Ask American Profile

Gerard Butler, Tom Cavanagh, Jessica Andrews

I was totally captivated by Gerard Butler as Attila the Hun in the USA Network miniseries Attila. Please give me some more information about this man.
—Sherry T., Pennsylvania

Gerard Butler, 31, was born in Glasgow, Scotland. Veteran British actor Steven Berkoff offered the former lawyer his first acting role (in a stage production of Coriolanus) when he spotted Butler in a London coffee shop. Butler made his feature debut in the Oscar-nominated Mrs. Brown. He went on to co-star in several British films. Other releases include Tomorrow Never Dies and Dracula 2000. Butler is currently at work with Matthew McConnaughey and Christian Bale on the science-fiction thriller Reign of Fire. The single actor divides his time between London and Los Angeles.

Ed, in my opinion, was the best show last season. Could you tell me something about the actor who plays Ed?
—Holley C., Indiana

The likable attorney/bowling alley owner Ed Stevens is portrayed by Tom Cavanagh, 32. NBC viewers may remember him as “dog boy” (Doug Boyce) on Providence. Cavanagh, born in Ottawa, Canada, spent his childhood in the African nation of Ghana, where his parents taught school. His family returned to Canada during his high school years, and he later enrolled at Queens University in Ontario, earning degrees in English, biology, and education. His foray into theater came as Danny Zuko in the Canadian stage production of Grease. Soon after working in the Broadway revival of the musical Shenandoah, he became an in-demand actor in Canada. Looking for U.S. success, he moved to Los Angeles two years ago and shortly thereafter was cast in the CBS version of the pilot Stuckeyville, later developed as NBC’s Ed. Cavanagh, who played varsity basketball in college, avidly participates in sports and enjoys the guitar. He is single and calls Los Angeles home. (The television series is filmed in New York.)

Can you please tell us some background information on country singer Jessica Andrews?
—Ben E., North Carolina

Jessica Andrews, the Academy of Country Music’s Top New Female Vocalist last year, grew up in Huntingdon, Tenn. (pop. 4,349). “My fondest memory of my hometown was, literally, living at the ballpark from the time I was 2 years old,” she says. Andrews often sang at nearby fairs and carnivals and won her first talent show in the fourth grade belting out Dolly Parton’s I Will Always Love You. Eventually, producer Byron Gallimore (Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Jo Dee Messina) took her under his wing. Her career is in high gear as she tours with fellow teen sensation Billy Gilman. “We are having a blast out on the road together,” says the 17-year-old. The tour is to support her sophomore album, Who I Am, which already has spawned the hit title track.

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