Deaths by AIDS
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Deaths_from_AIDS-related_illness
RELATED LISTS
Tragic Destinies
http://www.imdb.com/list/ls000065265/
Cancer deaths
http://www.imdb.com/list/ls003194534/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Deaths_from_AIDS-related_illness
RELATED LISTS
Tragic Destinies
http://www.imdb.com/list/ls000065265/
Cancer deaths
http://www.imdb.com/list/ls003194534/
List activity
61K views
• 21 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
203 people
- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Rock Hudson was born Roy Harold Scherer, Jr. in Winnetka, Illinois, to Katherine (Wood), a telephone operator, and Roy Harold Scherer, an auto mechanic. He was of German, Swiss-German, English, and Irish descent. His parents divorced when he was eight years old. He failed to obtain parts in school plays because he couldn't remember lines. After high school he was a postal employee and during WW II served as a Navy airplane mechanic. After the war he was a truck driver. His size and good looks got him into movies. His name was changed to Rock Hudson, his teeth were capped, he took lessons in acting, singing, fencing and riding. One line in his first picture, Fighter Squadron (1948), needed 38 takes. In 1956 he received an Oscar nomination for Giant (1956) and two years later Look magazine named him Star of the Year. He starred in a number of bedroom comedies, many with Doris Day, and had his own popular TV series McMillan & Wife (1971). He had a recurring role in TV's Dynasty (1981) (1984-5). He was the first major public figure to announce he had AIDS, and his worldwide search for a cure drew international attention. After his death his long-time lover Marc Christian successfully sued his estate, again calling attention to the homosexuality Rock had hidden from most throughout his career.- Costume Designer
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
Kent Warner was born on 8 March 1943 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a costume designer, known for The Greatest American Hero (1981), Hunter (1984) and The Rockford Files (1974). He died on 25 April 1984 in Los Angeles, California, USA.before Rock Hudson- Michel Foucault was born on 15 October 1926 in Poitiers, Vienne, France. He was a writer, known for Moi, Pierre Rivière, ayant égorgé ma mère, ma soeur et mon frère... (1976), Obliteration Systems (1979) and La Force de l'Ordre (2007). He died on 26 June 1984 in Paris, France.before Rock Hudson
- Bobbi Campbell was born on 28 January 1952 in Columbus, Georgia, USA. He died on 15 August 1984 in San Francisco, California, USA.before Rock Hudson
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Joel Crothers was born on 28 January 1941 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. He was an actor, known for Dark Shadows (1966), The Edge of Night (1956) and Rescue 8 (1958). He died on 6 November 1985 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Set Decorator
- Production Designer
- Actor
Bruce Weintraub was born on 28 February 1952 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a set decorator and production designer, known for The Natural (1984), Blow Out (1981) and Cruising (1980). He died on 14 December 1985 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Bill Kraus was born on 26 June 1947 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. He died on 11 January 1986 in San Francisco, California, USA.
- Brooklyn born US actor who attained minor cult status through his portrayal of troubled teenager "Cotton" leading a group of other teen misfits to release caged buffaloes earmarked for shooting in the film Bless the Beasts & Children (1971) based upon the Glendon Swarthout novel of the same name.
His other work was restricted to a handful of appearances in several TV shows and telemovies.
Died from AIDS related illness on April 1, 1986. - Actor
- Soundtrack
Stephen Stucker was a marvelously wild and dynamic free-spirited actor who specialized in deliciously broad portrayals of memorably outrageous characters in a handful of comedies made in the 70's and 80's. Stucker was born on July 2, 1947 in Des Moines, Iowa. He attended Lincoln School in Alameda, California. During his school days Stephen was known as both an accomplished pianist and a class clown with a dry wit. Stucker made his film debut with a funny turn as crazed asylum escapee Bruce Wilson in the entertainingly lowbrow "Carnal Madness." He was likewise sidesplitting as a cross-dressing court stenographer in "The Kentucky Fried Movie." Stephen achieved his greatest enduring popularity with his gloriously zany and unforgettable performance as loopy airport control room worker Johnny in the hilarious disaster picture parody "Airplane!." Stucker reprised this role in "Airplane II: The Sequel" and had an amusing bit as a train stationmaster in "Trading Places." Stephen appeared in three episodes of the hit TV series "Mork & Mindy." Besides "The Kentucky Fried Movie" and "Airplane!," Stucker also worked with the comedy team of Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker as a member of the theatrical group the Kentucky Fried Theater. Stephen Stucker died at the tragically young age of 38 from AIDS on April 13, 1986.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Jeffrey was born on June 8th in North Canton, Ohio. He attended Hoover High School there and always knew he wanted to be an actor. He went on to Carnegie-Mellon University but dropped out in 1969, and moved to New York. He was called back awhile later by a college friend, John-Michael Tebelak, who was creating the musical GODSPELL for his master's thesis in college. This is how Jeffrey got started. He was an original cast member of the show, and went on to star in the movie. He worked as an actor in several stage shows and two other movies. He also wrote music and songs, but none of his work was ever recorded. He died in May of 1986 of AIDS.- Costume and Wardrobe Department
- Costume Designer
Perry Edwin Ellis was born in 1940 in Portsmouth, Virginia, an only child. Until the age of nine, he and his parents lived with his grandmother in a huge old house which was filled with vintage clothing that belonged to Perry's aunts, which he found fascinating just looking at them. After graduating from high school, Perry majored in business at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Later he attended New York University where he earned a master's degree in retailing. In 1963, Perry returned to Virginia and began working as a sportswear buyer for Miller & Rhoads, an upscale department store based in Richmond, where Perry often shopped for clothes when he was a teenager. Perry stocked the college department with preppie clothes designed by John Meyer of Norwich, Connecticut. Each year, he spent nearly $1,000,000 on Meyer's designs, making Miller & Rhodes one of the company's largest accounts. Impressed by the selections Perry made, Meyer grilled him about style trends. In 1967, Meyer hired Perry as a merchandiser and moved to New York.
In 1974, John Meyer died of cancer and Perry moved to the Vera Companies, where he worked as a sportswear merchandiser. Vera Co. specialized in designing polyester double-knit pantsuits. Perry tried to change the company's image by introducing natural fabrics. In 1975, the company's president allowed Perry to produce his own line under the Portfolio label. Perry designed 33 pieces for a fashion show in the Vera showroom where retailers and fashion critics were astonished by Perry's eclectic designs. This inspired Perry to start his own design company.
In 1978, his own company, Perry Ellis Sportswear began production. Perry opened his own showroom in an old band on the corner of Seventh Avenue and 41st Street. A peer of Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauran, and Anne Klein, Perry helped boost his reputation of American sportswear. By 1982 over 75 employees were working for Perry Ellis Sportswear. Unfortunately, Perry's health from then on began to decline after he came down with hepatitis. Soon other maladies crept in which he kept a secret from most of his friends and employees, who believed his frequent absences where letting the company slowly fall apart. In 1984, Perry and a old girlfriend, Barbara Gallagher, who lived in Los Angeles, has a daughter whom he named Tyler.
In May 1986, a gaunt Perry unveiled his latest line. People who attended the show, aware of Perry's health problems, thought it would be his last. When the show ended, Perry, too weak for the traditional walk down the fashion runway, appeared briefly in the doorway of the showroom where he received a standing ovation. A few hours later, Perry collapsed and was rushed to a hospital where he slipped into a coma. Two weeks later, on May 30, 1986, Perry Ellis died at age 46.- Actor
- Director
Actor-turned-director Robert Drivas showed dark, brooding power and strong potential on the 60s stage, film and TV but, in the long run, did not achieve the kind of success he deserved. Born on November 21, 1935, the Coral Gables, Florida native initially studied his craft at the Universities of Chicago and Miami. He also trained at the Greek Playhouse in Athens and the Coconut Grove Playhouse in Miami. Making a potent New York debut as Ramses in the play "The Firstborn" (1958) starring Anthony Quayle as Moses and producer Katharine Cornell in the role of Bithiah, Drivas continued to be impressive on stage with "One More River" (1960), "The Wall" (1960), "The Irregular Verb to Love" (1963), "And Things That Go Bump in the Night" (1965) and "Where Has Tommy Flowers Gone?" (1971). In 1963 he won a Theatre World Award for his performance in "Mrs. Dally Has a Lover" alongside another TWA winner Estelle Parsons.
The attention he received on the theater boards eventually led to TV. Drivas showed great intensity and lasting power in episodic guest parts on such 60s crime shows as N.Y.P.D. (1967) and The Defenders (1961), and was a popular and frequent guest on The F.B.I. (1965). He also appeared as a guest star in episodes of Route 66 (1960) and 12 O'Clock High (1964). His first film appearance was long in coming but drew noticeable attention with the featured role of Loudmouth Steve in the classic prison drama, Cool Hand Luke (1967). This auspicious debut led to a couple of "generation gap" movies in which he was bumped up to co-star billing. Sharing the screen with Rod Steiger and Claire Bloom in the controversial LSD-influenced The Illustrated Man (1969), Drivas was intoxicating in his role but the film itself was deemed too "far out" and was considered a failure. Drivas was also quite impressive as the ultra-cool but idealistic son of David Janssen in Where It's At (1969). Again, the film was dismissed and Drivas did not advance. He went on to make only four more movies, all independent and/or foreign-made features and all overlooked.
Drivas turned successfully to stage directing in the 1970s, which included a number of Broadway projects. He gained progressive respect with his directing of such plays as "Bad Habits," for which he won an Obie award, the uproarious farce "The Ritz," "Legend," "Cheaters," "It Had to Be You," which starred the writing husband-and-wife team of Joseph Bologna and Renée Taylor, a revival of the musical "Little Me," and, his last, "Peg" in 1983 a short-lived reenactment of the life of songstress Peggy Lee with lyrics and book by the star herself. A few years later Drivas tragically died of AIDS-related cancer at the age of 50.- Gia Carangi was born on 29 January 1960 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She was an actress, known for Blondie: Atomic (1980). She died on 18 November 1986 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Born Marcelino Sánchez on December 5, 1957, in Cayey, Puerto Rico, he died of AIDS-related cancer in his Hollywood home on November 21, 1986. Sanchez began acting in the late 1970s. His third film role was that of Rembrandt, a young, naïve gang member with a flair for spray painting in The Warriors (1979). After these films, Sánchez went on to appear in roles on CHiPs (1977), 48 Hrs. (1982), Hill Street Blues (1981), and, most notably, in the Bloodhound Gang segment of 3-2-1 Contact (1980).- Steve Tracy was born on 3 October 1952 in Canton, Ohio, USA. He was an actor, known for Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens (1979) and Little House on the Prairie (1974). He died on 27 November 1986 in Tampa, Florida, USA.
- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Most remembered for his extravagant costumes and trademark candelabra placed on the lids of his flashy pianos, Liberace was loved by his audiences for his music talent and unique showmanship. He was born as Wladziu Valentino Liberace on May 16, 1919, into a musical family, in Wisconsin. His mother, Frances Liberace (née Zuchowski), whose parents were Polish, played the piano. His father, Salvatore Liberace, an immigrant from Formia, Italy, played the French horn for the Milwaukee Symphony. His siblings, George Liberace, Angie Liberace and Rudy Liberace, also had musical ability. Liberace's own extraordinary natural talent became evident when he learned to play the piano, by ear, at the age of four. Although Salvatore tried to discourage his son's interest in the piano, praises from Ignacy Jan Paderewski, a famous Polish pianist, helped the young musician follow his musical career.
As a teenager, Liberace earned wages playing popular tunes at movie theaters and speakeasies. Despite being proud of his son's accomplishments, Salvatore strictly opposed Liberace's preference for popular music over the classics. Pianist Florence Bettray Kelly took control of Liberace's classical training when he was 14.
He debuted as a soloist with the Chicago Symphony, under the direction of Dr. Frederick Stock. At age 17, Liberace joined the Works Progress Administration Symphony Orchestra. He received a scholarship to attend the Wisconsin College of Music. In 1939, after a classical recital, Liberace's audience requested the popular tune, "Three Little Fishes". Liberace seized the opportunity and performed the tune with a semi-classical style which the audience loved. Soon, this unique style of playing the piano got Liberace bookings in large nightclubs.
By 1940, Liberace was traveling with his custom-made piano, on top of which he would place his candelabrum. He then took Paderewski's advice and dropped Wladziu and Valentino to become simply Liberace. South Sea Sinner (1950), a movie with Shelley Winters, was Liberace's film debut. He played a honky tonk pianist in the movie, which opened in 1950.
In 1952, The Liberace Show (1952), a syndicated television program, turned Liberace into a musical symbol. It began as a summertime replacement for The Dinah Shore Show (1951), but after two years, the show was one of the most popular on TV. It was carried by 217 American stations and could be seen in 20 foreign countries. Sold-out live appearances at Madison Square Garden enhanced the pianist's popularity even more. Soon, Liberace added flamboyant costumes and expensive ornaments to his already unique performances. His second movie, Sincerely Yours (1955), opened in 1955, and Liberace wrote his best-selling autobiography, "Liberace", in 1972. His first book, "Liberace Cooks", went into seven printings.
In 1977, Liberace founded the non-profit "Liberace Foundation for the Performing and Creative Arts". The year 1978 brought the opening of "The Liberace Museum" in Las Vegas, Nevada, which serves as key funding for the Liberace Foundation. The profits from the museum provide scholarship money for financially needy college musicians. He continued performing until the fall of 1986, despite suffering from heart disease and emphysema during most of the 1980s. A closeted homosexual his entire life, Liberace was secretly diagnosed with AIDS sometime in August 1985, which he also kept secret from the public until the day he died. His last concert performance was at Radio City Music Hall on November 2, 1986. He passed away in his Palm Springs home on February 4, 1987 at age 67.
Liberace was bestowed with many awards during his lifetime including: Instrumentalist of the Year, Best Dressed Entertainer, Entertainer of the Year, two Emmy Awards, six gold albums, and two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In The Guinness Book of World Records, he has been listed as the world's highest paid musician and pianist. Liberace was an extremely talented and versatile man. He not only played the piano, but sang, danced and joked during his performances. In fact, one of Liberace's biggest accomplishments was his ability to turn a recital into a show full of music, glitter and personality.- Antonio Lopez was born in Puerto Rico in 1943 and moved to New York City when he was two years old. He became a commercial artist and was fashion illustrator for Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Elle, Interview and The New York Times, active from the early 1960's through to his death. He worked in pencil, pen and ink, charcoal, watercolor, and Polaroid film, and his flamboyant illustrations were considered art and were shown at exhibitions in galleries all over the world in the 1970's and 1980's. He was also a designer of jewelry and conceptual designs such as window displays for Fiorucci and Studio 54. Moving to Paris in 1969, he and designer Karl Lagerfeld ran an exclusive salon in Paris for models and fashion personalities, and during his seven years there, he taught workshops and introduced many facets of American pop culture to the French. His portraits of models such as Jerry Hall, Jessica Lange and Grace Jones were collected in the 1982 book Antonio's Girls. In the last 10 years of his life, Lopez became interested in education, giving much of his time to lectures and workshops to students of fashion illustration.
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
Willi Smith was born on 29 February 1948 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He is known for School Daze (1988), Bilder aus Amerika (1982) and Hour Magazine (1980). He died on 17 April 1987 in New York City, New York, USA.- Althea Flynt was born on 6 November 1953 in Marietta, Ohio, USA. She was married to Larry Flynt. She died on 27 June 1987 in Bel Air, Los Angeles, California, USA.November 6, 1953 – June 27, 1987
- Tom Waddell was born on 1 November 1937 in Paterson, New Jersey, USA. He died on 11 July 1987 in San Francisco, California, USA.
- Director
- Editor
- Writer
One of the pioneers of independent gay cinema in the 1970s and '80s, Arthur J. Bressan, Jr. is best known for his 1985 drama, Buddies (the first feature film about AIDS). Working across multiple genres including documentary, narrative, adult and short form filmmaking, Bressan's boldness and artistry as a writer-director earned him both acclaim and controversy over the course of his decade-long filmmaking career.
In addition to Buddies, Bressan's best known films include Abuse (hailed by Rex Reed as "a film of astonishing power and emotional impact"); the ambitious 1977 documentary Gay U.S.A. which showcased LGBT Pride celebrations across the country during the time of Anita Bryant's anti-gay crusade; and Passing Strangers, Bressan's lyrical hard-core coming out drama which earned him the Best Director Prize at the 1974 San Francisco Erotic Film Festival. Other films include: Forbidden Letters (1979), Family Affair (1982), Thank You, Mr. President (1983), Pleasure Beach (1984), Juice (1984) and Daddy Dearest (1984).
Bressan died of AIDS in 1987.- Music Department
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Michael Staniforth was born on 15 December 1942 in Selly Oak, Birmingham, England, UK. He was an actor, known for No Strings (1974), Rentaghost (1976) and Great Big Groovy Horse (1975). He died on 31 July 1987 in Westminster, London, England, UK.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Calvin Culver, better known by his adult film name Casey Donovan, was born November 2, 1943 in East Bloomfield, New York. He graduated from teachers' college in 1965 and worked as a teacher in Peekskill and New York City. When he was fired from his teaching job after an altercation with a student, he began working as an escort and tried to establish an acting career. Through one of his clients Culver began a modeling career and appeared in off-Broadway and Broadway productions.
He began his adult film career in 1971 in the film Ginger. He next appeared in Casey, playing the title role. From that film and the singer Donovan Culver created his screen name. Also in 1971 Culver appeared in the film that would make him famous, Boys in the Sand (1971). The first adult film to achieve mainstream crossover success, Boys led to talk of Culver's moving into "legitimate" film work. It also allowed Culver to build a lucrative career as a high-priced escort, although his growing fame in the adult film world cost him his modeling career as more and more potential employers connected him to "Casey Donovan".
Culver appeared in the Broadway revival of Captain Brassbound's Conversion with Ingrid Bergman in 1972 and the 1973 Lincoln Center production of The Merchant of Venice. He toured nationally in the play Tubstrip and in 1984 produced and appeared in an unsuccessful revival of the play The Ritz.
In 1973 Culver began a relationship with the actor Tom Tryon. They were together until 1977. In 1978 Culver bought a guest house in Florida but the business failed. In 1982 he began writing an advice column, "Ask Casey", for "Stallion," a gay male magazine featuring nude pictorials. Culver's health began to deteriorate in 1985, and he died of an AIDS-related illness on August 10, 1987 in Inverness, Florida.- Director
- Writer
- Producer
One of the most important Brazilian directors of all time, Leon Hirszman is best remembered for the realistic manner of dealing with social and political themes in his works, from documentaries to feature films. His career started with a segment filmed for Cinco vezes Favela (1962) and The Deceased (1965) marked as his first feature film, an adaptation of Nelson Rodrigues classic play, and also marked as José Wilker's acting film debut. _São Bernardo (1972) was a major turning point in his career, a film lauded by audiences and critics, winning multiple awards and Hirszman name became well-known in film circles.
With They Don't Wear Black Tie (1981), by following the current wave in politics and social economical issues such as the strikes for better working conditions in automobile plants which happened in the late 1970's during the military regime, intertwining its story with a family's division, Hirszman conquered audiences and the critics again with his memorable sequences and a power driven story. The film won three awards at the Venice Film Festival and was nominated for the Golden Lion as well. This adaptation of Gianfrancesco Guarnieri celebrated play - who also acted in the leading role - was a massive hit. Around the making of this film, Hirszman was filming the real events that also inspired this film in ABC da Greve (1990), which was released a few years after his death.
During the last year of his life, he managed to release three different projects: his final feature films A Barca do Sol (1987), and Em Busca do Espaço Cotidiano (1987) and the short documentary Imagens do Inconsciente (1987). He died on September 15, 1987 due to complication of AIDS, having been diagnosed in 1986 due to a blood transfusion. Along with ABC da Greve (1990), the documentary Bahia de Todos os Sambas (1996) was released posthumously.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Dieter Schidor was born on 6 March 1948 in Bienrode [now Brunswick], Lower Saxony, Germany. He was an actor and producer, known for Cross of Iron (1977), Kurze Kindheit, langer Abschied (1987) and Group Portrait with a Lady (1977). He was married to Michael McLernon. He died on 17 September 1987 in Munich, Bavaria, West Germany.- Geoffrey Burridge was born on 4 December 1948 in Ealing, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for An American Werewolf in London (1981), Blake's 7 (1978) and Testament of Youth (1979). He died on 30 September 1987 in Kensington, London, England, UK.
- Timothy Scott was born on 15 September 1955 in Morton Grove, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for A Chorus Line (1985), Captain EO (1986) and The 37th Annual Tony Awards (1983). He died on 24 February 1988 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Actor
- Production Manager
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Born John Curtis Estes on August 8, 1944, in rural Pickaway County, Ohio, the youngest of four children, porn legend John Holmes was raised by a religious fanatic mother named Mary and an abusive alcoholic stepfather named Harold Bowman. He was a bible student, but at the age of 16 dropped out of school, left home and enlisted for a hitch in the US Army, where he was stationed in West Germany for three years. After his discharge he moved to Los Angeles in 1964 where he married a young nurse, and worked odd jobs such as taxi driver, door-to-door salesman, postal clerk, temp worker, coffee vat attendant, ambulance driver and forklift driver.
In the late 1960s he gravitated to the underground porno industry. One story was that a female neighbor was making porno loops and advised Holmes he could make good money. Unfortunately, his first check bounced and, after that, he always insisted on payment in cash. Another story is that in 1967 Holmes was frequenting a men's card playing club in the Los Angeles suburb of Gardena when a photographer for an underground magazine noticed his large "member" while standing next to him at a restroom urinal and gave Holmes his business card, telling him he could get plenty of work in still photo magazines. By 1969, with the advent of X-rated porn films, Holmes moved into the movie business. His tall, slim build, curly light brown hair, a light mustache and bright blue eyes made him an instantly recognizable star. John was not lacking for work, bringing not only a professional attitude but also his legendary endowment (12-5/8" long, according to a Screw Magazine interview, while other stories put it at 13-1/2" long). His enormously long penis got him starring roles in over 2,000 loops, stag films and adult features in a career that spanned nearly 20 years (with a peak of a $3,000-a-day salary). His lucrative off-screen penis-for-hire business took him around the world.
His most famous character is probably Johnny Wadd, a lusty, always-on-the-make private detective he played in several crude porno films like Tell Them Johnny Wadd Is Here (1976), The Jade Pussycat (1977), China Cat (1978), Liquid Lips (1976) and Blonde Fire (1978), the last of which is considered the best of the so-called "Wadd films". Better still were the big-budgeted pictures that co-starred some of the adult film industry's top leading ladies, including Marilyn Chambers, Seka, Annette Haven and even a young--and underage--Traci Lords.
In the late 1970s Holmes developed a serious drug habit to cocaine (both snorting and freebasing), which prevented him from performing in the on-screen sex he was famous for, resulting in his dropping out of the adult-film business. By late 1980 he was broke, most of the huge amounts of money he made having gone to feed his drug addiction. He was reduced to making money by robbing people's houses and stealing cars, as well as delivering drugs for the local gangsters. The lowest point in his life was when he was implicated in four grisly, drug-related murders on July 1, 1981. He was allegedly present at the drug-related torture and murders at a house in the hills above Hollywood of William Deverell, Ronald Launius, Joy Miller and Barbara Richardson--a group suspected by many in the drug underworld of specializing in ripping off drug dealers--by a gang of killers sent by a powerful local gangster named Eddie Nash. A fifth victim, (Susan Launius, Ronald Launius' estranged wife), barely survived the attack and had no memory of the event. The bloody crime made lurid headlines throughout Southern California and became known as The Wonderland Murders, after the street in the wooded Laurel Canyon neighborhood of Los Angeles where the killings took place. Holmes was implicated in the crime but refused to tell police what he knew and went on the run for nearly six months with his teenage mistress, Dawn Schiller, before he was arrested while hiding out in Florida and returned to Los Angeles. The L.A. authorities, angered by Holmes' refusal to cooperate with the investigation, charged him with committing all four murders. After a three-week, public trial, Holmes was acquitted on June 26, 1982. Although found not guilty of the murders, he remained in jail on previous burglary and contempt-of-court charges until his release in November 1982. The true nature and details of the Laurel Canyon murders remains unsolved to this day.
After his release from prison, Holmes tried to clean up his act and continue his porno career with a new generation of porno stars. His cocaine addiction continued off-and-on, and although work in the porno business was still plentiful, it was no longer as lucrative as it had been, given the explosion in the use of cheaply made videotapes that saturated the market. In addition, Holmes was no longer the powerhouse star that he had once been. He was diagnosed with AIDS late in 1985 but continued working--without telling producers or his co-stars--until 1986, when his increasingly gaunt and frail physical appearance sent up "red flags" in the industry and he could no longer find work.
During the last five months of his life, John Holmes received treatment and stayed at the local VA (Veterans Administration) Hospital on Sepulveda Boulevard in Los Angeles from November 1987 to his death on March 13, 1988 from AIDS-related complications at age 43, with his second wife at his side, former porn star Misty Dawn. Holmes once estimated he'd had sex with over 14,000 women (on and off screen), and was truly a porn legend. His life was the basis for the film Boogie Nights (1997), and he was portrayed by Val Kilmer in Wonderland (2003), about the infamous murders, but the conflicting truths about his life, as always, was stranger than fiction.- Robert Joffrey was born on 24 December 1928 in Seattle, Washington, USA. He is known for Great Performances: Dance in America (1976), The Kaiser Aluminum Hour (1956) and Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance (2012). He died on 25 March 1988 in New York University Medical Center University Hospital, New York City, New York, USA.
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Miguel Abuelo is known for Un amor en tiempos de selfies (2014), Miguel Abuelo et Nada, el documental (2018) and Mercedes Sosa: Cantora, an Intimate Journey (2009). He died on 26 March 1988 in Munro, Vicente López, Buenos Aires, Argentina.- Actor
- Soundtrack
John Reardon was born on 8 April 1930 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (1968), NET Opera Theater (1967) and NBC Television Opera Theatre (1949). He died on 19 April 1988 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA.- Actor
- Production Designer
- Writer
Kurt Raab was born on 20 July 1941 in Bergreichenstein, Sudetenland [now Kasperské Hory, Czech Republic]. He was an actor and production designer, known for Tenderness of the Wolves (1973), Satan's Brew (1976) and Why Does Herr R. Run Amok? (1970). He died on 28 June 1988 in Hamburg, West Germany.- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Colin Higgins was born on 28 July 1941 in Nouméa, New Caledonia, France. He was a writer and director, known for 9 to 5 (1980), Harold and Maude (1971) and Foul Play (1978). He died on 5 August 1988 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Leonard Frey originally wanted to become an artist, but in college he became interested in acting. He made his stage debut in an off-Broadway production of "Little Mary Sunshine" and his film debut as a celebrant in Passages from James Joyce's Finnegans Wake (1966), but he first rose to prominence in the role of Harold, the self-proclaimed "Jew fairy", in both the stage and screen versions of The Boys in the Band (1970). Frey is probably best known for the role of Motel, the timid tailor, in Fiddler on the Roof (1971); this performance landed him a nomination for a Supporting Actor Oscar. He continued to work on stage, in films and on TV throughout the 1970s and 1980s, but he never again attained the level of critical success he enjoyed in "Fiddler on the Roof". In 1988 he died from complications related to AIDS.- Kurt Marshall was born on 13 November 1965 in Waterville, Maine, USA. He was an actor. He died on 30 September 1988 in Los Angeles County, California, USA.
- Actor
- Writer
- Art Department
Wayland Flowers was born on 26 November 1939 in Dawson, Georgia, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Madame's Place (1982), Old Is Somebody Else: Aging, Everybody Is Doing It (1974) and Norman... Is That You? (1976). He died on 11 October 1988 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Timothy Patrick Murphy was born on 3 November 1959 in Hartford, Connecticut, USA. He was an actor, known for The Love Boat (1977), Dallas (1978) and Sam's Son (1984). He died on 6 December 1988 in Sherman Oaks, California, USA.
- Writer
- Producer
- Actor
Dick Clair was born on 12 November 1931 in San Francisco, California, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for Soap (1977), The Carol Burnett Show (1967) and Carol Burnett & Company (1979). He died on 12 December 1988.- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Sylvester was born on 6 September 1947 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Hit and Run (2012), What to Expect When You're Expecting (2012) and Trading Places (1983). He died on 16 December 1988 in San Francisco, California, USA.- Max Robinson was born in Richmond, VA on May 1, 1939 to Maxie and Doris Robinson. His siblings are sisters Jewell and Jean, and brother Randall. In 1959, at the age of 20, Max Robinson beat out four white applicants for a position at a local TV station in Portsmouth, VA where he read the news on the air. There was just one catch: his face had to be hidden behind a slide bearing the station's logo. "One night," Clarence Page wrote in Chicago, "[Robinson] ordered the slide removed so his relatives could see him. He was fired the next day.
When he moved to Washington, he was the first African-American anchor on a local television news program on WTOP-TV Channel 9 in 1969, and the first African-American anchor on a network television news program. During his three and a half years at WRC he won six journalism awards for his coverage of such events as the 1968 riots after civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination, the antiwar demonstrations, and the national election. It was during this time that Robinson won two regional Emmys for a documentary he did on black life in Anacostia titled The Other Washington.
At WTOP, he was teamed with Gordon Peterson for 6:00 PM and 11:00 PM newscasts and the rest was history. There was such a rapport between Robinson and his viewers that when Hanafi Muslims took hostages at the Washington Mosque, they would only speak with Max Robinson. In 1978, when Roone Arledge was looking to revamp ABC News' nightly news broadcast into World News Tonight, he remembered Max Robinson from a 60 Minutes interview, and hired him to be a part of his new three-anchor format: Frank Reynolds in Washington, Peter Jennings in London, and Robinson in Chicago. He became the first black man to anchor a nightly network news broadcast. Almost immediately, Robinson took it upon himself to fight racism at every turn and at whatever cost he thought necessary. He was constantly embroiled with his network bosses over the way news stories portrayed black America and how they neglected to reflect the black viewpoint. Robinson's integrity as a journalist and his role as a leader in the fight against prejudice made him a mentor to many young black television journalists. Unfortunately, he never felt worthy of the admiration or satisfied with his accomplishments. It wasn't long before friends and co-workers began to notice a significant change in his behavior. He became stubborn and moody, began showing up late for work or not at all, and his fondness for alcohol took on epidemic proportions. He had been married three times and fathered four children. Excerpted from AAP website: Management at ABC was getting frustrated with the image problems that Robinson was causing them. When they switched to a single anchor format, with the death of Frank Reynolds, Robinson was relegated to doing news briefs and anchoring the weekend news program. He left ABC in 1984 to become the first black anchor at WMAQ in Chicago. But it didn't last, and he left WMAQ in '85. Unfortunately, just when it appeared that he was about to put his life in order, he was hospitalized in Blue Island, Illinois, with pneumonia. It didn't take doctors long to figure out the cause of his ailment. He kept his condition secret. It was thought that most news organizations knew already and decided to honor a fellow journalist's privacy. To have AIDS at that time was to be a pariah. In some ways, it still is. But in 1988, it was much worse. In the fall of 1988, he traveled back to DC to give a speech at Howard University's School of Journalism. Later that night, he became increasingly ill, and checked into Howard University Hospital. On the morning of December 20, 1988, Max Robinson passed away. The truth of his condition was finally revealed: he died from complications due to AIDS. Journalists from all corners came to his funeral in DC, The Reverend Jesse Jackson delivered the eulogy and his old partner Gordon Peterson said a few words. It was a beautiful service. Max Robinson deserves as much credit for his achievements in journalism as Edward R. Murrow or Frederick Douglass. But he's fading from the collective memory. There are no books written about him. There are no documentaries or dramas made of his story. Yes, he was moody and temperamental. His drinking and bouts with depression got in the way of his work in later years. Sometimes the people who loved him were hurt by things he said or did. He made mistakes. And he died from AIDS. But that's not all that he was. He took down the slide in 1959 so Portsmouth residents could see who had been delivering the news in such an eloquent fashion. He showed Washingtonians the other side of Washington with his documentary on Anacostia. He risked his life by agreeing to act as a negotiator during the hostage crisis at the Washington Mosque. He broke through the wall of racism by being the first time and time again. He mentored young black journalists who were coming through the door he had opened. He stood up and pointed out racism even in his own network when it would have been easier to just take the money and read the news. He tried to educate his children about their African heritage. He won numerous awards for his efforts and made things a whole lot easier for the African-American journalists of today. - Actor
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Location Management
Marc Stevens (born Mark Kuttner on September 2, 1943), the adult film star, memoirist, and erotic dance performer, was one of the pioneers of the adult film industry in the 1970s, the so-called "Golden Age of Porn." His 1975 biography, which some claim was ghost-written by his mother, was called "10 1/2" in an homage not only to Federico Fellini but to his male member. It was his ticket to the big time.
According to his memoir, Stevens joined the Army circa 1960, and it was during the time he was stationed in Germany, while using a urinal, he came face to face with one of his idols: Elvis Presley. Stevens, who was unabashedly bi-sexual, says that he stared at Presley's penis for an inordinately long time as he was shocked that the King wasn't endowed like, well -- a King! Elvis, on his part, was used to being stared at, even at urinals. He took a gander at Marc Stevens' crown jewel, non-chalantly muttered "Ya'll better take care of that thang," zipped up and departed, leaving the shocked and disappointed Stevens with his future still in his hand.
With the loosening of censorship in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the adult movie industry mushroomed: blue movies rapidly evolved from something glimpsed by men in smokers at workmen's clubs on stag night to couples patronizing "Deep Throat" (1972), which racked up tens of millions of B.O. dollars, made Variety's list of the top grossing films of 1972 AND 1973, and threatened to revolutionize the movie industry as a whole before the Supreme Court's 1973 "Miller" decision put a plug back in the bottle. (Meanwhile, the genie had escaped, shortly finding a new home outside the old, rotten-smelling grind-houses, on videotape, insulated from the vicissitudes of community standards.)
Stevens became a stalwart presence on the New York City (as opposed to West Coast) porn scene in the 1970s, appearing in over four score hard-core films during his career. At the height of his notoriety, he published his 288-page memoir. He later fronted an erotic dance troupe that performed at live sex shows. His associates in the New York porn scene included Annie Sprinkle and Gloria Leonard. He even had the honor of having his greatest asset as a performer photographed by Robert Mapplethorpe.
Though appearing primarily in heterosexual films, the openly bisexual Stevens proselytized about the joys of swinging both ways and made some gay movies. It was the era of bisexual chic, when even an uber-straight-man like Hugh Hefner experimented, taking a stab at enjoying "the best of both worlds." (From the evidence of the past 30 some-odd years, Hefner's experiment was not a success.)
Stevens now is largely forgotten, despite nostalgia about the Golden Age of Porn that can be seen in the success of the film "Boogie Nights" and "The Hedge Hog" Ron Jeremy's sudden emergence as a pop culture idol. Like many of his generation in the Golden Age of Porn (including male porn star extraordinaire John Holmes), he developed a serious drug problem. Like the increasingly unreliable Holmes, Stevens dropped out of the porn industry and, to support his habit, became involved in drug trafficking. Porn industry veteran Sharon Mitchell, a leading figure in the industry's fight to combat AIDS and promote safe sex practices for on-camera performers, reports that Stevens degenerated into a drug pusher and a pimp before dying a lonely death from AIDS, a broken and forgotten man..- Director
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Additional Crew
Robert Mapplethorpe was born on 4 November 1946 in Queens, New York, USA. He was a director, known for Breathless (1983), Lady (1984) and Patti Smith: Still Moving (1978). He died on 9 March 1989 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Merritt Butrick was an American actor from Gainesville, Florida. He is primarily remembered for portraying Dr. David Marcus in the science fiction films "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" (1982) and "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" (1984). His character was depicted as a son of the Starfleet officer James Tiberius "Jim" Kirk (played by William Shatner) and the leading scientist Dr. Carol Marcus (played by Bibi Besch). Butrick also portrayed the one-shot character of Captain T'Jon in a 1988 episode of the science fiction series "Star Trek: The Next Generation". His character was depicted as a ship's commanding officer who had been tasked with transporting medication, but had become addicted to the drug felicium.
Butrick received his high school education at the Tamalpais High School, located in Mill Valley, California. The city is part of the San Francisco Bay Area. Butrick graduated from high school in 1977, and subsequently attended the California Institute of the Arts with the intent of becoming an actor. He dropped out, as his instructors thought that he did not have the necessary skills to become an actor. He subsequently found steady work as an actor throughout the 1980s.
In his television debut, Butrick portrayed a recurring rapist in two episodes of the police procedural "Hill Street Blues". His first major role in television was portraying the supporting character Johnny Slash in the sitcom "Square Pegs" (1982-1983). His character was depicted as a geeky high school student. Johnny demonstrated eccentric behavior, but insisted that he was not on drugs. He hung out with the social misfit Patty Greene (played by Sarah Jessica Parker), and was hinted to be attracted to her. The series was praised for its realism, but it was canceled prematurely. The production company received several complains concerning drug and alcohol abuse by teenage members of the cast, and decided to pull the plug to avoid further controversy.
Butrick's other films included the telekinesis-themed comedy "Zapped! (1982)", the corporate corruption-themed black comedy "Head Office" (1985), the dysfunctional family-themed drama "Shy People" (1987), the vampire-themed horror film "Fright Night Part 2" (1988), and the ghost-themed horror film "Death Spa" (1989). He received praise in 1988 for his portrayal of a ditzy male prostitute in the stage play "Kingfish".
In March 1989, Butrick died at the age of 29. His death was caused by toxoplasmosis, complicated by an AIDS infection. Two panels were dedicated to him as part of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, both referencing his role as David Marcus. A few of his former co-stars have recorded anecdotes about his life and career in DVD featurettes, though Butrick had few confidants.- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Gino Piserchio was born on 5 September 1944 in Italy. He was an actor and composer, known for Ciao Manhattan (1972), Beauty #2 (1965) and Space (1965). He died on 22 March 1989 in the USA.- Writer
- Additional Crew
- Director
Bernard-Marie Koltès was born on 9 April 1948 in Metz, France. He was a writer and director, known for La nuit perdue (1973), Television Theater (1953) and Dans la solitude des champs de coton (2017). He died on 15 April 1989 in Paris, France.- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Additional Crew
James Crabe was born on 19 August 1931 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was a cinematographer, known for The Karate Kid Part II (1986), The China Syndrome (1979) and Rocky (1976). He died on 2 May 1989 in Sherman Oaks, California, USA.- Peter Evans was born on 27 May 1950 in Englewood, New Jersey, USA. He was an actor, known for Arthur (1981), Remington Steele (1982) and Nine to Five (1982). He died on 20 May 1989 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- After four years in the Drama Department of the University of California, Bernau appeared in the New York Shakespeare Festival's production of "Antony and Cleopatra". In 1964, he was featured in the National Company's touring production of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?".
- Michael Sundin was an English actor, puppeteer, dancer, and trampolinist from Low Fell, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear. He was better known as one of the presenters of the children's program "Blue Peter" from 1984 to 1985. He was fired under controversial circumstances.
Sundin initially became known as a champion trampolinist. He reportedly won five British titles and one world title in trampolining tournaments. He decided to follow a career in show business, making his stage debut in a 1980 version of the Christmas pantomime "Jack and the Beanstalk".
Sundin found work as both an actor and a dancer. From 1982 to 1983, he portrayed the acrobatic kitten Bill Bailey in the musical "Cats" (1981). The musical was loosely based on the poetry collection "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" (1939) by T. S. Eliot, and depicted sentient cats competing for a chance at rebirth.
In 1984, Sundin was hired as in-suit performer for the dark fantasy film "Return to Oz" (1985). The film was a loose adaptation of the fantasy novels "The Marvelous Land of Oz" (1904) and "Ozma of Oz" (1907) by L. Frank Baum. Sundin was chosen to portray the sentient robot Tik-Tok, one of the film's main characters. He operated the character's body, while Tim Rose remotely-operated the head and Sean Barrett voiced the character. While Sundin was preparing for this role, his casting attracted considerable press attention. Television producer Biddy Baxter invited him to audition for a position as one of the presenters of "Blue Peter". Sundin passed the audition, and was chosen to replace Peter Duncan. His debut episode was broadcast in September 1984.
Sundin made his last appearance as a television presenter in late June 1985. His contract was not renewed following the end of the season. The production team claimed that Sundin "had little rapport with the viewers", but Baxter also reported that both parents and viewers had complained that Sundin was too effeminate. The press had recently outed Sundin as a gay man, which was thought to be the undeclared reason for his firing. Biddy Baxter later claimed in an interview that Sundin was fired because "children didn't like him", not because of his sexuality. The controversy over the perceived discrimination was covered in the tabloid press.
After portraying Tik-Tok "Return to Oz", Sundin was chosen to portray the March Hare in the drama film "Dreamchild" (1985). In the film, the elderly Alice Liddell finds herself becoming the center of attention at the centenary of Lewis Carroll's birth. Her memories of her long-gone friend and potential suitor are juxtaposed with hallucinations of meeting both a ghostly Carroll and the characters from Wonderland.
Sundin subsequently had his last film appearance in the adventure film "Lionheart" (1987). In the film, a group of orphans attempt to join the crusading army of Richard the Lionheart, King of England (1157-1199, reigned 1189-1199), while evading a slave trader who wants to sell them as slaves. The film combined events from the Third Crusade (1189-1192) and the Children's Crusade (1212).
Sundin fell ill in 1988, and was hospitalized in 1989. In July 1989, he died at the Newcastle General Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne. He was only 28-years-old at the time of his death, and he was the first among the presenters of "Blue Peter" to die. The British press initially attributed his death to liver cancer. Later press reports indicated that Sundin had contracted the virus HIV/AIDS, and died due to the infection. - Handsome, talented and a man who defined a generation with his presence and acting in movies and TV series, Lauro Corona was one of a kind. And one who's gone too soon at an early age leaving a mark to his fans with his brief career.
Corona was born on 6 July, 1957, in Rio de Janeiro. At 16, he began as a salesman working at his mother boutique. By the late 1970's he was doing plays and was discovered by actor Paulo José and a famous theater director who loved his talent and knew he could do more. Next thing he knew a TV show came his way, the massive hit Dancin' Days (1978) where he played Beto. That was his first soap opera and very first TV appearance and soon after he was the talk of the town and the crush of many girls. From then on, he was a constant presence on TV with several shows, which includes Baila Comigo (1981) and Marina (1980).
His film debut was as one of the leads in Sergio Rezende's O Sonho Não Acabou (1982) , a testament about Brasília's youth in the early 1980's with a generation of sex, drugs and rock n'roll in the final years of the military regime - in fact, in one of the most memorable moments of the film Corona appears next to president João Figueiredo's guards, a moment that was captured with the real politicians and soldiers who didn't know they were being filmed, a very bold move by the director, crew and the actor. Then, he made only one movie Swingin' Betty (1984), a huge hit - possibly the film people remember him the most.
The miniseries Memórias de um Gigolô (1986), the TV series Direito de Amar (1987) were also great moments in his career and he also presented the Globo de Ouro, a musical program that brought artists performing their classics or latest hits. That program showcased his talents as a great host.
But the last memory people have of him was as the Portuguese Manuel Victor in Vida Nova (1988), which ended up being his last TV show and one that he didn't manage to end. By the middle of the show, he discovered he had AIDS. He never told the network about that - since then revealing about such condition was a career killer - only said that he was really sick and needed to stay away from the show. Concerned about his health, the creators decided to give an alternate ending for his character, even though the show was in its middle and he was one of the main characters- a memorable scene where he kisses goodbye to his girl, enters the car and reads an off-screen poem by Fernando Pessoa, and then he goes back to his native land.
A few days after his 32nd birthday he passed away from complications of AIDS - news that wasn't revealed immediately due to his family concerns. He was one of the first famous victims of this deadly disease in Brazil. Fans and nostalgic TV buffs always remember him with care, love and fondness. - Steve Rubell was known as the co-founder and co-owner of the world famous New York nightclub Studio 54. Born and raised in New York, Rubell and his business partner Ian Schrager operated a number of restaurants and offices before deciding to create the ultimate nightclub. Renting a vacant theater on west 54th Street in Manhattan, New York, they opened Studio 54 in April 1977. Their goal was to have a club where anyone could get invited and anything would go within it. After a unrepresented opening which it made $7 million within the first year, Studio 54 drew many people and celebrities to its unconventional parties and gatherings. Drugs, alcohol and sex of all kinds inhabited the place which made it all the more notorious and controversial.
By the end of 1979, the excess and business of Studio 54 caught up with Rubell and Schrager when they were arrested by the IRS for income tax evasion and were sentenced to three years in prison. They both were paroled after serving 13 months and tried operating Studio 54 but without success. Selling it, Rubell and Schrager went into the hotel business where they bought out and operated a number of upscale hotels.
Rubell, a closeted homosexual, was diagnosed HIV positive in 1985, but incredibly denied his condition and continued his excess lifestyle of drinking, drugs. Rubell died in 1989. Schrager continues running their hotel they started. - Actress
- Soundtrack
Amanda Blake was born in Buffalo, NY, of English and Scottish descent. She and her parents moved to Claremont, California, while Amanda was still in high school, and she graduated from Claremont High. She enrolled at Pomona College but, due to her avid participation in community and theater productions, she was devoting much more time to acting than her schoolwork. Amanda started on a full acting schedule, doing summer stock in New England. She followed that up with theater and radio acting in Buffalo and then movies in Hollywood. While acting in small theater and stock companies she also painted backdrops and scenery. She was still in her teens when she debuted in MGM"s Stars in My Crown (1950), and her first television role was in Double Exposure (1952). Her most famous role, however, came in 1955, when she starred in the classic western series Gunsmoke (1955) as "Miss Kitty" Russell, the feisty madame and proprietor of Dodge City's Long Branch Saloon opposite James Arness' Marshal Matt Dillon.- David O'Brien was born on 1 October 1935 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for The Doctors (1963), The Adams Chronicles (1976) and The Heiress (1961). He died on 14 June 1989.
- Attractive, dark-featured character actor with a voice like thunder, and eyes like a wolf, who was featured in less than sympathetic roles throughout his career. Born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Albert Paul Shenar attended the University of Wisconsin. Soon after graduation, he relocated to New York City, where he quickly landed roles on the stage. These experiences led to a Broadway debut in 'Tiny Alice' as 'Brother Julian.' After a few satiating years on and off Broadway, Paul found himself again relocating, this time to Philadelphia. It was here where he made a considerable contribution to the arts. Along with fellow actors Rene Auberjonois and Bill Ball, to name a few, he co-founded the American Conservatory Theater, where he was not only a regular performer until the day he died, but a teacher and advisor as well. From there, roles on television, and the big screen followed. Shenar made a splash, portraying Orson Welles in The Night That Panicked America (1975). He received some of the best reviews of his career for this famous television film. Soon after he received more for his portrayal of another famous celebrity, as Florenz Ziegfeld in Ziegfeld: The Man and His Women (1978). He continued working steadily on television, even appearing in shot-for-television replacement footage for the disaster film, Two-Minute Warning (1976). And then feature films came calling. Shenar turned in credible and memorable performances in film, such as the diabolical Bolivian drug lord Alejandro Sosa, in Brian De Palma's Scarface (1983) (1983), and most notably, voicing the evil conspiring rat, "Jenner", in Don Bluth's The Secret of NIMH (1982). Other roles of note include Dr. Lawrence in Luc Besson's The Big Blue (1988), Joshua Adams in Deadly Force (1983), Paulo Rocca in the action packed Arnold Schwarzenegger film, Raw Deal (1986), and Ben Gardner, the father of a troubled Kristy McNichol, in Alan J. Pakula's Dream Lover (1986), respectively. Though not a household name in his time, his candor, energy, and aesthetic performances have left a long lasting impression, that only gets better with age, and will not soon be forgotten.
- Trevor Kent was born on 24 April 1940 in Gladstone, Queensland, Australia. He was an actor, known for Prisoner (1979), A Cry in the Dark (1988) and The Timeless Land (1980). He died on 4 November 1989 in Australia.
- Dorothy Karen "Cookie" Mueller was born 2 March, 1949 in Baltimore, Maryland. The daughter of Frank Lennert Mueller and Anne Mueller, Cookie had two siblings: brother Michael and sister Judy. Mueller grew up in the suburbs of Baltimore and acquired the nickname 'Cookie' when she was a baby. Cookie embarked on road trips with her family throughout her childhood and first began writing at age eleven. The tragic death of her brother Michael at age fourteen further encouraged Mueller to continue writing. Cookie hung out with the hippie crowd in high school and was constantly dying her hair different colors during her adolescent years. After amassing some money by working a small job at a Baltimore men's department store, Mueller headed off to Haight-Asbury in San Francisco, California so she could continue living a free-spirited hippie lifestyle. During this time Cookie traveled across the country living with groups of vagrants and briefly settled in such places Provincetown, Massachusetts; Pennsylvania, British Columbia, Italy, Jamaica, and San Francisco, California.
Mueller first met John Waters at the premiere of his film Mondo Trasho (1969). Cookie went on to become a key member of Waters' Dreamlanders ensemble and acted in 5 movies altogether for Waters. Mueller eventually moved to New York City where she established herself as a writer, journalist, and columnist: She wrote the health column "Ask Dr. Mueller" for the East Village Eye, was an art critic for Details magazine, and wrote the novella "Fan Mail, Frank Letters, and Crank Calls," the memoir "Walking Through Clear Water in a Pool Painted Black," and several collections of short prose. Cookie died at age 40 from AIDS-related causes on November 10, 1989 in New York City. Her body was cremated and her ashes have been interred in multiple locations all over the world. - Actor
- Composer
- Director
Rémi Laurent was born on 12 October 1957 in Suresnes, France. He was an actor and composer, known for La Cage aux Folles (1978), The Plouffe Family (1981) and Tous vedettes! (1980). He was married to Emöke Masznyik. He died on 14 November 1989 in Paris, France.- Additional Crew
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Ailey was born in the rural town of Rogers, Texas, USA. His childhood memories and experiences often informed his choreography; the most notable of his works was "Blues Suite", "Cry" (choreographed for Judith Jamison), and "Revelations", a ballet based on Ailey's observations and experiences in Black Baptist churches that was set to traditional Negro Spirituals. "Revelations" has the distinction of being one of the most performed ballets in the world. Beginning his dance career in 1953 with Lester Horton's dance company, Ailey assumed the artistic direction of Horton's company after Horton's death in 1953. In 1958, Ailey's seven member dance company, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, made its debut at the 92nd Street YMHA in New York City. Keeping a unique perspective about dance, he did not use his dance company merely as a vehicle to showcase his own choreography; he developed the Ailey American Dance Theater into a repertory company that provided art and entertainment while institutionalizing modern dances, helping preserve and develop old and new works by a variety of choreographers. Before his death in 1989, he had choreographed seventy-nine ballets, received New York's Handel Medallion, the Samuel H. Scripps American Dance Festival Award for lifetime contributions to modern dance, and in 1988, the Kennedy Center honored him for lifetime achievement in the performing arts. Additionally, Ailey's company was sent on several world tours by the U. S. State Department performing in the Soviet Union, France, Denmark, Finland, Morocco, and throughout South America to enthusiastic audiences and critics. After his death in 1989, his protege and former principal dancer Judith Jamison became artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater furthering the Ailey dance tradition and artistic mission that is applauded and acknowledged throughout the world.- Actor
- Director
Gordon Stevenson is known for Ecstatic Stigmatic (1980), Red Italy (1979) and Alien Portrait (1979). He was previously married to Mirielle Cervenka.death 1989- Being born and raised in Edinburgh, Charleson attended the Royal High School and then went on to attend Edinburgh University. He initially studied architecture but switched to an MA degree after cultivating an interest in acting. He won a place at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art after graduating from Edinburgh.
- Art Department
- Director
- Additional Crew
Keith Haring was born on 4 May 1958 in Reading, Pennsylvania, USA. He was a director, known for Beautiful Boy (2018), Love Is Strange (2014) and Tokyo Pop (1988). He died on 16 February 1990 in New York City, New York, USA.- Stephen W. Burns was born on 14 November 1954 in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor, known for The Thorn Birds (1983), 240-Robert (1979) and Herbie Goes Bananas (1980). He died on 22 February 1990 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
- Costume Designer
- Actor
Born Roy Frowick Halston on April 23, 1932 in Des Moines, Iowa, Halston was a product of America's heartland. He led a classic Iowa childhood playing in soap box derby races, fishing, visiting farms, and the like. Halston took an interest in sewing from his mother, and from an early age he showed a special interest in making hats. Halston would make his own for his mother and sister (his first hat appeared on the cover of Harper's Bazaar in 1960). Halston attended Indiana University in 1952 for one semester. The family moved to Chicago in late 1952 where Halston enrolled in a night course at the Chicago Art Institute and took a day job as a window dresser. Halston continued to design hats and finally obtained his break when a small story on his fashionable creations appeared in the Chicago Daily News. It was at this time that his middle name Halston, would become his professional moniker. His hat sales took off and he began designing for a celebrity and show biz clientele. In 1957, Halston opened his first major shop, the Boulevard Salon, on the second floor of 900 Michigan Avenue. In 1959 Halston left Chicago for NYC to work for the famed French milliner Lilly Daché, where he proved to be a hardworking and dedicated employee. He was named co-designer at Daché after only one year. Following that Halston accepted a position at Bergdorf Goodman, a fashionable New York department store, where he charmed his clients and made a grand name for himself. After two-years at Bergdorf he succeeded in becoming the store's first designer to have his name placed in the hats he designed. He became adept at courting and manipulating the press at Bergdorf's. In 1962 he designed the famous pill box hat worn by Jackie Kennedy at the President's Inaugural making the Halston name a household word. Later that year he was bestowed the Coty's Fashion Critics Award. In 1966 Halston designed his first ready to wear collection for Bergdorf Goodman and while there Halston continued creating magic with his hat creations. Women's Wear Daily heralded him as "New York's Top Milliner". He opened his own salon in 1968 and became the toast of New York's fashion society. His close circle of friends and clients would come to include some of the most alluring and fascinating men and women in the world, among them Liza Minnelli, Barbara Walter, Martha Graham, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Andy Warhol and Elizabeth Taylor. Halston's career sky-rocketed during the 1970's and his designs set the standard for American designers. He was the undisputed high priest of fashion. The Halston name became synonymous with classically cut, simple, spare and elegant designs, a phenomenally successful fragrance line Halston by Halston for women X12 and Z14 for men, and the fabric known as "Ultra suede". His designs became ubiquitous as we went on to design and license his name on thirty-one different licensing products including a range of home linen, uniforms for Braniff International Airlines and a line of luggage for Hartmann. Throughout most of the seventies he epitomized the glamour, as well as the decadence of the era, becoming a central figure in the nightlife scene of New York's Studio 54 disco.- Ryan White was born in Kokomo, Indiana in 1971. A hemophiliac, Ryan regularly needed injections of blood products to survive. In 1985 at the age of 13, it was discovered that Ryan contracted the AIDS virus, sometime during the previous year, from tainted blood. His case got national attention when his school expelled him when they learned about his disease. Not wanting to lie down and die that easily, Ryan and his parents took the school to court, where they won the right for him to return to class. As a result of Ryan's courage and outspokenness to take on his own school board, be became one of the USA's most visible spokesperson on the AIDS crisis. During 1985-1989, he appeared at schools and AIDS fundraisers throughout the country and gave moving testimony before the President's Commission on AIDS. He was befriended by many celebrities, including Michael Jackson, Elton John, Phil Donahue and Elizabeth Taylor, AIDS activists themselves. Despite overwhelming international attention, Ryan never lost his sense of priorities with his schoolwork or life in general. AIDS finally claimed Ryan's life on April 8, 1990 at the age of 18.
- Music Department
- Actor
- Composer
Cazuza was born on 4 April 1958 in Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was an actor and composer, known for Closer (2004), The Emerald Forest (1985) and Ashes of Paradise (1997). He died on 9 July 1990 in Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Tom Fogerty was born on 9 November 1941 in Berkeley, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Café de Flore (2011), The Vow (2020) and Creedence Clearwater Revival: I Put a Spell on You (1969). He was married to Patricia Suzanne Clapper and Loretta Gail Skinner. He died on 6 September 1990 in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA.- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Lawrence Kasha was born on 3 December 1932 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He was a producer and director, known for Knots Landing (1979), Applause (1973) and Busting Loose (1977). He died on 29 September 1990 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Ray Stephens was born on 14 December 1954. He was an actor, known for Cat's Eye (1985), Village People: Sex Over the Phone (1985) and Village People: New York City (1985). He died on 4 October 1990.- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Jacques Demy was born on 5 June 1931 in Pontchâteau, Loire-Atlantique, France. He was a director and writer, known for The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964), The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967) and A Room in Town (1982). He was married to Agnès Varda. He died on 27 October 1990 in Paris, France.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Craig Russell was born on 10 January 1948 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was an actor, known for Outrageous! (1977), Too Outrageous! (1987) and The Streets of San Francisco (1972). He was married to Lori Jenkins. He died on 30 October 1990 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.- Robert Chesley was born on 22 March 1943 in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA. He was a writer, known for Jerker (1991). He died on 5 December 1990 in San Francisco, California, USA.
- Carl Andrews was born in 1947 in England, UK. He was an actor, known for Tales of the Unexpected (1979), The Odd Job (1978) and Dramarama (1983). He died in 1990 in England, UK.
- Alan Wiggins was born on 17 February 1958 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was married to Angela Mckenzie. He died on 6 January 1991 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Music Department
- Composer
- Writer
A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Howard Ashman moved to New York City in 1974 and began writing plays while working as an editor in a publishing house. His work attracted attention and he became WPA Theatre's artist director in 1977. In 1982, Ashman collaborated with composer Alan Menken on the musical "Little Shop of Horrors", one of off-Broadway's highest-grossing musicals. The team of Ashman and Menken shifted their focus to movies, creating some of the songs for The Little Mermaid (1989). One of them, "Under the Sea", won an Oscar in 1989 for best song. Ashman then wrote the lyrics for the songs in the Disney animated musical hit Beauty and the Beast (1991), and he and Menken won another Oscar for the title song. However, two days after he won an Oscar for "Under the Sea" Ashman confided in Menken that he had AIDS. Despite the terminal illness that was making him weaker every day, Ashman never stopped composing songs. He even turned out more songs for a third Disney animated musical, Aladdin (1992), before his death from AIDS on March 14, 1991, at the age of 40.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
This African American actor attended Penn Hills High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He started his junior year at 6' 5" and finished it at 6' 9"! He played basketball throughout his high-school years and won a scholarship. He averaged 18 points a game and 10 rebounds! He played basketball during college, but not when it would interfere with his major at George Washington University in Washington, DC, which was Theatrical Arts. During his college years, he met Jay Fenichel with whom he would later make musical productions. Upon graduation, Fenichel moved to Los Angeles and Hall moved to Venezuela to play basketball.
After a year, Hall lost interest and relocated to Los Angeles, California. Along with Fenichel, the duo put together two night-club acts/musicals. One was a semi-autobiographical two-man musical, "In Five," and the other was a two-man show called "The Worst of Friends," both of which played in night clubs throughout the LA area. They also had a promotional business where they did promotional acts in department stores for new products.
While working on the set of the series 227 (1985), he met his co-star, Alaina Reed-Hall, who played Rose Lee Holloway. They married--both on the set, and in real life. Predator 2 (1990) was released December 1990, and in April 1991, he died of AIDS, which he contracted through a blood transfusion a few months before.- Director
- Cinematographer
- Writer
Andy Milligan was born in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1929. He was a self-taught film maker, playwright, script writer and costume designer. He grew up mostly in Minnesota, but he and his family moved around the country a lot. His father, Andrew Milligan Sr. (1894-1985) was a captain in the U.S. Army who served in the military for over 50 years (retiring in the mid 1960s holding the rank of colonel). His mother, Marie Gladys Hull (1900-1953), was an overweight, neurotic-bipolar alcoholic who physically and verbally abused her husband and children. She served as the basis for scores of her son's characters when he began making films. Milligan had an older half-brother named Harley Hull (1924-1998) and a younger sister named Louise Milligan Howe (1931-2021). After finishing grade school, Milligan joined the U.S. Navy where he served four years. After his honorable discharge, he settled in New York City in 1951 where he dabbled in acting on stage and opened a dress shop.
During the 1950s Milligan became involved in the nascent off-off-Broadway theater movement where he mounted productions of plays by Lord Dunsany and Jean Genet at the Caffe Cino, a small Greenwich Village coffeehouse that served as a hothouse for rising theater talent like Lanford Wilson, Tom Eyen and John Guare. Milligan also became involved with directing low-key theater productions at Cafe La Ma Ma Experimental Theater Club. During this period he operated and designed for a clothing boutique named Ad Lib and used his crude dressmaking skills to costume many theatrical productions.
In the early 1960s Milligan turned to film making. He met some of the actors for his early films at Caffe Cino. His first released film was a 30-minute black-and-white 16 mm short drama entitled Vapors (1965). Set in the notorious gay bathhouse St. Mark's Baths, it was written by Hope Stansbury, the raven-haired beauty who would star in a few of his later films. The film, set on one Friday evening in the St. Mark's Baths, portrays an emotionally awkward and unconsummated meeting between two strangers. Milligan was later employed by producers of exploitation films, particularly William Mishkin, to direct softcore sexploitation and horror features, many featuring actors known from the off-off Broadway theater community.
Milligan then hooked up with famed sexploitation producer William Mishkin and made 11 features, all shot with a single hand-held 16mm Auricon camera on short ends (snippets of film left over from other productions). Some of those include Depraved! (1967), Seeds of Sin (1968) ("Sown in Incest! Harvested in Hate!") and Fleshpot on 42nd Street (1972). Many of these early works play like bizarre morality tales where sleazy characters get violently paid back for their excesses.
In 1966, Milligan set up shop in a Victorian mansion located on northern Staten Island, within walking distance of the ferry and his own house. The house soon became "Hollywood central," where he filmed most of his movies on budgets ranging from $5,000 to $20,000. Milligan was a one-man army--he wrote, directed, built sets and sewed costumes for his splatter epics like The Ghastly Ones (1968). His usual "stock company" (Stansbury, Neil Flanagan, Hal Borske) was often supplemented by Staten Island locals who were dragged into performing.
Milligan even married one of his actresses, Candy Hammond, who starred in a number of his films, most notably as Pussy Johnson in Gutter Trash (1969). No one took the wedding seriously, because Milligan was unabashedly homosexual and an avowed misogynist. The service took place at the Staten Island house, which was still decorated for the movie shoot Seeds. That night, Milligan cruised gay bars to celebrate.
In 1968, Milligan began to make horror movies featuring gore effects with The Ghastly Ones (1968), a 19th century period piece and his first color film which was produced by JER and titled by Sam Sherman. In 1969, he made his next horror movie, Torture Dungeon (1969), a medieval period piece after which he moved to London, England to make movies there after having made a deal with producer Leslie Elliot. After directing Nightbirds (1970) in London, his partnership with Elliot collapsed as he was working on The Body Beneath (1970). Milligan then teamed up again with William Mishkin again where Mishkin produced and Milligan directed three more period piece British horror films which were Bloodthirsty Butchers (1970), The Man with Two Heads (1972), and The Rats Are Coming! The Werewolves Are Here! (1972) (all shot in 1969) before Milligan's return to Staten Island in 1970.
On his return to New York, Milligan wrote and directed another medieval period piece titled Guru, the Mad Monk (1970), which was shot for the first time with a 35mm Arriflex camera and filmed entirely inside a Chelsea, Manhattan church. This movie was released on a double feature with The Body Beneath. Through the next years, Mishkin released Milligan's British-made pictures, some with additional scenes shot in New York. The Rats are Coming! The Werewolves are Here! was one of Mishkin's films in which he had Milligan insert new killer rat scenes shot in New York, mostly at his new Staten Island house on Corson Street where Milligan lived during that time and filmed another horror period piece there in 1973 which was titled Blood (1973).
After directing the 1972 sexploitation drama Fleshpot on 42nd Street (1972), Milligan's output was restricted mostly to gory horror movies as he moved to the southern tip of Staten Island in the Tottenville neighborhood where he lived in and owned and operated a dilapidated hotel located at the end of Main Street right next to the southern end of Staten Island Railway.
In October 1977, Milligan moved into 335 West 39th Street in Manhattan (a four-story building purchased for $50,000 by Milligan and stockholders), where he founded and ran the Troupe Theater, a seedy but fun off-off Broadway venue above which he lived in a third-floor loft until he left New York City for good in March 1985. He moved to Los Angeles, California, where he shot three more contemporary horror movies between 1987 and 1988 as well as operated another theater company, called the Troupe West, which ran until 1990.
Andy Milligan was heavily into S&M and had very few serious relationships (all with men). The few friends he did have were just as emotionally troubled and dangerously disturbed as he was. A Vietnam veteran and ex-convict named Dennis Malvasi, who once drifted into and worked at Andy's Troupe Theater in the late 1970s and early 1980s, later made news headlines in March 2001 when he and his wife were arrested for aiding the flight of fugitive James Kopp, the suspected murderer of a New York abortion doctor. One boyfriend, "human toothpick" B. Wayne Keeton (so-named for his gaunt physical build), was a good natured Louisiana hustler who appeared in a small role in Monstrosity (1987), one of Milligan's last films. Keeton's death from AIDS in June 1989 hit Milligan hard, and he soon began having his own health problems. He learned shortly afterwards that he, too, had contracted AIDS, apparently from Keeton. With no insurance, little money, and the era of exploitation films over, Andy Milligan went into a reclusive decline until his death on June 3, 1991 at age 62.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Klaus Schwarzkopf was born on 18 December 1922 in Neuruppin, Brandenburg, Germany. He was an actor, known for One or the Other (1974), Alle Menschen werden Brüder (1973) and The Confessions of Felix Krull (1982). He died on 21 June 1991 in Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.- Actress
- Make-Up Department
- Writer
Doris Fish was born on 11 August 1952. She was an actress and writer, known for Vegas in Space (1991). She died on 22 June 1991 in San Francisco, California, USA.- Ben Piazza was born on 30 July 1933 in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. He was an actor, known for The Blues Brothers (1980), Mask (1985) and Guilty by Suspicion (1991). He was married to Dolores Dorn. He died on 7 September 1991 in Sherman Oaks, California, USA.
- Born in Florida in 1949, Brad Davis moved to Georgia after graduating from high school to pursue an acting career. From there, he moved to New York City, twice, to find work. By the early 1970s Davis was acting in off-Broadway plays while studying acting at the Academy of Dramatic Arts. His stage work led to his movie debut and to television shows such as the hit Sybil (1976) and the mini-series Roots (1977). His biggest success was in 1978 with the lead role in Midnight Express (1978) where he played Billy Hayes, a young American imprisoned in Turkey for drug smuggling. It won him a Golden Globe award.
Another memorable movie role in 1982 was playing the title character of Querelle (1982), a ruggedly lethal sailor who seduces and sets both men and women's hearts aflutter.
Davis contracted AIDS in 1979 apparently from his one-time cocaine addiction, but in response to the anti-AIDS hysteria in Hollywood, Davis kept his illness a secret for a number of years and continued to act. His later years had him finally revealing that he had AIDS by the late 1980s and he became an AIDS activist in bashing the Hollywood industry and US government for ignoring and shunning victims suffering from the hideous disease. Brad Davis died in 1991 at age 41. His widow, Susan Bluestein, continues his activist work in the fight against AIDS. - Director
- Writer
- Producer
Writer/director/producer/editor Charles Vincent Dingley was born on September 6, 1940, in Garden City, Michigan. He began his show-business career in regional theater as a director and stage manager. He subsequently moved east and worked for both Yale Repertory and the Negro Ensemble Company prior to founding the production company Platinum Pictures in New York City. Chuck made his cinematic debut in 1971 with the comedic adult short feature The Appointment (1971). He churned out a slew of often humorous and frequently arousing hardcore X-rated movies from the early 1970s up until the mid-'80s, such as While the Cat's Away... (1972), Blue Summer (1973). Lecher (1973), Heavy Load (1975), Visions (1978), Dirty Lily (1978). Jack+Jill (1979), MisBehavin' (1978), Roommates (1982). Puss 'n Boots (1982), In Love (1983), Bordello (1985), House of the Rising Sun (1987) and Sex Crimes 2084 (1985).
Among the popular porno thespians he regularly worked with are Veronica Hart, Samantha Fox and Jamie Gillis. Outside of his hardcore porno fare, Chuck also did "legitimate" R-rated low-budget films, such as the amusing lowbrow comedies Summer Camp (1978), Hot T-Shirts (1980), C.O.D. (1981), Preppies (1984), Hollywood Hot Tubs (1984), Wimps (1986), Sex Appeal (1984), Slammer Girls (1987) and New York's Finest (1987), the horror shocker Deranged (1987), the period action drama Warrior Queen (1987) and the erotic thriller sequel Bedroom Eyes II (1989). He appeared in small parts in a handful of his own pictures.
Chuck Vincent died at age 51 from AIDS complications on September 23, 1991 in Key West, Florida.- John Kobal was born on 30 May 1940 in Linz, Austria. He was an actor and writer, known for Rita Hayworth: The Love Goddess (1983), Coping with Cupid (1991) and Film '72 (1971). He died on 28 October 1991 in London, England, UK.
- Composer
- Music Department
- Producer
Jacques Morali was born on 4 July 1946 in France. He was a composer and producer, known for Can't Stop the Music (1980), The Nutty Professor (1996) and Blast from the Past (1999). He died on 15 November 1991 in New York City, New York, USA.- Director
- Producer
- Writer
The son of a Shipley chemist he was initially connected with the stage first with the post war Shipley Young Theatre then with the Bradford Civic Theatre where he came into contact with the Bradford born author J B Priestley who recognising his potential commissioned him to write a TV documentary. from where it was a short step to directing films. His close association with another novelist, John Osborne resulted in him directing Look Back in Ange in 1959 and The Entertainer in 1960 where the location scenes were shot in Morecambe where his parents had made their home in retirement. Following the great success of Tom Jones, particularly in America and his marriage to Vanessa Redgrave having ended he moved there and co wrote the film Dead Cert. The last film he made was The Hotel New Hampshire.- Music Artist
- Music Department
- Actor
Freddie Mercury was born on the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar. His parents, Bomi and Jer Bulsara, sent him off to a private school in India, from 1955 til 1963. In 1964, he and his family flew to England. In 1966 he started his education at the Ealing College of Art, where he graduated in 1969. He loved art, and because of that, he often went along with his friend Tim Staffell, who played in a band called Smile. Also in this band where Brian May and Roger Taylor.
When Staffell left the band in 1970, Mercury became their new singer. He changed the band's name into Queen, and they took on a new bass-player in February 1971, called John Deacon. Their first album, "Queen", came out in 1973. But their real breakthrough was "Killer Queen", on the album "Sheer Heart Attack", which was released in 1974. They became immortal with the single "Bohemian Rhapsody", on the 1975 album "A Night At The Opera".
After their biggest hit in the USA in 1980 with "Another One Bites The Dust", they had a bad period. Their album "Flash Gordon" went down the drain, because the movie Flash Gordon (1980) flunked. Their next, the disco-oriented "Hot Space", was hated not only by rock critics but also by many hardcore fans. Only the song "Under Pressure", which they sang together with David Bowie, made a difference. In 1983, they took a year off. But, in 1984 they came back with their new album called "The Works". The singles "Radio Ga Ga" and "I Want to Break Free" did very well in the UK but a controversy over the video of the latter in the USA meant it got little exposure and flopped. Plans to tour the USA were cancelled and the band would not recover their popularity there during Mercury's lifetime.
In April 1985, Mercury released his first solo album, the less rock-oriented and more dance-oriented "Mr. Bad Guy". The album is often considered now to have been a flop, but it actually wasn't. It peaked at number six in the UK and stayed on the chart for 23 weeks, making it the most successful Queen solo project. The band got back together again after their barnstorming performance at Live Aid (1985) in July 1985. At the end of the year, they started working on their new album, "A Kind Of Magic". They also held their biggest ever world tour, the "Magic Tour". They played Wembley Stadium twice and held their very last concert in Knebworth, in front of 125.000 people.
After 1986, it went silent around Queen. In 1987, he was diagnosed with AIDS but he kept working at a pace. He released a cover of the 1950s song "The Great Pretender", which went into the UK top ten. After that, he flew to Spain, where he made the magnificent album "Barcelona", together with Montserrat Caballé, whom he saw performing in 1983. Because Mercury loved opera, he became a huge fan of her. For him, this album was like a dream becoming reality. The single "Barcelona" went huge, and was also used as a theme song for the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.
After "Barcelona", he started working with the band again. They made "The Miracle", which was released in early 1989. It was another success, with hits such as "Breakthru", "I Want It All", "The Invisible Man" and the title track. At this point, Mercury told the band he had AIDS, meaning that a tour of the album was out of the question. After Mercury told the band, he refused to talk about it anymore. He was afraid that people would buy their records out of pity. He said he wanted to keep making music as long as possible. And he did. After "The Miracle", Mercury's health got worse. They wanted to do one more album, called "Innuendo." They worked on it in 1990 and early 1991. Every time when Mercury would feel well, he came over to the studio and sang. After "Innuendo" was released in January 1991, they made two video clips. The first one was the video clip of "I'm Going Slightly Mad", shot in March 1991. Because Mercury was very thin, and had little wounds all over his body, they used a lot of make-up. He wore a wig, and the clip was shot in black and white.
Mercury's final video clip was released in June 1991. The clip, "These Are The Days Of Our Lives", later turned out to be his goodbye song, the last time he appeared on film. You could clearly see he was ill, but he still hadn't told the world about his disease. Rumours went around that he some kind of terrible disease. This rumor was confirmed by Mercury himself, one day before he passed on. His death was seen as a great loss for the world of popular music.- Pier Vittorio Tondelli was born on 14 September 1955 in Correggio, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. He was a writer, known for Sabato italiano (1992), Camere separate and Ciao, libertini! Gli anni ottanta secondo Pier Vittorio Tondelli (2021). He died on 16 December 1991 in Reggio Emilia, Emilia-Romagna, Italy.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Sharon Redd was born on 19 October 1945 in Norfolk, Virginia, USA. She was an actress, known for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978), Fear City (1984) and Sharon Redd: Never Give You Up (1982). She died on 1 May 1992 in Westchester County, New York, USA.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Director
Richard Hunt did not have a face known to many -- his voice was known more than anything else. He was a major stronghold behind Jim Henson's "Muppets". 'Scooter', 'Janice', 'Sweetums' and a few others, were some of the "Muppets" that Richard was a performer and puppeteer of. He helped pave the way for Jim Henson and his company from the 1970s through the early 90s, until his surprising death in 1992 of AIDS.- Cinematographer
- Director
- Camera and Electrical Department
One of the highest appraised contemporary cinematographers. He was born in Spain but moved to Cuba by age 18 to join his exiled anti-Franco father. In Havana, he founded a cineclub and wrote film reviews. Then, he went on to study in Rome at the Centro Sperimentale. He directed six shorts in Cuba and two in New York. After the 1959 Cuban revolution, he returned and made several documentaries for the Castro-regime. But after two of his shorts (Gente en la playa (1960) and La Tumba Francesca) had been banned, he moved to Paris. There he became the favourite cameraman of Éric Rohmer and François Truffaut. In 1978, he started his impressive Hollywood-career. In his later years, he co-directed two documentaries about the human rights situation in Cuba: Improper Conduct (1984) (about the persecution of gay people) and Nadie escuchaba (1987). He shot several prestigious commercials for Giorgio Armani and Calvin Klein. Nestor Almendros died of cancer.- David Carroll was born on 30 July 1950 in Rockville Center, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Abduction (1975), Rockabye (1986) and Ball Four (1976). He died on 11 March 1992 in New York City, New York, USA.
- Brian Pockar was born on 27 October 1959 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He was an actor, known for Romeo and Juliet on Ice (1983) and On Thin Ice: The Tai Babilonia Story (1990). He died on 28 April 1992 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Isaac Asimov was born Isaak Judah Ozimov, on January 2, 1920, in Petrovichi shtetl, near Smolensk, Russia. He was the oldest of three children. His father, named Judah Ozimov, and his mother, named Anna Rachel Ozimov (nee Berman), were Orthodox Jews. Ozimov family were millers (the name Ozimov comes from the eponymous sort of wheat in Russian). In 1923 Isaac with his parents immigrated to the USA and settled in Brooklyn, New York. There his parents temporarily changed his birthday to September 7, 1919, in order to send him to school a year earlier. Their family name was changed from Ozimov to Asimov.
Asimov was an avid reader before the age of 5. He spoke Yiddish and English at home with his parents and spoke only a few word in Russian. He began his formal education in 1925 in the New York Public School system. From 1930-1932 he was placed in the rapid advance course. In 1935 he graduated from high school, in 1939 received a B.S. and in 1941 he earned his M. Sc. in Chemistry from Columbia University. From 1942-1945 Asimov was a chemist at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard's Naval Air experimental station. After the war ended, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and was transfered to the island of Oahu and was destined to participate in the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll in July 1946. He narrowly avoided that by receiving an honorable discharge in May 1946. In 1948 he completed his post-graduate studies and earned his Ph. D. in Chemistry. In 1949 he began his teaching career at the Medical School of Boston University, becoming assistant professor in 1951, and associate professor in 1955. In 1958 Asimov became a full-time writer and gave up his teaching duties because his income from his literary works was much greater than his professor's salary. He was fired, but he retained his title and later returned as a lecturer and was promoted to the rank of full professor in 1979. Asimov was considered one of the best lecturers at Boston University.
Young Isaac Asimov was raised as a non-religious person. His parents observed the Orthodox Judaism, but did not force their belief upon young Asimov. He did not have affiliation with a temple, did not have a bar mizvah and called himself an atheist, then used the term "humanist" in his later life. He did not oppose genuine religious convictions in others but opposed superstitious or unfounded beliefs. Asimov defined his intellectual position as a Humanist and rationalist. He opposed the Vietnam war in the 1960s and was a supporter of the Democratic party. He embraced environmental issues, and supported feminism, joking that he wished women to be free "because I hate it when they charge". He was also humorous about many of his memberships in various clubs and foundations. Asimov did not approve exclusionary societies, he left Mensa after he found that many of the members were arrogant. He liked individuality and stayed in groups where he enjoyed giving speeches. As a free thinker, Asimov saw sci-fi literature serving as a pool where ideas and hypotheses are expressed with unrestricted intellectual freedom.
Young Asimov was fascinated with science fiction magazines which were sold at his parent's general store. Around the age of 11 he wrote eight chapters of a fiction about adventures of young boys in a small town. His first publication was "Marooned Off Vesta" in the Amazing Stories magazine in 1939. Asimov shot to fame in 1941 with 'Nightfall', a story of a planet where night comes once every 2049 years. 'Nightfall' has been described as one of the best science fiction stories ever written. Asimov wrote over five hundred literary works. He is credited for introducing the words "positronic", "psychohistory", and "robotics" into the English language. He penned such classics as "I, Robot" and the "Foundation" series, which are considered to be the most impressive of his writings. He also founded "Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine", which became a best-selling publication.
Asimov was afraid of needles and the sight of blood. Although he had the highest score on the intelligence test he had the lowest score on the physical-conditioning test. He never learned how to swim or ride a bicycle. The author who described spaceflights suffered from fear of flying. In his entire life he had to fly only twice during his military service. Acrophobia was revealed when he took his date and first love on a roller coaster in 1940, and was terrified. This phobia complicated the logistics and limited the range over which he traveled; it also found reflection in some of his literary works. He avoided traveling long distances. Instead he enjoyed cruise ships like the RMS Queen Elizabeth 2, where he occasionally entertained passengers with his science-themed talks. He impressed public with his highly entertaining speeches as well as with his sharp sense of timing; he never looked at the clock, but he spoke for precisely the time allocated. Asimov's sense of time prevented him from ever being late to a meeting. Once he discovered that his parents changed his date of birth, he insisted that the official records of his birthday be corrected to January 2, 1920, the date he personally celebrated throughout his life.
Asimov met Gertrude Blugherman on a blind date on Valentine's Day in February of 1942, they got married in July of the same year. The Asimovs had two children, son David (born in 1951), and daughter Robyn Joan (born in 1955). Asimov had known Janet Opal Jeppson since 1959. She was a psychoanalyst and also a writer of science fiction for children. Correspondence with her convinced Asimov that she was the right kind of person for him. He and Gertrude were separated in 1970, and he moved in with Janet Jappeson almost at once. His first marriage ended in divorce in 1973. That same year he and Janet Jeppson were married at Janet's home by an official of Ethical Culture Society. Asimov had no children by his second marriage.
In 1983 Asimov contracted HIV infection from a tainted blood transfusion received during a triple bypass surgery. He eventually developed AIDS and wanted to go public about his AIDS but his doctors convinced Asimov to remain silent. The specific cause of death was heart and renal failure as complications of AIDS. He died on April 6, 1992, in Boston, Massachussets, and was cremated. His ashes were scattered.
Ten years after Asimov's death, his widow, Janet Jeppson Asimov, revealed that his death was a consequence of an unfortunately contracted AIDS.related as AIDS 10 years later- Composer
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Stephen Oliver was born on 10 March 1950 in Chester, England, UK. He was a composer, known for The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988), Lady Jane (1986) and The West Wing (1999). He died on 29 April 1992 in London, England, UK.- Actor
- Director
- Soundtrack
Robert Reed was an American actor, mostly known for television roles. His most famous role was that of pater familias Michael Paul "Mike" Brady in the popular sitcom "The Brady Bunch" (1969-1979). He returned to this role in several of the sitcom's sequels and spin-offs.
Reed was born under the name "John Robert Rietz Jr. " in 1932. His birthplace was Highland Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. His parents were government worker John Robert Rietz Sr. and homemaker Helen Teaverbaugh. The couple were childhood sweethearts and married each other at age 18. Reed was their only child.
Due to his father's career transfers, Reed moved often as a child. He spend part of his childhood in Navasota, Texas and Shawnee, Oklahoma. The senior Reitz eventually retired from his government positions, and started a new life as a cattle farmer in Muskogee, Oklahoma. The Reitz family moved to a farm there.
As a youth, Reed joined the 4-H agricultural club, and demonstrated calves in agricultural shows. He was already fascinated with acting and music, and started performing as a theatrical and singer before he graduated high school. He had a side career as a radio announcer for local radio stations, and also helped produce radio dramas.
Reed graduated from Muskogeee's Central High School in 1950. He soon enrolled at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where he studied drama. His mentor was acting coach Alvina Krause (1893-1981). During his university years, Reed played the leading role in 8 different plays. Following his graduation, Reed studied abroad at Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.
With the completion of his studies, Reed started a career as a theatrical actor. He appeared in summer stock productions in Pennsylvania, and joined the off-Broadway theatre group "The Shakespearewrights" which (as their name suggested) specialized in Shakespearean plays. Reed had leading roles in the group's productions of "Romeo and Juliet" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream". He left the group to join the Chicago-based Studebaker Theatre company.
By the late 1950s, Reed remained a relatively obscure theatrical actor. He moved to Los Angeles in hope of finding higher-profile roles in film or television. In 1959, Reed made his television debut in a guest star role in the sitcom "Father Knows Best". He next had guest star roles in the science fiction series "Men into Space" (1959-1960), and the Western series "Lawman" (1958-1962). His film debut was the horror film "Bloodlust!" (1961), playing the human prey of a sadistic hunter. The film was a loose adaptation of the short story "The Most Dangerous Game" (1924) by Richard Connell (1893-1949).
Reed had his first major role in television as lawyer Kenneth Preston in the courtroom drama series "The Defenders" (1961-1965). Reed played the son and junior partner of lawyer Lawrence Preston (played by E. G. Marshall), in a series featuring a father-son legal team. The series lasted for 132 episodes, and was a ratings hit. The series earned a total of 22 Primetime Emmy Award nominations during its run.
Following the cancellation of "The Defenders", Reed was mostly reduced to supporting roles in television. He appeared in (among others) "Family Affair"," Ironside", "The Mod Squad", and "Bob Hope Presents The Chrysler Theatre". In 1968, Reed signed a contract to play a lead role in the television adaptation of the play "Barefoot in the Park" (1963) by Neil Simon. When it was decided that the television adaptation would feature a mostly African-American cast, Reed was offered a leading role in "The Brady Bunch" as a consolation prize.
"The Brady Bunch" lasted for 117 episodes, though it never was among the highest-rated shows on television. It found a larger audience in syndication after its cancellation, and has remained a cult favorite. Reed was not happy with the often silly scripts of the sitcom, and had regular arguments about suggested re-writes with the show's producer Sherwood Schwartz (1916-2011). On the other hand, Reed formed long-lasting friendships with most members of the series' main cast.
Reed refused to appear in the fifth season finale of "The Brady Bunch", because he felt its script was unacceptable. He was fired from the series, and the production team considered replacing him with a new actor for the series' sixth season. However, the fifth season turned out to be the final one, with network ABC deciding to cancel the series.
While "The Brady Bunch" was still ongoing, Reed had the recurring role of Lt. Adam Tobias in the detective series "Mannix". He played the role for 22 episodes, running from 1968 to 1975. With the series' cancellation in 1975, Reed was left with no regular roles for the first time since the late 1960s.
Reed's next notable role was that of transgender Dr. Pat Caddison in the two-part episode "The Fourth Sex" (1975) of the medical drama Medical Center". The role was critically well-received, and Reed was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award, the "Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series". The award was instead won by rival actor Ed Asner (1929-).
Reed had a regular role as Teddy Boylan in the dramatic miniseries "Rich Man, Poor Man" (1976), and a prominent guest appearance as Dr. William Reynolds in the miniseries "Roots" (1977). For the first role, Reed was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. The Award was instead won by rival actor Anthony Zerbe (1936-). For the second role, Reed was nominated again for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. The award was instead again won by rival actor Ed Asner.
Reed reunited with his friends from the Brady Bunch in the sequel series "The Brady Bunch Hour" (1976-1977), which only lasted for 9 episodes. He next played Mike Brady in the television film "The Brady Girls Get Married" (1981), the television film "A Very Brady Christmas" (1988), and the short-lived sequel series "The Bradys" (1990). The attempts to turn the popular sitcom into a dramatic series were not met with success.
Reed had another lead role in television as Dr. Adam Rose on the medical drama "Nurse" (1981-1982). The series only lasted for 25 episodes. Otherwise, Reed was reduced to mostly playing guest star roles again. His last guest star role appeared in 1992 episode of the crime drama "Jake and the Fatman".
In November 1991, Reed was diagnosed with colon cancer. As his health deteriorated, Reed increasingly isolated himself. He only allowed visits from his daughter Karen Rietz and close friend Anne Haney (1934-2001). In May 1992, he died at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, California. He was 59-years-old. He was buried at Memorial Park Cemetery in Skokie, Illinois.
Following his death, his death certificate revealed that Reed was HIV positive. While he was not suffering from AIDS, doctors were unable to determine whether HIV contributed to the deterioration of his health and his eventual death. How and when Reed contracted HIV remains unknown. Reed had managed to avoid having information about his personal life leaking to the press during his career, and also avoided sharing details about it even with his friends.
Reed is still fondly remembered for his television work, while his theatrical career has largely faded from memory.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Bill Beyers was born on 17 March 1955 in Lake Success, Long Island, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Tuff Turf (1985), Joe & Valerie (1978) and American Playhouse (1980). He died on 29 May 1992 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Larry D Riley was born June 20 1952. He is the son of George C Bass Sr and Corrine Riley. He started acting around 1975. He moved to New York and was in a lot of plays.
He was cremated and ashes where spread on the beach in Malibu, California.- Music Department
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Peter Allen was born on 10 February 1944 in Tenterfield, New South Wales, Australia. He was an actor, known for Arthur (1981), Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999) and Muriel's Wedding (1994). He was married to Liza Minnelli. He died on 18 June 1992 in San Diego, California, USA.- Costume and Wardrobe Department
Tommy Nutter was born on 17 April 1943 in Barmouth, Merionethshire, Wales, UK. He is known for Batman (1989), The Final Programme (1973) and This Week in Britain (1959). He died on 17 August 1992 in London, England, UK.- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Gay porn star Al Parker was born Drew Okum in Natick, Massachusetts. When he was a teenager his parents loaned him their brand-new Mustang to attend Woodstock, which they thought was a classical music festival. While at Woodstock, Drew had several homosexual experiences, the most notable in the back of a van; a theme that would be repeated throughout his adult-film career.
After graduating from high school in Natick, he moved to Los Angeles, where he landed a job operating the film projector booth at 'Hugh Hefner''s Playboy mansion. He was "discovered" by gay-porn producer Rip Colt, who changed his name to Al Parker because it sounded like a man's name. Parker starred in several of Colt's 8mm shorts.
Parker began a long-term, and open, lover relationship with Steve Taylor; together the two established Surge Studios, a gay-adult film production studio. Following Taylor's sudden death from AIDS, Parker's interest in the studio faded. Parker himself serio-converted and tested positive, following which he made several "safer" porn movies with other HIV-positive actors.
He died of complications from AIDS in San Francisco, California, on August 17, 1992.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Anthony Perkins was born April 4, 1932 in New York City, to Janet Esselstyn (Rane) and Osgood Perkins, an actor of both stage and film. His father died when he was five. Anthony's paternal great-grandfather was engraver Andrew Varick Stout Anthony. Perkins attended the Brooks School, the Browne & Nichols School, Columbia University and Rollins College. He made his screen debut in The Actress (1953), and was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar Friendly Persuasion (1956). Four years later, he appeared in what would be his most noted role, Norman Bates in Psycho (1960), memorializing him into film history forever.