Alan Alda on his father, Robert Alda's, early TV parts
Alan Alda on his adoration for the early radio comedians and talk show hosts such as Arthur Godfrey and Steve Allen
Alan Alda on how the burlesque comics and vaudeville influenced him at an early age
Alan Alda on working with and being influenced by actor Burgess Meredith with Naked City
Alan Alda on writing the M*A*S*H episode "Dear Sigmund"
Alan Alda on the craft of writing
Ed Bradley on covering a Martin Luther King, Jr. speech during his first field reporting experience for a Philadelphia radio station
Ed Bradley on 60 Minutes executive producer Don Hewitt's beneficial influence on Bradley's work, and on his influence on television news programs in general
Ed Bradley on his mentor Del Shields, from WDAS radio in Philadelphia
Kevin Bright on how his father, a former Vaudeville comedian, brought comedy into their home when Bright was a child
Kevin Bright on his love of television as a child, and how that sowed the seeds for his career
Kevin Bright on attending Emerson College
Kevin Bright on Bright/Kauffman/Crane developing shows for Warner Bros., and the challenge of networks wanting Dream On for network (which was impossible)
Kevin Bright on his first job after graduating from Emerson College
Stephen J. Cannell on producer Jo Swerling Jr.
Stephen J. Cannell on producer Jo Swerling Jr.
Stephen J. Cannell on what he learned from Roy Huggins
Stephen J. Cannell on leaving Universal Television to start his own production company
Steven J. Cannell on being a mentor to young television writers
Tony Roberts on the comedic actor Hiram Sherman, and on what he learned from him as well as Laurel and Hardy, Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, and others
Tony Roberts on learning comedic technique from Milton Berle, and on farce
Ron Cowen on the creative influence his mother, a former costume designer for Twentieth Century Fox, had on his life
Ron Cowen on the first play he wrote, "Summertree", which was championed by his college professor Jerome Lawrence, developed at the Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference, and optioned by Lincoln Center before being made into a movie
Ron Cowen on mentors he's had in his career: Jerome Lawrence, Lloyd Richards, and Angela Lansbury
Billy Crystal on his early stand-up act, and on Jack Rollins' criticism of his act
Billy Crystal on his first appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Billy Crystal on being the "class comedian" in his high school, and on being influenced by comedians like Johnathan Winters
Billy Crystal on mentors in his career, including Larry Gelbart, Carl Reiner, and Jack Rollins
Ann Curry on the advice her father gave her growing up about choosing a profession that was of service to others, and how this led her to journalism
Ann Curry on how television, and in particular television journalism, impacted her growing up, and how that led to her career choices
Ann Curry on studying journalism at the University of Oregon, and on her shift from newspaper reporting to broadcast journalism with an internship at KTVL in Medford, Oregon
Ann Curry on being hired as a reporter at KTVL in Medford, Oregon, a station that had never before had a female reporter, and on the sexism she faced on the job
Ann Curry on her feelings on the responsibility of journalists, and on how this influences her reporting and other choices, including tweeting about the need for Doctors Without Borders to be allowed into Haiti after the 2010 earthquake
Ann Curry on being hired by NBC News, and on moving from reporting to anchoring
Ann Curry on interviewing Maya Angelou
Ann Curry on various accolades she has received over the course of her career, and what they have meant to her
Rebecca Eaton on her mother, who was an actress, taking her to the theater when she was a child
Rebecca Eaton on working at the BBC in London after graduating from Vassar College, and her love of British culture
Rebecca Eaton on her first producing job, on an arts magazine show on WGBH radio in Boston
Rebecca Eaton on her mentor, Henry Becton, former President of WGBH in Boston
Jeff Fager on his first job out of college, at the NBC affiliate WBZ in Boston
Jeff Fager on what he learned from his first job at CBS News, on the overnight news show, Nightwatch
Jeff Fager on his father as his role model
Edie Falco on seeing her mother perform in amateur theater when she was a kid
Edie Falco on doing theater in high school and overcoming her shyness in order to audition
Edie Falco on how she got her first agent
Edie Falco on being diagnosed with breast cancer during the run of The Sopranos
Edie Falco on a high school music teacher who inspired her artistically
Elma Farnsworth on her husband Philo reading Invention magazine as a child and first learning about mechanical television
Elma Farnsworth on her husband Philo patenting television in 1927
Elma Farnsworth on the reaction of her and her husband, inventor Philo T. Farnsworth (and colleagues Cliff Gardner and Carl Christensen), on September 7, 1927 when he produced the first all-electronic TV picture (a simple straight line) with his Image Dissector tube
Elma Farnsworth on Vladimir Zworykin at RCA copying Philo T. Farnsworth's image dissector for RCA's electronic television system
Elma Farnsworth on Philo T. Farnsworth demonstrating television at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia - the first public demonstration of television in 1934
Elma Farnsworth on Philo T. Farnsworth's dollar sign demonstration of television for his financial backers
Elma Farnsworth on RCA licensing Philo T. Farnsworth's patents in 1939 - the first time RCA ever licensed a patent
Elma Farnsworth on the expiration of Philo T. Farnsworth's original television patents and the beginning of manufacturing television sets
Sandra Gimpel on her first big job: as a dancer in the Fred Astaire movie "The Pleasure of His Company"
Sandra Gimpel on how she came to be cast as Bill Mumy's stunt double on Lost in Space, changing her career trajectory from dance to stunts
Sandra Gimpel on how she learned the technical side of directing, starting on the set of Lost in Space
Sandra Gimpel on her mentors in the stunt profession
Walon Green on the impact David L. Wolper and Jack Haley, Jr. made with documentary series such as The Race for Space
Walon Green on meeting David Milch and going to write for Hill Street Blues
Walon Green on William Friedkin, Tony Richardson, and Stephen Frears being mentors to him
Walon Green on directing the documentary "The Hellstrom Chronicle," produced by David L. Wolper, for which Green won an Oscar
Hal Gurnee on his first television job, at the DuMont Television Network as a page
Hal Gurnee on becoming the director Tonight Starring Jack Paar
Hal Gurnee on his mentors, including Jack Paar and Garry Moore
Ellen Holly on being discovered as an actress by Charlotte Perry
Ellen Holly on appearing as "Stephanie" in the Broadway production of "Too Late the Phalarope"
Ellen Holly on mentors Michael Kahn and Joseph Papp (Ed. note: Ms. Holly would like to note that Charlotte Perry was also an important mentor, in addition to Michael Kahn and Joseph Papp)
Felicity Huffman on her early interest in acting and theater
Felicity Huffman on appearing on an ABC Afterschool Special called "Home Run for Love" when she was fifteen
Felicity Huffman on studying with David Mamet and William H. Macy at the Practical Esthetics Workshop (now the Atlantic Acting School) and co-founding the Atlantic Theater Company
Felicity Huffman on appearing on the Stephen King miniseries Golden Years, which she considers her first big break
Felicity Huffman on two stories of being fired: one, in a Neil Simon play (by Simon himself) and again on a TV show which was recast after they had shot the pilot
Felicity Huffman on her work in the film "Transamerica"
Felicity Huffman on winning a Golden Globe and being nominated for an Academy Award for her work on "Transamerica"
Felicity Huffman on her proudest career achievement
Felicity Huffman on mentors she's had throughout her life
Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy on the first production in which they performed together: David Mamet's play "Bobby Gould in Hell" at Lincoln Center
Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy on the film "Rudderless," directed by Macy and starring Huffman, and Macy's directing style
Frank Inn on meeting Hollywood animal trainer Henry East
Frank Inn on meeting celebrity animal trainer Henry East
Frank Inn on his animal training mentor Henry East
Frank Inn on his duties working for Hollywood animal trainer Henry East
Geri Jewell on how a college friend inspired her to try stand-up comedy at the Comedy Store, which led to her breaking into television
Geri Jewell on the first time she did stand-up comedy, and how she talked about cerebral palsy in her routine
Geri Jewell on how she does not see herself as being "courageous" for doing stand-up comedy, but instead attributes it to "the theory of the bumblebee"
Geri Jewell on having to perform a dance number on the first The Facts of Life episode on which she appeared ("Cousin Geri")
Geri Jewell on being made a recurring character on The Facts of Life, then her role being downsized, and her challenges navigating the entertainment industry and her own sexuality and identity
Geri Jewell on the difficulty she faced while filming a scene with Peter DeLuise on 21 Jump Street
Geri Jewell on filming a particularly challenging scene on Deadwood where she had to dance
Barry Levinson on radio and television classes he took in college, and a training program in television he took part in
Barry Levinson on signing up for an acting class when he first moved to Los Angeles
Barry Levinson on writing and performing with Craig T. Nelson on Lohman and Barkley
Barry Levinson on directing "Rain Man" and winning an Academy Award for it
Barry Levinson on his professor at American University who opened his eyes to opportunities in the entertainment industry
Daniel Lipman on writing a play during college, and sharing it with his professor, theater critic Elliot Norton, which led to him being represented by agent Audrey Wood
Daniel Lipman on mentors he's had in his career, mostly importantly writing partner Ron Cowen
William H. Macy on studying acting with David Mamet at Goddard College
William H. Macy on being cast in the film "Fargo"
William H. Macy on the effects of being nominated for an Academy Award for "Fargo"
William H. Macy on being cast in the film "Boogie Nights"
William H. Macy on his first taste of show business: performing in his seventh grade talent contest after his brother taught him to play guitar
William H. Macy on his proudest career achievements and being "visited by the muse" on stage
Kent McCray on his early experience in the theater, and on his mentor, Dr. Nagy
Kent McCray on his mentors, and people he learned from while working at NBC in Los Angeles
Kent McCray on mentors in his career
David Pollock on meeting writing partner Elias Davis
Elias Davis and David Pollock on their first big break as writers for Pat Buttram on the radio
Elias Davis and David Pollock on their mentors
Elias Davis and David Pollock on the legacy of M*A*S*H and its creator Larry Gelbart
Marian Rees on getting into television as a secretary at NBC in Hollywood
Marian Rees on joining Tandem Productions with Bud Yorkin and Norman Lear
Marian Rees on her mentor Fay Kanin and her advice to create her own company
Marian Rees on starting her own production company
John Singleton on how seeing "Star Wars" when he was nine made him understand what a director does
John Singleton on the importance of movies to him when he was growing up
John Singleton on changing junior high schools of his own volition (without moving or permission), and how this led him to meeting children of people in the film business who also aspired to be filmmakers
John Singleton on attending USC Film School: "It was a revelation for me"
John Singleton on seeing the film "She's Gotta Have It," meeting Spike Lee and telling him, "I'm going to USC Film School in two weeks. Watch out for me. I'm coming"
John Singleton on seeing a screening of Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing" and how it made him determined to find his own voice and tell his own stories
John Singleton on getting his first agent based on the strength of the screenplay to "Boyz N the Hood"
John Singleton on how he uses music and sound in his work, and how this was influenced by classes he took at USC
John Singleton on the opening sequence of his film "Baby Boy" and using the theories of psychiatrist Frances Cress Welsing
G.E. Smith on playing guitar for David Bowie and appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
G.E. Smith on becoming music director for Saturday Night Live
G.E. Smith on his earliest musical influences
G.E. Smith on music he listened to on the radio as a child and his first exposure to rock and roll
G.E. Smith on playing guitar for Hall & Oates and appearing with them on Saturday Night Live
G.E. Smith on attending a broadcast of Hootenanny and learning to play from watching other musicians
Yeardley Smith on how she got her first New York agent
Yeardley Smith on her Broadway debut in Tom Stoppard's "The Real Thing" directed by Mike Nichols
Yeardley Smith on the challenges of show business: "It made me care about things that don't matter"
Yeardley Smith on creating balance in her life, starting her shoe line, and creating her development company
Darren Star on how his first industry job, as an assistant at the public relations firm Guttman & Pam, led to his first break: selling a film script to Warner Bros.
Darren Star on the serendipitous events early on his career that led to his first big break, including working at Showtime for Peter Chernin, who later became the decision maker on Beverly Hills, 90210 at Fox
J. Michael Straczynski on being a teaching assistant to Norman Corwin
J. Michael Straczynski on being a big believer in failure
J. Michael Straczynski on the differences between the original Twilight Zone and the revival, and meeting Rod Serling
J. Michael Straczynski on Harlan Ellison
Richard Thomas on appearing on the Hallmark Hall of Fame production of "The Christmas Tree" at age 6, and on learning from Margaret Hamilton and Jessica Tandy on that show
Richard Thomas on mentors in his career including Will Geer, Geraldine Page, Michael Learned, and Ralph Waite
Leslie Uggams on the importance of music in her childhood
Leslie Uggams on how she began performing at the Apollo Theater when she was nine years-old
Leslie Uggams on getting her start in television as a child on The Milton Berle Show and other variety shows
Leslie Uggams on winning a Tony Award and performing at the Tonys
Tracey Ullman on how she started doing impersonations of people when she was a kid, both of people she knew and women on television
Tracey Ullman on attending a performing arts school starting at age 12
Tracey Ullman on she transitioned from dance into acting early in her career, and on being cast in the play "Four in a Million" by Les Blair, which was improvised and how that led to her being cast on a sketch show on the BBC
Tracey Ullman on meeting her husband, Allan McKeown, and on moving to the United States
Tracey Ullman on being introduced to James L. Brooks and on his idea for her to "do a Peter Sellers thing" on the then-new network Fox, and on the research she did into American comedy (and particularly female comedians) prior to starting the show
Tracey Ullman on how she maintains her confidence in her work, and on the champions she's had over the years
Tracey Ullman on the opportunities and advice mentors have given her throughout her career
Tracey Ullman on getting to meet and work with some of her comedic heroes over the years, including Carol Burnett, Gilda Radner, and Lily Tomlin
Keenen Ivory Wayans on auditioning for The Improv in New York and how the experience changed his life and his comedy
Keenen Ivory Wayans on his movie "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka" and how it changed his career
Keenen Ivory Wayans on his proudest achievement: "Scary Movie," which he made with his brothers, and his biggest regret
Alan Zweibel on the influence of The Dick Van Dyke Show, and on his friendship with Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks
Alan Zweibel on learning to write jokes by watching shows like The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and The Dick Cavett Show
Alan Zweibel on Larry David's early stand-up act, and on his comedy mentors like Garry Shandling
Alan Zweibel on meeting Lorne Michaels and being hired to write for Saturday Night Live
Alan Zweibel on his mentors and on being a mentor
