DANNY GLOVER: (Jerry) Glover, a talented African American actor, made his debut in the 1979 movie Escape From Alcatraz and has since appeared in such acclaimed films as Witness, Grand Canyon, and The Color Purple. He was also Mel Gibson's partner in all four Lethal Weapon movies. Glover won an Emmy award in 1993 for outstanding guest star on a miniseries(Fallen Angels.)To prepare for his role in The Saint of Fort Washington, he spent some time on the streets of New York "incognito", living life the way the homeless do. Glover has been married to Asake Bomani since 1975. He is a graduate of San Francisco State College.
RICK AVILES: (Rosario) Rick Aviles passed away in March of 1995 due to heart complications (possibly related to AIDS.) Although he was not a well-known actor, he proved his talent in films like Spike of Bensonhurst,Ghost (as Tony Goldwyn's partner-in-crime Willie Lopez), and Carlito's Way. He last appeared as a small-yet-vital role in Waterworld. Aviles was also a comedian, and had his own comedy show on HBO. He lived in New York City.
NINA SIEMASZKO: (Tamsen) The sister of talented character actor Casey Siemaszko, Nina is certainly not lacking in talent herself. She began making movies in her late teens and can be seen in two popular 1988 films about cars, License to Drive and Tucker: the Man and His Dream. She has also appeared in The American President (as Annette Bening's sister) and Airheads, as well as a couple of very R-rated cable features and several independent films. Nina was born in Chicago and is the daughter of a Polish Holocaust survivor (the late KC Siemaszko) and a British dancer. Visit a page about her brother Casey!
VING RHAMES: (Little Leroy) Rising African American actor who has appeared in the recent hits Con Air and Rosewood, as well as the critically acclaimed Pulp Fiction. Rhames was born and resides in New York City, and is a graduate of the Juilliard School. Rhames had a very special experience while filming The Saint of Fort Washington. One day while it was filming at the Fort Washington Armory, a homeless man approached Matt Dillon and asked if he appeared with Rhames in a Broadway play in 1985. Dillon said yes. The homeless man turned out to be Rhames' brother Junior,a Vietnam veteran! The brothers were reunited, and Ving helped Junior buy an apartment.
JOE SENECA: (Spits)Joe Seneca is sadly the second Saint of Fort Washington member to have passed away; he died in August of 1996 due to coronary arrest. Seneca was also born in New York City. A veteran actor, he can be seen in such films as The Blob, Malcolm X, Silverado and A Time to Kill. (His last film.)
KEVIN CORRIGAN: (Peter)Corrigan is a gifted actor who has appeared in a number of acclaimed independent films, most notably Goodfellas, True Romance, Billy Bathgate, and Steve Buscemi's Trees Lounge. He was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award as best supporting actor in the 1996 film Walking and Talking, for which he gave a touching, amusing turn as the "ugly guy". A Bronx native and also an experienced guitarist, Corrigan also wrote and starred in the amusing recent movie Kicked in the Head.
ADAM TRESE: (John) An up-and-coming actor who has guest-starred on such shows as Law and Order and NYPD Blue and appeared in a handful of mostly-independent films, like The Underneath and Palookaville. He is a graduate of S.U.N.Y Purchase, a group of working actors, directors and writers which also includes Stanley Tucci, Wesley Snipes, Todd Baker and Parker Posey.
AIDA TURTURRO: (State Employee)The cousin of actors John Turturro, Aida resides in New York City and is a very prolific character actress, having appeared in such films as Angie, Sleepers, What About Bob?, Life with Mikey and Denise Calls Up.
VICTOR SLEZAK: (Driver #1) Star of the screen and stage, Slezak has appeared in the play Cry Me a River at the Hasty Pudding Theater Club in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He can be seen in several motion pictures, such as Bed and Breakfast, Beyond Rangoon and The Devil's Own.
Other notable cast members:
Peter Appel- (demolition man) An actor who has also appeared in Big Night, Mr. Wonderful and Days of Thunder.
Brian Tarantina- (Fred) Actor who has been in movies since 1984. He can be seen in such films as Jacob's Ladder, Born on the Fourth of July, and Bed of Roses. He has also guest-starred on Oz and The Equalizer.
Joe Pentangelo- (arrest cop #1) An actor who must really like to play a policeman. He has in all but two or three of his dozen movies. He guest-starred on Law&Order in 1990, and can be seen in Six Degrees of Separation.
Ralph Hughes (Jason); Harry Ellington (Arthur);Doug Crosby (arrest cop #2); Bahni Turpin (Gloria); Liz Larsen (River Banks Woman); Allison Mackie (Dime Tipper).
The popular Irish band Black 47 appear in one scene (performing "James Connolly"), as does the folk trio Morning Star (performing "Minstrel Boy".) Julia Fordham's "Shame" and a lovely, haunting score by James Newton Howard make up the rest of the film's music.
WE CAN'T FORGET THE TALENTED CREW!
TIM HUNTER: (The director)A director of quiet, meaningful films, Hunter began his directing career with Tex, which also starred Matt Dillon. Other credits include Lies of the Twins, Sylvester, The People Next Door and the critically acclaimed River's Edge, as well as episodes of "Twin Peaks", "Beverly Hills 90210", and "Chicago Hope."
LYLE KESSLER: (The writer, the executive producer) Kessler's most notable project other than The Saint of Fort Washington is Orphans. He wrote both the play and the largely unsuccessful 1987 film adaption. His other screenwriting credit is Gladiator. Kessler appeared in the 1988 TV movie To Heal a Nation.
FREDERICK ELMES: (The cinematographer)An award- winning cinematographer for Blue Velvet, Elmes' other credits include River's Edge, Trial by Jury and In the Gloaming.
JAMES NEWTON HOWARD: (The composer) Very talented film composer who likes to give his scores straightforward titles. (In The Saint of Fort Washington, "Matthew Takes a Picture" is a good example.)His numerous other scores include those for Liar Liar, The Fugitive, U.S. Marshals, Restoration and My Best Friend's Wedding. He was formerly married to actress Rosanna Arquette. Click here to visit his web site.
Kevin Corrigan has a small role as Peter:
Aida Turturro has another small role as a state employee:
