Ask American Profile

Cheryl Ladd, Telly Savalas, Ice-T, Henry Cho

What is my all-time favorite actress, Cheryl Ladd, up to these days?
—Pete Cirillo, Slippery Rock, Pa.

Born Cheryl Jean Stoppelmoor in Huron, S.D., the former Charlie's Angels TV star, now 55, has a recurring role on the series Las Vegas (playing the wife of James Caan's character), and she also recently starred in the TV movie Though None Go With Me. Her book Token Chick: A Woman's Guide To Golfing With The Boys is now available in paperback, and she is spokesperson for www.talkingtoyourdoctor.com, a website that encourages women to communicate with their doctors about menopause.

What can you tell me about Telly Savalas, the original and wonderful Kojak?
—Kathy Baltes, Piqua, Ohio

Savalas was born Aristotelis Savalas to Greek immigrants, and received a Purple Heart for his military service during World War II. At age 37, he made his movie debut in 1959 and received an Oscar nomination as Feto Gomez in Birdman of Alcatraz. He had other memorable roles in The Greatest Story Ever Told, Beau Geste and The Dirty Dozen before undertaking TV's Kojak in the 1970s. He was married four times, had six children and died of bladder cancer in 1994. His final film, Backfire!, was released the following year.

I have always been fascinated with Ice-T and his role on Law and Order. Seems to me there is not much difference between his character and his personal life.
—Angela Fesperman, Livingston, Texas

Ice-T, 48, is definitely like the reformed gangster he plays on TV's Law and Order. Born Tracy Morrow in New Jersey, his parents died when he was very young. An only child sent to live with relatives in Los Angeles, he became involved in the notorious Crips gang before spending three years in the Army. His 1980s hardcore rap records gave him the reputation as rap's "original gangsta" before he transitioned into acting and his breakthrough role in the 1994 movie Surviving the Game. In recent years he established two intervention programs in Los Angeles for at-risk children, Hands Across Watts and South Central Love.

I saw a comedian named Henry Cho on TV and thought he was hilarious! What can you tell me about him?
—Anne M., Newport, Ark.

"I'm full-blooded Korean," says Cho, who was born and raised in eastern Tennessee. "So I'm South Korean." He's been doing stand-up comedy for 20 years and is proud of his family-friendly show. "I haven't cursed on stage, not once," he notes. "The stories are funny, but the language is clean." Cho, who counts among his friends comedy titans such as Jerry Seinfeld, Gary Shandling and the late Steve Allen, recently hosted his own special on TV's Comedy Central and released his first CD/DVD, What's That Clickin' Noise?

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