The Iron Giant

Click on the names below to read about the voices behind
The Iron Giant

JENNIFER ANISTON (Annie Hughes) currently stars in NBC’s award-winning blockbuster ensemble series, "Friends," and continues to expand her list of starring feature film roles. Aniston was most recently seen in the independent comedy "Office Space," opposite Paul Rudd in "The Object of My Affection" (directed by Nicholas Hytner) and starring opposite Kevin Bacon, Olympia Dukakis and Jay Mohr in "Picture Perfect." She also starred with director Ed Burns and Cameron Diaz in "She’s the One."

Daughter of actor John Aniston, Jennifer began acting at age 11 when she joined the Rudolf Steiner School’s drama club; she later attended New York’s High School of the Performing Arts, graduating in 1987. Aniston won roles in such Off-Broadway productions as "For Dear Life" at New York’s Public Theater and "Dancing on Checker’s Grave." She landed her first television role as a regular on "Molloy," following that with series regular roles on "The Edge" and "Ferris Bueller."

Read more about Jennifer Aniston at the official Friends site!

HARRY CONNICK, JR. (Dean McCoppen) continues to segue between an award-winning recording career and a successful acting career. Connick most recently starred opposite Sandra Bullock in "Hope Floats" (directed by Forest Whitaker), for which he received a Blockbuster Movie Award nomination for Favorite Male Actor. His upcoming projects include the family adventure "My Dog Skip," Linda Yellen’s improvisational film, "Simian Line" (along with William Hurt and Lynn Redgrave), and the starring lead role (opposite Pete Postlethwaite) in Randall Harris’ "Wayward Son." His additional feature film credits include "Copycat," "Independence Day," "Little Man Tate" and "Memphis Belle."

The New Orleans-born musician and actor made his debut recording with a jazz band in his home town at age 10 and went on to study at New York’s Hunter College and the Manhattan School of Music. Connick released his self-titled debut album when he was 19. Since then, he has racked up one gold, three platinum and four multi-platinum albums; two Grammy Awards; an Emmy, CableAce, Golden Globe and Oscar nominations; several highly rated television specials; and scores of sold-out concerts. His latest recording, Come By Me, is a Big Band album that has met with critical and popular success.

VIN DIESEL (The Iron Giant), a New York native, made his stage performing debut at the age of seven and, from that point on, he continued to work in New York theater. Diesel majored in English at Hunter College and soon began writing screenplays. His first film, the short "Multi-Facial" (which he wrote, starred in, directed and produced), screened at Cannes in 1995; his first full-length feature, "Strays" (which he starred in, directed and produced), competed at Sundance in 1997 and led to a deal with MTV to adapt it into a series. Upon viewing "Multi-Facial," Steven Spielberg created the role of Private Carpazo for Diesel in his Oscar-winning "Saving Private Ryan." (Diesel, along with his fellow "Ryan" actors, were nominated for a SAG Award for Best Ensemble.)

The actor/filmmaker is currently developing "Doormen," an original screenplay based on his experiences as a bouncer in New York City, which he plans to direct and star in (with Ted Fields executive producing). He recently completed starring roles in the science-fiction drama "Pitch Black" (directed by David Twohy) and Ben Younger’s "The Boiler Room," opposite Ben Affleck and Giovanni Ribisi.

JAMES GAMMON (Marve Loach / Floyd Tubeaux) was recently seen opposite Woody Harrelson in "The Hi-Lo Country." Gammon’s additional feature credits include "One Man’s Hero" (starring Tom Berenger), Robert Duvall’s Oscar-nominated "The Apostle," the futuristic "Gattaca," "Traveler" (opposite Bill Paxton) and the Jeff Bridges/Ellen Barkin-starrer "Wild Bill." The actor has also had roles in "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," "Leaving Normal," "Bad to the Bone," "Crisscross," "I Love You to Death," "Major League" (I and II) and "Ironweed" (opposite Jack Nicholson).

Gammon received a Tony nomination for his work in Sam Shepard’s "Buried Child" and starred in the original cast of Shepard’s "Lie of the Mind"; he recently returned from New York, where he starred in the 25^th Anniversary production of Jason Miller’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, "That Championship Season." The actor’s television credits include appearing as a series regular (as Don Johnson’s father) on "Nash Bridges" and starring roles in the telefeatures "For the Love of Tyler," "Truman," "Streets of Laredo" and "You Know My Name" (for TNT).

Seven-time Emmy-winner and Academy Award-winner CLORIS LEACHMAN (Mrs. Tensedge) has starred in a wide range of theater, television and motion picture projects, creating such indelible characters as Phyllis in the TV series "Phyllis" and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," Nurse Diesel in "High Anxiety," Frau Bluecher in "Young Frankenstein" and Ruth Popper in "The Last Picture Show" (for which she won an Oscar). The native of Des Moines, Iowa attended Northwestern University on a theater scholarship, eventually becoming a member of New York’s original Actor’s Studio and making her Broadway debut in "Sundown Beach."

Since then, Leachman has gone on to play roles in more than 50 feature films, six television series, 35 telefeatures, a dozen television specials and 24 theatrical productions, including the recent and popular revival of "Showboat." Her recent feature film credits include "Never Too Late," "Now and Then," "The Beverly Hillbillies" and "Beavis and Butthead." Her upcoming projects include "50 Violins" (playing Meryl Streep’s mother) and "Hanging Up" (where she plays the mother of Diane Keaton, Meg Ryan and Lisa Kudrow).

CHRISTOPHER McDONALD (Kent Mansley) continues to work with some of Hollywood’s top directors in a wide range of projects. The actor recently starred in the coming-of-age comedy "S.L.C. Punk!," the acclaimed "Lawn Dogs," the hits "The Faculty" and "Flubber," and as Ward Cleaver in the screen adaptation of the television classic "Leave It to Beaver." McDonald’s additional feature film credits include "Happy Gilmore" (opposite Adam Sandler), "Unforgettable," "Rich Man’s Wife," Robert Redford’s Oscar-nominated "Quiz Show" and "Thelma & Louise." His other starring roles include "Grumpy Old Men" "Chances Are," "A Smile Like Yours," "Outrageous Fortune," "Grease II" and "Dutch."

McDonald’s television credits include a recurring role on the hit series "Veronica’s Closet" and starring roles in HBO’s "Tuskegee Airmen" and ABC’s "Into Thin Air: Death on Everest." His upcoming feature projects include "Requiem for a Dream" (starring opposite Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans and Jared Leto) and Universal’s "The Skulls." He will also be starring opposite Kathleen Quinlan in the new CBS drama "Family Law," which premieres this Fall.

Tony Award-winner JOHN MAHONEY (General Shannon Rogard) is familiar to television audiences from his role as Martin Crane on "Frasier," which just completed its sixth season. Born in Manchester, England, Mahoney began performing as a young boy with several theatrical companies. After moving to Chicago, he earned a Bachelor’s at Quincy College and a Master’s from Western Illinois State and worked as an trade publication editor. Then Mahoney, at age 37, enrolled in classes at Chicago’s St. Nicholas Theatre and within a year, award-winning playwright David Mamet cast him in the world premiere of "The Water Engine." In 1978, the actor began a still-flourishing association with Chicago’s acclaimed Steppenwolf Theatre Company, where he has appeared in more than 30 plays.

Mahoney’s list of feature film credits includes "She’s the One," "Antz" (as the voice of Drunk Scout), "Primal Fear," "In the Line of Fire," "Reality Bites," "The American President," "Barton Fink," "The Hudsucker Proxy," "The Russia House," "Suspect," "Moonstruck" and "Tin Men." He received the Tony Award for his portrayal of Artie Shaughnessy in Jerry Zaks’ Broadway revival of "House of Blue Leaves" (for which he also received a Clarence Derwent Award and a Drama Desk nomination). His television credits include the telefeatures "The Water Engine," "Dinner at Eight" and "The Image" and the miniseries "Favorite Son."

ELI MARIENTHAL (Hogarth Hughes) was most recently seen in the feature films "Slums of Beverly Hills" (starring Alan Arkin, Marisa Tomei) and "Jack Frost" (with Michael Keaton and Kelly Preston). The young actor is a native of the Bay Area of California, where he studied at the East Bay French American School (Ecoile Bilingue) and at the prestigious American Conservatory Theater’s Young Conservatory. Marienthal made his film debut in the independent feature "First Love, Last Rites" and his television debut in the CBS telefilm "Unlikely Angel," opposite Dolly Parton. He has appeared in various theatrical productions in the San Francisco area (the Magic Theatre’s "Cryptogram" and Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s "Missing Persons"), including several produced by the American Conservatory Theater ("A Midsummer Night’s Dream," "Every 17 Minutes the Crowd Goes Crazy" and "Hecuba").

M. EMMET WALSH (Earl Stutz) has completed roles in 94 motion pictures including "My Best Friend’s Wedding," "A Time to Kill" and "William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet." Other notable film appearances include "Blood Simple," "Clean and Sober," "Blade Runner," "Missing in Action," "Harry and the Hendersons," "Ordinary People," "Wildcats," "The Jerk," "Back to School," "Cannery Row," "Fletch," "Brubaker," "Serpico," "Alice’s Restaurant" and "Little Big Man." He was most recently seen in "Wild Wild West," starring Will Smith, Kevin Kline, Salma Hayek and Kenneth Branagh.

Walsh has over 150 television credits, from "Bonanza" to "The X Files." He has also appeared in several seasons of regional theatre, years of summer stock and on Broadway in "That Championship Season" and "Does the Tiger Wear a Necktie?".