Latest news with #Heath
Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘He was like my little brother': Billy Zane on Heath Ledger, Leonardo DiCaprio, and 40 years in Hollywood
As Hansel (Owen Wilson) says in Zoolander: 'Listen to your friend Billy Zane. He's a cool dude.' Billy Zane, 59, is a cool dude. I know this firsthand now. There he is on my laptop screen, sitting in his lounge room in Los Angeles, a guitar and a set of bongo drums along the wall behind him. Los Angeles' anti-ICE protests might be escalating outside his doors, but he's unflappably suave in black-rimmed glasses and a black shirt unbuttoned to his chest hair, as we discuss his 40-year acting career, ahead of his appearance at Sydney's Supanova pop culture festival this weekend. I hear you're flying out to Europe today. That's tomorrow. What for? The film festival in Taormina in Sicily. They're playing a film I directed called an existentialist comedy set behind the scenes of a dysfunctional B-movie set. It's funny, quite European in its flair, a little bit Truffaut and Fellini but with a Curb Your Enthusiasm tone. We're screening it at this lovely festival, where apparently Martin Scorsese will be screening a 4K version of Taxi Driver in a 6000-seat amphitheatre or something. Is this the first film you've directed? Technically. It's the first I've directed to be released. I have one that was caught up in the French courts for a bit. It's a quagmire, this trade, I have to tell you. But we've resuscitated it and that will see the light of day. That project was something I made many years ago, so it's going to be like corking a bottle of wine when it comes out. What was the issue with it? We don't have the time. Fair enough. You have a long relationship with Australia, going back to Dead Calm (1989), your breakout film with a young Nicole Kidman. Is it true your sister dated Heath Ledger for a while, too? Yeah, they met on the set of Roar which they shot there for some years. Then he came back with her to LA and they were living together. There was a groovy kind of happening called The Masses that we all contributed to. The Masses. Nice. It was an art collective, young filmmakers and video directors and musicians feeding each other's interests. I'd give [Heath] my Super 8 camera to play with or introduce him to the wheels of steel, my ones and twos. He enjoyed DJing quite a bit. It was fun. He was like my little brother. Wait, you used to DJ? Not publicly, just for my own parties. I'd always come back from London with boxes of records. I liked mashing up the bpm of drum and bass against, like, anything – even spoken word and weird little stories. I remember finding a nice pocket with an early PJ Harvey track and some Metalheadz, which kind of bent your brain in the best way possible. So Heath was basically part of your family for a while. Did he go over for, like, Greek family dinners? (laughs) Well, we would always bust out the Greek if there was a meal to be had, but it was more my sister threw these great Steak + Cake parties, which was maybe Spartan in its minimalism, but they were very binary and quite efficient. Great wine, filet mignon, fabulous cake, and good music. Your film career's been going 40 years now, ever since your first role in Back to the Future. What's the thing people mostly want to talk to you about? The Phantom (1996) always comes up and Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight (1995), which were two of my favourite films. I always liked the sweetness of The Phantom and the idea that he doesn't kill, which I think is an important message today in the spate of first-person body counts and movies that are just a series of bludgeonings. He's a white hat hero, which is hard to find today. There's so much trauma drama and origin stories supporting vengeance play. I want to talk about my favourite show: Twin Peaks. In Season Two, you had a role as John Justice Wheeler, playboy love interest to Audrey Horne (Sherilyn Fenn). It was a very short-lived storyline. Your character was suddenly rushed off to South America. It felt incomplete, then I read into it and it sounds like there was a whole other plan for it. Tell me, I have no idea. Sherilyn Fenn said you were supposed to whisk Audrey away from Twin Peaks and then she was gonna get her own spin-off set in LA. What? Is this fan fiction? No, this is Sherilyn Fenn speaking in an interview, like, a decade ago. [She also said Zane was only brought into the show because Lara Flynn Boyle, who was dating Kyle MacLachlan at the time, was getting jealous of the love story the show was spinning between Agent Cooper and Audrey.] Oh God, if only. I would have loved that. That was a pinch-me moment when they called me up. Leave it to [David] Lynch to cast against type. At that time, I was known as 'bad boy on a boat'. Got a boat? I'm your guy, just add water. Then he goes, I know, I'll hire the most tweaked out psycho to be the Gary Cooper, straight-laced guy here. Those are the kind of roles I wanted to play. What was David Lynch like at the time? Generous. Cool. Sweet. Just like he always sounded, rest his lovely soul. Collaborative. Open. Brilliant. Kind. Inclusive. He was a bit of a DJ, too. His sound cart always had music playing; that was him creating a unifying field for his crew. I'd witnessed that while visiting the set of Lost Highway. He was filming in my neighbourhood and I knew some of the cast – Natasha Wagner, Balthazar Getty – and I was watching him just play this drone that wasn't so much music but more a soundscape. It brought people into a zone right before it was time to shoot. I thought that was really smart, and I kept it in my kit bag. It keeps everyone in the same mindset and tone of what you're trying to achieve, not looking for the next job or thinking about lunch. Another movie I always loved is Only You (1994). You played the fake Damon Bradley. Everyone knows your cameo in Zoolander, but even back then you were taking the piss out of your pretty boy, suave persona. Absolutely. Self-deprecation and a well-timed prat fall, that's the thing. I love Chaplin and Peter Sellers, the economy of a physical gag. I can't help but infuse that in my work, or at least a glimmer of it. You'll see it in Titanic even. If you watch Cal in terms of his reactions to information as it comes in, he doesn't really care. He knows he's getting off the boat. It's that confidence of like, sinking-schminking. The arrogance is hysterical. It feeds the narrative and the hubris of the age he carries, but there's such an absurdity that it would make [James] Cameron and I giggle. He'd yell 'Cut!' and we'd laugh our asses off because the character was such a tool. Speaking of Titanic (1997), there's a famous New York Magazine article titled Leo, Prince of the City, written by Nancy Jo Sales and published back in 1998, right after Titanic blew up and Leonardo DiCaprio became the biggest star on the planet. Do you remember experiencing that phenomenon of Leo? You were like 10 years older than him. Were you concerned for him or excited? Oh, excited. He was a lovely guy, still is. We were pals, but there was also a mutual appreciation for each other's work. We'd see each other socially before Titanic, so when we both got the gig, it was like, 'Oh, this is gonna be a hoot.' But watching that unfold… I remember when we were filming Titanic, we drove breakneck to the Chinese Theatre one night for the premiere of Romeo + Juliet (1996) and then drove back in the early hours to be on set again. And it was nice seeing him blowing up in real time, even before Titanic. Romeo + Juliet was really the start of it. We were like, 'Oh, so it begins. Just wait till they see you running around with your little suspenders!' Were you partying with him at that time? I mean, yeah, I was living in New York in the late '90s and we were like neighbours. I lived next door to The Mercer and I knew his crew, they were all young actors. But I was not part of... the pack. The 'Pussy Posse'. 'Welcome elder statesman…' Like the old man who'd roll in with sage advice for the young bucks having their day. No. But it was fun to watch. He did just fine. That kid didn't need much help. Your audition tape for Dirty Dancing (1987) that came to light a few years ago: is it true you were cast in that film, but then they saw you dance and changed their minds? No, no. I auditioned for it, and I had made the short list. But there were two couples shortlisted in the end: Sarah Jessica Parker and I, and Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. I danced, but he was a trained dancer. I could move, but I wasn't a Broadway star. He was born into a dancing family. His mum was a choreographer! He was a perfect Johnny Castle. I was coming at it a little more like an Elvis movie. Loading Do you ever go down the pathway of, like, what would have happened if you got that? I tend to subscribe to the notion that everything is perfect, so I don't know. A whole different kind of vibe. I don't think I would have done Dead Calm. I probably would've ended up posing on movie posters with a gun and the word 'cop' in the title. Carwash Cop! Kickboxer Cop!
The Age
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
‘He was like my little brother': Billy Zane on Heath Ledger, Leonardo DiCaprio, and 40 years in Hollywood
As Hansel (Owen Wilson) says in Zoolander: 'Listen to your friend Billy Zane. He's a cool dude.' Billy Zane, 59, is a cool dude. I know this firsthand now. There he is on my laptop screen, sitting in his lounge room in Los Angeles, a guitar and a set of bongo drums along the wall behind him. Los Angeles' anti-ICE protests might be escalating outside his doors, but he's unflappably suave in black-rimmed glasses and a black shirt unbuttoned to his chest hair, as we discuss his 40-year acting career, ahead of his appearance at Sydney's Supanova pop culture festival this weekend. I hear you're flying out to Europe today. That's tomorrow. What for? The film festival in Taormina in Sicily. They're playing a film I directed called an existentialist comedy set behind the scenes of a dysfunctional B-movie set. It's funny, quite European in its flair, a little bit Truffaut and Fellini but with a Curb Your Enthusiasm tone. We're screening it at this lovely festival, where apparently Martin Scorsese will be screening a 4K version of Taxi Driver in a 6000-seat amphitheatre or something. Is this the first film you've directed? Technically. It's the first I've directed to be released. I have one that was caught up in the French courts for a bit. It's a quagmire, this trade, I have to tell you. But we've resuscitated it and that will see the light of day. That project was something I made many years ago, so it's going to be like corking a bottle of wine when it comes out. What was the issue with it? We don't have the time. Fair enough. You have a long relationship with Australia, going back to Dead Calm (1989), your breakout film with a young Nicole Kidman. Is it true your sister dated Heath Ledger for a while, too? Yeah, they met on the set of Roar which they shot there for some years. Then he came back with her to LA and they were living together. There was a groovy kind of happening called The Masses that we all contributed to. The Masses. Nice. It was an art collective, young filmmakers and video directors and musicians feeding each other's interests. I'd give [Heath] my Super 8 camera to play with or introduce him to the wheels of steel, my ones and twos. He enjoyed DJing quite a bit. It was fun. He was like my little brother. Wait, you used to DJ? Not publicly, just for my own parties. I'd always come back from London with boxes of records. I liked mashing up the bpm of drum and bass against, like, anything – even spoken word and weird little stories. I remember finding a nice pocket with an early PJ Harvey track and some Metalheadz, which kind of bent your brain in the best way possible. So Heath was basically part of your family for a while. Did he go over for, like, Greek family dinners? (laughs) Well, we would always bust out the Greek if there was a meal to be had, but it was more my sister threw these great Steak + Cake parties, which was maybe Spartan in its minimalism, but they were very binary and quite efficient. Great wine, filet mignon, fabulous cake, and good music. Your film career's been going 40 years now, ever since your first role in Back to the Future. What's the thing people mostly want to talk to you about? The Phantom (1996) always comes up and Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight (1995), which were two of my favourite films. I always liked the sweetness of The Phantom and the idea that he doesn't kill, which I think is an important message today in the spate of first-person body counts and movies that are just a series of bludgeonings. He's a white hat hero, which is hard to find today. There's so much trauma drama and origin stories supporting vengeance play. I want to talk about my favourite show: Twin Peaks. In Season Two, you had a role as John Justice Wheeler, playboy love interest to Audrey Horne (Sherilyn Fenn). It was a very short-lived storyline. Your character was suddenly rushed off to South America. It felt incomplete, then I read into it and it sounds like there was a whole other plan for it. Tell me, I have no idea. Sherilyn Fenn said you were supposed to whisk Audrey away from Twin Peaks and then she was gonna get her own spin-off set in LA. What? Is this fan fiction? No, this is Sherilyn Fenn speaking in an interview, like, a decade ago. [She also said Zane was only brought into the show because Lara Flynn Boyle, who was dating Kyle MacLachlan at the time, was getting jealous of the love story the show was spinning between Agent Cooper and Audrey.] Oh God, if only. I would have loved that. That was a pinch-me moment when they called me up. Leave it to [David] Lynch to cast against type. At that time, I was known as 'bad boy on a boat'. Got a boat? I'm your guy, just add water. Then he goes, I know, I'll hire the most tweaked out psycho to be the Gary Cooper, straight-laced guy here. Those are the kind of roles I wanted to play. What was David Lynch like at the time? Generous. Cool. Sweet. Just like he always sounded, rest his lovely soul. Collaborative. Open. Brilliant. Kind. Inclusive. He was a bit of a DJ, too. His sound cart always had music playing; that was him creating a unifying field for his crew. I'd witnessed that while visiting the set of Lost Highway. He was filming in my neighbourhood and I knew some of the cast – Natasha Wagner, Balthazar Getty – and I was watching him just play this drone that wasn't so much music but more a soundscape. It brought people into a zone right before it was time to shoot. I thought that was really smart, and I kept it in my kit bag. It keeps everyone in the same mindset and tone of what you're trying to achieve, not looking for the next job or thinking about lunch. Another movie I always loved is Only You (1994). You played the fake Damon Bradley. Everyone knows your cameo in Zoolander, but even back then you were taking the piss out of your pretty boy, suave persona. Absolutely. Self-deprecation and a well-timed prat fall, that's the thing. I love Chaplin and Peter Sellers, the economy of a physical gag. I can't help but infuse that in my work, or at least a glimmer of it. You'll see it in Titanic even. If you watch Cal in terms of his reactions to information as it comes in, he doesn't really care. He knows he's getting off the boat. It's that confidence of like, sinking-schminking. The arrogance is hysterical. It feeds the narrative and the hubris of the age he carries, but there's such an absurdity that it would make [James] Cameron and I giggle. He'd yell 'Cut!' and we'd laugh our asses off because the character was such a tool. Speaking of Titanic (1997), there's a famous New York Magazine article titled Leo, Prince of the City, written by Nancy Jo Sales and published back in 1998, right after Titanic blew up and Leonardo DiCaprio became the biggest star on the planet. Do you remember experiencing that phenomenon of Leo? You were like 10 years older than him. Were you concerned for him or excited? Oh, excited. He was a lovely guy, still is. We were pals, but there was also a mutual appreciation for each other's work. We'd see each other socially before Titanic, so when we both got the gig, it was like, 'Oh, this is gonna be a hoot.' But watching that unfold… I remember when we were filming Titanic, we drove breakneck to the Chinese Theatre one night for the premiere of Romeo + Juliet (1996) and then drove back in the early hours to be on set again. And it was nice seeing him blowing up in real time, even before Titanic. Romeo + Juliet was really the start of it. We were like, 'Oh, so it begins. Just wait till they see you running around with your little suspenders!' Were you partying with him at that time? I mean, yeah, I was living in New York in the late '90s and we were like neighbours. I lived next door to The Mercer and I knew his crew, they were all young actors. But I was not part of... the pack. The 'Pussy Posse'. 'Welcome elder statesman…' Like the old man who'd roll in with sage advice for the young bucks having their day. No. But it was fun to watch. He did just fine. That kid didn't need much help. Your audition tape for Dirty Dancing (1987) that came to light a few years ago: is it true you were cast in that film, but then they saw you dance and changed their minds? No, no. I auditioned for it, and I had made the short list. But there were two couples shortlisted in the end: Sarah Jessica Parker and I, and Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. I danced, but he was a trained dancer. I could move, but I wasn't a Broadway star. He was born into a dancing family. His mum was a choreographer! He was a perfect Johnny Castle. I was coming at it a little more like an Elvis movie. Loading Do you ever go down the pathway of, like, what would have happened if you got that? I tend to subscribe to the notion that everything is perfect, so I don't know. A whole different kind of vibe. I don't think I would have done Dead Calm. I probably would've ended up posing on movie posters with a gun and the word 'cop' in the title. Carwash Cop! Kickboxer Cop!
Western Telegraph
a day ago
- Western Telegraph
Army's delay in finding soldier's body in barracks ‘unforgivable'
Father-of-three Lance Corporal Bernard Mongan's decomposing body was discovered on January 23 2020 in his bedroom at Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire. An inquest at North Yorkshire Coroner's Court heard the 33-year-old's medical cause of death was 'unascertained' as decomposition made it difficult for doctors to determine. On Thursday senior coroner Jon Heath said it was 'not possible to determine' whether L/Cpl Mongan died from suicide or natural causes and recorded an open conclusion. The conclusion said there was nothing found at the scene or in the post-mortem examination to explain how he died, adding: 'The cause of death is unascertained and it is not possible to determine how he came by his death.' L/Cpl Mongan's widow Beth Mongan, who was separated from him at the time of his death, said the conclusion was 'an enormous disappointment' and that he was 'very badly let down by the Army'. The inquest heard L/Cpl Mongan had complained of being bullied by senior officers and that five junior soldiers and two senior non-commissioned officers had informed the chain of command that he was being treated differently. Former corporal Stephen Timmerman said 'bullying would be an understatement' as he described how L/Cpl Mongan was 'shouted, screamed and swore at', made to clean senior officers' cars in his own time and 'forced' to do extra runs in his lunch break without being given time to eat. Three other witnesses said he was 'spoken to in a despicable manner,' '100% victimised' and 'never spoken to respectfully'. Mr Heath said in his findings following the inquest that L/Cpl Mongan was 'on occasions treated and spoken to by his chain of command in a way that caused him distress'. The coroner said L/Cpl Mongan was not checked on in his accommodation block over the Christmas period, and had been due to start a deployment with 77 Brigade in January, but was not reported absent by them 'as he should have been' from January 7. The Centre for Military Justice, which represents Ms Mongan, said the last person to speak to L/Cpl Mongan in the early hours of January 2 described him as distressed, crying and drunk. They said: 'Bernie was supposed to be checked on over the Christmas period while he was staying alone in his Army accommodation – astonishingly one of the men Bernie had accused of mistreating him was assigned to do those checks and he admitted at this inquest that he did not perform a single one of them. For that failure, he was ordered to perform an 'extra duty' as punishment.' The inquest heard he had attempted to kill himself several years earlier when his marriage was breaking down. In the days before he was last seen in January 2020 he gave away his Nintendo to a friend's son, told another friend he 'had bought pills but not taken them' and made two donations to a suicide charity. Mr Heath said: 'However I also find his previous attempt to take his own life was caused by feeling he was not going to see his children again – this was not the case at this time.' He also said L/Cpl Mongan was looking forward to his new deployment and had made a list of 'things to do in 2020″ on a post-it note which was found in his room. The inquest heard the two most likely causes of death were considered to be self-inflicted poisoning, after barbiturates were found in L/Cpl's system – one of which was bought illegally – or a sudden abnormality of the heart, but a Home Office pathologist told the inquest he could not say which of these was the most likely. Dr Nigel Cooper said: 'I've thought about this long and hard but I just don't think I can, I don't think I have enough positive evidence to go in one direction or the other.' Speaking after the inquest, Beth Mongan said: 'I was expecting (the open conclusion), mainly due to the Army's failure of leaving him for so long but I've come to my own conclusions over the years. It's hard not having it for the kids.' She told reporters: 'Knowing Bernie, and he did suffer with his mental health over the years and his treatment in the Army, I believe he took his own life. 'I believe (the Army) failed him, they didn't investigate the bullying accusations they way they should have done.' Ms Mongan said the fact that L/Cpl Mongan was undiscovered for three weeks on a military site was 'unforgivable,' adding: 'I know they've apologised but that doesn't take away the fact that they failed him on that front. It forever will be unforgivable.'
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Yahoo
Waterbury man indicted on gun, drug charges
HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — A Waterbury man was charged with drug and firearms offenses Thursday after a federal grand jury in Bridgeport returned an indictment on June 4. Timeek Heath, 41, appeared in federal court in Hartford on Thursday and pleaded not guilty to the charges. He was ordered to be detained pending a detention hearing scheduled for June 17. Man charged with OUI, having a pistol in Norwalk The indictment alleges that Heath distributed fentanyl on two occasions in August and September of 2024. It also alleges that on Sept. 5, 2024, Heath sold a Glock, Model 23, .40-caliber pistol to an individual he knew to be a convicted felon. The indictment goes on to allege that Heath has a criminal history that includes felony convictions for manslaughter and larceny. It is against federal law for an individual previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce. The indictment charges Heath with two counts of possession with intent to distribute and the distribution of fentanyl, which carries a maximum term of 20 years in prison on each count; one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, which carries a maximum term of 15 years in prison; one count of sale of a firearm by a prohibited person, which carries a maximum term of 15 years in prison; and one count of firearms trafficking, which carries a maximum term of 15 years in prison. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Business Wire
12-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
USIC Announces Strategic Acquisition of Heath Consultants' Gas Locating Business
INDIANAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--USIC, LLC ('USIC'), a leader in underground utility damage prevention, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire substantially all of the public gas locating division of Heath Consultants, an industry leader in methane emissions management. This strategic move will enhance USIC's service offerings in the gas locating space, as it continues to expand the breadth of its portfolio. The acquisition of this division will strengthen USIC's position in providing utilities with advanced gas locating services. USIC will offer these services to its customers and augment these capabilities with advanced infrastructure services, such as private locate, vacuum excavation, GIS mapping services, and cross-bore mitigation. The integration is expected to create exciting opportunities for growth. The combined organization will be enabled by USIC's Locate360 digital platform, which uses advanced machine learning and AI tools to optimize services. By leveraging the combined expertise and resources of both organizations, USIC will be well-positioned to further improve its offerings, innovate its service delivery, and enhance customer value. 'We are excited to welcome the talented team and valued customers of Heath's locate business into the USIC family,' said Yuvbir Singh, CEO of USIC. 'Their commitment to safety and customer-centric approach aligns perfectly with USIC's core values. I am personally very optimistic about the opportunities this acquisition creates for us to learn from each other, enhance our capabilities, and deliver even greater value to our combined customer base.' 'We believe that our gas locate team will find a great home within USIC and will continue to grow with focus and investment going forward. Furthermore, this sale will enhance the safety and efficiency of the gas utility industry by fostering collaboration with partners committed to innovative solutions and forward-thinking approaches and allow Heath to focus on our core methane leak detection products and services,' said Drew Sitgreaves, CEO of Heath Consultants. The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. The transaction is expected to be completed by Q3 of 2025 and is subject to customary closing conditions. About USIC USIC is a leading provider of underground utility damage prevention services with more than 10,000 employees and operations in 48 states and corporate headquarters located in Indianapolis, Indiana. The company, which serves more than 1,400 telecommunications, electric, gas, water, and sewer utilities, as well as municipalities, performs over 80 million locates each year. Additionally, USIC provides a range of advanced infrastructure services performed by its affiliate companies, Blood Hound, Reconn Utility Services, and On Target Utility Services. USIC is jointly owned by Partners Group , acting on behalf of its clients, and Kohlberg. Partners Group originally invested in USIC in 2017 and partnered in November 2022 with a Kohlberg-led consortium, including funds managed by Mubadala and Neuberger Berman. For more information, visit About Heath Consultants Heath Consultants Incorporated, a third-generation, family-owned business founded in 1933, is recognized as a pioneer in the methane leak detection industry. The company plays a pivotal role in shaping the utility-related methane detection sector as we know it today. Heath designs, manufactures, and delivers a comprehensive portfolio of advanced methane detection technologies—each purpose-built to reduce environmental impact and safeguard public safety. Beyond cutting-edge products, Heath offers end-to-end methane leak detection and field services to the natural gas industry nationwide, powered by a skilled network of certified technicians. With strategically located service centers and sales support, Heath sets the standard in innovative methane emissions management solutions. As a certified woman-owned business by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), Heath continues to lead with a commitment to innovation, safety, and environmental responsibility. For more information about Heath's products and services, please visit
