Q. Where has Ken Wahl, the former "Wiseguy" star, been hiding?
A. At 36, he says he has all but retired from acting. Wahl was a hot acting commodity a couple of years ago until his bitter parting with his "Wiseguy" producers. His first post-"Wiseguy" feature film, "The Taking of Beverly Hills," died at the box office. Three others never made it to the big screen. Now he is spending his time doing automobile restoration. His memories of acting are practical. "Luckily," he says, "I didn't blow the money I made."Q. Tell me Cher's whole name, date and place of birth. - M.H.L., Kingman, Ariz.
A. She's Cherilyn Sarkisian LePierre (Bono, Allman), born May 20, 1946, in El Centro, Calif.
Q. Tell me more about Halle Berry, of "Boomerang": where she was born, where does she live now, age, etc. - O.D., Philadelphia.
A. Berry was born in Cleveland, on Aug. 14, 1968. She got her start modeling and in beauty pageants including as Miss Ohio in the Miss World contest. Her first acting was done in the ABC series "Living Dolls" in 1989. She went on to a recurring role in `Knots Landing" then into features with "Jungle Fever," "The Last Boy Scout" and "Strictly Business." Next up: the ABC miniseries "Queen," based on Alex Haley's story of his grandmother. Berry lives in California.
Q. List all the movies Jeff Chandler made before he died and where I can get the tapes. - T.H., St. Joseph, Mo.
A. Chandler made more than 50 movies from his debut in "Johnny O'Clock" in 1947 to his last, "Merrill's Marauders," released in 1962, the year after his death at 43 from blood poisoning following surgery. His most famous role was 1950's "Broken Arrow" as Cochise, for which he had an Oscar nomination (available on tape). You'll have to check the public library for his full list of credits and for the movies on tape.
Q. Shortly after World War II, an Italian director made the movies "Paisan," "Open City" and "Bitter Rice" starring Anna Magnani and Silvana Mangano. Why haven't these movies been on TV? - D.G.W., Buffalo, N.Y.
A. Roberto Rossellini directed "Paisan" and "Open City" with Magnani, Guiseppi De Santis directed Mangano in "Bitter Rice." All three have been on TV many times and "Paisan" and "Open City" are on tape.
Q. I want to know if Robert Blake used to be Alfalfa on "The Little Rascals." - A.G., Tampa, Fla.
A. Carl Switzer was freckle-faced Alfalfa. Blake was Mickey, using his real name, Michael Gubitosi, during his brief stint on the "Our Gang" comedies (renamed "Little Rascals" for TV).
Q. "The George Raft Story" with Ray Danton was interesting enough, but where and how did Raft end up? Why did he lose out for the part of Rick in "Casablanca"? - F.M., Levittown, Pa.
A. The 1961 Raft biopic was a glamourized version of Raft's rise from ballroom dancer and prize fighter to Hollywood star. He was only one of several mentioned for the role of Rick, from Ronald Reagan (later revealed as his publicist's plant in the Hollywood columns) to Errol Flynn. Bogart got it by default. For the all the ins-and-outs of the "Casablanca" story, check out Aljean Harmetz's coming book "Round Up All the Usual Suspects: The Making of Casablanca." Raft, who boasted about his underworld connections, was tossed out of England, where he managed a gambling casino; lost money in another casino in Cuba; and was chased by the U.S. government for back taxes. His last movie was a bit in "Sextette" in 1978. He died in 1980.
Q. Tell me about the girls in "State Fair," Jeanne Crain and Vivian Blanie. What have they done since? - A.H.P., Virginia Beach, Va.
A. Crain, now 67, did a few movies in the 1970s, mostly in Europe, and has done a bit of TV but for the most part is retired. Blaine, now 71, was best known for playing Miss Adelaide in the original "Guys and Dolls" on stage and in the 1955 movie version. She did a few movies and TV into the 1980s.
Q. To whom is Blythe Danner, of "Prince of Tides," married? A cheese cake is on the line. - S.R., Walnust, Calif.
A. That's an original bet. Danner has been married for 22 years to producer Bruce Paltrow. Their oldest, daughter Gwyneth, 20, played Danner's daughter in last season's TV miniseries "Cruel Doubt."
Q. Here's a difficult question: What happened to Deanna Durbin? She was my favorite as a young man. Do you have her address? - A.L.G., Lakehurst, N.J.
A. That's an easy one. Durbin gets more inquiries than any other star of the past. The answer is the same as it has been: She abruptly retired from movies in 1948, married her third husband, French director/producer Charles David, and has lived in seclusion near Paris ever since. Now 71, She refuses all interview requests and public contact.
Q. I am in search of a biographical book on past and present actors and actresses that would include their given names, birthdates and places, marriages and all their family members. - S.C., Charlotte, N.C.
A. Ephrain Katz's The Film Encyclopedia from Pedigree Books is the most comprehensive book currently available, but it hasn't been updated since 1979 and so lacks many of the newer crop of superstars (and most TV actors) and recent credits. Katz gives real names, marriages when the spouse is well-known and family members (parents or siblings if they are well-known). No reference gives a comp-rehensive family tree for performers.
Q. How can you tell the difference between Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen, who play Michelle on "Full House"? - A.F., Detroit.
A. Ashley has a freckle under her nose, according to People Magazine. Another way to tell is to watch their scenes. Ashley, who's three minutes older than Mary-Kate, is the lively one and does the emotional scenes. Quiet Mary-Kate does the serious stuff. You'll be able to see both twins at once in an ABC Christmas movie "To Grandmother's House We Go."
Q. Give some information on Lecy Goranson, who plays Becky on "Roseanne." - A.J.H., Warren, Ohio.
A. Alicia (Lecy is a family nickname) was born in Evanston, Ill., on June 22, 1976, and "Roseanne" is her first acting experience. She decided she wanted to study acting when she was 8. A teacher suggested she audition for "Roseanne." Since the show's debut in 1988, she's commuted between Los Angeles and her family home in Chicago.
Q. Why do husband-wife singer-songwriters T-Bone Burnett and Sam Phillips usually refuse to give interviews?
A. Lots of reasons. There's what they call "the People magazine factor," explained Burnett. "As one of my truest friends told me, `If you ever end up in People magazine, you know you've done something wrong.' " Then there's the more complicated concern over having their separate musical identities merged in public. He's open, she's internal. In their common folk-pop traditions, he tends toward rockabilly, she toward folk. "I don't think I have much influence on T-Bone," she says. Although T-Bone has produced Sam's last three records, she "doesn't really let me into her songs," he says. "The power we have with each other would be more in the area of encouragement," he adds. "In the atmosphere we're living in today, I would say the only thing they can't take away from you is your thoughts."
Q. Just how much luggage does Elizabeth Taylor tote around?
A. Approximately 30 pieces. Each has been specially designed in her favorite color, lavender, and sports a leather tag reading "MINE."
Q. Is Bill Cosby really having a midlife crisis because his hit series is off the air?
A. Cosby, 55, says he has no regrets that his smash series is history. His latest venture is the syndicated update of Groucho Marx's quiz show, "You Bet Your Life." Rather than anxious, he sounds quite mellow. "I'm not in the right lane, I'm not in the left lane," he says. "I don't care who passes me, and I don't care who I pass."
Q. Why hasn't commentator Cokie Roberts become caught up in the sound-bite-itis that plagues many other Washington broadcasting big shots?
A. Good upbringing. Roberts, 48, is the daughter of the late Hale Boggs, the Louisiana Democrat who was U.S. House majority leader, and former Rep. Lindy Boggs, who replaced her husband on Capitol Hill until she retired. Obviously, Roberts was thoroughly exposed to the concerns of regular people in her youth on the campaign trail. Her sensible perspective, heard on National Public Radio and ABC, also comes from years as a "suburban housewife," as she puts it, who was active in the PTA. Her children are 23 and 21, and spouse Steve Roberts is a senior writer for U.S. News & World Report.
Q. Whatever happened to the very funny premise for "Major Dad"? They seem to have lost their way. The major might as well be a salesman. How can I write to the producers? - P.R.H., Locust Grove, Okla.
A. Have it out with star Gerald McRaney, who's also the main man calling the shots as executive producer, although he has two working colleagues, Rick Hawkins and Earl Pomerantz. The address: CBS-TV, 7800 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036.
Q. Give some personal information on William Devane, of "Knots Landing": married, etc. - P.R.K., Fairfield, Conn.
A. Devane was born Sept. 5, 1939, in Albany, N.Y. He and wife Eugenie have two sons, Josh and Jake. Josh played his father as a boy in an episode of "Knots." The family owns a restaurant and shopping complex in California and a horse ranch in Utah. Devane is an avid polo player.
- Send your questions to Celebrity Questions, Detroit Free Press, 321 W. Lafayette Blvd, Detroit, MI 48231.