Henry W. Laster
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Few words about Henry W.
Bio
Henry W. Laster is best known for doing the voiceover for L.E.S in Small Wonder: Love at First Byte (1988), Small Wonder: More About L.E.S. (1989) and as Kent Flankman in Salute Your Shorts (1991).
Born on December 12, 1978 in Miami, Florida, Laster's first experience with theatre was at West Point Elementary School singing the song Fifty Nifty United States. He attended Callaway Adolescent Program which is formerly known as the Burwell Adolescent Program. His love and respect for theatre deepened as he always going to the theatre and watching plays at the school though he wasn't permitted to. His love for theatre began when he was just in elementary school.
Before Henry became an actor, he was involved in LGBT rights, anti-racism campaigns, and anti-bullying campaigns, all for which he held a great passion.
He moved away from his parents at age 13 and moved to Sarasota, Florida in the early '90s. His boyfriend's mom accepted him and welcomed him in with open arms. Henry was not very much older than his boyfriend. They were both born at the same hospital less than 24 hours apart and by the same doctor.
What people don't know is that he didn't love being a kid. Racing toward adulthood to escape bullying, he began writing jokes for stand up. Getting picked on, and feeling disenfranchised, is a subject that's very near to Henry's heart.
This experience was a traumatic one because it kept bringing up unresolved feelings left over from childhood. Henry developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a response to what happened to him as a child. He was so obsessive in his goal to try to be what he thought others wanted, he landed in the hospital with acute panic attacks. Through-out a period of self-abuse, Henry continued acting & performing as a child.
While visiting Universal Studios on the trolley that runs through the park a director stopped the trolley and made an announcement that he was going to cast a child in the TV Show called Salute Your Shorts (1991), which he landed by sheer accident as he was mumbling something under his breath to his friend.
He is incredibly active in anti-racism, anti-bullying and gay rights campaigns, and never has been recognized for his unwavering dedication. He has participated in many LGBT organizations all across the US of A. He has marched in LGBT pride parades to show his dedication to this matter as it is close to his heart. He has showed his support by doing the movies Milk (2008) and Pedro (2008).
Through his hard work, Henry has had the opportunity to be heard, to extend his point of view and become regarded as a true pioneer in his field. He takes none of it for granted.
Not one to rest on his laurels, Henry spent whatever free time he had working on finding his next gig.
Laster can also be seen in Miracle of the Heart: A Boys Town Story (1986), Christmas Angel (2012), and Tammy (2014).
As of this writing Henry has been diagnosed as being legally blind. He was involved with the Braille Institute in Rancho Mirage and Los Angeles, California locations. Henry refuses to learn Braille as he is afraid of losing all sensation in his fingers.
2018
Started work as Himself in The Orange Years
2018
Started work as Himself in Forever Anawanna
2018
Finished work as Himself in The Orange Years
Experience
Where's My Wallet?
Company: Matthew Martino Benevolent FundWhen a frantic office manager cannot find his wallet, he accuses two of his employees.
Tammy
Company: Gary Sanchez ProductionsAfter losing her job and learning that her husband has been unfaithful, a woman hits the road with her profane, hard-drinking grandmother.
Geography Club
Company: Enumerated PicturesAt Goodkind High School, a group of students with varying sexual orientations form an after-school club as a discreet way to share their feelings and experiences.
The Glades
Company: Innuendo ProductionsA former Chicago cop moves to a small Florida town and joins the state police.
Jayne Mansfield's Car
Company: AR FilmsAlabama; 1969: The death of a clan's estranged wife and mother brings together two very different families. Do the scars of the past hide differences that will tear them apart, or expose truths that could lead to unexpected collisions?
Christmas Angel
Company: Channel 5 TelevisionChristmas wishes made before a long-abandoned house that start coming true lead an elementary schoolgirl to discover a reclusive woman living inside.
The Perspective of Love
Written, directed, acted, and produced entirely by students in Rochester, MN, this 15-minute narrative combines a captivating story with honest observations and meaningful questions. Wandering alone on Valentine's Day while contemplating the world's confusing definition of 'love', a reclusive teenager is forever changed by an accidental discovery. Through a surprising turn of events, Pete finds a new perspective on the mystery only defined as love.
Malcolm in the Middle
Company: Satin City ProductionsA gifted young teen tries to survive life with his dimwitted, dysfunctional family.
Milk
Company: Focus FeaturesThe story of Harvey Milk, and his struggles as an American gay activist who fought for gay rights and became California's first openly gay elected official.
Pedro
Company: BMP FilmsIn 1994 Pedro Zamora was the first HIV-positive homosexual to appear in a reality show on MTV. The audience of 'The Real World: San Francisco' identified easily with this intelligent, good-looking Latino. His presence on the show also meant that audiences in the United States and abroad had to engage with the topic of AIDS. A screen adaptation of Pedro Zamora's life: his childhood in Havana as the youngest of eight children, his immigration to the United States, his hard work as an AIDS activist, his appearance on 'The Real World' as well as the short time that was left to him subsequently.
Hairspray
Pleasantly plump teenager Tracy Turnblad teaches 1962 Baltimore a thing or two about integration after landing a spot on a local TV dance show.
Family Matters
Company: Bickley-Warren ProductionsLong-running Perfect Strangers (1986) spin-off series centering on the Winslow family and their pesky next-door neighbor, ultra-nerd Steve Urkel.
Step by Step
Company: Bickley-Warren ProductionsFrank Lambert is a construction worker and a single father of 3 kids: J.T., Alicia "Al", and Brendan. Carol Foster, a beautician, also has 3 children: Dana, Karen, and Mark. After Frank and Carol run into each other on vacation and spontaneously get married, they and their children (who appeared to have known and hated each other) have to learn to live together and love each other. It's not easy, but they are trying to do this step by step.
Parker Lewis Can't Lose
Company: Clyde Phillips ProductionsFor a cool high school kid and his friends, thwarting authority figures and other enemies is not a problem.
Salute Your Shorts
Company: Propaganda FilmsA group of kids at a summer camp, run by the heard-but-never-seen Dr. Kahn, form friendships as they spend time harassing buffoonish camp counselor Kevin "Ug" Lee.
Hey Dude
Company: Cinetel ProductionsA group of friends work together with their boss at a dude ranch and go through many fun moments and mishaps along the way.
Seed of Chucky
Company: Rogue PicturesChucky and Tiffany are resurrected by their innocent son, Glen, and hit Hollywood, where a movie depicting the killer dolls' murder spree is underway.
Pecker
Company: Polar EntertainmentA talented young photographer, who enjoys snapping photos of his satirical, perverted Baltimore neighborhood and his wacky family, gets dragged into a world of pretentious artists from New York City and finds newfound fame.
Life Goes On
Company: The Toots CompanyA TV-series about the life of the Thatchers, especially "Corky", that has Down syndrome but goes to ordinary school ("mainstreaming). We get into their problems and joys. Drew Thatcher's dream comes true when he is able to open his own restaurant, but it's a hard business, and he often run into problems. Becca has a constant crush on Tyler, but he's not available. He and his girlfriend, Rona, break up and get together all the time. Libby Thatcher hates her boss, and quits her job. After a while she finds out that she's pregnant, and that her boss is desperate to get her back. She starts working for him again, after getting better paid, among other things. Meanwhile, "Corky" has problems with keeping up at school and accepting who he is. He fights his battles, and wins.
Small Wonder
Company: Small Wonder Joint Venture, TheFather Ted Lawson creates a robot, VICI (played by Tiffany Brissette). The family--Ted, Joan and Jamie--keep VICI's identity secret, and pretend that she is their daughter. Harriet, their nosy and annoying neighbor, has a crush on Jamie and plans to marry him. Her dad, Brandon Brindle, is Ted's boss; Brandon stole credit for Ted's ideas.
Mississippi Burning
Company: Orion PicturesTwo F.B.I. Agents, with wildly different styles, arrive in Mississippi to investigate the disappearance of some civil rights activists.
Miracle of the Heart: A Boys Town Story
Company: Columbia Pictures TelevisionA fictionalized tale of a young man who ends up in Boy's Town in Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. A kind priest helps the troubled boy find his way out of a life of trouble.
A Smoky Mountain Christmas
Company: Sandollar ProductionsA country/western singer on a trip through the Tennessee mountains runs into a reclusive backwoodsman--and a witch.
