Sandra Stephenson AKA Sandra Knight: Actor/Writer/Painter/Life Coach

All photos:  Alan Mercer   Lighting: Eric Venturo

Sandra Stephenson is a certified professional coach, and the founder of Infinity Coaching. She is a graduate of the prestigious International Coach Academy. She uses the ancient form of the spiral to help her clients move from a sense of immobility, to goal setting, and to actions that lead to their highest level of consciousness in the areas of spirituality and creativity. Using the model of the spiral, the coach helps the client change positions, gain new perspectives, create plans, and move into action either internally or externally.

In an earlier career Sandra was a professional actor who starred in movies and television. Currently she is a writer who has written many screenplays and children's stories. Along with those activities she is a professional painter who has had one woman multi-media art shows in Honolulu, Los Angeles, and Berlin in 2008.

Her life experience and education amount to a highly knowledgeable and effective professional coach. Her expertise is in the area of spiritual coaching. She studied with the renowned twentieth century mystic Joel S. Goldsmith and implements in her coaching style the universal principles found in the writings of the Infinite Way. Sandra is certified in the areas of Spiritual Coaching, Life Coaching, Creative Coaching, Relationship Coaching, and Family Coaching.

I adored working with Sandra. She is a warm, loving, understanding and multi-talented artist who is a gentle and wise spirit.....and what a wonderful conversation we had! Eric Venturo controlled our lighting while we had a good time taking these photos!

AM: I know you were an actress a few years ago. Can you tell me a bit about how you got started?

SS: I grew up like many children do, taking singing and dancing lessons and my mother produced community programs and she also wrote plays. Of course she had me performing from the age of 3. Our home was a very creative place with talented people hanging around and young people auditioning for her programs. Our living room was like a stage with a grand piano and a set of drums and other instruments lying around. But I wanted to be like my other friends and just play, so when I was ten years old I told my Mother, “No more! I want to play with dolls!” I realize now how great my mother was, she just said, “Fine.”

AM: When did you get back into it?

SS: Oh, my mother still persisted, thank God, in ways where she would take me out every now and then to meet various people in the entertainment industry. One day she had me out to 20th Century Fox to meet a producer. She was in the producer’s office and a beautiful woman was sitting in the waiting room with me and we started a conversation. She turned out to be an Agent and she was quite captivated by me and asked me if I wanted to be an actress. I was still in my 10-year-old mode of thinking so I said no, but she insisted that if I ever changed my mind to give her a call. It was at that moment that I was so-called discovered!
So when I was fourteen I said to my mother, "I think I'm going to be an actress." Then in high school I started experimenting with performing again and then in college I became part of the theater arts program and started participating in talent shows and during one of those performances I called the Agent and had her come to see me.

AM: So you were performing on stage?

SS: Yes, I was in a talent show singing, “The Last Time I Saw Paris” when my Agent came and signed me up and the other part of the Theater Arts Program was a coveted Children’s Theater that we had to audition for. A Professor and his wife wrote the plays and it was innovative at the time because we performed for elementary schools all over the west side of L.A. After each performance we had an autograph party for the children while we were still in costume. The children loved it and we, as performers, loved it too. It’s so sad to see how the arts have been virtually eliminated out of the public school educational system.

AM: How did you cross over into film and television?

SS: With my newfound Agent in place, I starred in a play called 'The Moon Is Blue'. It was so much fun! My character was on stage for 3 acts and never stopped talking. It was a wonderful part and a very stylish comedy. I loved comedy. My Agent asked a friend of hers, who was a casting agent, to see me perform in it and she put me up for the female starring role opposite Robert Mitchum in 'Thunder Road.' That was my very first professional acting job in film.

AM: You must have been elated!

SS: I was so thrilled. I couldn’t believe it. Robert Mitchum produced the movie, wrote some of the music and co-wrote the script. It was his baby and a story he had always wanted to tell about the moon-shiners and prohibition and the toll it had on hill people in that region. I auditioned for him the next week. I remember that day so well. I felt so confident. I walked into a room filled with men. The writer, other co producers, the director and Robert Mitchum. The room had a locker room feel, someplace where a female shouldn’t be. I just stood there while Robert held court. He was cracking jokes and carrying on. He asked me a few questions and I answered them with no flourishes. He thanked me and I left. I didn’t even read for the part. The next day I got a call saying I had the part. I was shocked.

AM: Were you sophisticated enough at this point?

SS: Yes I was, to some degree. Oh not really! (laughing) I was really so naive.

AM: Was it a good experience?

SS: It was a wonderful experience. It was like opening up a whole new world. Within a week I was having my wardrobe made, my hair changed color and the next thing I knew I was taking my first flight, away from family and friends, and on my own. It was so exciting. I arrived in Nashville N.C. at a beautiful old hotel and opened my door to a really gorgeous suite at the hotel and I’ll never forget the exquisite huge bouquet of flowers waiting in the middle of the room on a large round table. Under the flowers was a really sweet card from Bob. I still treasure that card today because Bob Mitchum gave me my big break and changed my world forever.

AM: So this is what you are going to do with your life. You are now going to audition for more parts?

SS: Robert Mitchum wanted to put me under contract for seven years, but my agent turned it down. She said the studios would be all over me. Then I was offered a contract with Columbia and Twentieth Century Fox, but she turned everything down.

AM: How did this make you feel?

SS: I thought she must know what she's doing.

AM: You had faith in her.

SS: Of course, I was still a teenager and thought that adults knew what they were doing! Then I did a few TV shows but back then to do TV after you’ve starred in a movie wasn’t exactly what was good for your career. The next thing I knew she had me up to star in a horror film, 'Frankenstein's Daughter' and I thought why am I doing this? I thought I was going to have this big amazing career and now she wants me to do this little horror film!

AM: Was it considered a low budget film?

SS: Yes, it was very low budget, she told me, "Honey you better do something since things aren't quite clicking. At least you are starring in it and it's all about you. No one will ever see it but it will be good just to work and make a little money." It was productive in some way because from there I started meeting a lot of interesting people and started getting more into the young Hollywood set.

AM: Is this how you met Jack Nicholson?

SS: Actually I met Jack when I was fourteen, when my father worked for MGM. I worked for a summer as a messenger girl and he was a messenger boy. He and his friends were a little older and they were always laughing and having fun so I thought they were really cool. Then I met Jack five years later at Martin Landau's acting class.
We rehearsed a scene from Tennessee Williams play, "Summer and Smoke," and the fire began.

AM: Aren't you Jack's only wife?

SS: That’s true, he never married again. I must have scared the hell out of him! Just kidding. We had a deep love for one another and we were together for 9 years. We had a daughter, Jennifer, a year after we were married.

AM: This is so long ago it has no relevance in your life today does it?

SS: I think all of our experiences have relevance in our life. One overcomes difficulties and judgments and we move on to higher ground. When there is real love it doesn’t matter if you can live together or not, you still maintain a love and respect for those who have served different purposes in your life. We are now very good friends.

AM: Did you stay good friends from the beginning?

SS: No, I went through difficult periods but with understanding, compassion and self- knowledge I was able to shift my perspective and gain a life no longer hinged to the past.

AM: What made you decide to leave acting?

SS: I knew at that point, I couldn't let my daughter be raised by nannies and back then it was different, you couldn’t bring your child to a set. The truth is, I was fading out of acting and performing. I wanted to have a home for my child to grow in. I wanted to give her a normal natural environment with home cooked meals and serenity. About this time I had a very unusual internal, spiritual experience. I had almost a complete change of consciousness, so much so that friends around me noticed and asked me, “What happened to you? Now as a Spiritual/Creative, Life Coach, this is what I am primarily interested in. I’m helping people reach their highest level of consciousness.

AM: I had my inner shift at the age of twenty-five. Suddenly I became more spiritual. Mine was due to emotional pain. It was hard to find satisfaction. I turned inside and started to really experience life. Is this what I'm hearing you say?

SS: Yes it is, exactly.

AM: Back then the term life coach didn't exist so what were you thinking?

SS: I was primarily an artist. I studied at Otis Art Institute, painted with other artist friends and took many drawing, painting and writing classes at U.C.L.A. Then I became very good friends with the renowned portrait artist, Helen Winslow, with whom I painted over many, many years. She was my inspiration and mentor. Then I started painting portraits of friends, I'd have them over, mainly actors and they would pose and we would paint. It was an incredible time! I was also learning to meditate. I wanted to perceive the world as a beautiful place to live. I wanted to see a reality within myself and within other individuals.

AM: Can you elaborate a little bit on that?

SS: After the spiritual experience, I wanted to know more about reality, I wanted to find a deeper meaning to life. I wanted to find out if there was a common spiritual link among the diverse Cultures and Countries of the world. I wanted to find out if wars can be stopped, if it’s possible to live in a world of peace and joy?

AM: And what was your answer?

SS: A big Yes! I think it’s possible that illumination can take place all over the world. But it has to take place individually.

AM: Did you continue with your painting?

SS: I still paint and in the last few years I’ve had 5 one women art shows and last year I had a one-woman show in Berlin. My project is called: “Previous Image.” It’s all about the persona. The idea of the persona has always fascinated me. The actor in ancient times used the mask, the persona, to hide behind. I like investigating the idea of persona in the context of how Carl Jung viewed it. The persona is that which we show to the world, but which in fact, we are not. In my project I’ve painted and ended up having a 3 way dialogue between, myself now, myself as an actor and myself as a character that I portrayed in movies. Basically, I’ve painted the characters from “Thunder Road,” “Frankenstein’s Daughter,” “Tower of London” and “The Terror” that Jack and I starred in with Boris Karloff. We both worked for Roger Corman in these films.

AM: Did you enjoy the show in Berlin?

SS: It was gratifying. My shows are multi media. In the exhibit I have a video running with clips from my movies and about 24 oil paintings. The video is an art piece in and of itself since the makers of it have edited it with music and superimposed some of my paintings over the clips. It’s an original idea and people seem to love it. The gallery owners also had a mini film festival of my old films for a week. I was interviewed during some of the showings and I discovered I even have a few fans hanging out around the world asking for autographs. It was a first class kick!

AM: Eventually you left Southern California.

SS: Yes I moved to Hawaii many years ago.

AM: What made you move to Hawaii?

SS: I had fallen in love with Hawaii and it probably happened way back when my mother had me dancing the hula in some of her shows and she organized a little musical group when I was 8 years old called “The String Busters of Santa Monica.” I was the lead singer and I played the Ukulele and had a back up steel guitar along with two other guitars and we all wore leis, so the influence came early on. Then when my daughter and I lived in Hancock Park and Jennifer was going to Marlboro, which is a girl’s prep school and that was such a beautiful environment. It was just gorgeous. I heard about this great prep school in Hawaii, the same one President Obama went to. It's one of the outstanding schools in the United States. I was in Hawaii visiting friends and found a beautiful house on the beach for sale. So we put our house on the market and just took off and moved to Hawaii.

AM: So Hawaii felt natural and you acclimated easily?

SS: Oh very easy to do. It's the most gentle place to live and so supportive of everything spiritual.

AM: Did living there enhance your spirituality?

SS: Yes, I would say so. The sounds and smells are beautiful, the clean air, the clear ocean. I love California too. I didn't leave LA because I didn't like it. I love Santa Monica and Venice, it’s where I grew up. As you know, we come over to our little condo here in Venice at least 4 or 5 times a year.

AM: When did you decide you wanted to help other people by being a life coach?

SS: I decided on that just five years ago. Although I had already been doing it forever. They say when you become a coach you realize you've always been coaching. I've taken it to another level now with the skills and techniques that I've learned.

AM: What qualities does one need to be a life coach?

SS: One of the most important qualities is to be a good listener and be interested in other people. You must want to encourage people and not judge. This is a shared experience so what they are doing, you are doing too. You share it together. Being a coach is not being superior to the person you are working with. You don't have the answers; the person you are working with has the answers. You are helping them realize their own answers that come to them from within themselves. You are not there to impose your concepts on other people.

AM: How do you learn these skills?

SS: I took a hundred and fifty classes over a year and a half period. I was being coached and I was coaching people within the community that I was working in. You take written exams. It's a very strenuous program. For me it was so enjoyable.

AM: Do you have a life coach now?

SS: No I don't. Sometimes I think I would like one! I do have two people that every now and then I like to tune into. Actually my husband is my coach.

AM: Did you meet him in this atmosphere?

SS: We met at a spiritual seminar. John is a writer, and an artist and is a teacher of spiritual principles and gives seminars all around the world. We travel a lot to Australia, New Zealand, and all around Europe and England.

AM: Do you coach a lot of people now?

SS: I don't have a lot of people but I do have enough people. I coach on the phone or by skype and I have clients in all parts of the world. So local isn’t important. I also communicate after sessions with recaps on email so the client receives something in writing to study along with their own notes. It's just perfect for me because I have my other creative endeavors, I’m writing a play and a memoir and I’m always painting and then I coach each person once a week. Coaching is about trust and honesty and it has to be totally confidential. Coaching is all about the client. They are the experts on their life. Most of my clients are interested in spiritual living. They are interested in knowing how to apply spiritual principles in their everyday life. Sometimes they might be unclear as to what a spiritual principle is so I help them identify and implement spiritual principles, which by the way, must be practical in everyday living. The most important element for the client is Action. The goal is Action without conflict.

AM: You've seen your clients lives improve?

SS: Oh, Yes. I've seen them grow more confident and become more focused and clear. They start to take action both on the inner level and the outer level. The classic statement about coaching is that coaches help stuck people get unstuck.

AM: What is the first bit of advice you give to a new client?

SS: The starting point is that there are unlimited possibilities and in fact they already have the capacity to reach any goal that they choose. I just help them uncover their blocks and move forward.

AM: Do you think that everything that holds us back stems from our way of thinking?

SS: I think we are held back by our judgments and concepts of ourselves and the world around us. I work with my power tool called, “Concept or Reality,” I help people to question things. For instance, when we have a reaction about a situation or circumstance I help them question whether the reaction is based on reality or based on a concept about the thing. We might find ourselves reacting from a past concept that doesn’t exist now. I also help people see that there are impersonal conditions that come into our mind and we have the ability to accept or reject them. Sometimes the thinking that a person has really isn't the problem, it's what they accept as their own personal thinking that can become a problem. If they start identifying with what we call the conditioned mind and they can't clearly discern that a lot of the thoughts they have are not theirs, I can help them become aware of their thought process and through discipline eliminate negative outcomes. They then become aware of the learned universal concepts that they have accepted as reality. It’s like that great song from South Pacific, “you have to be carefully taught to hate and fear, you have to be taught from year to year.”

AM: Can you give me an example of this type of thinking?

SS: You see there is a physical, mental and spiritual level of consciousness. I’ll give you an example on the physical level, for instance, a person who has accepted a belief that they cannot walk a few miles then believes they can't do it. But the truth is that physically there is nothing stopping them. But there might be a level of fear or a concept they have accepted about themselves and their body that makes them think they can't do it. In coaching we ask, what is that concept that you have about your body? We look at the difference between a fact and a concept; perhaps the concept is based on the past. Maybe someone tripped and fell once and they believe they can't walk for a long distance. Then they become aware that the fear is based on concept not reality. This is just a very simple example. There is always an infinite array of opportunity and multi-leveled experiences within each coaching session. Usually what is holding someone back is based on fear and desire. As you might know, all good drama is based on desire and loss, so I might ask clients, what kind of script are you writing for yourself?

AM: Do you think most people need to be more open-minded?

SS: It all depends upon what we are opening our mind to.  I think it's more about not judging and becoming more aware of our concepts and how they might influence us on a sub-conscious level. When we become aware of our judgment it then becomes a conscious choice and no longer is a knee jerk reaction.

AM: Do you think most of us are judgmental as a rule?

SS: Yes, we are constantly judging everything as either good or bad.

AM: So you are saying get rid of all that and get good at recognizing when you are being judgmental.

SS: When you find that you are judging, usually that has to do with having a concept about whatever it is.

AM: Obviously you believe in abundance.

SS: Oh, of course I think abundance is a natural law of the Universe.

AM: What is love?

SS: Love is the essence of everything when you can see it. In a practical sense, love is consideration, kindness, gentleness and a feeling that cannot be described. I think that real love is selfless. It doesn’t ask for a return. It is just a state of being, where nothing can separate or make false. There are many levels of love and I think it is useful to find out what state we are in when we notice we are loving. Love can be universal, spiritual love, or brotherly, impersonal, or passionate, personal. I think the best personal relationship, like a marriage, might have all levels in place.

AM: I believe this whole heartedly. It's either love or it isn't.

SS: Exactly.

AM: Do you find clients looking for love?

SS: I find them looking for love, but many times they want it served up in a certain size, age, color and level of money in the bank.

AM: That's the hard part isn't it?

SS: I like to think of it this way; if you had everything and didn’t have love you would have nothing, but if you had love, you would have everything!

AM: When you get to the bottom line is that really what it boils down to?

SS: I think so.

AM: Do you think that spirituality is so simple we tend to complicate it?

SS: Absolutely, we cannot grasp the simplicity. It’s like looking at a beautiful sunset. Did we do anything to bring it about?

AM: I like to only focus on one word to keep it very simple.

SS: That's what I do a lot in coaching. We find one word that really resonates and you can take that word and utilize it throughout your day. If you get off balance you can remember that word. It's really a form of meditation.

AM: The word I use more than any other is trust.

SS: Beautiful, that is perfect.

AM: How fortunate for the people that get to have you as a life coach.

SS: Thank you, Alan, for interviewing me. I feel very honored. I must say, it is a joy to talk with you and it is a joy to coach and share with you all that I’m spending my energies on. I love it! There's a coach for everything under the sun and my coaching is based on the idea that, “Infinity is the measure of your Being.” That’s why I call it, “Infinity Coaching.” There are no limitations whatsoever when you can perceive your innate unfathomable Self. Then you can do whatever is your calling with meaning, purpose and confidence.

Visit her painting website: sandraknight.com or email her at: alohacoach@hawaii.rr.com

Bebe Buell LIVE & Coming Up Soon

Coming up on the blog is Sandra Stephenson aka Sandra Knight, a painter, writer, actor and life coach. We talk about how a life coach can help and a little about her acting and art works.

Also my dear friend Miss Universe 1993 Dayanara Torres, who I just did my eighth photo session with, will be here.

For you Action Movie fans we have Former Commando Marine Navy Seal and World Middleweight Kickboxing Champion/Movie Star Olivier Gruner from France who has just completed his 37th movie.

Many of you will remember the talented Ruth Buzzi from 'Laugh In' fame. I had a chance to get some nice photographs and visit with her while I was in Ft. Worth, Texas.

Last, but not least, will be my sensational photo session with Bebe Buell while she visited Los Angeles for her show at the Roxy. Here are some live shots of her on stage in the meantime.

Navneet Kaur Hot & Amazing Spicy Wallpapers Photoshoot

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Navneet Kaur Hot recent Updates Spicy Wallpapers gallery

Sam Harris

All photos:  Alan Mercer

Long before the current crop of singers from 'American Idol' Sam Harris got his start as the grand champion of 'Star Search' in its premiere season. His first single, "Sugar Don't Bite," was a Top 40 hit in 1984. He is a recording artist with nine studio albums to his credit and he has toured extensively in concert and has played to sold-out audiences at major venues including New York's Carnegie Hall, Los Angeles' Universal Amphitheater and London's West End. He has appeared with the Boston Pops Symphony Orchestra, at the White House and has sung on a variety of television specials and live productions.

On Broadway, he received a Drama Desk nomination for his role in the Tommy Tune-directed revival of 'Grease,' and a Drama League Award as well as Tony, Outer Critic's Circle and Drama Desk Award nominations for his work in Cy Coleman's Tony nominated musical 'The Life.' He's also appeared on Broadway in Mel Brooks' Tony Award winning musical 'The Producers,' in the national tour of 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,' and in the musicals 'Jesus Christ Superstar,' 'Cabaret,' 'Hair,' and 'Pippin.'

Sam co-created the television series 'Down to Earth' in 1984, which ran for 4 years and 104 episodes. He was a series regular on 'The Class' in 2006.

I was very excited to work with Sam. I have been following his career from the very beginning. He has a classic 'show business' quality which means he has real talent! What a joy to be able to photograph him. He kept me in stiches with his witty comments through out the shoot. Jackie Stander helped us get the photos just right. After I set the camera down I told Sam about the first time we met a few years ago.

AM: Sam, I have to tell you that the first time we met was at the world premiere of Motown's 'The Last Dragon.'

SH: Really!?! I sang a song in that movie called 'You're A Dragon.' It was a dreadful song and a terrible film as I recall. (We are laughing)

AM: I remember Diana Ross was there.

SH: And Berry Gordy...the great thing about that project for me was getting to hang out with Berry Gordy all the time. Of course I was on Motown. I haven't thought of this in a hundred years.

AM: Motown wasn't the first label I would have thought you would land.

SH: After 'Star Search' there were a lot of offers from a lot of companies. I had such an affection and affinity for Motown and the concept of being the great white hope on this historical label meant so much to me. I met with everybody and actually turned down Clive Davis to go be on Motown. (more laughter)

AM: But you're happy you went with Motown right?

SH: Motown was great for me. We sold a gazillion records. Also they were going through so many changes at the time. It was not a great place as far as marketing. The idea of it was really good but they had their business problems. I worked with some great people and I still know and work with some of them today.

AM: Has the 'Star Search' label faded by now?

SH: It hasn't. I have changed my perspective of it. There was a period of life when I was so tired of hearing about it because I'd been on Broadway and sold millions of records and toured the world.

AM: And yet 'Star Search' rules! How did you change your point of view?

SH: Not a day in my life goes by without someone saying something about it. Then I recognized that for something to have that kind of emotional impact on people was something that I needed to be grateful for and embrace rather than reject or think that it was limiting. The truth is it was a huge experience for me and launched a lot of things for me. It has a place in people's hearts. It really meant something.

AM: Aren't you the only well known singer that came from that show?

SH: Rosie O'Donnell and Brad Garrett were on it. There are a lot of comedians who have done really well.

AM: But you are the singer that came out of it, why?

SH: I think it was the fact that we were so indelibly connected. The producers told me there wouldn't have been a second season or a tenth season without me. The success of a show is the perfect idea at the perfect time with the perfect components. It was the right time for me and the culture. It did become iconic in that way. The numbers we got back then were 25 to 30 million people a week.

AM: You're right, it is emotional. I remember it like it was yesterday. What quality do you think you have that lead to your success?

SH: The quality that I know that I have, is honesty, so when I'm singing, it's real. Yes I can sing, but my favorite singers are not necessarily the ones who can "SING!" They are people who touch me by telling a story.

AM: Can you name one or two singers you like?

SH: Sure, Tom Waites, Randy Newman, Billie Holiday, you know I love great singers too. I grew up listening to Jackie Wilson and Aretha Franklin. Those are the people who influenced my style along with musical theater. The people who I would sit and listen to the whole record were artists like Rickie Lee Jones, who is a great singer, but not Aretha or Patti LaBelle.

AM: You used to be compared to Patti LaBelle. How did that feel?

SH: Fantastic! We've sung together a couple of times. She is a force!

AM: Well you are too.

SH: Thank you.

AM: You have that exact same ability.

SH: She was definitely an influence with her arrangements, style and approach. Meanwhile so were the musical theater people. I saw Liza Minnelli, who is one of my best friends in the world, she is like my sister, when I was eleven years old. That was my first concert. Then I saw Sammy Davis Jr. that same year in the same venue.

AM: Did they influence you?

SH: I already knew what I loved and what I wanted to do, but when I saw them I knew that was show business, that was it! Later Liza and I became best friends, and I worked with Sammy. I got to be peers with these people who influenced me so deeply. That's the greatest thing about this business for me.

AM: You've worked in many fields of entertainment already.

SH: For the record I've done Broadway, Carnegie Hall, and a few television series.

AM: I did want to ask you about performing in 'Hair?'

SH: 'Hair' was such a superb production, but there was one circumstance. Usually the nude scene is four or five seconds of a dimly lit, smoke infused stage. Not in our production. No, no in our production, and it's during my song, I was naked for two minutes, fully lit in a spotlight.

AM: How did you do that?

SH: Horrifying, horrifying, meanwhile Steven Weber is off stage fluffing so he can make his big entrance, and I do mean big! It was really terrifying and then you just have to get over it. Actually the way the director did it in rehearsal was to say today's the day everyone just take off your clothes. So if you can take off your clothes in a small room with twenty people in a fluorescent lit room, doing it on a beautifully lit stage is a piece of cake. Frankly I wish I could always be naked!

AM: How long did you live in Oklahoma?

SH: I left when I was fifteen.

AM: I was born in Oklahoma but never lived there. I did live in Dallas, TX however.

SH: That was a lateral move!

AM: You are going to be performing in Dallas soon!

SH: I am indeed.

AM: They love you there!

SH: I am going to sing at a church with an orchestra. I'm very excited about that! You know Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana are fantastic places to grow up in. There is a simplicity that is so nice. I live in a fabulous neighborhood in Los Angeles with a two year old child, but the days of going out for the afternoon are over. You used to go out an play and the neighbors watched over everybody's kids and you showed up for dinner. That doesn't happen anymore.

AM: What is it like being a Dad? Is it what you wanted and what you thought it would be?

SH: It's beyond my imagination and beyond what I thought was my capacity to love. It is everything. It's hard to describe. I always say, "How much does Daddy love Cooper?" and he says, "More than everything." It's true, being a Dad is the great leveler and priority maker. Everything else in my life is now secondary and pales by comparison. I have a great life and I've had a great life. It keeps getting richer.

To learn more about Sam Harris visit his web site http://www.samharris.com/

Jackée Harry Is Living The Good Life!

Jackée Harry is the sexy, smart and vivacious actress best known for her roles as 'Sandra Clark' on the TV series '227' and as 'Lisa Landry' in 'Sister, Sister.' She attended the High School of Music and Art and Long Island University, where she earned a B.A. in education. Jackée Harry actually began her career as a history teacher at Brooklyn Technical High School, but left the profession after two years to follow her dream.

She began studying acting at the Henry Street Settlement on the Lower East Side in New York City and soon began a career on the New York stage. She appeared in 'A Broadway Musical' in the late seventies. In 1983, she made her television debut on 'Another World' as Lily Mason, a role she continued until 1986.

Jackée Harry began starring as 'Sandra Clark' on the NBC sitcom '227' along with Marla Gibbs in 1985. As the breakout star of '227' she became the first African American to win an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

After leaving '227' in 1989, Jackée Harry starred opposite Oprah Winfrey in the adaptation of Gloria Naylor's novel, 'The Women of Brewster Place.'

From 1994 to 1999, Jackée played Tia Mowry's character's adoptive mother on the ABC/WB sitcom, 'Sister, Sister.' She won the NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for two consecutive years in 1999 and 2000. She also had a recurring role as 'Vanessa' on The CW series 'Everybody Hates Chris.'

Jackée then appeared on the second season of VH1's 'Celebrity Fit Club 2' in 2005, where she lost 39 pounds over 100 days. Her achievement marked one of the top weight losses in the history of the show.

Since the mid-2000s, she has appeared in stage productions of 'The Sunshine Boys,' 'Damn Yankees,' and 'A Christmas Carol.' She most recently toured nationally in J.D. Lawrence's 'The Clean Up Woman.'

Just last week she unveiled her own signature milkshake, the 'Jackée Frappé,' at the popular 'Millions of Milkshakes' in West Hollywood, in support of 'Womens International Center' a non-profit service and education organization, devoted to assisting disadvantaged women, children, and animals in Africa, South America, and the United States. The organization recently appointed Jackée to the post of Ambassador to Africa, which has her providing educational, safety, and economic resources to refugees and displaced women and children.

She was recently tapped as the National Spokesperson for a renowned nutraceutical company by the name of GBG. The company seeks to promote total prosperity from a life, health, and wealth perspective. And Jackée intends to use her "celebrity platform" for good; by helping those with financial, as well as health disparities. More information can be found on http://www.gbgjackee.com/.

This is the second time I've had the pleasure to photograph Jackée. She is intelligent, warm, funny and charming to work with and everything fun you imagine her to be. Eric Venturo worked out the lighting and Jackée provided the sass and sex appeal you see here.

All photos: Alan Mercer   Lighting:  Eric Venturo

AM: Hi Jackée, what are you wanting to do next in your career?

JH: I don't want to do anything to be honest! I'm older now.

AM: Do you enjoy not working?

JH: No I'm working. I just did a play for the past two years!

AM: So you want to work?

JH: Oh yeah! I'm not sitting around wondering why I'm not doing this or that. You learn in this business that ageism is a factor and racism is a factor to some people along with sexism. Ageism is a big problem and nobody talks about it, but it's a reality. When I get to that point where I really start looking older, and I haven't gotten to that yet, I'll be working.

AM: You look thirty right now.

JH: (Laughing) Oh you're kind. I'm not freaking out about it. I did for about maybe five years but I still worked steadily. I do a lot of plays so I'm glad I'm trained that way because if I wasn't...

AM: Isn't your background theater?

JH: Yes I come from theater. That's where I was trained.

AM: Was this is New York?

JH: Yes at the Henry Street Settlement. Dick Anthony Williams was my mentor and he still is my teacher. Bill Dukes is also there. That's where I learned my craft. Thank God I'm actually able to perform so I'm not sitting around at home. I'm just not doing television and films at the moment.

AM: There's not a lot going on at times.

JH: No and there's not a lot of women doing anything. It's Meryl Streep and Diane Keaton. It's very rare. Even Lily Tomlin is kind of a cultish thing. I guess that's what I'll be...a cult.

AM: Well there's nothing wrong with that! Was '227' your first show?

JH: No it was the soap opera 'Another World.' I went from soaps to sitcoms.

AM: What character did you play on 'Another World?'

JH: A prostitute of course! I was a fabulous prostitute. My name was Lily Mason. I was a woman of the night.

AM: Do your fans remember this part?

JH: Oh yeah. They're still there. I've received offers to do more soap operas but the acting's so different. That's why a lot of people don't do them. It's a different setting. I don't do commercials really because it's a different kind of acting and once you get into that groove it's hard to get out of it. I'm already typecast so I don't want to pursue anything else. People ask me why not, you're not doing anything else and I'm like "So!"

AM: How are you typecast?

JH: Sexy, sassy, brassy, all of that. I'm not taken as a serious dramatic actress.

AM: How did your characters differ from '227' to 'Sister, Sister?'

JH: 'Sister, Sister' was a mother. No sex appeal and I loved it. I didn't want to do it at first. I remember thinking to myself, "A mother! Pu-leeze!" I was much younger then. It ended about eleven years ago. It's more popular now than it was then.

AM: I know that you have won several awards for your acting. How does that make you feel?

JH: Proud. People always talk about it but you don't carry your awards around in your car or at least I don't. I do keep them in full view but I don't rest on laurels. If you do that you are dead.

AM: What are your priorities in life?

JH: Making myself happier by just being me and accepting that this is what I am. I'm an actress. This is what I do for a living. I'm a spokes person for several groups. Education is my main feature. I believe that education is the key to opening up people's minds. Some people don't believe me. You may not have to go to a four year college. I firmly believe that two year colleges are fine for some people. If you don't have anything to do get yourself in college. That will show you somewhere to go.

AM: What is your educational background?

JH: I went to Long Island University and graduated. I did one year of my Masters at NYU I never finished because my career took over. I'm not going to go back but I think I'm going to teach because I have a teacher's certificate. I taught at Brooklyn Technical High School...all boys.

AM: Before you became a famous actress?

JH: Yes I taught American History. So that's my background. Writing will probably be my final career.

AM: So you have every intention of being a writer?

JH: I'm doing a book on ' Jackée Say-isms.' I have a lot of sayings like, "Is a bluebird blue?" Does water seek it's own level? Is up a direction? All kinds of things I've heard over the years. I want to put them all together. It will be fun for people to read.

AM: You mentioned your priority to make yourself happy. Have you had a happy life so far?

JH: Oh yeah, but I have put my career first and sacrificed a lot of things to be successful. Another one of my sayings is, "Being successful takes courage." Maya Angelou told me that. I said, "What do you mean? I'm just working." Then she said, "How many young black women would be on the road by themselves working darling?" She's right, I don't take it for granted anymore. It takes courage to work and to survive.

AM: If a great part on television came up you'd do it?

JH: Absolutely. That's what I do for a living.

AM: But you want to do it for a living or because you are into it?

JH: I'm still into it. Look at Betty White. 83 and going strong. Who ever knew she'd still be a big star? She's fabulous at what she does. She's an icon. Some people call me that and I say I don't think so but maybe I am. There's nothing wrong with that.

AM: The longer you stay in the front of the cultures mind the more you turn into an icon I think.

JH: Right.

AM: You already are an icon to some degree.

JH: An icon to me is someone who you can mention their name and everybody goes, Oh!

AM: Well you're that way. When I mention to people that I would be working with you they all got excited.

JH: Yes I know that excitement but an icon is more "Elizabeth Taylor Oh!" You know what I'm saying!?!

AM: I also know that the icons never think they're icons.

JH: I don't want to be a legend either. Joan Collins told me, "Legends don't get laid." I'm still getting laid! (Laughter)

AM: So is everything else, like your family life, doing great?

JH: That what I'm most proud of. My son is making A's in school and he's so happy to be in the academic world and the sports world. I just wanted him to be a good human being and he is a wonderful human being. He's also very competitive and that's good for him because I am as well and so is his Dad. It's makes me very proud that he's happy doing that. If he doesn't want to do that it's alright with me too. I told him I wasn't looking for him to be Michael Jordan, but he is and I like that. He has his own view points and guidelines for his own life which is perfect.

AM: Do you have women asking you for advice?

JH: All the time and they are young women. That's another one of my pet projects and that's to empower young women, as well as young men, if they ask me. I run into more young women from ages sixteen to about thirty-five. Some of them are lost when it comes to their love lives.

AM: Is that something you know a lot about?

JH: I'm good at that because I believe the best thing you can do with another person is to listen and truly be involved with their life. It sounds simple but it's difficult when you're working eight to ten hours a day and come home and still have to energize yourself towards them.

AM: What do you tell them?

JH: Be involved in what your partner has to say. Don't be phony about it. Tell them if you've had a rough day and then get that off your mind and go into the conversation about them. Keep the focus strictly on your partner. Learn what's happening with them. People don't do that. They take it for granted.

AM: I don't get the impression that you are ever phony. Is that true?

JH: I'm not ever phony.

AM: Do you think it has been good, bad or indifferent in your career?

JH: I could have done more projects and worked many more jobs if I had said the right things. I can't keep it up. I can only keep it up for about twenty minutes then I have to be Jackée.

AM: So if they aren't interested in you for who you are you are not interested?

JH: I can't do anything about it. I've tried but I can't lie. That's another one of my sayings. If it's the truth it's easy to remember, but if it's a lie then you have to remember your ass off. How long can you do that? Some people lie for a living, like con artists. Basically you can't live a lie. It doesn't make any sense to me. I figure why bother. I'll just be me because it's easier.