Dramatis Personae: The Family Cast
Let's start at the very beginning...My mother's family moved to Hollywood from Denver, Colorado in the 1930's in hope of realizing their mother's dream: stardom for her family. With the help of their manager/mother Margaret Griffin, many of them made a name for themselves. Here's a bit on their history:
Lisa
Gaye, (my mother) actress/singer/dancer. First professional
job at age 7; retired in 1967 to raise a family. Called "TV's Reining
Western Queen" in a 1999 article in Western Clippings magazine, her
largest body of work being in that genre.
Filmography includes:
MOVIES - Rock Around the Clock, Shake Rattle and Rock, Drums Across the
River, Ten Thousand Bedrooms, Face of Terror, Night of Evil
TELEVISION- I Dream of Jeannie, Wild Wild West, Perry Mason, Death Valley
Days, Mod Squad, Get Smart, Time Tunnel, The Flying Nun, How to Marry
a Millionaire, Have Gun, Will Travel, Bat Masterson, Wanted Dead or Alive,
Wagon Train, Tales of Wells Fargo
Debra
(Debralee) Paget (my aunt) actress/singer/dancer. Perhaps the
best known name in the family to date. First professional job age 8; retired
after marrying millionaire Louis Kung (her third marriage) to raise a
son (Greg) in the mid sixties. She comes out of retirement occasionally
to appear on TBN as a guest and had her own show on the Christian network
in the early 90's.
Filmography includes:
MOVIES - Ten Commandments, Les Miserables, Love Me Tender, Broken Arrow,
Castle of Evil, The Lost City, The Haunted Palace, Tales of Terror, From
the Earth to the Moon, Omar Khayyam, Demetrius and the Gladiators, Stars
and Stripes Forever, Bird of Paradise, Belles on Their Toes
TELEVISION - The Debra Paget Show, Praise The Lord, Wagon Train, The Milton
Berle Show
Frank
Griffin, Jr (my uncle) makeup. Started off as an actor going
by the name Ruell Shayne but ended up well known for his makeup talents.
His is the longest show biz career in my family thus far. He ran the makeup
effects shop for the "Planet of the Apes" television series
and is perhaps best known for his work producing the open rib cage effect
in the film A Man Called Horse. He retired a couple years back but occasionally
returns to work on a Steve Martin film (he's been his personal makeup
artist for years).
Filmography includes:
MOVIES - A Man Called Horse, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Father
of the Bride, Bowfinger, Planet Of The Apes 1,2,and 5, Westworld, Audrey
Rose, Demon Seed, Urban Cowboy, Executive Decision, Fast Times at Ridgemont
High, National Lampoon's Family Vacation, LA Story, Parenthood
TELEVISION - Lost In Space, Nanny and the Professor, Planet of the Apes,
Time Tunnel, Emergency!, Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Teala
Loring (aka Judith Gibson) The oldest of the sisters. Married Gene
Pickler, a set builder who worked in Hollywood for many years until his
retirement. They reside about an hour from Los Angeles.
Filmography includes: Bluebeard, Double Indemnity, Black Market
Babies,Arizona Cowboy, Holiday Inn, Standing Room Only, Delinquent Daughters,Sweethearts
of the USA, Return of the Ape Man, Fall Guy
Linda
Trainoff (Frank's partner of many years) hair stylist/wardrobe
for many years. Toured for 8 years with Lena Horn and Pegge Lee. Resides
near the Hollywood area with Frank.
Filmography includes:
MOVIES - American Pie II, What's Up, Doc?, Diamonds are Forver, Pee Wee's
Big Adventure, Revenge of the Nerds, Mixed Nuts, Addams Family Values,
High Anxiety, Bowfinger, Naked Gun 33 1/3
TELEVISION - The Tonight Show (Joyhnny Carson), Star Search, The Emmy
Awards, The American Music Awards, Mad About You, Bosom Buddies, Boy Meets
World, Wings, Murphy Brown, Seinfeld, Deep Space Nine, Sea Quest, Star
Trek: Voyager, Picket Fences
THEY SAY TALENT SKIPS A GENERATION.... Only a couple of us followed in our parent's Hollywood footsteps, and the same two of us also married into the industry. In my completely biased opinion, my family within Hollywood and without are talented individuals with a variety of fulfilling careers. Here's my generation of the Griffin clan Hollywooders:
Mike Logan
Schiffbauer (my husband) actor/prop maker/costumer Mike has
been creating award winning props and costumes for over a decade.
Filmography
includes:
MOVIES - Devil's Detour, , 50 1st Kisses, Zoolander , Firestorm Rising
TELEVISION -Las Vegas, Strong Medicine, E.R., Lone Ranger TV Pilot, Homeland
Security, Star Trek: Voyager, The Enforcer, Space Patrol Pilot
Roxane
Crank (my cousin and Frank Griffin's daughter) hair stylist/makeup
Filmography includes:
MOVIES - America's Sweethearts
TELEVISION - appeared in a Gerber commercial; Wilder Pilot
Skip Crank
(Roxane's husband) prop maker
Filmography includes:
MOVIES -Scream, Batman Forever, Jurassic Park 3, Blow, Not A Teen Movie
TELEVISION - Currently working on Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Then there's ME. I've done little worth writing home about (especially where I come from!) but I do have a credit for a walk-on role on a Herb Alpert television special, appeared in a direct-to-video How To video, worked as a Production Assistant on a trailer pitch for the Battlestar Galactica remake, and assisted my husband off set with wardrobe construction for the television pilot THE ENFORCER. I prefer to remain behind the scenes as a writer of fiction and non-fiction. Visit IN MY WILDEST DREAMS for more on my writing efforts.
THE LEGACY LIVES ON.....my children have already seen time in front of the camera and have been learning costume and prop construction as well. My youngest daughter Amanda appeared in a Blue Shield commercial and is studying advanced drama at our town's magnet school for performing arts; all five of the others have done "extra" work for local news stations, performed on stage in costuming competitions. Several appeared in the direct-to-video How To I mentioned earlier, and more. My middle daughter, Danielle, is a published writer and aspiring musician. Three of the kids have expressed interest in pursuing acting or stage work; two are interested in prop making and costuming.
"Aspiring" kids, Amanda and Ryan, done up in THE CROW costumes for Halloween. They've got the posing thing down!