Celebrity Deaths in 2019
Famous People Who Died in 2019
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- Kip Niven was raised in Prairie Village, Kansas (a suburb of Kansas City in affluent Johnson County), and graduated in 1963 from Shawnee Mission East High School. After spending a year at Baylor University, he changed his mind and entered the theater program at The University of Kansas, where he performed in dozens of plays.
Niven had an impressive resume that includes films such as Magnum Force (1973), Earthquake (1974) and Midway (1976). He had performed on countless television shows, including memorable parts on The Waltons (1972), Law & Order (1990) and Walker, Texas Ranger (1993). He had roles on Broadway, in regional theater and episodic radio shows. He was probably best known for his three-year stint as Steve Marsh on the TV sitcom Alice (1976). Niven and the star of that series, (actress Linda Lavin), married in 1982. The marriage was turbulent and they subsequently divorced.
Kip was first married to Susan and had two children Jim and Kate. She tragically died in a car accident in 1981. He and his 3rd wife Beth lived in Kansas and had a daughter Maggie, who was born in 1994. He also had two grandsons.
In 1995 Kip returned to the Kansas City area where he grew up. He continued to work in local theater and on a comedy radio show. - Actress
- Director
Katherine Marie Helmond was born on July 5, 1929, in Galveston, Texas. After her parents divorced, she was raised by her mother, Thelma (nee Malone) Helmond, and her maternal grandmother, both of Irish Catholic descent. She attended Catholic school, and appeared in numerous school plays and pageants. She took a job at a local theater while still in high school, hammering and sawing the scenery, cleaning the bathrooms and pulling the curtain.
After her stage debut in "As You Like It", she worked in New York theatres during the 1950s and 1960s. She operated a summer theatre in the Catskills for three seasons and also taught acting in university theatre programs. She made her TV debut in 1962 but had to wait another 10 years until her breakthrough came in the 1970s. She stayed busy on TV as well as on stage and earned a Tony nomination for "The Great God Brown" (1973) on Broadway. She honed her acting abilities with Alfred Hitchcock in Family Plot (1976) and in numerous TV series, notably in ABC's cult sitcom Soap (1977), for which she had four Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe. On the big screen she starred in Brazil (1985) as Jonathan Pryce's mother who is addicted to plastic surgery and snooping in her son's messed-up life.
In 1983 she studied at the Directing Workshop of the American Film Institute and then directed four episodes of the series Benson (1979) as well as episodes of Who's the Boss? (1984). She also picked up Emmy nominations for her role as Mona Robinson, a liberated grandmother in "Who's the Boss?", and as Lois in Everybody Loves Raymond (1996). Although Helmond was a bona-fide TV star since her "Soap" days, she continued working on stage in the 2000s and was acclaimed for her performances in "The Vagina Monologues".
Katherine Helmond was married twice. She had no children. She turned to Buddhism in later years. She shared her time between her home in Los Angeles and homes in New York and London.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Luke Perry was an American actor, primarily remembered as a teen idol throughout the 1990s and the early 2000s. Perry was born in Mansfield, Ohio in 1966. Mansfield was known at the time as a center for the home appliances and stove manufacturing industries. The city's largest employer used to be the Westinghouse Electric Corporation.
Perry's parents were the steelworker Coy Luther Perry Jr. (1944-1980) and his wife Ann. Perry's parents divorced in 1972, when he was 6-years-old. Ann gained custody over her children, and later married construction worker Steve Bennett. Luke was mostly raised by his mother and stepfather, and did not have a close relationship with his biological father. Coy Perry suffered a heart attack in 1980 and died, when Luke was 14-years-old. Luke attended his funeral.
Perry was mostly raised in the village of Fredericktown, Ohio, and attended the Fredericktown High School. In his high school years, Perry served in the role of the school mascot, the "Freddie Bird".
In 1984, the 18-year-old Perry moved to Los Angeles, with the intention of becoming a professional actor. For several years, Perry kept auditioning for various roles without ever being hired. He supported himself financially by working at odd jobs, and serving as an extra for music videos. His most notable role in this period was in the 1986 music video for the song "Be Chrool to Your Scuel" (1985) by the heavy metal band "Twisted Sister".
Perry's first successful audition landed him the role of a recurring character in the soap opera Loving (1983) (1983-1995). From 1987 to 1988, he played the character of Ned Bates. In Perry's own words: "Ned was a dirt-poor mechanic from Tennessee who always got taken advantage of".
Perry next received a recurring role in another soap opera, Another World (1964) (1964-1999). From 1988 to 1989, he played the character of Kenny, the manager of aspiring model and actress Josie Watt (played by Alexandra Wilson).
In 1990, Perry landed the most significant role of his career, depicting the character of Dylan McKay in the teen drama Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990) (1990-2000). He played the character for a total of 199 episodes. Dylan was the teenage rebel son of business tycoon Jack McKay and hippie ex-wife Iris McKay. He started the series as a loner, but he offered help to nerdy schoolmate Scott Scanlon (played by Douglas Emerson) against the local bullies. This act of bravery gained him new friends and the romantic attention of Brenda Walsh (played by Shannen Doherty).
Perry's success in his new role gained him a huge following among teenage girls, and guaranteed that he would receive more job offers. His first starring role in a film was the drama Terminal Bliss (1990) (1992), where he played the self-destructive rich kid John Hunter. The film was a box-office flop.
Perry had a more memorable role in the horror comedy film Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992), as the character Oliver Pike. Pike was a hard-drinking slacker youth in Los Angeles, and had a hostile relationship with high school girl Buffy Summers (played by Kristy Swanson). After Pike's best friend gets turned into a vampire, Pike assists Buffy in her battles with the vampire lord Lothos (played by Rutger Hauer) and his subordinate vampires. Pike is Buffy's sidekick and main love interest in the film, and has appeared in various adaptations, though not in the spin-off television series.
Perry had his first voice acting role in the episode, Krusty Gets Kancelled (1993) of the animated sitcom The Simpsons (1989). He played a parody version of himself as a sidekick of the character Krusty the Clown in a show-within-the-show. Perry had more voice acting roles in other animated television series of this era. He played the Detroit-based crime lord Napoleon Brie in Biker Mice from Mars (1993) (1993-1996), the master ninja Sub-Zero in Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm (1995) (1996), Bruce Banner's best friend and sidekick Rick Jones in The Incredible Hulk (1996) (1996-1997), and Nicky Little's boyfriend Stewart Waldinger in Pepper Ann (1997) (1997-2000).
In live-action films, Perry played the starring role of professional bull-rider Lane Frost (1963-1989) in the biographical drama 8 Seconds (1994). He played a version of himself in the Italian comedy film Vacanze di Natale '95 (1995) ("Christmas Vacation '95", 1995), where he is the love interest of infatuated teenager Marta Colombo (played by Cristiana Capotondi). Perry played the police officer and bank robber Chris Anderson in the crime drama Normal Life (1996), while his wife and partner-in-crime Pam Anderson was played by Ashley Judd. He played the suicidal character Johnny in the comedy-drama American Strays (1996), which features the character hiring a professional hit-man to provide him with an assisted suicide.
In 1997, Perry played a small role in the science fiction film The Fifth Element (1997). In a scene set in 1914, Perry plays the assistant archaeologist Billy Masterson. Masterson sees his mentor being knocked out by Mondoshawan aliens, and reacts by shooting one of the aliens. Masterson's fate is left uncertain in the film, though the novelization features him as the victim of a poisoning plot.
In the late 1990s, Perry appeared frequently in television films and various direct-to-video films. He had guest roles in several television series, but mostly playing one-shot characters. Following the end of Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990) in 2000, his first major role was the recurring character Jeremiah Cloutier in the crime-drama Oz (1997) (1997-2003). Introduced in 2001 episodes of the series, Jeremiah was an Evangelical preacher who was imprisoned for embezzling funds from his church. He used his charisma and preaching skills to convert fellow prisoners to Evangelical Christianity, He was eventually assassinated by his own convert Timmy Kirk (Sean Dugan) and several of Kirk's friends, after Jeremiah denounced Kirk using Christianity as an excuse to murder people.
Perry next gained a starring role in the post-apocalyptic series Jeremiah (2002) (2002-2004). The series is set c. 2021, 15 years after a plague killed nearly everyone over the age of thirteen. Most of the adult characters of the show were children at that time, and survived the event. Now they are troubled adults, trying to survive in a harsh world. Perry's character Jeremiah is a wanderer who finds himself recruited into a Colorado-based secretive organization. He fights a war against a West Virginia-based organization which seeks to either conquer or wipe out all remaining outposts of humanity. The series lasted two seasons. A third season was planned, but plans for it were aborted due to disagreements between the production companies co-financing the series.
Perry returned to playing mostly guest star roles in television. In 2006, he was cast as one of the main characters in the short-lived drama series Windfall (2006). Only 13 episodes were produced, as the series failed to find an audience and one of the show's co-creators had left before the season's completion.
In 2007, Perry played businessman Linc Stark in the surf-themed series John from Cincinnati (2007). Despite relatively high ratings, the series only lasted for one season.
In the late 2000s, Perry played guest roles in police procedural a series: the rapist Noah Sibert in Trials (2008) and the cult leader Benjamin Cyrus in Minimal Loss (2008).
For much of the 2010s, Perry continued mostly appearing in guest roles and relatively obscure films. In 2015, a colonoscopy test revealed pre-cancerous growths in Perry's body, that could have developed into colorectal cancer. Perry received medical treatment, and became a spokesperson for campaigns requiring early testing for cancer.
In 2017, Perry returned to prominence in a live-action adaptation of a comic book series, Riverdale (2017) (2017-2019). It was an adaptation of Archie Comics' characters, but in a mystery series instead of their traditional comedy setting. Perry played Frederick "Fred" Andrews, Archie Andrews's father, depicted here as the owner of a successful construction company. Fred is depicted as a single father, as his wife Mary Andrews abandoned him and moved to Chicago. The series also depicts Fred as the ex-boyfriend of Hermione Gomez-Lodge (Veronica Lodge's mother).
On February 27, 2019, Perry suffered a massive ischemic stroke within his home in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles. He was hospitalized, but suffered a second stroke days later. He died on March 4, 2019, having never recovered from the two strokes. He was only 52 years old. His body was buried near his home in Vanleer, Tennessee, where he had bought a farm and the associated house in 1995, and spent time living there when not working on film or television projects.
Perry's will reportedly left his son Jack Perry (b. 1997) and daughter Sophie Perry (b. 2000) as the only heirs to his estate. The press noted that the will excludes Perry's mother, his stepfather, his siblings, his ex-wife, and his last fiancée from having inheritance claims, and there was some speculation on Perry's motivation for this decision. His net worth was estimated at over $10 million.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Virile, handsome and square-jawed youthful star of the 1970s and 1980s who showed early potential at super-stardom, Jan-Michael Vincent originally made a name for himself portraying rebellious young men bucking the system, as in The Tribe (1970), White Line Fever (1975) and Baby Blue Marine (1976) or as a man of action on either side of the law, as in The Mechanic (1972), Vigilante Force (1976) and The Winds of War (1983).
He was born in July 1944 in Denver, Colorado, and was finishing a stint in the National Guard when a talent scout was struck by his all-American looks. He made his first appearance on-screen in The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk (1967), before appearing in Journey to Shiloh (1968) and in "Danger Island" on the Hanna-Barbera kids TV show The Banana Splits Adventure Hour (1968). He remained very busy during the 1970s, appearing in high-profile productions alongside such stars as John Wayne, Rock Hudson, Charles Bronson, Slim Pickens and Robert Mitchum.
In 1984, Vincent was cast as Stringfellow Hawke in the helicopter action series Airwolf (1984), co-starring Ernest Borgnine. The show wrapped after three seasons and from then on he was primarily appearing in low-budget, B-grade action and sci-fi films, including Alienator (1990), The Deadly Avenger (1992), Deadly Heroes (1993) and Lethal Orbit (1996). His last film was the woeful gang movie White Boy (2002), and ongoing health issues and personal problems seemed to preclude his return to the screen.
Vincent will be best remembered by film fans as a smirking, apprentice hit man to Charles Bronson in The Mechanic (1972), as feisty "Matt" in the superb surf movie Big Wednesday (1978) with Gary Busey and William Katt, or as rebel trucker Carol Jo Hummer battling corruption in White Line Fever (1975).- Producer
- Writer
- Actor
Jim Fowler was born on 9 April 1930 in Albany, Georgia, USA. He was a producer and writer, known for The Lion King (1994), Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom (1963) and Little Laura and Big John (1973). He was married to Betsey Munroe Burhans. He died on 8 May 2019 in Norwalk, Connecticut, USA.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Barbara Perry was born on 22 June 1921 in Norfolk, Virginia, USA. She was an actress, known for Trancers (1984), The Back-up Plan (2010) and Mr. Woodcock (2007). She was married to Art Babbitt and Bennett Warren James. She died on 5 May 2019 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA.- Verna Bloom was born on 7 August 1938 in Lynn, Massachusetts, USA. She was an actress, known for High Plains Drifter (1973), National Lampoon's Animal House (1978) and After Hours (1985). She was married to Jay Cocks and Richard Collier. She died on 9 January 2019 in Bar Harbor, Maine, USA.
- Producer
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Son of Danny Singleton, a mortgage broker, and Sheila Ward, a pharmaceutical company sales executive, and raised in separate households by his unmarried parents, John Singleton attended the Film Writing Program at USC, after graduating from high school in 1986. While studying there, he won three writing awards from the university, which led to a contract with Creative Artists Agency during his sophomore year. Columbia Pictures bought his script for Boyz n the Hood (1991) and budgeted it at $7 million. Singleton noted that much of the story comes from his own experiences in South Central LA and credited his parents with keeping him off the street.- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Peter Mayhew was born on May 19, 1944 in Barnes, London, England, to Constance Elizabeth (Yeates) and Walter Henry Mayhew. Later resident in Texas, this former resident of Yorkshire, England, was working as a hospital attendant at the King's College Hospital in London when film producer Charles H. Schneer saw his photo, literally standing above the crowd around him. Schneer cast him in Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977), Ray Harryhausen's special effects film.
A year later, he was offered another role. Mayhew was told it was for a big hairy beast. It was the role of Chewbacca, the faithful 200 year-old Wookiee in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) and his life was changed forever. Following the original Star Wars trilogy, he made several television commercials in the Wookiee costume.
In 1997, the 20th-anniversary celebrations of Star Wars were announced with the release of the "Special Edition" and all the conventions started. He was active on the "Star Wars" convention circuit where he signed autographs. He wrote two books, "Growing Up Giant" and "My Favorite Giant", and founded a non-profit 501(c)3 charity organization called "The Peter Mayhew Foundation".- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Character actor John Richard Erdmann was born on June 1, 1925 in Enid, Oklahoma, of Dutch descent. Raised in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Erdman and his single mother moved to Los Angeles, California in 1941 after his high school drama teacher told him he could make it in movies. Richard subsequently enrolled in Hollywood High School. Moreover, Erdman was immediately offered and quickly signed a contract at Warner Bros. while still a teenager upon meeting director Michael Curtiz in his office.
Often cast as amiable sailors, rowdy soldiers, or wisecracking best buddies, Richard's career in both films and television alike encompassed several decades starting in the mid-1940's and continued going strong well into the 2010's. Outside of acting, Erdman also directed two movies and some episodic television. Richard was acting almost right to the end. He died at age 93 on March 16, 2019.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Singing funny girl Kaye Ballard was born to perform...and perform she did, in a career spanning eight decades. With a strong comedy background and tunnel mouth to rival Martha Raye, the broad and bouncy trouper drew laughs on the musical stage, in night clubs, in recordings and on TV. As the archetypal over-emotive, knuckle-biting Italian wife and mama, the octogenarian tickled the funny bone with her earthy brand of comedy while alternately touching hearts in song.
She was born Catherine Gloria Balotta,in Cleveland, Ohio, the daughter of Italian parents, Lena (Nacarato) and Vincenzo/Vincent James Balotta. A deep desire to perform already struck by the time she was five years old. A typical class clown during her high school years, she began to compile a number of star impressions for her act. In her teens, she performed in a Cleveland USO stage production of "Stage Door Canteen" (1941), and soon set out on her own.
Earning a job in 1943 touring with Spike Jones and His Orchestra for two years as his featured vocalist and flute/tuba player(!), Kaye eventually set up camp in New York and made her Broadway debut with the revue "Three to Make Ready" (1946). From there she showcased in the musicals "Once in a Lifetime," "Touch and Go" (in London), "Annie Get Your Gun" and the burlesque show "Top Banana". During this time, she built up a strong song-and-comedy reputation for herself on the nightclub circuit, eventually playing the country's best cabarets/niteries including The Bon Soir, Persian Room and Blue Angel in New York, The Hungry i in San Francisco, and Mr. Kelly's in Chicago.
During the 1950s and 1960s, Kaye graced nearly every talk/variety show there was including those for Ed Sullivan, Jack Paar, Johnny Carson, Steve Allen, Perry Como, Red Skelton, Carol Burnett, Merv Griffin and Mike Douglas. Two of her classic TV roles were her ugly stepsister Portia (the other sister being fellow scene-stealer Alice Ghostley) in the Julie Andrews version of Cinderella (1957), and as one of The Mothers-In-Law (1967) (the other being fellow veteran Eve Arden) in the popular but short-lived sitcom produced by Desi Arnaz. Both showcases catered perfectly to Kaye's brash comedy instincts. She also pitched in as a meddling second banana for Doris Day for one season of the star's '70s TV show.
On stage Kaye had Broadway audiences rolling in the aisles with her Helen of Troy in the 1954 musical "The Golden Apple," while introducing the classic song standard "Lazy Afternoon." Other raves came in the form of "Wonderful Town" (1958), "Carnival" (1961) and Cole Porter Revisited" (1965). On the flip side of the coin, she played a frumpy Lola Delaney in a badly misguided musical version of "Come Back, Little Sheba" (entitled "Sheba") in 1974, and also tried unsuccessfully to bring life to the beloved, indomitable Molly Goldberg radio/TV character in the Broadway musical "Molly" (1973); the show lasted a mere two months. Kaye was much more at home sinking her teeth into two of theater's most impregnable females: Mama Rose in "Gypsy" and Dolly Levi in "Hello, Dolly!"
With an out-stretched personality on par with Carol Channing and Ethel Merman, films never became a suitable medium. Although Kaye gave a standout debut performance in The Girl Most Likely (1957), starring Jane Powell, she was seldom seen after that. Her sprinkling of supporting roles included A House Is Not a Home (1964) with Shelley Winters, Which Way to the Front? (1970) starring Jerry Lewis, Freaky Friday (1976) with young Jodie Foster, and, perhaps more notably, in The Ritz (1976) starring Rita Moreno and Jerry Stiller.
In later years, Kaye dominated the stage with feisty work in "Nunsense", "The Pirates of Penzance" (a Broadway replacement), "High Spirits" (as Madame Arcati), "Funny Girl" (as Mrs. Brice), "The Full Monty", and the female version of "The Odd Couple". The Rancho Mirage, California resident performed with the Palm Spring Follies show, and was out-and-about doing her one-woman cabaret show belting out the good old songs and retracing her burlesque-styled comedy roots. A survivor of breast cancer, the never-married veteran showed no signs of slowing down. She died in her Rancho Mirage home on January 21, 2019, aged 93.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Carol Channing was born January 31, 1921, at Seattle, Washington, the daughter of a prominent newspaper editor, who was very active in the Christian Science movement. She attended high school in San Francisco and later worked as a model in Los Angeles. She attended prestigious Bennington College in Vermont and majored in drama and dance and supplemented her work by taking parts in nearby Pocono Resort area. Carol initially made her mark on Broadway in "Gentleman Prefer Blondes" playing Lorelei Lee. In "Hello Dolly" she played Dolly Gallagher Levi, the witty, manipulative widow intent upon finding a wealthy husband. The musical won ten Tony awards in 1964, including Channing's for best actress in a comedy. Jacqueline Kennedy and her two children made their first public appearance after President John F. Kennedy's death by seeing her perform in "Hello Dolly" and later visited her backstage. She appeared in the film Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967). Her son Channing Carson is a Pulitizer Prize-nominated finalist cartoonist and she continued to practice her Christian Science religion.- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Daryl Dragon was born on 27 August 1942 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for Payback (1990), Go for It (1976) and Sandstone (1975). He was married to Toni Tennille. He died on 2 January 2019 in Prescott, Arizona, USA.- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
As a sophomore at the University of Akron, he left town to come to Los Angeles with his band, Revelation Funk. The band broke up shortly after arriving in L.A. Shortly afterward, Ingram started working with Ray Charles as a piano player.
After Quincy Jones heard James Ingram's voice on "Just Once," he invited Ingram to sing on his album. James originally didn't think his voice was good enough to be a lead vocal. He won a Grammy award for best R&B vocal performance for his work on Jones' album, "The Dude."
Won a Grammy with Michael McDonald in 1984 for Best R&B Performance for their duet, "Yah Mo B There"
His mom, Alistine Wilson Ingram, and dad, Henry Ingram Sr., died within a year of one another [2001-2002]
Married his childhood sweetheart, Debra Robinson
Played keyboards on the classic hit songs "PYT" by Michael Jackson and "Bad Mama Jama" by Carl Carlton.
Plays keyboards, guitar, and electric bass.- Mitzi Hoag was born on 25 September 1932 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. She was an actress, known for My Three Sons (1960), Devil's Angels (1967) and The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981). She was married to John David Beggs and Stephen Abel Wolfson. She died on 26 February 2019 in Sherman Oaks, California, USA.
- Lovely, buxom, and vivacious blonde bombshell Louisa Moritz was born as Luisa Cira Castro Netto on September 25, 1936 in Havana, Cuba. Many members of Louisa's family which include her father Luis, sister Aurora, and her older brother Rafael all worked in the law profession. Moritz left Cuba and moved to New York City during the upheaval of the 1950s. Louisa was inspired to change her last name from Castro to Moritz after seeing the St. Moritz Hotel in New York City. She arrived in NYC in July 1960, aged 23.
She began her acting career in TV commercials in the late 1960s. She made her debut in a TV commercial for Ultra-Ban spray deodorant and won both a Clio Award and an Andy Award for her work as a student driver in a TV commercial for American Motors. Louisa made her film debut in the lead role of young prostitute Carmela in The Man from O.R.G.Y. (1970). Perhaps best known to general audiences as the hooker Rose in the Oscar-winning classic One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), her most memorable roles included Sylvester Stallone's airhead navigator Myra in the cult science fiction black comedy Death Race 2000 (1975), cheery prostitute Flora in the delightful Sixpack Annie (1975), Officer Gloria Whitey in Up in Smoke (1978), hilarious as the aggressively lascivious Carmela in the uproariously raunchy teen comedy hoot The Last American Virgin (1982), and ditsy kleptomaniac Bubbles in the terrifically trashy babes-behind-bars treat Chained Heat (1983). Among the television programs Moritz appeared on are The Leslie Uggams Show (1969), The Joe Namath Show (1969), Love, American Style (1969), Ironside (1967), Happy Days (1974), M*A*S*H (1972), Chico and the Man (1974), The Rockford Files (1974), The Incredible Hulk (1978) and The Associates (1979).
Outside of acting, Moritz sold real estate, sung a song she specifically wrote about host Jay Leno on "The Tonight Show," and bought a hotel in Beverly Hills which she renamed the Beverly Hills St. Moritz. Although often cast as the generic dumb blonde in many films and TV shows (a part which she always played with great spirit and infectiously sweet good humor), Moritz in real life was the total radical opposite of this particular persona: She not only made the Deans List while studying for her law degree at the University of West Los Angeles, but won the American Jurisprudence Bancroft Whitney Prize for Contracts as well. She went on to become a lawyer in southern California, but was eventually disbarred for failing to provide certain quarterly reports. Louisa Moritz died at age 82 from cardiovascular disease on January 4, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. - Writer
- Actor
- Producer
Bob Einstein was born on 20 November 1942 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for Bizarre (1979), Super Dave (1987) and Super Dave's Spike Tacular (2009). He was married to Roberta Marie Smith and Cathy Maureen Kilpatrick. He died on 2 January 2019 in Indian Wells, California, USA.- Gene Okerlund was born on 19 December 1942 in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, USA. He was an actor, known for WrestleMania III (1987), WrestleMania X-Seven (2001) and WCW Monday Nitro (1995). He was married to Jeanne Ellen Zulawnik. He died on 2 January 2019 in Sarasota, Florida, USA.
- Producer
- Director
- Special Effects
Jo Andres was an American filmmaker, choreographer and artist.
Andres first became known on the kinetic downtown New York performance scene of the 1980s for her film/dance/light performances, shown at The Performing Garage, La Mama E.T.C., P.S. 122, St. Marks Danspace, and the Collective for Living Cinema. As a filmmaker, Andres drew acclaim and awards for the 1996 film, Black Kites (1996), which aired on PBS and played several film festivals, including Sundance, Berlin, Toronto, London and Human Rights Watch Film Festivals. She directed music and art videos, as well as her own film performance works. Andres was a dance' consultant to the acclaimed Wooster Group. She was an artist in residence at leading universities, museums and art colonies, including Yaddo and The Rockefeller Study Center in Bellagio, Italy.
She created a series of cyanotype photographs, which can be seen on JoAndres.com.
She and her husband, actor Steve Buscemi, had one son, Lucian Buscemi.- Actor
- Producer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Lean-faced, intense-looking, German-born, Canada-raised Paul Koslo was at his busiest during the 1970s, usually playing shifty, untrustworthy and often downright nasty characters. He first broke into films at age 22 in the low-budget Little White Crimes (1966), and then appeared in a rush of movies taking advantage of his youthful looks, including cult favorites Vanishing Point (1971) and The Omega Man (1971), and the western Joe Kidd (1972), martial arts blaxploitation flick Cleopatra Jones (1973) and crime thriller The Stone Killer (1973). After working alongside such stars as John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Walter Matthau and Charles Bronson, Koslo's career drifted towards television, and in the 1980s he regularly guest-starred on such TV series as The Incredible Hulk (1978), The A-Team (1983), Matlock (1986), MacGyver (1985) and The Fall Guy (1981). Unfortunately, most of his film work in the 1990s and beyond was "straight-to-video" fare, such as Chained Heat 2 (1993) and Inferno (1999). Koslo is well remembered by many as smart-mouthed small-time hood Bobby Kopas, trying to shake down melon grower Charles Bronson in Mr. Majestyk (1974).- William Sheppard was born and raised in London, England to an Anglo-Irish family. He is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. He was an Associate Artist with the Royal Shakespeare Company for 12 years. He appeared on Broadway in 1966 with "Marat-Sade" and later in 1975 with "Sherlock Holmes". He won the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle award for "The Homecoming" in 1995, at the Matrix Theatre. He voiced the narrator in the popular computer game Civilization 5.
- Sound Department
Gregg Rudloff was born on 2 November 1955 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is known for Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), The Matrix (1999) and Green Lantern (2011). He was married to Sue. He died on 6 January 2019 in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, USA.- Additional Crew
- Actor
Don Reynolds was born on 29 May 1937 in Odell, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). He died on 9 January 2019 in Fort Worth, Texas, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Andrew MacLachlan was born on 27 February 1941 in Trearrdur Bay, Anglesey, Wales, UK. He was an actor, known for Life of Brian (1979), Time Bandits (1981) and The Meaning of Life (1983). He was married to Georgina Morton. He died on 4 February 2019.- Bradley Bolke was born on 1 October 1925 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974), Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales (1963) and Hail (1972). He was married to Katherine (Kitty) Castro. He died on 15 January 2019 in Dobbs Ferry, New York, USA.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Windsor did 2 years teacher training in Bangor then taught History and English in the Elephant and Castle in London where he met Lynne, his future wife, who was a nurse, in the Welsh Club. By the time he was 32 they had 2 children and were living in Leek, in Staffordshire. He had always been keen on amateur dramatics and Lynne persuaded him to try the theatre. The casting director of the Royal Court Theatre got him into Cheltenham Reportary at £10 a week which started his show business career.- Director
- Producer
- Actor
James Frawley was born on 29 September 1936 in Houston, Texas, USA. He was a director and producer, known for The Muppet Movie (1979), The Big Bus (1976) and The Monkees (1965). He was married to Cynthia Margaret. He died on 22 January 2019 in Indian Wells, California, USA.- Steve Bell was born on 9 December 1935 in Oskaloosa, Iowa, USA. He was married to Joyce Dillavou. He died on 25 January 2019 in Muncie, Indiana, USA.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Erica Yohn was born on 1 October 1928 in Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for An American Tail (1986), Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985) and Corrina, Corrina (1994). She was married to Tom Rosqui and Lars Speyer. She died on 27 January 2019 in California, USA.- Actress
- Producer
Diane Gaidry (born October 11, 1964 in South Dakota) is an American film and theatre actress. She received her B.F.A. in acting from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. She played the role of Simone Bradley in the 2006 film Loving Annabelle, directed by Katherine Brooks. Diane was awarded the Outstanding Actress award at Outfest in 2006 for this performance and is probably best known for her work in this film.
In 1993, Diane co-founded the Los Angeles based non-profit independent filmmaking collective, Filmmakers Alliance. She played lead roles in some of the feature length films that were produced through the collective including The Dogwalker, which played at the Los Angeles Film Festival and won the award for Best First Feature at Cinequest, and America So Beautiful which played at the Berlinale and was theatrically released in Paris. Her numerous short film credits include Transaction which won the Grand Prix du Jury at Clermont -Ferrand. She also acted in Rob Nilsson's feature film, Need, part of his 9@night series. Diane did a number of guest appearances in television shows as well.
Diane now makes her home in Buffalo, NY, her home town, where she has been acting in local theatre productions over the past several years and is enjoying a rewarding career as a life coach. In 2012, she acted in the one woman show, we are not afraid of the dark, which she performed in 6 cities in Europe. That same year, Diane also narrated the audio book, Safe Harbor.- Candice (Candi) Jean Earley was born 18 August 1950 at Fort Hood, Texas. Her parents were Harold E. Earley and Vera Jean (nee Daily) Earley. Her father, (Harold) was a Colonel in the United States Army Judge Advocate General (JAG Corps). Colonel Earley was transferred to Germany after Candi was born and later reassigned to Fort Sill, Oklahoma when Candi was five years old.
Candi's father retired from active military service at the conclusion of his assignment at Fort Sill and established a home for the family in the Lawton, Oklahoma which is the civilian city next to Fort Sill. Candi spent the rest of childhood and school age years in Lawton, Oklahoma which she considered home. Candi had two older brothers, Jack and Mike.
Candi attended Lawton Public Schools (LPS) and graduated from Lawton High School (LHS) in 1968. She was an honor student and active in theater and arts programs. She developed a 4-Octave coloratura soprano voice via spirited voice lessons while in High School. She was very active in LHS theater productions and musicals. She also lent her voice and acting talent to the local Lawton Community Theater (LCT). These theatrical opportunities permitted Candi to develop and evolve as an actor and performer.
During her senior year in high school, Candi participated and was crowned Miss Lawton 1968. As Miss Lawton, she represented the city of Lawton in the Miss Oklahoma pageant later that summer and was second in the competition to be "Runner-Up."
She attended Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.
After college she relocated to San Francisco to seek her stage career. While there, she joined the Cast of Hair in 1969, and shortly was cast in the lead role of "Shelia." From then on, and through all of her life, she was one of the proud and select members of the "Tribe."
At age 21, she moved to New York, and was a member of the Broadway "Tribe." She was then cast as the female lead in Jesus Christ Superstar on Broadway. While eating lunch at Sardi's Restaurant, the Casting Director of ABC daytime television asked, "Who is that attractive mid-western looking type across the room?" Shortly thereafter she was cast as "Donna Tyler Beck" on the long-running ABC Television daytime soap opera, All My Children, where she starred for 18 years (1975-2005). During this time on All My Children, she continued her Broadway stage career playing the lead role of "Sandy" in Grease, and later played the role of "Nellie Forbush", opposite Bob Goulet, in South Pacific. During her years in New York, she also starred in Summer Stock Productions in her hometown (Lawton), of the Lawton Community Theatre productions including, Bells are Ringing, and Woman of the Year. While living in New York, she regularly returned to Lawton, which she considered "home." She also appeared on the game shows "Family Feud" and "The $10,000 Pyramid."
Candi chose to self-retire from screen and stage and relocated to El Dorado, Arkansas where she met and married Robert C. Nolan.
Candi Jean Earley Nolan passed away 31 January 2019 at the age of 68, after a lengthy battle with Multiple Systems Atrophy. - Actor
- Writer
- Director
Born in the Bronx, New York to Russian Jewish immigrant parents (Isidor "Ira" and Rita Blucher Miller), Richard Miller served in the U.S. Navy for a few years and earned a prize title as a middleweight boxer. He settled in Los Angeles in the mid-1950s, where he was noticed by producer/director Roger Corman, who cast him in most of his low-budget films, often as dislikeable sorts, such as a vacuum-cleaner salesman in Not of This Earth (1957). His most memorable role would have to be that of the mentally unstable, busboy/beatnik artist Walter Paisley, whose clay sculptures are suspiciously lifelike in A Bucket of Blood (1959) (a rare starring role for him), and he is also fondly remembered for his supporting role as the flower-eating Vurson Fouch in Corman's legendary The Little Shop of Horrors (1960).
Miller spent the next 20 years working in Corman productions, and starting in the late 1970s was often cast in films by director Joe Dante, appearing in credited and uncredited walk-on bits as quirky chatterboxes, and stole every scene he appeared in. He has played many variations on his famous Walter Paisley role, such as a diner owner (Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)) or a janitor (Chopping Mall (1986)). One of his best bits is the funny occult-bookshop owner in The Howling (1981). Being short (so he never played a romantic lead or a threatening villain) with wavy hair, long sideburns, a pointed nose and a face as trustworthy as a used-car dealer's, he was, and is to this day, an immediately recognizable character actor whose one-scene appearances in countless movies and TV shows guarantee audience applause.- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Jeremy Hardy was born on 17 July 1961 in Aldershot, Hampshire, England, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for How to Be (2008), Hello Mum (1986) and Spitting Image (1984). He was married to Kit Hollerbach and Katie Barlow. He died on 1 February 2019 in Sydenham, London, England, UK.- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Lisa Seagram was born on 7 July 1936 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. She was an actress and director, known for The Beverly Hillbillies (1962), Paradise Pictures (1997) and Burke's Law (1963). She was married to Marc Fiorini and Ira Hershman. She died on 1 February 2019 in Burbank, California, USA.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Clive Swift was born on 9 February 1936 in Liverpool, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Excalibur (1981), Frenzy (1972) and Keeping Up Appearances (1990). He was married to Margaret Drabble. He died on 1 February 2019 in London, England, UK.- Actress
- Additional Crew
Betty May Adams was the daughter of a travelling Iowa cotton buyer with a penchant for alcohol. Growing up in Arkansas, Betty expressed an early interest in acting and made her performing debut in a third grade play of "Hansel and Gretel." Beautiful, talented and determined, the freshly minted 'Miss Little Rock' left home at the age of 19 to live with her aunt and uncle in California. For three days a week she made ends meet working as a secretary. The remainder of her time was spent taking speech and drama lessons (in due course losing her Southern twang) and making the rounds of the various Hollywood casting departments. Her first screen role was (appropriately) as a starlet in Paramount's Red, Hot and Blue (1949). This was followed by an inauspicious leading role in the B-grade Western The Dalton Gang (1949). Over a period of five weeks she appeared in six further quota quickies of the sagebrush variety for Poverty Row outfit Lippert Productions. Since Lippert owned no actual studio facilities, most of the filming took place at the Ray Corrigan ranch in Chatsworth, California. In the summer of 1950, Betty assisted in a screen test for Detroit Lions football star Leon Hart at Universal-International. While Hart's movie career ended up stillborn, Betty clicked with producers who opted to change her first name to 'Julia.' The initial outing for her new studio was entitled Bright Victory (1951), with the budding actress a little underemployed as 'the other girl' in a love triangle involving a blind war veteran (played by Arthur Kennedy). Her career was significantly better served in her next assignment as co-star opposite James Stewart in Anthony Mann's seminal Technicolor western Bend of the River (1952) (Kennedy this time cast as the arch villain). Adams later recalled her part in this film as "a great learning experience" and one of her "fondest Hollywood memories," It also led to a life long friendship with Jimmy Stewart.
Signed to a seven-year contract (and having her legs insured by Universal to the tune of $125,000 by Lloyds of London), Julia seemed destined to remain perpetually typecast as a western heroine. A comely actress with soft, classical features, she often gave affecting performances in what amounted to little more than bread-and-butter pictures. At the very least, she got to play romantic leads opposite some of Universal's top box-office earners: Rock Hudson (in Horizons West (1952) and The Lawless Breed (1952)), Tyrone Power(The Mississippi Gambler (1953)) and Glenn Ford (The Man from the Alamo (1953)). Having played a succession of 'nice girls,' Julia took a turn as leader of an outlaw gang in Wings of the Hawk (1953), set against the background of the Mexican Revolution (Van Heflin was first-billed as a mining engineer, who, having his gold mine taken over by Federales, joins Julia's band of 'insurrectos'). 'Miss Melon Patch' of 1953 was about to experience another important career change, being famously cast as the imperilled heroine Kay Lawrence in Jack Arnolds cultish monster flic Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), a role Adams initially considered turning down. Shot in 3-D on a shoestring budget, the picture was light on script but strong on atmosphere and proved once again that style can succeed over content. The not inconsiderable physical charms of Miss Adams often dominated the scenery and gave the 'Gill Man' a run for his money. Audiences approved and 'Creature' spawned two further sequels, alas without Julia and with diminishing returns.
In 1955, having generated strong box office heat, Julia changed her moniker (with studio approval) to the less gentle-sounding Julie. Accordingly, she was now offered more varied material ranging from tough melodramas, to comedies and lightweight romances. Adams further established her credentials with roles which included a soft porn model who survives a plane crash in the Colorado Rockies in The Looters (1955); as a cop's wife in Six Bridges to Cross (1955) (a crime drama based on Boston's Great Brinks Robbery); a sympathetic school's doctor in the family-oriented comedy The Private War of Major Benson (1955) and as the wife of an assistant D.A. fighting gangland on the New York waterfront in Slaughter on 10th Avenue (1957). After 1957, her contract with Universal having expired, Adams successfully transitioned into television where she remained a firm favorite in westerns and crime dramas, guest-starring in just about every classic prime-time series covering both genres (Perry Mason (1957) being her personal favorite). Latterly, she had a popular recurring role as real estate lady Eve Simpson in Murder, She Wrote (1984). Adams was still in demand for occasional screen appearances well into her 90s.
She was married twice: first, to writer-producer Leonard Stern, and, secondly, to the actor Ray Danton. Julie Adams passed away in Los Angeles on February 3, 2019 at the age of 92. Her autobiography (co-written with her son Mitchell Danton), entitled "The Lucky Southern Star: Reflections from the Black Lagoon" appeared in 2011.- Actor
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- Producer
Kristoff made his television debut at age 8 in the sit-com series "That's My Mama." Now, 39 years later, he is one of the stars on CBS's "Young and The Restless," the number one rated drama for the past 25 years on daytime television, playing the popular character of Neil Winters. Is it just a coincidence that Kristoff has been starring on Y and R for 23 plus years.
His childlike gifts have all emerged into the full measure of a mature actor, as is evident by his eight Emmy Award nominations.
Two of Kristoff's Emmy nominations came from starring in the short-lived, NBC-TV daytime drama, "Generations." Kristoff was nominated as Best Supporting Actor in 1990, and in 1991. In 1992 he won the Emmy Award for his role of Neil Winters on "The Young and The Restless." He was nominated for an Emmy in 1993, 1999, and also in 2000, 2006, 2007, and Kristoff won a second Emmy in 2008, for Best Supporting Actor for his role on The Young and The Restless.
Kristoff has had the distinct honor of winning the NAACP Image Award as Best Actor in a Daytime Drama, "The Young and the Restless" nine times. He has been nominated for the Image award sixteen times.
Kristoff is no stranger to the CBS network, having starred in the series "Charlie and Company," with Flip Wilson, Gladys Knight, and Della Reese. He was also a series regular on CBS' "The Bad News Bears." Kristoff also starred in the Spelling Series, "The San Pedro Beach Bums,"
As a child and young adult, Kristoff worked with legendary entertainers such as Richard Pryor, Tony Orlando, Diahann Carroll, Jack Warden, James Earl Jones, Bill Cosby, Flip Wilson, Smokey Robinson, Irene Cara, Gladys Knight, Farrah Fawcett, Jon Voight, and had the distinction of playing the title role of Young Alex Haley in "Roots 2," for which he won a 'Youth in Film' award.
Kristoff has starred in many television dramatic features and mini series, (list available upon request) as well as over two dozen television guest star roles including "Suddenly Susan," "Arliss," "The Jamie Foxx Show," "Get Real," "Pensacola," "Martin," "Living Single," "For Your Love," "The Cosby Show," "Diagnosis Murder," etc. etc. Additionally, he had a recurring role, playing Holly Robinson's boyfriend on the ABC-TV sitcom series "Hanging with Mr. Cooper." He also guest starred in Bow Wow's WB pilot project, "Saving Jason."
Kristoff's feature film credits include starring roles in "The Champ," "Top of the Heap," "A Man Called God," and "Trois 2, Pandoras Box."
Kristoff starred in the independent feature "Carpool Guy," directed by and starring fellow daytime alum Corbin Bernsen.
Kristoff has appeared on "The Tonight Show," with Jay Leno, and over three dozen other talk shows!
Kristoff was voted one of the 40 most fascinating faces by 'People' Magazine in 1998. Additionally, Kristoff was voted one of the 'top ten soap studs' of all time by E-On Line in 1999.
Unwilling to limit his artistic talents to acting, Kristoff formed his own production company to produce and direct his own projects,. One of Kristoff's screenplays has been optioned by Warner Brothers.
From 1995-1997, he created, produced, and hosted the CBS series, "CBS Soap Break," an up close and personal look at CBS soap stars.
Kristoff has written, produced, directed, and hosted two installments of a 'behind the scenes' video series entitled, "Backstage Pass to the 25th and 26th Annual Daytime Emmy's."
Kristoff has also written, produced and directed a children's workout/exercise DVD starring his two children, Julian and Paris.
Kristoff was hired by the Starz network as an official spokesperson for the Black Starz channel.
In 2006, Kristoff was hired to host TV Guide's "Close-up," and "Soap Secrets."
Kristoff hosted the Pre Show to the Golden Globes, Live on the Red Carpet, for the T.V. Guide Network in 2007.
Kristoff is also the brainchild of a Hollywood based DVD/board game, 'Becoming a Celebrity' that hit toy store shelves in 2005.
In 2008, Kristoff produced a $2 million dollar Independent feature film "A Bridge To Nowhere," directed by Blair Underwood.
Kristoff was voted as one of TV Guides top 25 Sexiest Soap males in 2008.
Kristoff Guest Starred on "Everybody Hates Chris" in 2008, playing himself!
Summer of 2008, Kristoff hosted TV Guides "Soaps Top 25 Sexiest Ladies."
Kristoff won his second Emmy for playing the popular character of Neil Winters on "The Young and The Restless" in 2008.
In 2009, Kristoff Guested on the wildly popular "L.A. INK" show on TLC, adding to his tattoo collection!
Kristoff presented at the "World Magic Awards" in 2009.
Kristoff starred in the Wayans pilot project "Growing Up Wayans" in the summer of 2010, playing Kim Wayan's husband and father to their 6 kids.
Kristoff was a recurring guest star on the sit-com "Family Time" airing on the Bounce Network.
Kristoff guest-starred in September 2013 on "Love That Girl" on TV One, working with Phil Morris, alumni from Y and R.
Kristoff guest-starred on Byron Allens, "The First Family," August, 2013.
Kristoff worked on a feature film project 34 years in the making: "A Man Called God," a unique 'cult' documentary about Kristoff's travels to Southern India to study with a world renowned holy man that 50 million disciples call God.
Kristoff had three children, his son, Julian, and daughters, Paris and Lola.- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Beautiful dancer Nita Bieber was born in 1926; her father, Wilbert Carl Bieber, was an accomplished piano player, and her mother, Callie Mae (Robbins), was a great dancer. Her younger brother Rodney and her three younger sisters all became good dancers, too, with Linda doing ballet and Wanda playing the harp. Nita started performing in public at age five, when she did a decorous fan dance in a long, pink dress. After her graduation from Hollywood high school, Nita traveled as a dancer with a USO troupe, and then joined the Jack Cole Dancers for a 9-month tour of the U.S., during which she became very prolific in both dancing and cooking.
In 1946, Nita appeared in a couple of films for Columbia, most notably Rhythm and Weep (1946) with the Three Stooges. In 1947, Nita appeared in three more films for Columbia, and also went to Monogram for a couple of flicks, most notably as Mame in the Bowery Boys movie News Hounds (1947). Nita was featured with a full-page photo on the cover of Life magazine, November 28, 1949. The article talked about her 7-year contract with MGM, and Nita's big dance number in the new movie musical in production, "Nancy Goes to Rio"; but it seems her dance number wound up on the cutting room floor, Nita was not in the final print (perhaps the director didn't want it to compete against Carmen Miranda). Nita appeared in movies for MGM and Universal until 1955; it seems "Kismet" (1955) was her last movie for MGM under her 7-year contract.
But Nita was very busy outside of movies. The Nita Bieber Dancers did short performances produced in 1951-1952, for local television stations needing "filler" programming. Their song-and-dance numbers included: "Swing Low, Sweet Clarinet" and "Dance of the Peacock" and "Mondongo." The Nita Bieber Dancers were also headliners in Las Vegas: they performed at the El Rancho Vegas in 1951, along with Benny Goodman; and in 1952, the Frontier showcased the Nita Bieber Dancers (they were in good company, other acts in the Frontier at that time were the Marx Brothers, Benny Goodman, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Josephine Baker and April Stevens). Even after Nita retired from show business, her fans had fond memories of her and great dancing. Nita's longtime hobbies included cats and paintings.- Peter Hughes was born on 20 May 1922 in London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Evita (1996), An Englishman's Castle (1978) and The Avengers (1961). He was married to Erica Brace. He died on 5 February 2019 in London, England, UK.
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- Producer
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The son of a Lancashire bookmaker, Albert Finney came to motion pictures via the theatre. In 1956, he won a scholarship to RADA where his fellow alumni included Peter O'Toole and Alan Bates. He joined the Birmingham Repertory where he excelled in plays by William Shakespeare. A member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Finney understudied Laurence Olivier at Stratford-upon-Avon, eventually acquiring a reputation as 'the new Olivier'. He first came to critical attention by creating the title role in Keith Waterhouse's "Billy Liar" on the London stage. His film debut soon followed with The Entertainer (1960) by Tony Richardson with whom had earlier worked in the theatre. With the changing emphasis in 60s British cinema towards gritty realism and working-class milieus, Finney's typical screen personae became good-looking, often brooding proletarian types and rebellious anti-heroes as personified by his Arthur Seaton in Karel Reisz's Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960). His exuberant defining role, however, was in the bawdy period romp Tom Jones (1963) in which Finney revealed a substantial talent for comedy. In the same vein, he scored another hit opposite Audrey Hepburn in the charming marital comedy Two for the Road (1967).
By 1965, Finney had branched out into production, setting up Memorial Enterprises in conjunction with Michael Medwin. In 1968, he directed himself in Charlie Bubbles (1968) and three years later produced the Chandleresque homage Gumshoe (1971), in which he also starred as Eddie Ginley, a bingo-caller with delusions of becoming a private eye. From 1972 to 1975, Finney served as artistic director of the Royal Court Theatre. His intermittent forays to the screen confirmed him as a versatile international actor of note, though not what one might describe as a mainstream star. His roles have ranged from Ebenezer Scrooge in the musical version of Scrooge (1970) to Daddy Warbucks in Annie (1982) and (in flamboyant over-the-top make-up) Hercule Poirot in Murder on the Orient Express (1974). He appeared as Minister of Police Joseph Fouché in Ridley Scott's superb period drama The Duellists (1977) and as a grandiloquent Shakespearean actor in The Dresser (1983) for which he received an Oscar nomination. For the small screen Finney essayed Pope John Paul II (1984) and was a totally believable Winston Churchill in the acclaimed The Gathering Storm (2002). His final movie credit was in the James Bond thriller Skyfall (2012).
Finney was five-times nominated for Academy Awards in 1964, 1975, 1984, 1985 and 2001. He won two BAFTA Awards in 1961 and 2004. True to his working-class roots, he spurned a CBE in 1980 and a knighthood in 2000, later explaining his decision by stating that the 'Sir thing' "slightly perpetuates one of our diseases in England, which is snobbery". Albert Finney was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2011. He died on February 7 2019 at a London hospital from a chest infection at the age of 82. Upon his death, John Cleese described him as "the best" and "our greatest actor".- Producer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Actor
Ron Miller was born on 17 April 1933 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was a producer and assistant director, known for The Magical World of Disney (1954), Tron (1982) and The Black Hole (1979). He was married to Diane Disney. He died on 9 February 2019 in Napa, California, USA.- Actor
- Producer
Carmen Argenziano was born on October 27, 1943 in Sharpsville, Pennsylvania. He was an actor. known for his work on hundreds of films and TV series throughout his fifty year career. He was in The Accused (1988), Stand and Deliver (1988), The Godfather Part II (1974), Identity (2003), and many more, including James Franco's production of Don Quixote (2015), playing the title character. He played the memorable and well loved character Jacob Carter in the TV series Stargate SG-1 (1997). He was a Lifetime Member of The Actors Studio.- Caroline Lee Bouvier was born on March 3, 1933 in New York to Janet Norton Lee and John Vernou "Black Jack" Bouvier III. She was the younger sister of Jacqueline Kennedy. Caroline, called Lee after her maternal grandfather James Thomas Lee, lived in posh penthouse apartments until her parents split up when she was only a couple of years old. Several years after that her mother married Hugh Dudley Auchincloss, and she got two stepbrothers and a stepsister, as well as a half-brother and half-sister.
During her childhood, she attended boarding schools, including Miss Porter's, a famous boarding school which her sister had also attended. As a graduation present, Jackie took her on a trip to Europe for a summer before going to college. Around this time she met the man that she was to marry at age 20 in 1953, Michael Temple Canfield. That same year, the Canfields were best man and matron of honor at the marriage of Lee's sister Jackie to then-U.S. Senator (and future U.S. President) John F. Kennedy.
The Canfields moved to England were they lived for several years before Lee met an exiled Polish nobleman named Stash Radziwill. In 1958 they decided to divorce their spouses, and, on March 19, 1959, they married. Their son Anthony was born five months later in Switzerland. In 1960, they welcomed daughter, Anna Christina, called Tina, whose godfather was the newly elected President, John F. Kennedy. A year later, the Radziwills wed in a Catholic ceremony that they could not have had, had it not been for Lee's brother-in-law, the President, who intervened to make it possible. The marriage was ultimately not successful and they divorced in 1974. In the 30 years since her divorce Lee has lived quietly in England. In 1994, she lost her only sibling, her sister Jackie, to cancer. Five years later, her son Anthony, also died of cancer, and her nephew John Kennedy Jr. and his wife and sister-in-law were killed when the same plane being piloted by her nephew crashed in New England. - Actor
- Director
- Cinematographer
Bruno Ganz was an acclaimed Swiss actor who was a prominent figure in German language film and television for over fifty years. He is internationally renowned for portraying Adolf Hitler in the Academy Award-nominated film Downfall (2004).
Ganz was born in Zürich, to a Swiss mechanic father and a northern Italian mother. He decided to pursue an acting career by the time he entered university. He debuted at the theatre in 1961, and gained a reputation as a reflective, charismatic and technically brilliant stage actor. In 1970, he and Peter Stein founded the theatre company 'Schaubühne' in Berlin, Germany. On stage, Ganz portrayed Dr. Heinrich Faust in Peter Stein's staging of Faust, Part One and Faust, Part Two in 2000.
In cinema, Ganz became one of the best-known and most acclaimed actors in the German language, collaborating with many of the most respected European actors and directors of his time. He also starred in international features that reached a global audience. His film debut was The Gentleman in the Black Derby (1960). He also starred in Unknown (2011), The Counselor (2013), and The Party (2017).
Ganz died from cancer on 16 February 2019 at his home in the village of Au, in Wädenswil, Switzerland.- O'Neal Compton was born on 5 February 1951 in Sumter, South Carolina, USA. He was an actor, known for Deep Impact (1998), Nixon (1995) and Big Eden (2000). He died on 18 February 2019 in Columbia, South Carolina, USA.
- Art Department
- Animation Department
- Music Department
Christopher Joseph Reccardi was an American animator, writer, director and storyboard artist who is known for The Ren & Stimpy Show, SpongeBob SquarePants and the failed pilot The Modifyers. He also worked on Samurai Jack, The Powerpuff Girls, Tiny Toon Adventures, The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, My Life as a Teenage Robot and Wander Over Yonder.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Vinny Vella was born on 11 January 1947 in Greenwich Village, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Casino (1995), In the Cut (2003) and Find Me Guilty (2006). He was married to Margaret Ann Hernandez. He died on 20 February 2019 in New York City, New York, USA.- While other actresses would have long given up a stalled career out of pure frustration after decades of mostly uncredited extra/bit parts and little reward, perennial starlet Sue Casey somehow found the stamina to maintain ... for six decades! In films from 1946, the voluptuous brunette, at most, became a campy vixen in a few 1960s "drive-in" bombs, yet has always held a remarkably appreciative outlook as to how things turned out.
Born on April 8, 1926 in Southern California, her family lived in Beverly Hills (her father was a builder) at the time of her birth but was forced to move after the crash of the stock market in 1929 to a more modest area of town. While Casey expressed no early interest in acting, her West Coast beauty was undeniable and it didn't take long before the teenager caught the eye of a talent agent who persuaded her to try with the well-oiled fantasy line, "How would you like to be a star?" Making the usual audition rounds, Casey's first extra part came with the lightweight MGM film Holiday in Mexico (1946) for Samuel Goldwyn. Young, married, and with a child in tow, she found work as Danny Kaye's boss' secretary in the The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947). Promoted by the studio as a "Goldwyn Girl", she dutifully attended parades, premieres, late night parties, fashion and charity events, etc. -- anything to further advance herself. To supplement her studio income, Sue worked as a photographer and artist's model.
A diverting presence in the usual MGM comedy or drama such as Blondie's Big Deal (1949) and The Great Sinner (1949), she provided classy set decoration for the studio's prime Golden Age musicals as well, including Words and Music (1948), Nancy Goes to Rio (1950), Annie Get Your Gun (1950), Show Boat (1951), An American in Paris (1951), The Band Wagon (1953), Deep in My Heart (1954), and the Esther Williams swimming extravaganzas Neptune's Daughter (1949) and Million Dollar Mermaid (1952). Often times she would be directed over to other major studios -- Paramount, Columbia, Universal and Warner Bros. -- and provide fetching atmosphere there. Director Raoul Walsh once complimented her as "the most beautiful extra in pictures today."
By the mid 1950s, Casey had still barely put two lines together on screen and after filming the non-descript parts of a snake charmer in 3 Ring Circus (1954), a sunbather in Rear Window (1954) and a harem girl in Son of Sinbad (1955), decided to take some time away from the cameras and concentrate on family. She went on to have three more children. By 1959, however, she was back in front of the lens as beautiful as ever but this time the focus was on television.
Successfully establishing herself as a wholesome commercial actress, she pitched everything from cereal to automobiles in over 200 assignments. Light TV guest parts also came her way in episodes of The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour (1957), The Baileys of Balboa (1964), The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961), The Farmer's Daughter (1963), The Beverly Hillbillies (1962) and Family Affair (1966), among others. As for the big screen, nothing changed. Obscure bit/extra parts continued with Bells Are Ringing (1960), The Ladies Man (1961), Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), Two Weeks in Another Town (1962), A New Kind of Love (1963) and The Carpetbaggers (1964).
Finally, after nearly two decades of pursuing her dream in Hollywood, Casey nabbed a leading role! As bad girl "Vicky Lindsay" in what is arguably one of film's biggest "turkeys" of all time, The Beach Girls and the Monster (1965), she attained a notoriety that led to minor cult status. The film had a non-existent budget and was received poorly in every way, shape and form upon its initial release. Casey even had to do her own hair and makeup and was forced to pick out her vixen character's clothes from her own closet. The actors were never paid until the movie was sold years later to TV (retitled as "Monster from the Surf") and that was a mere pittance. Over the years, however, the movie has reportedly gained a cult following. Two other easily dismissed co-starring roles in unmemorable campy films followed. She played a hillbilly mom in the fugitive drama Swamp Country (1966) (which starred pearly-toothed pre-Carol Burnett hunk Lyle Waggoner) and a manipulative mom and art forger in Catalina Caper (1967) (which starred former Disney star Tommy Kirk after his fall from studio grace, and (again) Lyle Waggoner).
In later years, she developed a successful real estate business. She found acting work (often without an agent) intermittently on film and TV. Featured in a couple of higher-scaled movie musicals -- as a lady attendant to Vanessa Redgrave's Queen Guinevere in Camelot (1967) and as one of John Mitchum's two wives in Paint Your Wagon (1969) -- her final film resume would add such films as The Main Event (1979), Evilspeak (1981), Whitesnake: Live... in the Still of the Night (2005) and A Very Brady Sequel (1996). In American Beauty (1999), an Oscar winner for "Best Picture" and "Best Actor", lead actress Annette Bening (a Best Actress nominee for the role), plays a desperate realtor trying to sell Casey's well-to-do character a house. - Director
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- Producer
Inspired by Fred Astaire's dancing in Flying Down to Rio (1933), Stanley Donen (pronounced 'Dawn-en') attended dance classes from the age of ten. He later recalled that the only thing he wanted to be was a tap dancer.
He was born in Columbia, South Carolina, to Helen Pauline (Cohen) and Mordecai Moses Donen, a dress-shop manager, of Russian-Jewish and German-Jewish descent. Donen debuted on Broadway at seventeen. While working as an assistant choreographer in 1941, he met and befriended the actor Gene Kelly, Kelly being the brash, extrovert and energetic side of the burgeoning partnership, Donen the more refined and relaxed. Three years later, the two men renewed their collaboration in Hollywood and did much to reinvigorate the musical genre. For the next decade, they worked side-by-side as choreographers and co-directors (a relationship Donen described as 'wonderful' but 'also trying at times'), linked to MGM's Arthur Freed unit. Between them, they directed classic musicals like On the Town (1949) and Singin' in the Rain (1952) and co-wrote the original story for Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949). Freed, by the way, was the producer almost single-handedly responsible for the high standard of MGM's A-grade musicals in the 40s and 50s. A former vaudevillian and song-plugger, Freed was an astute judge of talent and encouraged gifted individuals from other media (like radio or theatre) to become involved with pictures. Moreover, he gave artists like Kelly and Donen free rein to express their creative flair.
In 1949, MGM signed Donen to a seven-year contract as director in his own right. From then on, he and Kelly went their separate ways. After directing Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), Donen moved on to Paramount for Funny Face (1957), then to Warner Brothers for The Pajama Game (1957) and Damn Yankees (1958). As musicals waned in popularity, Donen branched out into other genres. He began to direct and produce elegant, lavish romantic dramas like the delightful Indiscreet (1958), sophisticated comedies like The Grass Is Greener (1960) and Two for the Road (1967) (which starred Donen's favorite actress, Audrey Hepburn), as well as the top-shelf thrillers Charade (1963) (the best film Alfred Hitchcock never directed, again with Hepburn) and Arabesque (1966). Arguably, his most out-of-character film from this period was the esoteric mephistophelean (and very British) farce Bedazzled (1967), featuring the irrepressible comic talents of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore.
The 1970s heralded a steady decline in the quality of Donen's output. None of his later efforts seemed to have the panache of his earlier work: not the tepid adventure-comedy Lucky Lady (1975) (despite a good cast and sumptuous production look) nor the nostalgic musical fantasy The Little Prince (1974), based on the book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. A failure at the box office, the latter also marked the end of the Frederick Loewe-Alan Jay Lerner musical partnership. Donen's career may have finished on a low with a weak sojourn into science fiction that was Saturn 3 (1980) and the quirky comedy Blame It on Rio (1984), but his reputation as one of the giants of the classic Hollywood musical is assured. Donen received an Honorary Oscar in 1998 ""for a body of work marked by grace, elegance, wit, and visual innovation.''- Beverley Owen was born Beverley Ogg in Ottumwa, Iowa, on Thursday, May 13th, 1937. In high school and college, she was always doing television, theatre, and radio programs. She then moved to New York to pursue an acting career after graduating from the University of Michigan. She was fired many a time for her lack of typing skills while working at CBS, and for Ed Sullivan. She later became senior typist for the children's program, Captain Kangaroo (1955) show. She did many small parts in shows until she got the role of "Marilyn Munster" on The Munsters (1964). But after just thirteen episodes, were filmed, she left the show to get married. She is now divorced, but has two daughters, Polly and Kate. She is not always recognized as "Marilyn" because, on the show, she wore a blonde wig. In 1989, she got her master's degree in Early American History.
- Actor
- Music Department
- Producer
Performed as a folk musician in Greenwich Village and Los Angeles before being selected for the Monkees TV show. Made 58 TV episodes 6 albums, a TV special, and a movie before leaving the Monkees in 1969 Released a solo single in 1982. Rejoined the Monkees for tours and an from 1986 to 1989. Released his first solo album, "Stranger Things Have Happened", in 1994- Actor
- Sound Department
Clark Gable III (born Clark James Gable, September 20, 1988) was an American actor and model. Gable started modeling at the age of five. He modeled for many designers including Prada, Chrome Hearts, Disney and the iconic Converse "Classics" campaign. Gable appeared in numerous music videos including those for artists Madison Cain and Lucy Schwartz. He also starred in and hosted the controversial hit reality television show Cheaters since 2012, syndicated in over 120 Countries worldwide.
He was a business entrepreneur in the tech and fashion industry, and spent his free time surfing, boxing, riding dirt bikes and flying RC planes. Gable resided in Malibu, California and was the grandson and namesake of the legendary Hollywood actor and American movie icon, Clark Gable. Clark Gable III studied acting at the New York Film Academy and completed his first major motion picture while studying abroad in Italy.
He died on February 22, 2019 in Dallas, Texas.- Additional Crew
- Actor
- Writer
Brody Stevens was born on 22 May 1970 in San Fernando Valley, California, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for The Hangover (2009), Due Date (2010) and The Hangover Part II (2011). He died on 22 February 2019 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Craggy-faced, athletic veteran character actor who played hard-bitten or menacing types in numerous westerns and crime dramas. One of five brothers, Woodward grew up in Arlington, Texas. He had a keen interest in aviation early on and took flying lessons from 1941, getting his pilot's license and subsequently served in both World War II (Army Air Corps) and Korea (Military Air Transport Command). Woodward first acted at Arlington State College, majoring in music and drama. He appeared for a while with the Margo Jones Repertory Theatre '47 in Dallas and then went back to study for a degree in corporate finance at the University of Texas, graduating in 1948. At one time, he sang with a jazz band and as a member of a barber shop quartet as well as having a regular weekly gig as a talk show host on local radio. Possessed of a powerful bass-baritone voice, Woodward's ultimate ambition had been to sing for the Metropolitan Opera. That didn't pan out. Neither did his hope that moving to Hollywood in 1955 might open the door to a career in musicals. Instead, he successfully auditioned at Disney for The Great Locomotive Chase (1956), followed by a part in the western pioneer saga Westward Ho, the Wagons! (1956). His first big break was as co-star opposite Hugh O'Brian in The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (1955), playing the role of Earp's deputy Shotgun Gibbs for four seasons. This effectively typecast him as a western genre actor with a record number of guest spots on Gunsmoke (1955) and Wagon Train (1957). Nonetheless, his most famous role was that of ""the man with no eyes", a sinister chain gang overseer in Cool Hand Luke (1967), distinguished by perpetually wearing reflective sunglasses. He also made two appearances on Star Trek (1966) (most famously as Simon Van Gelder, the first human with whom Spock 'mind melds') and played the shrewd Armani-suited oil tycoon Punk Anderson in 55 episodes of Dallas (1978).
Thomas Morgan Woodward was awarded the Golden Boot Award from the Hollywood Motion Picture and Television Fund in August 1988. In 2009, he became an inductee into the Hall of Great Western Performers at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Privately, he was a respected authority on Early American Aircraft. According to his website, his main hobby was "restoring, rebuilding and flying antique airplanes".- Director
- Writer
- Cinematographer
Andrew Shapter (born William Andrew Shapter - Fort Worth, Texas) is an American writer, filmmaker and photographer.
As a boy, Andrew "Andy" Shapter dreamed that he would one day grow up to be a filmmaker: a dream that would take time to reach. At 12 years old, his father invited him on a business trip to London and encouraged Andrew to learn how to use a still camera. From that day on, Shapter worked hard to become an accomplished self-taught photographer.
After moving to Austin Texas in 1986 and enrolling in college at Texas State University in San Marcos, he studied Political Science. He eventually found work in the U.S. Senate and National Wildlife Federation in Washington, D.C. Despite the excitement of working in the nation's capitol, Shapter was still drawn to the arts. After realizing that his true talents had nothing to do with what he learned in college, Shapter began to collect cameras and experiment with lighting. After graduating from college in 1992, Shapter quickly began career as a professional photographer specializing in music and fashion photography.
As Shapter began to garner recognition from magazine editors and ad agencies in New York and abroad, his career gained momentum that lead to work in other markets including Barcelona, London and Los Angeles. After working non-stop for nearly 15 years in the photography market, Shapter felt it was time to turn his attention to his very first passion, filmmaking. His first effort, the critically acclaimed 2006 documentary "Before the Music Dies" (featuring Dave Matthews, Eric Clapton, Erykah Badu, Elvis Costello, Bonnie Raitt, Questlove and many other prominent musicians) was a hit with music fans worldwide. His follow-up film "Happiness Is" is an exploration of the truths and myths of "the pursuit of happiness" in America, opening across the U.S. in 2009.- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Paul Blackwell is a well known Australian stage and screen actor based in Adelaide. He is known for his roles in Red Dog (2011) December Boys (2007), Candy (2006) The Quiet Room (1996) and Dr. Plonk. Blackwell attended the National Institute of Dramatic Arts in Sydney Australia from 1980 to 1982.- Patricia Garwood was born on 28 January 1941 in Paignton, Devon, England, UK. She was an actress, known for The Victorians (1963), The Wednesday Play (1964) and No Place Like Home (1983). She was married to Jeremy Paul. She died on 24 February 2019 in England, UK.
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Jeraldine Saunders was born on 3 September 1923 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She was a writer, known for The Love Boat (1977), Love Boat: The Next Wave (1998) and The Love Boat (1976). She was married to Arthur Andrews, Sidney Omarr and Russell Phillips. She died on 26 February 2019 in Glendale, California, USA.- Nathaniel Taylor was born on 31 March 1938 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. He was an actor, known for Sanford and Son (1972), Black Girl (1972) and The Redd Foxx Show (1986). He was married to Loretta Taylor. He died on 27 February 2019 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Music Department
- Composer
- Actor
German-American pianist, composer, arranger and conductor André George Previn (born Andreas Ludwig Priwin, in Berlin) was for eight decades a hugely influential and prolific figure in jazz, as well as classical and film music. Being Jewish, Previn's family was forced to leave Hitler's Germany in 1939. Hollywood naturally beckoned, since André's grand uncle (Charles Previn) was already well established as musical director at Universal (1936-42). Child prodigy André recorded his first piano jazz album at the age of sixteen while continuing studies at Beverly Hills High School.
He joined MGM at age 17 in 1946 (initially as an uncredited music supervisor/arranger), later as orchestra conductor and still later as a composer of film scores. He remained under contract at the studio until 1960. During his tenure in Hollywood, he was nominated for eleven Academy Awards, winning four (all for Best Adapted Score: Gigi (1958), Porgy and Bess (1959), Irma la Douce (1963), and My Fair Lady (1964)). In the 1950s, he recorded several acclaimed jazz albums with drummer Shelly Manne and pianist Russ Freeman, featuring excellent tracks like "Who's on First" and "Strike Out the Band". He began conducting with the St. Louis Symphony in 1961 while still working primarily as a jazz and studio musician. Much of his recorded work consisted of show tunes adapted for jazz. Gradually, his interest in classical music won out.
By the late 1960s, Previn had settled in England and in 1968 was made principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, a position he occupied for eleven years. His popularity led to cameo TV appearances (including a famous sketch for the 1971 Christmas special of the The Morecambe & Wise Show (1968), in which he appeared as "Mr. Andrew Preview") and television advertising (Vauxhall, Ferguson TX portable television etc.). From 1985 to 1989, he was musical director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic as well as with the Royal Philharmonic (1985-88, subsequently also principal conductor, from 1988-91).
In 1993, he was appointed conductor laureate of the London Symphony and three years later was made an Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to music. He won 10 Grammy Awards (including two for jazz and two for film music) and was nominated for six Emmys. Previn latterly returned to recording jazz albums with, among others, Ella Fitzgerald (1983), Joe Pass & Ray Brown (1989), and Kiri Te Kanawa (1992). Two excellent tribute albums released, respectively in 1998 and 2000 for Deutsche Grammophon, were 'We Got Rhythm: A Gershwin Songbook' and 'We Got it Good: An Ellington Songbook'.
Married (and divorced) five times, his ex-wives included Dory Previn and Mia Farrow. Previn died in New York on February 28, 2019, aged 89.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Aron Tager was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1934, where he went to school and became an artist and sculptor. He moved to Canada, where he appeared in various Canadian theatre productions. For a quarter century he took a hiatus from acting in favor of art, sculpting and poetry. In 1991, he and his wife, Ann Page, began film and theatre work. He was later known as Aron Tager. He first appeared in Requiem for a Handsome Bastard (1992), and in several episodes of Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1990) which lasted until 1994, when he moved on to such Canadian feature films as Canvas (1992), Blind Faith (1998), Warriors (1994), Fancy Dancing (2002), You Kill Me (2007), Sweet Killing (1993), Serendipity (2001), and as the villainous Lars Lujak in Protection (2001). He also appeared in Canadian television series The Busy World of Richard Scarry (1993), Silver Surfer (1998), Blazing Dragons (1996), The Adventures of Sam & Max: Freelance Police (1997), Stickin' Around (1996), Blaster's Universe (1999), Donkey Kong Country (1997), A Nero Wolfe Mystery (2001), Billable Hours (2006), My 90-Year-Old Roommate (2016), You Got Trumped: The First 100 Days (2016), and Jane and the Dragon (2005), and feature films Murder at 1600 (1997) and Trilogy of Terror II (1996).- Actress
- Producer
Denise DuBarry was born on 6 March 1956 in Killeen, Texas, USA. She was an actress and producer, known for Being There (1979), Black Sheep Squadron (1976) and Monster in the Closet (1986). She was married to William Ferrill Hay, Gary Lockwood and Connolly Kamornick Oyler. She died on 23 March 2019 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Writer
- Producer
- Director
Larry Cohen was born July 15, 1936, in New York, New York, and spent time in Kingston, a small town north of New York City. At a young age, his family moved to the Riverdale section of the Bronx, and he eventually majored in film at the historic City College of New York, from which he graduated in 1963. An independent maverick who got his start in studio-based television, he is best known for inventive low-budget horror films that combine scathing social commentary with the requisite scares and occasional laughs. He was also a major player in the Blaxploitation films of the 1970s. Later in his career, he became a sought-after screenplay writer. Although not very prolific in his screen writing, these works still combine provocative social commentary--but with more conventional storytelling. Sadly, Cohen died of cancer on March 23, 2019.- June Harding was born on 7 September 1937 in Emporia, Virginia, USA. She was an actress, known for The Trouble with Angels (1966), Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (1963) and The Fugitive (1963). She died on 22 March 2019 in Deer Isle, Maine, USA.
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Noah Keen was born on 10 October 1920 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. He was an actor and director, known for Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973), The Six Million Dollar Man (1974) and Gable and Lombard (1976). He was married to Gerrianne Raphael and Barbara Corday. He died on 24 March 2019 in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.- The daughter of glamorous British film star Margaret Lockwood was destined for an acting career by the age of five when she was enrolled in a theatrical school. Around this time her parents separated and then divorced three years later. Young Julia was often left in the care of a nanny, though her mother remained on hand to provide gentle prodding into the world of entertainment. Julia's film debut duly followed in 1947 with a tiny role in Daphne Du Maurier's Hungry Hill (1947). Mother and daughter also shared the stage on several occasions. In 1953, Julia returned to the screen as the juvenile lead in a television adaptation of Johanna Spyri's Swiss classic novel Heidi (1953). 'Toots', as she was affectionately called, went on to reprise her role in a BBC children's serial in 1954. By decade's end, she had moved from standard teenage family fare (including The Flying Eye (1955), which is possibly the first film to presage the development of drones) to bawdy comedy (Please Turn Over (1959), directed by the regular helmsman of the Carry On franchise, Gerald Thomas). Julia spent most of the 60s alternating between stage ('Peter Pan', 'Arsenic and Old Lace') and TV work. She twice more co-starred with her mother in The Royalty (1957) and its sequel The Flying Swan (1965), about the daily goings on at a posh London hotel. Her last recurring role was in a short-lived sitcom with Richard Briers, Birds on the Wing (1971), which ran to just six episodes. Julia married the character actor Ernest Clark (best known as the bluff Sir Geoffrey Loftus in the 1970s "Doctor" comedies) in December 1972. With her husband, she retired to her 14th century Somerset farmhouse in 1976 where she devoted herself to raising a family.
- Actor
- Make-Up Department
Born in the Italian section of East Boston to a hardworking Italian family (his father was professional trombonist with the Les Brown Orchestra), Pilato admits that his flair for performing was discovered quite by accident, when he became an alter boy. Still, it wasn't until his college years that he took the big step towards honing his love for performance into a craft. Unfortunately, once he got there, he realized that his only points of reference for law were those found on television and film. He realized quickly that he didn't want to be a lawyer, so much as he wanted to PLAY a lawyer. Acting classes followed at Emerson College and Suffolk University, in Boston, and soon he was on stage with such notable troupes as Boston Repertory Theatre, Stage One Theatre Company and Reality Theatre. Though the progression seems almost natural, he still credits both religion and law as his main influences for taking the big leap of faith. Savagely bitten by the acting bug, the fledgling actor made his way to New York City, where he was an original member of the Working Theatre, studying with such luminaries as Joe Chalkin, Kristin Linklatter and Peter Kass. It was while in New York that he also began his collaboration with Jersey Growtowski's Polish Laboratory Theatre. In the late 70s, Pilato relocated to Pittsburgh, where he was a resident actor with the Pittsburgh Public Theatre and the Three Rivers Shakespeare Festival. He also picked up a few gigs as an acting coach at local colleges. His career took an upswing when he became a member of the Pittsburgh Film Family and consequently met the Godfather of cult cinema, George A. Romero. As odd as it may seem for a theatrically trained actor to pair up with a filmmaker of Romero's stature, the match appeared to be a heavenly one. Pilato's first role, a small part in 'Dawn Of The Dead' (as a police officer), led to yet another small part in 'Knight Riders' (as a disgruntled fair worker), alongside Ed Harris, followed closely by his signature role as Captain Rhodes in 'Day Of The Dead.' In fact, it's his memorable death scene that really grabbed the attention of fans. Since that auspicious "debut," Pilato's resume has grown over the years to include roles in Ron Howard's 'Gung Ho,' Charlie Peter's 'Music From Another Room,' and Quentin Tarantino's 'Pulp Fiction' (as Dean Martin), as well as such cult fare as Bob Kurtzman's 'The Demolitionist' and 'Wishmaster,' 'Alienators,' 'The Ghouls,' 'Last Seduction' and Zebediah de Soto's 'Wardog.' His voiceover work includes that of Metal Greymon in the children's animated series, 'Digimon.' It's also a little known fact that Pilato was in the original trailer for the low-budget version of Tarantino's 'From Dusk Til Dawn,' where he can be seen wearing the infamous black suit, white shirt, and black tie, which later became a Tarantino trademark in such films as 'Reservoir Dogs' and the afore-mentioned 'Pulp Fiction.' Even so, he's never forgotten the role that made him famous and can often be seen at conventions, signing autographs and talking to enthusiastic fans about his experiences on the film. Ask him what his favorite roles to date have been, however, and you may be surprised. Though Captain Rhodes will always be near and dear to his heart, he waxes nostalgic about his roles as a professional Christmas caroler at Gimbel's Department Store in Pittsburgh, where he founded the Dickens Carolers, and as a stand-in for Robert DeNiro in 'The Deer Hunter.'- Composer
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Maury Laws was born on 6 December 1923 in Hurdle Mills, Person County, North Carolina, USA. He was a composer, known for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Batman & Robin (1997) and The Daydreamer (1966). He was married to Karen Krumm. He died on 28 March 2019 in Appleton, Wisconsin, USA.- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Shane Rimmer was a Canadian actor and screenwriter, primarily known as the voice actor of Scott Tracy, a leading character in the science fiction series "Thunderbirds" (1965-1966).
Rimmer was born in Toronto, Canada, where his parents had settled after moving to Canada. Shane's father was Thomas Rimmer, a reporter and advertising copywriter from Ireland. Shane's mother was Vera Franklin, from England. Thomas and Vera had separately migrated to the United States, and they met each other while living in New York. They married there, and then moved to Canada in search of a better life.
In the 1950s, Rimmer had a music career in Canada, both as a singer and as a radio DJ. In 1958, he became the host of a musical television series, "Come Fly with Me". In 1959, Rimmer joined a singing trio called "the Three Deuces", and started performing in the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, he had started appearing as a character actor in various films and television series.
In 1962, Rimmer met the dancer Sheila Logan, and they were married in 1963. The couple settled in London, and Rimmer's new wife soon became his agent. She helped secure more acting jobs for him. His first recurring role in a television series was playing the magazine editor Russell Corrigan in the soap opera "Compact"(1963-1964)
His first notable film role was that of Captain "Ace" Owens, crew member of a B-52 bomber in the black comedy "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb" (1964). Owens is depicted serving under Major "King" Kong (played by Slim Pickens) in a suicide mission.
Rimmer started playing guest roles in relatively high-profile action and science-fiction television series of the period, such as "The Saint ", "Danger Man", and "Dr. Who". In 1965, Rimmer gained his key role of pilot Scott Tracy in "Thunderbirds". Scott appeared in all 32 episodes of the series. After the end of the television series, Rimmer returned to the role of Scott Tracy in the spin-off films "Thunderbirds Are Go" (1966) and "Thunderbird 6" (1968). While the television series was a hit, both films under-performed at the box office. Plans for further sequel films were can-celled.
In the late 1960s, Rimmer started playing minor roles in the "James Bond" film series. He played an unnamed American launch controller in "You Only Live Twice" (1967), the chief of security Tom in "Diamonds Are Forever" (1971), and Commander Carter, the captain of the nuclear submarine in "The Spy Who Loved Me" (1977). He also voiced Hamilton, an agent of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) who gets assassinated in "Live and Let Die" (1973). Hamilton was played by actor Robert Dix, but his dialogue was voiced by Rimmer instead.
Trying his hand at screenwriting, Rimmer wrote scripts for several episodes of the television series "Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons" (1967-1968), "Joe 90" (1968-1969), "The Secret Service" (1969), and "The Protectors " (1972-1974). The first three of them were science fiction series, while "The Protectors" was a crime fiction series about an an alliance of private detectives.
In March 2019, Rimmer died in at Barnet Hospital in London. He was 89-years-old. He was survived by his wife and their three sons.- Tania Mallet was born in Blackpool, England. Her English-born mother, Olga Mironoff, was of Russian descent, and had been a beautiful chorus girl. Her father was a successful English car salesman, Henry Mallet. Her parents divorced and Olga remarried, to George Dawson, with whom she had three sons. George turned out to be a non-violent con man who was sent to prison for three years for committing fraud. Her older brother is actress Helen Mirren's father, making Mallet and Mirren first cousins. They grew up together. Helen wrote in her 2007 autobiography that her cousin "survived this extraordinary upbringing and came out miraculously a loyal and generous person." Tania took a course at the Lucy Clayton School of Modelling and started working as a model at just 16 years old.
In 1961, she appeared as herself in the documentary about models in Michael Winner's Girls Girls Girls! (1961). In 1963 she was considered for the role of the lead James Bond girl in From Russia with Love (1963). Although half-Russian, her provincial English accent deemed her unsuitable for the role of the Russian love interest, so she lost the role to Daniela Bianchi. However, the following year she was cast in the next Bond film, Goldfinger (1964) , playing the ill-fated Tilly Masterson. She agreed to appear in "Goldfinger" as an experiment. She was earning £2,000 a week as a model, and after much bargaining managed to secure only £150 a week as her fee for the film. She claimed that she could not afford to continue working as an actress, because she was earning more as a model. She was supporting her mother and putting her half-brothers thru school with her income as a model.
Tania had mixed feelings about her time on "Goldfinger". Filming was fun, but in her personal life her long-time boyfriend had died at the same time. She had no desire to pursue a career as an actress and went back to modeling. Her first marriage ended when she was still young. In 1976, she married her second husband, Simon Radcliffe, a management consultant. She became a stepmother to his children, including publicist Louisa Radcliffe. It was a marriage that lasted 40 years, when her husband died in 2016, leaving her a widow. She enjoyed a warm relationship with Mirren since childhood, as evidenced by the photos of the two smiling cousins in the latter's autobiography. Mallet continued to attend James Bond events and autographed her photographs at these events.
She died on March 30, 2019 at the age of 77 from undisclosed causes. A day later, Mirren publicly posted a loving tribute, calling Tania a "kind and generous" person and a "great optimist". - Special Effects
- Make-Up Department
- Director
When he ran the make-up effects department at New World Pictures, Roger Corman called John Carl Buechler "...the best in the business..." An actor, writer, producer, director, special effects artist, he was always in love with filmmaking, and was the first person in history to make his way into the director's chair by way of make-up effects superstardom.
John Carl Buechler was born in Belleville, Illinois. As someone who went the entire nine yards, he made his name as an accomplished writer, producer, director and special effects artist. Since his early years, Buechler was thrilled with a passion of special effects and formed his own company, Mechanical Imageries Inc., for creating special effects for a handful of motion pictures in the science fiction and horror/fantasy genre. Although he was known for his fascinating make-up work, as a director, Buechler made his debut on an anthology fantasy film entitled The Dungeonmaster (1984). A year later, he directed and also designed the special effects for another fantasy film called Troll (1986), which became a major success during its theatrical release in 1986. Troll (1986), The Dungeonmaster (1984) and another Buehcler-directed effort, Cellar Dweller (1987), were films that were produced by Charles Band's then-collapsing Empire Pictures, in which Buechler often worked on dozens of Band's films as an effects artist. His work as a director led him to direct the seventh sequel to the ever famous Friday the 13th (1980) for Paramount Pictures. Friday the 13th: The New Blood (1988), like its many sequels was another box-office success, even though Buechler at the time was skeptical about directing the film. In later years, Buechler has continued on his long accomplished work in special effects and many of his directorial efforts were released to directly to video. Premiere Magazine quoted him as saying, "if you can pull a performance out of a piece of latex, you can do it with actors...."
He died on March 18, 2019.- King Kong Bundy was riding a win streak of 300 consecutive victories when he challenged Terry "Hulk" Hogan to the World Wrestling Federation World's Heavyweight Championship. Budy's streak was snapped when Hogan defeated him in a wild brawl.
- Michael Thomas was born on 11 April 1952 in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Boat That Rocked (2009), Head Over Heels (1993) and Inside Out (1985). He was married to Selina Cadell. He died on 4 March 2019 in England, UK.
- Susan Harrison was born on 26 August 1938 in Leesburg, Florida, USA. She was an actress, known for Sweet Smell of Success (1957), Key Witness (1960) and The Twilight Zone (1959). She was married to Cassius Marcus Conger and Joël Colin. She died on 5 March 2019 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Art Director
- Production Designer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
William J. Creber was born on 26 July 1931 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an art director and production designer, known for The Poseidon Adventure (1972), The Towering Inferno (1974) and Planet of the Apes (1968). He was married to Sally Queen and Torri, Susan. He died on 7 March 2019 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Marshall Brodien was born on 10 July 1934 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Bozo's Circus (1961), The Bozo Show (1982) and Bozo: 40 Years of Fun! (2001). He was married to Mary Doyle. He died on 8 March 2019 in Geneva, Illinois, USA.
- Jed Allan was born on 1 March 1935 in The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for General Hospital (1963), Days of Our Lives (1965) and Port Charles (1997). He was married to Janice Toby Druger. He died on 9 March 2019 in Palm Desert, California, USA.
- Born in Oakland, California, during the depression, Joseph William Knowland (Joe) was named after his grandfather, (Joseph R. Knowland) former U.S. Congressman and active owner/publisher of a newspaper; and Joe's father, (William F. Knowland) United States Senator and Senate Majority Leader during the Eisenhower administration. Joe graduated in 1963 from the University of California (Berkeley) with two BA degrees: "Speech" and "Communications & Public Policy". Joe went into the newspaper business in 1964 as a cub reporter, trained in all departments of the business, and was elected by the board to position of Editor & Publisher of the "Oakland Tribune" (1974-77). In 1975 Joe was voted "Publisher of the Year" award by the California Press Association for the progressive changes in the newspaper and its operations. Then in 1977, the relatives sold the paper, and Joe entered show business (film and television actor) as well as working in TV commercials and print modeling. In 1986 he unsuccessfully ran for United States Senate. One of his films (a 1995 docu-drama in which he stars as a 146-yr-old sea captain in San Francisco) is still playing at a Cinemax Theater on "Pier 39". He served on two college Boards ("Mills" and "California College of Arts & Crafts"), and Oakland Coliseum; co-chaired with his wife (Dee) to head fund campaign restoring Oakland's "Paramount Theatre of Arts", and served on S.F. Executive Board of Screen Actors Guild.
- Writer
- Additional Crew
- Actor
Larry DiTillio was born on 15 June 1948 in the USA. He was a writer and actor, known for Babylon 5 (1993), The Hitchhiker (1983) and Hypernauts (1996). He died on 16 March 2019 in the USA.- Actor
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Hailed as the "King of Surf Guitar, " Dick Dale virtually galvanized the surf rock sound in the 1950s. An avid surfer and accomplished musician, Dale and his band, 'Dick Dale and the Del-Tones', appeared in several of the ever-popular "Beach Party" teen flicks starring Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon during the 1960s. Although interest in surf rock waned in the 1970s, Dale has enjoyed a successful comeback during the 1990s, due in part to Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction (1994), which featured Dale's 1962 hit "Misirlou". Among his many awards and honors, Dale was inducted into the Hollywood Rock Walk of Fame in 1996 and was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by "L.A. Weekly" in June of 2000 for his contribution to music. Despite a heavy touring schedule that takes him through the US and around the world, Dale finds time to spend with his nine-year-old son, Jimmy, on the 80-acre family ranch in Twentynine Palms, California.- Tom Hatten was born on 14 November 1926 in Jamestown, North Dakota, USA. He was an actor, known for Spies Like Us (1985), The Secret of NIMH (1982) and Get Smart (1965). He died on 16 March 2019 in California, USA.
- Carmelita Pope was born on 15 April 1924 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She was an actress, known for The Amazing Spider-Man (1977), General Hospital (1963) and They Stand Accused (1949). She was married to William Wood and Howard Charles Ballenger II. She died on 3 April 2019 in Boise, Idaho, USA.
- Actress
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Roberta Haynes was born on 19 August 1927 in Wichita Falls, Texas, USA. She was an actress and producer, known for Police Academy 6: City Under Siege (1989), Point Blank (1967) and Hell Ship Mutiny (1957). She was married to Jay Cantor and Larry Ward. She died on 4 April 2019 in Delray Beach, Florida, USA.- Editor
- Editorial Department
Barry Malkin was born on 26 October 1938 in the USA. He was an editor, known for The Godfather Part III (1990), The Godfather Part II (1974) and Big (1988). He was married to Stephanie Malkin. He died on 4 April 2019 in New York City, New York, USA.- John Quarmby was born on 18 June 1929 in Liverpool, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The December Rose (1986), Theatre Night (1985) and BBC Play of the Month (1965). He died on 5 April 2019.
- Actor
- Cinematographer
- Additional Crew
Seymour Cassel, the veteran character actor who was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as the hippie swinger Chet in John Cassavetes' Faces (1968), studied acting at the American Theatre Wing and at the Actors Studio. He made his movie debut in Cassavetes' first film, Shadows (1958), on which he also served as associate producer.
Seymour Joseph Cassel was born on January 22, 1935 in Detroit, Michigan, to Pancretia Ann (Kearney), a performer, and Seymour Joseph Cassel, who owned a night club. His father was of Russian Jewish and German Jewish descent, and his mother was of Irish heritage. Cassel's early career was tied to Cassavetes, who himself had a flourishing career as an actor on television and in major Hollywood productions in addition to becoming, arguably, the first great independent movie director after the collapse of the studio system in the late 1950s/early 1960s. As for Cassel, after his uncredited role in "Shadows," he co-starred with Cassavetes in The Webster Boy (1962) and Too Late Blues (1961) before winding up in support of his friend in Don Siegel's drama The Killers (1964), a movie shot for TV that had to be released theatrically due to its heightened violence (it was also Ronald Reagan's last movie). Cassel primarily made his living on TV in the 1960s, frequently typecast as beatniks and hippies. He had a supporting role in the Cassavetes-directed episode "A Pair of Boots" (1962) for The Lloyd Bridges Show (1962) as well as appearing on such popular programs as 12 O'Clock High (1964), Combat! (1962) and The F.B.I. (1965) before scoring with his aging hippie in "Faces" at the end of that tumultuous decade.
Along with "Shadows," "Faces" remained his favorite Cassavettes film. In addition to acting, Cassel was also a crew member on the film, as the technical staff numbered all of seven. He helped shoot the film as a second cameraman, as well as adjusting the lighting. As the film was financed by Cassavettes himself, there were no union regulations to deal with, nor a studio schedule to keep.
Several of Cassavettes' films were shot in continuity, so the actors could develop a character in sequence--similar to stage acting--rather than the traditional method of film making, which is shot out of sequence. Cassel had stated that this technique enhanced the success of his works by eliminating the "fourth wall" between the audience and the actors. He believed that acting tells the film's story, not the images and that what is important is how the audience relates to the characters on screen.
As their careers matured, Cassel also co-starred with Cassavetes in two TV movies, Nightside (1973) and Nightside (1973) and appeared in supporting roles in three more Cassavetes-directed films: The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976), Opening Night (1977) and Love Streams (1984).
In addition to appearing in studio films, Cassel remained prominent in the American independent film community since the death of his friend and collaborator. He contributed a cameo appearance in the directorial debut of Steve Buscemi (with whom he appeared as a co-star in the black comedy In the Soup (1992)), Trees Lounge (1996), and has appeared in three films by Wes Anderson: Rushmore (1998), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004).
Cassel was prized by independent directors for two things: his positive nature, and his (perhaps) facetious declaration that he'd be in any independent film for the price of a plane ticket if he liked the script.
He died on April 7, 2019 in Los Angeles, California.- Charles Lincoln Van Doren came from a family of intellectual achievers. His father was the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mark Van Doren (1894-1973). His mother, Dorothy Graffe Van Doren, was a novelist and writer, and his uncle, Carl Clinton Van Doren (1885-1950), was a noted historian and author. Van Doren himself earned his B.A. at St. John's College, an M.A. in astrophysics from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in English.
After studying at the Sorbonne, Van Doren became a professor of English at Columbia, earning an annual salary of $4,400. After learning of the money to be made from quiz shows, Van Doren applied to the show "Twenty-One," where producers were looking for ways to bolster faltering ratings. In Van Doren, a 30-year-old charming academic with name recognition, producers saw an attractive winner who could popularize the show. Producers scripted the program, fed contestants with answers and coached them on how to act during the show, so that contestants would have a string of ties to build the drama for one eventual victory. The clean-cut Van Doren, playing his part, became the new champion of "Twenty-One." Ratings for the show began to rise and the bookish champ became an unlikely national hero. After 14 weeks, Van Doren eventually earned a staggering $138,000. By the end of the streak, Van Doren was a celebrity. "Time" magazine pictured him on their cover and he received 500 letters a week. Van Doren signed a $150,000 three-year contract with NBC for appearances as a guest on Steve Allen's show, a guest host on the "Today Show," and a panelist on NBC radio's "Conversations."
When the quiz show scandals broke, Van Doren asserted his innocence, but eventually confessed in November 1959. Though many other contestants had complied with the network's rigging, Van Doren drew the most attention because of his prominent family. NBC ended its contract with Van Doren, and he resigned from Columbia. Van Doren slipped into obscurity, writing books under a pseudonym and becoming an editor for Encyclopedia Britannica. - Actress
- Soundtrack
Georgia Engel was born on 28 July 1948 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. She was an actress, known for Everybody Loves Raymond (1996), The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970) and Open Season (2006). She died on 12 April 2019 in Princeton, New Jersey, USA.- John McEnery was born on 1 November 1943 in Walsall, Staffordshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Romeo and Juliet (1968), Bartleby (1970) and Nicholas and Alexandra (1971). He was married to Stephanie Beacham. He died on 12 April 2019 in the UK.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Her artistic dreams came early in life and were further supported by her older sister Gerd Andersson who became a ballet dancer at the Royal Opera and made her acting debut in 1951. Bibi, on the other side, had to make do with bit parts and commercials. She debuted in Dum-Bom (1953), playing against Nils Poppe. Eventually, she was able to start at the Royal Dramatic Theatre's acting school in 1954. A brief relationship with Ingmar Bergman made her quit school and follow him to the Malmö city theatre, where he was a director, performing in plays by August Strindberg and Hjalmar Bergman. Bergman also gave her a small part in his comedy Smiles of a Summer Night (1955), and larger roles in his Wild Strawberries (1957) and The Seventh Seal (1957). From the the 1960s she got offers from abroad, with best result in I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (1977). During the civil war in Yugoslavia she has worked with several initiatives to give the people of Sarajevo theatre and other forms of culture.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Fay Eunice McKenzie was born February 19, 1918 into a show business family where she was the youngest of two sisters and an actress cousin, and made her screen debut at only ten weeks old in "Station Content" (1918) in which she was carried in the arms of Gloria Swanson. Her parents, Eva & Bob "Pops" McKenzie were already veteran performers and apparently wanted their daughter to get an early start in films. She nearly stole the show from Oliver Hardy as "the baby" in the Alice Howell short "Distilled Love" (filmed in 1918 but released two years later). By the time she was six, Fay was considered an old hand, having played diverse parts in her father's stock company. Among her early films was the 1924 Photoplay Medal Winner, "The Dramatic Life of Abraham Lincoln."
A native of Hollywood, she got most of her schooling on movie sets including the famous Little Red Schoolhouse at MGM. Her classmates included Betty Grable, Ann Rutherford and June Storey. As a teenager in the early 1930's Fay appeared in a number of low budget westerns with Wally Wales and Buddy Roosevelt as well as the all-star MGM musical "Student Tour" (1934). In 1937 she starred in the cult propaganda film about the dangers of marijuana entitled "Assassin of Youth". She also had a small part in the 1939 classic "Gunga Din". Her first Broadway venture was at age 17 and in 1940 she appeared as Miss Hollywood in "Meet the People", a popular review of that season starring Jack Gilford and Jack Albertson.
But she is probably best remembered for her work with Gene Autry at Republic Studios, where she was the feminine interest in "Down Mexico Way" (1941), "Sierra Sue" (1941), "Home in Wyomin'" (1942), "Heart of the Rio Grande" (1942) and "Cowboy Serenade" (1942). Finally getting the leading lady roles she deserved, the raven-haired beauty was an immediate hit with audiences. In 1942 Republic co-starred her with Don 'Red' Barry in the war-time flag waver, "Remember Pearl Harbor!" During WWII she toured with the Hollywood Victory Caravan and appeared in dozens of USO shows with various show biz legends including Frank Sinatra, Phil Silvers and Desi Arnaz. At the same time she could be heard on radio in "Pabst's Blue Ribbon Town" starring Groucho Marx. Featured film roles continued to come her way with Universal's "The Singing Sheriff" (1944), Warner Bros' "Night and Day" (1946) and "Murder in the Music Hall" (1946), the latter filmed at her home studio of Republic.
In 1946 she married the dark, husky actor Steve Cochran, but their union was short lived and they divorced two years later. She went back to Broadway to appear opposite comedian Bert Lahr (best known as The Cowardly Lion in "The Wizard of Oz") in the 1946 revival of "Burlesque." During the 1950's she studied with Sanford Meisner and at The Actor's Studio with Lee Strasberg in NYC. She was seen to favorable advantage on a number of TV shows including "The Millionaire" (1959), "Mr. Lucky" (1960), "Bonanza" (1961), and "Experiment in Terror" (1962).
She also appeared in a number of films for close friend and director Blake Edwards, including "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (1961) as the party guest laughing in the mirror, "The Party" (1968) and "S.O.B." (1981). She was especially proud of "The Party" with Peter Sellers and agreed to play the cameo role of Alice Clutterbuck (the hostess of the party) because the script was co-written by her husband, Tom Waldman. She and Waldman married in 1949 and had two children Tom Jr. and Madora. Waldman Sr. passed away in 1985. Her older sister Ella "Lolly" McKenzie was also an actress and was married to well-known comedian Billy Gilbert. Her other sister Ida Mae McKenzie started in silent films as well and went on to work behind the scenes of popular game shows including the original "Hollywood Squares".
McKenzie traveled extensively as a Christian Science Practitioner, lecturing all over the country and in Europe. In 2012 she received the Career Achievement Award at the Cinecon Classic Film Festival and in 2017 she was on-hand to present some of her family's home movies at the TCM Film Festival (those films are now housed the Academy Film Archive in Hollywood). During the summer of 2018 she made a cameo appearance alongside her son Tom as Mrs. Van Proosdy in the film "Kill A Better Mousetrap". Her performance marks the first century-spanning career in motion picture history. She passed away peacefully in her sleep on the morning of April 16th at the age of 101. She is survived by her son, actor Tom Waldman, Jr., daughter Madora McKenzie Kibbe and her two grandchildren.- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
One of the pre-eminent divas of post-war German cinema, Hannelore Elsner (born 'Elstner') was the consummate actress: a gifted and versatile performer with a penchant for intense roles, often as emancipated, strong-willed women. A Bavarian engineer's daughter (her father died of tuberculosis when she was eight), 'Hanni' first took acting classes in Munich where she also debuted on stage at the Kammerspiele and the Kleine Komödie. She appeared on screen from 1959, initially in teenage melodramas and 'Paukerfilms', later featuring as a regular guest star on TV in procedural crime dramas like Isar 12 (1961) and Stahlnetz (1958) . From the late 60's, Elsner alternated 'sexy roles' (such as her native American maiden in Christoph Kolumbus oder Die Entdeckung Amerikas (1969) ) with more demanding fare. Under the direction of such prominent film makers as Wolfgang Staudte, Edgar Reitz and Alf Brustellin, she proved her diverse range, headlining, respectively, in the satirical caper comedy Die Herren mit der weissen Weste (1970), the period biopic Der Schneider von Ulm (1978) and the hard-luck drama Der Sturz (1979). Among many other notable big screen credits were the romantic drama Der grüne Vogel (1980) (directed by István Szabó) and the delightful Otto Sander farce Wer spinnt denn da, Herr Doktor? (1982). Elsner's powerful tour-de-force acting showcase Die Unberührbare (2000) won her the first of two German film awards as Best Actress, as well as a Silver Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival. A patrician beauty well into middle age, she captured a large fan base on the small screen as star of Lady Cop (1994), a role which developed from two previous guest spots as a Chief Inspector in the long-running police series Tatort (1970).
She was married and divorced twice. Her subsequent life partner (from 1999) was Günter Blamberger, a professor of German philology. Her memoirs, entitled "Im Überschwang - Aus meinem Leben", appeared in 2011. Hannelore Elsner died after a long battle with cancer on April 21 2019 at the age of 76.- Steve Golin was the founder and CEO of "Anonymous Content", a multimedia development, production and talent management company based in Culver City, California. The company reunited Golin with such directors as David Fincher, Neil LaBute, David Kellogg, Gore Verbinski and Mark Romanek, all of whom worked with Golin through his first venture, "Propaganda Films". While developing a slate of film and television projects at "Anonymous", Golin guided the company's commercial division to become one of the top commercial production entities in the industry, producing spots and campaigns for Nike, Intel, Citibank, United Airlines, Ford, Audi, Coca-Cola, Pepsi and others. Its music video division, which earned Best Hard Rock New Artist Clip of The Year at the 2000 Billboard Music Video Awards for A Perfect Circle's "Judith", directed by David Fincher, had also produced projects for the Wallflowers, Third Eye Blind, Smashmouth, Filter and Cypress Hill, among other artists. Under Golin's leadership, the company's management division represented more than 50 writers, directors and actors. Previously, as co-founder of "Propaganda Films", Golin helped develop such filmmakers as Michael Bay, Spike Jonze, Dominic Sena, Simon West and Antoine Fuqua. There, he also oversaw the development and production of such acclaimed television projects as Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990), Twin Peaks (1990) and the Peabody Award-winning Tales of the City (1993). Golin built "Propaganda" into one of the largest music video and commercial production companies in the world, winning more MTV Video Awards and Cannes Palme d'Or Awards than any other company. He helped revolutionize the music video and commercial industries with sophisticated and award-winning work for such artists as Michael Jackson, Madonna, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Bonnie Raitt, George Michael and The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and major advertisers including Budweiser, AT&T, IBM, Nike, Apple and McDonald's.
- Actor
- Director
Ken Kercheval was born on 15 July 1935 in Wolcottville, Indiana, USA. He was an actor and director, known for Dallas (1978), Network (1976) and The Secret Storm (1954). He was married to Cheryl Paris, Ava Ruth Fox and Judith Peters Launt. He died on 21 April 2019 in Clinton, Indiana USA.- Edward Kelsey was born on 4 June 1930 in Petersfield, Hampshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005), Danger Mouse (1981) and Anna of the Five Towns (1985). He was married to Birgit Johansson. He died on 23 April 2019 in England, UK.
- Writer
- Producer
- Actor
Mark Medoff was born on 18 March 1940 in Mt. Carmel, Illinois, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for Children of a Lesser God (1986), Children on Their Birthdays (2002) and The Heart Outright (2016). He was married to Stephanie Thorne and Vicki Luella Eisler. He died on 23 April 2019 in Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA.- Sound Department
- Editor
- Editorial Department
Terry Rawlings was born on 4 November 1933 in London, England, UK. He was an editor, known for Alien (1979), Blade Runner (1982) and Chariots of Fire (1981). He was married to Louise Kirsop. He died on 23 April 2019 in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom.- Producer
- Additional Crew
- Actor
Born David Weizer in London, England, as a child and teenager David Winters acted in many television shows and Broadway productions, including the initial line-up of the stage production of the musical "West Side Story," playing the role of Baby John.
In 1961, he appeared as A-Rab in the movie version of West Side Story (1961), recreating the "Cool" dance sequence, which was choreographed for him. He, Carole D'Andrea, Jay Norman, Tommy Abbott, William Bramley, and Tony Mordente, were the only members of the original Broadway Musical to be cast in the film. West Side Story (1961) was the highest-grossing Motion Picture that year and won 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The feature established David as a young star. He began to release music and had steady work acting.
In 1964, he choreographed Viva Las Vegas (1964), starring Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret. He was seen regularly with his dance troupe in major TV shows such as Shindig! (1964) and Hullabaloo (1965). To his resume, he added three more Elvis Presley films (Girl Happy (1965), Tickle Me (1965), Easy Come, Easy Go (1967)), four films with Ann-Margret (Kitten with a Whip (1964), Bus Riley's Back in Town (1965), Made in Paris (1966), The Swinger (1966)), The T.A.M.I. Show (1964), and many more projects for film and television.
In 1967, he choreographed the television special Movin' with Nancy (1967), for which he received an Emmy nomination for his choreography in the category Special Classification of Individual Achievements. Also that year, he began to direct. His first assignments were for two episodes of the television show The Monkees (1965).
Shortly after he started producing, directing, and doing the choreography for star-studded television specials. These include The Ann-Margret Show (1968), Ann-Margret: From Hollywood with Love (1969) (for which he received his second Emmy nomination for dance choreography), Raquel (1970), Once Upon a Wheel (1971), The Special London Bridge Special (1972), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1973) (nominated for three Emmys), and Timex All-Star Swing Festival (1972) (which won a Peabody Award and a Christopher Award for Winters as producer).
Winters began to produce and direct films in 1975. His first effort was the concert film Alice Cooper: Welcome to My Nightmare (1975). Shortly after he was hired to choreograph A Star Is Born (1976), starring Barbra Streisand. In 1982, he produced, directed, wrote, and co-starred in The Last Horror Film (1982). The film received several accolades through its festival run.
In 1986, he directed the first film about skateboarding Thrashin' (1986), starring Josh Brolin and Pamela Gidley. The movie is known for its soundtrack ,with songs by Red Hot Chili Peppers (who play a set in the film), Fine Young Cannibals, and The Bangles. The film also maintains a following. The next year, he founded his production and distribution company, "Action International Pictures", later renamed "West Side Studios", which he ran until the late 1990s.
In the 2000s, he directed Welcome 2 Ibiza (2003) which won the Bangkok Film Festival Audience Award. He also produced the historical epic The King Maker (2005). In 2015, he released Dancin': It's on! (2015), starring winners and runner-ups of So You Think You Can Dance (2005) and Dancing with the Stars (2005). He reconnected with his passion for dancing and won the best director award at the WideScreen Film Festival.- One of two siblings born in Gulfport, Mississippi, to Edwina and Robert Swayze Neyland, Anne had entered her first beauty pageant at the age of sixteen on the way to a successful modelling career. When she was noticed by Hollywood in 1955, she was said to have held an impressive 30 titles to her name, including "Miss Texas'"and "Miss Body Beautiful". Although briefly glimpsed in the chorus line of Singin' in the Rain (1952) , she was properly 'introduced' some five years later as a newcomer to the screen in André De Toth's Copenhagen-set film noir Hidden Fear (1957) (playing John Payne's sumptuously attired girlfriend).
Within months, Anne was signed by MGM and cast as 'the other girl' in -- arguably -- Elvis Presley's most famous picture, Jailhouse Rock (1957) (she also briefly dated Presley at this time). Apparently, the studio did not know what to do with her after that, since she next found herself at AIP, starring in a decidedly low-budget affair directed by schlockmaster Edward L. Cahn. Motorcycle Gang (1957) turned out a trendy, but simply-plotted B-grader aimed at juvenile audiences. That pretty much wrapped up her film career. She tinkered around Hollywood as a TV guest star (The Texan (1958), Yancy Derringer (1958), Sea Hunt (1958)) for another couple of years before calling it quits in 1960. At the beginning of the new decade, she briefly attracted some off-screen newspaper headlines involving assorted marital and extra-marital affairs before gradually fading from the scene. Anne died in Camarillo, California, in April 2019 aged 84. - Stunts
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Frank Henson was born on 2 May 1935 in Whitehawk, Brighton, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Robin Hood (2010), Children of Men (2006) and Lifeforce (1985). He was married to Marion Cliff. He died on 25 April 2019 in Brighton, East Sussex, England, UK.