In Memoriam 2018
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- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Born in Wellesley, MA, USA, Buxton grew up in Larchmont, NY, USA, graduated from Northwestern University (BS) and Syracuse University (MS). After service in the U.S. Army in the Korean War, he worked in local television as a producer-director in Buffalo, N.Y. and Chicago, IL and then began his performing career as a stand-up comedian, TV host (Discovery '70 (1962), Get the Message (1964)), and stage performer ("Brigadoon", "Bye Bye Birdie", "The Tender Trap", etc.). His television writing, producing and directing work included The Odd Couple (1970), Happy Days (1974), Mork & Mindy (1978), among many others, and he created the Peabody Award-winning series Hot Dog (1970) for NBC which starred Woody Allen and Jonathan Winters. As a film and TV actor, he has appeared in Overboard (1987), Beaches (1988), Frankie and Johnny (1991), Face of a Stranger (1991), With a Vengeance (1992) and Roommates (1994), as well as many series and specials. He wrote and created voices for Woody Allen's What's Up, Tiger Lily? (1966) and has done cartoon and commercial voices for innumerable projects.- Marián Labuda was born on 28 October 1944 in Hontianske Nemce, First Slovak Republic [now Slovakia]. He was an actor, known for Král Ubu (1996), The Garden (1995) and I Served the King of England (2006). He was married to Viera. He died on 5 January 2018 in Bratislava, Slovakia.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
He had that same genuine likability factor, owned that same trademark lantern jaw and was just as appealing and gifted as his older brother, Dick Van Dyke, but, for decades, Jerry Van Dyke bore the brunt of his brother's overwhelming shadow.
Six years younger than brother Dick, the comic actor was born on July 27, 1931, in Danville, Illinois. Raised there, the crew cut blond showed an aptitude for clowning in high school. His stand-up comedy venues first took the form of dives and strip clubs throughout the Deep South in which his banjo-playing became an intricate part of the routine. At one point, Jerry was a regular on the Playboy club circuit. He then set his sights on the top showrooms in Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe and Atlantic City and became a dependable opening act.
Jerry's early career should have been rightfully interrupted when he joined the Air Force in 1952. He, instead, kept the troops laughing by performing in Special Services shows. Winning a military talent contest actually earned him a couple of appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show (1948) (aka "The Ed Sullivan Show") and resulting TV exposure. Following his tour of duty, he nabbed variety appearances and a regular comic relief role on The Judy Garland Show (1963). He found comic acting parts as well on TV. Like brother Dick, who was a huge TV star by this time, Jerry also did a stint emceeing a game show. In Jerry's case, it was Picture This (1963).
Ever the hapless klutz and happy-go-lucky stammerer, Jerry built up his TV reputation in the early 60s. He turned down the title role in Gilligan's Island (1964), which he rightfully deemed inane, but instead chose the equally silly My Mother the Car (1965). It proved to be a detrimental career move. While "Gilligan" became a surprise hit that still runs in syndication four decades later, Jerry had to live down starring in one of the most lambasted sitcoms of all time. Truthfully, the two shows were on an equal (sub)par with each other. It was just a cruel luck of the draw that Jerry ended up biting the bullet while Gilligan's Bob Denver found cult celebrity. Jerry's subsequent two series were also one seasoners with Accidental Family (1967), a sitcom in which he more or less played himself (a nightclub comedian), and Headmaster (1970), a drama starring Andy Griffith in which he played a physical education coach. Neither did much for his career. A promising co-star role with Griffith in the film Angel in My Pocket (1969) also went nowhere. Over the years, Jerry has appeared as a guest star on a number of brother Dick's shows, including the classic The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961) in which he played, of course, Dick's brother.
The genially dim character "George Utley" on Bob Newhart's 1980s series was originally created for Jerry but Tom Poston assumed the part. Good fortune finally smiled on Jerry when he won the hapless role of "Luther Van Dam", a role that capped his long career, on Coach (1989). He earned four consecutive Emmy nominations and a steady paycheck for eight seasons. His seesaw struggle and survival after nearly five decades truly paid off this time, and only proves his love for the business.
Nearing the millennium, Jerry was seen frequently on the smaller screen. In addition to guesting on such shows as "The New Addams Family," "The District," "Diagnosis Murder," "My Name Is Earl," "Committed" and "Raising Hope," the veteran actor played the regular roles as grandpa types in the sitcom fantasies Teen Angel (1997) and You Wish (1997); had the recurring grandparent role of Big Jimmy Hughes in the comedy series Yes, Dear (2000) and ended his career as a grandpa in the established sitcom The Middle (2009) starring Patricia Heaton and Neil Flynn.
In later years, Jerry spent much of his time at a ranch in Arkansas where he lived with his second wife, the former Shirley Jones (not the singer/actress), and raised cattle. Tragedy struck in 1991 when one of his three children, Kelly Van Dyke, a substance abuser, took her own life. On the sly, one could also find Jerry at the poker table as part of ESPN tournaments. He died in Arkansas on January 5, 2018, aged 86.- Helmut Stange was born on 20 February 1929 in Bremen, Germany. He was an actor, known for Cymbelin (2000), Tatort (1970) and Wehe, wenn Schwarzenbeck kommt (1979). He died on 1 January 2018 in Munich, Bavaria, Germany.
- Hans Werner Kettenbach was born on 20 April 1928 in Bendorf, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. He was a writer, known for Tatort (1970), Tennessee Waltz (1989) and Im Jahr der Schildkröte (1988). He died on 5 January 2018 in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Spending his youth in Skåne, due to his mother's engagement at the Malmö City Theater, wasn't easy for somebody with a Stockholm accent, but Johannes avoided being bullied by cracking jokes and doing pranks. At 18 he applied to acting school but was rejected. He applied successfully later and has since worked in both Malmö and Stockholm. In 1991 he started with stand-up-comedy. During the 1990s he starred in several comedy plays in theaters in Stockholm. He biggest claim to fame though is the role as 'Joker' in the long running TV show "Rederiet".- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Born and raised in Winnipeg, Canada, Donnelly Rhodes trained to be a warden in the National Park Service in Manitoba and joined the Royal Canadian Air Force as an airman-mechanic before finally settling into his long and successful career as an actor. Rhodes studied at the Royal Manitoba Theatre Center and was a member of the first graduating class of the National Theatre School in Canada. After making his professional debut on stage as Stanley Kowalski in Streetcar Named Desire, he became a contract player for Universal Pictures in the U.S., landing film and television roles ranging from a gunslinger in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) to a country singer in The Hard Part Begins (1973) to various guest appearances in series such as Mission: Impossible (1966). Later, he was popular as the suave Phillip Chancellor Sr. on The Young and the Restless (1973), but left the show in 1976 to avoid devoting too much of his career to the one role. He continued to work steadily, taking roles in a wide variety of television and theatrical movies and making guest appearances on more than 100 television series. Major TV roles saw him range from dim-witted escaped con Dutch on Soap (1977) to veterinarian and family man Dr. Grant Roberts on the popular Canadian family series Danger Bay (1983). More recently, he has appeared in a number of TV movies as well as in guest spots on popular series such as Sliders (1995) and The X-Files (1993). Rhodes' diverse interests include music and horses, but his real passion is boats. He has said that if he hadn't succeeded as an actor, he would have pursued a career as a naval architect.- Tom Heaton was born on 13 October 1940 in Bronx, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Slither (2006), Reindeer Games (2000) and Shanghai Noon (2000). He died on 1 January 2018 in Gibsons, British Columbia, Canada.
- Actress
- Additional Crew
The enticing, voluptuous European beauty Greta Thyssen filled out the pages of movie magazines everywhere during the 1950s. Born on March 30, 1927, she was a freshly-scrubbed brunette when she was crowned Miss Denmark in 1952. The subsequent attention had her packing her bags for Hollywood. At that time, Marilyn Monroe had become an international sex symbol and Hollywood hopefuls were falling all over themselves to be just like her. Enter Greta, in a major, major transformation, as a statuesque, peroxide-blonde bombshell -- competing against the whistle-blowing likes of Jayne Mansfield and Mamie Van Doren. With mouth-dropping measurements reported at 40-24-36, this pin-up favorite became the best piece of Danish pastry in town. She also had her eyes out for films.
Like Ms. Mansfield and Ms. Van Doren, Greta's movie career was a bust -- literally. She bordered slightly on the seamy side and was offered such roles. However, she proved a trooper and was qualified enough to handle a scattered amount of low-grade crime dramas, adventures and horror stories -- a few having since reached "cult turkey" status. Greta actually started off in the quality movie Bus Stop (1956), unbilled as a "cover girl". She also served as Ms. Monroe's double in the movie. Another small film role in Accused of Murder (1956) led to a regular role as a busty "Pirate Girl" model on the quiz show Treasure Hunt (1956) starring wolfish host Jan Murray. She momentarily took a few male minds off the horrific The Beast of Budapest (1958) and did her scream queen schtick in Terror Is a Man (1959), in which she played vulnerable to a mad scientist-turned-panther-like creature à la "The Island of Dr. Moreau".
Greta added the requisite hard-boiled touch to the noirish detective film Three Blondes in His Life (1961) opposite Jock Mahoney and showed up in Journey to the Seventh Planet (1962) as well, which was another John Agar sci-fi cheapie. On television, she played a fetching foil in some of The Three Stooges shorts (Joe Besser was the third Stooge at the time) and appeared on television series, mostly crime stories, including Dragnet (1951) and Perry Mason (1957). Her film career ended dismally with the inane comedy Cottonpickin' Chickenpickers (1967), which pretty much says this all. Toward the end, she appeared in a couple of wink-wink stage comedies such as "Pajama Tops" until the early 1970s. She then retired from acting and moved to New York City where she found success as a painter, combining representational nude figures and surrealistic allegory. Generally, Greta took advantage of the equipment she had, made this work for her, and got her "fifteen minutes".
Greta Thyssen passed away at age 90 of complications from pneumonia on January 6, 2018 at her Manhattan home.- Leopold Ahlsen was born on 12 January 1927 in Munich, Germany. He was a writer, known for Des Christoffel von Grimmelshausen abenteuerlicher Simplicissimus (1975), The Woman from Sarajevo (1980) and ...und nichts als die Wahrheit (1958). He was married to Ruth Gehwald. He died on 10 January 2018 in Munich, Bavaria, Germany.
- Production Designer
- Art Department
- Art Director
Terence Marsh was born on 14 November 1931 in London, England, UK. He was a production designer and art director, known for Doctor Zhivago (1965), The Hunt for Red October (1990) and Oliver! (1968). He was married to Sandra Marsh and Lorna Wrapson. He died on 9 January 2018 in Pacific Palisades, California, USA.- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
One of MGM's more vivacious secondary stars during the 40s, petite and lovely Jean Porter was born in Texas in 1922 but left the state while young to pursue her dream as an actress. Following some vaudeville experience, she made her uncredited film debut in 1939 (age 17) and slowly graduated to sweet-natured ingénues in light, wholesome "B" fare. Most were sentimental trifles, such as Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble (1944)and Easy to Wed (1946), or western action with such obvious titles as Heart of the Rio Grande (1942) and Home in Wyomin' (1942). Despite her promise and talent, none of her approximately 30 films managed to set her apart and top stardom remained elusive.
Jean's finest screen roles probably came with The Youngest Profession (1943) and Till the End of Time (1946), where she met future husband, director Edward Dmytryk. They married in 1948 and had three children: Richard, Victoria and Rebecca, the latter becoming a wildlife rescuer and rehabilitator. Not long into their marriage, Dmytryk was branded a Communist as one of the "Hollywood Ten" (he was admittedly once a member of The American Communist Party) and the next decade or so would be a dark period of time for them.
Unable to work, the blacklisted director moved his family to England where he found some employment. In 1951, however, Dmytryk decided to return to the States and was jailed for six months before giving testimony and being granted a reprieve. As a result, he was allowed to return to directing. Jean's last film, in fact, would be The Left Hand of God (1955) starring Humphrey Bogart and Gene Tierney, which was directed by her husband. She last appeared on 1961 TV episodes of "Sea Hunt" and "77 Sunset Strip."
Throughout their ordeal Jean and Edward remained a loyal couple and in later years wrote a book together "On Screen Acting" in 1984. Happily married until his death at age 90 of heart and kidney failure in 1999, Jean continues to be a regular attendee of film-related events and a by-line contributor for "Classic Images," the popular magazine for old-styled film fans, in which she reminisces of Hollywood back then. Jean died at age 95 on January 13, 2018, in Canoga Park (Los Angeles), California.- Actress
- Composer
- Writer
Dolores Mary Eileen O'Riordan was born in Ballybricken, a town 8 miles outside Limerick on Sept. 6, 1971. Her parents are Eileen and Terrance. Terrance was in a wheelchair due to a motorcycle accident. Dolores was the youngest of seven children, and one of two girls. In the late eighties, Dolores met up with her band members-to-be. Feargal Lawler of Parteen, and Mike and Noel Hogan of Moycross gave Dolores the music to their future hit "Linger". She came back the next day with lyrics. It took some time for The Cranberries to take off, very emotionally impacting Dolores who was overcome with frustration. Their debut album, "Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We" is a quote-Dolores said it while the band members were part of an audience at a concert. It was in America where the Cranberries first found satisfying success - when they returned to their native Ireland, success was awaiting them there as well.
Dolores' life went from railing against war and childhood strife (she was always an avid child advocate) and condemning disrespectful lovers, to deciding that she is "Free to Decide". The mother of three children, her family life brightened up her music. She died in London on 15 January 2018.- Writer
- Producer
- Director
Hugh Wilson was born on 24 August 1943 in Miami, Florida, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for Blast from the Past (1999), Frank's Place (1987) and WKRP in Cincinnati (1978). He was married to Charters Smith. He died on 14 January 2018 in Charlottesville, Virginia, USA.- Actor
- Director
Peter Groeger was born on 1 June 1933 in Gröbzig, Germany. He was an actor and director, known for Police Call 110 (1971), Die Geschichte Mitteldeutschlands (1999) and Das unsichtbare Visier (1973). He died on 16 January 2018 in Berlin, Germany.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Peter Paul Wyngarde was born at the home of an aunt in Marseille, Southern France, and is the son of an English father and French mother. Owing to his father's work as a member of the British Diplomatic Service, Peter spent much of his early childhood moving from one country to another, and was educated in a number of different schools.
One city which left a lasting impression on him was Shanghai, where he had been temporarily left in the care of a Swiss family whilst his father was away in India on business. The year was 1941, and amid a mass of turmoil and confusion, news broke that the Japanese had captured the city, and before long, Peter and his surrogate family found themselves in Lunghua concentration camp.
Confined in these desperately brutal conditions for four years, Peter struggled to prevent his family and friends from dying at the hands of the cruel and barbaric soldiers who governed the camp, and on one occasion while running errands between accommodation huts, he was discovered and punished by having both his feet broken with a rifle butt, and then put into solitary confinement for two weeks.
During better times however, the young Mr. Wyngarde worked in the camp laundry and gardens, and began to write and appear in plays staged by, and for, his fellow inmates, making his acting debut in his own production of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. When the camp was finally liberated in 1945 Peter, who was then suffering from malnutrition, beriberi and malaria, was taken to a sanatorium in the Swiss mountains where he remained for the next two years.
After completing his education in Switzerland, France and England, Peter reluctantly honored his parents' wishes, and entered university, where he began studying law, but soon dropped the idea in favor of a career in advertising. After a brief spell with an agency in London, he walked into an audition, read the part, and was cast as the understudy for the lead in a play in Brighton.
His first role on the London stage, however, was with the Nottingham Repertory Company at the Embassy Theatre as Cassio in Othello. From there, he moved to the world famous Old Vic in Bristol, where he not only took the lead role in such classics as Cyrano de Bergerac and Taming of the Shrew, but also tried his hand at directing, most notably with Long Day's Journey Into Night.
In 1956, Peter was invited over to the United States to take a screen test for the part of Pausanius in Robert Rosen's epic feature film, Alexander the Great opposite Richard Burton and Fredric March, but after almost a year's work on location in Spain, he watched in horror as his role was cut almost out of existence.
Disillusioned with Hollywood, Peter returned to his first love - the British stage, where he took the role of Yang Sun, a Chinese fighter pilot, in Bertold Brecht's, The Good Woman of Setzuan, at the Royal Court Theatre in London's West End. It was here that he first made the acquaintance of the Oliviers - Laurence and his wife, Vivien Leigh, the latter of whom he later played opposite in the critically acclaimed Duel of Angels.
Following the plays hugely successful run at the Apollo Theatre in London in 1958 Ms Leigh, who had since become a close friend of Peter's, begged her leading man to join her in the New York production of the play. Although reluctant at first, Peter was at last persuaded to reprise his role as Count Marcellus, and he made his Broadway debut at the Helen Hayes Theatre in 1959, taking the coveted award for Best Actor in a Foreign Play.
On his triumphant return to Britain in 1960, he was almost immediately cast as the enigmatic Peter the Painter in Monty Barman's production of The Siege of Sidney Street - a film which was based on the true story of the British Governments legendary battle with a notorious gang of Slavonic anarchist, whose reputation throughout Europe for robbery and murder lead to one of the bloodiest confrontations in British criminal history.
Between numerous starring roles in television productions such as Independent Televisions popular Armchair Theatre and Play of the Week, Peter made two more big screen appearances - both Albert Fennell productions.
The first, in 1961, was The Innocents - a feature-length adaptation of the Henry James novella The Turn of the Screw, which was followed in 1962 by the classic supernatural thriller, Night of the Eagle (aka Burn, Witch, Burn) which was once again based on a novel - this time Fritz Leiber's Conjure Wife.
Between July of 1960 and March of 1969, Peter appeared in no less than thirty television plays, and guest starred in such classic series as The Avengers, I Love Lucy, The Baron, The Saint, The Champions and The Prisoner. In 1969, Peter was cast in what was undoubtedly his most famous role as the legendary author-cum-investigator, Jason King, in the ITC action series, Department S, and soon became the idol of thousands of women the world over. So overwhelming was his effect on television viewers that in 1971, a brand new series - Jason King - was devised, which allowed the handsome novelist to go adventuring without restriction.
Following the cancellation of the series at the end of 1972, Peter decided to return to the theatre, and after being greeted at Melbourne Airport by more than 30,000 screaming fans, he took the city by storm in the world premiere of Butley before packed houses every night. Once back in London, Peter took the lead role in Charles Dyers Mother Adam at the Hampstead Theatre, and then went on to tour Britain in the lead role of the King in Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I opposite Sally Ann Howes. The following year, he once again took up the mantle of actor/director with Present Laughter, stopping off along the way to host the 1974 Miss Television Contest.
In 1975, Peter headed out to Austria to work at the English Theatre in Vienna, to both act in and direct productions of The Merchant of Venice and Big Toys, before returning to the big screen in an Austrian film (Himmel, Scheich Und Wolkenbrunch) in the role of a latter-day Rudolph Valentino. The following year, he returned to the British stage in the Lawrence Parnes production of Anastasia, and then on to the big screen courtesy of Dino De Laurentiis' lavish 1980s sci-fi blockbuster, Flash Gordon, in which he was cast in the role of General Klytus. It was then back to the stage for a nine-months' tour of South Africa in Deathtrap.
In 1984, after an absence of almost 12 years, Peter returned to the small screen with a rare television appearance in the four-part Doctor Who installment, Planet of Fire, which was followed in short succession by the Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense story, And The Wall Came Tumbling Down, and a memorable guest-starring role in Granada Television's Bulman.
Having been cast as the somewhat unsavory character of Sir Robert Knights in the stylish, yet overtly violent British thriller, Tank Malling in 1989 Peter, who scarcely ever agrees to be interviewed, consented to appear on SKY TV's Jameson Show, plus a hearing on Channel 4s Right To Reply and the BBC's daytime magazine, Pebble Mill. More recently, Peter appeared in 1994 in Granada Televisions popular Sherlock Holmes series opposite Jeremy Brett, playing the newspaper gossip-columnist, Langdale Pike, in The Three Gables.
The long-overdue release of both Department S and Jason King on video in 1993 helped rekindle huge interest in the debonair Mr Wyngarde, with repeats of the series being shown on satellite and cable channels, and public pressure resulting in the re-release of his infamous 1970 album on CD.
In recent years, Peter has made numerous TV appearances, which include Astleys Way, Dee Time, 100 Greatest TV Characters, Don't Knock Yourself Out and narrated the acclaimed Timeshift documentary, The Many Faces of Sherlock Holmes in 2014.
Peter remains one of the most popular British actors of the past 50 years, with a thriving fan club and devoted worldwide following. His appearances at TV and Sci-Fi conventions have drawn thousands of attendees, eager to meet him and to shake the hand of a true acting legend.- Dark-haired, Ivy League-looking Bradford Dillman, whose white-collar career spanned nearly five decades, possessed charm and confident good looks that were slightly tainted by a bent smile, darting glance and edgy countenance that often provoked suspicion. Sure enough, the camera picked up on it and he played shady, highly suspect characters throughout most of his career.
The actor was born in San Francisco on April 14, 1930, to Dean and Josephine Dillman. Yale-educated, he graduated with a B.A. in English Literature. Following this he served with the US Marines in Korea (1951-1953) before focusing on acting as a profession. Studying at the Actors Studio, he spent several seasons apprenticing with the Sharon (CT) Playhouse before making his professional acting debut in "The Scarecrow" in 1953.
Dillman took his initial Broadway bow in Eugene O'Neill's play "Long Day's Journey Into Night" in 1956, originating the author's alter ego character Edmund Tyrone and winning a Theatre World Award in the process. This success put him squarely on the map and 20th Century-Fox took immediate advantage by placing the darkly handsome up-and-comer under contract. Cast in the melodrama A Certain Smile (1958), he earned a Golden Globe for "Most Promising Newcomer" playing a Parisian student who loses his girl (Christine Carère) to the worldly Italian roué Rossano Brazzi. He followed this with a strong ensemble appearance in In Love and War (1958), which featured a cast of young rising stars including Hope Lange and Robert Wagner. More acting honors followed after completing the film Compulsion (1959), which told the true story of the infamous 1920s kidnapping/murder case of Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb. He went on to share a "Best Actor" award at the Cannes Film Festival with fellow co-stars Dean Stockwell, who played the other youthful murderer, and veteran Orson Welles.
Though he was a magnetic player poised for stardom, Dillman's subsequent films failed to serve him well and were generally unworthy of his talent. Though properly serious and stoic as the title character in Francis of Assisi (1961), the film itself was stilted and weakly scripted. Circle of Deception (1960) was a misguided tale of espionage and intrigue, but it did introduce him to his second wife, supermodel-cum-actress Suzy Parker. While A Rage to Live (1965) with Suzanne Pleshette was trashy soap material, The Plainsman (1966) was rather a silly, juvenile version of the Gary Cooper western classic. As a result of these missteps--and others--he began to top-line lesser quality projects or play supporting roles in "A" pictures. His nothing role as Robert Redford's college pal-turned Hollywood producer in The Way We Were (1973) and his major roles in the ludicrous The Swarm (1978) and Lords of the Deep (1989) became proof in the pudding. His last good film role was in O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh (1973), although he did play an interesting John Wilkes Booth in the speculative re-enactment drama The Lincoln Conspiracy (1977) and had a fun leading role in the Jaws (1975)-like spoof Piranha (1978).
Dillman bore up very well on TV over the years, subsisting on a plethora of mini-movies and guest spots on popular series, playing everything from turncoats to frauds and from adulterers to psychotics. He earned a Daytime Emmy for his appearance in Last Bride of Salem (1974) and starred in two series--Court Martial (1965), as a military lawyer, and King's Crossing (1982), as an alcoholic parent and teacher attempting to straighten out. He also spent a season on the established nighttime soap Falcon Crest (1981) in 1982.
A narrator, director and teacher of acting in later years. Bradford launched a late-in-the career sideline as an author. The football fan inside him compelled him to write "Inside the New York Giants" (1995), a book that rated players drafted by the team since 1967. Two years later he published his memoirs, the curiously-titled "Are You Somebody?: An Actor's Life." He retired from the screen after a few guest star shots on "Murder, She Wrote" in the mid-90s.
From 1956 to 1962, Dillman was married to Frieda Harding, and had two children, Jeffrey and Pamela. Following their divorce, he met well-known model-turned-actress Suzy Parker during the production of Circle of Deception (1960) and the couple married on April 20, 1963. They had three children, Dinah, Charles, and Christopher. Daughter Pamela Dillman has worked as an actress. Dillman was made a widower when Parker died on May 3, 2003. He lived for many years in Montecito, California, and helped raise money for medical research. He died in Santa Barbara, California on January 16, 2018, aged 87, from complications of pneumonia. - Actress
- Soundtrack
The blonde, sultry, dreamy-eyed beauty of Dorothy Malone, who was born Mary Maloney in Chicago on January 29, 1924, took some time before it made an impact with American film-going audiences. But once she did, she played it for all it was worth in her one chance Academy Award-winning "bad girl" performance, a role quite unlike the classy and strait-laced lady herself.
Raised in Dallas, she was one of five children born to an accountant father and housewife mother. Two older sisters died of polio. Attending Ursuline Convent and Highland Park High School, she was quite popular (as "School Favorite"). She was also a noted female athlete while there and won several awards for swimming and horseback riding. Following graduation, she studied at Southern Methodist University with the intent of becoming a nurse, but a role in the college play "Starbound" happened to catch the eye of an RKO talent scout and she was offered a Hollywood contract.
The lovely brunette started off in typical RKO starlet mode with acting/singing/dancing/diction lessons and bit parts (billed as Dorothy Maloney) in such films as the Frank Sinatra musicals Higher and Higher (1943) and Step Lively (1944), a couple of the mystery "Falcon" entries and a showier role in Show Business (1944) with Eddie Cantor and George Murphy. RKO lost interest, however, after the two-year contract was up. Warner Bros., however, stepped up to the plate and offered the actress a contract. Now billed as Dorothy Malone, her third film offering with the studio finally injected some adrenaline into her floundering young career, when she earned the small role of a seductive book clerk in the Bogart/Bacall classic The Big Sleep (1946). Critics and audiences took notice of her captivating little part. As a reward, the studio nudged her up the billing ladder with more visible roles in Two Guys from Texas (1948), Romance on the High Seas (1948), South of St. Louis (1949) and Colorado Territory (1949), with the westerns showing off her equestrian prowess if not her acting ability.
Despite this positive movement, Warner Bros. did not extend Dorothy's contract in 1949 and she returned willingly back to her tight-knit family in her native Dallas. Taking a steadier job with an insurance agency, she happened to attend a work-related convention in New York City and grew fascinated with the big city. Deciding to recommit to her acting career, she moved to the Big Apple and studied at the American Theater Wing. In between her studies, she managed to find work on TV, which spurred freelancing "B" movie offers in the routine form of Saddle Legion (1951), The Bushwhackers (1951), the Martin & Lewis romp Scared Stiff (1953), Law and Order (1953), Jack Slade (1953), Pushover (1954) and Private Hell 36 (1954).
Things picked up noticeably once Dorothy went platinum blonde, which seemed to emphasize her overt and sensual beauty. First off was as a sister to Doris Day in Young at Heart (1954), a musical remake of Four Daughters (1938), back at Warner Bros. She garnered even better attention when she appeared in the war picture Battle Cry (1955), in which she shared torrid love scenes with film's newest heartthrob Tab Hunter, and continued the momentum with the reliable westerns Five Guns West (1955) and Tall Man Riding (1955) but not with melodramatic romantic dud Sincerely Yours (1955) which tried to sell to the audiences a heterosexual Liberace.
By this time she had signed with Universal. Following a few more westerns for good measure (At Gunpoint (1955), Tension at Table Rock (1956) and Pillars of the Sky (1956), Dorothy won the scenery-chewing role of wild, nymphomaniac Marylee Hadley in the Douglas Sirk soap opera Written on the Wind (1956) co-starring Rock Hudson, Lauren Bacall and Robert Stack. Stack and Malone had the showier roles and completely out-shined the two leads, both earning supporting Oscar nominations in the process. Stack lost in his category but Dorothy nabbed the trophy for her splendidly tramp, boozed-up Southern belle which was highlighted by her writhing mambo dance.
Unfortunately, Dorothy's long spell of mediocre filming did not end with all the hoopla she received for Written on the Wind (1956). The Tarnished Angels (1957), which reunited Malone with Hudson and Stack faltered, and Quantez (1957) with Fred MacMurray was just another run-of-the-mill western. Two major film challenges might have changed things with Man of a Thousand Faces (1957) as the unsympathetic first wife of James Cagney's Lon Chaney Sr, and as alcoholic actress Diana Barrymore in the biographic melodrama Too Much, Too Soon (1958). Cagney, however, overshadowed everyone in the first and the second was fatally watered down by the Production Code committee.
To compensate, Dorothy, at age 35 in 1959, finally was married -- to playboy actor Jacques Bergerac (Ginger Rogers's ex-husband). A daughter, Mimi, was born the following year. Fewer film offers, which included Warlock (1959) and The Last Voyage (1960), came her way as Dorothy focused more on family life. While a second daughter, Diane, was born in 1962, the turbulent marriage wouldn't last and their divorce became final in December 1964. A bitter custody battle ensued with Dorothy eventually winning primary custody.
It took the small screen to rejuvenate Dorothy's career in the mid-1960s when she earned top billing of TV's first prime time soap opera Peyton Place (1964). Dorothy, starring in Lana Turner's 1957 film role of Constance MacKenzie, found herself in a smash hit. The run wasn't entirely happy however. Doctors discovered blood clots on her lungs which required major surgery and she almost died. Lola Albright filled in until she was able to return. Just as bad, her the significance of her role dwindled with time and 20th Century-Fox finally wrote her and co-star Tim O'Connor off the show in 1968. Dorothy filed a breach of contract lawsuit which ended in an out-of-court settlement.
Her life on- and off-camera did not improve. Dorothy's second marriage to stockbroker Robert Tomarkin in 1969 would last only three months, and a third to businessman Charles Huston Bell managed about three years. Now-matronly roles in the films Winter Kills (1979), Vortex (1982), The Being (1981) and Rest in Pieces (1987), were few and far between a few TV-movies -- which included some "Peyton Place" revivals, did nothing to advance her. Malone returned and settled for good back in her native Dallas, returning to Hollywood only on occasion.
Dorothy's last film was a cameo in the popular thriller Basic Instinct (1992) as a friend to Sharon Stone. She will be remembered as one of those Hollywood stars who proved she had the talent but somehow got the short end of the stick when it came to quality films offered. She retired to Texas and died in Dallas shortly before her 94th birthday on January 19, 2018.- Additional Crew
- Actor
Paul Bocuse was born on 11 February 1926 in Collonges-au-Mont-d'Or, Rhône, France. He was an actor. He was married to Raymonde Duvert. He died on 20 January 2018 in Collonges-au-Mont-d'Or, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.- Angelika Meissner was born on 25 November 1939 in Berlin, Germany. She was an actress, known for Ferien auf Immenhof (1957), Die Mädels vom Immenhof (1955) and Hochzeit auf Immenhof (1956). She died on 10 January 2018 in Berlin, Germany.
- Yves Afonso was born on 13 February 1944 in Saulieu, Côte-d'Or, France. He was an actor, known for Les arcandiers (1991), France société anonyme (1974) and Frank Riva (2003). He died on 21 January 2018 in Paris, France.
- Connie Sawyer was born on 27 November 1912 in Pueblo, Colorado, USA. She was an actress, known for Dumb and Dumber (1994), Pineapple Express (2008) and Out of Sight (1998). She was married to Marshall Schacker. She died on 21 January 2018 in Woodland Hills, California, USA.
- Olivia Cole was born on 26 November 1942 in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. She was an actress, known for Roots (1977), Backstairs at the White House (1979) and Something About Amelia (1984). She was married to Richard Venture. She died on 19 January 2018 in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico.
- Music Department
- Composer
- Soundtrack
John Morris was born on 18 October 1926 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA. He was a composer, known for Blazing Saddles (1974), The Elephant Man (1980) and Coach (1989). He was married to Francesca Bosetti. He died on 25 January 2018 in Red Hook, New York, USA.- Actor
- Camera and Electrical Department
Robert Dowdell was born on 10 March 1932 in Park Ridge, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Stoney Burke (1962), Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964) and Assassination (1987). He was married to Sheila Connolly. He died on 23 January 2018 in Coldwater, Michigan, USA.- Mathias Kniesbeck was born on 19 June 1955 in Dillingen/Saar, French Saar Protectorate [now Saarland, Germany]. He was an actor, known for Die Reise das Land (1987), Balko (1995) and Bang Boom Bang - Ein todsicheres Ding (1999). He died on 31 January 2018 in Merzig, Saarland, Germany.
- Louis Zorich was born on 12 February 1924 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Fiddler on the Roof (1971), Detachment (2011) and The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984). He was married to Olympia Dukakis. He died on 30 January 2018 in New York City, New York, USA.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Rolf Zacher was born on 28 March 1941 in Berlin, Germany. He was an actor, known for Slow Attack (1980), The Confessions of Felix Krull (1982) and Heidenlöcher (1986). He was married to Gisela Getty. He died on 3 February 2018 in Seniors Residence "Am Park", Büdelsdorf, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Ole Thestrup was born on 12 March 1948 in Nibe, Denmark. He was an actor, known for Flickering Lights (2000), Adam's Apples (2005) and Ronal the Barbarian (2011). He was married to Hanne Marie Knudsen. He died on 2 February 2018 in Tuse Næs, Denmark.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Ann Gillis was born Alma Mabel Conner on February 12, 1927, in Little Rock, Arkansas. At age seven, she appeared in her first film, Men in White (1934), as an extra. During the next two years, she had uncredited appearances in six more films until she received her first major role in King of Hockey (1936). Warner Brothers Studios gave significant screen time to Gillis in this movie, in hopes that she would become another Shirley Temple. Although (like all child stars of the 1930s) she never achieved Temple's level of fame, for the next several years Gillis starred in many films, almost always playing a spoiled, bratty character. She had two rare sympathetic roles as Becky Thatcher in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938) and as the title character in Little Orphan Annie (1938). One scene in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer called for her to go into screaming hysterics when her character was trapped in a cave of bats, and Gillis delivered in a powerful performance that is probably the most memorable scene of her film career. As Gillis grew older, however, her career slowed down, and she left Hollywood in 1947. When she left Hollywood she married Paul Ziebold and had 2 sons. She then divorced, relocated to New York City and married Richard Fraser, a Scottish-born actor (they had a son born in 1958). During the 1950s and '60s, Gillis made sporadic television appearances, and in 1959, she hosted a national telecast presentation of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Gillis and her husband moved to England in 1961, and they were living in London when they heard of a casting call for 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) that called for an American actress living in the city. Gillis auditioned and got the role, this was her final film.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
John Mahoney was an award-winning American actor. He was born in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, the seventh of eight children of Margaret and Reg, a baker. His family was evacuated to the sea-side resort to avoid the Nazi bombing of their native Manchester. The Mancunian Mahoneys eventually returned to Manchester during the war. Visiting the States to see his older sister, a "war bride" who had married an American, the young Mahoney decided to emigrate and was sponsored by his sister. John eventually won his citizenship by serving in the U.S. Army.
Long interested in acting, Mahoney didn't make the transition to his craft until he was almost forty years old. Mahoney took acting classes at the St. Nicholas Theater and finally built up the courage to quit his day job and pursue acting full time. John Malkovich, one of the founders of the Second City's distinguished Steppenwolf Theatre, encouraged Mahoney to join Steppenwolf, and in 1986, Mahoney won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance in John Guare's The House of Blue Leaves (1987).
Mahoney made his feature film debut in 1980, but he was best known for playing the role of the father of the eponymous character Frasier (1993) from 1993 until 2004. He later concentrated on stage work back in Chicago, and appeared on Broadway in 2007 in a revival of Prelude to a Kiss (1992).
John died on February 4, 2018, in Chicago, Illinois.- Actor
- Writer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Alf Humphreys was born on 3 April 1953 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was an actor and writer, known for X2 (2003), First Blood (1982) and The Uninvited (2009). He was married to Elizabeth Moss. He died on 31 January 2018 in Stratford, Ontario, Canada.- Actor
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Director
Mickey Jones was born on 10 June 1941 in Houston, Texas, USA. He was an actor and director, known for Total Recall (1990), Starman (1984) and Sling Blade (1996). He was married to Phyllis Jean Starr and Sandra Joel Davis. He died on 7 February 2018 in Simi Valley, California, USA.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Producer
Born into a military family in Huntsville, Alabama -- his father was an army vet who had served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam, while his mother held a somewhat mysterious job in the Department of Defence -- Reg E. Cathey spent much of his early childhood living on a rural farmhouse in Germany. There, he watched American TV shows dubbed into German and first became theatre-struck at the age of nine after attending a USO performance of "Guys and Dolls". That same year, he also took up playing the saxophone. That he became an actor and not a jazz musician was happenstance, but, as he once admitted "he was no Lester Young". An incisive and eloquent personality with a uniquely expressive baritone voice, Cathey was to bring a soulful dignity and often unexpected sense of humour to a wide variety of roles on both stage and screen.
Cathey attended the University of Michigan and later studied acting at the Yale School of Drama. The theatre remained his lifelong passion and New York his preferred place of residence. As he later explained: "I learned how to act at Yale but learned how to be an actor in NYC. I escaped wandering lost in the desert that is Los Angeles after a decade (which I'll never get back) and being psychically traumatized, I didn't audition for film and television, immersing myself in the 'Classics.'" And so, Cathey went on to tackle diverse (non-stereotypical) roles, ranging from Prospero in a musical version of Shakespeare's 'The Tempest' to 'Red' Redding in a British production of 'The Shawshank Redemption' (a part made famous by Morgan Freeman in the film version).
Though performing more often than not in New York, Cathey did ultimately return to Hollywood. His formidable screen characters have often been marked by a uniquely erudite fierceness. They have included powerful authority figures, scientists and occasional villains in films (The Mask (1994), Tank Girl (1995), Se7en (1995), Fantastic Four (2015)) and shows like The Wire (2002), Outcast (2016) and House of Cards (2013) (his recurring role as Freddy Hayes, owner of Frank Underwood's favourite BBQ joint and secret hangout, which won him an Emmy Award in 2015 as Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series). In keeping with his credo that "the dark stuff is fun", he also proved excellent value as a shadowy keeper of secrets ('The Caretaker') in an episode of The Blacklist (2013) and as the top-hatted zombie master Baron Samedi, in an episode of Grimm (2011). One of his most poignant roles came near the end as the estranged father of Luke Cage (2016). Not long after, Reg E. Cathey passed away as a result of lung cancer in February 2018 at the untimely age of just 59, never having had the chance of fulfilling his longstanding ambition to play a baritone saxophonist.- Actor
- Soundtrack
John Gavin, the American film and TV actor, businessman and diplomat who was Ronald Reagan's first Ambassador to Mexico, was born Juan Vincent Apablasa in Los Angeles, California.
The future "Jack" Gavin was a fifth-generation Angeleno, the son of Delia Diana Pablos and Juan Vincent Apablasa, and was of Mexican, Chilean, and Spanish ancestry, a descendant of early landowners in Spanish California and the powerful Pablos family of the Mexican state of Sonora. His stepfather was Herald Ray Golenor. John had a fluency in Spanish that aided him in his career in diplomacy. He graduated with honors from Stanford University, majoring in Latin American economic history. "Law, Latin America and diplomacy were my early interests," Gavin later remembered. Too young to participate in World War II, he did serve in the military during the Korean Conflict. He was commissioned an officer in the U.S. Navy in 1952, where he served in naval air intelligence until his 1955 discharge. After his hitch in the Navy, Universal -- the home studio of 6'5" heartthrob Rock Hudson, who was on his way to becoming the top box office star in America -- offered the 6'4" Gavin a screen-test and a contract with the studio. Studio bosses always liked internal competition to keep the pressure on their major stars; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer signed Robert Taylor as a young backup to the King of Hollywood Clark Gable, and similarly, Gavin was positioned as the "next Rock Hudson".
Tall, dark and handsome, Gavin debuted in Behind the High Wall (1956), and three years later, in 1959, he had his first major lead in Douglas Sirk's remake of Imitation of Life (1959) opposite Lana Turner. Sirk, whose Ross Hunter-produced melodramas of the mid-1950's made Hudson a superstar, first directed Gavin in the role of a German soldier in his adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque's A Time to Love and a Time to Die (1958) the year before. Imitation of Life (1959), which was produced by Ross Hunter in his typical lavish style, was a huge hit. Gavin was on the road to becoming a major Hudson-style heart-throb, it seemed.
The following year, Gavin achieved cinematic immortality by appearing in two classics in supporting roles, as Sam Loomis in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) and as Julius Caesar in Stanley Kubrick's Spartacus (1960). Of Psycho (1960) and Spartacus (1960), he has said, "I didn't have an inkling they would be classics. Had I realized that, perhaps I would have paid more attention." The momentum of his cinema career petered out after appearing opposite Susan Hayward in the 1961 remake of Fannie Hurst's Back Street (1961), though he did move on to star in two television series during the 1960s, Destry (1964) and Convoy (1965). Both series were produced by companies that were subsidiaries of the Universal-M.C.A., Revue Studios and Universal TV, created by the legendary agent and studio boss Lew Wasserman, the éminence grise behind Ronald Reagan's movie, TV and political careers. More importantly, in 1961, he was appointed special adviser to the secretary general of the Organization of American States, a position he held until 1973. He also performed task-group work for the Department of State and the Executive Office of the President. From 1966 to 1973, he also served on the board of the Screen Actors Guild and was guild president from 1971-1973. For the next eight years, he was engaged in business activities, many of which took him to Mexico and other Latin American countries. The producers of the James Bond series signed him to replace George Lazenby as James Bond in Diamonds Are Forever (1971), until they convinced Sean Connery to reprise the role with a $1 million charitable contribution and a $1 million salary. Thus, Gavin lost out on what could have been his career break into the big-time. However, he did not lament the loss of the role. If he had been a more successful actor, it "might have prevented me from fulfilling my real childhood dream: to be U.S. ambassador to Mexico."
During the 1970s, Gavin made some more movies, toured in summer stock in a production of The Fantasticks (Gavin has a fine baritone voice), and appeared on Broadway and in the touring show of the musical Seesaw (1973). He ended the decade by starring in TV mini-series Doctors' Private Lives (1979); he left show business to pursue business interests. The 1980s brought America a new president, and on May 7, 1981, Republican Gavin was appointed Ambassador to Mexico by President Reagan, serving until June 10, 1986. The American diplomatic mission in Mexico, one of the largest in the world, employed more than 1,000 American and Mexican employees tasked by over a dozen U.S. government agencies in consulates and offices throughout Mexico.
Gavin married the former stage and television actress Constance Towers in 1974. Each partner had two children from previous marriages. Gavin's daughter, Christina Gavin, followed in his footsteps and became an actress.
Since leaving government service, Gavin has become a successful businessman and civic leader, co-founding and managing successful ventures in the U.S. and Latin America. In 1986, Gavin was named president of Univisa Satellite Communications, a subsidiary of Univisa, Inc. He is founder/chairman of Gamma Holdings and serves on the boards of Apex Mortgage Capital, International Wire Holdings, and KKFC. Inc, and is a trustee and director of certain Merrill Lynch mutual funds. He is also a member of the Latin America Strategy Board of Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst. Previously he was a managing director and partner of Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst (Latin America) as well as a director of Atlantic Richfield (where he had served as vice president of federal and international relations). He also served on the boards of Dresser Industries, Claxson and several other major corporations. Gavin also serves on the boards of several non-profit corporations, pro bono, including The Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA, Loyola Marymount University, and the California Community Foundation. Gavin also is a member of the Congressional Policy Advisory Board as a defense and foreign policy expert.
Gavin served as founding Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Century Council's from May 1991 until December 1994, then served on the Council's Advisory Board until 1996. The Century Council, a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting alcohol abuse, focuses on drunk driving and underage drinking problems and is supported by America's leading distillers.
John died on February 9, 2018 in Beverly Hills.- Actress
- Additional Crew
Jan Maxwell was born on 20 November 1956 in Fargo, North Dakota, USA. She was an actress, known for BrainDead (2016), An Unfinished Life (2005) and The Good Wife (2009). She was married to Robert Emmet Lunney. She died on 11 February 2018 in New York City, New York, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
At fourteen he worked as an usher at the NYC Paramount Theatre. His father was an electrician who played guitar and his mother taught piano. Damone attended PS 163 and sang in St. Finbar's choir and later attended the Alexander Hamilton Vocational High School and then Lafayette High School in Brooklyn. He left school at sixteen to support his family, but returned to graduate from Lafayette in 1997. Damone won first prize in an Arthur Godfrey talent scouts contest in 1945. His first night club appearance at the LA Martinique Club was set up by comedian Milton Berle. He was drafted and served in the army from 1951 to 1953. After he was discharged from the army he married actress Pier Angeli, whom he later divorced. Damone was later married to Becky Ann Jones from 1974 to 1982 and Diahann Carroll from 1987 to 1996. He married Rena Rowan, fashion designer and co-founder of Jones New York, in 1998. In 1999, he received a certificate of advanced study from Philadelphia University.- Marie Gruber was born on 11 June 1955 in Wuppertal, Germany. She was an actress, known for The Reader (2008), The Lives of Others (2006) and Frantz (2016). She died on 8 February 2018 in Berlin, Germany.
- Kenneth Haigh was an English actor who broke new ground with his original interpretation of Jimmy Porter, in John Osborne's 1956 play "Look Back in Anger". The play was to fundamentally change English theatre and coined the phrase used to describe Osborne (and later other contemporary playwrights) by the British Press as an "Angry Young Man". The following year, Haigh took the performance to Broadway, but the already established film credentials of Richard Burton saw the lead role change hands for the 1957 film adaptation. The role of Jimmy Porter came relatively early in Haigh's career and some commentators have argued that what followed in the next 50 years was something of an anti-climax for him. Apart from Porter, one of his best known roles was that of Joe Lampton in the TV series Man at the Top (1970), and the subsequent spin-off film Man at the Top (1973). Sadly, tragedy struck Haigh in 2003 when he swallowed a bone whilst eating in a restaurant in London's Soho. Deprived of oxygen his brain function was damaged and he was confined to a nursing home up until his death in 2018.
- Actor
- Writer
Pier Paolo Capponi was born on 9 June 1938 in Subiaco, Lazio, Italy. He was an actor and writer, known for Naked Violence (1969), La piovra (1984) and Uomini della scienza (1977). He was married to Isabella Peretti. He died on 15 February 2018 in Torri in Sabina, Rieti, Italy.- Editor
- Director
- Editorial Department
Edward M. Abroms was born on 6 May 1935 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an editor and director, known for Columbo (1971), Street Fighter (1994) and The Jewel of the Nile (1985). He died on 13 February 2018 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Heinz Petters was born on 9 July 1932 in Graz, Austria. He was an actor, known for Trautmann (2000), Die Abenteuer des braven Soldaten Schwejk (1972) and Wiener Totentanz (1971). He was married to Meieli. He died on 6 February 2018 in Austria.- Actor
- Director
Peter Pikl was born on 3 May 1946 in Salzburg, Austria. He was an actor and director, known for Floris von Rosemund (1975), Tugend in Gefahr (2001) and Ein idealer Kandidat (1997). He was married to Traude Gmeinböck. He died on 19 February 2018 in Mattsee, Salzburg, Austria.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Writer
Christian Rode was born on 20 July 1936 in Hamburg, Germany. He was an actor and writer, known for Faust (1960), Die Nibelungen 2. Teil - Kriemhilds Rache (1967) and Der Reformator (1968). He died on 15 February 2018 in Berlin, Germany.- Ulrich Pleitgen was born on 1 November 1942 in Hannover, Lower Saxony, West Germany. He was an actor, known for Nicht von schlechten Eltern (1993), Die Kinder (1990) and K3 - Kripo Hamburg (2003). He was married to Monika Koepchen. He died on 21 February 2018 in Hamburg, Germany.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
A sparkling, entertaining, highly energetic presence ever since her early days (from age 4) as a singing and tap dancing child vaudevillian, Nanette Fabray was once billed as "Baby Nanette".
She was born in Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada, then moved to the United States, to Louisiana-born parents, Lily Agnes (McGovern) and Raoul Bernard Fabares, a train conductor whose own father was from France. She worked with the top headliners of the era, notably Ben Turpin, in the Los Angeles area. She also sang on radio. It was widely rumored that she appeared in the "Our Gang" ("Little Rascal") film shorts of the late 1920s; however, this was not true. Later the young hopeful received a scholarship to the Max Reinhardt School of the Theatre and appeared in the school's productions of "The Miracle", "Six Characters in Search of an Author" and "A Servant with Two Masters", all in 1939.
The musical comedy stage, however, would be Nanette's forte. Appearing in such hit New York productions as "Meet the People" (1940), "Let's Face It" (1941), "By Jupiter" (1943) and "Bloomer Girl" (1945), she capped this period of great productivity earning awards for her Broadway work in "High Button Shoes" (1947 - Donaldson Award), and "Love Life" (1948 - Tony and Donaldson Awards).
Strangely, Nanette never obtained a strong foothold when it came to film. Aside from secondary roles in The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939) starring Bette Davis and Errol Flynn, and the melodrama A Child Is Born (1939), her one claim to movie fame would be her vital participation in the blockbuster MGM musical The Band Wagon (1953) in which she memorably performed the songs "That's Entertainment" and "Louisiana Hayride," and joined Fred Astaire and Jack Buchanan in the standout "Triplets" number.
Into the 1950s, Nanette started checking out what television could do as a possible medium for her. It did a lot. She managed a fine feat by winning two consecutive Emmy awards as Sid Caesar's partner on the now-called Caesar's Hour (1954) following the departure of the seemingly irreplaceable Imogene Coca earlier. This led to Nanette eventually starring in her own sitcom, the short-lived Westinghouse Playhouse (1961) (aka "Yes, Yes, Nanette"), in the role of a Broadway star who becomes a makeshift mom after marrying a widower (Wendell Corey) with two children.
Broadway musicals continued to flourish with parts in "Arms and the Girl" (1950) and "Make a Wish" (1951). Nanette later copped another Tony nomination starring as a fictional "First Lady" opposition "President" Robert Ryan in the musical "Mr. President" (1962). Other tailor-made stage vehicles for her came in the form of "Plaza Suite", "Wonderful Town", "Never Too Late", "Last of the Red Hot Lovers" and "Cactus Flower", among others.
On the TV front, Nanette adjusted well into a lively and graceful support player. She served up a number of delightfully daffy moms, wisecracking friends and intrusive relatives in guest appearances -- sometimes alongside her own niece, actress Shelley Fabares, as was in the case of their regular roles on One Day at a Time (1975). Nanette was also a popular game show personality during the '60s and '70s, appearing on The Hollywood Squares (Daytime) (1965), The New High Rollers (1974), Password (1961) and The Match Game (1962), among others. The singer-comedienne could be counted on for TV musical variety appearances courtesy of headliners Dinah Shore, Andy Williams, Dean Martin and Carol Burnett.
Most importantly, Nanette's humanitarian efforts over the years were long recognized. A positive force as a hearing-impaired performer, she gave much time and effort in achieving equality for all types of handicapped and disabled people, including actors. Nanette was the widow (since 1973) of writer and sometime director/producer Ranald MacDougall, appearing in a few of his credited works, including the film The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County (1970), the TV pilot Fame Is the Name of the Game (1966) and the TV-movie Magic Carpet (1972). She and MacDougall have one child. Still as lively as ever, Nanette appeared in a 2007 L.A. musical revue, "The Damsel Dialogues".
Nanette died on February 22, 2018, in Palos Verdes, California. She was 97.- Anna Campori was born on 22 September 1917 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. She was an actress, known for Biblioteca di Studio Uno (1964), Un turco napoletano (1953) and Suor Maria (1955). She was married to Pietro De Vico. She died on 19 January 2018 in Rome, Italy.
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Allison Shearmur was born on 23 October 1963 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. She was a producer, known for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 (2014), The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015) and The Hunger Games (2012). She was married to Edward Shearmur. She died on 19 January 2018 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Producer
- Production Manager
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ezra Swerdlow was born on 2 March 1953 in Great Neck, Long Island, New York, USA. He was a producer and production manager, known for Spaceballs (1987), The Equalizer (2014) and Southpaw (2015). He was married to Lindsey Hicks. He died on 23 January 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Wolfgang Treu was born on 12 April 1930 in Hamburg, Germany. He was a cinematographer, known for The Castle (1968), Das Boot (1981) and The Night of the Askari (1976). He was married to Ellinor Busch. He died on 1 January 2018 in Hamburg, Germany.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Emma was born Emma Gwynedd Mary Chambers born in Doncaster, South Yorkshire in 1964 to John, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, and Noelle (nee Strange). The family moved around and, while attending St Swithun's school, Winchester, Chambers acted in Winchester college productions - saying she "enjoyed showing off" - and played lacrosse for Hampshire. Her parents eventually split up and she trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, where the former EastEnders actor Ross Kemp was one of her contemporaries.
Her best remembered film role, in Curtis's 1999 romcom Notting Hill, was the eccentric Honey Thacker, star-struck and overawed at meeting the Hollywood actor (played by Julia Roberts) who has fallen for her bookshop-owner brother (Hugh Grant). Honey explains her own difficulties in finding a partner: "I don't have hair - I've got feathers - and I've got funny, goggly eyes, and I'm attracted to cruel men and no one will ever marry me because my boosies have actually started shrinking." She eventually becomes engaged to her brother's slovenly housemate (Rhys Ifans).
Her sister, Sarah Doukas, and brother, Simon, went on to run Storm Model Management, which discovered Kate Moss at the age of 14.
Chambers made her television debut as Margaret, one of the young Brangwen children, in a 1988 BBC adaptation of the DH Lawrence novel The Rainbow. In between one-off roles on TV, she played Charity Pecksniff in a six-part serialisation of Charles Dickens's Martin Chuzzlewit, which began in the same week as The Vicar of Dibley (1994).
The popular BBC sitcom, written by Richard Curtis with Paul Mayhew-Archer, ran for two series, from 1994 to 1998, finishing with Alice's marriage to Hugo Horton (played by James Fleet), her second cousin once removed. Geraldine described both as having the intellectual capacity of a cactus and the wedding was notable for the two bridal attendants dressed as Teletubbies. Chambers won the 1998 British Comedy Award for best actress and returned as Alice in various Vicar of Dibley specials between 1999 and 2007.
She had significant supporting roles in the sitcom How Do You Want Me? (1998-99) as Helen Yardley, sister of the newlywed Lisa (Charlotte Coleman) returning from London to be near her family in the countryside, and Take a Girl Like You (2000), Andrew Davies's adaptation of Kingsley Amis's comic novel, as Martha Thompson, the bored housewife hostile to her beautiful, northern lodger.
Chambers' West End theatre debut came with the part of Geain, estranged daughter of Ian McKellen's composer Jerome, in Alan Ayckbourn's comedy Henceforward... (Vaudeville theatre, 1988-89) after appearing in the original 1987 production at the Stephen Joseph theatre, Scarborough. In his casting notes for Geain, Ayckbourn stipulated: "Not a child, please. Just a very small actress." Chambers lodged with McKellen for a while and said she regarded him as a father figure.
When, in 1989, she starred in the Scarborough premiere of Ayckbourn's Invisible Friends as another teenage daughter, Lucy Baines, who has an imaginary companion to relieve the awfulness of living with her family, the critic Harry Eyres praised Chambers' skill in "conveying Lucy's kaleidoscopic emotional states with startling immediacy" and negotiating the tricky device of also acting as the play's narrator. She reprised the role in London at the Cottesloe during two stints with the National Theatre company (1991-92) that included appearances in productions such as Franz Kafka's The Trial and Alan Bennett's The Madness of George III.
She gave a hilarious performance as Orgon's daughter Mariane in Tartuffe (Almeida theatre, 1996) and starred as Sheila in Michael Frayn's Benefactors (Albery theatre, 2002), a performance described by one critic as "a touching study in parasitic helplessness".
Chambers who suffered from asthma, attacks of which were often brought on by an acute allergy to animals, withdrew largely but not entirely from public life after the final episode of The Vicar of Dibley (1994) in 2007, which was also to remain her final television role. On the evening of 21st February 2018 Chambers suffered a heart attack and died at her home in Lymington, Hampshire, England at the age of just 53. Her death was announced three days later by her agent John Grant.
Chambers was survived by her husband, the actor Ian Dunn, whom she married in 1991, and by her siblings.- Actress
- Music Department
- Producer
Sridevi was born on August 13, 1963 in her father's hometown of Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu, India. Her mother was from Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. So Sridevi grew up speaking Telugu and Tamil. She has a sister named Srilatha and a stepbrother named Satish. Her dad passed away during the year 1991, while her mom died during 1997.
She started her career at a very early age in 1967 as a child artiste in a Tamil movie 'Kandhan Karunai'. She also starred as a child actress in a Telugu movie 'Bangarakka' in 1977, and in a Malyalam movie 'Kumara Sambhavan' in 1969.
She made her foray on the Bollywood tinsel screen in 1975 as a child actor with the smash-hit 'Julie' in which she played the younger sister of the lead actress. Thereafter she started to act in adult roles in Hindi only from 1979. She appeared in 63 movies in Hindi; 62 in Telugu; 58 in Tamil; and 21 in Malyalam - in a career that has spanned from 1967 through to 2007.
Sridevi established strong onscreen pair with Kamal Hasan in Tamil films from 1977-1983 and then with Jeetendra in Hindi Films from 1983-1988 which helped her get foothold in Hindi films. Her initial claim to fame was appearing as romantic interest to established stars NTR, ANR, Krishna Ghattamaneni,Vishnuvardhan in Telugu and Kannada films from 1978-1985.She has four hits with Rajesh Khanna and then from late 80's till 1996 her pair with Anil Kapoor was popular. But she became popular all over India, thanks to Tamil films' remakes in Hindi in 1983-1990 which were produced and directed by the same team which had made the southern version first and in these films she was cast opposite Rajesh Khanna or Jeetendra.
She has also appeared in the TV series 'Malini Iyer', judged a TV show 'Kaboom' as well as appeared in numerous print and TV ads. She is also on the Board of Directors of the Asian Academy of Film & Television.
Sridevi went on to get married to her co-star, Anil Kapoor's older brother, Boney, on June 2, 1996. They are now parents of two daughters: Jhanvi and Khushi.
She made a comeback to films with "English Vinglish" in 2012.
She passed away on 24 February 2018 by accidental drowning in bathtub during her stay at the hotel Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Dubai UAE, when she was attending the wedding of Bollywood actor Mohit Marwah in Dubai, UAE. She was 54 years old.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Ilse Petri was born on 20 March 1918 in Göttingen, Province of Hanover, Prussia [now Lower Saxony], Germany. She was an actress, known for The Rape of the Sabines (1936), Die Lümmel von der ersten Bank - 1. Trimester: Zur Hölle mit den Paukern (1968) and Der eingebildete Kranke (1938). She was married to Joe Niczky. She died on 3 February 2018 in Munich, Bavaria, Germany.- Actor
- Animation Department
- Art Department
Bud Luckey was an American animator, writer, director and voice actor from Montana known for his works at Pixar and Sesame Street. He directed and voiced the short film Boundin' before voicing Rick Dicker in The Incredibles and Jack-Jack Attack. He later voiced Chuckles from Toy Story 3 and Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh. He passed away in February 2018 due to an extended illness.- Writer
- Actress
- Director
Marina Ripa di Meana was born on 21 October 1941 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. She was a writer and actress, known for Bad Girls (1992), Assassination on the Tiber (1979) and La più bella del reame (1989). She was married to Carlo Ripa di Meana and Don Alessandro Lante Montefeltro della Rovere. She died on 5 January 2018 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.- James Colby was born on 20 September 1961 in Arlington, Massachusetts, USA. He was an actor, known for Safe (2012), Patriots Day (2016) and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014). He was married to Alyssa Bresnahan. He died on 23 February 2018 in the USA.
- Elfriede Irrall was born on 18 February 1938 in Vienna, Austria. She was an actress, known for The Farewell (2000), Madame Bovary (1968) and Seltsames Zwischenspiel (1969). She was married to Walter Kohut. She died on 26 February 2018 in Vienna, Austria.
- Director
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Lewis Gilbert was a British film director, producer and screenwriter best known for Alfie (1966), as well as three James Bond films: You Only Live Twice (1967), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and Moonraker (1979).
He also directed Reach for the Sky (1956), Sink the Bismarck! (1960), Educating Rita (1983) and Shirley Valentine (1989).
For his work on Alfie, Gilbert was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture and an Golden Globe for best director.
In 2001 he was made a Fellow of the British Film Institute, the highest accolade in the British film industry.
Gilbert was married to Hylda Tafler for 53 years, until her death in June 2005.
He died from natural causes on 23 February 2018 at the age of 97.- Producer
- Additional Crew
Benjamin Melniker was born on 25 May 1913 in Bayonne, New Jersey, USA. He was a producer, known for National Treasure (2004), Batman & Robin (1997) and Batman Begins (2005). He was married to Shirley Gross and Jean Brody. He died on 26 February 2018 in Roslyn Harbor, Long Island, New York, USA.- Actor
- Director
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David Ogden Stiers was born in Peoria, Illinois, to Margaret Elizabeth (Ogden) and Kenneth Truman Stiers. He moved with his family to Eugene, Oregon, where he graduated from North Eugene High School in 1960. At the age of twenty, he was offered $200 to join the company of the Santa Clara Shakespeare Festival for three months. He ended up staying for seven years, in due course playing both King Lear and Richard III. In 1969, he moved to New York to study drama at Juilliard where he also trained his voice as a dramatic baritone. He joined the Houseman City Center Acting Company at its outset, working on such productions as The Beggar's Opera, Measure for Measure, The Hostage and the hit Broadway musical The Magic Show for which he created the character 'Feldman the Magnificent'. He lent his voice to animated films, with Lilo & Stitch (2002) being his 25th theatrically-released Disney animated film. He was also an avid fan of classical music and conducted a number of orchestras, including the Yaquina Chamber Orchestra in Newport, Oregon, where was the principal guest conductor.
His other theatrical work included performances with the Committee Revue and Theatre, the San Francisco Actor's Workshop, The Old Globe Theatre Festival in San Diego and at the Pasadena Playhouse in Love Letters with Meredith Baxter. As a drama instructor, he worked at Santa Clara University and also taught improvisation at Harvard. In addition to his long-running role in M*A*S*H (1972), Stiers' work on television also included the excellent mini-series North & South: Book 1, North & South (1985), North & South: Book 2, Love & War (1986), The First Olympics: Athens 1896 (1984) and roles in such productions as Anatomy of an Illness (1984), The Bad Seed (1985), J. Edgar Hoover (1987), The Final Days (1989), Father Damien: The Leper Priest (1980) and Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry (1986). Among his screen credits were The Accidental Tourist (1988), The Man with One Red Shoe (1985), Creator (1985), Harry's War (1981), Magic (1978) and Oh, God! (1977).
Above all, the prodigious talent that was David Ogden Stiers will be most fondly remembered as the pompous, ever-so articulate Major Charles Emerson Winchester III in M*A*S*H. He had found that taking on the role was -- from the beginning -- an easy choice. Stiers saw and loved the movie version. Moreover, he had a fond regard of fellow actor Harry Morgan (who played the character of Colonel Potter) as a kind of fatherly role model. In retrospect, Stiers viewed his experiences with the show as a career highlight, saying "No matter how much you read about the M*A*S*H company, the evolution of it, the quite beautiful human stance it takes, you will not know how much it means ". In his spare time on the set he often annoyed the security guards by skateboarding at 25 miles an hour and "cheerfully thumbing his nose at them".
David died of bladder cancer on March 3, 2018, in Newport, Oregon. He was 75.- Trude Ackermann was born on 14 October 1924 in Vienna, Austria. She was an actress, known for Come Sweet Death (2000), Tatort (1970) and Der Alpenkönig und der Menschenfeind (1965). She died on 4 March 2018 in Vienna, Austria.
- Theo Hinz was born on 13 August 1931 in Julienhof-Tretenwalde, Germany. He was a producer, known for The Venus Trap (1988), A Demon in My View (1991) and The Kiss of the Tiger (1988). He died on 4 March 2018 in Munich, Bavaria, Germany.
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André S. Labarthe was born on 18 December 1931 in Oloron-Sainte-Marie, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France. He was a writer and director, known for Vivre sa vie (1962), Vincent van Gogh à Paris: Repérages (1988) and Vive le cinéma! (1972). He died on 5 March 2018 in Paris, France.- Actress
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Donna Butterworth was born on 23 February 1956 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She was an actress, known for The Family Jewels (1965), Paradise, Hawaiian Style (1966) and The Magical World of Disney (1954). She died on 6 March 2018 in Hilo, Hawaii, USA.- He grew up in the turmoil of the Second World War. Rauch originally wanted to become an architect. However, he began studying theater sciences and later trained as an actor. Rauch began his career in 1958 at various theater stages. He received his first engagements initially in Bremen, later in Munich, Hamburg and Berlin. Siegfried Rauch had been married to his wife Karin since 1964. The two sons Benedict and Jacob emerged from this relationship. At the end of the 1960s, Siegfried Rauch was also discovered by television.
The first major roles from 1967 included the German productions "The Monk with the Whip" and "Inspector X - Three Blue Panthers". International productions followed from the 1970s. One of the most successful cinema roles in 1970 was that of "Captain Oskar Steiger" in "Patton - Rebel in Uniform", which was awarded eight Oscars. In 1971 he portrayed the racing driver Erich Stahler in "Le Mans" alongside Steve McQueen. McQueen, with whom Rauch had a close friendship, became godfather to his first son. In the 1970s, the blonde mime shone in the successful series "It doesn't always have to be caviar" based on the novel by Johannes Mario Simmel. The TV series "A Happy Family" followed in the 1980s with Maria Schell and the young Maria Furtwängler. In addition, Rauch also appeared regularly on the theater stage during his film career.
Since then, Rauch has embodied the reliable and sincere ideal type. As the responsible head of the mountain rescue service in the series "Wildbach" he appeared in front of the camera from 1993. From 1999 to 2013, Rauch took on one of the main roles as Captain "Fred Paulsen" in the ZDF series "Das Traumschiff". In 2016 he was appointed ambassador for Bavarian Lake Shipping. The nature-loving actor lives in a farmhouse in Obersöching, Bavaria. In 2017, Rauch was awarded the Bavarian Homeland Medal from the Free State of Bavaria and the "Kaiser Star" from the Wilder Kaiser Tourism Association. From 2007 until his death he starred as Dr. Roman Melchinger plays a leading role in the ZDF series "Der Bergdoktor". - Director
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Robert Scheerer was born on 28 December 1928 in Santa Barbara, California, USA. He was a director and producer, known for The Danny Kaye Show (1963), Fame (1982) and Live from Lincoln Center (1976). He was married to Joyce Easton, Regine (Nina) Greenbaum and Denise Ann Pennington. He died on 3 March 2018 in Valley Village, California, USA.- Stephen William Hawking was born on 8 January 1942 on Oxford, Oxfordshire, England. He was an English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, author and Director of Research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology within the University of Cambridge.
His scientific works include a collaboration with Roger Penrose on gravitational singularity theorems in the framework of general relativity and the theoretical prediction that black holes emit radiation, often called Hawking radiation. Hawking was the first to set out a theory of cosmology explained by a union of the general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. He was a vigorous supporter of the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics.
Hawking was an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA), a lifetime member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States. In 2002, Hawking was ranked number 25 in the BBC's poll of the 100 Greatest Britons. He was the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge between 1979 and 2009 and achieved commercial success with works of popular science in which he discusses his own theories and cosmology in general; his book "A Brief History of Time" appeared on the British Sunday Times best-seller list for a record-breaking 237 weeks.
At the release party for the home video version of A Brief History of Time (1991), Leonard Nimoy, who had played Spock on Star Trek (1966), learned that Hawking was interested in appearing on the series. Nimoy made the necessary contact, and Hawking played a holographic simulation of himself in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) in 1993. The same year, his synthesizer voice was recorded for the song "Keep Talking" by the rock band Pink Floyd, and in 1999 for an appearance on The Simpsons (1989). Hawking also guest-starred on Futurama (1999) and The Big Bang Theory (2007).
Hawking allowed the use of his copyrighted voice in the biographical drama The Theory of Everything (2014), in which he was portrayed by Eddie Redmayne in an Academy Award-winning role. Hawking died at age 76 in his home in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, early in the morning of 14 March 2018. - Actor
- Writer
Jochen Senf was born on 6 January 1942 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. He was an actor and writer, known for Tatort (1970), Rotwang muß weg! (1994) and Straight Shooter (1999). He died on 18 March 2018 in Berlin, Germany.- Geneviève Fontanel was born on 27 June 1936 in Bordeaux, Gironde, France. She was an actress, known for The Man Who Loved Women (1977), L'affaire Dominici (1973) and Au théâtre ce soir (1966). She was married to Jacques Destoop. She died on 17 March 2018 in Draveil, Essonne, France.
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Mike MacDonald was born on 21 June 1954 in Metz, Moselle, France. He was an actor and writer, known for The Nutcracker Prince (1990), Chasing Robert (2007) and The Funny Farm (1983). He was married to Bonnie Lee Bayes. He died on 17 March 2018 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Handsome, laconic American leading actor of the 50s and 60s, most often cast as servicemen or brawny outdoor types. Never a serious contender for movie stardom he was better served on the small screen as a guest actor in westerns and police dramas. A native New Yorker, Sean had left school at 14 and taken on a host of short-term jobs on ranches, construction gangs and sponge boats before landing himself a position at the ABC film vaults in Hollywood. He was subsequently signed by Warner Brothers and made his film debut in a bit role in 1958. He went on to study drama at the Actor's Studio in New York, at one time supplementing his income as a Macy Department Store Santa Claus. Sean appeared twice on Broadway in the early 60s and played Lancelot in a touring theatre production of Camelot. Since he had a good baritone voice, he was tipped to play the part in the motion picture as well but ultimately lost out to Franco Nero (who, ironically, had to be dubbed!).
He did eventually score a leading movie role of note as a naval ensign opposite Jean Seberg in the psychological thriller Moment to Moment (1966). However, his performance seemed somewhat muted and the director, Mervyn LeRoy, later expressed misgivings in not having cast an actor of Paul Newman's calibre instead. Sean briefly co-starred with John Mills in a 1967 series as an impulsive hotshot lawyer (slash gunslinger), apprenticed to a pacifist 'greenhorn' British attorney involved in legal proceedings in 19th century Arizona. Despite its rather off-beat premise and benefiting from being shot in colour (frequently on location), Dundee and the Culhane (1967) flopped and was canned after just 13 episodes. Sean was essentially relegated to the fringes of screen acting thereafter and retired in the early 80s to go into the swimming pool construction business.- Actor
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Marcel Philippot was born on 15 April 1953 in Guingamp, Côtes-d'Armor, France. He was an actor, known for A Very Long Engagement (2004), Faceless (1988) and L'invité surprise (1989). He died on 2 March 2018 in Paris, France.- Louise Latham was an American actress from Texas, whose career lasted from the 1950s to the early 2000s. She is primarily remembered for her film debut as the invalid mother Bernice Edgar, who is financially dependent on her daughter Marnie (played by Tippi Hedren). At age 42, Latham was playing the mother of 34-year-old Hedren.
In 1922, Latham was born in Hamilton, Texas. Hamilton is a small city, and had a population of about 2000 people in 1920. Hamilton has a "humid subtropical climate", with hot, humid summers and typically mild winters. Latham's family were ranchers, and she had relatives working as ranchers in both San Saba County and Mason County.
Latham received her secondary education at Sunset High School, located in Dallas. Little is known about her early adulthood. By the 1950s, Latham had started following an acting career. She was primarily a theatrical actress. Around 1954, Latham was working for the famed Texan stage director Margo Jones (1911-1955). Jones died of kidney failure in 1955, after accidentally inhaling toxic fumes.
In 1956, Latham was cast in the Broadway revival of the play "Major Barbara" (1905) by George Bernard Shaw. The play concerns the difficult relationship between self-righteous charity worker Barbara Undershaft (a Major of the Salvation Army) and her estranged father Andrew Undershaft. Andrew is a somewhat shady businessman, whose newfound wealth derives from owning a successful munitions factory. Andrew offers to help the poor by providing them with jobs and a steady income, which he argues is far more useful than providing them with a cheap meal (like his daughter). Barbara is an idealist, while Andrew is more practical in his views.
In 1958, Latham was part of touring company which performed the play "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" (1955) by Tennessee Williams. The play features the family of successful tycoon Big Daddy Pollitt gathering to celebrate his birthday. The aging patriarch is unaware that he is dying of cancer, as his family has kept the diagnosis secret from him. His potential heirs have already started scheming over who gets the lion's share of his estate. Greed and decay are among the play's main themes.
By the early 1960s, Latham was regularly performing in Broadway. She appeared in plays such as "Invitation to a March" (1960), and "Isle of Children" (1962). She received press attention when cast in a key supporting role in the psychological thriller "Marnie" (1964), despite having no experience with film roles. The film had a box office gross of about 7 million dollars, becoming the 22nd highest-grossing film of 1964. Professional film critics initially hated the film, but the film's critical reputation has improved over the years and it is often listed among director Alfred Hitchcock's best films. Latham reportedly enjoyed the experience of working in film. In a 1965 press interview, she informed the press that she was interested in more film roles.
Following her film debut, Latham started regularly appearing as a guest star in various television series. She was twice cast as the murderer in 1965 episodes of then-popular legal drama series "Perry Mason" (1957-1966). In 1966, Latham was cast in the recurring role of aunt Fran Heiger in the sitcom "Family Affair" (1966-1971). In the pilot episode, Latham's character convinces her bachelor kinsman Bill Davis to become the legal guardian of his orphaned niece Buffy Patterson Davis (played by Anissa Jones). Aunt Fran appeared once a year in the sitcom's episodes until 1968.
Latham made her second film appearance in the Western film "Firecreek" (1968). Its plot features cowardly townspeople refusing to assist a peace officer in a confrontation with outlaws. The film was primarily noted for featuring popular actors James Stewart and Henry Fonda as its co-stars. Despite being close friends in real life, the two actors rarely appeared together in films. Latham also appeared in the Vietnam War-themed war film "Hail, Hero!" (1969), which is primarily remembered as the feature film debut for actor Michael Douglas.
Latham had a supporting role in the drama film "Adam at 6 A.M." (1970), as part of the family of female lead Jerri Jo Hopper (played by Lee Purcell). The film focuses on a bored college professor, who finds a new love interest and new friends during his summer vacation in Missouri. He then has the dilemma of whether to return to his old job at summer's end, or to permanently settle in Missouri. The film was the first produced by a fledgling production company, Solar Productions. The company's owner was veteran actor Steve McQueen (1930-1980).
Latham had a more important supporting role as Mrs. Wilson in the comedy-drama film "Making It" (1971), where the cast mostly included then-popular character actors. The film's main character is an amorous 17-year-old boy, whose hobby is seducing girls and adult women. He eventually learns that his actions come with unintended consequences. Early in the film, the boy spikes the food of his virginal classmate Debbie (played by Sherry Miles) with marijuana. He then deflowers her while she is under the influence. Latham played Debbie's mother. Following a pregnancy scare for Debbie, she tries to have the boy married to her daughter. The boy instead convinces Mrs. Wilson that abortion is a more prudent option, but he has to pay for it out of his own pocket.
Latham's next film role was a supporting part in the action comedy "White Lightning" (1973). Its plot revolves around a sympathetic moonshiner who tries to expose the crimes of a corrupt sheriff, in retaliation for his brother's murder by the sheriff. The film earned about 6.5 million dollars at the box office. It was considered a "breakthrough" in the action genre for combining fast-paced action with comedic elements. It reportedly inspired the production of more action comedies, and popularized car chases and car crushes in American action films.
Latham also appeared in the crime drama film "The Sugarland Express" (1974), which focuses on a police officer taken hostage by a husband-and-wife crime duo. The plot was based on the 1969 kidnapping of police officer J. Kenneth Crone by the married couple of Robert "Bobby" Dent and Ila Fae Holiday. The film earned 12 million dollars at the box office, and won the award for Best Screenplay at the 1974 Cannes Film Festival. The film is remembered for being the theatrical feature directorial debut of Steven Spielberg, who had previously only directed television films.
Latham next had a minor role in the drama film "92 in the Shade" (1975), which was both a box office-flop and a critical failure. The film features the business rivalry between a fishing guide and a sea captain in Florida, which quickly escalates to an arson case and violent retaliation. Two different versions of the film were released, one with a happy ending (where the rivals befriend each other), and one with a dramatic ending (where one of the rivals murders the other one). Neither was a hit with audiences and critics. The film was one of the first efforts of director Thomas McGuane, who had previously mainly worked as a novelist. Critics found that the film was plagued by amateur mistakes.
At about that time, Latham had the recurring role of Martha Higgins (the main character's landlady) in the short-lived Western television series "Sara" (1976). The series focused on the efforts of schoolteacher Sara Yarnell (played by Brenda Vaccaro) to introduce progressive values to a conservative town in 1870s Colorado. She regularly clashed with her landlady Martha. The series only lasted for 12 regular episodes and one television film, as it consistently received low ratings. Vaccaro received critical praise for her role and was nominated for an Emmy Award, but the ratings never improved.
In 1977, Latham was cast in the recurring role of Katherine Mitchell in the comedy-drama television series "Eight Is Enough" (1977-1981). Her character was the mother of the female leading character Sandra Sue "Abby" Mitchell, the mother-in-law of Abby's second husband Thomas "Tom" Bradford, and the step-grandmother of Tom's eight children from a previous marriage. Katherine Mitchell's last appearance in the series dealt with the character's upcoming divorce.
In the early 1980s, Latham had few television roles, despite having regularly appeared on television for decades by that time. She had a substantial supporting role in the time-travel-themed science fiction film "The Philadelphia Experiment" (1984). She played Pamela Parker, the wife of time traveler Jim Parker (played by Bobby Di Cicco). The film's plot features two sailors who accidentally time travel from the year 1943 to 1984. While Jim mysteriously disappears, his elderly wife Pamela recognizes the other time traveler and offers some explanations of what happened 40 years before. The film only earned 8. 1 million dollars at the box office, but its cast received nominations for Saturn Awards.
Also in 1984, Latham had a supporting role in the religious-themed drama film "Mass Appeal" (1984). The film primarily concerns the relationship between an aging Catholic priest and his youthful deacon. The priest is a conservative who has made a career out of charming people, telling them white lies, narrating inane jokes, and avoiding any controversial issues. The deacon is a liberal firebrand who wants the Church to make great reforms, and who is surprisingly sincere about his own bisexuality. The film grossed only 1.9 million dollars at the box office, though it was warmly received by critics. The film was one of several 1980s box-office flops for leading actor Jack Lemmon, whose career declined considerably during this period.
In the late 1980s, Latham appeared frequently in television films and resumed having guest appearances in television series. She was part of the cast in the television miniseries "Dress Gray" (1986). The series focused on the mystery of who raped and murdered cadet David Hand (played by Patrick Cassidy) within the grounds of a prestigious military academy. The series was nominated for three Emmy Awards.
Latham had a substantial role in the comedy miniseries "Fresno" (1986), which parodied prime time soap operas. She played Ethel Duke, owner of a private lake which served as the main water source for two rival ranches. Duke refuses all offers to sell her water rights. When she is accidentally killed by a ricocheting bullet, her death triggers both a murder trial and a struggle between two powerful families over who gets to bribe Duke's heir. The miniseries was nominated for five Emmy Awards.
In 1988, Latham was part of the main cast in the short-lived medical drama series "Hothouse". The series focused on the owners and staff of a psychiatric clinic. It only lasted for 7 episodes, canceled due to low ratings. The series was considered a rare failure for successful screenwriter Jay Presson Allen (1922-2006), who was the series' creator.
In 1991, Latham had a minor role in the drama film "Paradise". The film mainly focused on a 10-year-old boy's inability to deal with the end of his parents' failed marriage, and with his surrogate family's inability to deal with their own son's death in the near past. The film earned about 18.6 million dollars at the box office, though it received overwhelmingly negative reviews by critics.
In 1992, Latham had her last role in a feature film. She played in the interracial romance-themed drama "Love Field". Her role was that of Mrs. Enright, mother of the main character's boss. The film depicted Texan housewife Lurene Hallett (played by Michelle Pfeiffer) falling in love with African-American single father Paul Cater (played by Dennis Haysbert), after she wrongly accuses him of having kidnapped his own daughter. The film was a box-office flop, but was critically praised. Pfeiffer won the Silver Bear for Best Actress for this film, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress.
Latham's last appearances in television miniseries were in two true-crime dramas. She appeared in both "Cruel Doubt" (1992) and "In Cold Blood" (1996). The first series dramatized the 1988 murder of wealthy businessman Lieth Von Stein by his stepson Christopher Wayne Pritchard, who aspired to inherit the family fortune. The second series dramatized the 1959 Clutter family murders, when four members of the same family were killed by two ex-convicts.
Latham had her last known television role in a 2000 episode of the science-fiction series "The X-Files" (1993-2002). She played Marjorie Butters (Louise Latham), a 118-year-old gardener whose life was being prolonged by an alien implant in her body. The episode featured the mysterious villain Cigarette Smoking Man (played by William B. Davis), who is claiming that he could cure and other human diseases with such alien technology. The episode has the villainous man intentionally spare the life of heroine Dana Scully (played by Gillian Anderson), while leaving it unclear whether he cares for her or views her as a useful pawn. The episode received critical praise, and it was the only contribution by actor William B. Davis to the series' scripts.
At age 78, Latham retired from acting. She spend her last years at Casa Dorinda, a retirement community located in Montecito, California. In 2018, Latham died there of natural causes. She was 95-years-old, and had no known family members at the time of her death. Her obituaries noted that she was still fondly remembered for various supporting roles, and for her versatility in portraying characters which were distinct in background and behavior. - Martha Wallner was born on 28 March 1927 in Vienna, Austria. She was an actress, known for The Castle (1968), An Einzeltischen (1968) and Hotel du Commerce (1963). She was married to Erich Auer. She died on 21 March 2018.
- Jochen Baumert was born on 30 April 1939 in Liegnitz, Silesia, Germany. He was an actor, known for Karl-May-Spiele: Im Tal des Todes (2002), Achtung Zoll! (1980) and Lebewohl, Fremde (1991). He died on 18 February 2018 in Hamburg, Germany.
- Hans-Jürgen Wolf was born on 22 August 1950 in Haldensleben, Germany. He was an actor, known for Die Leiden des jungen Werthers (1976), Heimkehr in ein fremdes Land (1976) and Meier (1986). He died on 20 March 2018 in Berlin, Germany.
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Debbie Lee Carrington was born on 14 December 1959 in San Jose, California, USA. She was an actress, known for Men in Black (1997), Total Recall (1990) and Bedtime Stories (2008). She died on 23 March 2018 in Pleasanton, California, USA.- Producer
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Erwin C. Dietrich was the most successful and influential movie "entrepreneur" in Switzerland for decades. Already in his teenage years he was interested in movies and observed all happenings in Hollywood from his home in St. Gallen. He quit his dream of becoming an actor rather early on and instead started focusing on his sense for artistic trends appealing to audiences. Starting in 1955 he began producing movies, first with his company "Urania": The movies THE MAN IN THE BLACK DERBY and MODEL HUSBAND starring popular Swiss comedian Walter Roderer turned into big successes that still haven't lost their popularity. At around the time where the "Edgar Wallace" thrillers became popular in Germany, Erwin brought NYLON NOOSE and STRANGLER OF THE TOWER starring German movie stars, such as Dietmar Schönherr, to the cinemas. Movies in the mid-60s increasingly included more sexually open themes, a trend Erwin could not and did not want to miss out on. An early example is ST. PAULI BETWEEN NIGHT AND MORNING he produced, which is characterized by an almost artistic arc between common thriller story and the newly discovered erotic appearance. It is exactly those examples that are highly respected by movie buffs around the world and are being rediscovered in his early productions. Later, Erwin achieved significant commercial success with his directorial debut in 1968, the movie adaptation of Guy De Maupassant's novel THE COLONEL'S NIECES with the same title. With this movie he hit the nerve of movie-goers and despite the massively censored scenes the audience showed up in droves. Over 45 more movies followed until 1980. Movies that he either directed or produced, often using pseudonyms such "Michael Thomas" or "Manfred Gregor" under the umbrella of newly "Elite-Film" (later: "Ascot Film GmbH"). Most of these movies came to life in a very informal environment, with a small crew in his studios in Rümlang, where the set pieces were rearranged on the fly. Some highlights can be found, in particular those starring Ingrid Steeger or French erotic star number one, Brigitte Lahaie. These movies have meanwhile advanced to cult status and are long running favorites at movie festivals and in home cinemas worldwide. Erwin often mentioned his favorite movie to be his remake of THE COLONEL'S NIECES, starring Brigitte Lahaie. Jess Franco, who for years has been ridiculed as a cheap grunge director and yet in the end received the "Goya" award, the Spanish Oscar, made 17 movies in this work period with Erwin C. Dietrich and called it the most productive and pleasant period of his career. Movies such as LOVE LETTERS OF A PORTUGUESE NUN or JACK THE RIPPER with divine performances by Klaus Kinski are now highly praised by movie buffs worldwide, incl. industry friends and fans such as Joe Dante and Quentin Tarantino (who once called Erwin the "Swiss Roger Corman"). On top of that Erwin's movie distribution business "Avis" which brought over 400 movies to local cinemas, flourished. He jumped on the "exploitation movie" bandwagon alone, yet this was not enough for movie buff Erwin. He was looking to get recognized at festivals and by the elite of film critics. And he got it. THE STORY OF PIERA produced by him and directed by Marco Ferreri, starring Isabelle Huppert and Marcello Mastroianni, may not have been a commercially comparable success to Erwin's other productions but it turned into a huge hit at the festivals, and Hanna Schygulla received the "Golden Palm" in Cannes for her performance. Even on an international level things looked up: the action spectacle THE WILD GEESE which he co-produced with Euan Lloyd from Britain, catapulted Erwin into an A-league that was unknown at that time, and garnered him international recognition. In addition, the star-studded cast that included Richard Harris, Roger Moore, Richard Burton, and Hardy Krüger did its share; the movie was seen by 4 million movie-goers in Germany alone and advanced to become a huge blockbuster in 1978, ultimately winning the "Goldene Leinwand" award. Following this success Erwin launched similar additional big productions on the big screen, including ESCAPE TO ATHENA and THE SEA WOLVES. Convinced by their success Erwin began production along with business partner Peter Baumgartner (and Peter's dubbing studios in Berlin, "Cinephon") three action spectacles to be shot in the Philippines. Emphasized by a gigantic marketing campaign (including an ecstatic Klaus Kinski dominating the promo tour) he released in the mid-80s the "mercenary trilogy" consisting of CODENAME WILDGEESE, COMMANDO LEOPARD and THE COMMANDER on the big screen. The Hollywood cast including Klaus Kinski, Ernest Borgnine, and Lee Van Cleef impressed everyone. During that time he also opened up the first cinema-multiplex in Switzerland called "Capitol". Later he expanded it with the "Cinemax". In the beginning of the 90s, after the dance movie DANCE ACADEMY 2 - DANCE TO WIN, the two Swiss comedies EIN SCHWEIZER NAMENS NÖTZLI and DER DOPPELTE NÖTZLI, as well as over 100 other productions, Erwin retired from the active movie production business and committed himself to his movie distribution company "Ascot-Elite" which was taken over by his children a few years ago and still today this largest independent movie distributor in Switzerland is managed by them. At last, Erwin C. Dietrich led the supervisory board and every morning he reviewed the box office results of the previous day. He passionately committed himself to the digital restoration of his cinematic legacy to preserve it for all future generations.- Actress
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Stéphane Audran was born on November 8, 1932 in Versailles, Seine-et-Oise [now Yvelines], France as Colette Suzanne Jeannine Dacheville. She was an actress, known for Der diskrete Charme der Bourgeoisie (1972), Babettes Fest (1987) and Der Schlachter (1970). She was married to Claude Chabrol and Jean-Louis Trintignant. She died at the age of 85 on March 27, 2018 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, France after an illness.- Actor
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Actor and comedian fondly remembered as the curmudgeonly reprobate Claude Jeremiah Greengrass in the long-running nostalgic police drama Heartbeat (1992). Greengrass had been written as a minor background character, but -- given a fair amount of latitude for interpreting his part -- Maynard was able to infuse the old rascal with outsize personality and humour which resulted into his becoming a popular mainstay. The son of a gardener and a laundry worker, Maynard (born Walter Frederick George Williams, he later adopted his nom de plume from Charles Gordon Maynard, creator of 'Maynard's Wine Gums') came from relatively humble beginnings. Displaying an early aptitude for music, he learned to sing and dance, play ukulele, mandolin and guitar.
By the age of nine he began performing in local clubs and music halls. From there, he progressed to repertory theatre, touring army camps with Jon Pertwee, making a few recordings for Decca and EMI, even managing a gig as a stand-up comic -- in between a strip show -- at The Windmill in London. In the 50s Maynard emerged as a proper TV star (sharing top billing with Terry Scott) in Great Scott, It's Maynard (1955). Having suddenly become a household name, he was now earning £ 1000 a week. Ironically, his ambition of becoming 'a serious actor' backfired and a return to repertory led to much reduced circumstances and a hiatus in his career. Though he eventually appeared in more than 30 films, he regarded none of them as particularly worthwhile and declared in a 2013 interview: "I enjoyed doing them. It was a laugh, but they weren't great. They damaged my reputation".
In the mid-70s, having very wisely returned to his forte with consecutive hits in TV sitcoms: as a roving-eyed widower in The Life of Riley (1975), as the hapless, klutzy protagonist of Oh No, It's Selwyn Froggitt (1974), and as grouchy, relentlessly misanthropic Fred Moffatt, forever evading and outwitting his creditors in The Gaffer (1981). In between, he also had diverse guest roles, including in, among others, Worzel Gummidge (1979), Minder (1979) and Dalziel and Pascoe (1996). Between 2003 and 2008, he also hosted his own -- sometimes controversial -- radio chat show on BBC Leicester, Maynard's Bill of Fare.
Having suffered a stroke in 2000 and forced to leave Heartbeat after season ten, Maynard eventually resurfaced in occasional guest appearances for the 2003 spin-off, The Royal (2003). Subsequently confined to wheelchairs and mobility scooters he latterly gave lectures at universities on humour and acting.
Bill Maynard passed away in a Leicestershire hospital on 30 March 2018 at the age of 89.- Actor
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Luigi De Filippo (born 10 August 1930) is an Italian actor, stage director and playwright. Born in Naples, the son of actors Peppino De Filippo and Adele Carloni, he studied literature at the university, leaving the studies on the threshold of graduation to pursue a career in journalism. Shorty later De Filippo debuted on stage next to his father, and from then he started a very long acting career, notably running for years a Neapolitan dialect company. He celebrated the fortieth anniversary of his stage activities with the reception of a special Premio Personalità Europea prize in Capitol Hill. De Filippo appeared in many film roles, even if mainly in character roles. He was also active on television, mainly in television adaptations of his stage works. Since 2011 he has been the artistic director of the Parioli Theatre in Rome.- Writer
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Attended Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie-Mellon University) as a playwriting major. Barbara Bosson (his second wife), Michael Tucker, Bruce Weitz and Charles Haid were classmates; he and Tucker drove cross-country to Hollywood for full-time jobs at Universal, where Bochco would remain for 12 years.
In 1978, he moved to MTM Enterprises, who after several attempts gave him carte Blanche to create a show similar to Fort Apache the Bronx (1981) (Hill Street Blues (1981)). In 1985, MTM fired him, in part for his inability to keep HSB on budget. After creating L.A. Law (1986) and Doogie Howser, M.D. (1989) for NBC, he struck a $15M deal with ABC in 1987 to create 10 series pilots over 10 years.- Director
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Isao Takahata was born on 29 October 1935 in Ise, Japan. He was a director and writer, known for Grave of the Fireflies (1988), Pom Poko (1994) and The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (2013). He died on 5 April 2018 in Tokyo, Japan.- Actress
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Susan Anspach was born on 23 November 1942 in Queens, New York City, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for Five Easy Pieces (1970), Play It Again, Sam (1972) and The Big Fix (1978). She was married to Sherwood Ball and Mark Goddard. She died on 2 April 2018 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actor
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A 1960s pioneer of Asian-American theatre, Soon Tek Oh (aka Sun-Taek Oh, Soon-Tek Oh or Soon-Taik Oh) was born on June 29, 1932, in Mokpo, Korea at the time the country was under Imperial Japanese rule. He attended high school at Gwangju, South Korea, and went on to study at Yonsei University in Seoul. His family (including one sister) moved to the United States in 1959, where they settled in Southern California.
Oh studied at USC before attending UCLA and receiving his Masters of Fine Arts in acting and playwriting. Trained in performance at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse, his mounting of a California production of "Rashomon" led to his co-founding (along with fellow actors Mako, James Hong , Beulah Quo and five others) of the renowned Los Angeles' East West Players theatre company in 1965.
Breaking into TV that same year with a minor role on "I Spy," Oh resolved to work against the restrictive servile Asian stereotypes he found himself playing on such 60s TV programs as "The Wild, Wild West," "The Invaders" and "It Takes a Thief." Via the stage, he strove to broaden the types of roles available, which included other theatre troupes he founded or guided (i.e., Korean American Theatre Ensemble). As such, his companies went on to produce a variety of plays from Ibsen ("A Doll's House") and Shakespeare ("Twelfth Night") to Tony-winning vehicles ("Pippin," "Equus, "Sweeney Todd") to original contemporary pieces, several written by Oh himself.
Following unbilled parts as secret agent types in such films as Murderers' Row (1966) and The President's Analyst (1967), he achieve a degree of notoriety in the James Bond feature The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) as Lt. Hip, an intelligence operative. He continued sporadically in films with featured parts in Good Guys Wear Black (1978), The Final Countdown (1980), Missing in Action 2: The Beginning (1985), Steele Justice (1987), Bialy smok (1987), Death Wish 4: The Crackdown (1987), Collision Course (1989), A Home of Our Own (1993), Red Sun Rising (1994), Beverly Hills Ninja (1997), Yellow (1997) (the first film by and featuring Korean-Americans) and gave voice to Fa Zhou, the father, in the Disney animated classic Mulan (1998). TV roles continued to come his way with several episodes of "Kung Fu," "Hawaii Five-0," "M*A*S*H" and "Magnum P.I.,, as well as a recurring part as a lieutenant on Charlie's Angels (1976) and the quality mini-series East of Eden (1981) and Marco Polo (1982).
Oh and Mako both made their Broadway debuts in Stephen Sondheim's "Pacific Overtures" in 1976. His later stage performances include "The Woman Warrior (1994) and "The Square" (2000). He was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008 by the San Diego Asian Film Festival.
Making his last on-camera appearance featured in the action film Gang-jeok (2006), Oh was later diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and forced to retire. He died of complications in Los Angeles, on April 4, 2018, at age 85.- Actor
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A third-generation performer and the son of a singing band leader, Chuck McCann was already a show business veteran by age eleven. Born in Brooklyn, he began his career as a child actor on radio, and by the age of nineteen had appeared on The Steve Allen Show (1952). He performed on several NYC-based radio programs, and went on to create his own stand up act performed at many NYC/NJ/LI nightclubs and on many popular TV variety shows. For a time, he took a hiatus from nightclub and TV performing to study with The Pasadena Playhouse, where he gave a memorable performance in their production of '12th Night' as Sir Toby Belch. McCann would return to NYC to continue to perform in nightclubs and on TV variety shows. Until he was introduced to puppetry, first by Skip Boyland and then by Paul Ashleyon NBC TV's: Rootie Kazootie (1952). For the next 17 years, Ashley and McCann appeared on numerous TV shows: Rootie Kazootie (1952), "Uncle Paul's Lunchtime", The Gumby Show (1956) with Pinkie Lee, "The Puppet Hotel!", "Laurel & Hardy & Chuck!", "Let's Have Fun!", "The Chuck McCann Shows", "The Great Bombo's Magic Cartoon Circus Lunchtime Show" and "Chuck McCann's Laurel & Hardy Show!". After the cancellation of the latter on Friday June 9, 1967, Ashley and McCann went their separate ways.
McCann went onto become a successful comic/character actor and mimic, doing voice over for many television cartoon shows and playing character parts on numerous dramatic and comedic TV series and movies. Paul Ashley used his puppets in industrial films and industrial stage shows. McCann also starred on other TV series: Turn-on (1969), Happy Days (1974), Far Out Space Nuts (1975),All That Glitters (1977), _"New Kind Of Family, A" (1979)_ and "Chuck McCann's Fun Stuff!". Ashley was slated to reunite with McCann for "LBS Children's Theater" and another TV puppet show "Tiny TV". But Ashley was forced to drop out both projects, when it was discovered that he was suffering from Alzheimer's Disease and McCann took over as the show's host and performer. "LBS Children's Theater" made its debut in September of 1983 and was on the air for one season. Paul Ashley never lived long enough to see "LBS Children's Theater" become a success. Later, he played the voice of Jollo in the 1992 classic hit Sierra video game King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow.
Chuck McCann died on April 8, 2018 in Los Angeles, California, of heart failure.- Cinematographer
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Ralph Woolsey was born on January 1, 1914. A native of Oregon he began his career making wildlife and conservation films for the state of Minnesota in the late 1930s and in World War II worked as a cameraman for the U.S. air force. After the war he worked chiefly in documentaries, in 1957 becoming a contracted photographer for Warner Brothers television shows such as 'Maverick., 'Cheyenne' and '77, Sunset Strip', gaining an Emmy for his work on 'It Takes a Thief' in 1968. In addition to his work in films and television he taught cinematography at the USC film school and San Diego University. He was president of the American Society of Cinematographers from 1983 to 1984 and in 2003 received their Presidents Award for outstanding contribution to cinematography.- Director
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Milos Forman was born Jan Tomas Forman in Caslav, Czechoslovakia, to Anna (Svabova), who ran a summer hotel, and Rudolf Forman, a professor. During World War II, his parents were taken away by the Nazis, after being accused of participating in the underground resistance. His father died in Mittelbau-Dora, a sub camp of Buchenwald, and his mother died in Auschwitz, at which Milos became an orphan very early on. He studied screen-writing at the Prague Film Academy (F.A.M.U.). In his Czechoslovakian films, Black Peter (1964), Loves of a Blonde (1965), and The Firemen's Ball (1967), he created his own style of comedy. During the invasion of his country by the troops of the Warsaw pact in the summer of 1968, to stop the Prague spring, he left Europe for the United States. In spite of difficulties, he filmed Taking Off (1971) there and achieved his fame later with One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) adapted from the novel of Ken Kesey, which won five Oscars, including one for best direction. Other important films of Milos Forman were the musical Hair (1979) and his biography of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Amadeus (1984), which won eight Oscars.- Tim O'Connor was born on July 3, 1927 in Chicago, Illinois. Best known to viewers as Elliott Carson on the long-running television series Peyton Place (1964), he began his acting career with the Goodman Memorial Theatre in Chicago just after World War II. Moving to New York City in the early 1950s, he became one of television's busiest actors during the medium's dramatic coming-of-age. He appeared frequently on the The United States Steel Hour (1953) and became a mainstay of the "Family Classics" series, starring in such productions as "The Three Musketeers" and "A Tale of Two Cities". Until 1964, when "Peyton Place" became a runaway hit, O'Connor lived on an island in the center of Glen Wild Lake near Bloomingdale, New Jersey. He soon found that commuting between the East Coast and Los Angeles was too wearing, and moved to California.
He settled in Santa Monica, a few short blocks from the Pacific Ocean, and established himself as one of filmdom's most versatile performers. O'Connor specialized in playing military officials and police officers. Some of his other best known roles include Dr. Elias Huer on Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979) and Jack Boland on General Hospital (1963). He also appeared in two episodes of the mystery television series "Columbo", starring Peter Falk as the rumpled detective. His credits included Wheels (1978), The Man with the Power (1977), Tail Gunner Joe (1977) and Murder in Peyton Place (1977) a TV special which reunited him with many of his co-stars in the original show. An avid sailor, O'Connor owns a 32-foot Pearson Vanguard sailboat and is studying both sailing to the waters off Mexico and Central America. - Isabella Biagini was born on 8 December 1940 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. She was an actress, known for F.F.S.S., cioè: '...che mi hai portato a fare sopra a Posillipo se non mi vuoi più bene?' (1983), Nick the Sting (1976) and Quelli belli... siamo noi (1971). She was married to Roberto Romagnani Cardella and Pietro Campagnola. She died on 14 April 2018 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.
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Vittorio Taviani studied law at the University of Pisa, becoming interested in the cinema after seeing Roberto Rossellini's Paisan (1946). After writing and directing short films and plays with his brother Paolo, he made his first feature in 1962. The brothers have continued to work together ever since, with each directing alternate scenes with the other watching but never interfering.- Actress
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She was a pert brunette with a winning smile who decorated several minor screen entertainments in the 1940s. A genuinely talented singer and tap dancer, even a fair actress, Mary Hatcher enjoyed a promising start, yet -- like so many other hopefuls -- her career barely got off the ground. Mary was born and raised in Florida where her good singing voice (coloratura soprano) found a willing sponsor in her father's wealthy employer. With ample funds for her vocal tuition thus available she went on to train under the famous Metropolitan Opera diva Gladys Swarthout. For some reason, or other, grand opera didn't pan out and Mary went on to take singing lessons from a local band leader, Frank Grasso, who also happened to be musical director at a radio station in Tampa. She then sang on radio broadcasts and eventually made her public debut at a 'Latin American Fiesta' in 1940. This was followed by gigs at various charity events for British War Relief. In 1941, still cheerfully subsidized by her father's boss, she undertook further studies at the Juilliard School of Music.
Mary's first attempt to get into films proved to be inauspicious, having twice failed auditions in New York. Her mother was ambitious for her to succeed and this may well have prompted the Hatcher family moving to California. In 1944, Mary was successfully screen-tested and signed to a seven-year contract by Paramount. Simultaneously, she was loaned out to a touring New York Theatre Guild production of "Oklahoma". As a result, she didn't make her screen bow until 1946. Her first three pictures were bit parts. Most of her subsequent leads turned out to be lightweight in nature. Her first was a star-studded musical jamboree: Variety Girl (1947) featured cameos from just about every Paramount contract star (except for Betty Hutton who was pregnant at the time). Opportunities for an upcoming starlet to shine were inevitably limited. At least, Mary got to warble "Julicat" in George Pal's 5-minute Puppetoon segment of "Romeow and Julicat".
She then played one of three sisters (the others were Veronica Lake and Mona Freeman) in a tepid black & white period musical (Isn't It Romantic (1948)), danced with Desi Arnaz in the cheerful low-budget musical Holiday in Havana (1949) and starred as a tomboy love interest opposite Mickey Rooney in The Big Wheel (1949) (an implausible tale of a garage mechanic who ends up becoming an Indianapolis 500 champion). In 1949, Mary landed the plum role of Dallas Smith in the original Broadway musical production of Johnny Mercer's "Texas, L'il Darlin" which ran for a respectable 293 performances, closing in September 1950. The following year, she made her movie swan song playing Maid Marian in a Poverty Row production of Tales of Robin Hood (1951), purportedly the pilot for a failed TV series. Mary gave up film work shortly thereafter and faded into relative obscurity.
Both of her husbands were involved in the big band scene: her first was the comedian Herkie Styles (at the time an alumnus of the Benny Goodman orchestra, later a regular on the Gomer Pyle: USMC (1964) TV show), the second was the renowned swing-era drummer Alvin Stoller.- Actor
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A talented character actor known for his military roles, Ronald Lee Ermey was in the United States Marine Corps for 11 years. He rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant, and later was bestowed the honorary rank of Gunnery Sergeant by the Marine Corps, after he served 14 months in Vietnam and later did two tours in Okinawa, Japan. After injuries forced him to retire from the Corps, he moved to the Phillipines, enrolling in the University of Manila, where he studied Criminology and Drama. He appeared in several Filipino films before being cast as a helicopter pilot in Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now (1979). Due to his Vietnam experiences, Coppola also utilized him as a technical adviser. He got a featured role in Sidney J. Furie's The Boys in Company C (1978), playing a drill instructor. Ermey worked with Furie again in Purple Hearts (1984).
However, his most famous (or infamous) role came as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket (1987), for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe. He did win the best supporting actor award from The Boston Society of Film Critics. Since then, he has appeared in numerous character roles in such films as Leaving Las Vegas (1995), Se7en (1995) and Dead Man Walking (1995). However, Ermey prefers comedy to drama, and has a comedic role in Saving Silverman (2001).- Actor
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Harry Anderson was born on 14 October 1952 in Newport, Rhode Island, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Night Court (1984), It (1990) and Tales from the Crypt (1989). He was married to Elizabeth Morgan and Leslie Pollack. He died on 16 April 2018 in Asheville, North Carolina, USA.- Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino was an Italian-born American professional wrestler, best known for his work with the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF, now WWE). There, he held the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship (WWWF Heavyweight Championship during his second reign) for more than 11 years (4,040 days) across two reigns, the first of which is the longest single reign in the promotion's history at 2,803 days. He is overall a two-time world champion in professional wrestling.
Dubbed "The Italian Strongman" and "The Strongest Man in the World" early in his career, Sammartino later earned the title "The Living Legend". Known for his powerful bear-hug finishing move, he is widely regarded as the greatest professional wrestler of all time. Sammartino became a vocal critic of the drug use and raunchier story-lines that became prevalent in the professional wrestling industry after his retirement but he reconciled with WWE in 2013 and headlined their Hall of Fame ceremony that year. Terry Funk commented that Sammartino "was bigger than wrestling itself". - Hilmar Baumann was born on 7 January 1939 in Lichterfelde, Berlin, Germany. He was an actor, known for The Divided Heaven (1964), Seven Freckles (1978) and Die Leiden des jungen Werthers (1976). He died on 27 January 2018 in Berlin, Germany.
- Thomas Petruo was born on 10 October 1956 in Berlin, Germany. He was an actor, known for Enemy at the Gates (2001), Die Tigerin (1992) and The NeverEnding Story III (1994). He died on 13 April 2018 in Berlin, Germany.
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With a decades-long career as an actor and stuntman, Verne Troyer was best known for playing "Mini-Me," Dr. Evil's smaller and more concentrated pure evil protégé, in the hit comedies Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) and Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), and for his role in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001). Troyer, born in Sturgis, Michigan, had always dreamed of getting into showbiz. Shortly after his high school graduation in 1987, he moved with some friends to Arlington, Texas, where, in 1993, he got his first break as a stunt double for a 9-month-old baby on the film Baby's Day Out (1994). In his early years of film and television work, he often portrayed animals or small children.- Actress
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Guggi Löwinger was born on 5 April 1939 in Vienna, Nazi Germany [now Austria]. She was an actress, known for Tanze mit mir in den Morgen (1962), Der Page vom Palast-Hotel (1958) and Wie schön, daß es dich gibt (1957). She was married to Peter Minich and ???. She died on 21 April 2018 in Vienna, Austria.- Producer
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Philip D'Antoni was born on 19 February 1929 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a producer and writer, known for The French Connection (1971), Bullitt (1968) and The Seven-Ups (1973). He was married to Ruth Wiederecht. He died on 15 April 2018 in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, USA.