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The Happiest Person In America

Shiri Appleby

Michael Paul Chan

Dale Dickey

Liza Lapira

Steve West

 

Liza Lapira • Shiri Appleby • Steve West • with Dale Dickey • and Michael Paul Chan

 

(in alphabetical order)

Shiri Appleby has been an actress for 28 years and has appeared in more than 40 television shows and films.  She is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Liz Parker on the hit WB show “Roswell,” as well as the lead role of Cate Cassidy on the CW critically acclaimed drama “Life Unexpected.”  Other favorite television credits include guest starring and recurring roles on “E.R.,” “Six Degrees,” “Royal Pains,” “Franklin & Bash” and "Girls."   She has appeared in such films as “Charlie Wilson’s War,” “Havoc,” “Swimfan” and “Undertow.”  Shiri is also the star and producer of Alloy Entertainment’s “Dating Rules From My Future Self,” her first web series.  It has reached over five million viewers on YouTube and is a Hulu hit. She stars on the upcoming series "UnREAL" on Lifetime.

 

Michael Paul Chan grew up in Richmond, California, where he was a musician in several Bay Area rock bands before becoming an actor, ultimately training with the American Conservatory Theater and joining with San Francisco’s renowned Asian American Theater Company as a founding member.  Michael’s career now spans more than 200 television and film credits.  For seven seasons, Michael starred on TNT’s “The Closer” as Lieutenant Mike Tao, and now stars in that same role on the series’ spinoff, “Major Crimes.”  Films include “The Insider” with Al Pacino and Russell Crowe; “Spy Game” with Robert Redford and Brad Pitt; “U.S. Marshals” with Tommy Lee Jones; “Falling Down” with Michael Douglas and Robert Duvall; and the critically acclaimed adaptation of “The Joy Luck Club.”  He has also worked under the direction of legendary filmmakers Michael Mann in “Thief” and “Robbery Homicide Division,” and with Oliver Stone in “Heaven and Earth,” the third part of his Vietnam trilogy.  On television, Michael starred in Eddie Murphy’s animated television series “The PJ’s,” played a recurring role on “Arrested Development,” and recently guest-starred on “Bones” and “The Simpsons.”  His theater credits include the New York Shakespeare Festival, directed by Joe Papp; Milwaukee Repertory Theater; and the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles.

 

Dale Dickey is an award-winning veteran of theater, television and film, including her 2011 Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress in the film “Winter’s Bone.”  Other feature film projects include Clint Eastwood’s “Changeling,” “The Pledge” directed by Sean Penn, “Domino” directed by Tony Scott and “A Perfect Getaway” directed by David Twohy.  On television, Dale can currently be seen in the recurring role of Annie (a werewolf) on HBO’s “True Blood.”  She is also familiar to television audiences for her recurring role as Patty, the Daytime Hooker on “My Name is Earl,” as well as for “Breaking Bad” (as The Skank Mrs. Spooge), “Sordid Lives” (opposite Olivia Newton-John) and as Opal McHone in “Christy” (with Tyne Daly).  Numerous guest star roles include “Bones,” “Life,” “The Closer,” “Cold Case,” “Ugly Betty,” “ER,” “Gilmore Girls,” “Numbers,” “CSI,” “Frasier,” “City of Angels” and “The X-Files."  Dale began her career in New York City on the stage.  Her work on Broadway includes “The Merchant of Venice” with Dustin Hoffman (directed by Sir Peter Hall) and extensive work with the Signature Theatre Company, Playwrights Horizons and Manhattan Punch Line’s Improv Theatre.  Regional theater credits include three seasons developing new works at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, “Appalachian Strings” (Denver Center Theatre), “To Kill a Mockingbird” (PaperMill Playhouse), “Steel Magnolias” (Chicago’s Royal George Theatre), “Brilliant Traces” (Hartford TheatreWorks), and starring roles in “A Streetcar Named Desire,” “The Rainmaker” and “Our Country’s Good” (all with the Clarence Brown Theatre). Dale now resides in Los Angeles, where she has won two Ovation Awards, for Del Shores’ “The Trials and Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewife” (with Beth Grant), and “Southern Baptist Sissies” (with Leslie Jordan).  She was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Liza Lapira began her career in theater, with workshops and Off-Broadway plays with companies including Pan Asian Repertory Theatre, New York Theatre Workshop, The Play Company and New Dramatists.  Her New York theater credits include “As You Like It,” “School for Wives,” “The Odyssey” and “No. 11 (Blue and White).”  Liza’s first television series regular role was as Maggie, Oliver Platt’s long-suffering assistant, on the Showtime series “Huff.”  More recently, she played Helen-Alice on "Super Fun Night," Robin on "Don't Trust the B— in Apt. 23” and Lisa on  “Traffic Light.”  She has had recurring roles on “Dexter,” “ER,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “NCIS” and Joss Whedon’s “Dollhouse.”  Film credits include Tony Scott’s “Domino,” the independent feature “The Big Bad Swim,” J.J. Abrams’ “Cloverfield,” “21,” “Fast & Furious,” “Repo Men,” and most recently, “Crazy, Stupid, Love.”  Liza is a proud supporter of LA’s BEST, an after-school enrichment program in conjunction with the Los Angeles Unified School District.  Originally from Queens, NY, she divides her time between New York and Los Angeles.  She can currently be seen on the CBS series “Battle Creek."

Originally a theater actor, Steve West was born and raised in London where he started his career as the UK’s national Stage and Television Scholarship winner.  He subsequently went on to star in the original West End production of “Mamma Mia!”.  Other West End/London and UK Regional theater credits include “Oklahoma!”, “Oh! What A Night!”, Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice,” “Carousel,” “A Chorus Line” and The Royal National Theatre’s co-production of “Saucy Jack & The Space Vixens.”  He includes among his favorite television and movie credits: Doomed love interest Stan in the kitsch horror-comedy “Seed of Chucky” alongside Jennifer Tilly and John Waters; the manipulative James Ellis in the UK’s ever-popular “Hollyoaks”; Judas in the modern day retelling of the last days of Christ in “Crown Prince of Heaven” (Cannes 2010 showing); and the comedically dry Cambridge professor Hugh in “Traveling Salesman.” Steve is also an award-winning audiobook narrator for such international bestsellers as “The Grand Design” (Stephen Hawking), “Headhunters” (Jo Nesbo) and the Mann Booker Prize-shortlisted “Jamrach’s Menagerie” (Carol Birch).  In a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Steve was asked to perform on the grounds of Buckingham Palace as part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II.  Appearing alongside such legendary names as Eric Clapton, Sir Elton John and Annie Lennox, the concert played to an audience of 12,000 invited guests and screened live to over 200 million viewers worldwide.  He currently resides in Los Angeles.

Learn more about our cast's credits at The Happiest Person In America's

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