Chicago’s Longest-Running Comic Convention Runs Aug. 10 - 13
Chicago, Illinois (July 26, 2023) – Chicago’s longest-running comic and pop culture convention, FAN EXPO Chicago, today announced the addition of a multitude of celebrity guests in the run-up to this year’s Expo, running August 10 - 13, 2023 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont. Led by SAG-AFTRA Los Angeles Local National Vice President Michelle Hurd, newly-announced attendees include Barry Bostwick, Felicia Day, Beverly D’Angelo, and the first-ever convention appearance by Susan Sarandon. The announcement comes just before the close of FAN EXPO Chicago’s early bird ticket window, with ticket prices starting at $22 through midnight tonight and starting at $27 beginning tomorrow, July 27.
Amidst the SAG-AFTRA strike, actress and SAG-AFTRA Los Angeles Local National Vice President Michelle Hurd’s appearance sends a clear signal to actors that their appearances at fan conventions are approved by the union. The union has released guidelines for actors attending conventions, stipulating that meet-and-greets, photo ops, and panel appearances are welcome as long as they do not promote struck work.
“Convention appearances create a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for fans to meet some of their heroes,” said FAN EXPO Vice President Andrew Moyes. “FAN EXPO Chicago is not only bringing fans together with these icons of our culture, but also bringing actors back together with one another with cast reunions from some of the most beloved films of all time, creating really interesting, fun, and totally unpredictable moments that you just have to be there to experience.”
FAN EXPO Chicago marks the first-ever convention appearance by Susan Sarandon, who has won an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a British Academy Film Award, and has been nominated for six Emmys and nine Golden Globe Awards. Sarandon’s career has spanned fifty years in which she has earned rave reviews in every genre imaginable, from family tearjerkers to legal dramas, fairy tales to comedies, sci-fi epics, and even one of the most beloved cult classics in cinematic history.
Barry Bostwick made his stage debut at age 22 before making it to Broadway in 1969 in a production of “Cock-a-Doodle Dandy.” His big break came as he originated the role of legendary T-Bird Danny Zuko in Broadway’s “Grease.” The following year, he appeared alongside Susan Sarandon in an iconic cult classic that spawned the midnight movie craze. His film and stage career continued until he landed on the small screen, spending six seasons in one of the most popular sitcoms of the 1990s alongside fellow FAN EXPO Chicago guest Michael J. Fox.
Beverly D’Angelo joins FAN EXPO Chicago for a once-in-a-lifetime panel discussion with famed co-stars Chevy Chase, Anthony Michael Hall, Christie Brinkley, Dana Barron, and Randy Quaid. Since beginning her career as an animator for Hanna-Barbera Studios, D’Angelo has appeared on Broadway in 1976’s “Rockabye Hamlet,” based on Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” The Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated actress has appeared in more than 60 films and television programs, and visitors to the Patsy Cline Museum in Nashville, Tennessee can hear her voice on the biographical film that has played since the museum’s opening in 2017.
Fan favorite Felicia Day is an actress, writer, and creator of the web series The Guild, a loosely-autobiographical series focused on her life as a gamer. Day is the founder of the online media company Geek & Sundry, and has served as a member of the board of directors of the International Academy of Web Television. Known for her popular roles in some of the most iconic sci-fi shows and films of the era, Day has used her celebrity to support refugee aid benefitting RAICES.
Previously announced highlights of FAN EXPO Chicago 2023 include a series of panels celebrating 1980s pop culture icons, featuring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, and Tom Wilson; Kiefer Sutherland and Jason Patric; and Lou Diamond Phillips and Dermot Mulroney; human rights activist Mira Sorvino; Chicago’s own breakout star Todd Stashwick; pioneering motion capture performer Andy Serkis, iconic director Sam Raimi; fan favorite Giancarlo Esposito; legendary artist Frank Miller; Henry Winkler; and Katee Sackhoff.
FAN EXPO Chicago runs August 10 - 13, 2023 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont. Show hours are Thursday 4 - 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. - 7 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Tickets start at $22 during the advanced pricing window until midnight July 26, 2023, and begin at $27 from July 27 through the end of the show; 4-day passes and VIP packages also available at https://fanexpohq.com/fanexpochicago/buy-tickets/. More information and updates can be found at https://fanexpohq.com/fanexpochicago/.
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