The rec.arts.tv FAQL:

Last updated:  February 1, 2004.
This version:  8.00

Note: The date of the last update is the date of the last change to this section; lack of an update since then means that the contents of this particular section are still true or valid to the present day. This page will be updated with every new major update (i.e. version x.00) of this FAQL, however.

Section 1.4: "What else has [actor] been in?"

• "What else has [actor] been in?"
• "Where have I see [actor] before?"
• "Who played the part of [name] in [TV show/movie]?"
• "What was the cast of [TV show/movie]?"

[NOTE: The original version of this section was from a document which 
       was written by Pete Brennan (pete@gateway.grumman.com) from a 
       document originally posted by Colin Needham (cn@imdb.UK) of the 
       Internet Movie Database, and which was edited by me.]

      [Subsequently, I have been asked by IMDb to abridge that version. 
       What follows is the abridged version, which is mostly written by me, 
       based on the original. Further information can be found at the IMDb 
       sites.]

Answer: The questions above, and those similar to them, are frequently asked by Internet users. As they have numerous hyperlinks (URLs) to other sites for images, episode guides, etc., but more importantly have a massive database of movie and TV casts, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an excellent starting point for finding the answers to all your questions. It is the largest, freely available, movie/TV database in the world. Users are not only encouraged to consult the database for information, but also to add accurate information that may not yet be stored, or to correct faulty or incomplete information in the database (which happens more often then you might hope). All information comes from Internet users.

The Headquarters for the IMDb database can be found through - http://www.imdb.com/

Worldwide, there are (at present) 3 different IMDb sites, including 1 in USA; they are found at:

USA:

http://us.imdb.com/




UK:

http://uk.imdb.com/




ITALY:

http://italy.imdb.com/

Information on either an actor's filmography, or on a movie's of TV show's cast, can easily be searched for using the IMDb's search page, which can be found at (for example):

• http://us.imdb.com/search.html

Just a sampling of the information available at IMDb includes:

• People (includes: actors/actresses, directors, producers, composers, etc.):
• filmography (movie and TV credits (with character names when known))
• guest appearances made (incl. TV commercials)
• birthdate
• spouse (where applicable)
• bios, triva, and much more
• Titles:
• regular cast members (with character names when known)
• notable guest appearances (for weekly TV series only)
• crew (directors, producers, etc.)
• genres (Comedy, Drama, etc.)
• composers (check out the list of Mike Post's credits!), and much more
• Hyperlinks:
• to sites containing images, fan pages, episode guides, etc.

All movie/TV show titles are uniquely named for storage in the Internet Movie Database. Because of potential conflicts between titles, certain 'additions' to titles, the most important of which is the necessary addition of quotes (i.e. "[title]") to TV series titles (see below). The following additions are especially important if you are planning on submitting new titles to the IMDb:

1. All titles contain the title debut year/year of release in parentheses (in addition to other special notations)
2. All titles beginning with "The", "An", and "A" have these words moved to the end of the title.

There are five (5) major classifications:

1. TV Series - shows running weekly episodes. Double Quotes around the name.

          "X-Files, The" (1993)
          "Friends" (1994)
          "King of the Hill" (1997)

2. TV Mini-Series - longer serials made for TV or made for cable. Double Quotes around the name. (mini) notation at the end.

          "Pandora's Clock" (1996) (mini)
          "Beatles Anthology, The" (1995) (mini)
          "Shining, The" (1997) (mini)

3. TV Movies - movies made for TV or made for cable. No quotes. (TV) notation at the end.

          London Suite (1996) (TV)
          Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion!, The (1997) (TV)
          Riot (1997) (TV)

4. Theatrical Movies - self-explanatory. No quotes. No extra notations.

          Batman & Robin (1997)
          Empire Strikes Back, The (1980)

5. Straight-to-Video Movies - titles issued on video only. No quotes. (V) notation at the end.

          Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996) (V)
          Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves (1997) (V)

As stated above, users of the IMDb can make additions or corrections to the database, but only after they have signed up as officially registered users of the IMDb. Such changes can be made but pushing buttons on database pages. Refer to the IMDb itself for more information on becoming a registered user of the IMDb and on making submissions and corrections to the database.

For questions/comments on anything in this section, or further questions about how IMDb works, or how you can make submissions to IMDB, please refer to the IMDb sites themselves.

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