Actors

Venus DeMilo Thomas

Venus DeMilo Thomas

The question is why, director/producer/writer Venus DeMilo Thomas isn't the slightest bit intimidated at the idea of tackling her next short film. The answer is Venus DeMilo, actress. "I've been in front of the camera since I was four," laughs Venus, "so even before I became a filmmaker, I was able to study the craft very closely. "After starring in the Nickelodeon series, "Salute Your Shorts," Venus moved onto recurring roles on shows including "The Bold & the Beautiful", "Family Matters", "My So-Called Life", and "Sister, Sister". She was featured in the hit film "Life", starring Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence. It was while attending Loyola Marymount University and concurrently working at the family owned Thomas Talent Agency that Venus began to contemplate stepping behind the camera. A film production major with a minor in Africana studies, Venus felt that becoming a Trailer Producer and writing were natural extensions of her interest in acting. "Being in this business and assisting my mother at the The Thomas Talent Agency, "she explains, "I began to understand every aspect of filmmaking. I started breaking down the scripts I was given, analyzing the directors' stylistic choices on the set." The result of her studies is her acclaimed short film "Did I Wake You?", and acting as Digital Intermediate Producer for "Machine Gun Preacher". Her short "Did I Wake You?" (Sundance 2001) is an ambitious unflinching look at the lives of African-American teenagers, the success of this film convinced Venus she was moving in the right direction. As a trailer producer "Working with directors like Michael Bay, JJ Abrams, and Gore Verbinski' was wonderful," she says, "because I experienced for the first time the full power of storytelling, of crafting words and images into something meaningful. It hooked me." Now with both her acting and directing/producing careers in full swing, and with the experience of working at The Thomas Talent Agency, Venus prepares to combine these talents with the direction of her next film. But can she handle the demands of both acting and directing? "I'm the kind of person who isn't happy doing one thing," laughs Venus.
Venus Williams

Venus Williams

Venus Williams is an American professional tennis player. Williams has been ranked world No. 1 by the Women's Tennis Association on three occasions, for a total of 11 weeks. She first reached the No. 1 ranking on February 25, 2002, the first African American woman to do so in the Open Era, and the second all time since Althea Gibson. She has reached 16 Grand Slam finals, most recently at Wimbledon in 2017. She has also won 14 Grand Slam Women's doubles titles, all with Serena Williams; the pair is unbeaten in Grand Slam doubles finals. Williams also has two Mixed Doubles titles. Her five Wimbledon singles titles tie her with two other women for eighth place on the all-time list. From the 2000 Wimbledon Championships to the 2001 US Open, Williams won four of the six Grand Slam singles tournaments in that span. At the 2020 Australian Open, Williams extended her record as the all-time leader, male or female, in Grand Slams played, with 85. With her run to the 2017 Wimbledon singles final, she broke the record for longest time between first and most recent grand slam singles finals appearances. Williams was twice the season prize money leader in 2001 and 2017. Williams has won four Olympic gold medals, one in singles and three in women's doubles, along with a silver medal in mixed doubles, pulling even with Kathleen McKane Godfree for the most Olympic medals won by a male or female tennis player. She is the only tennis player to have won a medal at four Olympic Games. At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Williams became only the second player to win Olympic gold medals in both singles and doubles at one Olympic Games, after Helen Wills Moody at the 1924 Summer Olympics. With 49 singles titles, Williams trails only her sister Serena Williams among active players on the WTA Tour with most singles titles. Her 35-match winning streak from the 2000 Wimbledon Championships to the 2000 Generali Ladies Linz tournament final is the longest since January 1, 2000. She is also one of only two active WTA players to have reached the finals of all four Grand Slams, along with sister Serena.