Hank Ketcham was born in Seattle, Washington. He was the son of Weaver Vinson Ketcham and Virginia King. When he was 6 years old, his father had a guest over for dinner who was an illustrator. After dinner, he showed Hank his "magic pencil" and drew some illustrations. Hank was immediately hooked and soon his father set up a small desk in the closet of his bedroom at which he could draw. After graduating from Queen Anne High School in 1937, Hank attended the University of Washington but dropped out after his first year and hitchhiked to Los Angeles hoping to work for Walt Disney.

Hank Ketcham started in the business as an animator for Walter Lantz and eventually Walt Disney, where he worked on films such as Fantasia, Bambi, and Pinocchio. During World War II, Ketcham worked as a photographic specialist with the US Navy Reserve. Also while in the Navy he drew a cartoon called "Half Hitch". After World War II, he settled in Carmel, California, and began work as a freelance cartoonist. • Hank Ketcham Books • Hank Ketcham Films

Loggins was raised in Alhambra, California, where he formed a band called The Second Helping. This band released three singles in 1968 and 1969 on Viva. Greg Shaw described the efforts as "excellent punky folk-pop records" that were written by Loggins who was likely to be the bandleader and singer as well; Shaw included "Let Me In" on both Highs in the Mid-Sixties, Volume 2 and the Pebbles, Volume 9 CD.

His early 20s found him in the band Gator Creek with Mike Deasy. An early version of "Danny's Song" (later recorded by Loggins and Messina) was included on an effort on Mercury Records. • Kenny Loggins Books • Kenny Loggins Discography

The craggy-faced film actor was born in Spokane in eastern Washington State but reared in Montana, growing up with ranchers and cowboys which would eventually inspire his performances in dozens of westerns later in life. The USC graduate began acting in radio and on stage.

McIntire began his long movie career at the age of forty in 1947, often playing roles as police chiefs, judges and sometimes crazy coots. His films include the film noir classic The Asphalt Jungle (1950) and his last film playing a crazy dog owner in Turner & Hooch (1989). He also played movie villains in westerns, some of which are considered the best films of the genre: Winchester '73 (1950), The Far Country (1955), both with James Stewart, and The Tin Star, with Henry Fonda (1957), in which he was not a villain but a country physician.

On television, he appeared in ABC's Naked City (TV series), but his character was killed off. In the summer of 1959, he co-starred with Joan Crawford in the episode "Silent Witness of NBC's anthology series, The Joseph Cotten Show. • John McIntire Books • John McIntire Movies

Munsel studied in New York, and was coached by Giacomo Spadoni. She first sang at the Metropolitan at age 17, in March 1943. She made her official Metropolitan debut on December 4, 1943 at the age of 18, singing Philine in Mignon. Perhaps best known for the role of Adele in Die Fledermaus, she performed 225 times at the Metropolitan. Sir Rudolf Bing called her a "superb soubrette", and implied that she was the world's best, though Lily Pons performed the role of Adele in the 1950 recording of the Met production. Her opera roles included Rosina in The Barber of Seville, and Despina in Cosi fan Tutte.

In 1952 Munsel married Robert C. Schuler, an advertising and public-relations executive, producer and writer. The two were married for fifty-five years and had four children together: Heidi, Rhett, Scott and Nicole. Their marriage ended upon Schuler's death in 2007. Schuler notably conceived and produced the ABC-TV primetime variety series The Patrice Munsel Show, which of course starred his wife. The program was broadcast on ABC from 1956-1957. He also wrote a 2005 memoir of his life with his wife entitled, The Diva & I. • Patrice Munsel Books • Patrice Munsel Discography

Jimmie Rodgers' traditional birthplace is usually given as Meridian, Mississippi; however, in documents signed by Rodgers later in life, his birthplace was listed as Geiger, Alabama, the home of his paternal grandparents.[1] Rodgers' mother died when he was very young, and Rodgers, the youngest of three sons, spent the next few years living with various relatives in southeast Mississippi and southwest Alabama, near Geiger. He eventually returned home to live with his father, Aaron Rodgers, a foreman on the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, who had settled with a new wife in Meridian. • Jimmie Rogers Books • Jimmie Rogers Discography

Swank was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, the daughter of Judy (nιe Clough), a secretary and dancer, and Stephen Swank, who was an officer in the Air National Guard and later a traveling salesman. She has a brother, Dan. Many of her family members hail from Ringgold County, Iowa. Swank came from humble beginnings, particularly as a child growing up in a trailer park near Lake Samish in Bellingham, Washington, to which she moved at age six, after having lived in Spokane, Washington. Swank has described her younger self as an "outsider" who felt that she belonged "only when [reading] a book or [seeing] a movie, and could get involved with a character," and was thus inspired to become an actress.

When Swank was nine years old, she made her first appearance on stage starring in The Jungle Book. She became involved in school and community theater programs, including those of the Bellingham Theatre Guild. She went to Sehome High School in Bellingham until she was sixteen • Hilary Swank Books • Hilary Swank Movies

West was born William West Anderson in Seattle, Washington to Otto West Anderson and Audrey V. Speer. He has a younger brother named John. He attended Walla Walla High School during his freshman and sophomore years, and later enrolled in Lakeside School in Seattle. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Literature and a minor in Psychology from Whitman College in Walla Walla where he was a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity and participated on the speech and debate team. • Adam West Books • Adam West Movies

Wright was born in Duvall, Washington, near Seattle. At the age of seventeen, she began to sing on the radio in and around Seattle. Wright also began to sing opera at the same time, including in Mozart's The Abduction from the Seraglio. She then joined a touring company in the chorus of Up in Central Park.

Moving to New York City, Wright began to sing on RKO-WOR Radio with its orchestra in 1947. She soon became the understudy for Florence George as Dιsirιe Artτt in the operetta Music in my Heart, with music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Wright took over the role from the ailing George in out-of-town tryouts and created the role on Broadway (1947–48). Other early Broadway roles included Carol in Great to Be Alive! (1950) and Nellie Forbush in South Pacific (1951–54), taking over the latter role from Mary Martin and playing it for 1,047 performances. Wright also began to appear on television in The Eyes Have It and other programs. • Martha Wright Books • Martha Wright Discography