document_title: Rod cell

question_text: the rod cells in the retina contain a light absorbing pigment called

text: Rod cell

text: Structure[edit]

text: Rods are a little longer and leaner than cones but have the same basic structure. Opsin-containing disks lie at the end of the cell adjacent to the retinal pigment epithelium, which in turn is attached to the inside of the sclera. The stacked-disc structure of the detector portion of the cell allows for very high efficiency. Rods are much more common than cones, with about 100 million rod cells compared to 7 million cone cells.[2]

text: Like cones, rod cells have a synaptic terminal, an inner segment, and an outer segment. The synaptic terminal forms a synapse with another neuron, usually a bipolar cell or a horizontal cell. The inner and outer segments are connected by a cilium,[3] which lines the distal segment.[4] The inner segment contains organelles and the cell's nucleus, while the rod outer segment (abbreviated to ROS), which is pointed toward the back of the eye, contains the light-absorbing materials.[3]

text: A human rod cell is about 2 microns in diameter and 100 microns long.[5] Rods are not all morphologically the same; in mice, rods close to the outer plexiform synaptic layer display a reduced length due to a shortened synaptic terminal.[6]

text: Function[edit]

text: Photoreception[edit]

text: In vertebrates, activation of a photoreceptor cell is a hyperpolarization (inhibition) of the cell. When they are not being stimulated, such as in the dark, rod cells and cone cells depolarize and release a neurotransmitter spontaneously. This neurotransmitter hyperpolarizes the bipolar cell. Bipolar cells exist between photoreceptors and ganglion cells and act to transmit signals from the photoreceptors to the ganglion cells. As a result of the bipolar cell being hyperpolarized, it does not release its transmitter at the bipolar-ganglion synapse and the synapse is not excited.

text: Activation of photopigments by light sends a signal by hyperpolarizing the rod cell, leading to the rod cell not sending its neurotransmitter, which leads to the bipolar cell then releasing its transmitter at the bipolar-ganglion synapse and exciting the synapse.

text: Depolarization of rod cells (causing release of their neurotransmitter) occurs because in the dark, cells have a relatively high concentration of cyclic guanosine 3'-5' monophosphate (cGMP), which opens ion channels (largely sodium channels, though calcium can enter through these channels as well). The positive charges of the ions that enter the cell down its electrochemical gradient change the cell's membrane potential, cause depolarization, and lead to the release of the neurotransmitter glutamate. Glutamate can depolarize some neurons and hyperpolarize others, allowing photoreceptors to interact in an antagonistic manner.

text: When light hits photoreceptive pigments within the photoreceptor cell, the pigment changes shape. The pigment, called rhodopsin (conopsin is found in cone cells) comprises a large protein called opsin (situated in the plasma membrane), attached to which is a covalently bound prosthetic group: an organic molecule called retinal (a derivative of vitamin A). The retinal exists in the 11-cis-retinal form when in the dark, and stimulation by light causes its structure to change to all-trans-retinal. This structural change causes an increased affinity for the regulatory protein called transducin (a type of G protein). Upon binding to rhodopsin, the alpha subunit of the G protein replaces a molecule of GDP with a molecule of GTP and becomes activated. This replacement causes the alpha subunit of the G protein to dissociate from the beta and gamma subunits of the G protein. As a result, the alpha subunit is now free to bind to the cGMP phosphodiesterase (an effector protein).[8] The alpha subunit interacts with the inhibitory PDE gamma subunits and prevents them from blocking catalytic sites on the alpha and beta subunits of PDE, leading to the activation of cGMP phosphodiesterase, which hydrolyzes cGMP (the second messenger), breaking it down into 5'-GMP.[9] Reduction in cGMP allows the ion channels to close, preventing the influx of positive ions, hyperpolarizing the cell, and stopping the release of the neurotransmitter glutamate (Kandel et al., 2000). Though cone cells primarily use the neurotransmitter substance acetylcholine, rod cells use a variety. The entire process by which light initiates a sensory response is called visual phototransduction.

text: Activation of a single unit of rhodopsin, the photosensitive pigment in rods, can lead to a large reaction in the cell because the signal is amplified. Once activated, rhodopsin can activate hundreds of transducin molecules, each of which in turn activates a phosphodiesterase molecule, which can break down over a thousand cGMP molecules per second (Kandel et al. 2000). Thus, rods can have a large response to a small amount of light.

text: As the retinal component of rhodopsin is derived from vitamin A, a deficiency of vitamin A causes a deficit in the pigment needed by rod cells. Consequently, fewer rod cells are able to sufficiently respond in darker conditions, and as the cone cells are poorly adapted for sight in the dark, blindness can result. This is night-blindness.

text: Reversion to the resting state[edit]

text: Rods make use of three inhibitory mechanisms (negative feedback mechanisms) to allow a rapid revert to the resting state after a flash of light.

text: Firstly, there exists a rhodopsin kinase (RK) which would phosphorylate the cytosolic tail of the activated rhodopsin on the multiple serines, partially inhibiting the activation of transducin. Also, an inhibitory protein - arrestin then binds to the phosphorylated rhodopsins to further inhibit the rhodopsin's activity.

text: While arrestin shuts off rhodopsin, an RGS protein (functioning as a GTPase-activating proteins(GAPs)) drives the transducin (G-protein) into an "off" state by increasing the rate of hydrolysis of the bounded GTP to GDP.

text: Also as the cGMP sensitive channels allow not only the influx of sodium ions, but also calcium ions, with the decrease in concentration of cGMP, cGMP sensitive channels are then closed and reducing the normal influx of calcium ions. The decrease in the concentration of calcium ions stimulates the calcium ion-sensitive proteins, which would then activate the guanylyl cyclase to replenish the cGMP, rapidly restoring its original concentration. The restoration opens the cGMP sensitive channels and causes a depolarization of the plasma membrane.[10]

text: Desensitization[edit]

text: When the rods are exposed to a high concentration of photons for a prolonged period, they become desensitized (adapted) to the environment.

text: As rhodopsin is phosphorylated by rhodopsin kinase (a member of the GPCR kinases(GRKs)), it binds with high affinity to the arrestin. The bound arrestin can contribute to the desensitization process in at least two ways. First, it prevents the interaction between the G protein and the activated receptor. Second, it serves as an adaptor protein to aid the receptor to the clathrin-dependent endocytosis machinery (to induce receptor-mediated endocytosis).[10]

text: Sensitivity[edit]

text: A rod cell is sensitive enough to respond to a single photon of light[11] and is about 100 times more sensitive to a single photon than cones. Since rods require less light to function than cones, they are the primary source of visual information at night (scotopic vision). Cone cells, on the other hand, require tens to hundreds of photons to become activated. Additionally, multiple rod cells converge on a single interneuron, collecting and amplifying the signals. However, this convergence comes at a cost to visual acuity (or image resolution) because the pooled information from multiple cells is less distinct than it would be if the visual system received information from each rod cell individually.

text: Rod cells also respond slower to light than cones and the stimuli they receive are added over roughly 100 milliseconds. While this makes rods more sensitive to smaller amounts of light, it also means that their ability to sense temporal changes, such as quickly changing images, is less accurate than that of cones.[3]

text: Experiments by George Wald and others showed that rods are most sensitive to wavelengths of light around 498 nm (green-blue), and insensitive to wavelengths longer than about 640 nm (red). This is responsible for the Purkinje effect: as intensity dims at twilight, the rods take over, and before color disappears completely, peak sensitivity of vision shifts towards the rods' peak sensitivity (blue-green).[citation needed]


document_title: Gladiator (2000 film)

question_text: who were the romans fighting in gladiator movie

root

text: Gladiator (2000 film)

text: Plot[edit]

text: In AD 180, Hispano-Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius intends to return to his home after he leads the Roman army to victory against the Germanic tribes near Vindobona on the Limes Germanicus. Emperor Marcus Aurelius tells Maximus that his own son, Commodus, is unfit to succeed and that he wishes Maximus to succeed him, as regent, to help save Rome from corruption. Commodus murders his father when he is told about the plan.

tag: p

text: Commodus announces he is the new Emperor, asks Maximus for his loyalty, and the general refuses. Maximus is arrested by guards and is told that he will die at dawn and meet his family in the afterlife, but he kills his captors and rides for his home near Trujillo. He finds it burning and his family murdered. Maximus buries his wife and son; then collapses. He is found by slavers who take him to the Roman province of Zucchabar, where he is sold to a gladiator trainer named Proximo.

text: Although reluctant at first, Maximus fights in local tournaments and make friends with two other gladiators: Juba, a Numidian; and Hagen, a German. His military skills help him win matches and gain recognition from other gladiators and the crowd. Proximo reveals that his own past has shown him that to be a good killer is not enough; a good gladiator is one who can "win the crowd". Proximo takes his gladiators to fight in Rome's Colosseum, because Commodus has organized 150 days of games.

text: Disguised by a masked helmet, Maximus debuts in gladiatorial combat in the Colosseum as a Carthaginian in a re-enactment of the Battle of Zama, where the Cartaginians are supposed to be massacred by gladiators playing the legionaries of Scipio Africanus; but Maximus leads his side to victory. Commodus is pleased by the surprising outcome and enters the Colosseum to offer his congratulations. Maximus cannot kill Commodus because Commodus's nephew, Lucilla's son, whom Maximus has befriended, accompanies him. Commodus orders the disguised Maximus, as leader of the gladiators, to show himself and give his name, which leads to Maximus revealing himself and declaring vengeance. The Emperor is compelled by the crowd to let the gladiators live, and the Praetorian Guard is held back from striking them down.

text: Maximus's next fight is a victory against a legendary undefeated gladiator. Commodus has ordered that the loser should die; but Maximus spares his opponent's life, and he is called "Maximus the Merciful" by the crowd. Angered at this outcome, Commodus taunts Maximus about his family's deaths, but Maximus turns and walks away—another defiant act that the emperor has to endure.

text: Maximus discovers from Cicero, his ex-orderly, that his former legions remain loyal. Lucilla, Commodus' sister; Gracchus, an influential senator; and Maximus meet secretly. Maximus will escape Rome, join his soldiers, topple Commodus by force, and hand power back to the Roman Senate. Commodus learns of the plot by threatening Lucilla, and has the Praetorian Guard arrest Gracchus and attack the gladiators' barracks. Proximo and his men (including Hagen) sacrifice themselves to enable Maximus to escape. Maximus is captured at the rendezvous with Cicero, where Cicero is killed.

text: Commodus challenges Maximus to a duel. He stabs Maximus before the match to gain an advantage. Maximus disarms Commodus, whom the Praetorian Guard refuse to aid. The emperor feigns being disarmed then produces a hidden knife. Maximus drives the blade into Commodus's throat and then grows weak. Before he dies he asks for political reforms, for his gladiator allies to be freed, and for Senator Gracchus to be reinstated. He then succumbs to his wound. While the dead Commodus is left abandoned on the dirt floor of the arena, Maximus's friends and allies solemnly lift Maximus up and honor him as "a soldier of Rome", at Lucilla's behest. The crowd stands in respect as Maximus is carried out to be given an honorable funeral.

text: Juba visits the Colosseum at night and buries the figurines of Maximus' wife and son at the spot where he died. Juba says he is to return to his own family and promises to see Maximus again, "but not yet".

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Russell Crowe as Maximus Decimus Meridius: a Hispano-Roman legatus forced into becoming a slave who seeks revenge against Commodus. He has earned the favor of Marcus Aurelius, and the love and admiration of Lucilla prior to the events of the film. His home is near Trujillo in today's Province of Cáceres, Spain. After the murder of his family he vows vengeance. Maximus is a fictional character partly inspired by Marcus Nonius Macrinus, Narcissus, Cincinnatus, and Maximus of Hispania. Mel Gibson was first offered the role,[6] but declined as he felt he was too old to play the character. Antonio Banderas and Hugh Jackman were also considered.[7]
Joaquin Phoenix as Commodus: The amoral, power-hungry, twisted son of Marcus Aurelius, he murders his father when he learns that Maximus will hold the emperor's powers in trust until a new republic can be formed.
Connie Nielsen as Lucilla: Maximus's former lover and the older child of Marcus Aurelius. Lucilla has been recently widowed. She resists her brother's incestuous advances for she hates him, while also having to be careful to protect her son, Lucius, from her brother's corruption and wrath.
Oliver Reed as Antonius Proximo: An old, gruff gladiator trainer who buys Maximus in North Africa. A former gladiator himself, he was freed by Marcus Aurelius, and gives Maximus his own armor and eventually a chance at freedom, and becomes somewhat of a mentor to Maximus. This was Reed's final film appearance, before he died during the filming. In the original film script, Proximo was supposed to live.
Derek Jacobi as Senator Gracchus: A member of the Roman Senate who opposes Commodus's rule and an ally of Lucilla and Maximus.
Djimon Hounsou as Juba: A Numidian tribesman who was taken from his home and family by slave traders. He becomes Maximus's closest ally and friend, and inspires Maximus to bring down Commodus for the greater good before he joins his family in the afterlife.
Richard Harris as Marcus Aurelius: The old and wise emperor of Rome who appoints Maximus, whom he loves as a son, to be his successor, with the ultimate aim of returning Rome to a republican form of government. He is murdered by his son Commodus before his wish can be fulfilled.
David Schofield as Senator Falco: A Patrician, a senator opposed to Gracchus. He helps Commodus to consolidate his power.
John Shrapnel as Senator Gaius: Another Roman senator allied with Gracchus, Lucilla, and Maximus against Commodus.
Tomas Arana as General Quintus: another Roman legatus, who served under and was a friend to Maximus. Made commander of the Praetorian Guard by Commodus, after betraying Maximus. In the extended version, Quintus sees the mad side of the Emperor when he is forced to execute two innocent men. Quintus later redeems himself by refusing to allow Commodus a second sword during the latter's duel with Maximus, and promises to honor Maximus's last wishes.
Ralf Möller as Hagen: A Germanic warrior and Proximo's chief gladiator who later befriends Maximus and Juba during their battles in Rome.
Spencer Treat Clark as Lucius Verus: The young son of Lucilla. He is named after his father Lucius Verus. He is also the grandson of Marcus Aurelius.
David Hemmings as Cassius: the master of ceremonies for the gladiatorial games in the Colosseum.
Tommy Flanagan as Cicero: Maximus's loyal servant who provides liaison between the enslaved Maximus, his former legion based at Ostia, and Lucilla. He is used as bait for the escaping Maximus and eventually killed by the Praetorian Guard.
Sven-Ole Thorsen as Tigris of Gaul: An undefeated champion gladiator who is called out of retirement by Commodus to kill Maximus but is defeated by Maximus. Commodus then ordered Maximus to kill Tigris, but Maximus spared him.
Omid Djalili as a slave trader.
Giannina Facio as Maximus's wife.
Giorgio Cantarini as Maximus's son, who is the same age as Lucilla's son Lucius.

tag: ul

text: Production[edit]

text: Screenplay[edit]

text: Gladiator was based on an original pitch by David Franzoni, who wrote the first draft.[8] Franzoni was given a three-picture deal with DreamWorks as writer and co-producer on the strength of his previous work, Steven Spielberg's Amistad, which helped establish the reputation of DreamWorks. Not a classical scholar, Franzoni was inspired by Daniel P. Mannix's 1958 novel Those About to Die, and he chose to base his story on Commodus after reading the Augustan History. In Franzoni's first draft, dated April 4, 1998, he named his protagonist Narcissus, a wrestler who, according to the ancient sources Herodian and Cassius Dio, strangled Emperor Commodus to death.[9]

text: Ridley Scott was approached by producers Walter F. Parkes and Douglas Wick. They showed him a copy of Jean-Léon Gérôme's 1872 painting entitled Pollice Verso (Thumbs Down).[10] Scott was enticed by filming the world of Ancient Rome. However, Scott felt Franzoni's dialogue was too "on the nose" (lacking subtlety) and hired John Logan to rewrite the script to his liking. Logan rewrote much of the first act and made the decision to kill off Maximus's family to increase the character's motivation.[11]

text: Russell Crowe describes being eager for the role as pitched by Walter F. Parkes, in his interview for Inside the Actors Studio: "They said, 'It's a 100-million-dollar film. You're being directed by Ridley Scott. You play a Roman General.' I've always been a big fan of Ridley's."[12]

text: With two weeks to go before filming, the actors complained of problems with the script. William Nicholson was brought to Shepperton Studios to make Maximus a more sensitive character. Nicholson reworked Maximus' friendship with Juba and developed the afterlife thread in the film, saying "he did not want to see a film about a man who wanted to kill somebody."[11]

text: The screenplay faced many rewrites and revisions. Crowe allegedly questioned every aspect of the evolving script and strode off the set when he did not get answers. According to a DreamWorks executive, "(Russell Crowe) tried to rewrite the entire script on the spot. You know the big line in the trailer, 'In this life or the next, I will have my vengeance'? At first he absolutely refused to say it."[13]

text: Russell Crowe described the script situation: "I read the script and it was substantially underdone. Even the character didn't exist on the pages. And that set about a long process, that's probably the first time that I've been in a situation where the script wasn't a complete done deal. We actually started shooting with about 32 pages and went through them in the first couple of weeks."[12]

text: Of the writing and filming process, Crowe added, "Possibly, a lot of the stuff that I have to deal with now in terms of my quote unquote volatility has to do with that experience. Here was a situation where we got to Morocco with a crew of 200 and a cast of a 100 or whatever, and I didn't have anything to learn. I actually didn't know what the scenes were gonna be. We had, I think, one American writer working on it, one English writer working on it, and of course a group of producers who were also adding their ideas, and then Ridley himself; and then, on the occasion where Ridley would say, 'Look, this is the structure for it – what are you gonna say in that?' So then I'd be doing my own stuff, as well. And this is how things like, 'Strength and honor,' came up. This is how things like, 'At my signal, unleash hell,' came up. The name Maximus Decimus Meridius, it just flowed well."[12]

text: Maximus' habit of rubbing soil before each fight references the attachment and affection to his former life as a farmer.[14] In a conversation with Marcus Aurelius Maximus says the fecund soil of his farm is "black like my wife's hair".[14] Crowe wrote the speech himself, drawing on his feelings of homesickness for his own ranch.[14]

text: Pre-production[edit]

text: In preparation for filming, Scott spent several months developing storyboards to develop the framework of the plot.[15] Over six weeks, production members scouted various locations within the extent of the Roman Empire before its collapse, including Italy, France, North Africa, and England.[16] All of the film's props, sets, and costumes were manufactured by crew members due to high costs and unavailability of the items.[17] One hundred suits of steel armour and 550 suits in polyurethane were made by Rod Vass and his company Armordillo. The unique sprayed-polyurethane system was developed by Armordillo and pioneered for this production. Over a three-month period, 27,500 component pieces of armor were made.[18]

text: Filming[edit]

text: The film was shot in three main locations between January and May 1999. The opening battle scenes in the forests of Germania were shot in three weeks in the Bourne Woods, near Farnham, Surrey, in England.[19] When Scott learned that the Forestry Commission planned to remove a section of the forest, he persuaded them to allow the battle scene to be shot there and burn it down.[20] Scott and cinematographer John Mathieson used multiple cameras filming at various frame rates and a 45-degree shutter, creating stop motion effects in the action sequences, similar to techniques used for the battle sequences of Saving Private Ryan (1998).[21] Subsequently, the scenes of slavery, desert travel, and gladiatorial training school were shot in Ouarzazate, Morocco, just south of the Atlas Mountains over a further three weeks.[22] To construct the arena where Maximus has his first fights, the crew used basic materials and local building techniques to manufacture the 30,000-seat mud brick arena.[23] Finally, the scenes of Ancient Rome were shot over a period of nineteen weeks in Fort Ricasoli, Malta.[24][25]

text: In Malta, a replica of about one-third of Rome's Colosseum was built, to a height of 52 feet (15.8 meters), mostly from plaster and plywood (the other two-thirds and remaining height were added digitally).[26] The replica took several months to build and cost an estimated $1 million.[27] The reverse side of the complex supplied a rich assortment of Ancient Roman street furniture, colonnades, gates, statuary, and marketplaces for other filming requirements. The complex was serviced by tented "costume villages" that had changing rooms, storage, armorers, and other facilities.[24] The rest of the Colosseum was created in computer-generated imagery using set-design blueprints and textures referenced from live action, and rendered in three layers to provide lighting flexibility for compositing in Flame and Inferno software.[28]

text: Post-production[edit]

text: British post-production company The Mill was responsible for much of the computer-generated imagery effects that were added after filming. The company was responsible for such tricks as compositing real tigers filmed on bluescreen into the fight sequences, and adding smoke trails and extending the flight paths of the opening scene's salvo of flaming arrows to get around regulations on how far they could be shot during filming. They also used 2,000 live actors to create a computer-generated crowd of 35,000 virtual actors that had to look believable and react to fight scenes.[29] The Mill accomplished this by shooting live actors at different angles giving various performances, and then mapping them onto cards, with motion-capture tools used to track their movements for three-dimensional compositing.[28] The Mill created over 90 visual effects shots, comprising approximately nine minutes of the film's running time.[30]

text: An unexpected post-production job was caused by the death of Oliver Reed of a heart attack during the filming in Malta, before all his scenes had been shot. The Mill created a digital body double for the remaining scenes involving his character Proximo[28] by photographing a live action body-double in the shadows and by mapping a three-dimensional computer-generated imagery mask of Reed's face to the remaining scenes during production at an estimated cost of $3.2 million for two minutes of additional footage.[31][32] Visual effects supervisor John Nelson reflected on the decision to include the additional footage: "What we did was small compared to our other tasks on the film. What Oliver did was much greater. He gave an inspiring, moving performance. All we did was help him finish it."[31] The film is dedicated to Reed's memory.[33]

text: Historical authenticity[edit]

text: Development[edit]

text: The film is loosely based on real events that occurred within the Roman Empire in the latter half of the 2nd century AD. As Ridley Scott wanted to portray Roman culture more accurately than in any previous film, he hired several historians as advisors. Nevertheless, some deviations from historical fact were made to increase interest, maintain narrative continuity, and for practical or safety reasons. Scott also stated that due to the influence of previous films affecting the public perception of what ancient Rome was like, some historical facts were "too unbelievable" to include. For instance in an early version of the script, gladiators would have been carrying out product endorsements in the arena; while this would have been historically accurate, it was not filmed for fear that audiences would think it anachronistic.[34]

text: At least one historical advisor resigned due to these changes. Another asked not to be mentioned in the credits (though it was stated in the director's commentary that he constantly asked, "where is the proof that certain things were exactly like they say?"). Historian Allen Ward of the University of Connecticut believed that historical accuracy would not have made Gladiator less interesting or exciting because "creative artists need to be granted some poetic license, but that should not be a permit for the wholesale disregard of facts in historical fiction".[35][36]

text: Fictionalization[edit]

text: Marcus Aurelius died at Vindobona (a Roman camp on the site of modern-day Vienna in Austria) in 180 AD; he was not murdered by his son Commodus following the final battle of the Marcomannic Wars. In reality Marcus Aurelius shared the rule of the Empire with Commodus for three years before his own death. Commodus then ruled alone from that point onward.

text: The character of Maximus is fictional, although in some respects he resembles the historical figures Narcissus (Commodus's real-life murderer and the character's name in the first draft of the screenplay),[37] Spartacus (who led a significant slave revolt in 73-71 BC), Cincinnatus (519-430 BC) (a farmer who became dictator, saved Rome from invasion, then resigned his six-month appointment after 15 days),[38][39] and Marcus Nonius Macrinus (a trusted general, Consul in 154 AD, and friend of Marcus Aurelius).[40][41][42] Although Commodus engaged in show combat in the Colosseum, he was not killed in the arena; he was strangled in his bath by the wrestler Narcissus. Commodus reigned for over twelve years, unlike the shorter period portrayed in the film.[43][44]

text: The character of Maximus had a similar career (and personality traits as documented by Herodian) to Claudius Pompeianus (a Syrian) who married Marcus Aurelius' daughter Lucilla following the death of Lucius Verus. It is believed Aurelius may have wanted Pompeianus to succeed him as Caesar in preference to Commodus but was turned down. Pompeianus had no part in any of the many plots against Commodus. He was not depicted in the film.[35]

text: In the film the character Antonius Proximo claims "the wise" Marcus Aurelius banned gladiatorial games in Rome forcing him to move to Mauretania. The real Aurelius did ban the games, but only in Antioch as punishment for the city's support of the usurper Avidius Cassius. No games were ever banned in Rome. However, when the Emperor started conscripting gladiators into the legions, the resulting shortage in fighters allowed lanistae such as Proximo to make "windfall" profits through increased charges for their services.[45]

text: In real life, the death of Commodus did not result in a peace for Rome, nor a return to the Roman Republic. Rather, it ushered in a chaotic and bloody power struggle that culminated in the Year of the Five Emperors of AD 193. According to Herodian, the people of Rome were overjoyed at the news of Commodus dying, although they feared that the praetorians would not accept the new emperor Pertinax.[46]

text: Anachronisms[edit]

text: Costumes within the film are almost never completely historically correct. Some of the soldiers wear fantasy helmets. The bands wrapped around their lower arms were rarely ever worn. Their appearance is the product of historical movies always depicting peoples of antiquity wearing such bands. Although the film is set within the 2nd century AD, the Imperial Gallic armor and the helmets worn by the legionaries are from AD 75, a century earlier. This was superseded by new designs in AD 100. Likewise the legions' standard bearers (Aquilifer), centurions, mounted forces, and auxiliaries would have worn scale armour, lorica squamata.[47][48] The Germanic tribes are dressed in clothes from the Stone Age period.[49]

text: The Roman cavalry are shown attacking using stirrups. This is anachronistic in that the horse-mounted forces of the Roman army used a two-horned saddle. Stirrups were only employed for safety reasons because of the additional training and skill required to ride with a Roman saddle.[45][50] Catapults and ballistae would not have been used in a forest. They were reserved primarily for sieges and were rarely used in open battles.[45]

text: The Praetorian Guards seen in the film are all wearing black uniforms. No historical evidence supports that. On campaign they usually wore standard legionary equipment albeit with some unique decorative elements.[51]

text: In the bird's eye view of Rome when the city is introduced for the first time there are several buildings that did not exist at the time of Gladiator. For example, the Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine is quite prominent; however, it was not completed until AD 312.

text: Influences[edit]

text: The film's plot was influenced by two 1960s Hollywood films of the sword-and-sandal genre, The Fall of the Roman Empire and Spartacus,[52] and shares several plot points with The Fall of the Roman Empire, which tells the story of Livius, who, like Maximus in Gladiator, is Marcus Aurelius's intended successor. Livius is in love with Lucilla and seeks to marry her while Maximus, who is happily married, was formerly in love with her. Both films portray the death of Marcus Aurelius as an assassination. In Fall of the Roman Empire a group of conspirators independent of Commodus, hoping to profit from Commodus's accession, arrange for Marcus Aurelius to be poisoned; in Gladiator Commodus himself murders his father by smothering him. In the course of Fall of the Roman Empire Commodus unsuccessfully seeks to win Livius over to his vision of empire in contrast to that of his father, but continues to employ him notwithstanding; in Gladiator, when Commodus fails to secure Maximus's allegiance, he executes Maximus's wife and son and tries unsuccessfully to execute him. Livius in Fall of the Roman Empire and Maximus in Gladiator kill Commodus in single combat, Livius to save Lucilla and Maximus to avenge the murder of his wife and son, and both do it for the greater good of Rome.

text: Scott cited Spartacus and Ben-Hur as influences on the film: "These movies were part of my cinema-going youth. But at the dawn of the new millennium, I thought this might be the ideal time to revisit what may have been the most important period of the last two thousand years – if not all recorded history – the apex and beginning of the decline of the greatest military and political power the world has ever known."[53]

text: Spartacus provides the film's gladiatorial motif, as well as the character of Senator Gracchus, a fictitious senator (bearing the name of a pair of revolutionary Tribunes from the 2nd century BC) who in both films is an elder statesman of ancient Rome attempting to preserve the ancient rights of the Roman Senate in the face of an ambitious autocrat –Marcus Licinius Crassus in Spartacus and Commodus in Gladiator. Both actors who played Gracchus (in Spartacus and Gladiator), played Claudius in previous films – Charles Laughton of Spartacus played Claudius in the unfinished 1937 film I, Claudius and Sir Derek Jacobi of Gladiator, played Claudius in the 1976 BBC adaptation. Both films also share a specific set piece, wherein a gladiator (Maximus here, Woody Strode's Draba in Spartacus) throws his weapon into a spectator box at the end of a match, as well as at least one line of dialogue: "Rome is the mob", said here by Gracchus and by Julius Caesar (John Gavin) in Spartacus.

text: The film's depiction of Commodus's entry into Rome borrows imagery from Leni Riefenstahl's Nazi propaganda film Triumph of the Will (1935), although Scott has pointed out that the iconography of Nazi rallies was itself inspired by the Roman Empire. Gladiator reflects back on the film by duplicating similar events that occurred in Adolf Hitler's procession. The Nazi film opens with an aerial view of Hitler arriving in a plane, while Scott shows an aerial view of Rome, quickly followed by a shot of the large crowd of people watching Commodus pass them in a procession with his chariot.[54] The first thing to appear in Triumph of the Will is a Nazi eagle, which is alluded to when a statue of an eagle sits atop one of the arches (and then is shortly followed by several more decorative eagles throughout the rest of the scene) leading up to the procession of Commodus. At one point in the Nazi film, a little girl gives flowers to Hitler, while Commodus is met by several girls who all give him bundles of flowers.[55]

text: Music[edit]

text:
Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard – "Now We Are Free"

listen to a clip from the score of Gladiator.

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tag: table

text: The Oscar-nominated score was composed by Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard, and conducted by Gavin Greenaway. Zimmer was originally planning to use Israeli vocalist Ofra Haza for the score, after his work with her in The Prince of Egypt. However, Haza died in late February 2000, before she was able to record, and so Gerrard was chosen instead. Lisa Gerrard's vocals are similar to her own work on The Insider score.[56] The music for many of the battle scenes has been noted as similar to Gustav Holst's "Mars: The Bringer of War", and in June 2006, the Holst Foundation sued Hans Zimmer for allegedly copying the late Holst's work.[57][58] Another close musical resemblance occurs in the scene of Commodus's triumphal entry into Rome, accompanied by music clearly evocative of two sections – the Prelude to Das Rheingold and Siegfried's Funeral March from Götterdämmerung – from Richard Wagner's Ring of the Nibelung. On February 27, 2001, nearly a year after the first soundtrack's release, Decca produced Gladiator: More Music From the Motion Picture. Then, on September 5, 2005, Decca produced Gladiator: Special Anniversary Edition, a two-CD pack containing both the above-mentioned releases. Some of the music from the film was featured in the NFL playoffs in January 2003 before commercial breaks and before and after half-time.[59] In 2003, Luciano Pavarotti released a recording of himself singing a song from the film and said he regretted turning down an offer to perform on the soundtrack.[60]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Box office[edit]

text: Gladiator grossed $187.7 million in the United States and Canada and $269.9 million in other territories for a total of $457.6 million, against a production budget of $103 million.[61]

text: In North America, the film earned $34.8 million in its opening weekend at 2,938 theaters, topping the box office.[62] It remained number one in its second weekend grossing $24.6 million, and dropped to third place in its third weekend with $19.7 million behind newcomers Mission: Impossible 2 and Shanghai Noon.[63][64]

text: Critical response[edit]

text: On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 76% based on 186 reviews; the average rating is 7.2/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Ridley Scott and an excellent cast successfully convey the intensity of Roman gladitorial combat as well as the political intrigue brewing beneath." [65] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating, the film has a score of 67 out of 100, based on 37 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[66] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[67]

text: The Battle of Germania was cited by CNN as one of their "favorite on-screen battle scenes",[68] while Entertainment Weekly named Maximus as their sixth favorite action hero, because of "Crowe's steely, soulful performance",[69] and named it as their third favorite revenge film.[70] In December 2000, Gladiator was named the best film of the year by viewers of Film 2000, taking 40% of the votes.[71] In 2002, a Channel 4 (UK TV) poll named it as the sixth greatest film of all time.[72] Entertainment Weekly put it on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, saying, "Are you not entertained?".[73]

text: It was not without its deriders. Roger Ebert gave the film 2 out of 4 stars and criticized the look of the film as "muddy, fuzzy, and indistinct." He also derided the writing, saying it "employs depression as a substitute for personality, and believes that if characters are bitter and morose enough, we won't notice how dull they are."[74] Camille Paglia called the film "boring, badly shot and suffused with sentimental p.c. rubbish."[75]

text: Accolades[edit]

text: Gladiator was nominated in 36 individual ceremonies, including the 73rd Academy Awards, the BAFTA Awards, and the Golden Globe Awards. Of 119 award nominations, the film won 48 prizes.[76]

text: The film won five Academy Awards and was nominated for an additional seven, including Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor for Joaquin Phoenix and Best Director for Ridley Scott. It was the first movie to win Best Picture without winning either a directing or screenwriting award since All the King's Men at the 22nd Academy Awards in 1950. In 2003, Chicago became another Best Picture winner which didn't win an Academy Award in either of these two major categories. Due to Academy rules, only Hans Zimmer was officially nominated for Best Music, Original Score, and not to Lisa Gerrard at the time.[77] However, the pair did win the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score as co-composers.

text:
73rd Academy Awards[78]

Best Picture (Douglas Wick, David Franzoni and Branko Lustig)
Best Actor in a Leading Role (Russell Crowe)
Best Visual Effects
Best Costume Design
Best Sound Mixing (Bob Beemer, Scott Millan and Ken Weston)

BAFTA Awards

Best Cinematography
Best Editing
Best Film
Best Production Design

58th Golden Globe Awards

Best Motion Picture – Drama
Best Original Score – Motion Picture

American Film Institute Lists

AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains:

General Maximus Decimus Meridius – #50 Hero[79]

AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes:

"Father to a murdered son. Husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next." – Nominated[80]

AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores – Nominated[81]
AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers – Nominated[82]
AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) – Nominated[83]
AFI's 10 Top 10 – Nominated Epic Film[84]

text: Impact[edit]

text: The film's mainstream success is responsible for an increased interest in Roman and classical history in the United States. According to The New York Times, this has been dubbed the "Gladiator Effect".

text: It's called the 'Gladiator' effect by writers and publishers. The snob in us likes to believe that it is always books that spin off movies. Yet in this case, it's the movies – most recently Gladiator two years ago – that have created the interest in the ancients. And not for more Roman screen colossals, but for writing that is serious or fun or both."[85]

text: The Cicero biography Cicero: The Life and Times of Rome's Greatest Politician and Gregory Hays's translation of Marcus Aurelius's Meditations received large spikes in sales after the release of the film.[85] The film also began a revival of the historical epic genre with films such as Troy, The Alamo, King Arthur, Alexander, 300, Kingdom of Heaven and Robin Hood (the last two were also directed by Scott).[86] The character of Maximus was placed 12th in the Total Film list of 50 best movie heroes and villains[87] and 35th in the Empire's 100 Greatest Movie Characters.[88] Maximus is also featured on 55c "Australian Legends" postage stamp series.[89] Russell Crowe attended a ceremony to mark the creation of the stamps.[89]

text: Home media[edit]

text: The film was first released on DVD on November 21, 2000, and has since been released in several different extended and special edition versions. Special features for the Blu-ray Disc and DVDs include deleted scenes, trailers, documentaries, commentaries, storyboards, image galleries, Easter eggs, and cast auditions. The film was released on Blu-ray in September 2009, in a 2-disc edition containing both the theatrical and extended cuts of the film, as part of Paramount's "Sapphire Series" (Paramount bought the DreamWorks library in 2006).[90] Initial reviews of the Blu-ray Disc release criticized poor image quality, leading many to call for it to be remastered, as Sony did with The Fifth Element in 2007.[91] A remastered version was later released in 2010.

text: The DVD editions that have been released since the original two-disc version, include a film only single-disc edition as well as a three-disc "extended edition" DVD which was released in August 2005. The extended edition DVD features approximately fifteen minutes of additional scenes, most of which appear in the previous release as deleted scenes. The original cut, which Scott still calls his director's cut, is also select-able via seamless branching (which is not included on the UK edition). The DVD is also notable for having a new commentary track featuring director Scott and star Crowe. The film is on the first disc, the second one has a three-hour documentary into the making of the film by DVD producer Charles de Lauzirika, and the third disc contains supplements. Discs one and two of the three-disc extended edition were also repackaged and sold as a two-disc "special edition" in the EU in 2005.

text: Possible sequel[edit]

text: In June 2001, Douglas Wick said a Gladiator prequel was in development.[92] The following year, Wick, Walter Parkes, David Franzoni, and John Logan switched direction to a sequel set fifteen years later;[93] the Praetorian Guards rule Rome and an older Lucius is trying to learn who his real father was. However, Russell Crowe was interested in resurrecting Maximus, and further researched Roman beliefs about the afterlife to accomplish this.[94] Ridley Scott expressed interest, although he admitted the project would have to be retitled as it had little to do with gladiators.[95] An easter egg contained on disc 2 of the extended edition / special edition DVD releases includes a discussion of possible scenarios for a follow-up. This includes a suggestion by Walter F. Parkes that, in order to enable Russell Crowe to return to play Maximus, who dies at the end of the original movie, a sequel could involve a "multi-generational drama about Maximus and the Aureleans and this chapter of Rome", similar in concept to The Godfather Part II.

text: In 2006, Scott stated he and Crowe approached Nick Cave to rewrite the film, but their ideas conflicted with DreamWorks's idea of a spin-off involving Lucius, whom Scott revealed would turn out to be Maximus's son with Lucilla. Scott noted that a tale of corruption in Rome was too complex, whereas Gladiator worked due to its simple drive.[96] In 2009, details of Cave's ultimately-rejected script surfaced on the internet: the script having Maximus being reincarnated by the Roman gods and returned to Rome to defend Christians against persecution; then transported to other important periods in history, including World War II, the Vietnam War, and finally being a general in the modern-day Pentagon. This script for a sequel, however, was rejected as being too far-fetched, and not in keeping with the spirit and theme of the original film.[97][98]

text: In March 2017, Scott again stated that he has an idea of how a sequel could be done, and that he is currently trying to convince Russell Crowe to reprise his role as Maximus.[99]


document_title: List of Friday Night Lights characters

question_text: who plays smash mom on friday night lights

text: List of Friday Night Lights characters

text:
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text: This article contains character information for the NBC/DirecTV (The 101 Network) American drama television series Friday Night Lights.

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Main cast of Friday Night Lights

Actor
Character
Season

S1
S2
S3
S4
S5

Kyle Chandler
Eric Taylor
Main

Connie Britton
Tami Taylor
Main

Gaius Charles
Brian "Smash" Williams
Main
Recurring

Zach Gilford
Matt Saracen
Main
Recurring

Minka Kelly
Lyla Garrity
Main
Guest

Taylor Kitsch
Tim Riggins
Main
Recurring

Adrianne Palicki
Tyra Collette
Main

Guest

Jesse Plemons
Landry Clarke
Main
Guest

Scott Porter
Jason Street
Main
Recurring

Guest

Aimee Teegarden
Julie Taylor
Main

Michael B. Jordan
Vince Howard

Main

Jurnee Smollett
Jess Merriweather

Main

Matt Lauria
Luke Cafferty

Main

Madison Burge
Becky Sproles

Recurring
Main

Grey Damon
Hastings Ruckle

Main

text: Main characters[edit]

text:
Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) — The varsity football coach of the Dillon Panthers. The character is based on the real-life coach Gary Gaines. Like Gaines, Taylor is the new coach who is having a difficult time adjusting to the intensity that Dillon shows for football. Taylor is often conflicted with the advice he is given by local supporters of the team. After the team advances to the state tournament at the end of Season 1 under his leadership, Taylor leaves Dillon to accept a higher level job at a college, also in Texas, only to return to Dillon early in Season 2. At the end of Season 3, a series of political moves result in Taylor losing his job and moving to the re-opened, and much more poorly-funded East Dillon High. Eric rebuilds the program at East Dillon and leads them to a State Championship before moving to Philadelphia to support Tami at the end of the series.
Tami Taylor (Connie Britton) — The wife of Eric Taylor and mother of Julie Taylor. She begins the series as the guidance counselor at Dillon High School. At the start of Season 2 she gives birth to another baby girl, Gracie Belle, and in Season 3 she becomes principal of the school, remaining there after her husband moves to East Dillon in Season 4. After the conservative community demands an apology from Tami regarding an incident that involved an abortion, Tami resigns as school principal and intends to become the guidance counselor at East Dillon. In Season 5, she is offered the position of Dean of Admissions for Braemore College in Philadelphia, which she eventually accepts in the series finale.
Julie Taylor (Aimee Teegarden) — The older daughter of Eric and Tami Taylor. She begins the series as a freshman at Dillon High School and becomes the girlfriend of Matt Saracen. During Seasons 1 and 2 she is depicted engaging in some teenage rebellion (drinking, getting a tattoo, dating around, etc.). In Season 4, despite having earned an interview at Boston College, Julie ultimately turns down the offer, realizing that her heart remains in Dillon. In the season finale Julie and Matt break up and go their separate ways. However, their paths cross once again in Season 5 when Julie goes to Chicago to see Matt after making some bad decisions. During her visit, they kiss and Matt gives Julie the belief that she should stop running from what she's done wrong. She again leaves and their relationship remains ambiguous. However Matt, spurred on by her visit in Chicago, arrives in Dillon and proposes, and Julie says yes. Eight months later, they are living happily in Chicago at the conclusion of the series. Whether or not they are married by this point is unknown.
Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford) — The shy and stammering sophomore who is quarterback/wide receiver of the Dillon Panthers and becomes the boyfriend of Julie Taylor. He has issues with abandonment, once summing it up as that he was left by Coach Taylor for a better team, left by Julie Taylor for a better guy, left by his father for a war. Beyond this, his mother is also known to have left him around age ten, though she returns to Dillon in Season 3 to help him take care of his grandmother. Saracen is based on Mike Winchell. Saracen graduates at the end of Season 3 but remains in the cast. In Season 4, after the death of his father, he moves to Chicago in order to pursue a career in art. He wore the jersey number 7 which Tim Riggins frequently referred to him by.
Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch) — The fullback/running back of the Dillon Panthers, he wore the jersey number 33. He is the troubled best friend of Jason Street and ex-boyfriend of Tyra Collette. He later dates Lyla Garrity, with whom he has an off and on relationship. Of course, both were stops in quite a long line of girls, as Riggins is known as a bit of a womanizer. He solves many of his problems through promiscuous sex and heavy drinking. Tim is based on Don Billingsley from the film. Both Tim and Don have rocky relationships with their fathers. Both are very good players and heavy partiers. In the Season 4 finale, Tim turns himself in to protect Billy after it is discovered they were running a chop shop.
Landry Clarke (Jesse Plemons) - A somewhat nerdy freshman. Mistakenly called "Lance" by Coach Eric Taylor, in which Landry eventually accepts. He is the best friend of Panthers quarterback Matt Saracen, but wasn't on the football team in Season 1. He joined the team to impress his father in Season 2. He has his own band and is in love with Tyra Collette, to whom he lost his virginity. Landry is based on Brian Chavez. Like Chavez, Landry is best friends with the quarterback. Both characters have very good grades and await a life outside of Dillon /Odessa. He also has some similarities to Jerrod McDougal, a diminutive Permian Panthers player who was not portrayed in the 2004 film. In Season 4, having moved to East Dillon High, Landry becomes the team captain along with Howard, and Cafferty. Landry makes the team as a kicker and makes the season-ending game-winning field goal against the Panthers. In Season 5, Landry goes off to college at Rice University in Houston. As a Dillon Panther he wore the number 85, and as an East Dillon Lion he wore 21.
Tyra Collette (Adrianne Palicki) — Former Dillon High bad girl, she cleans up her act after Tami takes her under wing. Her dating history includes Tim Riggins (Season 1, Season 5), Landry (Season 2), and a cowboy named Cash (Season 3). She is seen developing throughout the show and hoping to rise above the stereotype of the blonde, oversexed female in Dillon. She was admitted into University of Texas in Austin after graduating from Dillon High and expresses the desire to go into politics "like Mrs. T, only bigger" in the series finale.
Jason Street (Scott Porter) — The former star quarterback of the Dillon panthers and former fiancé of Lyla Garrity. Street was paralyzed from the chest down during the first game of his senior year and developed an interest in quad rugby. He was briefly an assistant coach of the Dillon Panthers. He ends up in Northern New Jersey with his wife Erin and their son Noah, working as a sports agent. (Recapped in Season 5)
Lyla Garrity (Minka Kelly) — Daughter of Buddy Garrity, former fiancée of Jason Street and former captain of the cheerleadering team. She initially tries to maintain her relationship with Street after his accident, but ends up cheating on him with Tim Riggins, which causes a rift between Jason and the two of them. After the divorce, her mother and younger brother and sister move away while she stayed in Texas with Buddy. In Season 2, she quits cheerleading and becomes very religious after her relationship with Jason falls apart and her parents get divorced. She later dates Tim and almost follows him to San Antonio State. Lyla leaves the show at the end of Season 3 to attend Vanderbilt University. She reappears in the season 4 episode "The Son" attending the funeral of Henry Saracen, Matt's dad. In her final appearance in the following episode, she implores Tim to move on from their relationship before returning to Vanderbilt.
Brian "Smash" Williams (Gaius Charles) — Former running back of the Dillon Panthers, his jersey number was 20. Now plays for Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. The character is based on Boobie Miles (played by Derek Luke in the film). Smash wants to get to the pros so he can support his family, but hits several snags when he decides to use steroids in Season 1 and gets into a fight as a result of racist comments in Season 2. He is injured between the second and third season, but Coach Taylor helps him rehab and get walk on Texas A&M, where he is a successful college player. His successes are discussed and seen on TV by several people in Seasons 4 and 5.
Luke Cafferty (Matt Lauria) - Cafferty is a new character in Season 4. Initially Tim Riggins' replacement at tailback. Previously a standout on West Dillon’s JV team, he has to attend East Dillon when it is discovered that he actually lives in the East Dillon district but has been lying about his address so he can continue to play for West Dillon. His parents, unlike most of the other parents, are not supportive of his involvement in football. As a Dillon Panther he wore the number 4, while as a Lion he wore 44. Despite being moved to East Dillon, he remains friends with JD McCoy, which eventually ends after JD's increased arrogance. Luke gets Becky Sproles pregnant on their first encounter in Season 4, causing her to be wary of him for some time. He eventually wins her heart during his senior year. Luke spends much of the 5th season conflicted about whether or not to go to a Division 3 college and play football once it becomes clear he will not get any offers from larger universities. After advice from Tim Riggins, stating "play the game like it's the last time you're gonna lace up, then let it go, then move on," Luke is a whole lot more focused for the upcoming State Championship rather than worrying about a football scholarship. Luke and his teammates pull off a shock when they reach the State final and win. Eight months after the State final, Luke has enlisted in the United States Army, and is seen at the bus station giving Becky his State ring before leaving Dillon.
Vince Howard (Michael B. Jordan)- A new character beginning in Season 4, Howard is a talented athlete but had never played football before being given the choice of joining the new East Dillon football team or going to juvenile detention. After sending his mother to drug rehab, Vince becomes East Dillon's new quarterback with the jersey number 5, and leads them to a win over the Panthers in the Season 4 finale. Vince is overwhelmed by all the attention he is receiving from colleges and becomes arrogant and selfish in Season 5. Vince's overbearing father is seen at the sidelines standing next to Jason, who is back in Dillon for a visit, repeatedly dropping somewhat unsubtle hints about "what school can get you to the pros quick", much to Jason and Coach Taylor's concern. Coach benches Vince as his behavior was beginning to alienate teammates, potentially damaging the morale of the team. Seeing the error of his ways, Vince matures and leads the Lions to State. When we meet Vince, his father is in jail and Vince is running with a bad crowd, but he stands up to his father and takes care of his mother when his father is released from jail. Eight months later, Vince is shown to be the quarterback for the Dillon Panthers.
Jess Merriweather (Jurnee Smollett)- A character who joins the series in Season 4, Merriweather is an East Dillon student whose father was a former state-championship winning quarterback of the East Dillon Lions but came to resent the sport and the team. Merriweather carries the responsibility for working in her family's restaurant and caring for her three younger brothers. By the end of Season 4, after a brief relationship with Landry, Jess becomes Vince's girlfriend. In Season 5, Jess decides to become a coach and starts shadowing Coach Taylor. Her relationship with Vince reaches a rocky patch when he starts acting selfishly. They briefly break up, but eventually fix things by the end of the season get back together before the Lions go to State. Jess later informs Coach that she is moving to Dallas because her father's fast-food franchise took off; Coach tells her he knows a coach in Dallas and will recommend her. Eight months later, she is seen shadowing that coach in Dallas, her dream still alive.
Becky Sproles (Madison Burge) - An East Dillon student/beauty-queen hopeful. Becky undergoes an abortion late in Season 4 after a one-night stand with Luke Cafferty, and leans on Tim Riggins for support. Becky's decision to terminate the pregnancy lands Tami Taylor in hot water, eventually costing her her job. In Season 5 Becky and Luke eventually get back together and she starts living with Billy and Mindy when her mother leaves town for a casino trip and she's mistreated by her stepmom, and Billy and Mindy treat her as real family. In the series finale, Becky moves back with her mom after she come backs from their trip, but she promises to visit Billy and Mindy. Eight months after the State game she is seen kissing Luke goodbye at the bus garage as he heads off to join the army.
Hastings Ruckle (Grey Damon) - Hastings is discovered by Buddy Garrity and convinced by Luke Cafferty and Vince Howard to join the East Dillon football team instead of the basketball team. He becomes a talented receiver, helping the team win their State Championship. It is unclear whether he joins the Dillon Panthers "super team," or if he returns to playing basketball for East Dillon.

text: Recurring characters[edit]

text:
Buddy Garrity (Brad Leland) - Owner of a popular Chevrolet dealership in town, father of Lyla Garrity, and an influential Dillon Panthers alumnus and member of the booster club. He and his ex-wife Pam have three children: Lyla, Tabby and Buddy Jr. He played college football for the Texas Longhorns. His loud-mouthed, straight-talking pragmatism puts off Coach Taylor but they come to have a good working relationship and he genuinely has the team's best interests at heart (even if it comes out the wrong way). He ends up having an affair with Angela Collette, Tyra's mom, which causes stress with his family and results in a messy divorce. Buddy is based on John Aubrey, a character Leland himself played in the film. By the third season, Joe McCoy, a wealthy member of the booster club, stages a "coup" to replace Taylor as Panthers head coach with his own son J.D.'s personal trainer Wade Aikmen, prompting Garrity, who felt ashamed of the McCoys' behavior to denounce his allegiance to the Panthers and join the Lions instead, becoming instrumental in providing sponsors, including hosting a weekly pro-Lions radio show at a local station. Buddy sells his dealership and opens a bar in East Dillon in Season 4, and in Season 5 his ex-wife Pam sends his son, Buddy Jr. to live with him when he begins acting out. When the Dillon Independent School District chooses the Panthers to be the lone football team in Dillon, Buddy is offered to come back as President of the Panthers booster club, which he accepts. In the season finale ending, he is seen driving around the golf cart that Joe drove Wade around the field during practices. He also has a sign hung over the Coach's office "Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Cant Lose", a homage to former Dillon Panthers Coach Taylor.
Billy Riggins (Derek Phillips) — Older brother to Tim Riggins, acts as his legal guardian since both parents were absent from their lives. When he took in Tim, he was about to go to college on a golf scholarship but was forced to give it up to care for Tim. Like Tim, he played for the Dillon Panthers. Married Mindy Colette, older sister of Tim's ex-girlfriend Tyra, at the end of Season 3. He also starts a car repair business, Riggins Rigs. In Season 4, after increasing pressure from a pregnant Mindy and himself to provide for his family, he opens a chop shop to make ends meet. When Tim takes the fall for him, he becomes a coach at East Dillon and helps take care of Becky Sproles while Tim is in jail. In Season 5, he and Mindy find out they have twins on the way. In the finale, he is shown coaching for the new Dillon Panthers super-team.
Lorraine Saracen (Louanne Stephens) — Grandmother to Matt Saracen, she often requires special care from Matt. She suffers from dementia. She acts as a motherly figure in Matt's life since his father is never around.
Shelby Saracen (nee Garrett) (Kim Dickens) — Mother of Matt Saracen, she was largely absent throughout Matt's life, until his struggles with his grandmother forced him to seek her out, so that she could sign papers to legally emancipate him. She ends up staying in Dillon with Matt and his grandmother, though it takes some time for Lorraine to accept her help.
Mindy Collette-Riggins (Stacey Oristano) - Hard-edged sister to Tyra Collette and Billy Riggins's wife, Mindy works as a stripper at a local roadhouse, The Landing Strip. Unlike Tyra, she fully embraces a trashy image and reputation. Initially a minor character, as the series developed the character was more heavily featured, especially in the last two seasons where she was further fleshed out and revealed to have rather strong, underlying empathetic qualities. A sister figure to Becky, she and Billy have their own son, Stevie, and are expecting twins in Season 5.
Corrina Williams (Liz Mikel) — Mother to “Smash” Williams. She found the steroids in his room and went to Coach Taylor about it, briefly putting his career in jeopardy. Works in town as a nurse, and was the one to tell Tami Taylor she was pregnant at the end of Season 1. She supports Smash's football aspirations but also keeps him grounded, encouraging him to consider his education in addition to a potential pro career.
Mitchell and Joanne Street (Mark Nutter and Katherine Willis) — Jason Street's parents. Their occupations remain ambiguous. After Jason's injury, they were forced to mortgage the house to pay for his medical expenses and home renovations, prompting them to sue Coach Taylor for compensation. The decision to sue Coach Taylor caused some tension in the house, which upset Jason, who considered Taylor to be a mentor and was close to both parents. The Streets are portrayed as the "All-American" family in the show. They dote on Jason, presumably their only child, and were often seen cheering him on at football games. After Jason leaves Dillon for New York City in season 3, they are not mentioned again.
Mac MacGill (Blue Deckert) — Offensive coordinator for the Dillon Panthers. There is initially tension between him and Eric, as he assumed the head coaching position would be his before Eric was hired. Caused the black players on the team to walk off the team in the week leading up to a playoff game in Season 1 after making politically incorrect comments. Later defended Smash after the rival team's police tried to arrest him for starting a brawl in the game. In Season 3, he suffers a heart attack and takes a leave of absence from coaching, and is replaced by future coach Wade Aikmen. In Season 4, Coach Taylor offered him a job at East Dillon, but Mac politely turned him down. In Season 5, MacGill has succeeded Aikmen as the head coach of the Dillon Panthers. After that football season, it was unclear if Mac remained head coach, was demoted back to assistant coach, or left the team entirely.
Bill McGregor (Chris Mulkey) — Former head coach of the Dillon Panthers. He replaced Coach Taylor at the beginning of season 2 after the latter left for TMU. Thanks to some manipulating from Buddy Garrity, he was fired after the second game (a loss). Known as the "Tennessee Tyrant" for his heavy-handed take-no-prisoners approach to coaching, in contrast to Taylor's more casual style.
Chad Clarke (Glenn Morshower) — Father of Landry Clarke, Dillon Panthers alumnus, and police sergeant for the Dillon Police Department. He tries to protect Landry when he gets into trouble in Season 2.
Herc (Kevin Rankin) — Athlete with the same injury as Jason Street, he's Jason's roommate in the rehab center after his accident. He takes Jason under his wing and gets him interested in quad rugby. They later become roommates and go in on a real estate venture together before Jason leaves for the northeast.
Jackie Miller (Brooke Langton) - Single mother to Bo Miller with a predilection for younger men. She sleeps with Tim and then Billy Riggins, causing a temporary rift between the brothers.
Waverly Grady (Aasha Davis) — The preacher's daughter and one-time girlfriend to “Smash” Williams. Her bipolar disorder eventually leads to the end of their relationship.
Ray “Voodoo” Tatum (Aldis Hodge) — A Louisiana resident who was displaced by Hurricane Katrina, hence the nickname, and Panther quarterback for two weeks after being brought to town by Buddy Garrity to replace Matt Saracen. The other players are quickly turned off by his refusal to befriend them. He tells Coach Taylor that this situation was a "marriage of convenience" as it benefited both parties and confesses that he felt out of place in Texas and yearns for his hometown in Louisiana. In the third game, against the Tigers, he refused to follow Coach Taylor's game plan, which confused his teammates and left them a touchdown behind at the half. During the halftime team meeting he is confronted by a furious Coach Taylor and his violent temper led to him being expelled from the team right then and there. The Panthers end up having to forfeit the game he led them to win after it is discovered he was not eligible to play for them. The Dillon Panthers meet him again in the State Final against his current high school West Cambria at the end of Season 1. Prior to the game, he attempts to play mind games with Smash by trying to entice him to West Cambria.
Angela Collette (Dana Wheeler-Nicholson) — Mother of Tyra Collette and former mistress to Buddy Garrity. She ends up having an affair with Buddy, which ultimately destroys his family life once it is revealed that Buddy has been repeatedly unfaithful to Lyla's mother for years.
Santiago Herrera (Benny Ciaramello) — Befriends Lyla Garrity after getting out of juvy. Despite his criminal record, Santiago had surprisingly good grades in school, as revealed by then-guidance counselor Tami Taylor. Buddy Garrity gives him a job and a place to stay and Santiago joins the football team, where he becomes a standout defensive player. Due to the writers' strike, his storyline was abandoned the following season and the character disappeared from the series entirely.
J.D. McCoy (Jeremy Sumpter) — A very talented, but over-privileged quarterback who joins the varsity team as a freshman and eventually replaces Matt Saracen as the starter. During his freshman year, his overbearing father Joe attempts to bribe Coach Taylor into starting him. He has trouble relating to his older teammates who don't share his straight-laced habits. In the fourth season, JD becomes heavily arrogant due to Joe becoming President of the Booster Club, and Wade Aikman becoming head coach of the Panthers. In the fifth season it is revealed during the East Dillon/Dillon game that he is no longer the starting QB of the Panthers, even though at this point, he would be a Junior. The reason for this, is that after the loss to East Dillon at the end of Season 4, JD, Joe McCoy and Wade Aikmen left Dillon.
Henry Saracen (Brent Smiga)- The father of Matt Saracen who was divorced from Matt's mother when Matt was young. He enlisted in the US Army and served in Iraq. He served for twenty years, missing much of Matt's life and leaving Matt to care for his grandmother. In Henry's absence, Matt often lacked a father figure and would turn to either Coach Taylor or his good friend Landry for advice, leading to a growing rift between father and son. The character is killed off by an IED in Iraq at the end of Episode 4 of Season 4, "A Sort of Homecoming;" Episode 5, "The Son" deals with Matt's reaction to his father's death. Matt's feelings of anger toward his father are revealed and the best thing he can say at his father's funeral is that he served his country well.
Buddy Garrity Jr. (Jeff Rosick and Joey Truty)- son of Buddy Garrity and brother to Lyla Garrity, Buddy starts off as just a little kid, but after moving to California starts to act out and disrespect authority causing him to move back to Texas with Buddy. He eventually joins the East Dillon Lions to get straightened out, but due to an injury is forced to sit out for the majority of the season. He ultimately becomes a part of the Dillon super-team.
Levi Burnwell (Troy Hogan} - Alumni and Principal for East Dillon High introduced in season 4. Former teacher at West Dillon High prior to East Dillon's reopening. Although Levi views football to be an expensive burden for EDHS, he is seen many times in the stands cheering the Lions on for moral support.
Dallas Tinker (LaMarcus Tinker) - An East Dillon Lion known to his teammates by his last name, Tinker is part of a core group of players including Vince Howard, Luke Cafferty, Hastings Ruckle and Buddy Garrity, Jr. Tinker once helped Luke mend a fence on his parents' farm when no one else showed up; in Season 5, he trades "his" rally girl, Becky, to Luke in exchange for Luke's prize pig. He ultimately joins the Dillon super-team.
Coach T.C. Crowley (Timothy Crowley) - Assistant coach for the Dillon Panthers from seasons 1-4. He took up Coach Taylor's offer to coach for the East Dillon Lions, making him Coach Taylor's right-hand man. Was upset on how the East Dillon Lions players reacted on easily beating the Dillon Panthers in their second matchup, putting him at odds with both Coach Taylor and Coach Riggins for a short amount of time. Returned to the Dillon Panthers "super team" in the season finale East Dillon's football program was shut down.
Coach Spivey (Aaron Spivey Sorrell) - Assistant coach for the Dillon Panthers. Joined the East Dillon Lions in Season 5. He is known for hyping the team up on the way to away games. Returned to the Panthers "super team" in the season finale after East Dillon's football program was shut down.
Coach Stan Traub (Russell DeGrazier) - Assistant coach for the East Dillon Lions in seasons 4-5. Store manager at the local Sears in Dillon. Was a former Pop Warner standout coach. Stan is known for repeating of words of what his fellow coaches say. In the season finale, it is unclear if he joined the Dillon Panthers "super team," or if he retired from football coaching altogether.
Regina Howard (Angela Rawna) - Vince Howard's mother, a former drug addict. After her son gets her into rehab, she is determined to turn her life around.
Sheila Williams (Whitney MCCauley) - Older Sister to Smash Williams
Noannie Williams (Nieko Mann) - Younger Sister to Smash Williams
Gracie Bell Taylor (Madilyn Landry) - Younger Daughter of Eric and Tami Taylor
Mayor Lucy Rodell (Libby Villari) - the mayor of Dillon, and big supporter of the Dillon Panthers.

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v
t
e

Friday Night Lights

Characters

Eric Taylor
Matt Saracen
Jason Street
Smash Williams
Tim Riggins
Tami Taylor
Lyla Garrity
Tyra Collette

Episodes

Season 1

"Pilot"

Season 2
Season 3
Season 4

"The Son"

Season 5

Soundtracks

Film soundtrack
Television soundtrack (Vol. 1)
Television soundtrack (Vol. 2)

Related

Film
Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream
Boobie Miles
Gary Gaines

text: Friday Night Lights (TV series) charactersFriday Night Lights (TV series)

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