Margo Timmins
Encyclopedia
Margo Timmins is the lead vocalist of the Canadian band Cowboy Junkies
. She is the sister of Michael Timmins, the band's lead guitar
ist and Peter Timmins, the band's drummer. Margo's ethereal vocals, paired with the band's spare and quiet songs performed at a languid pace, giving the band its unique sound.
Her father, John Timmins, spent his professional life working in the sales and marketing divisions of several aviation companies. His passion in life, however, was music and his love of song was passed on to his children, especially his son Michael (Margo's brother) who would eventually start the Cowboy Junkies
.
As a young girl, Margo remembers rifling through her brother Michael's extensive record collection. Some of her early favourites that influence her to this day include: Blonde on Blonde
, Highway 61 Revisited
,and Nashville Skyline
, by Bob Dylan
, Nebraska
by Bruce Springsteen
, Harvest by Neil Young
, and Townes Van Zandt
's, Flyin' Shoes
.
It never occurred to Margo that she could ever sing professionally. However, her youth was filled with song. She remembers singing while doing the dishes, singing in school plays and pageants and singing Carole King
songs at camp.
As a child, her ambition was to grow to be like her mother – get married, stay at home and have seven children.
In 1977, the Timmins family had moved from Montreal
to Toronto
. They lived in Etobicoke in the west-end of the city and Margo attended Richview Collegiate Institute
in her high school
years.
, Margo spent her evenings along with her brother Michael exploring the punk music
scene in Toronto that was happening on Queen Street West
. When Michael started his first band, the Hunger Project, Margo would hang out with the band, take the tickets, and carry the equipment.
Margo supported herself by doing clerical work for her father and performing chores around the house. This included the worst job she ever had - cutting grass for her father.
But by her mid-20s, Margo had left the night life behind and was studying social work
at university
. It was also during this time that Margo developed her signature mane of long hair. As she tells it, "As a kid I was always mistaken for a boy. I didn't get long hair until my early 20s. That's when I discovered hair was important."
Michael knew that she had a pretty enough voice, but that she was shy and anxious. However, he also knew that Margo was really a show off at heart. "A little shaky" was how Michael remembers her first attempts behind the microphone
.
Margo has said about that time, "So when he asked me I was freaked out, but I said 'Okay, so long as if I don't do a good job you fire me' I didn't want to hurt his music, because his music is so important to him."
It took a long time for Margo to get comfortable singing in front of an audience. If fact, many of the early shows had Margo singing with her back to the audience.
Margo has stated, "In those early days, I wouldn't turn around to face the audience. But nobody forced me and I slowly turned around and I slowly opened my eyes and I slowly began to say hello. And now they can't shut me up! I see Mike looking at me as I tell a story that has no relevance whatsoever and I lose track. Now, the guys have to start playing songs because my on-stage monologue
s go on so long."
While Margo has stated that it took her ten years to get comfortable singing in front of an audience to this day, Margo suffers from stage fright
and has a ritual she performs prior to each show. Margo says, "I do two things. One is, I iron my dress and I post the set list on the wall and stare at it to get a sense of the flow of the songs. After that, I arrange my flowers. I always have flowers on stage. Once they're arranged, I hand them to my crew guy to put on stage and that's the cue that we're about to start. Arranging my flowers is my meditation
. I focus on the flowers and think about nothing. I have no problems being on the stage nowadays. But it's still difficult for me to get from the side of the stage to the microphone. Just that initial walking out is hard. I have my tea. I always bring my tea out with me because I think it's an anchor, it's something to carry, something to do with my hands. I stand on the side of the stage drinking my tea before I go out. That's my nervous time. I go out, I say hi, and we go into a song. Within that song, I calm down, catch my breath and relax. Then it's like, Yeah, I like it up here. I forgot how much I like it up here."
As the lead singer of the Cowboy Junkies, Margo is more comfortable being the focal point of attention than she used to be. But she admits that if she is invited to party, and no one wants to talk with her, she is quite happy sitting quietly by herself. She claims that she is not an extrovert
and does not have a lot of friends. She is close to one girlfriend, a sister and her mother. She likes being at home. This is exemplified by the three essential things she brings with her on the road while touring with the Cowboy Junkies - her toothbrush, needlepoint
and hot water bottle
.13
Margo believes that the best song she ever wrote is "Misguided Angel". And when asked what was the best thing ever written about the Cowboy Junkies, Margo replied "I think it was about my hair".
and their seven year old son Ed. However, she likes to spend most of her time at their 100-year-old farmhouse in Grey County, Ontario
.
Margo married Graham Henderson in 1988. She met her husband, an entertainment lawyer, in the mid-1980s after he heard the band's demo tapes and went to see them at Toronto's nightclub/restaurant The Rivoli
. Shortly thereafter he was not only working to get the Junkies their deal with BMG in the U.S.
, but he and Margo started dating. Graham Henderson has been a partner at the law firm of McCarthy Tétrault
and served as vice-president of business affairs and e-commerce at Universal Music Canada
until 2000 when he was named president of the Canadian Recording Industry Association
(CRIA).
While Margo recently celebrated her 20th year of marriage she admits to having a crush on Bruce Springsteen
. Margo has said, "When I got married, I told my husband that if Bruce ever wanted me, that I would be his. And my husband said, OK".
Margo loves animals and she and Graham currently have two Rhodesian Ridgeback
s, Achilles and Drusilla, as well as Sparticus the cat. In 2002, Margo and Graham suffered a significant loss in the death of their dog Gaius. Graham described the loss this way, "On 20 August 2002 our dog Gaius was diagnosed with pneumonia
. Margo and I had just finished a three week vacation. I left to come home for work on the Sunday evening. Margo noticed trouble almost right away. Though he was in hospital almost immediately, the disease ravaged him and his great, loving heart gave out in the early hours of 25 August 2002. For those of us without children, our animals often become our children".
It was after the death of this beloved pet, that Margo and Graham started exploring the possibility of adopting a child. The adoption process took a year, during the recording of the Cowboy Junkies CD One Soul Now, but Margo and Graham were rewarded with a blond haired, cherubic cheeked son named Edward.
When Margo is not on the road touring with Cowboy Junkies, she is home on the farm with her son Ed. Ed travels with the band on longer tours, but for shorter tours stays in Canada with his grandparents. Margo has described being a rock and roll mom this way: "Ed comes out with me and the band for a long weekend during a 10-day stint, so I'm not away from him for an entire 10 days, Now it's getting to the point where he's got friends and a life of his own, so I don't really think it's fair to drag him around the country."
Margo became involved in a bit of controversy in 2006 over campaign contributions when she supported and performed at a fund raiser for member of Canadian Parliament
Sam Bulte. Ms. Bulte is a strong advocate for copyright protection and holds similar views to the Canadian Recording Industry Association, headed by Margo's husband Graham Henderson. Margo said of Ms. Bulte, "If there is a true friend of the artists, it is Sam Bulte. She has an unmatched appreciation for what it means to be an artist. Her advocacy for our cause is unrivaled" Some felt that Margo's strong support for copyright protection
was in opposition to the file sharing policies permitted on the Cowboy Junkies website.
In 2009 she released solo album of covers "Margo's Corner - Ty Tyrfu Sessions, Volume 1"
Some other fun facts about Margo:
Cowboy Junkies
Cowboy Junkies are a Canadian alternative country/blues/folk rock band. The group was formed in Toronto in 1985 by Margo Timmins , Michael Timmins , Peter Timmins and Alan Anton ....
. She is the sister of Michael Timmins, the band's lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
ist and Peter Timmins, the band's drummer. Margo's ethereal vocals, paired with the band's spare and quiet songs performed at a languid pace, giving the band its unique sound.
Childhood
Margo was born and spent most of her childhood in Montreal as one of six children of Barbara and John Timmins. Margo describes her mother Barbara as "a very honest person, and very confident in who she was and her emotions and her place in the world. And I think if she gave anything, that's what she gave us: the sense that you do what you do, and not to worry about it too much. A confidence. Not a confidence that we're necessarily right, but even if we're wrong, well, too bad".Her father, John Timmins, spent his professional life working in the sales and marketing divisions of several aviation companies. His passion in life, however, was music and his love of song was passed on to his children, especially his son Michael (Margo's brother) who would eventually start the Cowboy Junkies
Cowboy Junkies
Cowboy Junkies are a Canadian alternative country/blues/folk rock band. The group was formed in Toronto in 1985 by Margo Timmins , Michael Timmins , Peter Timmins and Alan Anton ....
.
As a young girl, Margo remembers rifling through her brother Michael's extensive record collection. Some of her early favourites that influence her to this day include: Blonde on Blonde
Blonde on Blonde
Blonde on Blonde is American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan's seventh studio album, released in May or June 1966 on Columbia Records and produced by Bob Johnston. Recording sessions commenced in New York in October 1965, with a plethora of backing musicians, including members of Dylan's live backing...
, Highway 61 Revisited
Highway 61 Revisited
Highway 61 Revisited is the sixth studio album by singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. It was released in August 1965 by Columbia Records. On his previous album, Bringing It All Back Home, Dylan devoted Side One of the album to songs accompanied by an electric rock band, and Side Two to solo acoustic numbers...
,and Nashville Skyline
Nashville Skyline
Nashville Skyline is singer-songwriter Bob Dylan's ninth studio album, released by Columbia Records in April 1969.The album marked a dramatic departure for Dylan, previously known for his groundbreaking, poetic folk music and rock and roll...
, by Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, Nebraska
Nebraska (album)
-Themes:The album begins with "Nebraska", a first-person narrative based on the true story of 19-year-old spree killer Charles Starkweather and his 14-year-old girlfriend, Caril Ann Fugate, and ends with "Reason to Believe", a complex narrative that renders its title phrase into contemptuous sarcasm...
by Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
, Harvest by Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
, and Townes Van Zandt
Townes Van Zandt
John Townes Van Zandt , best known as Townes Van Zandt, was an American Texas Country-folk music singer-songwriter, performer, and poet...
's, Flyin' Shoes
Flyin' Shoes
Flyin' Shoes is an album released by folk/country singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt in 1978.- Track listing :#"Dollar Bill Blues"#"Rex's Blues"#"Pueblo Waltz"#"Brother Flower"#"Snake Song"#"Loretta"#"No Place to Fall"#"Flyin' Shoes"...
.
It never occurred to Margo that she could ever sing professionally. However, her youth was filled with song. She remembers singing while doing the dishes, singing in school plays and pageants and singing Carole King
Carole King
Carole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...
songs at camp.
As a child, her ambition was to grow to be like her mother – get married, stay at home and have seven children.
In 1977, the Timmins family had moved from Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. They lived in Etobicoke in the west-end of the city and Margo attended Richview Collegiate Institute
Richview Collegiate Institute
Richview Collegiate Institute is a secondary school in Etobicoke, in the west end of Toronto, Ontario. It is in the Toronto District School Board....
in her high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
years.
Young adult
After graduating from high schoolHigh school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, Margo spent her evenings along with her brother Michael exploring the punk music
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
scene in Toronto that was happening on Queen Street West
Queen Street West
Queen Street West describes both the western branch of Queen Street, a major east-west thoroughfare, and a series of neighbourhoods or commercial districts, situated west of Yonge Street in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Queen Street begins in the west at the intersection of King Street, The...
. When Michael started his first band, the Hunger Project, Margo would hang out with the band, take the tickets, and carry the equipment.
Margo supported herself by doing clerical work for her father and performing chores around the house. This included the worst job she ever had - cutting grass for her father.
But by her mid-20s, Margo had left the night life behind and was studying social work
Social work
Social Work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or...
at university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
. It was also during this time that Margo developed her signature mane of long hair. As she tells it, "As a kid I was always mistaken for a boy. I didn't get long hair until my early 20s. That's when I discovered hair was important."
Cowboy Junkies
In 1985, her brother Michael recruited Margo as the vocalist for the Cowboy Junkies even though she had never sung publicly before. Initially Margo would not sing in front of the other band members, she would only sing in front of Michael. Eventually, Michael convinced Margo to sing in front of the other band members and they liked what they heard.Michael knew that she had a pretty enough voice, but that she was shy and anxious. However, he also knew that Margo was really a show off at heart. "A little shaky" was how Michael remembers her first attempts behind the microphone
Microphone
A microphone is an acoustic-to-electric transducer or sensor that converts sound into an electrical signal. In 1877, Emile Berliner invented the first microphone used as a telephone voice transmitter...
.
Margo has said about that time, "So when he asked me I was freaked out, but I said 'Okay, so long as if I don't do a good job you fire me' I didn't want to hurt his music, because his music is so important to him."
It took a long time for Margo to get comfortable singing in front of an audience. If fact, many of the early shows had Margo singing with her back to the audience.
Margo has stated, "In those early days, I wouldn't turn around to face the audience. But nobody forced me and I slowly turned around and I slowly opened my eyes and I slowly began to say hello. And now they can't shut me up! I see Mike looking at me as I tell a story that has no relevance whatsoever and I lose track. Now, the guys have to start playing songs because my on-stage monologue
Monologue
In theatre, a monologue is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes also to directly address another character or the audience. Monologues are common across the range of dramatic media...
s go on so long."
While Margo has stated that it took her ten years to get comfortable singing in front of an audience to this day, Margo suffers from stage fright
Stage fright
Stage fright or performance anxiety is the anxiety, fear, or persistent phobia which may be aroused in an individual by the requirement to perform in front of an audience, whether actually or potentially . In the context of public speaking, this fear is termed glossophobia, one of the most common...
and has a ritual she performs prior to each show. Margo says, "I do two things. One is, I iron my dress and I post the set list on the wall and stare at it to get a sense of the flow of the songs. After that, I arrange my flowers. I always have flowers on stage. Once they're arranged, I hand them to my crew guy to put on stage and that's the cue that we're about to start. Arranging my flowers is my meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
. I focus on the flowers and think about nothing. I have no problems being on the stage nowadays. But it's still difficult for me to get from the side of the stage to the microphone. Just that initial walking out is hard. I have my tea. I always bring my tea out with me because I think it's an anchor, it's something to carry, something to do with my hands. I stand on the side of the stage drinking my tea before I go out. That's my nervous time. I go out, I say hi, and we go into a song. Within that song, I calm down, catch my breath and relax. Then it's like, Yeah, I like it up here. I forgot how much I like it up here."
As the lead singer of the Cowboy Junkies, Margo is more comfortable being the focal point of attention than she used to be. But she admits that if she is invited to party, and no one wants to talk with her, she is quite happy sitting quietly by herself. She claims that she is not an extrovert
Extraversion and introversion
The trait of extraversion-introversion is a central dimension of human personality theories.Extraverts tend to be gregarious, assertive, and interested in seeking out external stimulus. Introverts, in contrast, tend to be introspective, quiet and less sociable. They are not necessarily loners but...
and does not have a lot of friends. She is close to one girlfriend, a sister and her mother. She likes being at home. This is exemplified by the three essential things she brings with her on the road while touring with the Cowboy Junkies - her toothbrush, needlepoint
Needlepoint
Needlepoint is a form of counted thread embroidery in which yarn is stitched through a stiff open weave canvas. Most needlepoint designs completely cover the canvas...
and hot water bottle
Hot water bottle
A hot water bottle is a container filled with hot water and sealed with a stopper, used to provide warmth, typically whilst in bed, but also for the application of heat to a specific part of the body....
.13
Margo believes that the best song she ever wrote is "Misguided Angel". And when asked what was the best thing ever written about the Cowboy Junkies, Margo replied "I think it was about my hair".
Present
Margo lives in Toronto with her husband Graham HendersonGraham Henderson
Graham Henderson is a Canadian lawyer and the president of the Canadian Recording Industry Association, a lobby group for a number of major record labels in Canada....
and their seven year old son Ed. However, she likes to spend most of her time at their 100-year-old farmhouse in Grey County, Ontario
Grey County, Ontario
Grey County is a county and census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. The county seat is in Owen Sound. The population was 92,411 in 2006. It is located in the subregion of Southern Ontario named Southwestern Ontario...
.
Margo married Graham Henderson in 1988. She met her husband, an entertainment lawyer, in the mid-1980s after he heard the band's demo tapes and went to see them at Toronto's nightclub/restaurant The Rivoli
The Rivoli
The Rivoli is a bar, restaurant and performance space, established in 1982, on Queen Street West in Toronto, Ontario. The club originally earned a reputation as one of Canada's hippest music clubs, and many major Canadian comedy and musical performers have played on its stage, including The Kids in...
. Shortly thereafter he was not only working to get the Junkies their deal with BMG in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, but he and Margo started dating. Graham Henderson has been a partner at the law firm of McCarthy Tétrault
McCarthy Tétrault
McCarthy Tétrault LLP is a law firm with offices in Canada’s major commercial centres and in London, UK. It provides business law, litigation, tax, real estate, and labour and employment law services....
and served as vice-president of business affairs and e-commerce at Universal Music Canada
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
until 2000 when he was named president of the Canadian Recording Industry Association
Canadian Recording Industry Association
Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada...
(CRIA).
While Margo recently celebrated her 20th year of marriage she admits to having a crush on Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
. Margo has said, "When I got married, I told my husband that if Bruce ever wanted me, that I would be his. And my husband said, OK".
Margo loves animals and she and Graham currently have two Rhodesian Ridgeback
Rhodesian Ridgeback
The Rhodesian Ridgeback is a dog breed developed in Southern Africa, where it was used to hunt Lions. This is most likely why this dog is known for its bravery...
s, Achilles and Drusilla, as well as Sparticus the cat. In 2002, Margo and Graham suffered a significant loss in the death of their dog Gaius. Graham described the loss this way, "On 20 August 2002 our dog Gaius was diagnosed with pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
. Margo and I had just finished a three week vacation. I left to come home for work on the Sunday evening. Margo noticed trouble almost right away. Though he was in hospital almost immediately, the disease ravaged him and his great, loving heart gave out in the early hours of 25 August 2002. For those of us without children, our animals often become our children".
It was after the death of this beloved pet, that Margo and Graham started exploring the possibility of adopting a child. The adoption process took a year, during the recording of the Cowboy Junkies CD One Soul Now, but Margo and Graham were rewarded with a blond haired, cherubic cheeked son named Edward.
When Margo is not on the road touring with Cowboy Junkies, she is home on the farm with her son Ed. Ed travels with the band on longer tours, but for shorter tours stays in Canada with his grandparents. Margo has described being a rock and roll mom this way: "Ed comes out with me and the band for a long weekend during a 10-day stint, so I'm not away from him for an entire 10 days, Now it's getting to the point where he's got friends and a life of his own, so I don't really think it's fair to drag him around the country."
Margo became involved in a bit of controversy in 2006 over campaign contributions when she supported and performed at a fund raiser for member of Canadian Parliament
Parliament of Canada
The Parliament of Canada is the federal legislative branch of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in the national capital, Ottawa. Formally, the body consists of the Canadian monarch—represented by her governor general—the Senate, and the House of Commons, each element having its own officers and...
Sam Bulte. Ms. Bulte is a strong advocate for copyright protection and holds similar views to the Canadian Recording Industry Association, headed by Margo's husband Graham Henderson. Margo said of Ms. Bulte, "If there is a true friend of the artists, it is Sam Bulte. She has an unmatched appreciation for what it means to be an artist. Her advocacy for our cause is unrivaled" Some felt that Margo's strong support for copyright protection
Copy protection
Copy protection, also known as content protection, copy obstruction, copy prevention and copy restriction, refer to techniques used for preventing the reproduction of software, films, music, and other media, usually for copyright reasons.- Terminology :Media corporations have always used the term...
was in opposition to the file sharing policies permitted on the Cowboy Junkies website.
In 2009 she released solo album of covers "Margo's Corner - Ty Tyrfu Sessions, Volume 1"
Some other fun facts about Margo:
- She loves to read, and two of her favourite books are Anna KareninaAnna KareninaAnna Karenina is a novel by the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, published in serial installments from 1873 to 1877 in the periodical The Russian Messenger...
and Mary, called MagdaleneMary, called MagdaleneMary, called Magdalene is a historical novel by Margaret George about the apostle Mary Magdalene.-Plot introduction:As a woman in the Bible, Mary Magdalene's story is not recounted to its full. Margaret George, in the book Mary, called Magdalene presents a new view of Mary Magdalene - a female...
by Margaret GeorgeMargaret GeorgeMargaret George is an American historian and historical novelist, specializing in epic fictional biographies. She is known for her meticulous research and the large scale of her books. She was born in Nashville, Tennessee. She lives with her husband in Madison, Wisconsin...
. - Every square inch of her refrigerator door at her farm house is covered with a personal photo gallery of famous people she has met over the years, including Molly RingwaldMolly RingwaldMolly Kathleen Ringwald is an American actress, singer and dancer. Having appeared in the John Hughes movies Sixteen Candles , The Breakfast Club , and Pretty in Pink , Ringwald has been frequently named the greatest teen star of all time...
, Sylvester StalloneSylvester StalloneMichael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone , commonly known as Sylvester Stallone, and nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an American actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, film director and occasional painter. Stallone is known for his machismo and Hollywood action roles. Two of the notable characters he has portrayed...
, Meat LoafMeat LoafMichael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor...
, Bruce Springsteen, Jon LovitzJon LovitzJonathan "Jon" Lovitz is an American comedian, actor, and singer. He is best known as a cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1985 to 1990.-Early life:...
, Stephen Huff and Sean PennSean PennSean Justin Penn is an American actor, screenwriter and film director, also known for his political and social activism...
.