Tag: Actress

Lulu Roman

Lulu Roman

Donna & Lulu
Donna Douglas and Lulu Roman

LuLu Roman has enjoyed many successes in her life, but also more than her share of disappointments and hardships.  She is best known for her side splitting humor and jovial disposition, but a lesser known story lies behind those sparkling radiant eyes which have often been filled with tears, both of pain and of joy.

LuLu is best known as the most requested female cast member on the long running hit television Show “Hee Haw.”  The show ran from 1969-1993, and is now in reruns on the RFD-TV network.  LuLu is also known for her accomplished and celebrated songwriting and singing all over the world.

A native of Dallas, TX, LuLu was born in a home for unwed mothers, and placed in an orphan’s home shortly after birth. She was born with a thyroid dysfunction, and it would be in the orphan’s home that she first endured the pain of being unaccepted because of her weight.  Her weight made her the brunt of much name-calling and teasing, and also prevented her from being adopted into a loving home.  It was then she learned to use her sense of humor as a defense mechanism.

LuLu’s sense of humor later evolved into a highly successful career as an actress and comedienne with a lead role on “Hee Haw.”   However, success and wealth proved poisonous to the young actress.  LuLu’s search for acceptance and happiness eventually lead her to a drug addiction, which sent her down a spiral that nearly destroyed her life and career in 1971.

In 1973, a chance meeting with an old friend lead her to discover a new found faith in the Lord, and changed her life forever.  It was in this revelation that she discovered she had a hidden talent in her voice.  LuLu then began singing Gospel music, and eventually introduced it to “Hee Haw.”

LuLu’s new found career as a vocalist proved to be very successful.  She is the recipient of a Dove award, and has been nominated many times.  She is also a member of the Country Gospel Music and Christian Music halls of fame.  LuLu has also been honored with the JD Sumner Living Legend Award and named Favorite Crossover Artist by the Country Gospel Music Association.  The TV Land network also awarded LuLu with their prestigious Entertainer’s Award.

To date, LuLu has recorded 21 albums and is still singing in churches, seminars, fairs, performing arts centers, and anywhere she is welcomed to share her life story and music.

Her latest gospel project “Seven Times” has garnered an international hit song (“Do You Know How To Fly”), and is still being shared across the globe. It also features one of the last songs her precious friend Dottie Rambo wrote for her, “Move Upon Us.” 

LuLu has just completed a new project entitled “At Last.”  The album features 12 of her favorite standards and classics, such as “I Will Always Love You,” “Summertime,” “You Don’t Know Me,” “Til I Can Make It On My Own, ” and the title song.  LuLu’s dear friends Dolly Parton, T. Graham Brown, Linda Davis, and Georgette Jones also joined her on the album.

In addition to “Hee Haw,” LuLu has also been a guest star on such television programs as “The Love Boat” and “Touched By An Angel.”  She is also an accomplished author, with her autobiography and her cookbook “Kitchen Komforts.”

Although she has been performing for over 40 years, she has no plans to rest or retire.  LuLu continues to travel sharing her testimony, her humor, and her music.  

Morgan Brittany ~ Disney Panel Moderator

Morgan BrittanyFollowing bio and picture taken from photographer Alan Mercer’s blog. 

Morgan Brittany is one of the most beautiful film and television actresses of all time. She is best known for her role in the 1980‘s prime time soap opera ‘Dallas,’ where she portrayed Katherine Wentworth. It’s hard to forget those penetrating blue eyes and her striking dark hair. … 

Some people may not know that Morgan, under her birth name, Suzanne Cupito, began her career as a child in 1960 in an episode of the original ’Twilight Zone’ series. She then appeared in a fourth season episode and most famously in the fifth season episode ‘Caesar and Me,’ one of the most popular of all the series. She discusses these parts in interviews for the ‘Twilight Zone Definitive Edition’ DVDs.

She appears in the 1962 film ‘Gypsy’ as “Baby” June. Although uncredited, she is in the birthday party scene in the 1963 Hitchcock movie ‘The Birds.’ In 1964 she filmed an episode of ‘Daniel Boone’ portraying a young mute girl. She appears in a 1967 episode of ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ as “Mary Alice Carter”, whom Opie Taylor asks out for his first date. She is also in the 1968 film, ‘Yours, Mine and Ours’ along side Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda.

After her successful career as a child actress, Morgan, at the age of 18, appeared with Gene Kelly in his Las Vegas show ‘Gene Kelly’s Wonderful World of Girls.’ After that, she moved to New York City where she became a model with the Ford Modeling Agency. She appeared in a multitude of national commercials and print ads including a 3 year stint as the “Ultra-Brite toothpaste” girl, L’Oreal cosmetics, Ford, Levi’s, Camay soap and many more. 

In 1974 she was hired by the Japanese cosmetics company Kanebo to be the “face” of their product “Ireine”. Morgan moved to Tokyo and represented that company for two years. In 1976 she returned to the United States and restarted her acting career. Also in 1976 Morgan portrayed Vivien Leigh in the biopic ‘Gable and Lombard.’ That was followed by numerous movies of the week and shows such as ‘The Initiation of Sarah’ with Kay Lenz, ‘The Amazing Howard Hughes’ with Tommy Lee Jones, and ‘LBJ, The Early Years’ with Randy Quaid.

Her brief appearance as Vivien Leigh again, is the climax of the made-for-TV movie Moviola: The Scarlett O’Hara War (1980). Because of that pivotal moment, she came to the attention of the producers of ‘Dallas’ who were searching for a new character to play the sister of Pamela Ewing.

Morgan first appeared on ‘Dallas’ during the 1981-1982 season in a recurring role which continued for several seasons. In 1985, she returned for a brief cameo appearance in that season’s finale. Thus, in 1987, Morgan made another brief return to the show in which Katherine came to visit Pam in the hospital after a car accident. This was Morgan’s last appearance on ‘Dallas.’

In 1984, Morgan Brittany starred in her own short-lived ABC drama series, ‘Glitter,’ as “Kate Simpson”, a reporter at an entertainment magazine. She has also guest starred on a number of other prime time shows, such as ‘Married….With Children,’ ‘The Dukes Of Hazzard,’ ‘Murder, She Wrote,’ and ‘Melrose Place,’ and has the distinction of appearing on ‘The Love Boat’ seven times. She also appeared with Bob Hope on two of his television specials for NBC.

In 2002, Morgan had roles in the film, ‘The Biggest Fan,’ and ‘Mothers and Daughters.’ She also had a guest appearance on the television series’Son Of The Beach.’ in 2002. She also appears in the 2007 film ‘Americanizing Shelley.’ Morgan appears in the 2010 docu-drama ‘a Minute.’ The documentary features cancer survivors. She is currently a frequent guest on the Fox News Networks, ‘Hannity’ show where she is a member of the “Great American Panel”. Morgan travels extensively, fund-raising and bringing awareness to issues that affect the military and American values.

She is also an advocate for child actors in Hollywood and along with former child star Paul Peterson, brought attention to the film ‘Hounddog’ starring Dakota Fanning. Morgan returned to her musical roots in the 30th anniversary tour of ‘Mame’ in 1997 where she played the title role. She followed that with tours of “The Sound of Music’ as Maria, and ‘Crazy For You.’

Morgan is the mother of actress Katie Gill and musician/stuntman Cody Gill. She met her husband, stuntman Jack Gill, when she did a guest appearance on the ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ show.