Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

DEAR STACY: I would like to know if Gary Sinise of "C.S.I.: New York" is an amputee. I saw him in "Forrest Gump," and he didn't have any legs. — Della J., Austin, Texas

DEAR DELLA: Sinise's appearance as an amputee in "Forrest Gump" was all due to the magic of special effects. Actually a quantum leap in the magic of special effects — which earned the film a Best Visual Effects Academy Award in 1995, before Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) became familiar to moviegoers. Sinise's legs were wrapped in blue fabric and digitally removed scene by scene. However, having said that, "Dancing with the Stars'" Heather Mills has proven to the world that being an amputee doesn't have to be limiting. And there are working actors in Hollywood who are amputees such as Robert David Hall. The actor, who plays the coroner, Dr. Alan Robbins, on "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," had both legs amputated in 1978 after a horrific car accident. Former "Highlander" and "Wiseguy" regular Jim Byrnes lost both his legs above the knee after being struck by a passing car while he helped a friend move a stalled truck in 1972. Both, like Mills, have learned to function quite normally and comfortably with prosthetics.

DEAR STACY: Maybe you can help us fill in some information from a conversation among some friends about Alan Ladd. Is it true he committed suicide due to his unhappiness with his short stature? What was his actual height? — David D., Rockaway Beach, N.Y.

DEAR DAVID: Ladd's height is generally believed to have been 5'6" — though it has been reported as anywhere from 5'2" to 5'9". The "Shane" star died at age 50 of an overdose of sedatives mixed with alcohol. Two years earlier, he had attempted suicide by shooting himself. There were many factors behind it. Ladd had a hard, impoverished childhood. He witnessed his mother commit suicide with ant poison. It's been written that he went into a depression following the breakup of his romance with June Allyson in the late '50s. He also suffered lifelong low self-esteem. He was once asked what he would change about himself if he could, and famously responded "everything."

DEAR STACY: We would like to know more about Clive Robertson of the MyNetwork TV show "Wicked, Wicked Games." — Mrs. C. and Mrs. S., Brooklyn, N.Y.

DEAR MRS.

C. AND MRS. S.: Robertson, 41, is divorced from Australian actress Libby Purvis and has a son and daughter, born in 2002. He's the son of a Royal Air Force fighter pilot, and grew up in locales including Singapore, Cyprus and the Netherlands before settling into boarding school in England at age 8. He earned a business degree at the University of Oxford, but left his marketing career and turned to drama school after a few years. Eventually he began landing parts on stage and in British TV shows. In 1996, he decided to visit Hollywood for a three-week vacation during which he wanted to check out career prospects — and wound up with a role on Aaron Spelling's "Sunset Beach" daytime drama. (Make that two roles; he also played his character's twin brother.) He starred on the show for three years. Other credits include a voice role with Julia Roberts in "The Ant Bully" and the Canadian sci-fi series "Starhunter."

DEAR STACY: Paris Hilton's mother was a child actress, correct? Have we heard of anything she appeared in? — Melissa A., Cleveland

DEAR MELISSA: As Kathy Richards, the personality now known as Kathy Hilton, appeared at age 12 in an episode of "Family Affair," went on to guest roles on series including "Bewitched," "The Rockford Files" and "Happy Days" as a teen — and at 20 appeared in the 1979 horror movie "The Dark" with William Devane. Her sisters, Kim ("Nanny and the Professor") and Kyle ("Halloween") were busier juvenile performers than she.

DEAR STACY: Did JoBeth Williams fall off the face of the earth? I never could understand why they canceled "The Client." It was a smart show. — Julian B., Lockhart, Texas

DEAR JULIAN: The multi-Emmy-nominated actress — who starred in such films as "Poltergeist," "The Big Chill" and such telepics as 'Adam" and "Baby M" — co-stars with Jessica Lange and Tammy Blanchard in CBS's upcoming remake of "Sybil," playing the abusive mother of the young woman who had 16 different personalities. Williams is also currently on the big screen with Meg Ryan, Olympia Dukakis and Adam Brody in the indie film "In the Land of Women." And in recent years, she's done a steady stream of guest star roles on such series as "24," "Criminal Minds," "Numb3rs," "Las Vegas" and "Strong Medicine."

SEND YOUR QUESTIONS to Stacy Jenel Smith at Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045. Due to the large volume of mail, personal replies cannot be given. To find out more about Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith and read their past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2007 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

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