Arnold Schwarzenegger followed his work on "Eraser" by starring in the holiday comedy "Jingle All the Way." He will succeed that by playing the villainous Mr. Freeze in the fourth installment in the phenomenally successful "Batman" series, "Batman & Robin," for Warner Bros. and director Joel Schumacher. After that, he will begin production on the World War II drama "With Wings As Eagles."

Schwarzenegger has become one of the most popular and bankable film superstars in the world since emerging in feature films in the late `70s. His motion-picture career began in 1977 with his role in the critically acclaimed "Pumping Iron," a feature-length documentary about the Mr. Universe competition. Director Bob Rafaelson, recognizing Schwarzenegger's engaging natural presence before the camera, cast him opposite Sally Field and Jeff Bridges in "Stay Hungry." His performance garnered winning reviews and a Golden Globe Award as Best Newcomer in Films. In 1978, he put aside his competitive bodybuilding career to pursue acting full-time. He starred with Kirk Douglas and Ann-Margret in the romantic action-comedy Western, "The Villain" and took the part of Mickey Hargitay in the television movie "The Jayne Mansfield Story."

Schwarzenegger made his breakthrough role in director John Milius's "Conan the Barbarian," playing the comic-book superhero of the mystical Dark Ages. The film grossed more than $100 million worldwide, spawned a popular sequel, "Conan the Destroyer," and earned Schwarzenegger a devoted following.

In 1983, soon after becoming a naturalized citizen, Schwarzenegger took a chance on a low-budget independent film by an unknown director. James Cameron's futuristic thriller "The Terminator" became a runaway hit at the box-office and was cited by Time as one of the year's 10 best films.

The success of "The Terminator" placed Schwarzenegger at the front rank of Hollywood stars. Over the next few years, he became virtually synonymous with the phrase "action hero," largely due to the phenomenal success of a series of crowd-pleasing action-adventure films, including "Commando," "Raw Deal," "Predator," "The Running Man" and "Red Heat."

In 1988, Schwarzenegger realized yet another of his goals as a film star when he showcased his previously untapped talents as a comic actor in "Twins," in which Schwarzenegger starred with Danny DeVito under the direction of Ivan Reitman. The film's triumphant success paved the way for the trio's reunion in the comedy "Junior," which also starred Emma Thompson. In 1990, Schwarzenegger delivered a one-two punch with the futuristic action thriller "Total Recall," followed that Christmas by Ivan Reitman's comedy hit "Kindergarten Cop."

Schwarzenegger's greatest commercial success to date came with "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," which reunited him with director Cameron and earned more than $500 million worldwide. His unprecedented success compelled the National Association of Theater Owners to invent a new award to present him at the ShoWest Convention in February of 1993: "International Star of the Decade." The following summer came "Last Action Hero," which grossed $168 million worldwide and the subsequent summer brought another Schwarzenegger/Cameron blockbuster, "True Lies."

Schwarzenegger has been active behind the scenes of moviemaking since 1990, when he made his directorial debut on "The Switch," an episode of the popular HBO anthology series, "Tales from the Crypt." He also directed a remake of the holiday classic, "Christmas in Connecticut," for Turner Network Television (TNT), starring Dyan Cannon, Kris Kristofferson and Tony Curtis.

From his early childhood in Graz, Austria, Schwarzenegger was always encouraged by his father to become involved in athletics. His initial participation in sports was in soccer and track and field. At 15, he discovered his genuine passion, weight-lifting, which he practiced for the next three years before moving into bodybuilding. By the age of 20, Schwarzenegger became Mr. Universe, the first of what would become an unprecedented 13 world titles.

Since 1979, he has served as the weight training coach for the Special Olympics.

Beginning in 1991, he served as Executive Commissioner of the Los Angeles Inner-City Games, a mini-Olympics designed to help urban youth say "no" to drugs and violence and "yes" to sports, education and life. Then in 1993, Schwarzenegger founded and became chairman of the National Inner-City Games Foundation. From 1990 to 1993, he served on the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, and is the author of numerous books on health and fitness. In 1991, Schwarzenegger received the Simon Wiesenthal Center's national leadership award for his support of the organization's Holocaust studies.

A patron of the arts, Schwarzenegger is a respected art collector. He resides in Los Angeles with his wife, broadcast journalist Maria Shriver, and their three children.

James Caan received a 1972 Academy Award nomination for his performance as Sonny Corleone in "The Godfather." That same year, he was nominated for an Emmy Award for his portrayal of football star Brian Piccolo in "Brian's Song."

Caan continues to be a prolific actor in feature films, with notable appearances in the searing familial drama "Flesh and Bone," the buoyant comedy "Honeymoon in Vegas" and the thriller "Misery." His extensive list of feature-film performances also includes an award-winning role in "The Rain People," one of Francis Ford Coppola's first films, "Thief," "Rollerball," "Funny Lady," "The Gambler," "Cinderella Liberty," as well as the highly acclaimed "Hide in Plain Sight," which he also directed.

Caan's other credits include "Freebie and the Bean," "For the Boys," "Gardens of Stone," "Chapter Two," "Kiss Me Goodbye," "Comes a Horseman," "A Bridge Too Far," "Another Man, Another Chance," "Slither," "Silent Movie," "Harry and Walter Go To New York" and "A Boy Called Hate," in which he co-starred with his son, Scott.

He has also appeared in "Lady in a Cage," "Glory Days," "Red Line 7000," "Eldorado," "The Journey to Shiloh" and "Gaines," among others.

Caan was born in the Bronx and raised in Queens, New York. He entered Michigan State University at age 16 to study economics and play football. Caan then transferred to Hofstra University, where he was a theater major. He then studied at Sanford Meisner's Neighborhood Playhouse and, later, with Wynn Handman.

Caan began his career on stage in 1961 in the Off-Broadway production of "La Ronde." He went on to appear on Broadway in "Mandingo" and "Blood, Sweat and Stanley Poole." Television roles soon followed, ranging from guest appearances on the popular shows "Naked City" and "Route 66" to regular appearances on "Wagon Train," "Ben Casey," "Combat," "The Untouchables" and "Alfred Hitchcock Presents."

Caan's upcoming projects include the Alaskan adventure "North Star" and the comedy "Bulletproof."

Vanessa Williams has distinguished her career with remarkable success in music, theater, television and film. Among her recent accomplishments, she ended a triumphant nine-month run on Broadway in "Kiss of the Spider Woman," during which time her third album, The Sweetest Days, achieved platinum success and her single, "Colors of the Wind," from the platinum soundtrack to "Pocahontas," soared up the charts and earned an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award.

Williams was born in Millwood, New York, to two music teachers who encouraged her pursuit of a career in entertainment. She majored in musical theater at Syracuse University and in 1983, won the Miss America title. The controversy that followed only left her stronger and more empowered in her commitment to a career in entertainment, which has since been honored with two NAACP Image Awards, nine Grammy Award nominations and a number of New York Music Awards.

Her musical accomplishments began with her first release, 1988's The Right Stuff, which became a pop and R&B smash. In 1991, Williams released the multi-million seller The Comfort Zone, which featured the hit single "Save the Best for Last," which topped the pop, adult contemporary and R&B charts for five straight weeks and reached number-one success around the world. Williams has recently contributed to several unique musical projects, including Ain't Nothin' but a She Thing, an all-female concept record on which she collaborates with Me'shell N'dege O'cello; People, a release celebrating the 50th anniversary of the United Nations; and Harolyn Blackwell Sings Leonard Bernstein ... A Simple Song, on which she covers songs from the composer's classic "West Side Story." Williams reached another personal and professional pinnacle this year with her performance of the national anthem on the telecast of Super Bowl XXX and her stunning live performance of "Colors of the Wind" on the Academy Awards telecast. Her fourth solo album is expected later this year.

Williams has received widespread acclaim for her television performances, which include the mini-series "The Jacksons: An American Dream," the television movies "Stompin' at the Savoy" and "The Boy Who Loved Christmas" and the Emmy-winning special "Motown Returns to the Apollo." Her more recent television appearances include the mini-series "Nothing Lasts Forever," based on a Sidney Sheldon bestseller; the revival of the musical "Bye, Bye Birdie," opposite Tyne Daly, Jason Alexander and Chynna Phillips; and the animated "Beauty and the Beast" episode of HBO's "Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child."

Williams other feature-film credits include "Under the Gun," "The Pick-Up Artist," "Another You" and "Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man."

James Coburn made his motion-picture debut in "Ride Lonesome," followed by a score of other films, including "The Magnificent Seven," "The Great Escape," "Charade," "The Americanization of Emily," "The President's Analyst" and his signature spy thrillers, "Our Man Flint" and "In Like Flint." He appeared in two Sam Peckinpah films, "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid" and "Cross of Iron." Among his more recent credits are "Young Guns 2," "Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit" and "Maverick."

Born in Nebraska, Coburn first began acting at Los Angeles City College. He began his professional career at the esteemed La Jolla Playhouse, sharing a stage with Vincent Price in "Billy Budd." Moving to New York, he studied with Stella Adler and worked in television series including "Studio One" and "General Electric Theatre" before returning to Los Angeles to launch his film career.

Coburn's recent work for television includes the cable movies "Hit List" and "Mastergate" as well as the movie-of-the-week series "Ray Alexander." He also was seen in "A Christmas Reunion" for British television.

Robert Pastorelli is probably best known to audiences as Eldin the house painter on the long-running popular series "Murphy Brown." Following his success on that show, he led the cast of the series "Double Rush."

A New Jersey native, Pastorelli drifted through a series of odd jobs before deciding to become an actor. He trained at the New York Academy of Theatrical Arts and The Actor's Studio before participating in a work-study program at the Performing Arts Gallery, where he studied with such noted teachers as Michael Schulman. He appeared in numerous Off-Broadway productions including "Cosmo's In Love," "End As a Man," "Death of a Salesman," "Bus Stop," "The Rainmaker," "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," "Gray Spades," "Lovers and Other Strangers," "Mere Mortals," "Down the Tubes" opposite Bill Murray and "Geography of a Horse Dreamer," for which Pastorelli received the Soho Arts Award for Best Actor.

Pastorelli's guest-starring role on "Barney Miller" led to further television work on series including "Cagney and Lacey," "Hill Street Blues," "St. Elsewhere" and "Beauty and the Beast." His roles for television movies have included acclaimed performances in "West Side Waltz," "Harmful Intent" and "The Yarn Princess."

His role in Kevin Costner's Western epic, "Dances With Wolves," brough Pastorelli widespread notice as a dramatic actor. His other feature credits include the upcoming "Michael," opposite John Travolta, as well as Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit," "Striking Distance," "The Paint Job," "Folks," "Outrageous Fortune," and "Beverly Hills Cop 2."

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© 1996 Warner Bros.