Here are the official biographies of the cast of season 11 of Dancing with the Stars. The season starts September 20th, and the first couple will be sent home the next day!
MICHAEL BOLTON – Michael Bolton has sold more than 53 million records, released 18 studio albums, won multiple Grammys® for Best Male Vocalist and countless other honors, all while selling out arenas worldwide. In 2002 the singer-songwriter earned a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. He has sung with Luciano Pavarotti and Ray Charles, written songs with Bob Dylan, Ne-Yo and Lady Gaga, penned hits for a diverse range of artists, including Barbra Streisand and KISS, played guitar with B.B. King and had his music recorded on a track by hip-hop superstar Kanye West (featuring megastar Jay-Z). Earlier this year Bolton released his latest album, “One World One Love,” featuring his current single, “Murder My Heart,” which he co-wrote with Lady Gaga, and is currently on a worldwide concert tour. Of all that he has accomplished, perhaps nothing is more important to Bolton than the foundation he founded in1993, The Michael Bolton Charities, Inc. Based in his home state of Connecticut, the major focus of The MBC is the critical issue of violence against women. Since its inception, The MBC has dispersed over $6 million in grants to various organizations that support children and women at risk of poverty, abuse, neglect, homelessness and domestic violence.
BRANDY – Brandy is a platinum-selling R&B and pop singer, actress, songwriter and record/television producer. In 1994, at the age of 15, Brandy released her eponymous debut album, selling over 6 million copies. Following a major success with “The Boy Is Mine,” a duet with singer Monica, which spent 13 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart, she won a Grammy® Award for Best R&B performance by a duo or group. The accompanying album “Never Say Never” in 1998 sold over 16 million copies worldwide. A series of hit CD’s followed, including “Full Moon,” “Afrodisiac” and “Human,” bringing the star’s sales to over 30 million records to date. While maintaining a recording career, Brandy also gained fame as an actress, starring in several film and TV projects, including the popular UPN sitcom, “Moesha” (1996-2001), the 1997 version of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella, Double Platinum,” a miniseries co-starring Diana Ross, and the movie “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer.” Brandy has also been spokesmodel for Cover Girl, Candies Shoes, DKNY, Sketchers Shoes and Ultima/Kaneka brand by Brandy. Her civic and charity interests include the Make-A-Wish Foundation and The Norwood Kids Foundation, which supports music and the performing arts in public schools. She is currently filming Season 2 of the hit VH1 reality show “Brandy and Ray J: a Family Business,” in which she stars and on which she’s executive producer. She is also in studio recording a new CD for release in 2011.
MARGARET CHO – One of the most successful stand-up comediennes of today, Margaret Cho’s performances have been seen by millions around the world. Having first performed stand-up in her native San Francisco at the age of 16, Cho’s best-selling tours include the off-Broadway hit/concert film “I’m the One That I Want,” “Notorious C.H.O.,” “Revolution” and “Beautiful.” She is also a regular cast member of the hit Lifetime series “Drop Dead Diva.” Other acting work includes her starring role in the sitcom, “All-American Girl,” “Face/Off” and several guest star appearances, including “Sex and the City” and “Ghost Whisperer.” Cho is also a best-selling author whose work includes the book I’m the One That I Want and a collection of essays entitled I Have Chosen to Stay and Fight. A passionate advocate for equal rights, she has received honors from GLAAD, the National Gay and Lesbian task Force, National Organization for Women, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Victory Fund and many others. Cho is currently touring with “Cho Dependent,” which features both stand-up and songs from her new music comedy album of the same name.
RICK FOX – Three-time NBA Champion with the Los Angeles Lakers, actor and producer Rick Fox has appeared in a number of film and television projects, sharing the screen with actors ranging from Whoopi Goldberg to Henry Winkler, Angela Bassett and Shia LeBeouf. Fox’s acting debut came in 1994 in William Friedkin’s “Blue Chips.” Similar roles followed in 1996’s “Eddie” and 1998’s critically acclaimed “He Got Game” (directed by Spike Lee), before Fox’s breakout role on the hit HBO series “Oz.” Since then he has appeared in over a dozen network shows, including “Ugly Betty,” “One Tree Hill,” “The Game” and “Dirt.” In addition he has appeared in such diverse films as “Resurrection,” “Holes,” “Mini’s First Time” and Tyler Perry’s “Meet The Browns.” While Fox continues to strengthen his craft, he’s just as busy behind the camera developing his own film and television projects for his production company, 1744 Entertainment. As a star basketball athlete, he attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was coached by the legendary Dean Smith. He began his pro basketball career when he was drafted into the NBA by the Boston Celtics as a first round pick. He went on to be the captain of both the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers while being coached by 11-time champion Phil Jackson. Fox is a father of two and currently resides in Los Angeles.
JENNIFER GREY – A beloved actress of both film and television, Jennifer Grey is best known for her starring roles in the iconic movies “Dirty Dancing” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” Grey starred as Frances “Baby” Houseman in the award-winning box office hit, “Dirty Dancing,” which is widely considered one of the best dance movies of all time. Some of her other films include the Ben Affleck movie “Bounce,” “Red Dawn” and “The Cotton Club.” She starred in the television sitcom “It’s Like, You Know…” and has made memorable television appearances on such shows as “Friends,” “John from Cincinnati,” “The New Adventures of Old Christine” and an upcoming episode of the medical drama, “House”. Grey has also starred in various television movies, including “A Case for Murder,” CBS’s “The West Side Waltz” and the Lifetime original movie “Road to Christmas.” The daughter of Tony® and Academy Award® winner Joel Grey, she resides in Los Angeles with her family, actor/director Clark Gregg and daughter.
DAVID HASSELHOFF – Listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as “The Most Watched TV Star in the World,” David Hasselhoff is an international superstar across all genres of music, television and film. Hasselhoff got his start in entertainment on the popular soap opera, “The Young and the Restless,” and was quickly pursued to play the lead role of the 1980’s cult favorite, “Knight Rider.” But hi fame was really catapulted when he starred in the television phenomenon “Baywatch.” The series ran for 11 years and is still viewed in 140 countries by over one billion viewers every week. Throughout his extraordinary television career, Hasselhoff has also appeared in such feature films as “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story” and Adam Sandler’s “Click.” Off screen he has recorded multiple albums -- one that has gone triple platinum -- starred in the Broadway musical “Jekyll & Hyde,” in London’s West End production of “Chicago” and in “The Producers” in Las Vegas. Most recently he was honored by Comedy Central with “The Comedy Central Roast of David Hasselhoff,” which premiered as one of the top-rated comedy roasts on the network. Not only is Hasselhoff a multi-faceted talent but he is also a writer of an autobiography, Don’t Hassel The Hoff, which made the UK Bestseller list re-titled as Making Waves and debuted at No. 8 in Austria on the non-fiction charts. Beyond his entertainment contributions, Hasselhoff is the co-founder of Race for Life and an active participant in Wounded Warriors and Wheels for Humanity.
FLORENCE HENDERSON – Florence Henderson is a multi-talented actress, talk show host, recording artist, author, Broadway veteran and philanthropist. Her career is as active today as when she first appeared as the “Today Girl” on “NBC’s Today Show,” and as the first woman to host “The Tonight Show.” Henderson has appeared on such popular primetime programs and made for television specials as the critically acclaimed movie of the week for Hallmark entitled “Ladies of the House” and the popular RLTV Network’s “Florence Henderson Show.” She will always be best known in syndication worldwide as “America’s Favorite Mom” and matriarch Carol Brady on the classic hit TV series “The Brady Bunch,” which aired for five seasons (1969-1974), has never been off the air in this country, and currently airs in 122 countries around the world. Acknowledged as one of the top leading spokespersons in the U.S., Henderson has been a celebrity spokeswoman for Oldsmobile, Tang, Polident, Rain Soft, Pepsi Light and Wesson Oil. She maintains a busy schedule as one of the country’s most popular and sought after motivational speakers, as well as performing her one-woman show, “All the Lives of Me… A Musical Journey.” Her first role on stage was in Joshua Logan’s musical, “Wish You Were Here,” and shortly thereafter she was cast in Rodgers & Hammerstein’s last national tour of “Oklahoma!.” Her long list of stage credits includes the starring role in “The Great Waltz” for the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera, the starring role of “Fanny,” the lead role of Maria in “The Sound of Music,” the lead in “The Girl Who Came to Supper” the role of Nellie Forbush in Noel Coward’s “South Pacific” and the starring role of Anna, opposite Ricardo Montalban, in “The King and I.” Her first feature film credit was in “The Song of Norway.” As a producer and a talk-show host, her credits also include The Nashville Network’s cooking and comedy series, “Country Kitchen.” The experiences inspired her to write a cookbook, A Little Cooking, a Little Talking and a Whole Lot of Fun.
KYLE MASSEY – Kyle Orlando Massey stars as Cory Baxter in Disney Channel’s No. 1 hit sitcom, “Cory in the House,” Disney Channel’s first-ever spin-off. He originated the role of Cory in Disney’s “That’s So Raven,” the first show in Disney’s history to produce over 100 episodes. For his work on “That’s So Raven” and “Cory in the House,” Massey received an NAACP Image Award nomination. In addition to appearing in numerous commercials, he starred in the Disney Channel Original Movie “Life is Ruff.” He has a recurring role on the animated series “American Dragon: Jake Long” and sings the main title theme songs on “Cory In The House,” “Yin! Yang! Yo!” and performed the title track for Walt Disney Picture’s “Underdog.” Currently Massey is starring as the voice of Milo on the Disney Channel’s upcoming animated , “Fish Hooks.” For his prowess in golf, he won first place in the National Minority Junior Golf Tournament in 2003. He has participated in several celebrity golf tournaments, placing 3rd in a recent White House Golf Tournament. Together with brother Christopher, he has worked on projects to benefit the charity organization Feed the Children and traveled to Africa for the network primetime television special, “Eyes on Kenya.” They have also performed their rap music in “Heroes Among Us: The 2009 Hero Awards” and in MyNetworkTV’s “The Spirit of Christmas.” Currently they are co-hosting and starring in the comedy series “World’s Funniest Moments.”
BRISTOL PALIN – Bristol Palin, former first daughter of Alaska, first entered the national spotlight when her mother, former Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, was selected to be John McCain’s running mate in the 2008 Presidential election. Bristol traveled the country, alongside her mother, father and siblings on the campaign trail. After giving birth to her son, Tripp, and becoming a single teen mother in 2008, she became a spokesperson for the prevention of teen pregnancy and for other teen issues. As an advocate for the protection of life, Palin wanted to share her story with other teens who may one day face a similar situation. She also acts as Teen Ambassador for The Candie’s Foundation to prevent teen and unplanned pregnancies. As part of her campaign, Palin recently guest starred as herself on an episode of ABC Family’s teenage drama, “The Secret Life of the American Teenager.” She resides in Alaska with her son and family.
AUDRINA PATRIDGE – After starring in six seasons of the hit series “The Hills,” Audrina Patridge has joined the ranks of young Hollywood as one of the most sought-after and talked about talents on television. Patridge, who aspired to become an actress from a very early age, has been honing her skills with regarded coaches and private acting classes. She made her debut on the big screen last fall in the thriller “Sorority Row.” Other film credits include the action-adventure film “Into the Blue 2” and “Honey 2.” She has also tested her hand at comedy, appearing on an episode of the sitcom “Do Not Disturb” and in a hilarious skit for “MAD TV.” Last summer Patridge made headlines steaming up TV screens in a commercial for Carl’s Jr. This July she became the latest Bongo girl, shooting the fall advertising campaign with famed photographer Tony Duran.
MIKE “THE SITUATION” SORRENTINO – Mike Sorrentino has become one of Hollywood’s emerging talents. Born in Staten Island, New York and raised in Manalapan, New Jersey, Sorrentino is most known for starring on the hit show “The Jersey Shore,” now in its second season on MTV. He graduated from Manalapan High School and went on to college in NJ. After graduation in 2004, he tried his hand at personal training, fitness modeling and soon after was scouted for an upcoming reality show which would eventually become “The Jersey Shore.” The show caught fire, becoming one of the highest rated shows in MTV history, and propelled “The Situation” into pop culture phenomenon. As “The Jersey Shore” continues in its unrivaled success, Sorrentino also continues to gain in popularity nationally and internationally. He was nominated this year at the Teen Choice Awards for Choice TV: Male Reality Star. Upcoming projects include a book, Here’s the Situation, which will be out in stores on November 2, a vitamin line with nationwide store GNC that will launch in the fall and a fitness DVD which will be out in December.
KURT WARNER – Kurt Warner is the first quarterback ever to participate in “Dancing with the Stars.” In 1999 he emerged from obscurity to lead the St. Louis Rams to a victory in Super Bowl XXXIV. In that same year, Warner was named the NFL and Super Bowl Most Valuable Player. As the ringleader of the “Greatest Show on Turf,” he led the Rams to two additional playoff appearances – including another Super Bowl -- and received Pro Bowl honors for three consecutive years (1999-2001). He also earned his second NFL MVP in 2001. Injuries led Warner to move from the Rams to the Giants, and finally the Arizona Cardinals in 2005. In 2007 he led the Cardinals to their first ever Super Bowl berth, was voted to his fourth Pro Bowl and surpassed several Cardinals franchise records, including touchdowns, attempts, completions, completion percentage and passer rating. Warner’s gridiron accomplishments pale in comparison to the dedication he shows to the community. In 2001 he and his wife, Brenda, established the First Things First Foundation, a non-profit public charity dedicated to impacting lives by promoting Christian values, sharing experiences and providing opportunities to encourage everyone to believe that all things are possible when people seek to put first things first. Warner was born and raised in Iowa and played college football at the University of Northern Iowa. He lives in Arizona with his wife and seven children.
". Also performing is Enrique Iglesias.
and Rod Stewart will be performing (not together), as will the cast of Mary Poppins. We will also find out the celebrities that will be appearing in Skating with the Stars.
Week 6 of season 11 is Rock and Roll week. Each of the seven remaining couples dance to a rock and roll song. Then they all participate in a rock and roll marathon, with the last standing (well, dancing I guess) getting the most points.
