Deaths: December 18
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- Actress
- Soundtrack
Claudine Auger, a former Miss France 1st Runner-up (1958), received her dramatic training at the Paris Drama Conservatory and is best known to US / UK audiences as the stunning brunette "Domino" opposite Sean Connery in the James Bond thriller Thunderball (1965), She has kept fairly busy since her Bond days, acting in a number of Italian, French and Spanish films including The Bermuda Triangle (1978), Credo (1983), and La bocca (1991).- Abbey Simon was born on 8 January 1920 in New York City, New York, USA. He was married to Dina Levinson. He died on 18 December 2019 in Geneva, Canton de Genève, Switzerland.
- Actor
- Composer
- Soundtrack
A former railroad engineer, Alain Barrière started a successful career as a singer-sonwriter in 1962 with "Elle était si jolie". Now, Barrière is one of the best-known and well respected french singer-songwriter in all french countries over the world. Major hits: "Ma vie", "Plus je t'entends", "Emporte-moi", "C'était aux premiers jours d'avril", "À regarder la mer" and many others.- Ángeles Bravo is known for Una gran señora (1959), Llegaron siete muchachas (1957) and Amor de nadie (1990).
- Veteran character actress Anne Revere became another in the long line of talented artists whose careers would crash under the weight of the "Red Scare" hysteria that tore through Hollywood in the 1940s and 1950s. Born in Manhattan and a direct descendant of Revolutionary War figure Paul Revere, Anne graduated from Wellesley College, then trained for the stage at the American Laboratory Theatre.
She made her Broadway bow in 1931 with "The Great Barrington" and her film debut in a version of another Broadway play, Double Door (1934). Returning to Broadway after receiving no other film offers, she would not make another movie until 1940...then she stayed. She went on to epitomize the warm, wise and invariably stoic mother to a number of great "golden age" stars, her understated power and intensity capturing the hearts of critics and war-torn audiences alike. Her plain, freckled, careworn looks appeared equally at home on the frontier or in a tenement setting. Anne was nominated three times for an Oscar for her strong, matriarchal figures -- as Jennifer Jones' mother in The Song of Bernadette (1943), Elizabeth Taylor's in National Velvet (1944) and Gregory Peck's in Gentleman's Agreement (1947), winning the Oscar on her second try for National Velvet (1944).
A versatile talent, she extended her range to include a number of brittle, neurotic and even crazy ladies. This all ended abruptly in 1951 when her name appeared as one of 300 on the infamous "Hollywood blacklist". She had just completed a major role as Montgomery Clift's Salvation Army mom in A Place in the Sun (1951). She stood on her Fifth Amendment rights before the Communist-obsessed House Un-American Activities Committee and, as a result, her part in that film was reduced to a glorified cameo. She did not appear in another film for nearly 20 years (a starring role in a new TV series was also taken from her).
In the interim, she and husband Samuel Rosen, a stage actor, writer and director, ran an acting school in Los Angeles before relocating to New York, where she managed to find employment in stock productions and under the Broadway lights. She received the Tony Award during the 1960-1961 season for her fine portrayal of a spinster sister in Lillian Hellman's "Toys in the Attic," a part that went to British actress Wendy Hiller when it transferred to film. TV jobs began coming her way again in the mid-1960s, and by 1970 she was working sporadically on such daytime soaps as Search for Tomorrow (1951) and Ryan's Hope (1975). She appeared briefly in Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon (1970) starring Liza Minnelli, and then earned a showier part in Birch Interval (1976).
Anne passed away after contracting pneumonia at age 87 and was survived by a sister. She had no children. Although a victim of "Cold War" paranoia, she always persevered, showing the same kind of grit and courage that embodied her gallery of characters on film. - Actor
- Director
- Set Decorator
Augusto Fernandes was born on 29 November 1939 in Portugal. He was an actor and director, known for La mitad negada (2005), Der Groß-Cophta (1983) and Las dos (1971). He died on 18 December 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Exalted by her adoring fans as "Belita, the Ice Maiden", this Hollywood lady-in-waiting to Sonja Henie was born Maria Belita Jepson-Turner in Hampshire, England, on October 21, 1923. Trained in dance not long after learning how to walk (age 2), she went on to study ballet with Sir Anton Dolin. Belita's father was a military officer and her mother was the daughter of a royal physician to King Edward VII. Belita's mother was a strong-willed presence who geared her daughter towards becoming a star ballerina. Using skating to build up her overall strength, poise and endurance, ice soon took over Belita's life completely. A remarkably lithe and graceful athlete, she appeared in the Olympic games of 1936 at the age of 12(!) and turned professional two years later, continuing to keep her name, talent and reputation in the limelight. She also was fluent in four languages and played the violin.
After Norwegian Sonja Henie became a major Hollywood commodity with film extravaganzas being built around her prowess as a skater, it was only natural that England's version follow suit. Lovely Belita made her minor film debut as an ice dancer in the Republic Pictures movie Ice-Capades (1941), alongside other hard-water talents such as Lois Dworshak, Megan Taylor and Republic film star-to-be Vera Ralston. Belita's next film, however, put her prominently into the co-starring ranks. Silver Skates (1943) may have been a mediocre ice musical soap drama with a number of slippery angles, but she was front and center. She followed this with a top-billed role in the low-budget Monogram Pictures programmer Lady, Let's Dance (1944), in which she played under her own name as a war refugee/waitress/dancer who replaces the show's prima donna star at the last minute; romantic drama then ensues with her leading man. In it, she gets to show off every aspect of her dance capabilities -- ballet, ballroom and, of course, ice. It was to be her last movie vehicle on hard water, for while Henie had a big studio (Fox) promoting her, Belita had only a "Poverty Row" build-up. No contest.
Determined to maintain a post-war acting career, Belita decided to set foot on solid ground with purely dramatic vehicles. Her first was a suspense film aptly titled Suspense (1946) starring heavyweights Barry Sullivan and Albert Dekker. Although this film noir had an ice-skating setting and, yes, Belita does skate, the picture revolves this time around the dramatic plot. She hung up her skates while appearing with Sullivan again in The Gangster (1947) and with Preston Foster in The Hunted (1948) and enjoyed secondary roles in the classic mystery The Man on the Eiffel Tower (1949) starring Charles Laughton, and the rugged adventure/drama Never Let Me Go (1953) with Clark Gable. Laughton went on to utilize Belita on stage in one of his popular revivals of "The Cherry Orchard" (1950). She later went on to appear in theater productions of "Twelfth Night", "Ulysses in Nighttown", and "Damn Yankees!"
Belita's overall career started to wane in the 1950s. All during this time, however, Belita still was a spectacle to behold on ice, performing in Ice Capades, shows and extravaganzas all over the world, particularly in London. After over two decades, she abruptly retired her skates in 1956 and soon bid Hollywood farewell as well. She did appear in the second segment of Gene Kelly's three-part experimental film Invitation to the Dance (1956) and had a minor unbilled part in Silk Stockings (1957) before she retired. In 1964 she came out of nowhere, however, to star in the Argentine film The Terrace (1963) then was gone again.
Divorced from actor Joel McGinnis in 1956, she spent much time in England and later married Irish-born actor James Berwick (born James Kenny) in 1967. She opened a garden centre in West London and subsequently retired for the most part to the south of France, where she remained out of the public eye. Her second husband died in London from natural causes in 2000. She had no children by either husband and passed away in France on December 18, 2005, at age 82.- Actor
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
Christopher Crosby Farley was born on February 15, 1964, in Madison, Wisconsin, to Mary Anne (Crosby) and Thomas Farley, who owned an oil company. Among his siblings are actors Kevin P. Farley and John Farley. He was of Irish heritage. Farley studied theatre and communications on Marquette University. After finishing university he was in the cast of the Second City Theatre, where he was discovered by the producer of the great comedy show Saturday Night Live (1975), Lorne Michaels. Farley worked on Saturday Night Live (1975) for five years during which he appeared in movies like Wayne's World (1992), Coneheads (1993), Billy Madison (1995) and finally Tommy Boy (1995), with his comic partner and SNL cast member David Spade. The duo later made one more movie called Black Sheep (1996). From that time on, Farley was one of the big comedy stars, and his fame was growing and growing.
After some more time, he made another "lone" movie, Beverly Hills Ninja (1997), which featured former SNL member Chris Rock. Farley was made even more famous, but with his growing fame, his problems grew bigger as well; he didn't want to be the "fat guy who falls down" any longer. Farley had several other problems, too, with alcohol and drug dependency. On December 18th, 1997, he died from a heroin (opiate) and cocaine overdose in his apartment in Chicago, where his body was found by his brother John the next day. Farley's weight of 296 pounds was a contributing factor in his death, but according to his autopsy the alcohol, marijuana and Prozac that was also found in his body, were not. Less than two months prior to his death, he had appeared alongside Chevy Chase on what would be Farley's only SNL show as host. Not unlike his idol John Belushi, he was credited for one more appearance after having left SNL and died at age 33. His death cause was also the same. In the year after Farley's departing, the movie Almost Heroes (1998), where he plays the leading role alongside Matthew Perry was released. He also makes cameo appearances in Dirty Work (1998)- Actress
- Soundtrack
Connie Hines was born on 24 March 1931 in Dedham, Massachusetts, USA. She was an actress, known for Mister Ed (1961), Thunder in Carolina (1960) and Sea Hunt (1958). She was married to Lee Savin and Arthur Bryl Higgs. She died on 18 December 2009 in Beverly Hills, California, USA.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Director
Legendary for his preening, prancing, delightfully playful villain Captain Hook on the award-winning stage (as well as TV) opposite America's musical treasure Mary Martin, beloved musical star Cyril Ritchard had a vast career that would last six decades, but "Peter Pan" would become his prime legacy. Born in Australia just before the turn of the century, he was educated at St. Aloysius College and Sydney University wherein he slyly sidestepped a parental-guided career in medicine for entertainment, participating in numerous college productions that quickly got him "hooked." He began professionally in the chorus line of The Royal Comic Opera Company and quickly progressed to juvenile leads. A subsequent pairing with the already-established theatre actress Madge Elliott in 1918 proved successful, and the musical twosome eventually married in 1935. Together they would go on to become known as "The Musical Lunts" by their acting peers performing in scores of plays and revues together. Ritchard specialized in playing slick, dandified villains in musical comedy and developed a potent reputation of being a man of many talents. Not only directing and staging Broadway's finest, he became a renown performer of various operas and led many productions as such. Shortly before his wife's death of bone cancer in 1955, Ritchard ventured into TV infamy by repeating his Tony and Donaldson award-winning portrayal of Hook in Peter Pan (1955). He continued to earn acclaim and/or honors with such classic stage productions as "Visit to a Small Planet" (Tony-nominated), "The Pleasure of His Company" (Drama League award, Tony-nominated), "The Roar of the Greasepaint...the Smell of the Crowd" (Tony-nominated), "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "Sugar," the musical version of the classic Billy Wilder film Some Like It Hot (1959) in which Ritchard played the Joe E. Brown role. Lesser regarded when it comes to film, he performed in the early Hitchcock classic Blackmail (1929) and made his last movie with the musical Half a Sixpence (1967) with Tommy Steele. While performing as the Narrator in a stage production of "Side by Side by Sondheim" in November 1977, Ritchard suffered a heart attack and died one month later. A one-of-a-kind talent, his nefarious, narcissistic humor was a career trademark that culminated in the role of a lifetime -- one that will certainly be enjoyed by children young and old for eons to come.- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Writer/director/producer Danny Steinmann was the son of noted East Coast art collector Herbert R. Steinmann. Danny made his debut as both writer and director with the funky hardcore porno picture High Rise (1973), on which he used the alias Danny Stone. Steinmann was a production associate on Arthur Hiller's The Man in the Glass Booth (1975) and served as an associate producer on the offbeat Gene Roddenberry made-for-TV supernatural fright feature Spectre (1977). In addition, Danny headed a production company in Puerto Rico that made TV commercials for such companies as International House of Pancakes, Chase Manhattan Bank and Wesson Oil.
Danny directed and co-wrote the perverse psycho horror winner The Unseen (1980). Dissatisfied with the finished version of the film, Steinmann attributed his directorial credit to the pseudonym Peter Foleg. He followed this film with the terrifically trashy teen exploitation action/revenge thriller doozy Savage Streets (1984). Steinmann hit the relative big time with the mean-spirited slice-'n'-dice sequel Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985). Although the movie was a financial success, the production was very troubled and proved to be his cinematic swan song. He was announced as the director for a proposed sequel to the notorious The Last House on the Left (1972) but, alas, this project never came to be.- Actress
- Soundtrack
She was a child prodigy and pianist at age 10. Her first movie was There's Magic in Music (1941) aka The Hard-Boiled Canary (1941), under the name Dolly (a short version of her real name, Dolores) Loehr. She signed a long-term contract with Paramount in 1942 and had her name changed to Diana Lynn. She had good parts in The Major and the Minor (1942), The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1943), and Our Hearts Were Young and Gay (1944). She got fewer roles as she matured; she did do My Friend Irma (1949) and My Friend Irma Goes West (1950), based on the popular radio sitcom, and Bedtime for Bonzo (1951), and had a nice career on TV. Her first marriage was from 1948 to 1954 to architect John C. Lindsay (no children); then, on December 6, 1956, she married Mortimer C. Hall, president of L.A. radio station KLAC. His mother was Dorothy Schiff, then publisher of the New York Post. She had four children with him between 1958 and 1964. They moved to New York City so he could assume a post on his mother's paper. Diana Lynn passed away on December 17, 1971, of a stroke/brain hemorrhage in Los Angeles.- Dick Beach was born on 5 September 1928 in Sylvania, Ohio, USA. He was an actor, known for The Adventures of Salty and Friends (1960) and Fun Farm (1958). He was married to Patricia Ann Waite. He died on 18 December 2018 in Bardstown, Kentucky, USA.
- Doe Avedon was born on 7 April 1925 in Old Westbury, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for The High and the Mighty (1954), Deep in My Heart (1954) and The Boss (1956). She was married to Don Siegel, Dan Matthews and Richard Avedon. She died on 18 December 2011 in Encino, California, USA.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Although a veteran of over 70 feature films including many grade A classics, Norris was best known as the star of many Bs, thanks to his appearances in innumerable second features during the 1930s and 1940s. The son of a prominent gynecologist, Dr. Richard Cooper Norris, he grew up in Philadelphia. At 16 he dropped out of the Culver Military Academy to marry a socially prominent physician's daughter, and took a job as a reporter. When the marriage ended two years later, Edward spent time on the west coast where a chance meeting with famed director, William A. Wellman netted him his first film work, as a double for actor Buddy Rogers in the World War I classic, Wings (1927). Taking Wellman's advice, Norris headed back east in 1928 to gain acting experience in stage productions and traveling shows. By 1933 he was back in Hollywood where he soon won a small role in Rouben Mamoulian's Queen Christina (1933), starring Greta Garbo.
His film debut landed him a long-term contract with MGM who intended to groom him as a romantic leading man. Unfortunately Louis B. Mayer soon abandoned plans for Norris after signing another handsome youngster, Robert Taylor who quickly became a studio favorite. Unfortunately, only three times during his Metro contract was Norris given opportunities commensurate with his abilities: on loan out to Fox as a kidnapping victim in the thriller Show Them No Mercy! (1935), as a young criminal attempting to save his adolescent brother in the Oscar winning drama Boys Town (1938), and notably, as a young teacher falsely accused of murdering one of his pupils in Warners' wrenching social drama They Won't Forget (1937). The latter, Norris' favorite role, won him wide acclaim and additional offers of employment from other studios which MGM nixed.
Increasingly disgruntled, Norris became temporarily lost in a sea of self-pity and booze, and in the process acquired a reputation for being rebellious and unreliable. In 1938 he left MGM and signed with Fox who also utilized him poorly. Although his first rate performance as a reformed criminal in Fox's crime drama The Escape (1939) earned accolades, the film was a second feature which garnered little attention. Sadly his other Fox films including Frontier Marshal (1939), The Gorilla (1939), and Here I Am a Stranger (1939) gave him little to do.
By 1941 Norris had conquered his demons and become a freelance actor while serving as a pilot instructor for the U.S. Army Air Force. Stationed in southern California, he continued to make movies, appearing in 26 mostly low budget features from 1941 to 1945. In 1946 Norris film career reached its zenith with his starring role as a bloodthirsty killer in Monogram's acclaimed noir classic Decoy (1946). During the following decade he also earned good reviews for memorable performances in over a dozen other features. His last screen appearance came in 1955 in the United Artists western, The Kentuckian (1955).
After he ceased making films, Norris made several guest appearances on television before retiring from acting in the early 1960s. A wealthy man, thanks to shrewd investments, he devoted the remainder of his life to managing his real estate and pursuing his innumerable hobbies including antique car and gun collections as well as raising horses.
In 1978 Norris made headlines when a firestorm destroyed his Malibu home. In 1997 he moved to Fort Bragg, a small town two hours north of San Francisco, where he died on December 18, 2002. He was 91 years old.- Writer
- Actor
Gordie Tapp was born on 4 June 1922 in London, Ontario, Canada. He was a writer and actor, known for Sweet Country Music (1983), Wild Horse Hank (1979) and Hee Haw (1969). He was married to Constance Helen Mair. He died on 18 December 2016 in Burlington, Ontario, Canada.- Coach Herman Boone is the legendary high school coach portrayed by Denzel Washington in Remember the Titans (2000). He took over the T.C. Williams High School team in Alexandria, Virginia in 1971 after the school was forced to integrate. Tensions were made worse due to the fact that Coach Boone was given the job over popular White coach Bill Yoast. In the face of significant racial unrest, Coach Boone led the Titans to the Virginia State Championship.
- Music Department
- Writer
- Composer
Composer, songwriter ("Swanee", "Tea for Two", "Crazy Rhythm", "Just a Gigolo"), author and publisher, educated at Chautauqua Mountain Institute and City College of New York. He was a stenographer aboard the Henry Ford Peace Ship during World War I. He joined ASCAP in 1920 and was a director between 1920 and 1946, and again in 1949, and he was the co-founder and a past-president of AGAC. He collaborated musically with George Gershwin, Vincent Youmans, Victor Herbert, Sigmund Romberg, Rudolf Friml, Ray Henderson, Cliff Friend, Louis Hirsch, Roger Wolfe Kahn, Joseph Meyer, Oscar Levant and Gerald Marks. His Broadway stage scores include "Greenwich Village Follies " (four editions), "Betty Lee", "Sweetheart Time", "No, No, Nanette", "Yes, Yes, Yvette", "Here's Howe", "Americana", "Ripples", "Nina Rosa", "The Wonder Bar", "Melody" and "White Horse Inn". His popular song compositions also include "Imagination", "There Ought to Be a Law Against That", "Lady Play Your Mandolin", "You Are the Song", "What, No Mickey Mouse", "Give Me a Roll on the Drum", "If I Forget You", "Hold My Hand", "My Dog Loves Your Dog", "Oh, You Nasty Man", "Oh, Susannah, Dust Off that Old Pianna", "That's What I Want for Christmas", "Animal Crackers in My Soup", "Blue Eyes", "I Canno Live Without Your Love", "Is It True What They Say About Dixie?", "Love Is Such a Cheat", "Umbriago", "I Was So Young (You Were So Beautiful), "Sixty Seconds Every Minute", "Chansonette", "What Do You Do Sunday, Mary?", "Nashville Nightingale", "I Want to Be Happy", "Too Many Rings Around Rosie", "You Can Dance With Any Girl At All", "Sometimes I'm Happy", "Gigolette", "I'm a Little Fonder of You", and "Your US Mail Gets Through" (official song, National Association of Postmasters of the U.S.).- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Coming from a theatrical family, Jack Douglas' entry into show business was as a producer, however, not as a performer. His father was a theatrical producer, and Jack followed in his footsteps at an early age--he produced his first show at 15. Douglas showed no interest in the performing end of the business until one night when one of his actors took ill and, there being no replacement, Douglas put on the character's costume and did it himself. He enjoyed it so much that he soon gave up producing comedies and began performing in them. It wasn't long before he became one of the more recognizable character actors in British films, especially in the "Carry On" series, where he played a variation on his most famous character, a nervous, terrified and perpetually fidgety little man.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Jana Stepánková was born on 6 September 1934 in Zilina, Czechoslovakia [now Slovakia]. She was an actress, known for The Death of Tarzan (1963), Hospital at the End of the City Twenty Years On (2003) and Hospital at the End of the City - The New Generation (2008). She was married to Jaroslav Dudek. She died on 18 December 2018 in Prague, Czech Republic.- Actress
Joan Tabor was born on 16 September 1932 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA. She was an actress, known for Dante (1960), The Red Skelton Hour (1951) and Espionage: Far East (1961). She was married to Broderick Crawford and Abraham David Gold. She died on 18 December 1968 in Culver City, California, USA.- John Costelloe was born on 8 November 1961 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Die Hard 2 (1990), Black Rain (1989) and Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993). He died on 18 December 2008 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA.
- Actor
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- Composer
Kim Jonghyun was born on 8 April 1990 in Seoul, South Korea. He was an actor and writer, known for Jonghyun feat. Zion.T: Deja-Boo (2015), City Hunter (2011) and Oh My Venus (2015). He died on 18 December 2017 in Seoul, South Korea.- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Joseph Roland Barbera was an American animator, film director, and television producer. He was the co-founder of the company Hanna-Barbera, with his longtime partner William Hanna.
Barbera was born in an Italian-American family. His parents were barbershop-owner Vincent Barbera (1889-1965) and Francesca Calvacca (1875-1969), both Italian immigrants from Sicily. Vincent was from the farming town of Castelvetrano, while Francesca was from the spa town of Sciacca (founded as the ancient Greek colony of Thermae).
Barbera was born in Little Italy, at the Lower East Side section of Manhattan. Months following his birth, Barbera's family moved to Flatbush, Brooklyn. He was mostly raised in Flatbush. Vincent Barbera grew prosperous for a while, but a gambling addiction led him to squander the family fortune. In 1926, Vincent abandoned his family, and Joseph was taken under the wing of his maternal uncle Jim Calvacca.
Barbera attended Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn. During his high school years, he worked as a tailor's delivery boy. Meanwhile, he excelled in boxing and won a number of titles, but decided against becoming a professional boxer. He graduated high school in 1928, and started working odd jobs.
In 1929, Barbera first became interested in animation, after viewing Walt Disney's "The Skeleton Dance" (1929). Shortly after, he started working as a freelance cartoonist. Some of his print cartoons were published in Redbook, the Saturday Evening Post, and Collier's. Meanwhile Barbera took art classes at the Art Students League of New York and the Pratt Institute, hoping to improve his drawing skills.
Barbera was eventually hired as an inker and colorist by Fleischer Studios. In 1932, he was hired by the Van Beuren Studios as an animator and storyboard artist. At Van Beuren he worked on such film series as "Cubby Bear" and "Rainbow Parades". The studio's most prominent cartoon starts were a human duo known as "Tom and Jerry". Barbera worked on the Tom and Jerry series, and apparently liked the sound of the duo's name.
In 1936, Barbera left the financially struggling Van Beuren studio to work for Paul Terry's Terrytoons studio. In 1937, he left Terrytoons to work for the then-recently established Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio (1937-1957). MGM offered its animators higher salaries than what Terrytoons could offer. His first few years at the studio were not particularly notable. In 1939, he and co-worker William Hanna started working on the idea of a cat-and-mouse duo of characters. They were allowed to co-direct "Puss Gets the Boot" (1940), introducing the new duo of Tom and Jerry. It was critically and commercially successful, but studio head Fred Quimby was initially uninterested in producing a full series of Tom and Jerry films. The lack of success of other products of the studio convinced Quimby, and Barbera and Hanna became the head of their own production unit to work on the new series.
From 1940 to 1957, Hanna and Barbera co-directed 114 Tom and Jerry animated shorts. The Tom and Jerry series was very popular with critics and audience. But by the 1950s, production costs were high while the profitability of the shorts was lower than before. MGM decided to shut down its animation subsidiary. Barbera was unemployed for the first time in decades.
Barbera briefly partnered with Robert D. Buchanan (1931-) in production of an animated television series, the science fiction series "Colonel Bleep" (1957-1960). It was the first animated series specifically produced for color television. Barbera eventually left this partnership and teamed up with William Hanna again. They founded Hanna-Barbera Productions, their own animation studio. With theatrical animation in decline, they focused on the new market of television animation.
The studio's first television series was the moderately successful "The Ruff & Reddy Show". It was succeeded by the much more popular "The Huckleberry Hound Show" and "The Yogi Bear Show". Survey's revealed that the two shows had attracted an adult audience, convincing Hanna and Barbera that they could market animation to adults. Their next series was the animated sitcom "The Flintstones" (1960-1966), popular with both children and adults. Its success helped establish Hanna-Barbera Productions as the leader in television animation.
In 1966, Hanna-Barbera Productions was sold to Taft Broadcasting for $12 million dollars.Barbera and Hanna remained studio heads until 1991, when the studio was sold to the Turner Broadcasting System for an estimated 320 million million dollars. Barbera and Hanna were reduced to advisory positions, which would they keep for the rest of their lives. Barbera periodically worked on new Hanna-Barbera shows, and even provided input for the original live-action adaptation of Scooby-Doo in 2002.
In 2001, Hanna-Barbera Productions was absorbed into Warner Bros. Animation. Barbera received executive producer credits for Warner Bros. sequels and adaptations of his old series (such as "What's New, Scooby-Doo?" and "Tom and Jerry Tales"). In 2005, Barbera co-directed a new Tom and Jerry short film: "The Karate Guard". Barbera then started work on a Tom and Jerry feature film, " Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale" (2007). He died before production was completed.
Barbera died in December 2006, at the age of 95. He had never fully retired and was still working at the time of his death. His legacy includes more than a 100 television series, and a large number of enduring characters.- Director
- Writer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Born in 1929 in Szopienice, Upper Silesia, to a railway worker's family. After graduating from secondary school he enrolled in the Directing Faculty at Theatre and Film School, graduating in 1954.
In 1959, he debuted with a film entitled Krzyz Walecznych (1959). He has gone on to direct over 20 feature films, including Nikt nie wowa (1960), Panic on the Train (1961), _Sol ziemi czarnej (1970)_ , Perla w koronie (1972)_ , _Paciorki jednego rozanca (1980)_ and _Pulkownik Kwiatkowski (1996)_ . Worked in many theatres, most recently at Teatr Stary (Old Theatre) in Kraków and Teatr Narodowy (National Theatre) in Warsaw. He is a current-affairs commentator, writes about films and topics related to Silesia.
In 1972, he founded the Silesia Film Company in Katowice and, until 1978, was its Artistic Director. Between 1981 and 1983, he lectured in the Radio and Television Faculty at Silesian University in Katowice, and, between 1985 and 1991, taught directing at the Higher Theatre School in Krakow.
From 1987, he was Principal Director in the Polish Television Centre in Katowice and, between 1990 and 1991, headed the Centre. 1966 - founding member of the Association of Polish Filmmakers. Member of the Writers' Section of the Union of Stage Writers and Composers. Member of Senate (Higher Chamber of Polish Parliament) of 4th term. Deputy Chairman of Senate of 5th term.- Actor
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- Soundtrack
Kenny Lynch was born on 18 March 1938 in Stepney, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Plank (1967), Room at the Bottom (1966) and Seaside Swingers (1964). He died on 18 December 2019 in the UK.- Music Artist
- Composer
- Music Department
English songwriter and singer Kristy MacColl had hits with such albums as "Kite" (1989), "Titanic Days" (1994) and "Tropical Brainstorm" (2000). Her first hit as a songwriter was "They Don't Know" for Tracey Ullman in 1983. Her trademark style is a sharp wit allied to strong melodies. Her work combines these with Cuban and Brazilian rhythms, creating her most upbeat collection yet. She has written and performed theme songs for three British TV series. Surprisingly for such a gifted writer, her biggest single hits have been cover versions, notably "Days" by Ray Davies, Billy Bragg's "New England" and of course "Fairytale of New York" with The Pogues.- Larry Harris was born on 31 May 1947 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. Larry was married to Mary Candice Hill. Larry died on 18 December 2017 in Port Angeles, Washington, USA.
- Larry Lujack was born on 6 June 1940 in Quasqueton, Iowa. He was an actor, known for A Video History of the American Radio Personality! (2013). He was married to Gina and Judith Seguin. He died on 18 December 2013 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA.
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Society dance band leader of the 1920's and 30's, who started as a 12-year old teenager playing the violin with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He put together his own band in 1919 and began a prolific recording career with Columbia two years later. Reisman was able to secure residency at the Egyptian Room of the Hotel Brunswick until 1929, when he moved the organisation from Boston to New York's Central Park Casino. There the band made frequent national radio broadcasts and achieved considerable commercial success without ever playing particularly 'hot' jazz. His sponsored radio shows included 'The Lucky Strike Hit Parade' and 'RKO Theatre of the Air', heralded by his theme song "What Is This Thing Called Love?".
Reisman was noticeably canny in recognising talent, both in performance and in composition. He featured hits by the great composers of the day, including Cole Porter , Con Conrad ("The Continental") and Irving Berlin. He discovered future stars Eddy Duchin, Max Kaminsky and Nat Brandwynne. His vocalists included Lee Wiley, Fred Astaire and Anita Boyer. He gave another unknown, Dinah Shore a head start in 1939, letting her perform in front of the band at the Strand Theatre in 1939.
At the peak of his popularity, the Reisman Orchestra performed regularly at the Waldorf-Astoria and other swank venues frequented by the New York elite. They toured Europe in 1937, featuring at the Paris International Exposition. Reisman had various recording contracts during the 1930's with Vocalion, Brunswick and Victor and claimed in later years to have made more records than any other contemporary bandleader.- Lilia Sofer was born on November 28, 1896, to Catholic Katharina Skala and Jewish Julius Sofer , in Vienna, Austria. Julius Sofer worked as a manufacturer's representative for the Waldes Kohinoor Company. Lilia had two sisters: Lisl (later known as renowned dance-therapy pioneer Elizabeth Polk); and Felicitas ("Lizi"--pronounced "Litzi"), an infant nurse. All three sisters adopted their mother's Gentile maiden name of "Skala" and emigrated to the United States.
Lilia Skala would become a star on two continents. In pre-World War II Austria she starred in famed Max Reinhardt's stage troupe, and in post-war America she would become a notable award-worthy matronly character star on Broadway and in films. Forced to flee her Nazi-occupied homeland with her Jewish husband, Louis Erich Pollak (who also adopted his mother-in-law's Gentile maiden name of "Skala") and two young sons in the late 1930s, Lilia and her family managed to escape (at different times) to England. In 1939, practically penniless, they emigrated to the USA, where she sought menial labor in New York's garment district. She quickly learned English and worked her way back to an acting career, this time as a sweet, delightful, thick-accented Academy Award, Golden Globe and Emmy nominee.
She broke through the Broadway barrier in 1941 with "Letters to Lucerne", followed by a featured role in the musical "Call Me Madam" with Ethel Merman. In the 1950s, she did an extensive tour in "The Diary of Anne Frank" as Mrs. Frank, and performed in a German-language production of Kurt Weill's "The Threepenny Opera". Lilia became a familiar benevolent face on TV in several early soap operas, including Claudia: The Story of a Marriage (1952).
She won her widest claim to fame, however, as the elderly chapel-building Mother Superior opposite Sidney Poitier in Lilies of the Field (1963), for which she won both Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations. That led to more character actress work in films, most notably as the dog-carrying Jewish lady in the star-studded Ship of Fools (1965) and as Jennifer Beals's elderly friend in Flashdance (1983). On TV she played Eva Gabor's Hungarian mother in Green Acres (1965) and earned an Emmy nomination for her work in the popular miniseries Eleanor and Franklin (1976)).
She continued filming into her 90th year. Her final film work, occurring in the 1980's, went on to include a touching role as Hanna Long in the hit musical Flashdance (1983), plus parts in Testament (1983), House of Games (1987) and Men of Respect (1990). A few years later, on December 18, 1994, Lilia died of natural causes in Bay Shore (Long Island), New York, a few weeks after her 98th birthday. - Madeleine Taylor Holmes was born on 6 August 1914 in Forest Hills, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), Pumpkinhead (1988) and Fatso (1980). She was married to Victor Osorio. She died on 18 December 1987 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Majel Barrett (born Majel Leigh Hudec) was an American actress, known for her long association with Star Trek. She had multiple Star Trek-related roles, though she is mostly remembered for her roles as Nurse Christine Chapel in Star Trek, The Original Series (1966-1969) and as Lwaxana Troi in Star Trek, The Next Generation (1987-1994) and Deep Space Nine (1993-1999). Due to her status as the second wife of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry (1921-1991), Barrett was nicknamed "the First Lady of Star Trek".
In 1932, Barrett was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Her father was police officer William Hudec (d. 1955), who was eventually killed while on duty. Barrett had aspirations of becoming an actress since childhood, and took acting classes as a child. She received her secondary education at the Shaker Heights High School, a public high school located in a suburb of Cleveland, and graduated in 1950 at the age of 18. She then enrolled at the University of Miami, a public research university located in Coral Gables, Florida.
Following her graduation from university, started a career as a theatrical actress. In 1955, she was on tour with an off-Broadway road company. She had her first film role in the satirical film "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?" (1957), which parodied the advertising industry, among other targets of satire. Barrett appeared in an uncredited bit part in a satirical advertisement within the film. Barrett's first credited film role was that Joyce Goodwin, a novice teacher depicted in the high school drama film "As Young as We Are" (1958). The film focuses on a male student who falls in love with his young, female teacher, and resorts to kidnapping her.
In the early 1960s, Barrett had small roles in the romantic comedy "Love in a Goldfish Bowl" (1961) and the World War II-themed war film "The Quick and the Dead" (1963), and appeared in guest star roles in then-popular television series, such as "Leave It to Beaver", "The Lucy Show", and "Bonanza". She was often employed by the television production company Desilu Productions, which at the time was owned by veteran actress Lucille Ball (1911-1989).
One of the television shows she appeared in was an episode of "The Lieutenant" (1964). This short-lived series created and written by Gene Roddenberry provided his first meetings and workings with many of the actors who would later become regulars and guest stars of Star Trek, including its two pilots. Barrett and Roddenberry befriended each other, and eventually started a romantic relationship. Roddenberry was still married to Eileen-Anita Rexroat, but often pursued relationships with other women.
In 1964, Roddenberry was working on the original pilot for Star Trek. He cast Barrett in the role of "Number One", the unnamed first officer of the star-ship USS Enterprise. Number One was depicted as exceptionally intelligent and strictly rational, but seemingly unemotional. The episode hinted at a mutual attraction between Number One and her captain, Christopher Pike (played by Jeffrey Hunter). The alien Talosians try to force them to mate with each other, as part of a breeding project.
This pilot was rejected by NBC executives, who complained about several aspects of the episode. One of them was the characterization of Number One, who was disliked for being overly assertive. In the subsequent retooling of the series, Number One was written out. Her character traits were added to that of a male character, Spock (played by Leonard Nimoy). Spock went on to become one of the franchise's most popular characters, due in large part to his coldly rational behavior.
Still determined to cast Barrett in the series, Roddenberry later created a more traditionally feminine role for her. The role was that of Nurse Christine Chapel, depicted as the main assistant of Dr. Leonard McCoy (played by DeForest Kelley). Chapel was one of the main recurring characters in the series for three years. She was one of the earliest prominent female characters in Star Trek.
In 1969, "Star Trek" was canceled. Barrett and Rodenberry briefly parted ways. Later that year, Rodenberry was in Japan on business. He realized that he missed Barrett and invited her to join him in Japan. On August 6, 1969, the two had a traditional Shinto wedding ceremony. This wedding was unofficial, as Roddenberry's divorce had not been finalized yet. Following the end of the divorce process, the two were officially married on December 29, 1969. Barrett served as a stepmother to Dawn Roddenberry (b.1953), Gene's teenage daughter. Dawn moved into the new couple's residence, and Barrett helped in her upbringing.
Already known for her science fiction roles, Barrett was cast as female android Miss Carrie in the science fiction-Western "Westworld". Her character was the madame of the Westworld bordello. Barrett also had roles in the post-apocalyptic television film "Genesis II" (1973) and the science fiction television film "The Questor Tapes" (1974), both created and scripted by her husband.
Star Trek was revived with the sequel series "Star Trek: The Animated Series" (1973-1974), which used much of the main cast from the original series. Barrett voiced two of the series' main female characters, Christine Chapel and M'Ress. The new character M'Ress was depicted as a female alien in feline form, who served as an officer on the Enterprise. Barrett also voiced many of this series' female guest characters.
Barrett had a small role in the neo-noir film "The Domino Principle" (1977). The film depicted a secretive organization first helping a prisoner escape, and then trying to force him to serve as their newest assassin. When the escaped man refuses, a lethal struggle begins. This film was poorly received due to its convoluted plot.
Barrett's next notable role was the housekeeper Lilith in the horror film "Spectre" (1977). Her character is depicted as a practicing witch, who manages to cure the alcoholic tendencies of one of the main characters. The plot of film depicts the demon Asmodeus assuming a human form and identity, while two occult detectives attempt to stop the demon's scheme. The film was intended as the pilot of a television series, but was rejected.
Barrett played Christine Chapel again in the film "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" (1979), depicting older versions of the characters from the original series. While Chapel was not one of the film's main characters, she was now depicted as a doctor instead of a nurse.
Barrett's last appearance in the 1970s was a minor role in the Christmas television film "The Man in the Santa Claus Suit" (1979). The film depicted Santa Claus (played by Fred Astaire) subtly helping a number of adult characters in resolving their personal problems. The film is mainly remembered as Astaire's last television role.
Barrett played Christine Chapel for the last time in the film "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" (1986). She had a supporting role in the film, which depicted the former nurse as having achieved the rank of Commander. A year later, a third Star Trek television series was launched: "Star Trek: The Next Generation", which featured entirely new characters. Barrett guested in a few episodes as alien ambassador Lwaxana Troi, the eccentric mother of counselor Deanna Troi (played by Marina Sirtis). Barrett would play this role several times in this and the next Star Trek series, "Deep Space Nine", from 1987 to 1996. A subplot involving the character was that Lwaxana's other daughter had died young in an accident, causing Lwaxana to be overly protective of Deanna. Another subplot centered on her love relationship with Deep Space 9's shape-shifting security chief Odo.
In 1991, Gene Roddenberry died from natural causes. Barrett never remarried. In the 90s, she lent her voice talents to several Star Trek video games and the animated Spider Man TV series, and had roles in two theatrical movies. As Roddenberry had left behind archives with unfinished projects, Barrett further developed one of these projects into the science fiction television series "Earth: Final Conflict" (1997-2002). She served as the series' executive producer and acted as one of the main characters, Dr. Julianne Belman, in 11 episodes in the first three seasons. The premise of the series was that a group of seemingly benevolent aliens share their advanced technology with the people of Earth. Many humans suspect that the aliens have ulterior motives, and consequently form a militant resistance organization which opposes the aliens. The series lasted 5 seasons and 110 episodes.
Barrett fleshed out another of Roddenberry's unfinished projects into the space opera television series "Andromeda" (2000-2005). The series started in a distant future, where three galaxies are unified under the control of the Systems Commonwealth. When the Commonwealth attempts to resolve a war with another space-faring civilization by ceding territory to them, an uprising against the Commonwealth begins. In an early part of the conflict the spaceship "Andromeda Ascendant" is frozen in time. It emerges from stasis 303 years later, to find that the Commonwealth has collapsed and civilization has considerably declined. Main character Dylan Hunt (played by Kevin Sorbo) has the mission of restoring the Commonwealth. Like the previous Roddenberry series, "Andromeda" also lasted 5 seasons and 110 episodes. It was canceled largely due to a change of ownership of the production company Fireworks Entertainment. It was Barrett's last effort as an executive producer.
In her last years, Barrett was suffering from leukemia. She died in December 2008, at her home in Bel Air, Los Angeles. She was 76-years-old. Her funeral was held in early January 2009, with about 250 people in attendance. Several of her former co-stars from Star Trek attended the funeral. Prior to her death, Barrett had recorded a number of voice roles in several Star Trek fan films and series, resulting in some posthumous releases of her last roles. She is still remembered as a major figure of Star Trek.- Mark Felt grew up in a modest Idaho home. He graduated from the University of Idaho and attended George Washington University Law School. Felt joined the FBI in 1942 and worked his way up to become assistant director to J. Edgar Hoover in 1965, succeeding to the No. 2 position of Associate Director upon Hoover's death. In 1972, after a break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate complex, the FBI began investigating the White House for potential cover-up and surveillance activities. Two reporters at the Washington Post, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, pieced together the Watergate conspiracy with the help of an anonymous informant named 'Deep Throat.' Their reporting eventually led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon in 1974, and the indictment of over two dozen people in the Nixon administration. Woodward and Bernstein, however, kept Deep Throat's identity a closely-guarded secret.
For three decades, the identity of Deep Throat was modern journalism's greatest unsolved mystery. Dozens of books speculated on Deep Throat's identity, and a long list of names was guessed over the years. As for Felt, he retired from the FBI and moved to northern California. Though he had originally planned for his secret identity to be revealed only after his death, he came forward at his family's urging on May 31, 2005 in a Vanity Fair article. Felt revealed, at the age of 91, that he was the infamous Deep Throat. - Miguel Munarriz was born on 7 May 1957 in Pamplona, Navarra, Spain. He was an actor, known for Ander Eta Yul (1988), Obaba (2005) and El comisario (1999). He died on 18 December 2019 in Pamplona, Navarra, Spain.
- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Nick Stewart was born on 15 March 1910 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963), Carmen Jones (1954) and Silver Streak (1976). He was married to Edna Stewart. He died on 18 December 2000 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Norberto Díaz was born on 1 March 1952 in Buenos Aires City, Distrito Federal, Argentina. He was an actor, known for Sheik (1995), Celeste, siempre Celeste (1993) and Yago, pasión morena (2001). He was married to Alejandra Abreu. He died on 18 December 2010 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Actor
- Music Department
- Producer
Patxi Andión was born on 6 October 1947 in Madrid, Spain. He was an actor and producer, known for Asesinato en el Comité Central (1982), La virtud del asesino (1998) and Blood Hunt (1986). He was married to Gloria Monis and Amparo Muñoz. He died on 18 December 2019 in Cubo de la Solana, Soria, Castilla y León, Spain.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Actor, writer, producer and director Peter Masterston is best known for his adaptation of Larry L. King's "Playboy" magazine article "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982)" into a smash Broadway musical, for which he received two Tony nominations. He also was the screenwriter of the underwhelming 1982 film adaptation that starred Burt Reynolds and Dolly Parton. Masterston complained that Reynolds, then in full-superstar status, had tinkered with the character and dialog of the sheriff to make him more like Reynolds' own persona, thus fatally flawing the film.
Before hitting it big with "Whorehouse", Masterston had an unspectacular career as an actor beginning in the mid-1960s and continuing through the mid-'80s, when he shifted his attentions towards directing with The Trip to Bountiful (1985). The film, which was adapted by Masterston's cousin Horton Foote from Foote's own play, was a success, earning Geraldine Page the Academy Award as Best Actress.- Writer
- Director
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Robert Bresson trained as a painter before moving into films as a screenwriter, making a short film (atypically a comedy), Public Affairs (1934) in 1934. After spending more than a year as a German POW during World War II, he made his debut with Angels of Sin (1943) in 1943. His next film, The Ladies of the Bois de Boulogne (1945) would be the last time he would work with professional actors. From Journal d'un cure de campagne (1951) (aka "Diary of a Country Priest") onwards, he created a unique minimalist style in which all but the barest essentials are omitted from the film (often, crucial details are only given in the soundtrack), with the actors (he calls them "models") giving deliberately flat, expressionless performances. It's a demanding and difficult, intensely personal style, which means that his films never achieved great popularity (it was rare for him to make more than one film every five years), but he has a fanatical following among critics, who rate him as one of the greatest artists in the history of the cinema. He retired in the 1980s, after failing to raise the money for a long-planned adaptation of the Book of Genesis.- Robert Gunner was born on 27 July 1931 in North Plainfield, New Jersey, USA. He was an actor, known for Planet of the Apes (1968), The Jackals (1967) and The Green Hornet (1966). He died on 18 December 2001 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Writer
- Additional Crew
- Producer
Ronald Wolfe was born on 8 August 1922 in Stoke Newington, London, England, UK. He was a writer and producer, known for On the Buses (1969), The Rag Trade (1961) and On the Buses (1971). He was married to Rose Krieger. He died on 18 December 2011 in London, England, UK.- Actor
- Music Department
Came to Holland in 1949 together with his family. After school time he performed with his brother Riem several times and even made a few studio recordings. In 1960 they made their first hit called Ramona a cover from the Everly Brothers. This became a number one hit in Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, France, Spain, Germany, Japan, Thailand and Indonesia. They covered many of the Everly Brothers songs. Got an Edison award for the song Ramona of which seven million copies were sold. The Blue Diamonds were one of the few bands in the world where only death of one of the members could took it apart. They stood on top of the Dutch music scene for 40 years and far beyond its borders. On the eighteenth of December, Ruud de Wollf died, not very long after the group's last appearance on the third of November in the year 2000. Thus ending one of the most successful Dutch pop bands.- Actor
- Director
- Additional Crew
Actor and director Sam Wanamaker was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Ukrainian Jewish immigrants, Molly (Babell) and Maurice Wattenmaker, a tailor. He studied at Drake University, IA, then trained at Goodman Theatre, Chicago, worked with summer stock companies in Chicago as an actor and director, and made his London debut in 1952. In 1957, he was appointed director of the New Shakespeare Theatre, Liverpool, and in 1959 joined the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre company at Stratford-upon-Avon. He produced or directed several works at Covent Garden and elsewhere in the 1960s and 1970s, including the Shakespeare Birthday Celebrations in 1974. He worked both as director and actor in films and television, his appearances included The Spiral Staircase (1975), Private Benjamin (1980), Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987), and Baby Boom (1987).
Married to Charlotte Holland, his daughter is actress Zoë Wanamaker.- Actor
- Stunts
- Producer
Steve Dash was born on 14 March 1944 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor and producer, known for 9½ Weeks (1986), Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) and Equalizer 2000 (1987). He was married to Loretta Fountain. He died on 18 December 2018 in Florida, USA.- Actor
- Stunts
- Writer
Steve James was often cast in action movies as the hero's sidekick, despite usually being a better actor and fighter than the star. James was raised in New York City, attended C.W. Post College as an Arts and Film major, and upon graduating, became involved in stage work and TV commercials. He started in film as a stuntman, working in such New York productions as Ghostbusters, The Wiz, The Warriors, and The Wanderers. His first major film role was as Robert Ginty's sidekick in The Exterminator; he later played sidekick to such stars as Michael Dudikoff (3 times), David Carradine, and Chuck Norris. His last 2 films were the pilot for the TV series "M.A.N.T.I.S." which aired on the Fox network just a few weeks after his death at age 41 of pancreatic cancer and "Bloodfist V: Human Target" with Don "The Dragon" Wilson which premiered after Steve's death.- Ted Markland was born on 15 January 1933 in Syracuse, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), Colors (1988) and Last Man Standing (1996). He died on 18 December 2011 in Yucca Valley, California, USA.
- Director
- Writer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Tunç Basaran was born on 1 October 1938 in Istanbul, Turkey. He was a director and writer, known for Don't Let Them Shoot the Kite (1989), Sen de Gitme (1995) and Biri ve Digerleri (1988). He was married to Füsun Önal. He died on 18 December 2019 in Turkey.- Writer
- Actor
- Director
Václav Havel was born on 5 October 1936 in Prague, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. He was a writer and actor, known for Leaving (2011), The Beggar's Opera (1991) and Heart Beat 3D (2010). He was married to Dagmar Havlová and Olga Splíchalová. He died on 18 December 2011 in Hrádecek, Czech Republic.- Stunning Italian actress Virna Lisi, a brief but lovely Hollywood import in the 1960's, was merely one of a plethora of European movie beauties who proved over the course of their long careers, that they were capable of more than just visual performances.
Born Virna Lisa Pieralisi on November 8, 1936, she began her film career as a 17-year-old teen with a co-starring part with the musical drama ...e Napoli canta! (1953) (Naples Sings!). Cast initially for her photographic beauty, she gained more experience in such early pictures as Lettera napoletana (1954) and La corda d'acciaio (1954) before earning her first top-billed movie lead in Piccola santa (1954) opposite Rosario Borelli. Other late 50's/early 60's films that helped steam up her image included Luna nova (1955), Le diciottenni (1955), La rossa (1955), The Doll That Took the Town (1957), Lost Souls (1959) opposite Jacques Sernas, Don't Tempt the Devil (1963) (Don't Tempt the Devil), Sua Eccellenza si fermò a mangiare (1961) (His Excellency Stayed to Dinner], the Italian-made spectacle, Duel of the Titans (1961) and an innocent role in the French-made Eva (1962) starring the scheming Jeanne Moreau in the title role.
The pert and sexy star later made a decorative dent in late 1960's Hollywood as a tempting blue-eyed blonde opposite the likes of Jack Lemmon in How to Murder Your Wife (1965), Frank Sinatra in Assault on a Queen (1966) and Tony Curtis in Not with My Wife, You Don't! (1966). Confined once again to the same type of glamour roles (she turned down the title role of "Barbarella"), she returned to Europe within a couple of years but hardly fared better with such nothing special movies as Anyone Can Play (1967), The Girl Who Couldn't Say No (1968), The Christmas Tree (1969), The Statue (1971), Bluebeard (1972) and White Fang (1973) and its sequel Challenge to White Fang (1974).
Come middle age, however, a career renaissance occurred for Virna. She began to be perceived as more than just a tasty dish and was given a wide variety of quality mature performances. As the stature of her films improved, she began winning foreign awards right and left for such European pictures as Beyond Good and Evil (1977), The Cricket (1980), Time for Loving (1983), Buon Natale... Buon anno (1989) and Va' dove ti porta il cuore (1996) (Follow Your Heart). It all culminated in the lifetime role of the malevolent "Caterina de Medici" in Queen Margot (1994) for which she captured both the César and Cannes Film Festival awards, not to mention the Italian Silver Ribbon award.
Virna continued reigning supreme on TV as a character lead and support player into the millennium with parts in such TV movies as the title role in Anna's World (2004) and Donne sbagliate (2007) (Steel Women) as well as Italian TV series work. Starring as the matriarch in the excellent family film drama Il più bel giorno della mia vita (2002), Virna would find her last excellent movie role in the award-winning dramedy Latin Lover (2015). Having passed away on December 14, 2014, at age 78, of lung cancer, the actress received a couple of award nominations posthumously for her work here. Survived by her son Corrado, her longtime husband (from 1960), architect Franco Pesci (1934-2013), died a year earlier. - Producer
- Director
- Actor
William O. Harbach was born on 12 October 1919 in Yonkers, New York, USA. He was a producer and director, known for The Julie Andrews Hour (1972), Gypsy in My Soul (1976) and The Hollywood Palace (1964). He was married to Barbara Schmid Vought, Fay Caulkins Palmer and Laurie Douglas. He died on 18 December 2017 in Fairfield, Connecticut, USA.- Producer
- Actor
- Production Manager
Wolf C. Hartwig was born on 8 September 1919 in Düsseldorf, Germany. He was a producer and actor, known for Cross of Iron (1977), Mission to Hell (1964) and Agent 505 - Todesfalle Beirut (1966). He was married to Véronique Vendell. He died on 18 December 2017 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, France.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Undoubtedly the woman who had come to epitomize what we recognize today as "celebrity," Zsa Zsa Gabor, is better known for her many marriages, personal appearances, her "dahlink" catchphrase, her actions, gossip, and quotations on men, rather than her film career.
Zsa Zsa was born as Sári Gabor on February 6, 1917 in Budapest, Hungary, to Jolie Gabor (née Janka Tilleman) and Vilmos Gabor (born Farkas Miklós Grün), both of Jewish descent. Her siblings were Eva Gabor and Magda Gabor. Zsa Zsa studied at a Swiss finishing school, was second runner-up in the fifth Miss Hungary pageant, and began her stage career in Vienna in 1934. In 1941, the year she obtained her first divorce, she followed younger sister Eva to Hollywood.
A radiant, beautiful blonde, Zsa Zsa began to appear on television series and occasional films. Her first film was at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in Lovely to Look At (1952), co-starring Kathryn Grayson and Red Skelton. She next made a comedy called We're Not Married! (1952) at 20th Century Fox with Ginger Rogers. It was far from a star billing; she appeared several names down the cast as a supporting actress. But in 1952 she broke into films big time with her starring role opposite José Ferrer in Moulin Rouge (1952), although it has been said that throughout filming, director John Huston gave her a very difficult time.
In the following years, Zsa Zsa slipped back into supporting roles in films such as Lili (1953) and 3 Ring Circus (1954). Her main period of film work was in the 1950s, with other roles in Death of a Scoundrel (1956), with Yvonne De Carlo, and The Man Who Wouldn't Talk (1958) with Anna Neagle; again, these were supporting roles. By the 1960s, Zsa Zsa was appearing more as herself in films. She now appeared to follow her own persona around, and cameo appearances were the order of the day in films such as Pepe (1960) and Jack of Diamonds (1967). This continued throughout the 1970s.
She was memorable as herself in The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991), in which she humorously poked fun at a 1989 incident where she was convicted of slapping a police officer (Paul Kramer) during a traffic stop. She spent three days in jail and had to do 120 hours of community service. Such infamous incidents contributed to her becoming one of the most all-time recognizable of Hollywood celebrities, and sometimes ridiculed as a result. She was also memorable to British television viewers on The Ruby Wax Show (1997).
In 2002, Gabor was reported to be in a coma in a Los Angeles hospital after a horrifying car accident. The 85-year-old star was injured when the car she was traveling in hit a utility pole in West Hollywood, California. The reports about her coma eventually proved to be inaccurate.
Zsa Zsa's life, spanning two continents, nine husbands, and 11 decades, came to an end on December 18, 2016, when she died of cardiac arrest in Los Angeles, California. She was 99.