Actors

Lavelle Roby

Lavelle Roby

Captivating, gifted, and sensational, Lavelle Roby's presence has been felt in theaters, stages, television screens and print modeling throughout the world. Initially coming to Hollywood in 1960 to attend UCLA, she became a part of the explosion of Black female faces on the American acting scene in the 1960's. Like her contemporaries of that era, Ruby Dee, Eartha Kitt and Diahann Carroll, the multi-faceted Lavelle is known as a sexy, sultry and versatile actress. She has appeared in numerous TV shows from classics such as: "Barney Miller," "Dynasty," "Here's Lucy," "Murder She Wrote," "Quincy," and "Get Smart" as well as contemporary shows "The Practice," "I-Carly" and "The Shield." Lavelle has achieved cult status with memorable performances in acclaimed Director Russ Meyer's films: "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" and "Finders Keepers, Lovers Weepers!" She was the first African-American woman hired by Meyers during that era. Her portrayal as "Claire" (a total "badass") in the "Finders Keepers" film has been cited by film critics and Meyer's movie fans as one of the stronger female characters in Russ Meyer's entire filmography. Other iconic films she has appeared in include: Film Pioneer Melvin Van Peebles' "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song" and as Apollo Creed's wife (Mary Creed) in the original Oscar winning "Rocky" film. "Being in show business has been an act of courage. You have to be brave enough to explore the unknown. It's a journey of exploration -you find out about uncharted regions of your artistic instrument. I feel I am still just at the beginning of the road. Socrates said, "Since we do not know what we are looking for, we cannot know what we will find." Most recently the prolific actress is working on "Egnapos" ("Every Girl Needs A Pair of Stockings") delving into her more than 50 years of working in the entertainment business. Lavelle Roby's effortless transition from portraying very dignified female characters to gritty and flamboyant characters is a testament to this actress' abilities to continue on such a high plane in a TV, Film and Print Modeling career spanning five decades and counting.
Laverne Cox

Laverne Cox

With various 'firsts' in her already impressive career, Laverne Cox is a three time Emmy-nominated actress, Emmy winning documentary film producer and a prominent equal rights advocate. Laverne's groundbreaking role of Sophia Burset in the critically acclaimed Netflix original series "Orange is The New Black" brought her to the attention of diverse audiences all over the world. This role lead to Laverne becoming the first openly transgender actress to be nominated for a Primetime acting Emmy. An artist and an advocate with an empowering message of moving beyond gender expectations to live more authentically, Laverne is the first openly transgender person to appear on the covers of TIME Magazine, Cosmopolitan magazine and Essence magazines among others. She was named one of Glamour magazine's 2014 Women of the Year. Laverne also proudly holds two SAG Awards... winning them with her Orange Is The New Black cast mates. Laverne has been one of the faces of Beyonce's athleisure line, Ivy Park. She also collaborated with Orly to create "Celebrate Yourself" a Limited Edition collection of nail colors and teamed up with Ted Danson for Smirnoff's "Welcome To The Fun" campaign. Laverne's Emmy winning documentary "Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word" helped lead her to Executive Producing two powerful documentaries. The upcoming "Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen" is an unprecedented, groundbreaking look at the depiction of transgender characters throughout the history of film and TV and "Free CeCe" which tells the story of CeCe McDonald, a transgender woman who was controversially sentenced to 41 months in a men's prison for second degree manslaughter after defending herself against a racist and transphobic attack. The documentary focuses on McDonald's case, her experiences while incarcerated and the larger implications of her case for the transgender community and for communities of color at large. Laverne currently has several projects in development.