Emmy Award-Winner Judy Davis and Chris Diamantopoulos to Reprise Roles in USA Network's Emmy Award-Winning Series THE STARTER WIFE

Emmy Award-Winner Judy Davis and Chris Diamantopoulos to Reprise Roles in USA Network's Emmy Award-Winning Series THE STARTER WIFE

NEW YORK, April 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Three-time Emmy Award-winner Judy Davis ("Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadow") and Chris Diamantopoulos ("Behind the Camera: Mork & Mindy") are set to reprise their roles as 'Joan' and 'Rodney' alongside Debra Messing in the USA Network Emmy Award-winning series, THE STARTER WIFE, when it returns in October 2008. Most recently, Davis won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie for her role as Joan in 2007. This is the first time both Davis and Diamantopoulos have been cast as regulars in a series. The announcement was made by Jeff Wachtel, USA's executive vice president of original programming.

On the heels of its stellar ratings and Emmy success, USA is bringing back the hit miniseries THE STARTER WIFE as a 10-episode series, with Emmy Award-winner Debra Messing returning to star and now serving as executive producer. The series will focus on the post-divorce adventures of the lead character, Molly Kagan (Messing) as she begins a new chapter in her life. The Emmy-nominated writing team of Josann McGibbon & Sara Parriott ("Runaway Bride") return as executive producers and Gigi Levangie Grazer, who penned the NY Times bestselling novel on which the miniseries was based, also returns as executive producer. The project will be produced by Universal Media Studios in association with McGibbon/Parriott Productions and 3 Arts Entertainment. Stephanie Davis ("The Caveman's Valentine"), Howard Klein ("The Office," "Carnivale") and Molly Madden ("Picture Perfect") will also serve as executive producers for 3 Arts.

A renowned triple-threat performer of television, television and theater, Davis won a Golden Globe and Emmy Award for her performance in "Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows." She has also received Emmy Award nominations for her roles in "One Against the Wind (for which she won a Golden Globe)," "Dash & Lily," "A Little Thing Called Murder" and Showtime's "A Cooler Climate," and she received both Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for "Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story." As an Academy Award nominee, Davis' most recent films include the Australian projects "The Man Who Sued God," "Swimming Upstream" and Sofia Coppola's "Marie Antoinette." Her film credits include Allen's "Deconstructing Harry," Clint Eastwood's "Absolute Power," the Coen Brothers cult hit "Barton Fink," "Naked Lunch," "Impromptu" with Hugh Grant, "High Tide," "Children of the Revolution" and "The Ref" with Kevin Spacey and Denis Leary. She also starred in the D. H. Lawrence adaptation "Kangaroo" and the E. M. Forster adaptation "Where Angels Fear to Tread." Davis received Best Actress Academy Award nominations for her roles in "A Passage to India" and Woody Allen's "Husbands and Wives." Davis trained for the stage at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney and upon graduation, drew wide acclaim for her mature portrayal of the defiant heroine in Gillian Armstrong's 1978 classic "My Brilliant Career." For her performance she received the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) award for Best Actress. Her theatre credits include "Hedda Gabler" for the Sydney Theatre Company and "Insignificance" for London's Royal Court Theatre.

Raised in Toronto, Diamantopoulos began his career in musical theatre. An accomplished singer, his early credits include "Forever Plaid," Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Music Of The Night," and "Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," in which he understudied Donny Osmond in the title role. He received critical acclaim for his portrayal of 'Che Guevara' in Pittsburgh CLO's production of "Evita." On Broadway, he appeared as 'Marius' in "Les Miserables," and had the unique experience of appearing naked on stage as 'Ethan Girard' in "The Full Monty." On the small screen, Diamantopoulos has appeared in "Law & Order," "Third Watch," "Frasier," "Nip/Tuck," "American Dreams," "Charmed," "The Sopranos," "CSI," "Boston Legal," and "Eli Stone." He received a Gemini Award nomination and a Prism Award for his portrayal of 'Robin Williams' in NBC's "Behind The Camera: 'Mork & Mindy'." Most recently, he starred opposite Lili Taylor in the Lifetime series "State Of Mind." His film credits include "The Adulterer," "Drop Dead Roses," "Into The Fire," "Wedding Daze" opposite Isla Fisher, "Three Days To Vegas" opposite Rip Torn, Peter Falk and George Segal. Most recently, he starred in "Under New Management." Also an established voice-over artist, Diamantopoulos has lent his voice to numerous national TV and radio campaigns. Of Greek heritage, he voiced the ancient Greek narrative in Academy Award Winner Jessica Yu's "Protagonist." He has also narrated documentaries for Discovery, Sundance and Travel Channel, and currently voices several characters on Fox's "American Dad."

USA NETWORK is cable television's leading provider of original series and feature movies, sports and entertainment events, off-net television shows, and blockbuster theatrical films. The #1 network in basic cable, USA Network is seen in nearly 94 million U.S. homes. The USA Network Web site is located at www.usanetwork.com. Characters Welcome.

USA Network is a program service of NBC Universal Cable a division of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience.

Source: USA Network

CONTACT: Kristin Schulman, +1-212-664-4140, kristin.schulman@nbcuni.com,
or Andrea Epstein, +1-818-777-6679, andrea.epstein@nbcuni.com, or Farrah
Hersh, +1-212-664-4731, farrah.hersh@nbcuni.com, all of USA Network

Web site: http://www.usanetwork.com/

---

Profile: International Entertainment