Ask American Profile

Jean Smart, Elvis, Ryan Stiles

Is Jean Smart working on any projects? I loved her on Designing Women.
—Jason W., Ohio

Turn your television to NBC at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time Tuesdays to catch Jean Smart in In-Laws. The show is about a newlywed couple that moves back home with the wife’s parents to save money so the husband can attend cooking school. Smart, 43, plays the wife’s mother. She has kept busy since leaving Designing Women in 1991 after working on the show for five seasons. After leaving the series, Smart appeared in feature films such as The Brady Bunch Movie, The Odd Couple II, and numerous television movies. She also starred in two other short-lived comedy series—High Society and Style and Substance. Smart recently appeared in the Broadway revival of The Man Who Came to Dinner, earning a Tony Award nomination. She also had a high-profile recurring role on Frasier and won two Emmys for her work on the show. Smart met her husband, actor Richard Gilliland, on the set of Designing Women. They have one son.

Did Elvis write any of the songs he sang? If so, what are some of them?
—B.J. Stewart, Texas

Though he was creative in his interpretation of songs—think of his rocked-up version of bluegrass standard Blue Moon of Kentucky—Elvis Presley was not a songwriter. Of all the songs he recorded, he only really played a part in writing two—That’s Someone You’ll Never Forget and You’ll Be Gone—according to the archives department at Graceland. He does get co-writing credit on a few of his hits, including All Shook Up, Heartbreak Hotel, and the songs that appear on the Love Me Tender soundtrack. However, those are the result of contractual negotiations by his manager, a fairly common practice at that time used to increase the amount of royalties that performers received for the recordings. In addition to receiving a percentage of sales for performing the songs, Elvis also received a songwriter’s percentage.

I’ve enjoyed Ryan Stiles on ABC’s The Drew Carey Show and Whose Line Is It Anyway?, but I haven’t read anything about him. Can you fill me in?
—Mark B., California

Ryan Stiles has been doing comedy for a long time. He performed at small clubs near his home in Vancouver, British Columbia, and dropped out of high school when he was 17 to pursue it full time. In 1986, he started perfecting his improvisational skills when he joined Canada’s Second City comedy troupe and went on to join the Los Angeles outfit in 1990. Whose Line Is It Anyway? is a knockoff of a British show, on which Stiles was a regular from 1989 to 1998. His movie credits include Hot Shots! and Hot Shots! Part Deux. He has guest-starred on several television shows: Mad About You, Murphy Brown, and The John Larroquette Show are just a few. Stiles, 43, is married and has two children. He and his family split their time between Los Angeles and Washington state.

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