Q. I've always been a fan of Carl Reiner. Can you tell me anything about him? - B.D., Kansas City, Mo.
A. Reiner, now 71, is one of TV's most prolific and creative comedy talents. He started in stand-up comedy while serving in the Army and went on to Broadway and TV. In 1950, he was among the comedy troupe of "Your Show of Shows," one of TV's classic series. He did various other shows; then, in one of TV's great stories, he created a sitcom for himself called "Head of the Family," about a comedy writer. It bombed but a redo with a new cast became "The Dick Van Dyke Show" with Reiner as head writer and occasional guest. Since then, he's become better known as writer/producer of movies ("Oh, God!", "The Jerk") and TV ("The 2,000 Year Old Man" with Mel Brooks). His semi-autobiographical novel "Enter Laughing" was a hit play and a movie. Reiner is the father of actor/director Rob Reiner.Q. On "Bonanza," what was Hoss Cartwright's real first name? - N.B., San Jose, Calif.
A. He was Eric, son of Inger, a Scandinavian woman who was Ben Cartwright's second wife. According to "Bonanza," Hoss is Norwegian for good luck.
Q. My friend says Robert Urich played "MacGyver." I say it was someone else. - J.M.S., Elsie, Mich.
A. How soon they forget. Richard Dean Anderson was, and is, MacGyver. He's in Europe working on a pair of "MacGyver" TV movies for ABC for next season.
Q. Give me the address of C-Span. I'd like to compliment them on a program. - L.S., Columbus, Ohio.
A. 400 N. Capitol St. NW, Suite 650, Washington, D.C. 20001.
Q. In the early '60s, I recall a program called "Checkmate" with Sebastian Cabot and two other stars. Who were they, what was the premise of the show and when did it run? - D.W., North Wales, Pa.
A. Cabot was joined by Anthony George and Doug McClure in the series, seen 1960-62. Checkmate Inc. was the name of an investigative agency hired to prevent crimes, particularly by people who thought they were marked for death. George and McClure ran the agency with ex-Oxford professor Cabot as consultant.
Q. Is the person playing Michael Baldwin in "The Young and the Restless" the same person who, some years ago, was on "As the World Turns" as Kirk McCall? He was very young then. - H.D., Des Moines, Iowa.
A. Soap fans have amazing memories for actors. Christian Le Blanc played McCall, 1983-85. He was not long out of Tulane University where he'd studied pre-med before deciding to be an actor. The son of a career Army man, Le Blanc was born in Fort Bragg, N.C., and grew up in Germany and around the U.S. before settling in New Orleans. He made his stage bow in "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" and has worked on stage and prime-time TV as well as singing and dancing. He joined "Y&R" in August 1991.
Q. I wonder every time I see the credits of "All My Children" if Frances Heflin, who plays Mona Kane, is the widow of actor Van Heflin. - C.S., Camarillo, Calif.
A. This Frances is Van Heflin's sister. But Van Heflin was married briefly to actress Frances Neal. They were divorced at the time of his death in 1971.
Q. Over the years, I've counted Alec, Michael and Daniel Baldwin. I think there's a fourth. But are they brothers or father and sons? - S.M.T., Thomasville, N.C.
A. There's no Michael among the acting Baldwin brothers: Alec, 35; Daniel, 32; William, 30, and Stephen, 27.
Q. There's a hefty bet at stake between me and a friend from Las Vegas. Who played the role of the husband in the original movie "Born Yesterday," Paul Douglas or Broderick Crawford? - S.E., Laguna Beach, Calif.
A. Neither played the husband. Judy Holliday was the mistress of Paul Douglas in the original play. Broderick Crawford did the role in the movie.
Q. Please give me a little background on Glenn Ford, such as his birthdate, place of birth. - C.R., Youngstown, Ohio.
A. He was born Gwyllyn Samuel Newton Ford on May 1, 1916, in Quebec. He was raised in California, attended Santa Monica High School, started acting shortly after and signed a Columbia Pictures contract in 1939. He was married to Eleanor Powell and they had a son, Peter.
Q. Give what information you can on Lorraine Bracco. - A.D., Des Moines, Iowa.
A. Bracco, 39, is a Brooklyn girl. She's been married twice and has three children, two by her second husband, actor Harvey Keitel. Bracco was a model and spent 10 years in Paris, where she married her first husband, a French salon owner, and made her movie debut in a French film. She switched to acting in 1983. She was nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actress in 1991 for "GoodFellas."
Q. Who was the young actress who played Gregory Peck's daughter in the original "Cape Fear"? I've been told it was Elizabeth Taylor. I disagree. - M.C.J., Chauncey, Ga.
A. It was Lori Martin in the role played by Juliette Lewis in the "Fear" remake. But there's a coincidence. Martin is probably best remembered for the title role in the 1960 TV version of "National Velvet," the 1944 movie that made Taylor a star.
Q. My sister and I heard that Linda Hamilton, of "Beauty and the Beast," has a twin sister, Mary Beth Evans, who was Kayla on "Days of Our Lives." If not Mary Beth, which actress is Linda's twin? - M.S. and C.G., Portland, Ore.
A. Hamilton does have a twin, Leslie, but she's a nurse, not an actress. "Days" has had twin actresses; Deidre Hall's twin, Andrea Hall-Lovell, played her character's twin from 1977-80 and in 1982. Evans, who left "DOOL" in 1992 after a six-year run as Kayla, is back in daytime drama after a year out to be with her family. She's joined "General Hospital."
Q. Are the guy who plays Scottie Baldwin on "General Hospital" and the guy who plays Corky on "Life Goes On" brothers? My wife says they aren't. I know they are. - B.M., Eastpointe, Mich.
A. Christopher Burke (Corky) and Kin Shriner (Scott Baldwin) aren't related. Shriner does have a twin brother in show business, comedian Wil. The Shriners are the sons of the late comedian Herb Shriner.
- Send your questions to Celebrity Questions, Detroit Free Press, 321 W. Lafayette Blvd, Detroit, MI 48231.