BIOGRAPHY

So preaches Billy Sunday (Robert De Niro) to twenty trainees assembled on the pier of the Navy Dive School in Bayonne, New Jersey, on a chilly morning in l952. He brags that three-quarters of them will fail the training. Of those who do pass, only three will live to reach retirement.

“Because diving is the most dangerous job in the Navy,” states Sunday. “So who wants to quit right now?”

Certainly not Carl Brashear (Cuba Gooding, Jr.), a young black third-class sailor who has spent two years writing a hundred letters to get accepted into the Navy Dive School program of the newly integrated military. In addition to undergoing a punishing physical training program, Carl must study and excel in physics, chemistry, diving, medicine and mechanics. His goal is clear, his determination fixed.

A major obstacle is presented by Billy Sunday, a celebrated Master Chief Navy Diver whose exploits as a troublemaker are as legendary as his accomplishments as a diver. Now medically disqualified from diving and removed from active duty, an angry Sunday has been transferred to his current position as training officer for the Navy Dive School. The Mississippi-born Sunday is certain that the rigorous dive program is no place for Carl, the son of a Kentucky sharecropper with a seventh grade education.

But Carl has other ideas. Nothing will stand in his way of becoming a Navy Diver. Eventually, even Billy Sunday is won over by Carl’s iron will and diving abilities, and the rebellious senior officer helps Carl overcome a crippling injury, and fight racism and bureaucracy, to make military history. By the time he retired, Carl had earned the esteemed titles of Master Diver and Master Chief, the Navy’s highest rate for an enlisted man.

Fox 2000 Pictures presents a State Street Pictures production, a George Tillman, Jr. film, starring Academy Award7-winning actors Robert De Niro and Cuba Gooding, Jr., in MEN OF HONOR. Also starring are Charlize Theron, Hal Holbrook, David Keith, Michael Rapaport, and Powers Boothe. The film is directed by George Tillman, Jr., and produced by Robert Teitel and Bill Badalato. The film is written by Scott Marshall Smith, based upon the life of Carl Brashear. Bill Cosby and Stanley Robertson are the executive producers.

ABOUT THE CAST…

ROBERT DE NIRO (Billy Sunday) launched his prolific motion picture career in Brian De Palma’s “The Wedding Party” in l969. By l973, De Niro had twice won the New York Film Critics’ Award for Best Supporting Actor in recognition of his critically acclaimed performances in “Bang the Drum Slow” and Martin Scorsese’s “Mean Streets.”

In l974, De Niro received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of the young Vito Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather Part II.” In l980, he won his second Oscar, this time as Best Actor, for his extraordinary portrayal of Jake La Motta in Scorsese’s “Raging Bull.”

De Niro has earned Academy Award nominations for his work in four additional films: Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver” and “Cape Fear,” Michael Cimino’s “The Deer Hunter” and Penny Marshall’s “Awakenings.”

De Niro’s distinguished body of work also includes performances in “The Last Tycoon,” “l900,” “True Confessions,” “Falling in Love,” “Once Upon a Time in America,” “Brazil,” “The Mission,” “The Untouchables,” “Angel Heart,” “Midnight Run,” “Jackknife,” “Stanley and Iris,” “We’re No Angels,” “Backdraft,” “This Boy’s Life,” “Mad Dog and Glory,” “A Bronx Tale,” “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein,” “Heat,” “Sleepers,” “The Fan,” “Marvin’s Room,” “Copland” and four more films directed by Martin Scorsese: “The King of Comedy,” “New York, New York,” “GoodFellas” and “Casino.”

De Niro’s most recent film credits include “Great Expectations,” “Wag the Dog,” “Jackie Brown,” “Analyze This,” “Flawless,” “Fifteen Minutes,” “The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle” and “Meet the Parents.” His latest film, “The Score,” which also stars Edward Norton, Marlon Brando and Angela Bassett, will be released next year.

De Niro opened his own production company, Tribeca Productions, with his partner Jane Rosenthal in l988. Through Tribeca (which is housed in his Tribeca Film Center, a downtown film facility in Manhattan, which he founded simultaneously), he develops a wide variety of projects on which he serves in a combination of capacities, including producer, director and actor.

De Niro made his feature film directorial debut in l993 with “A Bronx Tale.” Other Tribeca features include “Thunderheart,” “Cape Fear,” “Mistress,” “Night and the City,” “The Night We Never Met,” “Faithful,” “Panther,” “Marvin’s Room,” “Wag the Dog” and the upcoming movie adaptation of the hit Broadway musical “Rent.”

Tribeca Television was launched in l992 with the critically acclaimed series “Tribeca,” on which De Niro served as executive producer. Most recently, Tribeca produced a miniseries based on the life of mobster Sammy “The Bull” Gravano, which aired in l998, earning impressive ratings as well as critical praise.

Oscar-winning CUBA GOODING, JR. (Carl Brashear) earned an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of flamboyant professional football player Rod Tidwell in the smash hit “Jerry Maguire,” in which he starred opposite Tom Cruise.

The role also earned him an unprecedented number of additional honors, including the Screen Actors Guild Award®, the Chicago Film Critics Award, the Broadcast Film Critics Award, the Blockbuster Entertainment Award®, the Black Oscars Award and the American Comedy Award. In addition, Gooding was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor and was honored with the prestigious NATO Showest Award, presented by the nation’s exhibitors, in the same category. He also received an NAACP Image Award nomination as Outstanding Actor.

Gooding also starred in the award-winning “As Good As It Gets,” starring Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt and Greg Kinnear, for director James L. Brooks. He most recently starred opposite Anthony Hopkins in “Instinct” and with Skeet Ulrich in “Chill Factor.”

Gooding made his motion picture debut in 1991 as the star of John Singleton’s “Boyz N the Hood,” in which received an NAACP Image Award nomination. A year later he was featured in the Oscar-nominated “A Few Good Men,” for which he was honored as the NATO/Showest “Newcomer of the Year.”

His other screen credits include “Gladiator,” “Judgment Night,” “Lightning Jack,” “Losing Isaiah,” “Outbreak” and “What Dreams May Come.”

CHARLIZE THERON (Gwen) made her feature film debut in “2 Days in the Valley.” This was followed by roles in the Tom Hanks-directed feature “That Thing You Do,” “Trial and Error,”; and the thriller Devils Advocate, co-starring Al Pacino and Keanu Reeves.

In 1998, Theron won rave reviews for her work in Woody Allen’s “Celebrity,” and starred opposite Bill Paxton in “Mighty Joe Young.” Last year she starred in “The Astronaut’s Wife” opposite Johnny Depp.

Recently, audiences saw her star in the Oscar-nominated “The Cider House Rules,” based on the acclaimed novel by John Irving, and John Frankenheimer’s “Reindeer Games” with Ben Affleck.

Her upcoming roles include “The Yards,” a drama directed by James Grant (“Little Odessa”), starring Mark Wahlberg, Joaquim Phoenix, James Caan and Faye Dunaway; Robert Redford’s “The Legend of Bagger Vance” with Will Smith and Matt Damon, “Waking Up In Reno,” and “Sweet November” with Keanu Reeves, directed by Pat O’Connor.

AUNJANUE ELLIS (Jo) made her Broadway debut in George C. Wolfe’s “The Tempest” which began as a Shakespeare in the Park production. Since then, she has appeared in “Girlstown,” which bowed at the l997 Sundance Film Festival, “In Too Deep,” and the upcoming “Map of the World,” starring Sigourney Weaver,

On television, Ellis has a recurring role on “The Practice” and was a series regular on “High Incident.”

Ellis studied acting in the graduate drama program at NYU after receiving her B.A. in African-American studies from Brown University.

HAL HOLBROOK (Mister Pappy) began his acting career 58 years ago in a Cleveland production of “The Man Who Came to Dinner,” earning $15 a week. Between that role and his l997 national tour as Willy Loman in “Death of A Salesman,” he has been on Broadway in scores of plays including “Abe Lincoln in Illinois,” “The Glass Menagerie,” “I Never Sang For My Father,” “Country Girl” and “King Lear,” the Lincoln Center productions of “After The Fall,” “Incident at Vichy” and “Tartuffe,” and numerous regional theater and television movies.

His many film credits include “The Group,” “Magnum Force,” “Pueblo,” “Midway,” “All the President’s Men,” “Our Town,” “Wall Street” and “The Firm.”

Amongst his many awards for his ground-breaking one-man show “Mark Twain Tonight!” Holbrook received the Tony Award®, an Obie® and five Emmys.

DAVID KEITH (Capt. Hartigan) is perhaps best known for his performance as Richard Gere’s doomed friend in “An Officer and a Gentleman.” His other big screen credits include “The Two Jakes,” “Major League II,” “The Indian in the Cupboard,” “Firestarter,” “Brubaker,” “The Lords of Discipline,” “The Great Santini” and “The Rose.” In 1986, Keith made his feature directorial debut with “The Curse.”

Keith also has worked extensively in television. Among his many credits are the television film “Friendly Fire,” the title role in the mini-series “Guts & Glory: The Rise and Fall of Oliver North,” and the miniseries “James Michener’s Texas.”

MICHAEL RAPAPORT’s (Snowhill) film debut was “Zebrahead,” for which he received an Independent Spirit Award nomination. The film won the l993 Sundance Film Festival’s Filmmaker’s Trophy.

Rapaport’s recent film appearances include “Deep Blue Sea,” “Palmetto,” “Kiss Toledo Goodbye,” “Men” and the upcoming “King of the Jungle” and Woody Allen’s currently untitled feature.

Additional credits include “Higher Learning,” “Kiss of Death,” “Mighty Aphrodite,” “Beautiful Girls,” “Metro,” “Copland,” “True Romance” and “The Pallbearer.”

POWERS BOOTHE (Captain Pullman) portrayed Alexander Haig in Oliver Stone’s “Nixon.” His additional film credits include “U-Turn,” “Sudden Death,” “Blue Sky,” “Tombstone,” “Extreme Prejudice,” “Southern Comfort,” “The Emerald Forest” and “Red Dawn.”

Boothe received an Emmy Award® for his portrayal of Rev. Jim Jones in “Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones.” Other television films include “Dalva,” “Mind Over Murder,” “Family of Spies: The Walker Spy Ring,” “True Women” and “By Dawn’s Early Light.”

JOSHUA LEONARD (Isert) starred in one of 1999’s most talked about films, “The Blair Witch Project,” which made its auspicious bow at the Sundance Film Festival. This fall, Leonard will star opposite Molly Ringwald and Eric Bogosian in “In the Weeds.” He recently completed work in two independent features: “Sacrifice,” starring with Michael Madsen, and “City of Bars,” with Adam Arkin.

Prior to films, Leonard performed at The Living Theater and the Seattle Fringe Festival and worked as a freelance photographer and videographer.

DAVID CONRAD (Lt. Hanks) stars as Ed Exley in the new television series “L.A. Confidential,” the prequel to the critically acclaim film based on the novel by James Ellroy. The series follows three Los Angeles police officers in the 1950s through their various assignments, ethical and moral conflicts, and personal and professional obstacles.

Conrad was last seen on the small screen in the hit telefilm “A Season For Miracles. He came to national attention in the 1966 series “Relativity,” written and produced by Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick.

His most recent motion picture appearance was in “Return to Paradise.” He also co-starred in the independent feature “The Weekend.”

Conrad appeared on Broadway in “The Deep Blue Sea” and in “The Clearing.” Last year he was in the American premiere of “Indian Ink” by Tom Stoppard. “ He is a graduate of Brown University and attended the Julliard School.

GLYNN TURMAN (Chief Floyd ), recipient of the NAACP’s 1994 Lifetime Achievement Award for Theater, is a veteran of the stage and screen.

His many theater credits include “The Wine Sellers,” which earned him a Los Angeles Critics Award nomination and a Dramalogue Award. An NAACP Image Award followed for “Eyes of the American.” Turman is also a director and producer, earning a second NAACP Image Award for his direction of “Deadwood Dick” at the Inner City Cultural Center and received further acclaim for his PBS production of “Money Rider.”

Turman has had numerous successful leading roles on television, but he is perhaps best remembered as the staunch Colonel Taylor on the hit series “A Different World.”

On the big screen, Turman appeared recently in “Light It Up” and “How Stella Got Her Groove Back.” Other film credits include “The River Niger,” “Gremlins,” “J.D.’s Revenge,” “Out of Bounds,” “The Serpent’s Egg,” “The Inkwell,” “Deep Cover,” and the cult classic “Cooley High.”

HOLT McCALLANY (Rourke) was recently featured in three high-profile films: David Fincher’s “Fight Club,” released by Twentieth Century Fox, Lawrence Kasdan’s “Mumford” and David O. Russell’s “Three Kings.” He also appeared in Fincher’s “Alien3,” “Casualties of War” and “The Peacemaker.”

McCallany’s recent television appearances include the Fox television film “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye” and James Ellroy’s “Sheriff’s Homicide.” His past work includes roles in “Rough Riders” and “Tyson.”

Born in New York, and raised in Nebraska, McCallany completed school in Ireland and studied theater in Paris. At 20, he was back in New York in the Broadway production of “Biloxi Blues,” and busy ever since.

The filmmakers knew that the Navy’s support was critical to their efforts, so they submitted the script to the Department early in pre-production. Lieutenant Commander Darren Morton, Director of the Navy Office of Information-West, immediately recognized the story’s value.

“I thought that a film about Carl Brashear would be fascinating,” says LCDR Morton. “It’s a very inspirational story, one that transcends race. The script has a lot of sensitive scenes, but I was never offended either as a Naval officer or as an African- American. In the end, an ethnic member of the Navy achieved his dream at a time when society at large often failed its minorities.

“Cohesion is the backbone of the military,” underscores Morton. “When you’re going out with a bunch of men, on a detail, you must know they’re covering you. Anything that threatens that cohesion must be fixed as quickly as possible. That’s what the Navy set about to do. That’s why Carl Brashear has no bitterness today.”

LCDR Morton endorsed the film to his admiral at the Pentagon, the chief information officer for the Navy. With his support, it then went to the Secretary of Defense for his approval, and the filmmakers, along with Carl Brashear, visited the Pentagon to meet with senior navy leadership.