Ask American Profile

I’m a fan of Just Shoot Me and like the show’s theme song. Who sings it?
—Don H., Wisconsin

Lauren Wood sings the NBC show’s theme song. She sang Fallen on the Pretty Woman soundtrack as well as Please Don’t Leave, a duet with Michael McDonald. A native of Pittsburgh, Wood discovered music as a child, playing piano before she could read music. She composed her own songs as a teenager and nabbed her first record contract at age 18. She moved to Los Angeles, where she released two solo albums, then wrote songs for other artists. Her songs have been recorded by Gladys Knight, Sammy Hagar, and Cher, among others. Wood also worked on film and television soundtracks. She continued to sing, usually in commercials and other artists’ recordings. She also followed other creative muses—making a film and starting a greeting card company using photos of her pet cats. The success of the Pretty Woman soundtrack led her to start her own record company, and she released an album titled Lauren Wood in 1998, her first solo album since the early 1980s. The album includes the popular Fallen. Wood has had such an incredible response to the Just Shoot Me theme that she plans to include the full version of the song on her next album, due out next year.

Walter Brennan starred in a Western series in the ’60s. He was riding with two of his sons looking for a third son. Can you tell me the name of the series and when it aired?
—Cathie H., Oregon

You’re thinking of The Guns of Will Sonnett, which aired on ABC from 1967 to 1969. But you have the plot confused. Brennan played the title character, a former cavalry scout whose son ran off to become a gunfighter, leaving his own son behind to be raised by Brennan. Dack Rambo played the grandson, who, as a grown man, decided he wanted to find his dad, so he and Brennan set out to look for him. Brennan was a highly respected film actor and the first to win three Oscars for best supporting actor. He won for Come and Get It in 1936, Kentucky in 1938, and The Westerner in 1940. He was nominated for another Oscar in 1941 for his role in Sergeant York. Born in 1894, he trained as an engineer before deciding to go into show business. He came to Hollywood in 1923, after serving in World War I, and broke into films as a stuntman. The Guns of Will Sonnett lasted for about 50 episodes. Brennan died in 1974 at the age of 80.

My husband and I think Esai Morales is very talented. We’re glad he’s in the new PBS series American Family. Can you tell us all you can about him?
—Chris and Jenny K., Mississippi

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., of Puerto Rican heritage, Esai Morales decided he wanted to act at age 12 after seeing Al Pacino in Dog Day Afternoon. He attended the renowned High School of the Performing Arts. His mother was a union organizer who passed on a passion for political activism to her son. The 40-year-old bachelor, who also has a recurring role on ABC’s NYPD Blue, founded the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts with fellow actors Jimmy Smits and Sonia Braga. The nonprofit group works to increase the number of Latinos in the entertainment business. Morales has worked steadily in theater, film, and television in a variety of roles: from Shakespeare on stage to roles in Bad Boys, La Bamba, Rapa Nui, and The Elian Gonzalez Story. He lives in Los Angeles.

Upload Your Own Stories, Photos and Videos

Every week, American Profile magazine brings you stories that celebrate the people and places that make America great. Now we want to hear your stories and see your photos, videos and even audio.

 Start Uploading Now!

 

Discuss this Article