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Encyclopædia of the sublime

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Radio Man

Radio Man is an American background actor known from making over 300 cameo appearances in films and TV shows. He is known for wearing a radio around his neck. His first cameo occurred when he was asked to move so that a shot could be filmed at his newsstand. When he refused, he ended up in the scene. At the time, Radio Man was homeless and suffered from alcoholism. He would often heckle actors who passed by his newsstand. He began visiting movie sets in 1989, starting with The Fisher King, in which he met Robin Williams. He was able to locate film sets with the help of Teamsters or by finding "No Parking" signs that indicate an upcoming shoot. In the 1990s when he was drinking he was arrested and had a 6-month evaluation at a psychiatric hospital, but he continued to visit film sets after his release. He gave up alcohol and has not had a drink since. As of 2004, he lived in Brooklyn and earned money from selling autographs as well as from his film appearances.

Gertrude Jeannett

Gertrude Jeannette was an American playwright and film and stage actress. In 1935 she became the first woman to get a license to drive a motorcycle in New York City, and she joined her husband's motorcycle club in the early 1940s. In 1942, she took and passed the cab driver's test and became the first female cab driver in New York City. In 1949, she was present at the Peekskill Riots, when the Ku Klux Klan attempted to lynch Paul Robeson. Her husband worked as a bodyguard for Robeson, and during the riot, she and her husband rushed to the motorcycles to help get Robeson out. Using money she earned as a taxi driver, she enrolled in a speech class to help manage her stammer. The one class she could find was at the American Negro Theater in Harlem. Acting was part of the curriculum, and because of that, she studied along with notable actors such as Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis. She began writing plays in 1950, writing about strong women that "no one would be ashamed to play."

Max Headroom

Max Headroom is a fictional character played by actor Matt Frewer. Advertised as "the first computer-generated TV presenter", Max was known for his biting commentary on a variety of topical issues, arrogant wit, stuttering, and pitch-shifting voice. Max was advertised as "computer-generated", and some believed this, but he was actually actor Frewer wearing prosthetic makeup, contact lenses, and a plastic moulded suit, and sitting in front of a blue screen. Max Headroom debuted in April 1985 on Channel 4 in the British-made cyberpunk TV movie Max Headroom: 20 Minutes into the Future, his origin story.