Had a small role in the independent film "Net Worth" (2000), which was filmed in Park City, Utah. Guest appearance on an episode of the network TV series "Boomtown," and on the Nickelodeon show "All That." Has appeared in many commercials, including Burger King, Papa Murphy's, Singular, Nokia, Yahoo!, Chevrolet, and Home Depot. Previously was a regular performer with the Salt Lake City-based improvisational theatrical troupe The Skinny Lincolns. Has performed (often in lead roles) in stage shows, including: Our Town (NP Theater); Se Questo e un Uomo (Italian Readers Theater); Papa & The Playhouse (Valley Center Playhouse); The Cruise of Love (Valley Center Playhouse); The Love of the Nightingale (Stage 52). Has trained in improvisational theater with the famed Los Angeles group The Groundlings. Has trained under Andy Goldberg, Lance Williams, Catrine McGregor, Pat Fraley and Joyce Castellanos. Speaks fluent Italian. In 2003 he founded an improv troupe and school called C&E Improv Factory (http://www.ImprovFactory.com). Personal website: http://www.eric-artell.com
Ryan Arvay
Latter-day Saint. Hometown: Cupertino, California. Birth name: Ryan Andrew Arvay. Film student at Brigham Young University (2001). Writer/director of the short film "Still Lifes" (2001), which competed in the Int'l Young LDS Film Festival (2001) and BYU's Final Cut film festival (2002). Director of the short student film "December," which competed in BYU's Final Cut film festival in March 2003. Set decorator for the award-winning short film "Roots & Wings" (2002). Still photographer and additional videographer for the award-winning BYU student film "The Promethean" (2003).
David C. Asay
Latter-day Saint. Lives in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife Pamela. Sometimes credited as: Dave Asay; David Asay. Executive producer (along with his wife, Pamela Asay), and producer (along with Randy Mellor) of the Book of Mormon-oriented documentary video "In Search of 'Ancient Cumorah'" (2001). Executive producer (along with his wife) and producer of the documentary video "Lehi's Land of First Inheritance" (2002), directed by Chris Heimerdinger.
Pamela Asay
Latter-day Saint. Sometimes credited as: Pamela V. Asay. Lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband, David C. Asay. Executive producer (with Randy Mellor and her husband David Asay) of the Book of Mormon-oriented documentary video "In Search of 'Ancient Cumorah'" (2001). Executive producer (with Randy Mellor) of the Book of Mormon-oriented documentary video "Lehi's Land of First Inheritance" (2002), which was directed by author Chris Heimerdiner.
Hal Ashby
Latter-day Saint (non-churchgoer as an adult). Born 2 September 1929, Ogden, Utah. Attended Utah State University in Logan, Utah. Died 27 December 1988, Malibu, California. Acclaimed director and Academy Award-winning film editor. Best Director Academy Award nomination for "Coming Home" (1978). Best Film Editing Academy Award for "In the Heat of the Night" (1967). Film Editing Academy Award nomination for "The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming" (1966). As director, nominated for 4 Golden Palms at the Cannes Film Festival, for "Being There" (1979), "Coming Home," "Bound for Glory" (1976) and "The Last Detail" (1973). 3 Golden Globe nominations. Also director of: 8 Million Ways to Die (1986); The Slugger's Wife (1985); Let's Spend the Night Together (1982); Lookin' to Get Out (1982); Second-Hand Hearts (1981); Shampoo (1975); The Landlord (1970). Editor of "The Thomas Crown Affair" (1968), "The Loved One" (1965) and "The Cincinnati Kid" (1965). Onscreen cameo appearances in "Being There" and "Harold and Maude." Bio from IMDb.com (http://us.imdb.com/Bio?Ashby,+Hal):
Hal Ashby was born the fourth and youngest child in a Mormon household in Ogden, Utah on September 2, 1929. His father was a dairy farmer. After a rough childhood that included the divorce of his parents, his father's suicide, dropping out of high school, getting married and divorced all before he was 19, he decided to leave Utah for California. A Californian employment office found him a printing press job at Universal Studios. Within a few years, he was an assistant film editor at various other studios. One of his pals while at MGM was a young messenger named Jack Nicholson. He moved up to being a full fledged editor on "The Loved One" (1965) and started editing the films of director Norman Jewison.

A highlight of his film editing career was winning an Oscar for the landmark "In the Heat of the Night" (1967). Itching to become a director, Jewison gave him a script he was too busy to work on called "The Landlord" (1970). It became Ashby's first film as a director. From there he delivered a series of well-acted, intelligent human scaled dramas that included "The Last Detail" (1973), "Shampoo" (1975), "Bound for Glory" (1976), "Coming Home" (1978) and "Being There" (1979). Great reviews and Oscar nominations became common on Ashby films.

Ashby was always a maverick and a contrary person and success proved difficult for Ashby to handle. He became unreliable due to his dependence on drugs and a reclusive lifestyle. He actually collapsed while making the Rolling Stone concert film "Let's Spend the Night Together" (1982) in Arizona. Although he recovered, he was never the same after that. He began taking too much time in post production on his films and actually had a couple of his later projects taken away from him to be edited by others. He tried to straighten himself out but in the 1980s he was considered by many to be unemployable. Just when he felt he was turning a corner in his life, he developed cancer that spread to his liver and colon. He died on December 27, 1988. Actor Sean Penn dedicated his first film as a director, "The Indian Runner" (1991) to Ashby and John Cassavetes, even though Penn was never directed by either one. Because he did not have a set visual style, many mistake this for no style at all. His career is not discussed as often as the careers of some of his contemporaries.


Joshua S. Ashdown
Born 22 March 1979, Ogden, Utah. Birth name: Joshua Steve Ashdown. Sometimes credited as: Joshua Ashdown. Lives in Ogden, Utah. Has worked on a number of movies that were filmed in Utah. Sound department for "Christmas in the Clouds" (2000). Assistant production coordinator on the "Touched by an Angel" TV series. A day player on "Primary Suspect" (2000), "Partners in Crime" (2000) and "Drive Me Crazy" (1999). A production assistant "Firestarter 2: Rekindled" (2002); "Shot in the Heart" (2001) and "See You In My Dreams" (2000). Producer of "Eternity," "Genesis Project" and "Luna's Moon."
Stuart Ashton
Senior Character/Creature Rigger for Zygote Media, based in Provo, Utah. Did character modeling for the feature films "Hollow man" (Zygote contracted for Sony Imageworks), The Fifth Element" (Zygote contracted for Digital Domain), and "Lake Placid" (Zygote contracted for Digital Domain). Website: http://www.zygote.com
John Brooks Aspiras
Lives in Utah. Sometimes credited as: John B. Aspiras; John Aspiras. Craft service for "Unhook the Stars" (1996), "Stranger Than Fiction" (1999) and the Leucadia direct-to-video movies "Wish Upon a Star" (1996), "Coyote Summer" (1996), "The Paper Brigade" (1996), "Just Like Dad" (1996). Actor in the Sunn Classics film "Beyond Death's Door" (1978).
Randy Astle
Latter-day Saint. Birth name: Randall Scott Astle. Graduate of the prestigious film school at Brigham Young University (BYU). Lived in Provo, Utah until 2002. Moved to New York City to further study film in September 2002. In 2001, Astle co-organized the International Young LDS Film Festival, founded by Christian Vuissa (Astle organized the forums and panels). Astle also helped organize the festival in its second year. Astle is the credited writer on "The Best Crop" (November 2002), April Chabries's hour-long historical documentary about the city of Orem, Utah. Co-writer of short film "Avernus" (2002), directed by Andrew Black. Won 2nd Place in the screenwriting competition (for his script "Taco Veloz" in the Int'l Young LDS Film Festival, 2001. Presented an address titled "Battling Over Zion: Purity in Heart and the Modern Motion Picture" at the third annual Religious Education Student Symposium at BYU, February 22-23, 2001. With Rocky Hansen, co-wrote and co-directed "Til We Meet Again: The Story of Kristina," a 23-minute documentary on the sesquicentennial of the Church in Denmark which was distributed privately Jan. 2002. Script supervisor for the award-winning short film "Roots & Wings" (2002).
Brent Astrope
Lives in Lehi, Utah. Carpenter whose film credits include: "Touched By an Angel", "Con Air", "Extreme", "No More Baths", "Behind the Waterfall", "Avenging Angel", "Halloween 666: The Origin of Michael Myers." His company, Wasatch Production Rental, provides equipment such as tone scissor lift/dump truck combination, stakebed with lift gate 12 x 8 bed.
Gabriel Atiya
Lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. Also credited as: Gabriel D. Atiya. Computer graphics specialist with an emphasis on 3D animation and digital imaging. Education: 2000: Master of Fine Arts in Imaging Arts/Computer Animation, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York. 1997: BS, minor in Computer Science, University of Utah. 1991: High School honors degree Highland High School, Salt Lake City, Utah. Along with Damian Atiya, he made the short (6 min., 30 sec.) animated film "The Light Idea," which competed in the 2002 Utah Short Film & Video Festival. The film is described thus: A dissatisfied worker finds enchantment with his latest invention. Independently produced a 2D computer animation, "The Pillar," in 1998. Employment: Fall, 1999-Spring, 2000: Silicon Graphics lab assistant, Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, New York. Fall, 1998-Spring, 1999: Teaching Assistant, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York. Summer, 1997: Instructor, Visual Art Institute, Salt Lake City. Winter, 1996: Technical trainee, Packard Bell Computers (through Volt Services) Salt Lake City. Website: http://www.rit.edu/~gda9278/
Keith J. Atkinson
Latter-day Saint. Director of the classic Church video "Cipher in the Snow" (1973).
Tyler Atkinson
Latter-day Saint. Director of the short film "The Mind's Shadow" (2003, 7 minutes, color), which competed in the 3rd LDS Film Festival (Jan. 2004) and was described thus: "A man faces his guilt for the poor way that he treats his wife and pays greatly for it."
Lee Atwood
Lives in Utah. Wrangler for Lee Groberg's documentary "Trail of Hope: The Story of the Mormon Trail" (1997). Props for Groberg's documentary "American Prophet: The Story of Joseph Smith" (1999).
Dan Austin
Latter-day Saint. Raised in Hyrum, Utah. Lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. Graduate of Brigham Young University (BYU). Director of sports-related documentaries "Last Game" (2002); "True Fans Forever" (2002); "True Fans" (1999; won Best Documentary award at Final Cut); and "Pilgrimage of the True Jazz Fans (1996). Director of short film "Vengeance." Screenwriter the BYU/LDS Motion Picture Studio short film "Fourth Witness, The Mary Whitmer Story" (1996). Was also a grip for "Fourth Witness." Director and host of the PBS television series "Tales From the Trail", an exploration of the legends and scenery of Utah's backcountry hiking and biking trails. Website: www.truefans.net
Amber C. Auth
Lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. Make-up artist.
Natalie Avery
Lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. Director of the 15-minute documentary "Paving The Future," which competed in the 2002 Utah Short Film & Video Festival. The film is an alternative look at the Legacy Highway project. Also director of the 4-minute narrative film "Boys" (2000).
Christina Axson-Flynn
Latter-day Saint. Theater student at University of Utah. Transfered to Brigham Young University (BYU). Actress best known for her anti-discrimination lawsuit against the University of Utah; in the suit she attempted to assert free speech rights and religious freedom. Profile Page
Jason Ayon
Latter-day Saint. Born in Reno, Nevada, 1963. Sometimes credited as: Jason Axon. Raised in Las Vegas, Nevada from the age of 4. Participated in theater at Las Vegas High School (now the Las Vegas Academy of International Studies, Performing and Visual Arts) and studied dance with Nevada Ballet Theatre founder Vassili Sulich and at Backstage Dance Studio. Graduate of Brigham Young University. Studied at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and Brigham Young University. Spent several seasons at Robert Redford's Sundance Theatre. Danced in "Footloose." Was a series regular on a short-lived Disney Channel series "The Enchanted Musical Playhouse." Choreographer of the video "My Turn on Earth" (1986), a popular Latter-day Saint musical by Carol Lynn Pearson and Lex de Azevedo. Assistant director of Don Bluth's animated feature film "Titan A.E." (2000). "As assistant director, Ayon worked with producer-director Don Bluth to record the movie's vocal track, which features actors Matt Damon, Drew Barrymore, Bill Pullman, Janeane Garofalo, Nathan Lane and John Leguizamo. After recording their voices -- from Los Angeles to New York to Boston -- Ayon assembled a rough dialogue track for Bluth to approve before animation began... During production of [Don Bluth's] 'Anastasia'... Ayon's dance background came to the fore as he choreographed the movie's musical numbers, leading to his position as assistant director [on Titan A.E.]" (Source: article by Carol Cling, 16 June 2000, Las Vegas Review-Journal).

Please send comments, questions, corrections, etc. to webmaster@ldsfilm.com.

Copyright © 2005 LDSFilm.com.
Web page created 7 June 2002. Last modified 10 September 2004.