Dennis Dugan

Actor and director Dennis Dugan once said, "Audiences that go to my movies don't want a message. They don't want my soul exposed or my life view. They just want to laugh." And laugh they do, at films ranging from 1996's Adam Sandler-starred Happy Gilmore to 2006's The Benchwarmers.

Born Sept. 5, 1946, in Wheaton, Ill., Dugan studied acting at Chicago's Goodman Theater School before moving to New York in the late 1960s. After appearing in several off-Broadway shows, he headed for Hollywood, and in 1972, he made his feature film debut in Night Call Nurses. Dugan has worked steadily ever since in film (Night Moves, 1975) and on TV (the miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man).

Over the years, Dugan moved into directing, starting with a 1987 episode of "Wiseguy" and including a host of comedic crowd-pleasers such as Saving Silverman (2001), National Security and the TV show "Shasta McNasty."

Parenthood

1989 PG-13

Director Ron Howard teams with Steve Martin for a heartwarming comedy about life's most rewarding occupation: parenthood. Gil (Martin) and Karen Buckman (Mary Steenburgen) are facing the age-old dilemma of trying to raise their children the "right" way. But as Gil and the rest of his clan (including Rick Moranis, Tom Hulce, Jason Robards and Dianne Wiest) soon discover, being the "perfect" parent often means just letting children be themselves.