Little Known Facts with Ilana Levine

In honor of Thanksgiving and in honor of 30 episodes shared, I wanted to take a moment to say thank you to my friend, the actor John Slattery. John was the first actor to join us in the podcast booth and sit down for an interview when this was just a kernel of an idea. His enthusiasm and his confidence in me was a huge part of what became the "Little Known Facts" podcast. When we finished he told...

Seth Rudetsky is the afternoon Broadway host  of Seth Speaks and Seth's Big Fat Radio Show on Sirius/XM Satellite Radio. He has played piano for over 15 Broadway shows, was Grammy-nominated for his concert CD of Hair and Emmy-nominated for being a comedy writer on "The Rosie O'Donnell Show." He has written two novels, "Broadway Nights" and "My Awesome/Awful Popularity Plan," which are also availab...

Tony-award winning actor Dan Fogler landed a starring role in the much-anticipated Warner Bros. film FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM. This next adventure into J.K. Rowling¹s magical world of witches and wizards will be released Thanksgiving 2016 and also stars Eddie Redmayne. Dan's performance in the Broadway production, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, earned him a Tony award i...

On this special episode of Little Know Facts, Ilana's kids join us to express the importance of voting. We'll return next week with Dan Fogler.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

DAPHNE RUBIN-VEGA is a two-time Tony and Drama Desk nominee (1996/2004) and recipient of the Theater World, Obie (1996) and Blockbuster (1998) awards. She has been a member of the Labyrinth Theater Company since 1992. Ms. Rubin-Vega is perhaps best known for the roles she originated, including Mimi ("RENT") and Conchita ("Anna in the Tropics"), both Pulitzer Prize winning Broadway shows for which...

Michael Urie is the award-winning star of one of the most unexpected theater success stories in years, the brilliant and hilarious Buyer & Cellar.  Playing multiple characters – including Barbra Streisand – in this one-man tour de force, Urie has won the hearts of everyone smart enough to venture down to the Village for a night of off-Broadway genius that won him the Lucille Lortel, Drama Desk, LA...

A two-time Tony award-winning stage actor and instantly recognizable film presence, Matthew Broderick will next be seen on screen in Rules Don’t Apply opposite Warren Beatty, Annette Bening and Lily Collins. He will next star in Look Away alongside Chloe Sevigny and Aidan Turner set for a 2016 release.  On stage, Broderick most recently starred in A. R. Gurney’s comedy Sylvia alongside Annaleigh A...

Talia Balsam has had a fascinating career on stage and in film and television. Some of her TV roles include the new HBO Series - Divorce, Zelda, The Newsroom, Mad Men, The Good Wife, Homeland, Nurse Jackie, Elementary, Treme, K Street, Without A Trace, Larry Sanders Show, Calamity Jane, Consenting Adults and Kent State.  Films include Ira Sachs' Little Men, Don’t Worry Baby, Girl In The Book, No S...

JULIE WHITE recently starred opposite Matthew Broderick and Annaleigh Ashford in the Broadway revival of A.R. Gurney’s play “Sylvia” under the direction of Dan Sullivan. White won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play for her role in “The Little Dog Laughed.”  White recently starred in the 2015 production of Lisa D’Amour’s new play “Airline Highway” under the direction o...

Dominic Fumusa is best known for playing "Kevin Peyton" opposite Edie Falco on Showtime's acclaimed show "Nurse Jackie" which ran for seven seasons from 2009-2015. Fumusa's extensive theater experience includes originating roles in the NY premieres of Sarah Ruhl's Stage Kiss and Passion Play, Richard Greenberg's Tony Award winning Take Me Out (NY and London), Melissa James Gibson's Obie Award winn...

Laura Linney is an American actress who works in film, television and theatre.  Her film work includes GENIUS directed by Michael Grandage, alongside Colin Firth, Jude Law and Nicole Kidman and Tom Ford’s upcoming NOCTURNAL ANIMALS and THE DINNER directed by Oren Moverman with Richard Gere, Steve Coogan and Rebecca Hall. Most recently she has been seen in MR. HOLMES directed by Bill Condon, starri...

Aasif Mandvi is well known for his work as a correspondent on Comedy Central’s Emmy-winning show, THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART. Most recently, Aasif wrote, produced, and starred in the HBO series, THE BRINK, co-starring Jack Black and Tim Robbins. Other recent television appearances include CBS’s PERSON OF INTEREST and MADAM SECRETARY. Mandvi recently starred opposite Kate Hudson, Jennifer Anis...

Craig is currently playing the multiply disordered "Chet Wilton" in Lifetime's Peabody Award winning UnREAL.  On Broadway Bierko received the Theater World Debut Award and Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Drama League Award nominations for his performance of 'Professor Harold Hill' in Susan Stroman's critically acclaimed revival of Meredith Willson's The Music Man. Other Broadway roles incl...

Kathyrn Erbe is best known for playing Detective Alexandra Eames in LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT... Erbe’s television credits include playing the infamous death row inmate Shirley Bellinger on the acclaimed HBO series “Oz.”  She also appeared on NBC’s “Homicide: Life on the Street,” the miniseries “George Wallace,” Showtime’s original production of “Naked City: Justice with a Bullet,” NBC’s “Anoth...

Elizabeth Marvel is a stage and screen actress. Most recently she was cast as President Elect Keane on Homeland." On the big screen, Marvel will appear in the upcoming films “Easy Living” directed by Adam Keleman and “Yeh Din Ka Kissa” directed by Noah Baumbach. She recently played Heather Dunbar, Solicitor General on the Netflix original series, “House of Cards. Marvel has been an integral part o...

Dan Bucatinsky is an actor, writer, producer best known for his Emmy-winning role as "James Novak" on Scandal. Most recently, he joined the cast of the Fox reboot, "24: Legacy," and will appear in the return of Gilmore Girls for Netflix. With business partner Lisa Kudrow, Dan co-starred and executive produced the Emmy-nominated docuseries, "Who Do You Think You Are?" – and with Dan Savage the insp...

Judy Kuhn has been nominated for four Tony Awards most recently for her starring role in the Tony award winning musical Fun Home. Also on Broadway she starred in the Roundabout’s hit revival of She Loves Me (Tony Nomination), Chess (Tony & Drama Desk Nomination), Les Miserables (Tony & Drama Desk Nomination), Rags (Drama Desk Nomination), Two Shakespearean Actors (Lincoln Center Theatre), Alan Men...

John Benjamin Hickey recently starred as ‘Frank Winter’ in the critically acclaimed WGN America series Manhattan which ended its run after its 2nd season. Earlier this year, John was back on stage in Peter Parnell’s Dada Woof Papa Hot at Lincoln Center for director Scott Ellis. John’s film credits include Truth, Big Stone Gap, Get On Up, Pitch Perfect, Flags of Our Fathers, The Anniversary Party,...

Emmy and Tony Award winning actress and singer Kristin Chenoweth’s career spans film, television, voiceover and stage. In 2015, Chenoweth received a coveted star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2009, she received an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in “Pushing Daises.” In 1999, she won a Tony Award for “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown” and she was also nomi...

Noah Emmerich’s breakout performance was in Ted Demme’s cult hit Beautiful Girls (Natalie Portman, Uma Thurman, Matt Dillon). His next role, opposite Jim Carrey in Peter Weir’s Academy Award-nominated The Truman Show, firmly established his outstanding talent. Most recently Noah starred alongside Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Patrick Stewart and Minnie Driver in Damian Harris’ Wilde Wedding. Additi...

Mary Stuart Masterson’s film, TV and theater career, includes roles in At Close Range, Some Kind of Wonderful, Immediate Family [National Board of Review Award] Fried Green Tomatoes, Benny and Joon, and the Broadway musical, Nine [Tony Award nomination]. Mary Stuart directed, The Cake Eaters, starring Kristen Stewart, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2007 and was released in 2009. I...

Roger Bart starred Disaster on Broadway, (Outer Critic's Circle Nom) Young Frankenstein, The Frogs, The Producers, (Tony&Drama Desk Nominations), You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown (Tony Award & Drama Desk Award), Triumph Of Love, Big River. Film credits include: Speech & Debate, Trumbo, How To Build A Better Boy, Last Vegas, Smiley, Law Abiding Citizen,  Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay, A...

Reed Birney just won Tony Award for his role as Erik in Stephen Karam's play, THE HUMANS, at The Helen Hayes Theater in New York. Last season, Reed Birney appeared in New York Halley Feiffer's I'M GONNA PRAY FOR YOU SO HARD (Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk Award nominations) at The Atlantic Theater and Clare Barron's YOU GOT OLDER (Drama Desk Award nomination) at Here Arts Center. He won a Drama...

BEN PLATT originated the title role in Dear Evan Hansen to critical acclaim (Obie Award, Outer Critics Circle and Drama League nominations) and will reprise his performance on Broadway this Fall. Platt was the original Elder Cunningham in the Chicago production of The Book of Mormon and reprised the role on Broadway (dir. Trey Parker and Casey Nicholaw). Film: Benji Applebaum in Pitch Perfect and...

Anthony Rapp has been acting and singing professionally since he was nine years old.  With an extensive list of achievements, Rapp is best known for originating the role of ‘Mark Cohen’ in Jonathan Larson’s Tony Award-winning rock opera, Rent, for which he shared an OBIE Award with the rest of the cast.  He reprised his role in Chris Columbus’ film version opposite other members of the original ca...