DEAR STACY: I love Jeffrey Donovan of "Burn Notice." Is he married? Where from? Where else can we see him? — Teri L., Cleveland, Ohio

DEAR TERI: With "Burn Notice" lighting up his career, the single, 40-year-old Amesbury, Mass. native has a supporting role (as a police captain) coming up in Clint Eastwood's "Changeling" movie starring Angelina Jolie. It's set for limited release mid-October, going wide on Halloween. Donovan earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a Master of Fine Arts in acting from NYU. His first two films were "Throwing Down" and "Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows" — and more recently he's been seen in features including "Hitch," "Come Early Morning" and "Believe in Me." He also amassed a long list of TV credits, including playing William Ivers on "Crossing Jordan," and guesting on "Monk" and "Law & Order."

DEAR STACY: Whatever became of musician John Tesh and his beautiful actress wife of the series, "Hotel"? — Mario G., West Haven, Conn.

DEAR MARIO: Tesh, the former "Entertainment Tonight" co-host and sports broadcaster, keeps up a full schedule of concert dates across the country, playing his New Age and contemporary Christian music in concert halls, theaters and churches. He and wife Connie Sellecca produce a six-day-a-week radio show called "Music and Intelligence for Your Life" that airs on a reported 250 stations across the country, with the "intelligence" — tidbits of information on everything from wellness to pets to money matters — also available to stations as individual sound bites. Tesh, 56, continues to put out albums, his latest being a collection of his songs from over the past 20 years, titled "A Passionate Life." Sellecca, 53, has a skin care line and still acts occasionally. Her last film was 2007's "The Wild Stallion." Their daughter Prima is now 14 years old.

DEAR STACY: Please give an update on Robby Benson since his 1981 movie, "The Chosen" — Joe C. Brooklyn, N.Y.

DEAR JOE: Actor/director/teacher Robby Benson added a best-selling author credit to his lengthy resume with his 2007 novel, "Who Stole The Funny?" inspired by his experiences in Hollywood. Benson, who's provided countless fans with inspiration through his comebacks from three open heart surgeries through the years — and his candid stories of facing depression and other difficulties because of his health woes — wrote the book, lyrics and music for a play called "Open Heart" in which he starred with his wife Karla off-Broadway in 2004. He's directed more than 100 sitcom episodes. Having taught for two decades at universities around the country, Robby spent the 2006-2007 academic year as Professor of Film in NYU's famed Tisch School of the Arts. His many voice credits include the Beast in "Beauty & the Beast." The father of a son and a daughter, Benson is 52.

DEAR STACY: Jennifer Esposito of "Samantha Who" looks so familiar. Has she done other series work? — Blake H., Cleveland, Ohio

DEAR BLAKE: Yes, Esposito's series credits include regular roles on "Spin City" as well as the WB show "Related," and she appeared on "Rescue Me" as a love interest of Denis Leary's character. The Brooklyn-born 35-year-old actress has also done features including "Crash," "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer" and "Summer of Sam."

DEAR STACY: I thoroughly enjoy "NCIS" and all its characters and find Abby (Pauley Perrette) unique with her beauty, personality, dress and tattoos. Does Abs have a background, and is Pauley anything like Abs? What else has she done besides "NCIS"? — Muriel W., Bronx, N.Y.

DEAR MURIEL: It seems the "NCIS" writers have borrowed from Perrette's background for her Goth-loving, tattooed, techno-geek character. Both hail from New Orleans, and both studied sociology, psychology and criminology, and earned master's degrees in criminology. The writers have also tantalized viewers with the possibility that Gibbs (Mark Harmon) could really be Abby's father. It's known that her mother was deaf and that Abby can communicate in American Sign Language — and it's been mentioned through the years that Gibbs had a daughter by his late wife, and he has a never-explained ability to sign. Perrette, 39, divorced, is also a published poet, a photographer, writer, spoken-word artist, an animal rescue and gay rights advocate, and the former lead singer of an Los Angeles band called Lo-Ball. In 2007 she produced a documentary about U.S. civil rights attorney and author Mark Lane. She has an indie film on the way called "Satan Hates You!"

DEAR STACY: I watched a movie with the wonderful actor Paul Winfield in it the other day. Haven't seen him in anything new for a while. Please give an update. — Tracy B., Long Beach, Calif.

DEAR TRACY: The revered actor, who earned an Oscar nomination for his work in 1972 drama "Sounder," and an Emmy nod for portraying Martin Luther King, Jr. in the 1978 miniseries, "King," died of a heart attack at age 64 in 2004.

DEAR STACY: I was wondering whatever happened to the actress Susan Blakely? She was in "The Lords of Flatbush." — Gabe from Hempstead, N.Y.

DEAR GABE: Blakely, also remembered as the knockout blond daughter of William Holden and wife of Richard Chamberlain in 1974's "The Towering Inferno," is a steadily working actress. Her most recent credits include two episodes of "Two and a Half Men" this past season, multiple episodes of "Side Order of Life" and guest shots on "Nip/Tuck" and "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody." She has the independent mystery movie "Mating Dance" in the can. Blakely started a second career as a designer of semi-precious jewelry during a lag period in her acting life and made a success of it. She is married to media consultant, litigation and political adviser and TV producer Steve Jaffe.

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 2008 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

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