Gerald McRaney (Russell Greene)

Gerald McRaney has spent the last 16 years starring in various CBS Television Network series, including eight years as private investigator Rick Simon in "Simon & Simon," four years as "Major Dad" and one year in "Central Park West."  His television credits also include a long string of highly rated films, including "1,000 Men and a Baby," on the Network, and "Someone She Knows," "A Stranger Beside Me" and "The People Across the Lake."

 McRaney made his television debut in an episode of "Night Gallery," then appeared in the series "Gunsmoke" and "The Incredible Hulk,"  both on the Network, "The Rockford Files," "Police Woman" and "How the West Was Won."  His television credits also include the films "Not Our Son" and "Deadly Vows" and the mini-series "Nothing Lasts Forever," all on the Network.

 McRaney was born in Collins, Miss., and became interested in acting when a football knee injury in junior high school sidelined him.  He joined his school's drama club and went on to major in drama at the University of Mississippi.  Although he briefly segued from acting to the Louisiana oil fields, he landed a job as an assistant stage manager with a New Orleans repertory company and was eventually cast in some of its stage productions.

Wendy Phillips (Claire Greene)

Wendy Phillips' impressive list of television credits includes regular roles in the series "Falcon Crest," on the CBS Television Network, "Homefront," "The Robert Guillaume Show," "A Year in the Life," "The Eddie Capra Mysteries" and "Executive Suite."  She also guest starred in the series "Picket Fences," "Touched By An Angel," "Diagnosis Murder" and "Murder, She Wrote," all on the Network, "Matlock," "Amazing Stories," "St. Elsewhere" and "Taxi."

 Among the television films in which Phillips has appeared are "Baby Girl Scout," on the Network, "Too Soon for Jeff," "McShane's Big Score," "McShane's Grand Slam," "Fuzzbucket" and "Paper Dolls."
She also appeared in the CBS mini-series "A Season in Purgatory."  Her feature film credits include "The Last Perfect Wave," "Bugsy," "The Wizard," "Midnight Run" and "Airplane II."

 Acting runs in the Phillips family.  Wendy's parents, Wendell Phillips and Jean Shelton, are both well-known acting teachers.  She made her acting debut in San Francisco in the television film "Death Be Not Proud," following her graduation from the University of California at Berkeley.

Celeste Holm (Hattie Greene)

Celeste Holm's numerous motion picture credits range from "Gentlemen's Agreement,"  for which she won an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actress in 1947, "Champagne for Caesar," "The Snake Pit" and "Three Little Girls in Blue" to " The Tender Trap," "High Society,"  the musical version of "Tom Sawyer" and "Three Men and a Baby."  She received the French Oscar and an Academy Award nomination for her role as a French nun in "Come to the Stable" and another Academy Award nomination for her performance in "All About Eve."  She also received a personal tribute from the National Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for her contribution to the industry.

 Holm's Broadway career began when she was an understudy in Leslie Howard's "Hamlet," and her breakthrough role was in William Saroyan's "The Time of Your Life."  She played Ado Annie in the original Broadway production of "Oklahoma!"  Her additional Broadway credits include "The King and I," "Affairs of State" and "Back to Methuselah."  On television, she has appeared in the series "Falcon Crest," "Archie Bunker's Place" and "Trapper John, M.D.," all on the CBS Television Network, "Loving," for which she received an Emmy nomination, and "Spencer: For Hire."  She starred in the television films "Murder by the Book" and "Once You Meet a Stranger," both on the Network, "Backstairs at the White House," for which she received an Emmy nomination, and "The Shady Hill Kidnapping."  She also played the fairy godmother in the special "Cinderella."

 Holm has served as chairman of the Film Commission for the State of New Jersey and is an active board member of the Actor's Fund, as well as a member of the Theater Hall of Fame and chairman of Arts Horizons, a nonprofit enrichment program that reaches half a million school children each year in New York and New Jersey. Holm divides her time between her native New York City and Salt Lake City.  Her birth date is April 29.
 
 
Austin O'Brien (Josh Greene)

Austin O'Brien made his acting debut in the motion picture "The Lawnmower Man" and was then seen in a starring role in the theatrical comedy "Prehysteria."  His additional feature film credits include "The Baby-Sitters Club," "Apollo 13," "Lawnmower Man II," "My Girl II,"  and "The Last Action Hero."  Among his television credits are guest appearances in "Touched By An Angel," on the CBS Television Network, and "ER."

Sarah Schaub (Dinah Greene)

Sarah Schaub's television credits include the series "One West Waikiki," the film "Boys of Twilight" and the mini-series "Nothing Lasts Forever," all on the CBS Television Network.  She also appeared in the mini-series "The Stand."  Among her feature film credits are "Heaven or Vegas," "A Home of Their Own," "Grace" and "Miracles and Other Wonders."

 Schaub was born in Salt Lake City and made her acting debut at the age of 6 in a locally produced film, "In Your Wildest Dreams."  She also appeared at the Babcock Theatre in Salt Lake City.

  Eddie Karr (Nathaniel Greene)

 Eddie Karr, who plays "Nathaniel Greene" on the CBS drama Promised Land started his career at the age of three. His mother took him and his older sister to a fund-raiser pageant sponsored by the local Lions Club. They figured it would be something fun to do one weekend.

Eddie and his sister Terese were discovered and signed by a children's talent manager who happened to be at the fund-raiser.

The two children became successful print and commercial models for numerous nation-wide companies. Eddie's big break came when he auditioned for and got the role of "Al Holden" on the ABC daytime drama One Life To Live. Eddie also has appeared on Saturday Night Live in a comedy skit.

Eddie studied a style of martial arts known as Kempo for about three years. He also enjoys snowboarding, rollerblading, riding mountain bikes and collecting baseball cards. Eddie's birthday is October 16.

  Eugene Byrd (L.T.)

Actor Eugene Byrd is currently a series regular, portraying "L.T." on the CBS-TV series "Promised Land." He recently wrapped shooting a starring role in Fox Searchlight's feature "White Boys," starring Danny Hoch, in addition to a guest starring role on "The Adversaries," an NBC-TV two-hour pilot, starring Lou Diamond Phillips.

A familiar face on both the big and small screen, Eugene was last seen co-hosting the Saturday morning CBS series, Sports Illustrated for Kids Show." He was also the national spokesperson for Kool-Aid in their commercial and print ads. Eugene starred in the original Showtime film, "The Color of Justice," which aired last year and appeared as "Rizzo" in the feature "Sleepers," starring Brad Pitt and Robert DeNiro. In "Dead Man," starring Johnny Depp, Eugene portrayed the supporting role of "Billy 'The Kid' Pickett."

Since the age of eight, Eugene has been studying acting and auditioning for roles in New York. By his third audition, he booked a national commercial for Hershey's New Trail Granola Bars. Lip-synching to "Duke of Earl" and "Goodnight Sweetheart," the ad turned out to be the hottest commercial for three months straight.

Eugene landed his first speaking role in "The Day the Kids Took Over," an ABC After-School Special. He went on to play a Jamaican kid in a short film, "Milk and Honey," with Alfre Woodard playing his mother.

Eugene went on to secure larger guest spots on television series and specials, including "The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd" and "Monsters." He was cast as Blair Underwood's little brother in the NBC-TV movie "Murder in Mississippi." Portraying Ben Chaney, Jr., a real-life civil rights activist, Eugene says proudly, "I played somebody who was making difference." On location in Atlanta, he met Ben Chaney, Jr., Dr. Ralph Abernathy's son and Martin Luther King III. "Their fathers were legends; I was awestruck," says Eugene of the latter two.

In 1989, Eugene co-starred in several episodes of a new television series, "H.E.L.P.," with then-unknown Wesley Snipes. A brief, recurring role on NBC's soap opera "Another World" came the next year as well as a regular role on the highly acclaimed "Sesame Street." Eugene then went back to Atlanta to co-star in "Perfect Harmony," a feature for the Disney Channel, for which he won a Youth in Film Award as Best Actor.

Eugene guest-starred on "Cosby" in 1991. "It had to be the happiest moment of my life -- I'd reached my Goal." Although nothing could match his enthusiasm for his time on Cosby, Eugene found himself working non-stop ever since. After filming a Fox-TV movie, "Bad Attitudes," Eugene was flown to Montreal to tape the pilot for "Chris Cross." Prior to resuming production of "Chris Cross," Eugene won a guest-starring role as a Photographer buddy of Jason Priestly's on "Beverly Hills 90210." When the show aired, it marked the first time the Fox network show beat rival "Cheers" in the ratings. A week later, Eugene was in Arizona to star in a segment of "The Young Riders," followed by more guest spots.

In January 1993, Eugene flew to Nottingham, England to tape "Chris Cross." "I think 'Oliver Cross' was more like me than anything I've ever played," says Eugene. "He was just more extreme than I am." "Chris Cross" won a 1995 Cable Ace Award for Best Children's Series.

Ossie Davis (Erasmus Jones)

Ossie Davis has had a long and distinguished career as an actor, writer, and director. He made his Broadway debut in a production of Jeb in 1946, and spent the next decade as one of Broadway 's leading actors, starring in such plays as Anna Lucasta and A Raisin in the Sun. He wrote and starred in the Broadway production of Purlie Victorious and later reprised his role for the feature film version, entitled Gone Are the Days. His many additional motion picture credits include Grumpy Old Men, No Way Out, Jungle Fever, Joe Versus the Volcano, Her Alibi, and Do the Right Thing. He directed the feature films Countdown at Kusini, in which he also starred, Cotton Comes to Harlem, Black Girl, and Gordon 's War.

Davis starred in the television series Evening Shade, and the mini-series The Stand and Queen, all on the CBS Television Network. He is the author of a novel, Just Like Martin, about the impact of Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement on a group of teen-agers in a fictional southern city. He was born in Cogdell, Georgia, is married to actress Ruby Dee, and lives in upstate New York. His birth date is December 18.
 
 
All photos this page © CBS. All rights reserved.