Deaths: February 13
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Ralph Waite was born in White Plains, New York on June 22, 1928. Educated at Bucknell University where he graduated with a BA degree, Waite existed rather aimlessly as a young adult while trying to find his way in the world. Occupations came and went, including social worker, religious editor for Harper & Row, and even Presbyterian minister after spending three years at the Yale School of Divinity. At age 30, however, he began to study acting and found his true life's passion.
Waite made his professional NY debut in a 1960 production of "The Balcony" at the Circle in the Square and was seen on Broadway in "Blues for Mister Charlie" before earning fine reviews in 1965 alongside Faye Dunaway in "Hogan's Goat". This was enough to encourage him to move West where he began collecting bit parts in prestigious movies, including Cool Hand Luke (1967) and Five Easy Pieces (1970). One of those films, the coming-of-age Last Summer (1969) starred an up-and-coming talent named Richard Thomas, who, of course, would figure prominently in Waite's success story in years to come. Waite continued to thrive as well on the stage appearing in both contemporary plays ("The Trial of Lee Harvey Osward") as well as Shakespearean classics (Claudius in "Hamlet" and Orsino in "Twelfth Night").
Stardom came for him in the form of the gentle, homespun Depression-era series The Waltons (1972). In the TV-movie pilot, the roles of John and Olivia Walton were played by Andrew Duggan and Patricia Neal. The Earl Hamner Jr. series, however, would welcome Waite along with Michael Learned, and make both, as well as Richard Thomas playing their son John-Boy, household names. Waite also directed several episodes of the series during the nine seasons. Throughout the seventies, he strove to expand outside his Walton patriarchal casting with other TV mini-movie endeavors. Those included Roots (1977), for which he received an Emmy nomination, the title role in The Secret Life of John Chapman (1976), OHMS (1980), Angel City (1980) and The Gentleman Bandit (1981). He also appeared in a few films including On the Nickel (1980) which he wrote and directed.
Throughout the run of the series, Waite continued to revert back to his theater roots from time to time. Notable was his role as Pozzo in Waiting for Godot (1977), which was televised by PBS, and a return to Broadway with "The Father" in 1981. Waite also founded the Los Angeles Actors Theatre in 1975 and served as its artistic director.
The Waltons (1972), which earned him an Emmy nomination, ended in 1981 and Waite ventured on to other TV character roles during the 80s and 90s but less visibly. In his second TV series The Mississippi (1982), which was produced by his company Ralph Waite Productions, he played a criminal lawyer who abandoned his practice (almost) for a leisurely life captaining a riverboat. It lasted only a year. There have been other more recent theater excursions including "Death of a Salesman" (1998), "The Gin Game" (1999), "Ancestral Voices (2000) and "This Thing of Darkness" (2002). He also had a recurring role on the offbeat HBO series Carnivàle (2003) and in 2009 began putting time in on the daytime soap Days of Our Lives (1965) as Father Matt. Waite was able to carry with him a certain grizzled, rumpled, craggy-faced, settled-in benevolence, although he was quite capable of villainy. He always seemed more comfortable in front of the camera wearing a dusty pair of work clothes than a suit. He continued to act well into his 80s, most notably playing the father of Mark Harmon on NCIS (2003).
For many years, Waite had held passionate political ambitions. He twice ran unsuccessfully for a Congressional seat -- in 1990 and 1998. A Palm Desert resident during his second attempt, the 70-year-old Californian was a Democratic hopeful for a seat left vacant by the late Sonny Bono after his fatal skiing accident in 1998. He was ultimately defeated by Bono's widow, Mary Bono.
Waite died in Palm Desert, California on February 13, 2014, at age 85. He is survived by his third wife, Linda East, whom he married in 1982 and two daughters from his first marriage.- Actress
- Camera and Electrical Department
Alba Castillo is known for Alta comedia (1965), En ascenso (1974) and El espacio de las apariencias (2006).- Actor
- Soundtrack
Albert Sharpe was born on 15 April 1885 in Belfast, Ireland [now Northern Ireland], UK. He was an actor, known for Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959), Royal Wedding (1951) and Brigadoon (1954). He was married to Margaret Waterson. He died on 13 February 1970 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK.- One of the best actresses of Argentina, she gave a terrifying performance in the film Pasajeros de una pesadilla. Also starred in successful TV series like El Rafa and La pobre Clara, and in theatrical plays as Yo amo a Shirley Valentine.
- Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Andreas from a working-class Greek-American family. Attracted from early childhood to being on stage when at 4 his mother took him to see a community theater performance, he took theatre as an extra-curricular activity in high school. He then majored in it at St. Louis University, where he worked his way through school doing things like waiting on tables. Next, after earning a drama fellowship, Katsulas received a Master's Degree in Theater Arts from one of the nation's top schools for the genre, Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.
With never a doubt or hesitation, Andreas jumped right into the professional theater world, performing in plays in his native St. Louis with the Loretto-Hilton Repertory Theater. This was followed by work with the Theatre Company of Boston. After that, Katsulas moved to New York to some challenging off-off-Broadway theater at La Mama. This was followed by a fifteen-year heart and soul involvement with Peter Brook's International Theatre Company in Paris, performing around the world with a challenging combination of improvisational theater in every imaginable circumstance and space, and "prepared" theater pieces in traditional, as well as unconventional, theatrical spaces. Katsulas trod the boards from Lincoln Center in New York and The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., to the "mean streets" of Brooklyn and marketplaces in remote African Villages. There were performances from elite Theater Festivals in Iran, Avignon and Belgrade: in prisons & mental institutions; at rock quarries in Australia; on barrios in Venezuela; in sewage plants in Switzerland; winding through the streets of Venice, Italy; in the fields with farm workers in California, near the lakes of Minnesota with Native Americans, in sometimes extreme conditions like snow, rain, and intensive heat.
During a hiatus from the stage, a part in Michael Cimino's The Sicilian (1987) brought Andreas to Los Angeles, after which he was immediately cast as Joey Venza in Ridley Scott's Someone to Watch Over Me (1987), then as Arthur, the chauffeur, in Blake Edwards's Sunset (1988).
In early 2005, Andreas was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer; he passed away a year later, in Los Angeles. He had lived there since 1986, and had hoped to return to working in the theater before his far-too-early death, just over three months shy of his 60th birthday. - Actress
- Director
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Actress, singer, director, producer, musician and writer, Bibi Ferreira was considered the Grand Dame of Brazilian stage. She sang, acted, directed and produced during her 72 year career. Born Abigail Izquierdo Ferreira on June 1, 1922, in Rio de Janeiro, her father was actor Procópio Ferreira and her mother was Spanish ballerina Aída Izquierdo.
Bibi was first seen on stage at just 24 days old, replacing a doll in the play Manhãs de Sol (Sunny Mornings) by Oduvaldo Viana. As a young child Bibi traveled with her mother throughout Latin America as part of the Companhia Velasco troupe of Spanish revues. At age three she was already singing and dancing on stage, becoming known as "la niña de Velasco". Her professional stage debut was at age 18 in the Italian play La Locandiera by Carlo Goldoni. Five years later she started her own theater company, Companhia de Comédias Bibi Ferreira.
During the 1950s she took her company to Portugal and performed throughout the country for five years. In the 1960s and 1970s Bibi hosted several television shows, such as Brasil 60, Brasil 61, Bibi ao Vivo, Bibi Especial, Brasil 78, and Brasil 79, just to name a few. She was boldly innovative and helped in shaping the format of studio audience shows. She hosted the television show Curso de Alfabetização para Adultos (Literacy Course for Adults), which taught more than 30,000 people in Brazil. For this she was awarded "Best Communicator" at Tokyo's International Culture Festival. Bibi was featured in the first live satellite transmission to Brazil, a television broadcast of the 1972 Academy Awards. During the 1960s, Bibi brought Broadway's biggest musicals to Brazil including My Fair Lady, Hello, Dolly!, and Man of La Mancha.
In 1975 she debuted the iconic play Gota d'Água (A Drop of Water) by singer-songwriter Chico Buarque and Paulo Pontes. Another hallmark was 1983's Piaf-A Vida de uma Estrela da Canção (based on Piaf, written by British playwright Pam Gems), in which Bibi interpreted and sang Edith Piaf's famous repertoire. She performed Bibi Canta e Conta Piaf (Bibi Sings and Tells Piaf) in her shows. Her success in performing this work for more than 30 years all over the world has earned her the French government's highest artistic accolade, the Orde des Arts et des Lettres, twice (in 1985 and 2009). Bibi Canta e Conta Piaf was recorded at Teatro Maison de France in Rio de Janeiro in 2004 and released on DVD. Renowned French photographer Hughes Vassal, who captured Piaf's final years, heard Bibi perform and declared she was "the only artist capable of reliving the dramatic emotions of Edith Piaf."
During the 1990s, Bibi maintained a busy schedule of performances, singing such orchestral concerts as Bibi in Concert and Bibi in Concert II-Entertainer throughout Brazil and Europe. She was a highly praised director of concerts, operas, and plays. Many acclaimed Brazilian names performed under her direction, such as Maria Bethânia, Elizeth Cardoso, Clara Nunes, and Roberta Miranda. During a performances of Piaf-Uma Estrela da Canção, the Portuguese fado legend Amália Rodrigues saw Bibi and asked if she would portray Amália on stage. In 2001, at her 60th career anniversary celebration, Bibi performed Bibi Vive Amália (Bibi Lives Amália), singing the Portuguese fadista's greatest works. The production was an absolute triumph among critics and audiences alike in Brazil and Portugal. Bibi was the subject at Rio de Janeiro Carnival in 2003. She was honored by one of the samba schools, Unidos da Viradouro, where Brazilian artists paraded in her honor.
In 2004, she performed Bibi in Concert III-Pop. The play As Favas com os Escrúpulos, written by Juca de Oliveira and directed by Jô Soares, marked her return to spoken comedy after 54 years performing musicals. It performed to more than 300,000 people during its four year run. In 2010, she performed in De Pixinguinha a Noel, passando por Gardel (From Pixinguinha to Noel going through Gardel). She was featured alongside the renowned tango orchestra El Arranque at sold-out performances in Buenos Aires, São Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro. According to the Argentinean newspaper La Nación, Bibi "left the city teaching us how to sing the tango." She recorded the album Bibi Ferreira and Miguel Proença Tangos, containing the most treasured tangos from her childhood memories. In 2011, she recorded the album Bibi Ferreira Brasileira - uma suíte amorosa, in which she sang Brazilian popular music classics. In 2012 she recorded the album Bibi Ferreira-Natal em família (Bibi Ferreira-Christmas in Family), a collection of popular Christmas songs. Bibi Histórias e Canções (Bibi, Stories and Songs), was a celebration of her 72- year career and 90th birthday celebration, where she sang and shared stories highlighting her life and career. On April 14, 2013, she presented Bibi in Concert at Lincoln Center in New York.- Producer
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Bruce Lansbury was best known as the producer of cult science fiction TV shows of the 1960s and 1970s. He made his science fiction mark in the 1960s with The Wild Wild West (1965). In 1971, he produced the highly regarded Assault on the Wayne (1971), which, while not science fiction related, captured the imagination of science fiction fans as Star Trek (1966)'s Leonard Nimoy played a troubled sub captain with just a hint of Mr Spock in his performance.
Lansbury also produced the short lived lost-island science fiction series, The Fantastic Journey (1977), which may have only lasted ten episodes but holds an iconic status for some people even today. Lansbury worked on the third season of Wonder Woman (1975) and gave the series a much needed burst of sci-fi storylines which greatly improved the series as a whole. He also worked on the first and best season of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979).- Actor
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- Composer
Singer-songwriter, Buzzy, is most famous for writing "Ya Gotta Have Friends" for Bette Midler and the acid-folk classic "The Love's Still Growing" for ex-girlfriend Carly Simon. Buzz's catalog of visionary recordings for the Phillips and Buddah record labels in the late sixties and early seventies, as well as a major release on Atlantic in 1974 serve as a slice of his many contributions to modern music. He also played vibraphone on the Jimi Hendrix song "Drifting" and drums on a live jam-session with Hendrix, Noel Redding and Al Kooper, which included "Like a Rolling Stone" at an uptown club called "The Scene" in 1969.- Actress
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Carmela Rey was born on 7 December 1931 in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. She was an actress, known for A sablazo limpio (1958), La mujer marcada (1957) and Yo pecador (1959). She was married to Rafael Vázquez. She died on 13 February 2018 in Mexico City, Mexico.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Diminutive beauty Christine Larsen (also credited as 'Larson' in some of her early films) had a minor Hollywood career, spanning a mere seven years, from 1948 to 1955. On the rare occasions she was not cast as the perfunctory love interest in B-westerns, opposite the likes of Johnny Mack Brown, she co-starred in long-forgotten potboilers (Last Train from Bombay (1952)) and 'Jungle Jim' adventures (Valley of Head Hunters (1953)). The multi-talented redhead (whose real name was Marjorie Goss) studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York and gained her entry to Hollywood in the mid 1940's via a spell with the Western Costume Company, as a designer of men's garments for 20th Century Fox musicals and period dramas. She also dabbled in theatrical set design and was a champion equestrian and rodeo queen, whose greatest ambition in life was to own a Lipizzaner stallion.
Ironically, it was to be Christine's private life which made the headlines, rather than her all-too-brief tenure as a second feature lead in Hollywood. A 1992 unauthorized biography of Nancy Reagan by sensationalist author Kitty Kelley alleged an affair between her and future president Ronald Reagan -- though she had spurned his proposal of marriage in 1951 -- which endured at least a year into his marriage to Nancy. In 1952, Christine hit the news again, when she made a claim to police, accusing her 57-year old neighbor of spying on her by means of a spotlight and a periscope after she had refused his advances. The authorities, apparently, did not seriously pursue the matter, insisting that periscopes were not covered by city ordinances.
There were a few more TV appearances before Christine's career had run its course and it became quiet about her for the remaining years of her life. She died on February 13, 1973 at the premature age of 47 due to complications from cancer in Los Angeles. A memorial service was held four days later at Westwood Memorial Park Chapel.- Music Department
Christophe Desjardins was born on 24 April 1962 in Caen, Calvados, France. He is known for The Scent of Green Papaya (1993) and Coming to Terms with the Dead (1994). He died on 13 February 2020 in Paris, France.- Writer
- Producer
- Actor
Christopher Knopf was born on 20 December 1927 in New York, New York, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for The DuPont Show with June Allyson (1959), CBS Summer Playhouse (1987) and Scott Joplin (1977). He was married to Lorraine Davies Knopf and Bettie McKeehan. He died on 13 February 2019 in Santa Monica, California, USA.- Born in Chicago in 1917, David Bauer found more success as an actor in Europe than he did in his home country. He was one of those caught up in the anti-Communist hysteria that swept the US, and especially Hollywood, in the 1950s. Bauer left the US and settled in Great Britain. He found a niche in British television, playing a variety of crooked American businessmen, attorneys, etc. He appeared in such series as The Saint (1962) in The Element of Doubt (1962) and had a memorable turn in the Living in Harmony (1967) episode of the fondly remembered Patrick McGoohan series The Prisoner (1967). He appeared in The London Beat (1972)), an episode of the American cop series shot in England, playing an American mob boss.
Bauer, for some reason, didn't appear in all that many films during his time in England, his best known probably being The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965) in which he played a judge and Patton (1970), as American Lt. Gen. Harry Buford. He had parts in two James Bond films, You Only Live Twice (1967) and Diamonds Are Forever (1971). He also worked on the British stage, both as an actor and director. He died in London in 1973, at age 55. - Actor
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David Janssen was born David Harold Meyer in 1931 in Naponee, Nebraska, to Berniece Mae (Graf) and Harold Edward Meyer, a banker. He was of German, and some Swiss-German and Ulster-Scots, descent. David took the surname of his stepfather, Eugene Janssen. The Janssen family settled in Hollywood when he was a teenager and he attended Fairfax High School, where he developed an interest in acting. His film debut was a bit part in It's a Pleasure (1945), and at the age of 18 signed a contract with 20th Century-Fox. However, the studio dropped him after allegedly becoming disenchanted with his odd hairline and big prominent ears. Janssen had better luck at Universal, where he signed on in the early 1950s and became a supporting player in 32 films before appearing on TV as the star of Richard Diamond, Private Detective (1956). He resumed his movie career in 1961, a year after the series ended. His biggest success came from his lead in the series The Fugitive (1963), playing the haunted, hunted Dr. Richard Kimble, on the run for a murder he didn't commit. After the series ended, Janssen launched himself into a grueling schedule by appearing in lead and supporting roles in movies, but he had better luck with made-for-TV-movie roles and a short-lived series, O'Hara, U.S. Treasury (1971). He had another hit series with the cult favorite Harry O (1973). Janssen continued appearing in lead roles in nearly 20 made-for-TV-movies during the 1970s as well as other TV projects. He died in 1980 from a sudden heart attack at his Malibu home at the age of 48. Unfounded speculation holds that Janssen succumbed to alcoholism, a problem that plagued him most of his adult life. There were even unfounded rumors about drug use. However, a much more reasonable explanation for David Janssen's sudden demise is that this intense, dedicated, determined actor simply worked himself to death.- Actress
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A raven-haired, sometimes blonde (particularly in the earlier years) pretty actress, Dilys Laye was capable of a wide range of roles, from straight drama to comedy. She began in the 1950s, like most other British screen actresses of the era, in studio-system-style films. One of her first films was Paper Gallows (1950) and she continued in popular movies like Blue Murder at St. Trinian's (1957) and Doctor at Large (1957).
Today she is often remembered for her appearances in the "Carry On.." films. Her first "Carry On..." appearance was in Carry on Cruising (1962), where along with Esma Cannon she stole many of the best comedy scenes from the regular cast; the bar scene is an example of this. She took over the role at four days' notice when Joan Sims was unable to appear because of ill health. Her next 'Carry On...' appearance saw her take on a sinister and darker role in Carry on Spying (1964) as Lila. She even sang, in a café-bar scene. In Carry on Doctor (1967) she played patient Mavis Winkle, who is searching for love and finds it in the unusual place of the hospital ward, and in Carry on Camping (1969) she appeared alongside "Carry On..." legend Joan Sims. They were perfectly cast together and complement each other's performances throughout the movie.
After that time her work was mainly on the stage with some television and film appearances. She made appearances in soaps such as Coronation Street (1960) and EastEnders (1985). Other character parts included Holby City (1999) and Doctors (2000).
She played Queen Elizabeth II in The Amazing Mrs Pritchard (2006).- Dona Hardy was born on 3 December 1912 in San Diego, California, USA. She was an actress, known for Superbad (2007), The Running Man (1987) and Universal Soldier (1992). She died on 13 February 2011 in Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
- Edith Iglauer was born on 10 March 1917 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. She was a writer, known for Navigating the Heart (2000), Modern Marvels (1993) and Ice Road Truckers (2000). She was married to Franklin Wetmore White, Philip Hamburger and John Heywood Daly. She died on 13 February 2019 in Sechelt, British Columbia, Canada.
- Editor
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- Editorial Department
Edward M. Abroms was born on 6 May 1935 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an editor and director, known for Columbo (1971), Street Fighter (1994) and The Jewel of the Nile (1985). He died on 13 February 2018 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Eve Whitney was born on 6 February 1923 in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA. She was an actress, known for Radar Patrol vs. Spy King (1949), The Blonde Bandit (1949) and Blonde Savage (1947). She was married to Eddie Cherkose. She died on 13 February 2002 in Studio City, California, USA.
- Fabio Restrepo was born on 15 August 1959 in Apía, Risaralda, Colombia. He was an actor, known for Addictions and Subtractions (2004), García (2010) and Sin tetas no hay paraíso (2006). He died on 13 February 2022 in Medellin, Colombia.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Toones is one of the most "colorful" character faces in B-Westerns and cliffhangers. He appeared in over 200 films between 1928 and 1951; and during 1936 and 1947, Toones often worked under contract for Republic Pictures, appearing in about 40 of its films.
Toones first appeared as a porter in The Hurricane Express (1932), and was usually typecast as a porter, appearing in over 50 films in such a role. He also played a variety of other service-oriented or domestic worker roles such as stable grooms, janitors, elevator operators, valets, cooks, bellhops, doormen, butlers, and bartenders. Toones played a bootblack or shoeshine man in at least six of his movies, and Toones actually ran the shoeshine stand at Republic Studios. Like other actors of the time, i.e. Anna May Wong and Franklin Pangborn, Toones is a prime example of racial and social stereotyping in the Hollywood film industry.
His standard characterization was that of a middle-aged "colored" man with a high-pitched voice and childlike mannerisms. "Snowflake" was the stage name Toones was best known by, and he used this name as his credit as early as his third film, Shanghaied Love (1931). In "Shanghaied Love" and, likewise over 35 other films, "Snowflake" was also Toones' character name.
Toones acted in films such as Mississippi (1935), Hawk of the Wilderness (1938), and Daredevils of the Red Circle (1939) with Bruce Bennett and in many "B" westerns such as The Lawless Nineties (1936) with John Wayne. He also appeared in dozens of two-reels such as Columbia's Woman Haters (1934) with the Three Stooges, and had a bit role in Laurel and Hardy's classic feature Way Out West (1937). Toones is also a familiar face in four Preston Sturges comedies: Twentieth Century (1934), Remember the Night (1939), Christmas in July (1940), and The Palm Beach Story (1942).- Writer
- Actor
Geno Díaz was born in 1926 in Mataderos, Buenos Aires City, Distrito Federal, Argentina. He was a writer and actor, known for Se acabó el Curro (1983), Sentimental (1981) and Tatus (1985). He died on 13 February 1986.- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
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Gerald Hirschfeld was born on 25 April 1921 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a cinematographer and director, known for Young Frankenstein (1974), Mr. Smith (1983) and The Car (1977). He was married to Julia Tucker and Sarnell Ogus. He died on 13 February 2017 in Ashland, Oregon, USA.- Gianna Maria Canale was born on 12 September 1927 in Reggio di Calabria, Calabria, Italy. She was an actress, known for Clash of Steel (1962), Theodora, Slave Empress (1954) and Dead Woman's Kiss (1949). She was married to Riccardo Freda. She died on 13 February 2009 in Florence, Tuscany, Italy.
- Location Management
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Natalie Greer Bishop was born in Memphis, Tennessee to Susan (Scheel), an artist, and Dewey Bishop, an engineer. She was home-schooled. She had three older brothers: Brandon, Cole and Cade Bishop, who all still reside in Tennessee. She and her siblings were of Irish, Native American, and German descent. Before she began her career as an actor, Greer was a serious horse rider/equestrienne, who competed all over the United States. She began her performing career onstage before transitioning into films and television. She lived in California, where she died in a car accident on February 13, 2021 in Palm Springs, California. She was 31 years old.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Helen Twelvetrees was born Helen Marie Jurgens in Brooklyn, New York on December 25, 1908. Her interest in the theatricals was apparent at an early age. After graduating from high school. Helen embarked on a stage career. She participated in a number of plays in New York City, but gravitated toward film when she headed to the West Coast in late 1928. In 1929, Helen appeared in her first motion picture called THE GHOST TALKS. That was quickly followed by WORDS AND MUSIC and BLUE SKIES that same year. Through the early thirties, Helen appeared in a number of movies. Audiences appreciated the pixish, little blonde and the roles she played. Perhaps one of her finest roles was a June Perry in STATE'S ATTORNEY (1932) opposite John Barrymore. Helen's character was romantically involved with the district attorney and plays the part with absolute conviction. Helen continued a hectic filming pace until 1936. She filmed five movies in 1935, but played in only THOROUGHBRED in '36. In 1938, Helen went through a drought and made her last film the following year in UNMARRIED. Helen's film career had ended. Through the balance of her life there seemed to be a void. On February 13, 1958, died after she took an overdose of sedatives. She was 49.- Johanna Sällström was born on December 30, 1974 in Stockholm, Sweden. In 1997 she won the award Guldbaggen for best female leading role in the movie Under ytan (1997), which became her big breakthrough. Getting tired off all the interest around herself she moved to Denmark where she worked at a café shop, but in year 2000 she went back to Sweden and continued her acting career. She was best known for playing the police agent Linda Wallander in Wallander (2005). Even though Johanna Sällström often played tough on the screen, it is said she was much more shy and quiet in her private life.
Sällström was found dead by the police at her home in Malmö, Sweden on 13th of February 2007. - Writer
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John Finch was born on 12 February 1925 in Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UK. He was a writer and producer, known for Coronation Street (1960), A Family at War (1970) and Sam (1973). He was married to Cynthia Hickman. He died on 13 February 2022 in the UK.- Jorge Arandes was born in 1929 in Barcelona, Spain. He is an actor, known for Canciones para su recuerdo (1962).
- If ever there was an actor born to play a tough Irish cop, it was Ken Lynch, and he played so many of them in his long career that he could probably do it in his sleep. His suspicious manner, aggressive attitude, steely eyes and snarling voice broke down many a quavering suspect. He also played military officers, business executives and private eyes, and every so often he'd be a sheriff in a western, but it was as a street cop or detective that most people remember him.
Born in Albany, NY, he started his acting career in radio dramas, and after gaining experience there he headed to Los Angeles, making his film debut in 1950. He appeared in quite a few movies over his career, but he also did an enormous amount of television work, and that's where most probably remember seeing him, as he turned up on pretty much every cop show, detective show and private-eye series ever made (he even showed up in an episode of the Jackie Gleason comedy series The Honeymooners (1955)--as a tough Irish detective!).
He died in 1990 in Burbank, CA. - Director
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Kon Ichikawa has been influenced by artists as diverse as Walt Disney and Jean Renoir, and his films cover a wide spectrum of moods, from the comic to the overwhelmingly ironic and even the perverse. Ichikawa began his career as a cartoonist, and this influence is apparent in his skillful use of the widescreen, and in the strong, angular patterns seen in many of his compositions. He has directed Mr. Pu (1953), a popular film based on Junichi Yokoyama's "Mr. Pu" comic strip. At various points in his career Ichikawa has shown that he is capable of appealing to a popular audience without compromising his artistry. A great visual stylist and perfectionist, Ichikawa excels at screen adaptations of literary masterpieces, including Sôseki Natsume's The Heart (1955), Yukio Mishima's Conflagration (1958), Jun'ichirô Tanizaki's Odd Obsession (1959) and I Am a Cat (1975) and Tôson Shimazaki's The Outcast (1962). He has also remade film classics, such as Yutaka Abe's Ashi ni sawatta onna (1926) (Ichikawa's version: 1952) and Teinosuke Kinugasa's Yukinojô henge: Daiippen (1935) (Ichikawa's version: 1963), transposing them to contemporary settings.
The West was first introduced to Ichikawa when his The Burmese Harp (1956) won the San Giorgio Prize at the 1956 Venice Film Festival. His epic documentary Tokyo Olympiad (1965) (released the following year) and Alone on the Pacific (1963) explore, with dignity and imagination, the limits of human endurance. He has also worked in the thriller genre, with The Hole (1957), The Inugami Family (1976) and The Devil's Island (1977). Ichikawa tends to present strongly etched, complex characters: the stuttering acolyte who desires to preserve the "purity" of the Golden Pavilion (ENJO); the elderly husband who resorts to injections and voyeurism in order to remain sexually active (KAGI); the member of a pariah class who tries to deny his identity and to "pass" in regular society (HAKAI). More recently, Actress (1987) is a tribute to the fiercely independent Japanese actress Kinuyo Tanaka, who starred in many of Kenji Mizoguchi's films and was herself a director in later life. On the lighter side, Ichikawa's characters also include a 19th-century cat; a good-hearted, hapless teacher; and a baby who narrates how the world looks from his vantage point. He is especially adept at mixing comedy and tragedy within the same story. Until 1965, Ichikawa's close collaborator was his wife, screenwriter Natto Wada, with whom he produced most of his finest films.- Actor
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Larry Holden was born on 15 May 1961 in Framingham, Massachusetts, USA. He was an actor and director, known for Memento (2000), Batman Begins (2005) and My Father's House (2002). He was married to Hanne Kristiansen and Leigh Ann Pope. He died on 13 February 2011 in Orange, Massachusetts, USA.- Writer
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- Art Department
Leiji Matsumoto was born on 25 January 1938 in Fukuoka, Japan. He was a writer and director, known for Captain Harlock and the Queen of a Thousand Years (1985), Space Battleship Yamato (1974) and Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato: Warriors of Love (1978). He was married to Miyako Maki. He died on 13 February 2023 in Tokyo, Japan.- Director
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Liliane de Kermadec was born on 6 October 1928 in Warsaw, Warszawskie [now Mazowieckie], Poland. She was a director and writer, known for Aloïse (1975), Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962) and La piste du télégraphe (1994). She died on 13 February 2020 in Paris, France.- Mae Marsh's father was an auditor for the railroad who died when she was four. Her family moved to San Francisco, where her stepfather was killed in the 1906 earthquake. Her great-aunt then took Mae and her sister to Los Angeles. With her show business background, Mae's aunt took them to the various movie studios for work as extras. Mae was a little freckle-faced girl, who came to work one day as an extra at Biograph to substitute for her sick sister. She had blue eyes and her hair color was indeterminate, but she had definite screen presence. She began her film career working for Mack Sennett and D.W. Griffith. Her first leading role was as the bare-legged prehistoric girl in Man's Genesis (1912). By 1913 Mae was being groomed as the successor to Mary Pickford. Most of her film roles were dramatic or tragic, or a combination of both. She appeared in Griffith's The Birth of a Nation (1915) and Intolerance (1916). After that film, Samuel Goldwyn signed her to a contract at $2500 per week - far exceeding the $35 per week she got in 1915. Goldwyn was at his best when it came to publicity. It was he who gave Mae the title "The Whim Girl". Other than the publicity, her film career with Goldwyn was a disappointment and she retired on the eve of her marriage in 1918. During the 1920s Mae did a few movies in Hollywood and England, but stayed retired for the most part. It was not until the Wall Street "crash" in 1929 that began the Great Depression that she returned full-time to the screen, as she, like many others, was wiped out financially. After her financial situation improved, she returned to films sporadically, usually out of boredom. She worked in a dozen movies during the 1930s and took a number of roles in the 1940s and 1950s. She was a favorite of director John Ford and appeared in many of his films, such as The Grapes of Wrath (1940), How Green Was My Valley (1941), My Darling Clementine (1946) and The Quiet Man (1952), and she had a role in A Star Is Born (1954).
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- Music Department
- Sound Department
Prolific multi award-winning Mexican composer of over 900 songs (many of which have become standards of Latin music) and 500 soundtracks. He was hand-picked by Walt Disney to write most of the Mexican musical segment for The Three Caballeros (1944), alongside Agustin Lara, Ary Barroso and his frequent collaborator, Ernesto Cortázar. Apart from 'Ay Jalisco, No Te Rajes', his other famous compositions, include 'No Volvere', 'Cantaclaro' and 'Cuando Me Vaya'. The last two were winners of Silver Ariel Awards in 1947 and 1955, respectively. The son of a civil engineer father and a concert pianist mother, Esperon completed his musical education in Mexico, then became an accompanist to silent films. He worked as an arranger/orchestrator until 1933, when he composed his first film score.
Esperon was notable for integrating mariachi music into many of his screen compositions and had noted collaborations with many of the best-known interpreters of contemporary Mexican music, such as Jorge Negrete and 'Lola Beltran'. In 1990, he received the highest award bestowed in his native country, the National Prize of Arts and Sciences, for his contribution to culture.- Martin Henry Balsam was born on November 4, 1919 in the Bronx, New York City, to Lillian (Weinstein) and Albert Balsam, a manufacturer of women's sportswear. He was the first-born child. His father was a Russian Jewish immigrant, and his mother was born in New York, to Russian Jewish parents. Martin caught the acting bug in high school where he participated in the drama club. After high school, he continued his interest in acting by attending Manhattan's progressive New School. When World War II broke out, Martin was called to service in his early twenties. After the war, he was lucky to secure a position as an usher at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. By 1947, he was honing his craft at the Actors Studio, run at that time by Elia Kazan and Lee Strasberg. His time at the Actors Studio in New York City allowed him training in the famous Stanislavsky method. Despite his excellent training, he had to prove himself, just like any up and coming young actor. He began on Broadway in the late 1940s. But, it was not until 1951 that he experienced real success. That play was Tennessee Williams' "The Rose Tattoo". After his Broadway success, he had a few minor television roles before his big break arrived when he joined the cast of On the Waterfront (1954). In the 1950s, Martin had many television roles. He had recurring roles on some of the most popular television series of that time, including The United States Steel Hour (1953), The Philco Television Playhouse (1948), Goodyear Playhouse (1951) and Studio One (1948). In 1957, he was able to prove himself on the big-screen once again, with a prominent role in 12 Angry Men (1957), directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Henry Fonda. All of Martin's television work in the 1950s did not go to waste. While starring on an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955), Hitchcock was so impressed by his work, that he offered him a key supporting role of Detective Milton Arbogast in Psycho (1960). His work with Hitchcock opened him up to a world of other acting opportunities. Many strong movie roles came his way in the 1960s, including parts in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), Cape Fear (1962) and The Carpetbaggers (1964). One of the proudest moments in his life was when he received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for A Thousand Clowns (1965). It was soon after that he began accepting roles in European movies. He soon developed a love for Italy, and lived there most of his remaining years. He acted in over a dozen Italian movies and spent his later life traveling between Hollywood and Europe for his many roles. After a career that spanned more than fifty years, Martin Balsam died of natural causes in his beloved Italy at age 76. He passed away of a stroke at a hotel in Rome called Residenza di Repetta. He was survived by his third wife Irene Miller and three children, Adam, Zoe and Talia.
- Maurice Trintignant was born on 30 October 1917 in Sainte-Cécile-les-Vignes, Vaucluse, France. He died on 13 February 2005 in Nîmes, Gard, France.
- Director
- Writer
Michel Lequenne was born on 25 May 1921 in Le Havre, Seine-Maritime, France. He was a director and writer, known for Setubal ville rouge (1976), Entretien avec Michel Lequenne (2012) and Secrets d'histoire (2007). He died on 13 February 2020 in Paris, France.- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Nini Theilade was born on 15 June 1915 in Poerwokerto, Banjoemas, Dutch East Indies [now Purwokerto, Central Java, Indonesia]. She was an actress, known for A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935), The Song to Her (1934) and The Big Bluff (1933). She was married to Arne Buchter-Larsen and Peter Loopuyt. She died on 13 February 2018 in Svendborg, Denmark.- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Actor
Oliver Wood was born on 21 February 1942 in London, England, UK. He was a cinematographer and actor, known for The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), The Other Guys (2010) and Morbius (2022). He was married to Jane Forth and Sabine Groh. He died on 13 February 2023 in Hollywood, California, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Paul Gilbert was born on 27 December 1918 in New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Women of the Prehistoric Planet (1966), So This Is Paris (1954) and Cat Ballou (1965). He was married to Barbara Cowan. He died on 13 February 1976 in Hollywood, California, USA.- Peter Earnest was born on 1 January 1934 in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. He was an actor, known for Mission: International Spy Museum (2006), Salt: The Real Agents (2010) and Mission: Spies Among Us (2006). He was married to Karen Rice and Janet Chesney. He died on 13 February 2022 in Arlington, Virginia, USA.
- Director
- Actor
- Writer
Rafael Romero Marchent was born on 3 May 1926 in Madrid, Spain. He was a director and actor, known for Disco rojo (1973), Santo vs. Doctor Death (1973) and Revenge of the Black Wolf (1981). He was married to Maruja Tamayo. He died on 13 February 2020 in Madrid, Spain.- Ray Price was born on 6 May 1930 in New York City, New York, USA. He died on 13 February 2019 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.
- Rebecca Welles was born on 5 February 1928 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She was an actress, known for Wire Service (1956), Juvenile Jungle (1958) and Lights Out (1946). She was married to Don Weis and Barton Lawrence Goldberg. She died on 13 February 2017 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA.
- Music Department
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- Composer
Richard Wagner was a German composer best known for his operas, primarily the monumental four-opera cycle "Der Ring des Nibelungen". He was born Wilhelm Richard Wagner on May 22, 1813, in Leipzig, Germany. He was the ninth child in the family of Carl Wagner, a police clerk. Richard was only six months old when his father died, and he was brought up by his mother Johanna and stepfather Ludwig Geyer, an actor and playwright. Young Wagner studied piano from the age of 7 and soon developed ability to play by ear and improvise. At age 15 he wrote piano transcriptions of Ludwig van Beethoven's "9th Symphony" and orchestral overtures. He studied at the University of Leipzig, and also took composition and conducting lessons with the cantor of St. Thomas in Leipzig.
Wagner's early operas did not meet with success, leaving him in serious financial difficulties. From 1836-1839 he was a music director in Riga Opera, where his wife, Minna Planer, was a singer, and her extramarital escapades were the talk of the town. The Wagners amassed such significant debts that they had to escape from creditors and fled Riga. They spent 1840 and 1841 in London and Paris, where Richard worked as an arranger for other composers.
Giacomo Meyerbeer promoted Wagner's third opera, "Rienzi", to performance by the Dresden Court Theatre, where the opera was staged to considerable acclaim. In 1842 the Wagners moved to Dresden and lived there for six years. Eventually Richard was appointed the Royal Saxon Court Conductor. At that time he completed and staged "Der fliegende Hollander" (aka "The Flying Dutchman") and "Tannhauser".
Wagner was exposed to many conflicting political influences, ranging from Marxism and liberalism on the left to German nationalism on the right to the anarchism of Mikhail Bakunin. After the revolution of 1848-49, Wagner fled from Germany to Paris, then to Zurich, and found himself penniless, unemployed and depressed (he had also suffered from a severe skin infection for many years). At that time Wagner was unable to compose or perform music, and he expressed himself in writing essays: "The Art-Work of the Future", describing "Gesamtkunstwerk," or "total artwork" uniting opera, ballet, visual arts and stagecraft.
Wagner's four "Ring" operas gradually evolved, and he completed the libretto by 1852. Another year of suffering went by, until he began composing "Das Rheingold" (aka "The Rhine Gold") in November 1853, following it with "Die Walkure" (aka "The Valkyrie") in 1854. In 1856 he began work on "Siegfried", but put the unfinished opera aside and focused on his new idea: "Tristan und Isolde" (aka "Tristan and Isolde"), which was composed between 1857 and 1859. In 1861 Germany ended the political ban on Wagner, and in 1862 he ended his troubled marriage to Minna.
"Tristan and Isolde" was initially accepted for production in Vienna. The opera had over 70 rehearsals between 1861 and 1864, but remained unperformed and gained a reputation for being unplayable. The young Bavarian King Ludwig II, an admirer of Wagner's operas since his childhood, had settled the composer's debts and financed his opera productions. Finally "Tristan and Isolde" was produced in Munich, and premiered under the baton of Hans von Bulow in June 1865. It was the first Wagner premiere in 15 years.
Cosima von Bulow, the wife of the conductor, Hans von Bulow, and the eldest daughter of pianist/composer Franz Liszt, had an indiscreet affair with Wagner, and their illegitimate daughter, Isolde, was born in 1865. The affair scandalized Munich, and Wagner fell into disfavor among members of the court who were jealous of his friendship with the king. Ludwig was pressured to ask Wagner to leave Munich. However, from 1866 to 1872 the king placed Wagner and his family at Tribshen villa on Lake Luzern, Switzerland. There Richard married Cosime in August 1870. Inspired composer created one of his most beloved works, the "Siegfried Idyll" for 15 players, written as a gift to Cosima, and premiered on Christmas day, 1870.
In 1872 Wagner moved to Bayreuth with a plan that his "Ring" cycle to be performed in a new, specially designed opera house. King Ludwig supported the composer with another large grant in 1874, and the Wagners bought Villa Wahnfried and made permanent home in Bayreuth. In August 1876 the new opera "Festspielhaus" opened with the premiere of "The Ring" and has been the site of the Bayreuth Festival ever since.
Richard Wagner died of a heart attack on February 13, 1883, while wintering in Venice. He was laid to rest in the garden of his Villa Wahnfried in Bayreuth. The Wagner Museum in Lucerne, Switzerland, is now a museum of period musical instruments and art collection of the Wagner family. One room is dedicated to the history of the Wagner Festivals in Lucerne. The Wagner Museum allows visitors to take photos of the documents about the Wagner family's help to the Jewish musicians and intellectuals who fled the Nazi regime in the 1930s.
Documents reveal that the Wagner family were assisting Jewish musicians and intellectuals who fled the Nazi regime in finding employment in Switzerland and other lands, such as the USA and Palestine. Documents, photographs and letters illustrate the bold activity of Arturo Toscanini with Vladimir Horowitz and the Wagner family members in getting funds from the government of Benito Mussolini and using those funds to accommodate Jewish musicians and intellectuals under the umbrella of the annual Wagner Festival in Lucerne. The Wagner Festival Symphony Orchestra employed many Jewish musicians who later joined the Israel Philarmonic Orchestra (then known as the "Palestine Orchestra").- Writer
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- Producer
Robert Goodwin was born on 30 April 1927 in San Diego, California, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for Black Chariot (1971), Bonanza (1959) and Love, American Style (1969). He died on 13 February 1983 in San Diego, California, USA.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Ronne Arnold was born in 1938 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor, known for Cop Shop (1977), Number 96 (1972) and Billy's Holiday (1995). He died on 13 February 2020 in Katoomba, New South Wales, Australia.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Russell Arms played Chester Finley opposite Doris Day in "By the Light of the Silvery Moon" (Warner Bros. 1953). Chester, a nerd in love with Marjorie Winfield, Day's character, was Marjorie's piano teacher, a rival to Bill Sherman, played by Gordon MacRae. Arms, in 1953, was not yet a featured player on NBC-TV's "Your Hit Parade." He became one of the program's four regular singers in 1954.- Additional Crew
- Director
- Actor
Seijun Suzuki was born in Nihonbashi, Tôkyô, on May 24, 1923. In 1943, he entered the army to fight at the front. In 1946, he enrolled in the film department of the Kamakura Academy and passed the assistant director's exam. For the next few years, he worked as an assistant director at several studios. In 1958, he directed his first film, Victory Is Ours (1956), and from then on he directed three to four films each year. With Branded to Kill (1967), he came into conflict with Hori Kyusaku, who was the president of Nikkatsu Studios at the time. Because of this, he was forced to work in television the next ten years. In 1977, A Tale of Sorrow (1977), his return to theatrically-released films, was released.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Director
Stacy Keach Sr. was born on 29 May 1914 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was an actor and director, known for Pet Sematary (1989), Pretty Woman (1990) and The Parallax View (1974). He was married to Mary Cain Peckham. He died on 13 February 2003 in Burbank, California, USA.- Actor
- Writer
Character actor Thomas Patrick McKenna was born in Mullagh, County Cavan, Ireland, in 1929. A prolific theatre actor throughout his career, he made his stage debut in "Summer and Smoke" by Tennessee Williams at the Pike Theatre in Dublin in 1954.
He made his film debut in the IRA-Nazi drama The Night Fighters (1960) and from this uncredited beginning he moved up to tenth billing in The Siege of Sidney Street (1960). His next major movie was in 1964's Girl with Green Eyes (1964), by which time he had started a successful television career.
He made his TV debut in Espionage (1963) and over the next few years appeared in several more TV shows. His versatility enabled him to play three characters in The Avengers (1961). He was also featured in such well-regarded shows as Adam Adamant Lives! (1966), Dixon of Dock Green (1955) and The Saint (1962).
Meanwhile, his film career was developing along literary lines, and he was featured in Brendan Behan's The Quare Fellow (1962), the Sean O'Casey biopic Young Cassidy (1965) and James Joyce's Ulysses (1967). He took smaller parts in such epics as The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968) and Anne of the Thousand Days (1969).
British films such as Perfect Friday (1970) and Villain (1971) allowed him to showcase his suave, urbane persona before trying something different in the controversial Straw Dogs (1971). He appeared alongside a young Anthony Hopkins in All Creatures Great and Small (1975) before starring with John Gielgud for the second time, this time in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1977). Over the next few years his co-stars were as diverse as Leonard Rossiter (Britannia Hospital (1982)), Timothy Dalton (The Doctor and the Devils (1985)), Ben Kingsley (Pascali's Island (1988)) and Dolph Lundgren (Red Scorpion (1988)). Not all of these films were successes, but McKenna always gave good value for the money and developed themes of his, such as an interest in Irish issues, in The Outsider (1979). His last released film was Valmont (1989), which was unfortunately completely overshadowed by Dangerous Liaisons (1988), which was based on the same novel.
Over the years he made numerous guest appearances in TV series such as Minder (1979), Casualty (1986), Lovejoy (1986), Inspector Morse (1987), Heartbeat (1992) and Ballykissangel (1996). McKenna has also been prominent in TV movies and series, featuring in Charles Dickens' Masterpiece Theatre: Bleak House (1985), Stendhal's Scarlet and Black (1993) and most recently an adaptation of Henry James' The American (1998).
McKenna is up there with the greats of character acting such as Lionel Jeffries, Dennis Price, Richard Wattis, Wilfrid Hyde-White and John Le Mesurier.- Producer
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- Actor
Tom Luddy was born on 4 June 1943 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a producer and actor, known for Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), The Secret Garden (1993) and Barfly (1987). He was married to Monique Montgomery. He died on 13 February 2023 in Berkeley, California, USA.- Actor
- Writer
- Composer
Tony Schnur was born on 13 October 1975 in Elyria, Ohio, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Doraleous and Associates (2010), Please Teacher! (2002) and Virtua Fighter (1995). He died on 13 February 2023 in the USA.- Victor Milan was born on 3 August 1954 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. He died on 13 February 2018 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.
- Warren Hammack was born on 14 February 1934 in Sturgis, Kentucky, USA. He was an actor, known for Attack of the Eye Creatures (1967), The Copper Scroll of Mary Magdalene (2004) and Johnny Vik (1977). He was married to Harriet Schoch and Pamela White. He died on 13 February 2023 in Northampton, Massachusetts, USA.
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- Actor
Jennings, a singer, songwriter and guitarist, recorded 60 albums and had 16 No. 1 country singles in a career that spanned five decades. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in October 2001. With pal Willie Nelson, Jennings performed duets like "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys", "Luckenbach" and "Good Hearted Woman". Those 1970s songs nurtured a progressive sound and restless spirit embraced later by Travis Tritt, Charlie Daniels, Steve Earle and others. His resonant, authoritative voice also was used to narrate the popular TV show The Dukes of Hazzard (1979). He sang its theme song, which was a million seller. "I aimed the narration at children and it made it work," he said in a 1987 AP interview. He traditionally wore a black cowboy hat and ebony attire that accented his black beard and mustache. Often reclusive when not on stage, he played earthy music with a spirited, hard edge. Combined, Jennings had a well-defined image that matched well with his history of battling record producers to do music his way. About his independence, he said: "There's always one more way to do something-- your way." Some of his album titles nourished his brash persona: "Lonesome, On'ry and Mean," "I've Always Been Crazy," "Nashville Rebel," "Ladies Love Outlaws" and "Wanted: The Outlaws." He often refused to attend music awards shows on grounds performers should not compete against each other. Despite those sentiments, Jennings won two Grammy awards and four Country Music Association awards. He did not attend his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame last year. In 1959, his career was nearly cut short by tragedy. He was scheduled to fly on the light plane that crashed and killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper. Jennings gave up his seat on the plane to The Big Bopper, who was ill and wanted to fly rather than travel by bus with those left behind. He and Holly were teen-age friends in Lubbock, Texas, and Jennings was in Holly's band. "Mainly what I learned from Buddy was an attitude," Jennings said. "He loved music, and he taught me that it shouldn't have any barriers to it." Born in Littlefield, Texas, Jennings became a radio disc jockey at 14 and formed his own band not long afterward. By the early 1960s Jennings was playing regularly at a nightclub in Phoenix. In 1963, he was signed by 'Herb Alpert''s A&M Records, then was signed by RCA in Nashville shortly thereafter by Chet Atkins. Once in Nashville, he and Cash became friends and roommates. His hit records began in the mid-1960s and his heyday was the mid-1970s. About his outlaw image, he said: "It was a good marketing tool. In a way, I am that way. You start messing with my music, I get mean. As long was you are honest and up front with me, I will be the same with you. But I still do things my way."- Actor
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American actor of small roles in Westerns, particularly those of John Ford. Although his screen credits and many records indicate a wide variety of names and spellings, Steele's own signatures on his military documents indicate that he was born William Anton Gittinger on March 28, 1888 (not 1889) in San Antonio, Texas. Little is known of his life prior to his arrival in Los Angeles around 1910. As the film industry in Hollywood was just blossoming, and as he apparently had great experience with horses, Steele easily obtained work in quickie Westerns. He fought in Europe in World War I, then returned to Hollywood. While he was extremely inconsistent in the names he used, he worked consistently in Westerns throughout the silent era and up until the 1950s. His final appearance was as the wounded posse member Nesby in Ford's The Searchers (1956), his tenth film for Ford. He died ten years later, not quite 78 years old. He was survived by his wife Josephine, an actress. He is buried under his birth name at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas.- Actor
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- Writer
Willoughby Gray was born on 5 November 1916 in London, England, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for A View to a Kill (1985), The Princess Bride (1987) and Madame Bovary (1964). He was married to Felicity Gray. He died on 13 February 1993 in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England, UK.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Yoshisada Sakaguchi was born on 2 October 1939 in Tokyo, Japan. He was an actor, known for Lupin the 3rd (2014), Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (1999) and Ryuzo and the Seven Henchmen (2015). He died on 13 February 2020 in Tokyo, Japan.- Actor
- Producer
Anglo-Pakistani actor Zia Mohyeddin was born June 20, 1931 in Faisalabad, British India but lived his early life in Karachi, Pakistan. His father, Khadim Mohyeddin, was a mathematician and musicologist, and also a playwright and lyricist associated with various theatre groups.
Zia trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London from 1953-1956. Following important stage roles in "Long Day's Journey Into Night" and "Julius Caesar" in 1957, he made his West End bow as Dr. Aziz in "A Passage to India" in 1960.
After making his 1960 film debut in Pakistan, Mohyeddin made an impression as Tafas, Lawrence's ill-fated Arab guide, in the British classic film Lawrence of Arabia (1962). He continued with work on the BBC on several TV series including "Danger Man," "Sir Francis Drake" and "The Doctors and the Nurses." Other British films followed with supporting roles in A Boy Ten Feet Tall (1963), Behold a Pale Horse (1964), Deadlier Than the Male (1967), The Sailor from Gibraltar (1967), They Came from Beyond Space (1967) and Bombay Talkie (1970).
Zia returned to Pakistan at the request of the Bhutto regime in the late 60s and set up the PIA Arts and Dance Academy, which received critical merit for its classical as well as folk dances and music. He met the noted Kathak classical dancer Naheed Siddiqui and showcased her frequently in the company. They had a son, Hassan Mohyeddin, but later divorced. Zia also became a noted talk show figure on Pakistani TV (1969-1973).
Highly critical of the political regime, he left Pakistan in the late 1970's and returned to England, resuming his career there. Among his later films were Ashanti (1979), The Assam Garden (1985), and Immaculate Conception (1992), as well as the highly touted miniseries The Jewel in the Crown (1984), Masterpiece Theatre: Lord Mountbatten - The Last Viceroy (1986) and Shalom Salaam (1989), among other guest appearances on such TV programs as "Z Cars," "Minder" and "King of the Ghetto" (recurring).
Of his three marriages, Zia has four children. After divorcing second wife Sarwar Zamani, he married Azra Mohyeddin in the middle 1990's with whom he has a daughter, Aaliya Mohyeddin (born in 2002 when Zia was nearly 70). His other two children are sons Risha and Minos. In later years, he traveled the world promoting his Urdu poetry and prose recitations to international acclaim. His memoir, "A Carrot is a Carrot: Memories and Reflection," was published in 2012.
In February, the then President of Pakistan invited Mohyeddin to form the National Academy of Performing Arts in Karachi and thereafter became its president. The octogenarian has continued to appear as a lecturer/speaker, hosts occasional TV programs and narrates short films and commercials.