Little Known Facts with Ilana Levine

• Episode 447 - Taylor Polidore Williams

  Taylor Polidore Williams Currently leading the cast of Netflix’s BEAUTY IN BLACK, Taylor stars as Kimmie, a stripper whose fate takes a turn when she crosses paths with the wealthy, dysfunctional family behind a cosmetics dynasty and a devious trafficking scheme. This past summer, Taylor was seen starring opposite Meagan Good in Tyler Perry and Amazon Prime Video’s fan favorite film DIVORCE IN THE BLACK, which topped the Amazon charts for several weeks after its debut. Taylor is perhaps best known for heavily recurring in FX’s critically acclaimed SNOWFALL as well as The CW’s ALL AMERICAN: HOMECOMING. She is also an accomplished voice over artist, having voiced characters for Nickelodeon, Disney, and Peacock, among others. Taylor is a proud alumna of HBCU Clark Atlanta University and is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She is extremely passionate about the rights and welfare of young people and is a Court Appointed Special Advocate for youth in foster care. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• Episode 446 - Abubakr Ali

  Abubakr Ali starred in Anything’s Possible (MGM/Orion Pictures) dir. Billy Porter, and was the titular lead in Netflix/Dark Horse’s series “Grendel.” He recently finished working on Kathryn Bigelow’s upcoming untitled Netflix feature film. Other credits include “Law & Order: Organized Crime” (NBC), “Walking Dead: World Beyond” (AMC), “Power Book II: Ghost” (Starz) and “Katy Keene” (CW). Theatre credits include Toros (Second Stage), Inherit the Wind (Pasadena Playhouse), We Live in Cairo (A.R.T.), Kiss (Yale Rep), Twelfth Night (Yale Rep) and work with The 24 Hour Plays, Roundabout Theatre Company, NYTW, Atlantic Theater Com­ pany, The Public and others. MFA: Yale School of Drama. @theabubakrali Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• Episode 445 - Katie O’Brien

  Katie O’Brien is a writer, actor, producer, and showrunner. She, along with her comedy group, The Katydids, co-created, wrote, produced, and starred in the hit comedy, Teachers, which ran for three seasons and fifty episodes on TV Land. She worked as the co-executive producer for Disney + The Santa Clauses starring Tim Allen. Currently, she is the creator, writer, executive producer, and showrunner for Tubi’s first original scripted series, “The Z-Suite,” starring Lauren Graham which premiered on February 6, 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• Episode 444 - Michael Mayer

  Award-winning director Michael Mayer has worked in a broad spectrum of media from theatre and opera to television and film. Current theatre: Swept Away, a new musical featuring songs of The Avett Brothers which opened November 19, 2024 on Broadway, the hit revival of Little Shop of Horrors now playing at the Westside Theatre, the national tour of his hit Broadway revival of Funny Girl (which starred Lea Michele) and the national tour of A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical, which recently ended its Broadway run.  Recent opera:  Jeanine Tesori and George Brant’s new opera Grounded which opened the Metropolitan Opera season on September 23, 2024 with performances running until October 19. Upcoming opera: a new production of Aida at the Metropolitan Opera this season opening on December 31, 2024. Other Broadway credits include Adam Driver and Keri Russell in Burn This, Head Over Heels (featuring the songs of The Go-Go’s), Neil Patrick Harris in Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Tony Award, best musical revival, also National Tour), Spring Awakening (Tony Award/Best Musical and Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Director; also London, National Tour, Vienna, Tokyo, and Seoul productions); Green Day’s American Idiot (also co-author, Drama Desk Award for Best Director; also US, UK and Asia tours); Thoroughly Modern Millie (Tony Award/Best Musical also London and National Tour), Side Man (Tony Award/Best Play also London and Kennedy Center Productions),  A View from the Bridge (Tony Award/Best Revival),  Michael Moore’s The Terms of My Surrender, Everyday Rapture, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and Triumph of Love; off-Broadway credits include Lin-Manuel Miranda’s 21 Chump Street (BAM), Chess (Kennedy Center), Love, Love, Love (Roundabout), Brooklynite (Also co-author, Vineyard), Whorl Inside A Loop (with Dick Scanlan, Second Stage), 10 Million Miles (Atlantic): Angels in America. London: a record-breaking West End run of Funny Girl and a UK tour. Tokyo: As You Like It (Toho Theatre). Film: A Home at the End of the World (Excellence in filmmaking, National Board of Review, GLAAD nomination), Single All the Way for Netflix, Flicka, The Seagull. He was featured in both the documentaries Those You’ve Known on HBO and Broadway Idiot. Television credits Include: SMASH (Pilot, producing director: Season One), two seasons of Alpha House (Amazon), and producer for the HBO film WIG. He made his Metropolitan Opera debut with a celebrated new production of Rigoletto, followed by a co-production (with the English National Opera) of Nico Muhly’s Marnie, and a new production of La Traviata, which broke box office records. He directed the world premiere of Jeanine Tesori’s Grounded at the Washington National Opera. Grounded  opened the Met’s 24/25 season on September 23, 2024, and his new production of Aida will premiere at the Met on New Year’s Eve 2024.  Additional Awards and fellowships: the inaugural Daryl Roth Creative Spirit award, Drama League Founders Award, Jefferson, Ovation, Alan Schneider, and Carbonell awards;  Fox Foundation, Drama League and TCG/NEA Directing Fellowships.   He serves on the Boards of SDC (Stage Directors and Choreographers Society) and the Arthur Miller. Photos by Sergio Villarini for Broadway.Com- assisted by BrookeBellPhoto Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• Episode 443 - Peter Gallagher

  Peter Gallagher has delivered critically acclaimed performances in film, television and theatre. He has starred in many films, including: sex, lies and videotape, American Beauty (SAG Award), The Player, Short Cuts (Golden Globe), The Idolmaker, Dreamchild, While You Were Sleeping, The Underneath, To Gillian on her 37th Birthday, Center Stage, Mr. Deeds, Palm Springs and the upcoming Humane. Gallagher’s recent television work includes: “Truth Be Told,” “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” as Mitch, “Grace and Frankie” as Nick, “Grey’s Anatomy” as Dr. Hamilton, “Law & Order SVU” as Chief Dodds, “Covert Affairs” as Arthur Campbell and Schmidt’s dad on “New Girl,” “Togetherness,” “Californication,” “Rescue Me” and “The OC” as Sandy Cohen. His Broadway credits include: Guys and Dolls (Drama Desk nomination), Long Day’s Journey Into Night (with Jack Lemmon, receiving a Tony Award Nomination), The Real Thing (The Clarence Derwent Award), The Corn Is Green (Theatre World Award), A Doll’s Life, Noises Off , The Country Girl, Grease (Original production) On The Twentieth Century and Left On Tenth. Gallagher was honored with a Light on the Hill Award and a Jumbo Award from Tufts University, the Steve Chase Humanitarian Award, the Inspire Award from AARP for his Alzheimer’s advocacy, a Jewish Image Award for his portrayal of Sandy Cohen and the Elsa Rose Fabares Award from The Alzheimer’s Association. He continues to support The Alzheimer’s Association, The Entertainment Community Fund and Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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