• Bears in Hollywood: What films and TV shows should be in a Bear’s media library?

    Baylor DVDs

    Over the years, a surprising number of Baylor Bears have played important roles in Hollywood. On screen, we’ve seen Baylor alumni such as Angela Kinsey, BA ’93 (“Angela” on the The Office) and Allison Tolman, BFA ’04 (Molly on season one of FX’s Fargo) earn Emmy nominations for their work.

    Behind the scenes, recent successes include such Bears as Derek Haas, BA ’91, MA ’95, and Michael Brandt, BBA ’91, MA ’94 (co-creators of NBC’s Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D. and Chicago Med), John Lee Hancock, BA ’79, JD ’82 (director of The Rookie and The Blind Side) and Kevin Reynolds, BA ’74, JD ’76 (director of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and Risen).

    A conversation with friends on the subject got me to thinking: What films or TV shows should be in a Baylor grad’s media library, based on the Bears who played important roles in front of (or behind) the camera? Here’s a quick list of prominent examples:

    Films:

    TV series:

    Bill Bickley, BA ’69, deserves his own special note here. After writing for such classic series as The Partridge Family, Happy Days and The Love Boat, Bickley played a large role in developing ABC’s original late 1980s/early 1990s “TGIF” programming block, first producing Perfect Strangers and later co-creating such shows as Family Matters and Step by Step.

    And how could I forget Where the Heart Is? The film’s climatic scene, as Natalie Portman’s character confesses her true love, was actually filmed on the Baylor campus back in 1999.

    Sic ’em, Bears in Hollywood!

    (updated May 2017)