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1-13 of 13
- Producer
- Writer
- Director
Dan Curtis was born on 12 August 1927 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA. He was a producer and writer, known for Burnt Offerings (1976), Dark Shadows (1966) and War and Remembrance (1988). He was married to Norma Mae Curtis. He died on 27 March 2006 in Brentwood, California, USA.- Julian Burton was born on 4 June 1932 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He was an actor, known for A Bucket of Blood (1959), The Outer Limits (1963) and Mission: Impossible (1966). He died on 27 March 2006 in Palm Springs, California, USA.
- Stanislaw Lem was a visionary Polish author known for Solaris (1972).
He was born on September 12, 1921, in Lwów, Poland. His father, Samuel Lem, was a wealthy laryngologist who served in the Austrian army. His mother, Sabina Woller, was a homemaker. Although he was born into a Polish-Jewish family, Lem was raised a Catholic and later became an atheist. He graduated from the Lwów Gymnazium in 1939, then studied medicine at the Lvov Medical Institute in 1940-1941. During WWII, he survived the Nazi occupation of Lwów and worked as a mechanic and welder for a German firm until 1944.
After World War II Lem escaped from the Soviet occupation of Germany and moved to Krakow, Poland, as a repatriate. There he completed his medical studies at Jagellonian University, without taking the doctor's degree. He worked at the Konserwatorium Naukoznawcze as a research assistant for psychologist Dr. Choynowski. From 1946-1949 Lem was involved in medical research in psychology, which became a turning point in his life. He started writing poetry and science fiction in 1946, but his first serious novel, "Hospital of the Transfiguration", was suppressed by the Polish government for eight years. It was released only in 1956, when freedom of speech was earned after the "Polish October" popular uprising.
Lem quit medicine in 1949, because he did not want to be drafted into the army. He married a doctor instead of being one. In 1949 he became a professional writer and continued creating his increasingly unusual novels: "The Investigation", "Eden", "Return from the Stars". The 1960s and 1970s were the most productive for Lem. At that time he wrote 'Solaris', 'The Invincible', 'The Cyberiad', 'His Master's Voice', 'The Star Diaries', 'The Futurological Congress', and 'Tales of Pirx the Pilot'. His gift of a visionary materialized in 'Summa Technologiae' (Sum of Technologies, 1964), which tackled problems of virtual reality. Lem showed his talent for premonition in "Katar" (1975), which predicted international terrorism, and in "Observations on the Spot"' (1982), which showed absurdity of a conflict between two civilizations.
His novel 'Solaris' was adapted into eponymous films twice. First came the Russian-made film adaptation by director Andrei Tarkovsky in 1972, starring Donatas Banionis and Natalya Bondarchuk. Lem spent six months working with Tarkovsky in Moscow, but their collaboration ended in a bitter conflict over the changes and additions to the original story. After seeing edited parts of the 1972 film, Lem said of Tarkovsky: "Instead of focusing on deeper moral questions related to frontiers of human knowledge, he made a drama-type 'Crime and Punishment' in space, by making up unnecessary characters of parents and relatives, then adding a hut on an island." "Tarkovsky was a genius, but he was moving in the opposite direction from my book", also said Lem. Upon his doctor's advice Lem did not want to see the 2002 remake by director Steven Soderbergh, starring George Clooney and Natascha McElhone.
"Solaris" (1961) is arguably the best known work of Lem's works. It deals with the problem of human existence in the world of the unknown. It also shows the inevitability of misunderstandings in human contacts with other worlds. Planet Solaris is inhabited by a single Plasma Ocean organism with the eerie ability to materialize human thoughts. When astronauts become more aggressive in forcing contact with Solaris, it confronts them with pushing the buttons of their most painful thoughts by recreating their dead wives and relatives, and virtually bringing the dead back to life in front of their eyes. Obsolete biological human impulses are shown in stark contrast with the magnitude of the ocean-size organism. At some point humans become an irrational liability to their machine partner, the spaceship. Lem's imagination and talent for creation of alternative reality challenges the limits of human knowledge.
"Past is more perfect than future, which makes me sad," said Lem. Although some of his predictions came true, he expressed his disappointment about the failure of many positive prognosis that were made during the 1960s and 1970s. He died on March 27, 2006, in Kraków, and was laid to rest in the Salwatorski cemetery in Kraków, Poland. His books sold over 27 million copies in 41 languages. - Peter Brogle was born on 22 June 1933 in Basel, Switzerland. He was an actor, known for Andorra (1964), Der Spielverderber - Das kurze, verstörte Leben des Kaspar Hauser (1965) and Polizischt Wäckerli (1955). He died on 27 March 2006 in Zürich, Switzerland.
- Special Effects
Gerald Endler was born on 1 January 1911 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, USA. He is known for Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973), Apocalypse Now (1979) and The Sand Pebbles (1966). He died on 27 March 2006 in Santa Monica, California, USA.- Mayra Chardiet was born on 9 May 1914 in Cuba. She was an actress, known for Caín adolescente (1959), La mujer prohibida (1972) and Popsy Pop (1971). She died on 27 March 2006 in Caracas, Venezuela.
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Casting Director
- Casting Department
Iwona Wronska was an assistant director and casting director, known for Psy (1992), Psy 2. Ostatnia krew (1994) and Slodko gorzki (1996). She died on 27 March 2006.- Actor
- Composer
Peter William "Pete" Wells (31 December 1946 - 27 March 2006) was the founder and slide guitarist in Australian hard rock band, Rose Tattoo, from 1976 to 1983. He was previously bass guitarist with the pioneering heavy metal outfit Buffalo from 1971 to 1976. Wells also had a solo career and issued albums. In 2002 he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and, on 27 March 2006, Wells died of the disease, aged 59. Rose Tattoo were inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame on 16 August of that same year.- Erzsi Raffay was born on 16 September 1913 in Budapest, Hungary. She was an actress, known for Vica, a vadevezös (1933) and Segítség, örököltem! (1937). She was married to dr. Varga, István. She died on 27 March 2006 in Budapest, Hungary.
- Lyn Nofziger was born on 8 June 1924 in Bakersfield, California, USA. He was married to Bonnie Nofziger. He died on 27 March 2006 in Falls Church, Virginia, USA.
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Viggo Happel was born on 20 January 1935. Viggo is known for Bedside Dentist (1971). Viggo died on 27 March 2006.- Pavel Timchenko was born on 1 October 1921 in Sultan, Kursavskiy rayon, USSR. He was an actor, known for Sibiryachka (1973), A Woman's Kingdom (1968) and Predsedatel (1964). He died on 27 March 2006.
- Leslaw Bartelski was born on 8 December 1920 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland. He was a writer, known for Zlota mahmudia (1987). He died on 27 March 2006 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.