Ask American Profile

Anthony LaPaglia, Shirley Muldowney, Floyd Cramer, Gene Sheldon, Miles and Soleda O'Brien

Can you tell me if Anthony LaPaglia from Without a Trace and Jonathan LaPaglia from The District are brothers?
—Sue Stevenson, Howell, Mich.

Yes indeed. Anthony, 47, is the oldest of three brothers, and Jonathan, 36, is the youngest. Born in Adelaid, Australia, Anthony, usually cast as a New York "tough guy," has been a successful actor since the late 1980s. Jonathan followed suit in the mid-’90s.

What is racer Shirley Muldowney doing these days?
—Sally Pratt, Jamestown, Ind.

Drag racing superstar Muldowney, who in 1965 became the first woman licensed by the National Hot Rod Association, officially retired in 2003, but she still attends some NHRA racing events, serving as a sponsor rep for one of the cars on the Kalitta Motorsports team. "I spend a lot of time with the fans at the track," says Muldowney, 65, who was portrayed by actress Bonnie Bedelia in the 1983 movie Heart Like a Wheel. She’s also there to support her husband, Rahn Tobler, a racing crew chief. "I miss driving, but I don’t miss the travel. I have pets that I’m very close with, and I’m always in a hurry to get back to my babies." Muldowney, who resides near Ann Arbor, Mich., paved the way for all women racers and says she is very proud of winning four world championships, but most proud of winning the U.S. Nationals in 1982. "I won Indy, and if a racer doesn’t have Indy as one of their credits, they still haven’t done it."

What can you tell us about the life and career of Floyd Cramer?
—Harvey and Tere, Hutchings, Tolarosa, N.M.

One of the most popular and distinctive piano players of all time, Cramer was born Oct. 27, 1933, in Campti, La. (pop. 1,057). After a stint as a performer on The Louisiana Hayride, the live radio show based in Shreveport, La., he moved to Nashville, Tenn., in 1955 and soon was in high demand for recording sessions. Cramer perfected a melancholy, "slip note" style of piano playing, sliding up to a note from the one beneath it, which became his trademark on numerous country hits of the 1950s and ’60s, and most notably on his own hit single, "Last Date," in 1960. He died of cancer on Dec. 31, 1997.

Years ago, there was a comedian, Gene Sheldon, who played the banjo and also starred on the TV series Zorro as a deaf mute. His banjo playing was superior, and I would like to know if he ever made any records? Whatever happened to him?
—Ronald Diven, Kansas City, Mo.

Born Eugene Hume in Columbus, Ohio, in 1908, Sheldon often was believed to be mute, but it was only part of his act. The son of a magician, he began his career as his father’s assistant, dressed as a girl, where he learned how to mime. After vaudeville and radiocasts, he—and his banjo—broke into films in the 1930s, where he often portrayed circus characters. But in 1957, the Zorro television series, in which he played the role of Bernardo, forged his fame. Sheldon’s output as a recording artist was sparse and is hard to track down today; musicologists agree that he recorded and released at least two songs, "Darktown Strutter’s Ball" and "Hey! Mr. Banjo." He died May 1, 1982.

Are CNN’s Miles O’Brien and Soledad O’Brien related?
—Grace Hall, Taylorville, Ill.

No, the fact that they share the same last name and work for CNN is purely coincidental. Soledad began anchoring American Morning in 2003, and Miles, who came aboard the program after a stint anchoring CNN’s weekday newcast Live From, joined the morning show last summer.

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