MARK RYLANCE (JAKOB VON GUNTEN)
Mark Rylance shot to prominence in Britain in 1989 with his "pyjama Hamlet" at the Royal Shakespeare Company which critics called "a work of genius". He has since appeared in a range of film and television dramas and in 1992 won the BBC Best New Television Award for "The Grass Arena". He was also featured in Peter Greenaway's "Prospero's Books". His Shakespearean acting now earns rave reviews on both sides of the Atlantic. His New York acting debut as the thoughtful monarch Henry V won the 1993 Lucille Lortel Award for best Off-Broadway revival. His Benedict was a highlight of a commercial production of "Much Ado About Nothing" in London in 1993 for which he won Best Actor in the Laurence Olivier Awards in 1994. Mark Rylance also stars in Philip Haas's upcoming "Angels and Insects".
ALICE KRIGE (LISA BENJAMENTA)
Alice Krige was born in South Africa and studied drama in London. In 1980 she appeared in "Chariots of Fire" and in 1981 she won The Most Promising Newcomer of the Year Award from the Society of West End Theatres, the London Theatre Critics Awards and Plays Players Magazine. In 1982-83 she was a principal actress at the Royal Shakespeare Company appearing in "King Lear," 'The Tempest," and "The Taming of the Shrew". She recently starred in the classic BBC Drama Series "The Scarlet and Black".
DANIEL SMITH (KRAUS)
Daniel Smith was born in Chile and studied Architecture and Music. He is a musician by profession but also a man of many talents. He is an acrobat--giving performances in circuses and international acrobatic events--a magician, juggler, professional dancer, teacher of T'ai Chi, and a holder of a Black Belt in Judo. He speaks nine languages. Daniel Smith has also revealed remarkable abilities in acting by co-starring in Edgar Reitz's "The Second Heimat" in the part of Juan.
GOTTFRIED JOHN (HERR BENJAMENTA)
Gottfried John was born in Berlin and is best known to cinema audiences for his work in Rainer Werner Fassbinder's films ("Mother Kusters Goes To Heaven," "Lili Marleen," "The Marriage of Maria Braun," "In a Year of Thirteen Moons," "Despair," "Berlin Alexanderplatz"). Over the last decade he has appeared in numerous movies and television series. He stars in the latest James Bond film, "Goldeneye".
ALAN PASSES (CO-AUTHOR)
Alan Passes has published two novels and several short stories. He has written for the stage, radio and television. He has also worked in film production in both France and England.
JANINE MARMOT (PRODUCER)
Janine Marmot has produced documentary films and series for the BBC and Channel 4, in the areas of arts and television features. She has been Production Manager on many feature-length dramas and documentaries shot all over the world. Her film credits include the award-winning fantastic and science fiction films "The Temptation of Sainthood" and "Rose Red" directed by Simon Pummell and short films directed by Chantal Akerman and Marc Karlin.
KEITH GRIFFITHS (PRODUCER)
Keith Griffiths has been producing independent films for twenty years and manages the Koninck group of companies. His feature credits include "Radio On" directed by Chris Petit, "Riddles of the Sphinx" directed by Peter Wollen and Laura Mulvey, "London" directed by Patrick Keillor, "Alice" and "Faust", both directed by Jan Svankmajer, and the films of the Brothers Quay.
NIC KNOWLAND (DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY)
Nic Knowland was a founding member of the production and facility company Tattooist International. He has photographed many award-winning features, television dramas, dance films, commercials and music promos for the Rolling Stones, John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Queen, Phil Collins and Tina Turner. His recent feature films include "Immaculate Conception" and "Wild West" and two Emmy Award-winning mini-series, "Separate But Equal" and "The Ballad of Mary Phagan".
LECH JANKOWSKI (COMPOSER)
Lech Jankowski was born in 1956 in Leszno, Poland. For five years he composed and performed the musical scores for the controversial theatre company The Theatre of the Eighth Day. The company toured Mexico and Western Europe in 1980 to wide public and critical acclaim. He has composed the music for the majority of short films made by the Brothers Quay including "Street of Crocodiles" which won Best Musical Composition at the Zagreb International Animation Festival. Between 1987-1994 he composed music for television documentaries and a wide range of theatrical performances in Poland. Exhibitions of his paintings were mounted in 1986, '87, '89 and '92. This year his ""One Day In The Life of Eric Satie" was staged in Poland as a musical tribute to the infamous composer and labelled by the press the event of the musical season.