Queen of Swords
Other (ended 2001)
Cast & Crew
EDIT
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Tessie Santiago
María Teresa 'Tessa' Alvarado/the Queen of Swords
From the cast bio in the press folder for Queen of Swords: Newcomer Tessie Santiago cuts a wide swath across 19th century Southern California this fall as Tessa Alvarado, a Spanish beauty who masquerades as the avenging QUEEN OF SWORDS, striking fear in the hearts of evil-doers and bringing hope to the good. While she landed the part of the sword-wielding Spanish heroine in her very first professional acting audition, instantly capturing the essence, strength and beauty of a young Latina woman fighting for all things just, Santiago has been preparing for the role her entire life. The Miami-born Cuban-American grew up in a tight-knit family of artists, including a sculptor grandfather, musician father and painter mother. From playing the piano at age 7, to performing in musicals, to studying Shakespeare in London, and earning a double major in Film and Theater at the University of Miami, Santiago has always immersed herself in creative endeavors. At the University of Miami, she starred in the independent film Echo and became the resident "It Girl," acting in many student films. As part of a nationwide search, Santiago read for QUEEN OF SWORDS, and her life literally changed from one day to the next. Since getting her own TV show, the 5-foot-8-inch beauty has filmed two commercials in Spanish and thrown herself into training for QUEEN OF SWORDS; learning how to horseback ride, flamenco dance and fence. She's particularly proud to play the part of a strong-willed Latina woman battling oppression. Since most of Santiago's family fled from Cuba after Castro and communism took hold of the country, she easily identifies with her character of the QUEEN OF SWORDS. This first-generation American is passionate about keeping her Cuban heritage alive and passing it onto her own children one day. An avid reader, who counts Henry Miller, Anais Nin and Milan Kundera among her favorite authors, Santiago also aspires someday to work behind the camera, both as a writer and a director. Tessie, who was named after her mother, loves living in Miami, where she attends plays and concerts, watches foreign films and spends time with her family and lifelong friends. From the Paramount Pictures Oueen of Swords website biography: Newcomer Tessie Santiago stars in this series set in 19th century California as "Tessa Alvarado," who masquerades as the avenging "Queen of Swords." Tessie is a Miami-born Cuban-American who grew up in a tightly knit family of artists, including a sculptor grandfather, musician father and painter mother. Santiago has immersed herself in creative endeavors from piano playing at age 7, to performing in musicals, to studying Shakespeare in London. At the University of Miami, she starred in the independent film, "Echo," and acted in many student films. Her life literally changed with the casting as the Queen of Swords. Santiago recently sat down to discuss her new life and her role as Tessa and the Queen of Swords. From Good Morning, Miami NBC Media Village Biography: After brandishing a fearsome variety of swords, whips and knives while starring as "The Queen of Swords" in Spain, Tessie Santiago feels like she's returning home again to her native Miami in the new comedy "Good Morning, Miami" as a sassy, opinionated and dog-toting Latina TV host. "Having a comedic role is a nice change-of-pace for me," says Santiago, a Cuban-American. "'Queen of Swords' (a syndicated drama) was my first professional job out of college and it was a lot of fun and hard work overseas. I had to train using whips and daggers, learn flamenco and how to ride a horse all while wearing a corset!" Santiago was born and raised in Miami as the oldest of three children. Her parents both have artistic tendencies that continue to inspire her. Santiago began playing the piano at age 7 and later graduated from the University of Miami with double bachelors of art degrees in film production and theater. While in college, she also starred in many independent student films. As soon as Santiago completed college, she was cast as the masked, avenging Spanish beauty in "The Queen of Swords." Upon coming to Los Angeles in 2001, she landed a co-starring role in the VH1 movie "The Way She Moves" (opposite Annabeth Gish) which allowed her to exhibit her dancing skills. In her newest role, Santiago makes a leap from action-oriented drama to unbridled comedy as a ditzy Cuban-American host of the lowest-rated morning show in America. "Lucia is very over-the-top and I use a heavy accent as a prop it brings color to my character," says Santiago. "The Hispanic community in Miami, like any other community, is filled with colorful characters. Lucia is eccentric and fun." Moreover, Santiago is enthralled with the opportunity to portray a fellow Cuban-American, even though as an original honey blonde, she doesn't fit the traditional Hispanic stereotype away from the set. "My grandfather and grandmother were blondes with light-colored eyes," she says. "I love that people are seeing that Hispanics don't have to be associated with a certain look." When not working, Santiago enjoys going to dog parks with her pet dog that she rescued while working in Spain. She also loves to read, go to the theater and spend time with her close-knit family in Miami. Her birthday is August 10. History of appearance on the TV scene by Bob Ivry, January of 2001 Swords, leather whips, galloping horses: everything you need to build your own romance novel. Or a career, for that matter-especially if you're Tessie Santiago, the star of the new syndicated TV series Queen of Swords. Last November, the 25-year-old brown-eyed Cuban-American was plucked off the University of Miami campus to play aristocratic Tessa Alvarado on the show, which is a kind of female Zorro set in 19th-century California. At the time, Tessie didn't know swash from buckling; after all, parry-parry-thrusting and restraining wild broncos by their manes weren't the skills she needed in 20th-century Florida. But as the Queen of Swords, she can impale criminals with a steel blade and separate a bad guy from his gun with a flick of her pretty little wrist. Other notes of interest: In a December 19, 2004 article about the making of the film "The Way Back Home" by Roger Moore (the Orlando Sentinel Movie Critic), Ms. Santiago describes herself as "prissy" or someone who does enter into the world of outdoors, grime, and bugs to terribly often.moreless -
Valentine Pelka
Colonel Luís Montoya
Assembled from Paramount Television's "Queen of Swords" Cast Biography Page for Mr. Pelka, Mr. Pelka's Fan Club, recent news, and personal interviews with Taram1: "Valentine Pelka is an alumnus of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, where, in addition to his stage training, he received stage combat instruction under the direction of John Waller. While at the prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company, the Dewsbury, West Yorkshire native played leading roles in "Romeo and Juliet" and "A Woman Killed with Kindness," as well as performed a one-man show entitled "Maud." A familiar figure on British stage and screen, he has appeared in "Nanou," "If Tomorrow Comes," "Hold the Dream" and "Good King Wenceslas." Mr. Pelka's film credits have seen him appearing with Albert Finney in "John-Paul II," with Jason Robards and Glenda Jackson in "Sakharov," with Sir Alec Guiness in Graham Greene's "Monsignor Quixote," opposite Hugh Grant in the award-winning "Rowing with the Wind" and with Richard Gere in "King David." He had a memorable turn as Sir Patrise in "First Knight" with Sean Connery, and appeared with Parker Posey in the indie "What Rats Won't Do." Prior to starring in the "Queen of Swords" syndicated television series with Tessie Santiago and Peter Wingfield, Mr. Pelka appeared in "The Last of the Blonde Bombshells," alongside Sir Ian Holm and Dame Judi Dench. His notable British television appearances include "Peak Practice," "Mortimer's Law," "Brother Cadfael," "Campion" and "Robin of Sherwood." He played Maurice de Bracy in A&E's "Ivanhoe," as well as had recurring roles as the wildly popular Kronos on "Highlander: The Series," as Korda on "Highlander: The Raven" and on "Life Force." On "Queen of Swords," Mr. Pelka played Colonel Luis Montoya, a military governor who ruled with an iron fist, abusing his power and taxing his subjects to the point of starvation. The Machiavellian tyrant was a believer in executions without trials, enslaving peasants, blackmailing even his best men, and was the Queen of Swords' primary enemy. On May 26th, 2002, "The Pianist," Mr. Pelka's most recent work at the time of this writing and a film directed by Roman Polanski, received the coveted Palme d'Or at this year's 55th annual Cannes Film Festival. The film is the true story of how Polish pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman avoided being sent to the Nazi concentration camps, living and hiding in the Warsaw ghetto from 1939-1945. Mr. Pelka portrayed "Michal" in the film. A creative force, Mr. Pelka also draws and paints, hoping to show his work publicly in the near future. A lover of 19th century literature, the actor has a degree in Humanities and speaks French, Italian and some Spanish. Husband and father to a son, Pelka is a student of Aikido since 1993, a proficient horseman and an enthusiastic and life-long supporter of the Leeds United Soccer Team." Mr. Pelka is brother to actress Kazia Pelka and celebrates his birthday in February. Valentine is also active on the stage. Most recently he has played the title role of John Lennon in the play "And in the End: The Death and Life of John Lennon" by Alexander Marshall. The play first appeared in Scotland in 2004 and in Australia in 2006. Mr. Pelka was the last actor interviewed for the part and was cast because of his uncanny ability to mimic Lennon's mannerisms as identified by members of Lennon's original band, The Quarrymen. Valentine is able to distinguish the various accents John Lennon developed throughout his lifetime as the singing sensation grew in popularity and moved throughout the world. Mr. Pelka does not sing in his role as John Lennon since that is not a requirement of his part in the show. Mr. Pelka is married and has one son. 1/16/2007moreless -
Anthony Lemke
Captain Marcus Grisham
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Peter Wingfield
Dr. Robert Helm
Born in Cardiff, Peter trained as a doctor at Brasenose College,Oxford and St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College. His drama training was at the National Youth Theatre in Wales and at the Guild School of Music and Drama in London. On leaving drama school in 1990, Peter made his television debut in Beeban Kindron's Screen Two production of Antonia and Jane (1991) before going on to play lead roles in three television drama series: Alex in Granada TV's "Medics" (1990); Lt. Nick Pasco in "Soldier Soldier" (1991) for Central TV; and Tom Walton in "The Men's Room" (1991), a five-part series directed by Antonia Bird for BBC TV. In 1991, Peter filmed a second series of "Medics" (1990) for directors Simon Cellan Jones and Clive Fleury. He Went on to play the role of Martin Welford (opposite Edward Petherbridge and Sara Kestelman) in Tim Luscombe's revival of Noel Coward's point Valanie at the Chicester Festival Theater. In 1992, Peter played Fourth Actor in a new adaptation of "Piranfello's_Six Characters in Search of an Author" (1992), produced by Simon Curtis and directed by Bill Bryden for the BBC2 Performance series of films, and played "Miglioritti" in David Hare' 's 1992 adaptation of Pirandello's The Rules of the Game, directed by Jonathan Ken at the Almelda Theatre. He went on to appear as Paul, the younger brother, opposite Alfred Molina in_Trust Me(1992), a film for BBC Television directed by Tony Dow. For the same director, he recently filmed the role of Josh in "Blisters", a comedy pilot for BBC TV. Peter played "Durrant" in the Gloria/Cambridge Theater Company production of Marivaux's "The Game of Love and Chance", co-directed by Mike Alfreds and Neil Barlett, which toured nationally in 1992 before coming into Cottesloe Theatre for a season until April 1993.moreless -
Elsa Pataky
Senora Vera Hidalgo
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Paulina Gálvez
Marta
The daughter of a Spanish father and Chilean mother, Paulina Glvez was raised in Madrid and her first contact with the world of art was as a flamenco dancer in the Carmen Corts Company. She studied acting with Cristina Rota and John Strasberg, skills which she has complemented with her studies in verse, voice, singing (with Ins Rivadeneira) and dance. Glvez is recognized as one of the best actresses in the Spanish entertainment industry.moreless -
Tacho González
Don Gaspar Hidalgo
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Roberta Brown
Featured, Stunt Double
Roberta earned a BA with Honors--Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa--in Theatre Arts from Brandeis University and then traveled across the ocean to study at and receive her MFA Equivalent (Diploma with Merit) from the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London. There she studied with Master Roy Goodall.
Besides being a trained musician, dancer, and actress (who is extraordinarily talented in that arena alone), Roberta is also a trained stunt double, a sword double, and one of the only--if not the only--female swordmasters, swordplay coach/choreographers, and fight choreographer/directors in Hollywood. Among the actors Roberta has trained and coached are Billy Campbell, Tessie Santiago, Patricia Arquette, Lucy Liu, Bo Derek, Elizabeth Gracen, Bob Golec, Patrick Fabian, Noah Wyle, Goran Visnjic, Mary Reinhardt, and Alex Kingston. Though working in Hollywood and European productions for a number of years, she first caught the attention of the masses when she performed as the first sword double for the "Queen of Swords" in the syndicated television show of the same name. She was a swordplay choreographer and doubled as Lucy Liu's character in the wildly popular theatrical release of "Charlie's Angels." The doctors of "ER" actually "drew blood" in a fencing bout choregraphed by Roberta in the episode "Secrets and Lies". Roberta was the bullwhip trainer for Patricia Arquette's character in the wildly popular Disney version of the children's book "Holes." She choreographed battle scenes she choreographed for Alex Kingston's "Boudica"! (This multi-talented soul acted as stunt/sword double for Ms. Kingston, too.) Roberta has choreographed numerous fights and swordfights for theatre as well as the motion picture. According to SWORD FORUM INTERNATIONAL, these include a bullfight for "Hasta La Muerte" and "choreographing a huge, live, pirate battle for Colombia's bi-annual national Coffee Regatta" performed along the coast of Colombia in the fall of 2000. She has taught theatrical combat and swordplay at such places as Hollywood's Howard Fine Acting Studio, The Lee Strasburg Institute, Bogota's Teatro Libre, Juan Angel Theatre, and Teatro Lope de Vega, the Graz Kendo Club in Graz, Austria, London's Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, the University of Southern California, West L.A. College, College of the Canyons, Acting Action at the Inosanto Academy, and the Westside Fencing Center where she also taught sport fencing to beginners and was on the Board of Directors until 2003. Her choreography and teaching specialties include: Smallsword, Broadsword (and shield), Rapier (and Dagger / Buckler / Cloak / Lantern), Case of Rapiers, Foil, Sabre, Epee, Scimitar, Quarterstaff, Bullwhip, Chinese Fighting Fan, Hand to hand, Martial Arts. and Firearms. Roberta wrote the afterward to Nick and Anita Evangelista's book "The Woman Fencer" and she began teaching Tai Chi Rainbow Flying Fan s with Elizabeth Gracen in 2001. Having studied linguistics and assisted with linnguistic research, Roberta is a talented dialogue coach and is able to slip from one accent/dialect to another mid-sentence keeping her listeners quite entertained. In her skills pouch, she posseses the following accents and languages: Fluent Spanish and German; semi-fluent French, British (Standard, Kensington, North London, East End, Wiltshire, Belfast, Liverpool), American (Standard, New England, New York Jewish, Boston, North Carolina, Canada), and others (Latin American, Polish, Italian, Austrian). Olympians and fans of the olympics will be interested in knowing that Roberta is an accomplished horsewoman and a competitive level figure skater (so, of course, she can rollerblade).
Ms. Brown was owner-operator of and instructor at "Westside Theatrical Fencing" located in Culver City, California. When Westside Fencing closed, Roberta moved her s to the Beverly Hills Fencers Club in Beverly Hills, CA. She is also the proud mother of a son.
There is much more to Roberta Brown, including hints by well-placed informants that she plays a mean game of MahJong, but this brief overview proves that her future, entertaining and teaching the world, is very bright!
2/03/04moreless -
Cristian de la Fuente
Antonio
Christian dreamed of acting and believed that it would never probably happen. He is an only child, who father was a chemist and mother was a homemaker. For him when he was a child acting was not at that time a possibility. While studying civil engineering, he played every sport imaginable. Such as skiing, boxing, and tennis. During his studies he was approached by a talent agent, and convinced to enter the Chile's Super Teen. From there he hit prime time dramas, and was cast on shows such as Family Law. Movies were in the cards as well. He starred along with Sylvester Stallone and John Travolta in Driven. Currently, Christian is thoroughly enjoying being a part of dancing with the stars.moreless -
Bo Derek
Mary Rose
Bo Derek is an actress and producer and a former professional model. She posed nude for issue #62 in the Brazilian version of "Playboy" magazine in September 1980. She is of Dutch, German, Irish and Welsh descent. Bo was married to actor, cinematographer, editor, producer and writer John Derek who was 30 years older then her, from 10 June 1976 up until his death on 22 May 1998.moreless -
Simon MacCorkindale
Charles Wentworth
WIFE : Susan George PARENTS : Peter and Gill. His father was a pilot. STUDIED : Theatre of Arts in London LIVES : A stud farm, near Exmoor Having spent almost 15 years abroad working in America, Simon returned to england and moved to the south west. Soon after he got the part of Harry Harper in BBc's medical drama casualty. He alternates these days between his stud farm, where he lives with his wife Susan George, and his flat in Bristol, where he films casualty. He and his wife own a film company called AMY International (named after Susan's role in Straw Dogs) and produce a number of shows including 'relic hunter'. His glittering career includes numerous tv roles and film credits such as: TELEVISION CREDITS : The Girl Next Door; Running Wild; Sands of Eden; While my Pretty One Sleeps; No Greater Love; At the Midnight House; The Way to Dusty Death; Family of Cops; Counterstrike; Twist of Fate; Children of the Full Moon; Obsessive Love; Falcon Crest; Manimal; Falcons Gold; The Manions of America; Quatermass; Three Weeks; Jesus of Nazereth; I Claudius; Queen of Swords; Relic Hunter; Poltergeist: The Legacy; Mentors; Night Man; Nikita; E.N.G.; Hart to Hart; Dynasty; Hamme House of Horror; The Dukes of Hazzard; Hunter's Walk FILM CREDITS : The Dinosaur Hunter; Wing Commander; Shades of Love: Sincerely, Violet; Jaws 3D; An Outpost of Progress; The Sword and the Sorcerer; Macbeth; Caboblanco; The Riddle of the Sands; Death on the Nile; Juggernaut; Such a Long Journey; Djavolji rai; Stealing Heavenmoreless -
Jorge Montesi
Claudio Rey
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Anthony De Longis
Featured, Stunts
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Anthony De Longis
Krane
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Anthony De Longis
Torres
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David Carradine
El Serpiente
A leading and supporting player of TV and movies, David Carradine is best recalled for playing Caine, the half-Asian student of life on "Kung Fu" (ABC, 1972-75), a role he reprised for a syndicated series in the late 1990s. The son of legendary actor John Carradine, he had been more recently been playing villains in action and terror films. Known for his psychedelic lifestyle, particularly in the 1960s and 70s, Carradine seemed uninterested in his career, with the exception of his starring role as folk singer Woody Guthrie in the Oscar-nominated "Bound for Glory" (1976) and a turn in Ingmar Bergman's confusing "The Serpent's Egg" (1977).
Carradine had a restless youth, born in Hollywood and raised in Manhattan. He was Oakland to finish high school and afterwards drifted, sporadically attending college, working as a manual laborer and openly experimenting with drugs. He made his feature debut in a bit part in "Taggart" (1964) and scored a modest success in the Broadway production of "The Royal Hunt of the Sun". Carradine inherited Alan Ladd's role of a fading gunslinger for the small screen version of "Shane" (ABC, 1966) which failed despite other predictions. Nevertheless, the actor found constant employment in a string of forgettable films. Martin Scorsese tapped the actor to play a railroad union organizer in "Boxcar Bertha" (1972) and then cast him in a small but memorable role as a drunk who is shot while urinating in "Mean Streets" (1973). By the time the latter was released, Carradine was starring as the martial artist in "Kung Fu".
Moving behind the camera, Carradine directed and starred in the little seen "You and Me" (1975). After "Bound for Glory", it appeared as if Carradine was headed for more mainstream movie stardom, but his subsequent vehicles were lacking. Only Walter Hill's 1980 Western "The Long Riders", which used the gimmick of teaming filmdom's brother acts to play brothers (i.e., the Carradines, the Quaids, the Keachs), was above-average. His second attempt in the director's chair, "Americana" (1983) also met with a less than stellar reception.
Yet Carradine continued to churn out genre fare. He was the villain tracked by Chuck Norris in "Lone Wolf McQuade" (1982) and an evil German soldier in "The Misfit Brigade/Wheels of Terror" (1987). Carradine continued to earn a living in the 1990s making low-grade films with such efforts as "Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat" (1990), "Dune Warriors" (1991) and "Waxwork II" (1992). In 1997, he filmed roles in "Macon County Jail", opposite Ally Sheedy, and "The New Swiss Family Robinson" with Jane Seymour. In the early 2000s he starred in "Kill Bill Volumes 1 and 2" as the main villain, Bill, in both movies. His career was enjoying a renaissance with his appearances on both televisions shows and popular commercials when he passed away at age 72.
(from Hollywood.com and other sources)
Carradine also provided the voice of the ghost called Clockwork on the show Danny Phantom. Submitted by Phantom992.moreless -
Sung Hi Lee
Kami
At the age of two Sung Hi's parents divorced, leaving her and her younger brother to be raised by her grandparents. Her mother became a business woman in Korea and her father, who was a graduate of the Seoul National University, became a business man in the USA. During her elementary school years, she and her brother moved to Chicago to be with their father. They moved around , living in Houston, Dallas and Washington, D.C. In 1988 at a Dallas nightclub Sung Hi was discovered by her future agent Jim Whitehead.moreless -
Ed Stoppard
Ambassador Ramirez
Ed Stoppard is the son of Dr Miriam and Sir Tom Stoppard. He is a former student of Caldicott and Stowe. -
Stephen Billington
Bernardo
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Oliver Haden
Leonardo
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Yasmin Bannerman
Agatha
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Elizabeth Gracen
Carlotta
Elizabeth Gracen was born Elizabeth Grace Ward in Ozark, Arkansas on April 3, 1961. She is the daughter of Jimmy and Patricia Ward. She has two younger siblings, brother Van Thomas Ward and sister Mary Margaret Ward. She graduated from Russellville High School in Russellville, Arkansas with the class of 1979.
Crowned Miss Arkansas and then Miss America 1982
Has earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts and is working on her Master of Fine Arts.
"Gracen" is the name of the man to whom she was married when she first started acting. Though no longer together, she keeps the name as her professional name.moreless -
Steve Emerson
Padre Quinterra
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Burt Kwouk
Master Kiyomasa
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Daisy Fuentes
Isabel Selvera
Dated Luis Miguel (1995-2000)
Was homecoming queen in high school
Communications student at Bergen Community College in New Jersey -
Emile Abossolo M`bo
Lamorena
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Michael Culkin
Vazquez
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Grant Russell
Uncle Alejandro
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Ralf Moeller
Roman
Ralf Moeller was born 12 January 1959 in Recklinghausen Germany.
With 19 he was third junior championship in bodybuilding.
In 1982 he finished 2nd and in 1983 he won the German bodybuilding championship.
He gave up his job as pool attendant and began his professional career as bodybuilder.
In 1986 he became world champion of the "International Federation of Bodybuilders" In Tokyo, Japan.
After this his fame grew and the first roles were offered. His first time in front of a camera was for an episode of "Tatort", a German crime/detective series.
He also played several minor roles in US movies like "Universal Soldier" or "Cyborg".
He and his wife Annette moved to Los Angeles in 1992.
In 1997 Moeller became "Conan" and was the first German to have the leading role in a US TV-show.
Later he took several roles in big Hollywood productions like "Gladiator" (2000) or "The Scorpion King" (2003).
But he also played in several german productions like "Megalodon - Hai-Alarm auf Mallorca" (2004) (Megalodon - Shark-Alarm on Mallorca)or "Der Superbulle und die Halbstarken" (2000) (The Supercop and the teenagers)moreless -
Amber Batty
Camilla Wentworth
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