Ask American Profile

Lorne Green, Marg Helgenberger, Brooks & Dunn

I would like to know if Marg Helgenberger from CSI: Crime Scene Investigation played in the movie Fire Down Below.
—Jacob S., Illinois

Yes, the native of Fremont, Neb. (pop. 25,174), played the character of Sarah Kellogg in the 1997 film, opposite Steven Seagal and Stephen Lang. Though Helgenberger has worked in films and TV shows, including Ryan’s Hope and China Beach, since 1982, CSI has given her the greatest visibility. "I either play cops or criminals—I’m either on the right side of the law or the wrong side," says Helgenberger, 46, citing her career and current role of tough criminologist Catherine Willows. "I gravitate toward edgier material because it suits my nature. I find it fascinating to play. I’m just that kind of person." She is married to actor Alan Rosenberg and has one son, Hugh, 14.

What can you tell me about Lorne Greene from Bonanza?
—Raymond M., Michigan

Lorne Greene was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, in 1915 and got his start in radio working with the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. during World War II. Because his deep voice delivered depressing news, he soon earned the nickname "The Voice of Doom." He left Canada in the early 1950s to pursue his acting dreams. In 1959, at age 44, he won the role of the Ponderosa patriarch, Ben Cartwright, on Bonanza, which ran until 1973. His voice brought him a different kind of fame when he had a No.1 hit with a song called Ringo in 1964. His other lengthy role was in the sci-fi series Battlestar Galactica. He had agreed to play Cartwright in a TV movie just before his death in 1987. Greene was married twice and had a daughter with his second wife, Nancy Deale.

Duo Delivers Hillbilly Deluxe

One might think that being country music’s most successful duo—with 28 million albums sold worldwide—would be enough. Not so for duo Brooks & Dunn, who released their ninth studio album, Hillbilly Deluxe, on Aug. 30. "You never want to rest on what you’ve done," says Coleman, Texas (pop. 5,127), native Ronnie Dunn, 52. "If you’re going to play country, you want to strip away a lot of the stuff, get down to the heart of the matter, and find songs that dig a little deeper into the way folks live their lives." Both Dunn and his partner, Shreveport, La., native Kix Brooks, 50, contributed heavily to the songwriting on the new release—co-writing six and three tracks, respectively. They’ve got 22 No. 1 hits to their credit, and their current single, Play Something Country, may soon be their 23rd. The Nashville, Tenn.-based artists currently are enjoying their Deuces Wild tour, a high-energy line-up that includes pals Big & Rich and the Warren Brothers. "I’m thinking between the pranks and the performances, this could be a whole new kind of country getting cooked up out there," Dunn says.

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