Chicago native actor/writer/director Gene Wolande came to Los Angeles after completing his Master of Fine Arts Degree and performing/directing for a number of years as a company member of the prestigious Dallas Theater Center. He first came to attention of Hollywood in the 1985 hit RoboCop (1987), and has since been seen in numerous major films, including the critically acclaimed L.A. Confidential (1997), The Negotiator (1998), A Civil Action (1998), Chaplin (1992), and Best Laid Plans (1999). On television, he has recurred on the the highly praised HBO series Carnivàle (2003), and guest-starred on shows such as Desperate Housewives (2004), ER (1994), Married with Children (1987), and Party of Five (1994).As a writer, he has worked on such diverse shows as The Wonder Years (1988) and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993). His screenplay Slivers Oakley was honored by Francis Ford Coppola's American Zoetrope Screenplay Competition. In 2001, he wrote and directed the film Three Shots (2001), which was highlighted at the Director's View Film Festival, the Sarasota Film Festival, The Ashland Independent Film Festival, and the New York Independent Film Festival.He has also worked as a dialect coach, film history professor, and taught acting with Steppenwolf Theatre founder Jeff Perry.He is finishing the suspense-thriller, Timeframe, and co-producing a film based on Chicago's traditional 16 inch No-Gloves softball.