Notable Showbiz Deaths of 2022
This is a list of those notable entertainment figures who passed away in 2022. They are in order of date of death, except for the first entry, which will be the most high-profile death to date.
To see the most recent additions first, select "Date Added" in the Sort by drop-down box; to view the list in reverse chronological order, toggle the "Ascending/Descending order" button next to the drop-down box.
To see the most recent additions first, select "Date Added" in the Sort by drop-down box; to view the list in reverse chronological order, toggle the "Ascending/Descending order" button next to the drop-down box.
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- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Sidney Poitier was a native of Cat Island, Bahamas, although born, two months prematurely, in Miami during a visit by his parents, Evelyn (Outten) and Reginald James Poitier. He grew up in poverty as the son of farmers, with his father also driving a cab in Nassau. Sidney had little formal education and at the age of 15 was sent to Miami to live with his brother, in order to forestall a growing tendency toward delinquency. In the U.S., he experienced the racial chasm that divides the country, a great shock to a boy coming from a society with a majority of African descent.
At 18, he went to New York, did menial jobs and slept in a bus terminal toilet. A brief stint in the Army as a worker at a veterans' hospital was followed by more menial jobs in Harlem. An impulsive audition at the American Negro Theatre was rejected so forcefully that Poitier dedicated the next six months to overcoming his accent and improving his performing skills. On his second try, he was accepted. Spotted in rehearsal by a casting agent, he won a bit part in the Broadway production of "Lysistrata", for which he earned good reviews. By the end of 1949, he was having to choose between leading roles on stage and an offer to work for Darryl F. Zanuck in the film No Way Out (1950). His performance as a doctor treating a white bigot got him plenty of notice and led to more roles. Nevertheless, the roles were still less interesting and prominent than those white actors routinely obtained. But seven years later, after turning down several projects he considered demeaning, Poitier got a number of roles that catapulted him into a category rarely if ever achieved by an African-American man of that time, that of leading man. One of these films, The Defiant Ones (1958), earned Poitier his first Academy Award nomination as Best Actor. Five years later, he won the Oscar for Lilies of the Field (1963), the first African American to win for a leading role.
He remained active on stage and screen as well as in the burgeoning Civil Rights movement. His roles in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967) and To Sir, with Love (1967) were landmarks in helping to break down some social barriers between blacks and whites. Poitier's talent, conscience, integrity, and inherent likability placed him on equal footing with the white stars of the day. He took on directing and producing chores in the 1970s, achieving success in both arenas.February 20, 1927 – January 7, 2022
Bahamian-American actor ('The Defiant Ones,' 'Lilies of the Field,' 'In the Heat of the Night') and film director ('Uptown Saturday Night,' 'Stir Crazy')
Academy Award winner: Best Actor in a Leading Role, 1963 ('Lilies of the Field') --the first Black actor to win this award
Academy Award nominee: Best Actor in a Leading Role, 1958 ('The Defiant Ones') --the first Black actor to be nominated for this award
Academy Honorary Award recipient, 2002 ("For his extraordinary performances and unique presence on the screen and for representing the industry with dignity, style and intelligence.")
American Film Institute Life Achievement Award recipient, 1992
BAFTA Film Award winner: Best Foreign Actor, 1958 ('The Defiant Ones')
BAFTA Film Award nominee: Best Foreign Actor, 1957 ('Edge of the City'), 1961 ('A Raisin in the Sun'), 1964 ('Lilies of the Field'), 1966 ('A Patch of Blue') and 1967 ('In the Heat of the Night')
Grammy Award winner: Best Spoken Word Album, 2001 ('The Measure of a Man')
Grammy Award nominee: Best Spoken Word Album, 2009 ('Life Beyond Measure')
Primetime Emmy Award nominee: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special, 1991 ('Separate But Equal') and 1997 ('Mandela and de Klerk')- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Julien began his career in New York's Off-Broadway circuit including Joseph Papp's Shakespeare in the Park. Moving westward, he landed co-starring roles with Jack Nicholson in Psych-Out (1968) and Candice Bergen in Columbia's box-office hit, Getting Straight (1970).
In Uptight (1968), New York Times critic Judith Crist considered him a standout in a standout cast. The Santa Monica Evening Outlook's Raoul Gripenwaldt predicted that Julien's portrayal of Johnny Wells in Paramount's Uptight (1968) could well result in an Academy Award nomination. Julien was invited to Europe to discuss film possibilities. He went on to write the screenplay for and subsequently co-produce Warner Brothers' Cleopatra Jones (1973).
In a joint venture with Columbia Pictures, Julien wrote, produced, and starred in Thomasine & Bushrod (1974). Assuming responsibility for the final look of the film, he assisted in the direction, supervised the editing and created the design concept for the costumes. The New York Times declared it a western of considerable freshness. The film garnered him a NAACP Image Award Nomination for Best Writer of the year. He then took a sabbatical from film, landing on several other continents, exploring the political developments of their cultures and writing poetry. He completed a novel, Dark Clowns Kickin' Ass, and finished 13 pieces of sculpture exhibited in galleries throughout the United States including Los Angeles' prestigious Pacific Design Center. Julien was dubbed one of the most popular and important filmmakers in the United States (L.A. Times), and graced the covers of such magazines as Ebony and Jet.
A group of Nigerian businessmen commissioned Julien to do a feasibility study for the development of a West African Film Colony. He selected a crew from Europe, Australia and the United States, and for a two-month period trained local craftsmen in the art of filmmaking. As a tribute to his accomplishments and international profile, a year later he was invited to return to co-write and star in Bisi & The Sun God.
In the early 1990s, Julien wrote, directed and essayed the title role in the docudrama Sketches Of A Man/The Charles Drew Story, about the African-American doctor who invented blood plasma. The mid-1990s returned him to West Africa starring, writing, executive-producing and directing Sangu, The Silent One. Nigeria's Ibaden Tribune said "Max Julien's Sangu is a masterpiece, a must for every Third World human being; more appropriately, every spiritual, peace loving person on the globe. This gifted, connected thread (Julien) will do much to keep the continents from colliding." Nigeria's Daily Times echoed "The Silent One speaks loudly; Julien's wisdom has not tarnished, his eyes and his words address the inner feelings of the common man of color. He's a joy to look upon, he is to be cherished."
In the billion dollar consumer market of hip hop, Julien became a Brand Name in hot demand by Rap, R&B and Pop entertainers to write and deliver his uniquely lyrical expressions including: Do Or Die's CD featuring Kanye West and R. Kelly, and Houston blues singer Rue Davis's Legends Are Forever album in early 2007. Around the same time he was writing dialogue for a Warner Brothers video game based on Clint Eastwood's iconic "Dirty Harry" character that ended when the studio shelved the project. He was also a sought-after guest speaker.
On May 13, 2011, on Yahoo News, Nick Cannon was being interviewed for his upcoming Showtime comedy special Mr. Showbiz, which included poking fun at his then-wife, Mariah Carey. Earlier reviews indicate one of the most hilarious bits involved him accusing Mariah of pimping him like Julien ("Goldie" from The Mack (1973)).
Despite being notoriously reclusive, in 2012 Julien's popularity reached cult-like proportions. His face hangs in the lobby Walls of Fame in Magic Johnson's Theatres from L.A. to Atlanta to Harlem.
Stevie Wonder included Julien in the dedications on his classic album "Songs In The Key of Life". Dick Kleiner wrote a chapter about him in his book ESP & The Stars. In Miramax's book on 1970s films, What It Is & What It Was, Academy Award nominee Samuel L. Jackson complimented the actor/filmmaker, saying "I always went to see whatever Max Julien was doing." In a February 2008 interview on Fadar-TV, mega Hip-hop star Rick Ross removed his t-shirt and revealed Julien's face tattooed on his body.
Ninety percent of the world's rappers have sampled his voice and the music from The Mack (1973) (Outkast, 50-Cents, Three 6 Mafia etc.) familiarizing him among the 75% male and female consumers between 15 and 25 years of age, who happen to be white.
Quentin Tarantino scripted a film, True Romance, that shows Julien in a clip while Christian Slater says "I know that film. It's The Mack (1973) starring Max Julien." Although he declined a writing credit, Julien co-wrote the script along with co-star Richard Pryor and director Michael Campus. He also made major contributions in designing the costumes. It remains one of the leading DVD rentals/sellers in the world, recently cited by Entertainment Weekly as the 20th top cult film of all times, on a list of 50.
Julien had a starring cameo and wrote his own role in Def Jam's comedy hit, "How To Be A Player", then wrote and performed the intro, 19 interludes and the final recording on the film's platinum selling soundtrack album. He wrote and performed on Rap-A-Lot artist Tela's Gold Now or Never CD; was highlighted throughout The Hughes Brothers' documentary "The American Pimp"; starred in Bradley Smith's award-winning film short film "Restore"; and featured in N.Y.'s 2002 Urban World Film Festival as well as on Russell Simmons' Hip-Hop Channel.January 1, 1933 – January 1, 2022
American actor ('The Mack,' 'How to Be a Player') and screenwriter ('Cleopatra Jones')- Director
- Writer
- Actor
After graduating from the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Milan (Accademia dei Filodrammatici) in the early 1950s, and a few experiences directing plays and operas, Mario Lanfranchi was hired at RAI, at the onset of Italian television. He was therefore a pioneer of Italia television and the first one to bring opera to the small screen, in 1956, with "Madama Butterfly", which did rise Anna Moffo to the rank of diva in the brief space of one night. He was meanwhile very active in the theater as a director and producer. In the early Sixties Mario left the Italian Television (coming back occasionally for some inaugurations, like Rai-TV Channel 2, Eurovision, the new Naples studios) and returned to the stage, directing and producing several works by English and American playwrights, premiering a number of plays and musicals. He wrote and produced "Festa Italiana", a colossal show with 120 performers, which broke box-office records at the Madison Square Garden of New York. At that same time, Mario began his career as a film director with the western Death Sentence (1968), followed by several other movies of different genres. In 1980 he moved to London, where he lived for 25 years, staging big musicals like "Lust" and "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" or plays like David Beaird's "900 Oneonta" at London's Old Vic and Daphne du Maurier's "September Tide" with Susannah York, which ran for years in the West End and Broadway. In 2005 Mario moved back to Italy, where he lived in a 16th century villa near Parma. He still enjoyed staging plays and giving recitals in the little theatre of the villa, periodically opening the doors to anybody.June 30, 1927 – January 3, 2022
Italian director and screenwriter ('Death Sentence,' 'Madame Is Served,' 'Merciless Man')- Producer
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Jay Wolpert was born on 29 January 1942 in Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. He was a producer and writer, known for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011). He was married to Roslyn Granowitter. He died on 3 January 2022 in Los Angeles, California, USA.January 29, 1942 – January 3, 2022
American screenwriter (2002's 'The Count of Monte Cristo'), screen story writer ('Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl') and TV producer ('The Price Is Right')
Daytime Emmy Award nominee: Outstanding Daytime Game or Audience Participation Show, 1976 ('The New Price Is Right')- Joan Copeland, the sister of famed playwright Arthur Miller, is a renowned actress in her own right. She made her name on Broadway, debuting there in 1945 to begin a career that lasted more than 60 years. She also had a long career on television, where she appeared in a number of that medium's most popular soap operas. She played scheming villain Andrea Whiting in Search for Tomorrow (1951), and also appeared in Love of Life (1951) and The Edge of Night (1956), among others. She occasionally worked in films, but made fewer than 20 of them in her career, preferring the stage and television, where she made her debut in 1950.June 1, 1922 – January 4, 2022
American actress of Broadway ('Detective Story,' 'Pal Joey'), television ('Search for Tomorrow') and film ('Middle of the Night,' 'The Object of My Affection')
Drama Desk Award winner: Outstanding Actress in a Play, 1981 ('The American Clock')
Drama Desk Award nominee: Outstanding Actress in a Musical, 1977 ('Pal Joey') - Editor
- Sound Department
- Editorial Department
William M. Anderson was born on 12 March 1948 in Belfast, Ireland. He is an editor, known for Gallipoli (1981), The Truman Show (1998) and Dead Poets Society (1989).March 12, 1948 – January 4, 2022
Irish-born film editor ('Gallipoli,' 'Dead Poets Society,' 'The Truman Show')- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Despite being born and raised in Scotland, George's roots were from Italy. He was fluent in Italian. The heavy-set Scot made his acting debut in Comfort and Joy (1984) and continued to work throughout the 1980s, which included featuring in the TV pilot Max Headroom (1985) and in The Singing Detective (1986).
In the 1990s, George worked in television and film. He was memorably featured in Crossing the Line (1990) as a fighter alongside Liam Neeson and he then returned to Italy to film For Roseanna (1997), where he portrayed a police sergeant. This would come in useful to George because he would then join the cast of popular police drama series The Bill (1984) in 1998 as Detective Duncan Lennox. Rossi portrayed a down-to-earth yet effective policeman and soon became a fan favorite. After four years, George left the series in January 2003, but he will be remembered for portraying one of the most popular faces on The Bill in the late '90s. During his career, he was featured alongside Jean Reno, Chris O'Donnell, and Sandra Bullock.September 28, 1961 – January 5, 2022
Scottish actor ('The Bill')- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Peter Bogdanovich was conceived in Europe but born in Kingston, New York. He is the son of immigrants fleeing the Nazis, Herma (Robinson) and Borislav Bogdanovich, a painter and pianist. His father was a Serbian Orthodox Christian, and his mother was from a wealthy Austrian Jewish family. Peter originally was an actor in the 1950s, studying his craft with legendary acting teacher Stella Adler and appearing on television and in summer stock. In the early 1960s he achieved notoriety for programming movies at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. An obsessive cinema-goer, sometimes seeing up to 400 movies a year in his youth, Bogdanovich prominently showcased the work of American directors such as John Ford, about whom he subsequently wrote a book based on the notes he had produced for the MOMA retrospective of the director, and the then-underappreciated Howard Hawks. Bogdanovich also brought attention to such forgotten pioneers of American cinema as Allan Dwan.
Bogdanovich was influenced by the French critics of the 1950s who wrote for Cahiers du Cinema, especially critic-turned-director François Truffaut. Before becoming a director himself, he built his reputation as a film writer with articles in Esquire Magazine. In 1968, following the example of Cahiers du Cinema critics Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, Claude Chabrol and Éric Rohmer who had created the Nouvelle Vague ("New Wave") by making their own films, Bogdanovich became a director. Working for low-budget schlock-meister Roger Corman, Bogdanovich directed the critically praised Targets (1968) and the not-so-critically praised Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women (1968), a film best forgotten.
Turning back to journalism, Bogdanovich struck up a lifelong friendship with the legendary Orson Welles while interviewing him on the set of Mike Nichols' film adaptation of Catch-22 (1970) from the novel by Joseph Heller. Subsequently, Bogdanovich has played a major role in elucidating Welles and his career with his writings on the great actor-director, most notably his book "This is Orson Welles" (1992). He has steadily produced invaluable books about the cinema, especially "Who the Devil Made It: Conversations with Legendary Film Directors," an indispensable tome that establishes Bogdanovich, along with Kevin Brownlow, as one of the premier English-language chroniclers of cinema.
The 32-year-old Bogdanovich was hailed by a critics as a Wellesian wunderkind when his most famous film, The Last Picture Show (1971) was released. The film received eight Academy Award nominations, including Bogdanovich as Best Director, and won two of them, for Cloris Leachman and "John Ford Stock Company" veteran Ben Johnson in the supporting acting categories. Bogdanovich, who had cast 19-year-old model Cybill Shepherd in a major role in the film, fell in love with the young beauty, an affair that eventually led to his divorce from the film's set designer Polly Platt, his longtime artistic collaborator and the mother of his two children.
Bogdanovich followed up The Last Picture Show (1971) with a major hit, What's Up, Doc? (1972), a screwball comedy heavily indebted to Hawks' Bringing Up Baby (1938) and His Girl Friday (1940), starring Barbra Streisand and 'Ryan O'Neal'. Despite his reliance on homage to bygone cinema, Bogdanovich had solidified his status as one of a new breed of A-list directors that included Academy Award winners Francis Ford Coppola and William Friedkin, with whom he formed The Directors Company. The Directors Company was a generous production deal with Paramount Pictures that essentially gave the directors carte blanche if they kept within strict budget limitations. It was through this entity that Bogdanovich's next big hit, the critically praised Paper Moon (1973), was produced.
Paper Moon (1973), a Depression-era comedy starring Ryan O'Neal that won his ten-year-old daughter Tatum O'Neal an Oscar as Best Supporting Actress, proved to be the highwater mark of Bogdanovich's career. Forced to share the profits with his fellow directors, Bogdanovich became dissatisfied with the arrangement. The Directors Company subsequently produced only two more films, Francis Ford Coppola's critically acclaimed The Conversation (1974) which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture of 1974 and garnered Coppola an Oscar nod for Best Director, and Bogdanovich's Daisy Miller (1974), a film that had a quite different critical reception.
An adaptation of the Henry James novella, Daisy Miller (1974) spelled the beginning of the end of Bogdanovich's career as a popular, critically acclaimed director. The film, which starred Bogdanovich's lover Cybill Shepherd as the title character, was savaged by critics and was a flop at the box office. Bogdanovich's follow-up, At Long Last Love (1975), a filming of the Cole Porter musical starring Cybill Shepherd, was derided by some critics as one of the worst films ever made, noted as such in Harry Medved and Michael Medved's book "The Golden Turkey Awards: Nominees and Winners, the Worst Achievements in Hollywood History" (1980). The film also was a box office bomb despite featuring Burt Reynolds, a hotly burning star who would achieve super-nova status at the end of the 1970s.
Bogdanovich insisted on filming the musical numbers for At Long Last Love (1975) live, a process not used since the early days of the talkies, when sound engineer Douglas Shearer developed lip-synching at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The decision was widely ridiculed, as none of the leading actors were known for their singing abilities (Bogdanovich himself had produced a critically panned album of Cybill Shepherd singing Cole Porter songs in 1974). The public perception of Bogdanovich became that of an arrogant director hamstrung by his own hubris.
Trying to recapture the lightning in the bottle that was his early success, Bogdanovich once again turned to the past, his own and that of cinema, with Nickelodeon (1976). The film, a comedy recounting the earliest days of the motion picture industry, reunited Ryan O'Neal and 'Tatum O'Neal' from his last hit, Paper Moon (1973) with Burt Reynolds. Counseled not to use the unpopular (with both audiences and critics) Cybill Shepherd in the film, Bogdanovich instead used newcomer Jane Hitchcock as the film's ingénue. Unfortunately, the magic of Paper Moon (1973) was not be repeated and the film died at the box office. Jane Hitchcock, Bogdanovich's discovery, would make only one more film before calling it quits.
After a three-year hiatus, Bogdanovich returned with the critically and financially underwhelming Saint Jack (1979) for Hugh Hefner's Playboy Productions Inc. Bogdanovich's long affair with Cybill Shepherd had ended in 1978, but the production deal making Hugh Hefner the film's producer was part of the settlement of a lawsuit Shepherd had filed against Hefner for publishing nude photos of her pirated from a print of The Last Picture Show (1971) in Playboy Magazine. Bogdanovich then launched the film that would be his career Waterloo, They All Laughed (1981), a low-budget ensemble comedy starring Audrey Hepburn and the 1980 Playboy Playmate of the Year, Dorothy Stratten. During the filming of the picture, Bogdanovich fell in love with Stratten, who was married to an emotionally unstable hustler, Paul Snider, who relied on her financially. Stratten moved in with Bogdanovich, and when she told Snider she was leaving him, he shot and killed her, then committed suicide.
They All Laughed (1981) could not attract a distributor due to the negative publicity surrounding the Stratten murder, despite it being one of the few films made by the legendary Audrey Hepburn after her provisional retirement in 1967 (the film would prove to be Hepburn's last starring role in a theatrically released motion picture). The heartbroken Bogdanovich bought the rights to the negative so that it would be seen by the public, but the film had a limited release, garnered weak reviews and cost Bogdanovich millions of dollars, driving the emotionally devastated director into bankruptcy.
Bogdanovich turned back to his first avocation, writing, to pen a memoir of his dead love, "The Killing of the Unicorn: Dorothy Stratten (1960-1980)" that was published in 1984. The book was a riposte to Teresa Carpenter's "Death of a Playmate" article written for The Village Voice that had won the 1981 Pulitzer Prize. Carpenter had lambasted Bogdanovich and Hugh Hefner, claiming that Stratten was as much a victim of them as she was of Paul Snider. The article served as the basis of Bob Fosse's film Star 80 (1983), in which Bogdanovich was portrayed as the fictional director "Aram Nicholas".
Bogdanovich's career as a noted director was over, and though he achieved modest success with Mask (1985), his sequel to his greatest success The Last Picture Show (1971), Texasville (1990), was a critical and box office disappointment. He directed two more theatrical films in 1992 and 1993, but their failure kept him off the big screen until 2001's The Cat's Meow (2001). Returning once again to a reworking of the past, this time the alleged murder of director Thomas H. Ince by Welles' bete noir William Randolph Hearst, The Cat's Meow (2001) was a modest critical success but a flop at the box office. In addition to helming some television movies, Bogdanovich has returned to acting, with a recurring guest role on the cable television series The Sopranos (1999) as Dr. Jennifer Melfi's analyst.
Bogdanovich's personal reputation suffered from gossip about his 13-year marriage to Dorothy Stratten's 19-year-old-kid sister Louise Stratten, who was 29 years his junior. Some gossip held that Bogdanovich's behavior was akin to that of the James Stewart character in Alfred Hitchcock's necrophiliac masterpiece Vertigo (1958), with the director trying to remold Stratten into the image of her late sister. The marriage ended in divorce in 2001.
Now in his early eighties, Bogdanovich has arguably imitated his hero Orson Welles, but in an unintended fashion, as filmmaker who never regained the acclaim bestowed on their first major success. However, unlike the widely acclaimed master Welles, the orbit of Bogdanovich's reputation has never recovered from the apogee it reached briefly in the early 1970s.
There has been speculation that Peter Bogdanovich's ruin as a director was guaranteed when he ditched his wife and artistic collaborator Polly Platt for Cybill Shepherd. Platt had worked with Bogdanovich on all his early successes, and some critics believe that the controlling artistic consciousness on The Last Picture Show (1971) was Platt's. Parting company with Platt after Paper Moon (1973), Bogdanovich promptly slipped from the heights of a wunderkind to a has-been pursuing epic folly, as evidenced by Daisy Miller (1974) and At Long Last Love (1975).
In 1998 the National Film Preservation Board of the Library of Congress named The Last Picture Show (1971) to the National Film Registry, an honor awarded only to the most culturally significant films.July 30, 1939 – January 6, 2022
American filmmaker ('The Last Picture Show,' 'Paper Moon') and actor ('The Sopranos')
Academy Award nominee:- Best Adapted Screenplay, 1971 ('The Last Picture Show')
- Best Director, 1971 ('The Last Picture Show')
BAFTA Film Award nominee: Best Direction, 1972 ('The Last Picture Show')
Golden Globe nominee:- Best Director - Motion Picture, 1972 ('The Last Picture Show')
- Best Director - Motion Picture, 1974 ('Paper Moon')
Grammy Award nominee: Best Spoken Word Or Non-Musical Album, 1991 ('This Is Orson Welles')- Director
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Writer
Mariano Laurenti was born on 15 April 1929 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. He was a director and assistant director, known for Popcorn e patatine (1985), Fotoromanzo (1986) and Girls Will Be Girls (1980). He died on 6 January 2022 in Gubbio, Umbria, Italy.April 15, 1929 – January 6, 2022
Italian film director ('Ubalda, All Naked and Warm'), assistant director (Totò films) and screenwriter ('A Sky Full of Stars for a Roof')- Calvin Simon was born on 22 May 1942 in Beckley, West Virginia, USA. He died on 6 January 2022 in the USA.May 22, 1942 – January 6, 2022
American singer (Parliament-Funkadelic)
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, 1997 - Actress
- Stunts
Dee Booher, better known as "Queenie," first used the stage name of "Queen Kong" while skating for 5 years with such roller derby teams the Chicago Hawks, the New York Bombers, the Detroit Devils and the Texas Outlaws. Her acting career was augmented by a short-lived stint as a rock star. The video to her hit single, "(I Eat) Raw Meat", was played often by Los Angeles sportscaster Fred Rogin for a number of years on KNBC-TV4.
She appeared on numerous games shows such as "Win, Lose or Draw" and "The Gong Show" (where she was a co-host for 14 episodes). She also made a living delivering very physical singing telegrams known as "Slam-A-Grams", where she would take down the victim, errr, guest of honor at a party in various professional wrestling moves, all designed to look extremely painful and brutal, but ultimately harmless. Due to various injuries over the years from wrestling and roller derby, she no longer performed "Slam-A-Grams" for health reasons.
Some of her greatest fans were children. During her "Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling" (aka G.L.O.W.) days, her personal appearances were often mobbed by kids. Despite her rough and gruff image, she was in real life a most sweet and gregarious person, treating her friends and fans alike with immense kindness and affection. The "Matilda The Hun" moniker was given to her by G.L.O.W. producers. It wasn't until the show was over for a number of years she discovered they had taken the name directly from a character played by Roberta Collins in Death Race 2000 (1975).
She resided in the Los Angeles area with her husband, Ken. Her website features many photos of herself throughout her career.August 6, 1948 – January 7, 2022
American professional wrestler (Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling) and actress ('Deathstalker II,' 'Brainsmasher... A Love Story')- Actor and bodybuilder Mark Forest was born in Brooklyn as Lorenzo Luis Degni, a third generation Italian-American (his grandparents hailed from Naples). He began as a bodybuilder at the tender age of thirteen, found himself featured on the cover of magazines and soon operated his own gym on Long Island. He entered and won several bodybuilding competitions before finding his way into show business via Mae West's troupe of musclemen (who featured as ladies' eye candy in her touring act along with the singers and dancers). West's entourage variously included other luminaries of the muscular fraternity, such as Ed Fury, Gordon Mitchell and Reg Lewis.
Mark Forest came to international fame after being recruited to star in Italian peplum (sword and sandal) epics, becoming only the second American actor (after Steve Reeves) to find lucrative work and popularity in that medium. His success was greatly helped by the fact that he was already fluent in Italian. Forest's film career spanned a modest five years (1960-1965), in the course of which he starred in a dozen pictures. Most often, he portrayed either Hercules or the equally brawny hero Maciste, created by Gabriele D'Annunzio and Giovanni Pastrone. In fact, Forest played Maciste seven times - more than any other actor.
At the end of his brief fling with the movies, Forest turned to his other passion and reinvented himself as an opera singer (tenor) in Europe. He became adept at the bel canto technique, trained by Giovanni Milillo, a composer and former tenor at the New York Opera and father of operatic soprano Aprile Millo. After his return to the U.S., Forest settled in California, latterly teaching vocal technique in Studio City.January 6, 1933 – January 7, 2022
American actor ('Goliath and the Dragon,' 'Mole Men Against the Son of Hercules,' 'Hercules Against the Mongols') and bodybuilder - Music Department
- Writer
- Composer
Prolific songwriter ("Nice 'n' Easy", "Yellow Bird"), composer and author Marilyn Bergman wrote several theme songs for television and songs for revues, night clubs, and films. Joining ASCAP in 1953, her chief musical collaborators included her husband Alan Bergman, Lew Spence, Norman Luboff, Paul Weston, Sammy Fain, and Alex North. Her other song compositions included "Cheatin' Billy", "Don't Know Where I'm Goin'", "I've Never Left Your Arms", "Never Be Afraid", "Outta My Mind", "The Right Approach" (for film), "Marriage-Go-Round" (for film), "Sentimental Baby", "Sleep Warm", "Sogni D'Oro", "That Face", "Baby, the Ball is Over", "Ol' MacDonald", "If I Were in Love" (for film) and "That's Him Over There."November 10, 1928 – January 8, 2022
American lyricist ("In the Heat of the Night," "The Windmills of Your Mind," "The Way We Were," "And Then There's Maude," "Good Times")
Academy Award winner:- Best Original Song, 1968 ("The Windmills of Your Mind" from 'The Thomas Crown Affair') and 1973 ("The Way We Were" from 'The Way We Were')
- Best Original Song Score, 1983 ('Yentl')
BAFTA Film nominee:- Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music, 1977 ('A Star Is Born')
- Best Original Song, 1983 ("Tootsie" from 'Tootsie')
- Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics, 1975 ('Queen of the Stardust Ballroom'), 1995 ('Barbra: The Concert') and 1999 ('AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies: America's Greatest Movies')
- Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Special, 1977 ('Sybil')
Golden Globe winner: Best Original Song, 1969 ("The Windmills of Your Mind" from 'The Thomas Crown Affair') and 1974 ("The Way We Were" from 'The Way We Were')
Nominated for another 13 Golden Globes
Grammy Award winner: Song Of The Year, 1974 ("The Way We Were" from 'The Way We Were'), and Album Of Best Original Score Written For A Motion Picture Or A Television Special, 1974 (for 'The Way We Were')
Nominated for another 9 Grammy Awards- Nicholas Donnelly was born in 1938 in Kensington, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Lifeforce (1985), Dixon of Dock Green (1955) and Grange Hill (1978). He was married to Alrun Donnelly. He died on 9 January 2022 in England, UK.1938 – c. January 8, 2022
English actor ('Grange Hill,' 'Dixon of Dock Green') - Writer
- Director
Andrew Jennings was born on 3 September 1943 in Kirkcaldy, Scotland, UK. He was a writer and director, known for Spécial investigation (2008), Les maîtres des jeux (2000) and Panorama (1953). He died on 8 January 2022 in the UK.September 3, 1943 – January 8, 2022
British investigative reporter and broadcaster- Producer
- Additional Crew
Michael Lang was born on 11 December 1944 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was a producer, known for Bottle Rocket (1996), The Master and Margarita and A Bright Light: Karen and the Process (2018). He was married to Tamara Pajic and Jayne Ann Bell. He died on 8 January 2022 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.December 11, 1944 – January 8, 2022
American concert promoter and producer; co-creator of Woodstock- Maria Ewing was born on 27 March 1950 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. She was an actress, known for The Marriage of Figaro (1976), Great Performances (1971) and Carmen (1989). She was married to Peter Hall. She died on 9 January 2022 in Detroit, Michigan, USA.March 27, 1950 – January 9, 2022
American opera singer and actress - Actor
- Director
- Producer
Blond, boyishly handsome Dwayne Hickman, the younger brother of Darryl Hickman, followed in his sibling's tiny footsteps as a moppet film actor himself. Born Dwayne Bernard Hickman in Los Angeles on May 18, 1934, the brothers had a younger sister as well, Deidre (born 1940). He had minor roles in such films as Captain Eddie (1945) (Darryl had a major role in this), The Secret Heart (1946), The Boy with Green Hair (1948), Mighty Joe Young (1949), The Happy Years (1950) (again with Darryl in a major role), and topped his youthful film career as "Nip Worden" in the canine movie series "Rusty", which began with The Son of Rusty (1947) and ended with Rusty's Birthday (1949).
Graduating from Cathedral High School in 1952 (Darryl graduated from the same school in 1948), Dwayne enrolled at Loyola Marymount University. He returned to Hollywood following college studies and, unlike his brother, focused strongly on television work, making appearances on such series as Public Defender (1954), The Loretta Young Show (1953), The Lone Ranger (1949), and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952). He also appeared in the Paul Newman/Joanne Woodward comedy film Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys! (1958) playing the secondary teen couple with Tuesday Weld. He grabbed major comedy attention, especially from young female baby-boomers, as Chuck, the girl-crazy nephew, in The Bob Cummings Show (1955). (Cummings became his mentor.)
Hickman then played the titular lovesick title high school teen in The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (1959), the role for which he is best known, and in which he was reunited with Tuesday Weld as the prime object of his attention, although Weld did not remain with the series for the entirety of its run. Laying low for a few years, Hickman returned to the screen, making a strong impression in the western film Cat Ballou (1965), and then began hanging out with the young beach crowd in several AIP movies including Ski Party (1965), How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965), and Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (1965), and a few slapstick comedies such as Sergeant Dead Head (1965) and Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding! (1967). He guested on a mix of comedic and dramatic TV shows including Combat! (1962), Mod Squad (1968), Ellery Queen (1975), The Flying Nun (1967), and Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974).
In the 1970s, Hickman began working behind the scenes as a publicist, a Las Vegas entertainment director and, most successfully, as a programming executive for CBS. He would return only occasionally to acting. He revisited his Dobie Gillis character, albeit a fully grown-up version, in such made-for-television movies as Whatever Happened to Dobie Gillis? (1977) and Bring Me the Head of Dobie Gillis (1988). In addition to guest appearances on Murder, She Wrote (1984) and Hi Honey, I'm Home (1991), he appeared in glorified cameos in High School U.S.A. (1983), had a recurring role on Clueless (1996), and was glimpsed in Cops n Roberts (1995), A Night at the Roxbury (1998), and Angels with Angles (2005). He began episodic directing chores in the 1980's, working on such episodes as "Charles in Charge", "Designing Women", "Head of the Class", "Harry and the Hendersons", and "Sister, Sister". In 1994, he published his biography, aptly titled 'Forever Dobie'.
Thrice wed, Hickman has two children -- one by his first wife, actress/model/beauty pageant winner Carol Christensen (1963-1972) who appeared a few times on "Dobie Gillis", and the other by his present wife, actress/voiceover artist Joan Roberts, to whom he has been married since 1983.May 18, 1934 – January 9, 2022
American actor ('The Bob Cummings Show,' 'The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis,' 'Cat Ballou')- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Bob Saget was an American actor, stand-up comedian, and television host from Philadelphia. His best known role was playing pater familias Danny Tanner on the hit sitcom "Full House" (1987-1995). He played the character again in the sequel series "Fuller House" (2016-2020). Saget served as the original host of the long-running clip show "America's Funniest Home Videos" from 1989 to 1997. Saget voiced the narrator in the hit sitcom "How I Met Your Mother" (2005-2014), depicted as an older version of main character Ted Mosby.
In 1956, Saget was born to a Jewish family in Philadelphia. His parents were supermarket executive Benjamin Saget and hospital administrator Rosalyn "Dolly" Saget. The Saget family eventually moved to Norfolk, Virginia. Bob received his early religious education at Temple Israel, a synagogue of Norfolk which adhered to Conservative Judaism. He was reportedly a rebellious student.
Saget spend part of his high school years in Los Angeles, where he befriended veteran comedian Larry Fine (1902-1975). He attended a Philadelphia high school during his senior year. He was originally interested in a medical career but his English teacher Elaine Zimmerman convinced Saget to aspire to an acting or filmmaking career instead.
Saget received his college education at the "Center for the Performing and Cinematic Arts", a college associated with the Temple University of Philadelphia. One of his student films won a merit award at the Student Academy Awards. He graduated college with a Bachelor of Arts in 1978. He had already started performing in comedy clubs during his college years.
In 1978, Saget intended to take graduate courses at the University of Southern California. He dropped out due to health-related problems. He almost died due to a gangrenous appendix, costing him a loss of confidence. He decided afterwards to lose some weight, in the belief that it would improve his health.
Following his graduation, Saget spend about a decade working mostly as a comedian. He appeared in minor acting roles in both films and television. In 1987, Saget was performing comedy bits for the short-lived non-fiction show "The Morning Program". The show offered a mix of "news, entertainment and comedy", but was canceled due to low ratings.
Saget's big break came when he was chosen to portray widowed father Danny Tanner in the sitcom "Full House" (1987-1995). The series depicted Danny's efforts to raise three young daughters, with the assistance of his best friends. The show suffered from poor viewership in its first season, but attracted a family audience due to its portrayal of the struggles associated with parenting. By its third season, it was ranked among Nielsen's Top 30 shows. Saget became a household name, and the series lasted for 8 seasons and 192 episodes. The series was eventually canceled due to its increasing production costs. Its rating had remained high until its final episode.
In 1989, Saget was chosen as the host of the clip show "America's Funniest Home Videos". The show featured humorous homemade videos which were submitted by its viewers, often highlighting physical comedy, pranks, or unusual behavior by children and pets. While the show was popular with viewers, Saget himself was increasingly frustrated with its repetitive format. When his contract for the show expired in 1997, Saget was not interested in negotiating for a renewal.
In 1996, Saget directed the dramatic television film "For Hope". The film depicted the struggles of a woman who is slowly dying due to being afflicted with scleroderma, an autoimmune disease with no known cure. Saget was reportedly inspired by the life and death of his sister Gay Saget, who had died due to scleroderma. The film received high ratings in its debut.
In 1998, Saget directed the comedy film "Dirty Work". It depicted two half-brothers who offer to perform revenge schemes for paying clients, but have a personal grudge against a man who reneged on a deal with them. The film under-performed at the box office, but gained a cult following due to its reputation as a "gag-fest".
From 2001 to 2002, Saget had the starring role of Matt Stewart in the sitcom "Raising Dad". The premise of the series was that widowed father Matt Stewart was trying to raise two daughter, while pursuing a teaching career at his eldest's daughter's high school. Despite the series having a similar concept to "Full House", it failed to find an audience. It lasted for a single season.
In 2005, Saget was cast as the narrator in the sitcom "How I Met Your Mother" (2005-2014). The premise of the series was that middle-aged Ted Mosby narrates his life story (and the life stories of his best friends) to his son and daughter. The series repeatedly implied that Ted was an unreliable narrator, who either embellished or censored aspects of his various stories. The series was quite popular, lasting for 9 seasons and 208 episodes.
In 2007, Saget directed the direct-to-video parody film "Farce of the Penguins". The film was a full-length parody of the documentary film "March of the Penguins" (2005), featuring penguins conversing about their love lives. It featured the voices of several then-popular actors, including several of Saget's former co-stars from "Full House".
In 2009, Saget was cast in the main role of Steve Patterson in the sitcom "Surviving Suburbia". The premise of the series was that the members of a suburban family have problems in interacting both with each other, and with their new neighbors. The series only lasted a single season, and struggled with low ratings.
In 2014, Saget published his memoirs under the title "Dirty Daddy". In 2016, a sequel series to "Full House" was introduced under the title "Fuller House". It featured the lives of two of Danny Tanner's daughters, and Danny's grandchildren. Saget played the recurring role of Danny for 15 episodes. The sequel series lasted for 5 seasons. This was Saget's last major role in a sitcom. He continued, however, to regularly host television events.
In January 2022, Saget was in Florida for a stand-up tour. On January 9, Saget was discovered dead in his hotel room at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando, located south of Orlando, Florida. He was 65-years-old. His autopsy revealed that the cause of death was blunt head trauma from an accidental blow to the back of his head, likely from a fall. He had died in his sleep. He was buried at the Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery, next to the graves of his parents and his sister. Mourners honored Saget by offering donations to the charity "Scleroderma Research Foundation" (SRF), since Saget had long served in its board of directors. Saget is gone, but his popularity endures due to his acting and directing roles in several popular films and television shows.May 17, 1956 – January 9, 2022
American comedian ('Bob Saget: That Ain't Right,' Comic Relief), actor ('Full House'), TV presenter ('America's Funniest Home Videos'), director ('Dirty Work'), writer and producer ('Farce of the Penguins')
Grammy Award nominee: Best Comedy Album, 2013 ('That's What I'm Talkin' About')- Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
Marc Wilkinson was born on 27 July 1929 in Paris, France. He is a composer and actor, known for The Mango Tree (1977), The Bell (1982) and The Quatermass Conclusion (1979).July 27, 1929 – January 9, 2022
Australian-British composer and conductor
Australian Film Institute Award nominee: Best Original Music Score, 1977 ('The Mango Tree')
BAFTA TV Award nominee: Best Original Television Music, 1983 (for 'A Voyage Round My Father' and 'The Bell')- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Robert Allan Ackerman was born on 30 June 1944 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He was a director and producer, known for Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows (2001), My House in Umbria (2003) and The Ramen Girl (2008). He died on 10 January 2022 in Los Angeles, California, USA.June 30, 1944 – January 10, 2022
American director for Broadway ('Bent'), television ('Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows,' 'The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone') and film ('The Ramen Girl') and producer ('My House in Umbria')
Drama Desk Award nominee: Outstanding Director of a Play, 1983 ('Extremities')
Primetime Emmy Award nominee:- 2001: Outstanding Miniseries and Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special (both for 'Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows')
- 2003: Outstanding Made for Television Movie ('My House in Umbria') and Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special ('The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone')
- 2004: Outstanding Made for Television Movie ('The Reagans')
- Writer
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Joyce Eliason was born on 14 May 1934 in Manti, Utah, USA. She was a writer and producer, known for Mulholland Drive (2001), The Jacksons: An American Dream (1992) and The Last Don (1997). She was married to Stuart Margolin and Allan Dotson. She died on 10 January 2022 in the USA.May 14, 1934 – January 10, 2022
American TV writer and producer ('Babycakes,' 'The Jacksons: An American Dream,' 'The Last Don')
Humanitas Prize nominee: 90 Minute Category, 1984 ('Surviving')
Primetime Emmy Award nominee: Outstanding Miniseries, 1993 ('The Jacksons: An American Dream'), 1994 ('Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All'), 1995 ('Children of the Dust') and 1997 ('The Last Don')- Costume Designer
- Actor
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
Christian Gasc was born on 6 August 1945 in Dunes, Tarn-et-Garonne, France. He was a costume designer and actor, known for Ridicule (1996), On Guard (1997) and Farewell, My Queen (2012). He died on 11 January 2022 in Paris, France.August 6, 1945 – c. January 10, 2022
French costume designer
César Award winner: Best Costume Design, 1995 ('Madame Butterfly'), 1996 ('Ridicule'), 1997 ('On Guard') and 2012 ('Farewell, My Queen')
César Award nominee: Best Costume Design, 1985 ('Rendez-vous') and 2011 ('The Women on the 6th Floor')- Actor
- Soundtrack
This balding, impeccably well-spoken London-born character actor made his name on the Shakespearean stage well before becoming a known quantity on television. Gary was the son of Austrian-Jewish émigrés Siegfried Waldhorn and his wife Liselotte (née Popper). As a youngster, he became enamoured with acting after seeing Richard Burton on stage as Henry V at the Old Vic. After graduating from the Yale School of Drama in 1967, Waldhorn made his theatrical debut as an extra in a National Theatre production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. For several years after, he served his apprenticeship as a small part supporting player. By the early 70s, Waldhorn had established himself as a serious actor, headlining as Milo Tindle in Sleuth (the part played by Michael Caine in the classic film version) at the West End. In 1972, he took the play on the road through Australia and New Zealand, along with Richard Todd, who essayed the role of mystery novelist Andrew Wyke. As a Shakespearean actor, Waldhorn later frequently performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Over the years, his roles have included Malvolio in Twelfth Night, Shylock in The Merchant of Venice, Leonato in Much Ado About Nothing, a highly acclaimed title role of Henry V (at the Old Vic, 1996-97) and the King of France in All's Well that Ends Well.
On screen from 1969, Waldhorn appeared in a variety of TV shows, his credits including perennial murder suspect William H. Druitt in the miniseries Jack the Ripper (1973), the diplomat and advisor Marquis de Caulaincourt in Napoleon and Love (1974), Conservative politician Henry 'Chips' Channon in Edward & Mrs. Simpson (1978), as well as recurring roles in the comedies All at Number 20 (1986) and Brush Strokes (1986). He also guested (usually as establishment figures) in diverse genre series, ranging from Space: 1999 (1975) to Robin Hood (1984) and from Rumpole of the Bailey (1978) to Lovejoy (1986) and Heartbeat (1992). In the final analysis, Gary Waldhorn will be most fondly remembered as David Horton, the conservative, wealthy, often starchy chairman of the parish council in the ever-popular sitcom The Vicar of Dibley (1994).
From April 1967 until his passing on January 10 2022, Waldhorn was married to Christie Dickason, playwright, poet, theatre director/choreographer, librettist and author of (to date) nine novels.July 3, 1943 – January 10, 2022
English actor ('All at No 20,' 'Brush Strokes,' 'The Vicar of Dibley')- Composer
- Soundtrack
Rosa Lee Hawkins was born on 23 October 1945 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. She was a composer, known for Knockin' on Heaven's Door (1997), Mission: Impossible II (2000) and The Skeleton Key (2005). She died on 11 January 2022 in Tampa, Florida, USA.September 24, 1944 – January 11, 2022
American singer (The Dixie Cups)- Everett Astor Lee (August 31, 1916 - January 12, 2022) was an American conductor and violinist. He was the first African American to conduct a Broadway musical, the first to conduct an established symphony orchestra below the Mason-Dixon line, and the first to conduct a performance by a major American opera company.August 31, 1916 - January 12, 2022
American conductor and violinist; the first African American to conduct a Broadway musical ('On the Town'), the first to conduct an established symphony orchestra in the American South (Louisville Orchestra), and the first to conduct a performance by a major American opera company (New York City Opera's 'La traviata') - Actress
- Writer
- Music Department
Ronnie Spector is an American singer. Spector was the lead singer of the rock/pop vocal girl group The Ronettes, who had a string of hits during the early to mid-1960s such as "Be My Baby", "Baby, I Love You", and "The Best Part of Breakin' Up". Subsequently, Ronnie Spector launched her solo career and has since released five studio albums (Siren in 1980, Unfinished Business in 1987, Something's Gonna Happen in 2003, Last of the Rock Stars in 2006, English Heart in 2016) and one extended play (She Talks to Rainbows in 1999).
In 1986, Ronnie Spector experienced a career resurgence when she was featured on Eddie Money's Grammy nominated pop rock song "Take Me Home Tonight" which reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100. She has sung and collaborated with multiple other acts. In 2007, Ronnie and the Ronettes were inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In 2018, Spector appeared in the music documentary; Amy Winehouse: Back to Black (2018), which is based on the late singer Amy Winehouse and her final studio album Back to Black (2006). The album was inspired by 60's girl groups Winehouse gathered inspiration from listening to, such as The Ronettes.August 10, 1943 – January 12, 2022
American singer (The Ronettes)
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, 2007- Actor
- Writer
- Director
He grew up with his grandmother in the Bavarian Forest. When he graduated from high school in Cham in 1960, he was adopted by his biological father, to whom his mother, a swimming athlete, was never married. From then on he used the name Achternbusch. After briefly studying at the Munich-Pasing University of Education, Achternbusch moved to the Nuremberg Art Academy in 1961. Then he also studied at the Munich Art Academy. In 1962 Achternbusch married an art teacher. In the following years he made ends meet with odd jobs. He also painted a lot. The couple initially lived in Munich, then in Starnberg, Gauting and, from 1975, in Buchendorf. Achternbusch presented his first publications in the mid-1960s: they were poems and etchings. In 1969 his first book was published under the title "Hülle".
At the beginning of the 1970s, Achternbusch's artistic interest shifted to film. He started making small films. In the 1973/74 film "Overnight in Tirol" by Volker Schlöndorff he played the role of the teacher. In 1974 Achternbusch presented the script for his first film, which was released in cinemas under the title "The Andechser Feeling". The artist made this and the subsequent films himself as a screenwriter, director, leading actor and producer. Achternbusch's films are idiosyncratic works of a high artistic level. They are based on his bizarre prose texts, which he usually has amateur actors interpret in a comical way. The director's home region is discussed in a kind of love-hate relationship with Bavaria, with autobiographical themes also playing a role. Achternbusch gained national fame as a provocative director who liked to break social taboos.
In 1977 he rejected the Petrarch Prize that was intended for him. His films were sometimes subject to censorship measures when they were broadcast on television. The then Bavarian Federal Minister of the Interior refused funding for "The Ghost" (1982). The blasphemy accusations against the film caused a scandal in the Federal Republic of Germany's film world. In addition to his films, Achternbusch also produces plays that he directs himself.November 23, 1938 – c. January 13, 2022
German film director ('The Ghost'), writer ('Heart of Glass') and actor ('The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser')- Sonny Turner was born in 1939. He was married to Arlen Fairley, Lavinia Eaton and Roxie Turner. He died on 13 January 2022 in Los Angeles, California, USA.September 24, 1938 – January 13, 2022
Lead singer of The Platters from 1959-1970 - Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Producer
- Director
A rabid movie fan when he was young, Jean-Jacques Beineix first studied medicine before entering the movie business. During the seventies, he became an established assistant director, working with Claude Berri, René Clément, Claude Zidi and even Jerry Lewis. But, like many assistants, Beineix's ultimate dream was to direct. He had a pass at it in 1977 with the short Le chien de Monsieur Michel (1977). A promising debut, it won the first price at Trouville Festival and earned a César nomination for best short film (fiction).
In 1981, came his first long feature Diva (1981), a stylish thriller based on a book by Delacorta. When it came out, Diva was not supported by French critics and seemed at first well on its way to crash and burn. But slowly the film gained momentum due to good word of mouth and positive reactions in various festivals like Moscow and Toronto. Ultimately, the film became a great success internationally, winning four Césars along the way.
Next came the expensive The Moon in the Gutter (1983). An adaptation of a David Goodis novel, the film was even more radical than 'Diva' in its deliberate artificiality. Premiering in competition at the 36th Cannes Film Festival in 1983, the film was booed and most critics found it pretentious and boring. Only few voices rose up to defend the movie but it was not enough to save it. It flopped at the box office but manage to win one César for set design.
At that point, Beineix's career was in serious danger of biting the dust, but he came back in force in 1986 with Betty Blue (1986) (aka 'Betty Blue'), based on a 'Philippe Djian' novel. Despite mixed reviews, the film was another international hit, won the top price at Montréal festival, and was nominated for best foreign film at both the Oscars and Golden Globes, each time losing to Fons Rademakers' 'De Aanslag'. It also earned 9 César nominations including best film and best director ... but won only for best poster !
Beineix's next movie Roselyne and the Lions (1988), set in the circus world, came and went unnoticed. In 1992, IP5: The Island of Pachyderms (1992) got attention mostly for being Yves Montand's last role. Beineix then resurfaced where he was least expected with social documentaries. He did a film about children in Romania; Otaku (1994) was shot in Japan; Assigné à résidence (1997) was about locked-in syndrome victim Jean-Dominique Bauby.
In 2001, he came back to fiction with Mortal Transfer (2001), a psycho-thriller based on a Jean-Pierre Gattegno novel. Once again, critics were lukewarm and the film performed poorly at the box-office. In 2002, however, Beineix drew strong ratings with made for TV documentary Loft Paradoxe (2002), an attempt to analyse the success of reality show 'Loft Story'.
With his intense focus on the power of images, Beineix paved the way for directors like Luc Besson, Leos Carax and Jean-Pierre Jeunet. A self-proclaimed misanthropist who never hid his contempt for producers and was often deemed excessive and irascible, he will go down in the history books as a director who raised controversy not for the subjects he tackled but for his stylistic approach. Still, with Diva (1981) and Betty Blue (1986), he directed two of the few French films of the eighties that reached an international audience.October 8, 1946 – January 13, 2022
French film director, screenwriter and producer ('Diva,' 'Moon in the Gutter,' 'Betty Blue')
BAFTA Film Award nominee: Best Foreign Language Film, 1982 ('Diva') and 1986 ('Betty Blue')
César Award winner: Best First Work, 1981 ('Diva')
César Award nominee:- 1978: Best Short Film - Fiction ('Mr. Michel's Dog')
- 1986: Best Film and Best Director (both for 'Betty Blue')
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Fred Parris was born on 26 March 1936 in Milford, Connecticut, USA. He was a composer, known for Dead Ringers (1988), Dirty Dancing (1987) and The Irishman (2019). He was married to Emma. He died on 13 January 2022 in New Haven, Connecticut, USA.March 26, 1936 – January 13, 2022
American singer (The Five Satins) and songwriter ("In the Still of the Night")
Grammy Award nominee: Best Country Song, 1985 ("Lost in the Fifties Tonight (In The Still of the Night)")- Child actor Peter Robbins was born on August 10, 1956, in Los Angeles, California. His mother was an immigrant from Hungary who died from cancer when Peter was 16 years old. He first began acting in various films and television shows in 1963. Robbins has the distinction of being the first person to provide the cute and endearing voice of hapless, yet lovable blockhead Charlie Brown in a handful of delightful TV specials that include the holiday classics, A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) and It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966). Peter started doing the voice for "Charlie Brown" at age 9 and only stopped giving voice to this beloved and iconic character at age 13. Moreover, Robbins not only had a recurring role as "Alexander Bumstead" on the short-lived comedy program Blondie (1968), but also made guest appearances on episodes of such TV series as Rawhide (1959), The Munsters (1964), The Donna Reed Show (1958), F Troop (1965), Get Smart (1965), and My Three Sons (1960). In addition, he recorded a 45 single called "If I Knew Then (What I Know Now)" in 1968. Robbins quit acting in 1972 and worked, for a while, as a disc jockey in Palm Springs, California. He graduated from the University of California in San Diego in 1979 with degrees in psychology and communications. He later worked in real estate in Van Nuys, California, and lived in a condo in Oceanside, California with his dog, Snoopy. Robbins was a guest at the San Diego Comic-Con in 2008.August 10, 1956 – c. January 13, 2022
Actor and voice actor; the original voice of Charlie Brown ('A Charlie Brown Christmas,' 'It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,' 'A Boy Named Charlie Brown') - Soundtrack
Dallas Frazier was born on 27 October 1939 in Spiro, Oklahoma, USA. He was married to Sharon Carpani. He died on 14 January 2022 in Gallatin, Tennessee, USA.October 27, 1939 – January 14, 2022
American country music songwriter ("There Goes My Everything," "Alley Oop") and singer ("Elvira")
Grammy Award nominee: Best Country Song, 1966 ("There Goes My Everything"), 1969 ("All I Have To Offer You Is Me") and 1981 ("Elvira")- Actress
- Soundtrack
Cute, bubbly, and adorable actress Carol Speed achieved a considerable amount of cult cinema popularity with her often lively and delightful contributions to a handful of enjoyably down'n'dirty 1970s blaxploitation features.
She was born Carolyn Stewart on March 14, 1945, in Bakersfield, California. She holds the distinction of being the first black homecoming queen in Santa Clara County and was one of the first black people to receive a scholarship for the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. Carol got her start in show business as a back-up singer for Bobbie Gentry at Harrah's club in Reno, Nevada. She made her film debut as a hooker in The New Centurions (1972). Speed's most memorable movie roles include sassy prison inmate Mickie in Jack Hill's hilarious babes-behind-bars parody The Big Bird Cage (1972), pimp Max Julien's loyal prostitute girlfriend Lulu in the terrific The Mack (1973), sarcastic rock groupie Janyce in Bummer (1973), club owner Rockne Tarkington's sweet gal pal Leslie in the fun Black Samson (1974) and deaf-mute Sarah in Al Adamson's Dynamite Brothers (1974).
Carol gave an especially inspired and impressive performance as a minister's innocent wife who becomes possessed by the malevolent spirit of an evil demon in William Girdler's immensely entertaining horror flick Abby (1974). She had a recurring part on the daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives (1965) in the summer of 1970. Moreover, she made a guest appearance on an episode of Sanford and Son (1972), appeared in several TV commercials, and pops up in the made-for-TV films The Girls of Huntington House (1973), Love Hate Love (1971), Tenafly (1973), Getting Away from It All (1972), and The Psychiatrist (1970).
Outside of acting, Carol was also a successful writer (she's the author of the books "Inside Black Hollywood" and "The Georgette Harvey Story"), singer and songwriter (she sang her own compositions "I Can Make It" in "The Girls of Huntington House" and "My Soul Is A Witness" in "Abby"). After taking a regrettably lengthy hiatus from acting following Disco Godfather (1979) (she was slated to do a small role in Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown (1997), but backed out at the last minute), Speed made a welcome comeback with a supporting part in the independent thriller Village Vengeance (2006).
Carol Speed died at age 76 on January 14, 2022 in Muskogee, Oklahoma.March 14, 1945 – January 14, 2022
American actress ('The Mack,' 'Abby,' 'Disco Godfather')- Music Department
- Composer
- Sound Department
Jon Lind was born on 15 April 1948 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was a composer, known for The Firm (1993), The Nice Guys (2016) and The Do-Over (2016). He was married to Mary Jane D'Astuges , Francine Tacker and Susan Drew. He died on 15 January 2022 in the USA.c. 1948 – January 15, 2022
American songwriter ("Boogie Wonderland," "Crazy for You," "Save the Best for Last")
Grammy Award nominee: Song Of The Year, 1992 ("Save the Best for Last")- Director
- Script and Continuity Department
- Writer
Jean-Claude Lord was born on 6 June 1943. He was a director and writer, known for Éclair au chocolat (1979), Bingo (1974) and The Vindicator (1986). He was married to Lise Thouin. He died on 15 January 2022 in Montréal, Québec, Canada.June 6, 1943 – January 15, 2022
Canadian film director and screenwriter
Genie Award nominee: Best Adapted Screenplay, 1979 ('Chocolate Eclair')- Actress
- Soundtrack
Carmela Corren was born Carmela Bizman in Tel Aviv, Israel. Her ambition was to become a dancer, but an injury prompted her to opt for a career as a popular singer instead. After completing her mandatory military service in the Israeli Defense Forces, Carmela made her public debut on The Ed Sullivan Show (1948) in New York in 1956. In 1961, she accompanied Cliff Richard on a tour of South Africa. Two years later, she was chosen by the broadcast network ORF to represent Austria in the 1963 Eurovision contest where her rendition of "Vielleicht geschieht ein Wunder" gained her a seventh placed finish. Until the late 70s, Carmela released several albums of ballads and chansons in German, English, French, Spanish and Greek under the Ariola, Vogue and Decca labels.
Carmela appeared in several films during the 1960s, including the spy thriller Voyage to Danger (1962) and the mountaineering drama Sein bester Freund (1962), starring opposite the legendary alpine ski racing champion Toni Sailer. She also acted in a few musicals and crooned popular songs in English clubs, and, with greater success, in Austrian and German TV variety specials. Between 1966 and 1970, she was married to the German music producer Horst Geiger with whom she had two children. In 1973, she resettled in Florida, having abandoned show business to raise her family.February 13, 1938 – January 16, 2022
Israeli singer and actress- Actress
- Director
Françoise Forton was born on 8 July 1957 in Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil. She was an actress and director, known for The Clone (2001), The Mutants: Ways of the Heart (2008) and Estúpido Cupido (1976). She was married to Eduardo Barata and Ênio Viotti. She died on 16 January 2022 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.July 8, 1957 – January 16, 2022
Brazilian actress- Soundtrack
Armando Gama was born on 1 April 1954 in Luanda, Angola, Portugal [now Angola]. He was married to Valentina Torres. He died on 17 January 2022 in Lissabon, Portugal.April 1, 1954 – January 17, 2022
Portuguese singer and songwriter- Additional Crew
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Birju Maharaj was born on 4 February 1938 in Handia, United Provinces, British India [now Handia, Madhya Pradesh, India]. He is known for Bajirao Mastani (2015), Vishwaroopam (2013) and Devdas (2002). He died on 16 January 2022 in New Delhi, India.February 4, 1938 – January 17, 2022
Indian dancer and choreographer
Filmfare Technical Award winner: Best Choreography, 2015 ('Bajirao Mastani')
National Film Award winner: Best Choreography, 2013 ("Unnai Kaanadhu Naan" in 'Vishwaroopam')- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
An intelligent, slender leading lady of the 1960s and 70s, Yvette Carmen Mimieux was born in Hollywood, California, to Maria (Montemayor) and René Mimieux, an occasional movie extra. Her father was born in England, of French and German descent, and her mother was Mexican. While she was first persuaded to go into acting by a Hollywood publicist, her discovery for the screen can be attributed to the director Vincente Minnelli who saw her perform in a play and decided to cast her in his melodrama Home from the Hill (1960). Though Yvette's small role ended up on the cutting room floor, MGM producers were sufficiently impressed with her looks to sign her under a long term contract. Her first role of note, Platinum High School (1960), won her a Golden Globe nomination as Most Promising Newcomer. She was then properly 'launched' with the part of Weena, the naive Eloi cave girl, in George Pal's version of The Time Machine (1960). This turned out to be one of the studio's biggest box office winners of 1960. That same year, Mimieux also played a carefree collegian in Where the Boys Are (1960), a teen comedy (with serious undertones) dealing with adolescent sexuality. Both of her performances were well received by critics, but also set the trend for the actress to become typed either as fragile or insecure characters, or as sex kittens.
After a two year hiatus, Mimieux gave a genuinely compelling performance as Clara Johnson, a retarded girl who captures the affections of a young Italian in Light in the Piazza (1962). Though disliking the film, New York Times critic Bosley Crowther described Clara as "played with sunshine radiance and rapturous grace." Having essayed more conventional heroines in Diamond Head (1962) (sister of blustering land baron), The Reward (1965) (a fugitive's girlfriend) and Dark of the Sun (1968) (girl caught up with mercenaries in the Congo), Mimieux began to concentrate on TV movies which gave her the opportunity to further expand her dramatic range. Her contract killer in Hit Lady (1974) and the unhinged stalker in Obsessive Love (1984) were based, respectively, on her own screenplay and story. Probably her last role of note was as the victim of a harrowing chain of events in Jackson County Jail (1976), a downbeat exploitation drama produced by Roger Corman's New World Pictures. In 1985, Mimieux had a recurring role in Berrenger's (1985), a glossy soap opera set in a luxurious department store. The series lasted just one season before being canceled. Though ultimately nominated for three Golden Globes, Mimieux came to bemoan the fact that scriptwriters of the period tended to depict women as 'one-dimensional'.
In 1992, Mimieux left the acting profession to form a partnership with Sara Shane (another ex-MGM contract player) in a Los Angeles-based enterprise called "Partners in Paradise", selling embroidered tapestries, bedspreads and pillows based on Haitian designs. She subsequently went on to find even more lucrative opportunities in real estate. In her spare time, Mimieux traveled extensively, painted and studied archaeology. At the time of her death at the age of 80, she was married to Howard F. Ruby, founder and chairman of Oakwood Worldwide, a large global corporation providing furnished apartments.January 8, 1942 – January 17, 2022
American actress ('The Time Machine,' 'Dark of the Sun,' 'The Black Hole')
Golden Globe nominee:- Most Promising Newcomer - Female, 1960 ('Platinum High School')
- Best TV Star - Female, 1965 ('Dr. Kildare' episode "Tyger, Tyger")
- Best TV Actress - Drama, 1971 ('The Most Deadly Game')
- Michel Subor was born Mischa Subotzki in Paris, France in 1935, to anti-Bolshevik parents from the Soviet Union who had immigrated a few years earlier. His father was an engineer in Moscow, and his mother was born in Azerbaijan. Michel's sister moved to the United States as an adult. His career started with small roles in Frou-Frou (Augusto Genina, 1955) with Dany Robin, and the comedy Un drôle de dimanche/A Strange Sunday (Marc Allégret, 1958), followed by playing Jean Richard's son in the comedy Mon pote le gitan/My buddy the Gypsy (François Gir, Guy Lionel, 1959). He had his first leading role as the lover of Brigitte Bardot's character in the sexy comedy La Bride sur le Cou/Please, Not Now! (Roger Vadim, 1961). The year before Subor had completed his most important early role in Jean-Luc Godard's Le Petit Soldat/The Little Soldier (1960). The film was banned from release in France for three years because it refers to the use of torture on both the French and Algerian sides during the Algerian struggle for independence. Subor plays Bruno Forestier, a young, disillusioned man who becomes involved in politics, yet in spite of the fact that he stands up to torture and commits murder because of this involvement, he does not have deep political beliefs. Subor also provided the narrator's voice in another classic of the Nouvelle Vague, Jules and Jim (1962) (François Truffaut, 1962).February 2, 1935 – January 17, 2022
French actor ('Le petit soldat,' 'Topaz,' 'Beau travail') - Composer
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Dick Halligan was born on 29 August 1943 in Troy, New York, USA. He was a composer, known for Licorice Pizza (2021), The Octagon (1980) and A Force of One (1979). He died on 18 January 2022 in Rome, Italy.August 29, 1943 – January 18, 2022
American musician (Blood, Sweat & Tears), songwriter ("Lisa, Listen to Me") and film composer ('The Owl and the Pussycat,' 'Go Tell the Spartans,' 'The Octagon')- André Leon Talley was born on 16 October 1948 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. He was an actor, known for Sex and the City (2008), The September Issue (2009) and Empire (2015). He died on 18 January 2022 in White Plains, New York, USA.October 16, 1948 – January 18, 2022
American fashion journalist and judge ('America's Next Top Model') - Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Hardy Kruger was born Eberhard August Franz Ewald Krüger in Wedding, Berlin, thee son of Auguste (Meier) and Max Krüger. At thirteen years, he became a member of the "Hitler Jugend" (Hitler Youth), as did all 13-year-old boys in Germany then. The purpose of the organization was to prepare the boys for military service. At age 15, Hardy made his film debut in a German picture (Junge Adler (1944)), but his acting career was interrupted when he was drafted into the German army in 1944 at age 16 and posted to an infantry regiment.
Years later, Hardy related how he "hated that [Nazi] uniform." During the filming of A Bridge Too Far (1977) in which he portrayed a Nazi general, he wore a top-coat over his S.S. uniform between takes so as "not to remind myself of my childhood in Germany during W.W.II." It is said, that during his war years, Hardy was captured and taken prisoner by U.S. forces but attempted to escape thrice, the third time successfully.
After the war, Hardy returned to acting, and eight years later was "discovered" by foreign film distributor J. Arthur Rank who promptly cast him in three British pictures, practically filmed back-to-back: The One That Got Away (1957), Bachelor of Hearts (1958) and Chance Meeting (1959), in which he appeared simply as a foreigner and not a German, as was usually the case. Following the release of these films, Hardy's career took off. Despite anti-German sentiment that still prevailed in postwar Europe, Hardy, described as "ruggedly handsome" and a "blond heartthrob," became an international favorite, paving the way to his first American role as co-star with John Wayne in the Tanganyika-shot wildlife adventure Hatari! (1962).
Hardy was so taken aback by the beauty of the land, that he bought the film's location ("Momilla Farm") and built a small home for himself and a small bungalow hotel for tourists to see the animals. Hunting was forbidden on the property, and, later, a cattle farm was started with the meat being sold to local hotels. Hardy described his home there as "a sort of African Walden where I can get away from the world from time to time."
In 1979, due to the dissolution of the alliance of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania (formerly Tanganyika), the border with Kenya was closed and remained so for half a decade which caused a serious decline in tourism. The business aspects of his property were shut down for a period of time, but eventually things picked up and the place was transformed into a proper tourist hotel, known (fittingly) as Hatari Lodge.
Fluent in English, French and German, Hardy found himself in much demand by British, French, American and German producers and became more selective in his scripts. "I'd rather sit out a picture than take a role I don't think is right for me" he would later say. He died in January 2022, in Palm Springs, California, 11 years after his last film credit.April 12, 1928 – January 19, 2022
German actor ('Sundays and Cybèle,' 'Hatari!,' 'The Flight of the Phoenix,' 'Barry Lyndon,' 'The Wild Geese')
German Film Award nominee: Best Actor in a Leading Role, 1953 ('As Long As You're Near Me') and 1961 ('Two Among Millions')
Golden Globe nominee: Best Supporting Actor, 1966 ('The Flight of the Phoenix') -- refused nomination
Honorary Bambi Award recipient, 2008 (Lifetime Achievement)
Honorary German Film Award recipient, 1983 ("For his continued outstanding individual contributions to German film over the years.")- Actor
- Soundtrack
Gaspard Ulliel's dream had always been to direct a movie, and after completing his studies at the lycée (French high school), he majored in cinema at the University of Saint-Denis, and began his acting career.
He was born in Paris, to Christine, a stylist and runway show producer, and Serge Ulliel, a fashion designer. One of his first professional performances came when he was twelve, in the TV film Une femme en blanc (1997). During the following years, Ulliel continued working on television and was cast in short films such as Alias (1999). He played a young shepherd who was injured by The Beast in Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001), and was then discovered by director Michel Blanc, who offered him a part in Summer Things (2002) which also starred veteran actress Charlotte Rampling. Ulliel then took summer stages at Les Cours Florent and was asked by director André Téchiné to star in Strayed (2003) as Emmanuelle Béart's over. His role as Manech opposite Audrey Tautou in A Very Long Engagement (2004) brought him to stardom. He was nominated thrice for Most Promising Male Newcomer at the César Awards (the equivalent of the Oscars in France) in 2003, 2004 and 2005; he won the last one. Ulliel's lead roles include The Last Day (2004), Jacquou le croquant (2007) and Hannibal Rising (2007), his first major English-language film.
He had a son with his former partner, model and singer Gaëlle Piétri, born in January 2016. They split up in 2020. Gaspard died on 19 January, 2022, in La Tronche, Isère, France, after a skiing accident.November 25, 1984 – January 19, 2022
French actor ('A Very Long Engagement,' 'Hannibal Rising,' 'Saint Laurent,' 'It's Only the End of the World,' 'Moon Knight') and model (Bleu de Chanel)
César Award winner:- Most Promising Actor, 2004 ('A Very Long Engagement')
- Best Actor, 2016 ('It's Only the End of the World')
- Most Promising Actor, 2002 ('Summer Things') and 2003 ('Strayed')
- Best Actor, 2014 ('Saint Laurent')
- Music Department
- Actress
- Composer
Elza Soares was born on 23 June 1930 in Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She was an actress and composer, known for Desejos de Mulher (2002), Chega de Saudade (2007) and Second Call (2019). She was married to Garrincha and Lourdes Antônio Soares . She died on 20 January 2022 in Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.June 23, 1930 – January 20, 2022
Brazilian samba singer- Music Artist
- Actor
- Producer
Meat Loaf was born Marvin Lee Aday in Dallas, Texas, to Wilma Artie (Hukel), a teacher and gospel singer, and Orvis Wesley Aday, a police officer. He moved to Los Angeles in 1967 to play in local bands. In 1970, he moved to New York and appeared in the Broadway musicals "Hair", "Rockabye Hamlet" and "The Rocky Horror Show," and Off Broadway in "Rainbow", "More Than You Deserve", "National Lampoon Show" and the New York Shakespeare Festival's production of "As You Like it;" as well as other productions at the famed New York Public Theatre. He made his film debut with a memorable role in the cult film The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975).
In 1977, he and lyricist Jim Steinman released an operatic rock album called "Bat Out Of Hell"; the record was huge and has sold 50,000,000 copies worldwide and is tied with AC/DC for the 2nd best selling record of all time. The tour and promoting the album took a toll on Meat Loaf's voice and left him unable to sing for 2 years, but with months of rehabilitation, he was able to get back in the studio and record the album "Dead Ringer". Meat Loaf stayed in the dark through the 1980s in the US, recording 4 records which got very little airplay or high chart positions in the US but continued to have major chart success in Europe and Australia. The 1981 Single "Dead Ringer for Love", a duet with Cher, was a top 10 single in many countries outside the US, but which American radio refused to play.
Meat Loaf had many film and TV roles, including the lead character Travis Redfish in Roadie (1980); a pilot in Out of Bounds (1986); in The Squeeze (1987) with Michael Keaton; and Fred in Focus (2001) (based on the Arthur Miller book by the same name), with Laura Dern and William H. Macy. When Meat Loaf and Steinman got back together in 1993, they delivered a powerful sequel, "Bat Out Of Hell II", which went to #1 in the US and UK and 26 other countries. Bat II sold over 22,000,000 copies.
He appeared in many films, including Crazy in Alabama (1999), Formula 51 (2001) (with Samuel L. Jackson), and Fight Club (1999) (with Brad Pitt). TV credits included guest starring roles as a soldier being held prisoner in Vietnam in Lightning Force (1991), a newspaper reporter in the hit series Glee (2009), a slick landlord of a restaurant who ends up on the menu in HBO series Tales from the Crypt (1989) a blacksmith on Showtime's Dead Man's Gun (1997), as fur trader Jake in Masters of Horror (2005) episode Pelts (2006), in House (2004) as caring husband Eddie, and, most recently, in the supporting role of Doug in the SYFY series Ghost Wars (2017). Hugh Laurie (star of "House") played piano on the song "If I Can't Have You" on Meat Loaf's album "Hang Cool Teddy Bear", which was produced by award-winning music producer Rob Cavallo. (Jack Black also sang on the album.)
Marvin Lee Aday died on January 20, 2022 in Austin, Texas from COVID-19 complications.September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022
American rocker ('Bat Out of Hell,' "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That") and actor ('The Rocky Horror Picture Show,' 'Wayne's World,' 'Fight Club')
Grammy Award winner: Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance, 1993 ("I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That")- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Iconic comedian Louie Anderson, the three-time Emmy®-Award winner, was one of the country's most recognized and adored comics; named by Comedy Central as "One of 100 Greatest Stand-Up Comedians of All Time." His career spanned more than 30 years. He was a best-selling author, star of his own stand up specials and sitcoms, and toured, performing to standing-room only crowds worldwide.
Louis Perry Anderson was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the son of Ora Zella (Prouty) and Louis William Anderson, a trumpet player. He was of Swedish, Norwegian, and English descent. Sharing the ups and downs of his childhood experiences as one of eleven children, Louie crafted comedy routines that rang true for his early club audiences while reducing them to helpless fits of laughter, routines that led him from his career as a counselor to troubled children to the first-place trophy at the 1981 Midwest Comedy Competition. Henny Youngman, who hosted the competition, recognized the diamond-in-the-rough genius of the young comic and hired him as a writer, providing invaluable experience that soon put Louie in his own spotlight on comedy stages all over the country.
Johnny Carson, the comedy icon for generations of rising stars, invited Louie to make his national television debut on the "The Tonight Show" in 1984, and the rest is history. Leno, Letterman, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, "Comic Relief" and Showtime, HBO and CMT specials followed, including hosting the legendary game show, Family Feud, making Louie a household name and opening doors for him as an actor. He guest-starred in sitcoms like "Grace Under Fire" and dramas like "Touched by an Angel" and "Chicago Hope," and had memorable featured roles in film comedies like "Coming to America," opposite of Eddie Murphy, and the classic "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." In 2013, he took a dive on the ABC reality series, "Splash" where he conquered his own fears while becoming an inspiration of hope. His stand up Special, "Big Baby Boomer" premiered on CMT, in 2013. Also in that year, he competed and inspired on the ABC reality competition show, Splash.
In 1995 Louie put his creative energies to work on the Saturday morning animated series "Life with Louie." The long-running series based on Louie's own childhood and his life with his father won three Humanitas Prizes for writing on a children's' animated series, making him the only three-time recipient of this award. It also earned a Genesis Award for its depiction of the proper treatment of animals and, most significantly, two Emmy Awards.
His best selling books included Dear Dad - Letters From An Adult Child, a collection of alternately touching and outrageous letters from Louie to his late father, and Good-bye Jumbo...Hello Cruel World, self-help for those who struggle with self-esteem issues, and his latest installment on family, The F Word, How To Survive Your Family.
In 2016, Louie was cast to co-star along with Zach Galifianakis and Martha Kelly in the hit FX series, "Baskets." Anderson's extraordinary new role is Christine Baskets, the matriarch of the Baskets clan. The character is based on both his mother and his five sisters, who were a major presence in his life; "I'm not as nice in the character as my mom was as a person. It really is an extension of my mom, Anderson says, adding that he always aims to make his performance "as real as possible" without "affecting or cartooning it up. It felt like it was divine intervention when I got the call to be on the show, that somehow my mom, from the great beyond, was finally getting herself into show business where she truly belonged in the first place."
When not in production, Louie traveled the States doing what he loved to do, stand-up comedy, and again delivered to his fans his inimitable brand of humor and warmth. He died on January 21, 2022, in Las Vegas, of large B-cell lymphoma.March 24, 1953 – January 21, 2022
American stand-up comedian ('Louie: Larger Than Life'), actor ('Coming to America,' 'Baskets'), TV host ('Family Feud'), writer, producer, voice actor, and TV series creator ('Life with Louie')
Daytime Emmy Award winner: Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program, 1997 and 1998 (both for 'Life with Louie')
Daytime Emmy Award nominee: Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program and Outstanding Special Class Animated Program, 1999 (both for 'Life with Louie')
Primetime Emmy Award winner: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, 2016 ('Baskets')
Primetime Emmy Award nominee: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, 2017 and 2018 (both for 'Baskets')- Producer
- Writer
- Actor
Mace Neufeld was born on 13 July 1928 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a producer and writer, known for Beverly Hills Cop III (1994), The Saint (1997) and No Way Out (1987). He was married to Helen Katz and Diane Conn. He died on 21 January 2022 in Beverly Hills, California, USA.July 13, 1928 – January 21, 2022
American producer for film ('The Omen,' 'The Hunt for Red October,' 'The Equalizer') and television ('East of Eden,' 'Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan')
Primetime Emmy Award nominee: Outstanding Limited Series, 1981 ('East of Eden')- Composer
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Don Lee Wilson was born in Tacoma, WA on February 10, 1933. The family heritage is mixed-- his mother, Josie, was first-generation Swedish, while his father was of Welsh and Irish extraction. Don's early interest in music started with the "big-band" sound and country-and-western music. When he was about 12 years old, his mother showed him a few chords on the tipple (a ten-stringed instrument, tuned like a ukulele), which she knew how to play. When compared with a guitar, the tipple would be equivalent to a 12-string. Don always liked listening to Glenn Miller and His Orchestra, but his idol was Tommy Dorsey because he enjoyed his mellow trombone sound. This inspired Don to take trombone lessons. He even played when he went into the army--in the 169th Infantry, he played with the regimental band in Germany, where he was stationed for 19 months. During this time, he had an army buddy who had previously played guitar, from whom Don learned some more guitar chords. On his return home from the army, Don went to work as a car salesman and, after meeting Bob Bogle, to whom he sold a car, they found they had a mutual interest in playing guitar, even though they only knew a few chords between them. After advancing their knowledge of chords and basic guitar playing, they bought two new Fender guitars and began playing club dates at night, while continuing to work during the day.
With the help of Don's mother, they made a recording on their own record label, Blue Horizon, which was released in the Seattle/Tacoma area. They had heard a song called "Walk, Don't Run" played by Chet Atkins and, using their own arrangement, they came up with the basis for what was later identified as The Ventures' sound. The tune started to get airplay, and was picked up for nationwide release by Dolton Records. Shortly thereafter, "Walk Don't Run" became the #2 record in the country, selling over two million copies worldwide. The Ventures were on their way to becoming the world's largest-selling instrumental group of all time. Their popularity in Japan was such that, during The Beatles' heyday in the '60s, The Ventures outsold them 2:1.February 10, 1933 – January 22, 2022
Co-founder and rhythm guitarist for The Ventures- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Serge Korber was born on 1 February 1936 in Paris, France. He was a director and writer, known for Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962) and Hearth Fires (1972). He was married to Marie-Claire Korber. He died on 23 January 2022 in Paris, France.February 1, 1936 – January 23, 2022
French director ('Perched on a Tree'), screenwriter ('Dog Day') and actor ('Cléo from 5 to 7')- Barbara Krafftówna was born on 5 December 1928 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland. She was an actress, known for Jak byc kochana (1963), Ashes and Diamonds (1958) and Upal (1964). She was married to Michal Gazda and Arnold Seidner. She died on 23 January 2022 in Skolimów, Mazowieckie, Poland.December 5, 1928 – January 23, 2022
Polish actress - Costume Designer
- Director
- Actor
Thierry Mugler was born on 21 December 1948 in Strasbourg, Bas-Rhin, France. He was a costume designer and director, known for Mutant Action (1993), Z Chromozome (2012) and The Man Who Wasn't There (1987). He died on 23 January 2022 in Vincennes, Val-de-Marne, France.December 21, 1948 – January 23, 2022
French fashion designer- Production Designer
- Art Director
- Set Decorator
Rolf Zehetbauer was born on 13 February 1929 in Munich, Germany. He was a production designer and art director, known for Cabaret (1972), The NeverEnding Story (1984) and Enemy Mine (1985). He died on 23 January 2022 in Munich, Bavaria, Germany.February 13, 1929 – January 23, 2022
German production designer ('Cabaret,' 'Despair,' 'Das Boot,' 'The NeverEnding Story'), art director and set decorator ('Town Without Pity')
Academy Award winner: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, 1972 ('Cabaret')
BAFTA Film Award winner: Best Art Direction, 1972 ('Cabaret')
Bavarian Film Award winner: Best Production Design, 2003 ('Luther')
German Film Award winner: Best Production Design, 1957 ('The Devil Strikes at Night'), 1978 ('Despair'), 1984 ('The NeverEnding Story') and 1997 ('Comedian Harmonists')
Primetime Emmy Award nominee: Outstanding Art Direction for a Limited Series or a Special, 1982 ('Inside the Third Reich')- Actress
- Producer
- Art Director
Fatma Girik was born on 12 December 1942 in Istanbul, Turkey. She was an actress and producer, known for Ezo Gelin (1968), Sürtügün Kizi (1967) and Bos Besik (1969). She died on 24 January 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey.December 12, 1942 – January 24, 2022
Turkish actress ('Köroglu,' 'Yasam kavgasi,' 'Postaci,' 'Japon Isi') and producer ('Yüz Numarali Adam')- Etchika Choureau was born on 12 November 1929 in Paris, France. She was an actress, known for Darby's Rangers (1958), Lafayette Escadrille (1958) and The Vanquished (1953). She was married to Philippe Rheims and Max Choureau. She died on 24 January 2022 in Rabat, Morocco.November 19, 1929 – January 25, 2022
French actress ('The Vanquished,' 'Lafayette Escadrille,' 'Darby's Rangers') - Writer
- Script and Continuity Department
- Actor
Barry Cryer was born on 23 March 1935 in Leeds, Yorkshire, England, UK. He was a writer and actor, known for The Stanley Baxter Show (1963), Tommy Cooper (1969) and The Russ Abbot Show (1986). He was married to Theresa Margaret 'Terry' Donovan. He died on 25 January 2022 in Northwick Park, Harrow, London, England, UK.March 23, 1935 – January 25, 2022
British comedian ('I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue') and writer (Morecambe & Wise, Tommy Cooper, Kenny Everett, 'The Two Ronnies')- Music Department
- Composer
- Editorial Department
Kenneth Wannberg was born on 28 June 1930 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was a composer, known for Jurassic Park (1993), Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) and Minority Report (2002). He was married to Elizabeth ?. He died on 26 January 2022 in the USA.June 28, 1930 – January 26, 2022
American music editor ('Star Wars,' 'Indiana Jones,' 'Jurassic Park') and composer ('The Late Show,' 'The Philadelphia Experiment')
Primetime Emmy Award winner: Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series, 1986 ('Amazing Stories' episode "The Mission")
Genie Award nominee: Best Music Score, 1980 ('Tribute')- René de Obaldia was born on 22 October 1918 in Hong Kong, China. He was a writer and actor, known for La difficulté d'être infidèle... (1964), Cinéma 16 (1975) and Le petit théâtre d'Antenne 2 (1977). He was married to Diane. He died on 27 January 2022 in Paris, France.October 22, 1918 – January 27, 2022
French playwright and poet - Stalwart American actor Donald Adam May is best known to television viewers as dapper crime fighting District Attorney Adam Drake in the long-running mystery soap opera The Edge of Night (1956). Donald was born in Chicago, one of four siblings, to Texan oil businessman Harry S. May and his wife Leontine. He attended school in Houston, and, in 1949, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Oklahoma. His first professional acting gig was in a play with a stock company in Albany, New York. Donald subsequently appeared in a few promotional films for the Signal Corps and then enlisted in the U.S. Navy, eventually serving as a gunnery officer (ensign) on a destroyer during the Korean War. Following his demobilisation in 1955, he returned to New York to resume work on the repertory stage. The following year, he starred as a cadet in the CBS anthology TV series West Point (1956) (a show supposedly based on factual events). With a Warner Brothers contract in hand, Donald and his then wife (Yale graduate and former stage actress Ellen Cameron) relocated to Hollywood at the end of the decade. Henceforth, his rugged good looks were gainfully employed in essaying men of integrity, the 'white hat' wearers in westerns and crime dramas.
After appearing in an episode of Sugarfoot (1957), Donald played the lead in four segments of the western series Colt .45 (1957) (temporarily replacing Wayde Preston) and had further guest spots in 77 Sunset Strip (1958) and Cheyenne (1955). The next acting assignment -- his most prominent leading role to date -- was as New York reporter Pat Garrison, chronicling gangland crime in The Roaring 20's (1960). This prohibition era action series ran for two seasons and co-starred Dorothy Provine, Rex Reason and John Dehner. If it failed to do better in the ratings, it should be remembered that it was going up against and being compared to The Untouchables (1959) (which was being presented in a semi-documentary style and appeared to the viewing public as 'more authentic').
From the mid-60s, Donald May was probably one of the busiest actors in showbiz, dividing his time between the New York off-Broadway stage and acting on The Edge of Night, which was a New York-based live broadcast. By the time the series had run its course, Donald had managed to rack up an impressive 2840 episodes as Adam Drake over a period of ten years. Not finished with soaps yet, he later had further recurring roles in Falcon Crest (1981), and, as a romantic lead, in Texas (1980) (which starred his second wife, the actress Carla Borelli).
Donald retired from screen acting in 1993 and died at the age of 94 on January 28 2022.February 22, 1927 or 1929 – January 28, 2022
American actor in television ('Colt .45,' 'The Roaring 20's,' 'The Edge of Night') and film ('Kisses for My President,' 'O.C. and Stiggs') - Actor
- Writer
- Director
Howard Hesseman was a leading counter-culture figure since the late 1960s. He was a member of the improv group, "The Committee", for a decade in the 1960s/1970s. A character actor for many years on different television shows since the 1960s, he took small parts in The Andy Griffith Show (1960), Dragnet 1967 (1967), Soap (1977), and Sanford and Son (1972). The role that brought him to prominence was Howard Johnson in the cult classic Billy Jack (1971).
He was a frequent guest star on The Bob Newhart Show (1972) but would become best-known for his role on the classic series WKRP in Cincinnati (1978), as anti-disco hipster DJ "Dr. Johnny Fever". Also in the 1970s, he appeared in The Sunshine Boys (1975), Tunnel Vision (1976), Silent Movie (1976) and The Big Bus (1976). After the cancellation of WKRP in Cincinnati (1978), he went on to star as the husband of Ann Romano in One Day at a Time (1975). After that series was cancelled, Hesseman starred in This Is Spinal Tap (1984), Doctor Detroit (1983), Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment (1985), Clue (1985), and Flight of the Navigator (1986).
He then starred as history teacher Charlie Moore in Head of the Class (1986). He left that show in 1990 and appeared in a steady stream of television guest roles. In 1987, he appeared in Amazon Women on the Moon (1987). In 1991, he starred in Rubin and Ed (1991). Afterward, he appeared in other films, including Gridlock'd (1997) (with Tupac Shakur). His work in later years concentrated mostly on television, where he took mostly small guest roles, in such shows as That '70s Show (1998), Touched by an Angel (1994), The Practice (1997), and Crossing Jordan (2001).February 27, 1940 – January 29, 2022
American actor ('WKRP in Cincinnati,' 'Head of the Class,' 'About Schmidt')
Primetime Emmy Award nominee: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Variety or Music Series, 1980 and 1981 (both for 'WKRP in Cincinnati')- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Sam Lay was born on 20 March 1935 in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. He is known for Born in Chicago (2020), Sweet Blues: A Film About Mike Bloomfield (2013) and The Howlin' Wolf Story (2003). He was married to Elizabeth. He died on 29 January 2022 in Chicago, Illinois, USA.March 20, 1935 – January 29, 2022
American drummer and vocalist
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, 2015- Pete Smith was born in 1959 in New Zealand. He was an actor, known for The Quiet Earth (1985), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) and The Piano (1993). He was married to Mona Papali'i. He died on 29 January 2022 in Kaitaia, Far North District, New Zealand.August 7, 1958 – January 29, 2022
New Zealand actor ('The Quiet Earth,' 'The Piano,' 'Once Were Warriors') - Actress
- Additional Crew
Cheslie Kryst was born on 28 April 1991 in Jackson, Michigan, USA. She was an actress, known for Colin in Black & White (2021), Extra (1994) and Nashville Squares (2019). She died on 30 January 2022 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.April 28, 1991 – January 30, 2022
American model, TV correspondent ('Extra') and former beauty pageant contestant (Miss Universe 2019) and titleholder (Miss USA 2019)- Leonid Kuravlyov made his first appearance in a movie while he was still a student. In 1959 he played in the film There Will Be No Leave Today (1959) by his classmate Andrei Tarkovsky. In 1960, he played the role of a sailor Kamushkin in a historical movie Michman Panin (1960) directed by Mikhail Shvejtser. Simultaneously, Kuravlyov acted in Vasiliy Shukshin's degree work Iz Lebyazhego soobshchayut (1960). That same year, Kuravlyov graduated from VGIK and joined the Theater Studio of Film Actors. From that moment on, Leonid Kuravlyov played a few leading parts and incidental characters in a few movies. In 1961, Kuravlyov starred in a famous Soviet melodrama When the Trees Were Tall (1962) with Yuriy Nikulin playing the leading part. Actor and film director Vasiliy Shukshin is considered to have been the one to widely introduce Leonid Kuravlyov to the general public. In 1964, he shot two films - Zhivyot takoy paren (1964) and Vash syn i brat (1966) - both starring Leonid Kuravlyov. Vasiliy Shukshin liked Kuravlyov's acting in these two movies so much that he would constantly offer him different roles in many of his projects. Kuravlyov, however, turned down each one of them because he did not wish to play clichéd characters.
The role of Shura Balaganov in Mikhail Shvejtser's comedy The Golden Calf (1968) based on Ilya Ilf and Yevgeni Petrov's eponymous book was the next step in Leonid Kuravlyov's acting career, in which he managed to create an unforgettable sparkling image of a naive petty thief. Kuravlyov's other notable films of this period include one of the first Soviet horror movies Viy (1967) adaptation of Nikolay Gogol's novell directed by Georgiy Kropachyov, where he played young seminarist Khoma Brutus, and a psychological melodrama Nepodsuden (1969) directed by Vladimir Krasnopolskiy and Valeriy Uskov, where he played the negative character Sorokin.
In the early 1970s, Leonid Kuravlyov would star in three to four films a year. He managed to play completely opposite characters like Robinson Crusoe in Stanislav Govorukhin's Robinson Crusoe (1973), Nazi officer Kurt Eismann in Seventeen Moments of Spring (1973), and Lavr Mironych in Pyotr Todorovskiy's Poslednyaya zhertva (1976).
Even though Kuravlyov is very good at playing serious dramatic roles, he is still best known and mostly loved for his comic appearances in movies like Leonid Gaidai's Ivan Vasilyevich Changes His Profession (1973), where Kuravlyov played a thief named George Miloslavsky, who accidentally got teleported to the times of Ivan the Terrible. Interestingly enough, Andrey Mironov also tried out for this role, but Leonid Gaidai decided in Kuravlyov's favor.
In 1975, Leonid Kuravlyov starred in one his most famous comedies Afonya (1975), directed by Georgiy Daneliya. Kuravlyov played a very atypical character - a plumber named Afonya Borshchyov, who takes bribes, often gets into trouble, abuses alcohol, quarrels with his superiors at work, and doesn't really know what to do with his life. And then suddenly, one of his neighborhood "female clients" falls in love with him... About 62,2 mln. people went to see Afonya during its first year on cinema screens, making it an unconditional Soviet box-office leader of 1975.
In 1979, Leonid Kuravlyov played a very short role of a thief named Kopchyoniy in Stanislav Govorukhin's cult series The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed (1979). The actor masterfully created an accomplished and amazingly credible image of an experienced criminal in just a matter of minutes.
During the 1980s, Leonid Kuravlyov starred in a number of memorable movies, such as Damy priglashayut kavalerov (1981), Ishchite zhenshchinu (1983), Demidovy (1983), TASS upolnomochen zayavit... (1984), Samaya obayatelnaya i privlekatelnaya (1985), Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: The Twentieth Century Approaches (1987) and many others.
The 1990s were not the best times for the Russian cinema in general and most of the released movies were mediocre and low-grade. During this period, many actors were forced to star in low-quality films just to make ends meet, and Leonid Kuravlyov was not an exception. Perhaps, his role in a movie called Lady Into Lassie (1995) is the only one worth mentioning.
In 2002 he starred in Russian mini-TV series Law of the Lawless (2002) as an MVD general. In 2009 he played the Nobleman in Disney's first Russian-only release, Kniga masterov (2009).October 8, 1936 – January 30, 2022
Russian actor ('Viy,' 'Ivan Vasilievich Changes Profession,' 'Seventeen Moments of Spring')
Named People's Artist of the Republic, 1977 - Writer
- Director
- Actor
Viktor Merezhko was born on 28 July 1937 in Olgenfeld, Rostov Oblast, Soviet Union [now Yuzhny, Russia]. He was a writer and director, known for Khutoryanin (2013), Zdravstvuy i proshchay (1973) and Zhuravl v nebe (1978). He was married to Tamara Vadimovna Merezhko. He died on 30 January 2022 in Saint-Petersburg, Russia.July 28, 1937 – January 30, 2022
Soviet and Russian screenwriter, playwright and director- Hargus 'Pig' Robbins was born on 18 January 1938 in Spring City, Tennessee, USA. He was married to Vicki. He died on 30 January 2022 in the USA.January 18, 1938 – January 30, 2022
American keyboard player - Actor
- Stunts
- Writer
Robert Wall was born on 22 August 1939 in San Jose, California, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Enter the Dragon (1973), The Way of the Dragon (1972) and Game of Death (1978). He was married to Lillian Prescott. He died on 30 January 2022 in Los Angeles, California, USA.August 22, 1939 – January 30, 2022
American actor, martial artist and stuntman ('The Way of the Dragon,' 'Enter the Dragon,' 'Code of Silence')- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Actor, songwriter ("Christmas Eve"), composer and author Carleton Carpenter, was educated at Bennington (VT) High School. He appeared on Broadway, in "Bright Boy", "Three to Make Ready", and "John Murray Anderson's Almanac," and on television, and made many records. Carpenter wrote special material for Debbie Reynolds, Kaye Ballard, Marlene Dietrich and Hermione Gingold, and also scripts for films and television. Joining ASCAP in 1955, his other popular-song compositions include "I Wouldn't Mind," "Ev'ry Other Day," "Cabin In the Woods," "A Little Love" and "Come Away."July 10, 1926 – January 31, 2022
American actor ('Summer Stock,' 'Two Weeks with Love,' 'Up Periscope')- Writer
- Actor
- Director
Flemming Oluf Quist Møller was born in Taarbæk, Denmark. He is a danish director, cartoonist, children's author, drummer, screenwriter, and actor. As a director, he started with small experimental animation, often in collaboration with Jannik Hastrup. He made contributions as a children's author, and in a totally different ballgame, he was co-author of Anders Refn films such as Strømer (1976), The Heritage (1978) and Black Harvest (1993). Møller was a percussionist in Bazaar with Peter Bastian and Anders Koppel. In 1994 Quist Møller received a Bodil Honorary Award for his total stake in Danish film. He died from a heart attack at the age of 79 on January 31 2022 in Copenhagen.May 19, 1942 – January 31, 2022
Danish director, writer, drummer, and actor- Paolo Graziosi was born on 25 January 1940 in Montescudo [now Montescudo-Montecolombo], Emilia-Romagna, Italy. He was an actor, known for China Is Near (1967), Il Divo (2008) and A Big Love (2016). He was married to Elisabetta Arosio. He died on 1 February 2022 in Vicenza, Veneto, Italy.January 25, 1940 – February 1, 2022
Italian actor ('China Is Near,' 'Il Divo,' 'Italian Race') - Visual Effects
- Special Effects
- Director
Visual effects wizard Robert Campbell Blalack was a co-founder of Industrial Light & Magic, a division of the production company Lucasfilm. His reputation as a leading pioneer in the field of CGI rests on his collaboration with John Dykstra in designing/supervising the ILM VistaVision Photographic Optical Composite and Rotoscope Animation blue screen production pipeline (notably employed to achieve the glowing lightsaber effect) first seen in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977). For his contribution, the Panamanian-born shared the 1978 Academy Award, adding to this accolade six years later with a Primetime Emmy for his special effects work on the apocalyptic TV movie The Day After (1983). Earlier, in 1980, Blalack had been in charge of visual effects for Carl Sagan's groundbreaking documentary series Cosmos (1980).
Robert Blalack graduated with a B.A. in English Literature/Theater Arts from Pomona College and subsequently completed film studies at the California Institute of the Arts. By the time Blalack met Dykstra in 1974 he had already produced several experimental short films and headed his own company (Praxis Film Works, headquartered in North Hollywood). Under the Praxis umbrella, he also directed numerous commercials integrating live action with computer generated effects. His later film work included the 'cat vision' optics in Paul Schrader's remake of Cat People (1982), as well as special visual effects for The Last Dragon (1985) and Timestalkers (1987).
Later becoming active as an instructor in multi-media, Blalack gave lectures and attended conferences at universities and film schools in Europe and in Asia. He died from cancer in Paris on February 2 2022, aged 73.December 9, 1948 – February 2, 2022
American visual effects artist ('Star Wars,' 'Altered States,' 'The Day After')
Academy Award winner: Best Visual Effects, 1977 ('Star Wars')
Primetime Emmy Award winner: Outstanding Individual Achievement - Special Visual Effects, 1984 ('The Day After')- Production Designer
- Costume Designer
- Art Director
Ezio Frigerio was born on 16 July 1930 in Erba, Italy. He was a production designer and costume designer, known for Cyrano de Bergerac (1990), 1900 (1976) and The Horseman on the Roof (1995). He was married to Franca Squarciapino. He died on 2 February 2022 in Lecco, Lombardy, Italy.July 16, 1930 – February 2, 2022
Italian costume designer and art director- Actress
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Monica Vitti was born on 3 November 1931 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. She was an actress and writer, known for L'Avventura (1960), Red Desert (1964) and L'Eclisse (1962). She was married to Roberto Russo. She died on 2 February 2022 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.November 3, 1931 – February 2, 2022
Italian actress ('L'Avventura,' 'Red Desert,' 'The Girl with a Pistol')
BAFTA Film Award nominee: Best Foreign Actress, 1960 ('L'Avventura')
Winner of nine David di Donatello Awards- Director
- Actor
- Writer
He left his hometown and established himself in a tiny apartment in Manhattan, New York City, that he called "Les Folies des Hommes." He performed in drag shows and as a male dancer in night-clubs, namely the infamous Club 82. He graduated from the Parsons school of design, and worked professionally as a window-dresser, costume designer and free-lance photographer. From 1963 to 1967, his photos were published in a range of Physique magazines, namely The Young Physique, Muscleboy, Demi-Gods, and Muscle Teens. He did two short films for the Carpezio shoes company, to advertise their models. He met Robert as a photo model, named him Bobby Kendall and actually lived with him during most part of the filming of Pink Narcissus (1971), from 1964 to 1969. He was most upset with the fact his major art film was released without him having control of the film's editing and sound, destroyed the storyboard, and started a new project that did not materialize, based on Jean Genet's play The Balcony.- Dieter Mann was born on 20 June 1941 in Berlin, Germany. He was an actor, known for Downfall (2004), Vergiss dein Ende (2011) and Karl May (1992). He died on 3 February 2022 in Berlin, Germany.
- Music Department
Willie Leacox was born on 31 March 1947 in Shenandoah, Iowa, USA. He is known for America Live in Central Park (1981). He died on 1 February 2022 in Stockton, California, USA.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Jon Zazula was born on 16 March 1952 in Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Talk Is Jericho (2013), Soilwork: Live in the Heart of Helsinki (2015) and Anvil (2008). He was married to Marsha Zazula. He died on 1 February 2022 in Clermont, Florida, USA.- Composer
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
George Crumb was born on 24 October 1929 in Charleston, West Virginia, USA. He was a composer, known for The Exorcist (1973), Death Valley Diary (2003) and For the End of Time (2009). He was married to Elizabeth May Brown. He died on 6 February 2022 in Media, Pennsylvania, USA.October 24, 1929 – February 6, 2022
American composer ('Ancient Voices of Children,' 'Black Angels,' 'Makrokosmos III')
Grammy Award winner: Best Classical Contemporary Composition, 2000 ('Star-Child')
Nominated for three other Grammy Awards
Pulitzer Prize for Music recipient, 1968 ('Echoes of Time and the River')- Soundtrack
Syl Johnson was born on 1 July 1936 in Holly Springs, Mississippi, USA. He died on 6 February 2022 in Mableton, Georgia, USA.July 1, 1936 – February 6, 2022
American blues and soul singer, musician and record producer (" "Different Strokes," "Is It Because I'm Black," "Take Me to the River")- Music Artist
- Music Department
- Actress
Lata Mangeshkar was born in Indore on September 28, 1929, and became, quite simply, the most popular playback singer in Bollywood's history. She sung for over 50 years for actresses from Nargis to Preity G Zinta, as well as recorded albums of all kinds (ghazals, pop, etc). Until the 1991 edition, when her entry disappeared, the Guinness Book of World Records listed her as the most-recorded artist in the world with not less than 30,000 solo, duet,and chorus-backed songs recorded in 20 Indian languages between 948 and 1987. Today that number may have reached 40,000!
She was born the daughter of Dinanath Mangeshkar, the owner of a theater company and a reputed classical singer in his own right. He started giving Lata singing lessons from the age of five, and she also studied with renowned singers Aman Ali Khan Sahib and Amanat Khan. Even at a young age she displayed a God-given musical gift and could master vocal exercises the first time.
Ironically, for someone of her stature, she made her entry into Bollywood at the wrong time - around the 1940s, when bass singers with heavily nasal voices, such as Noor Jehan and Shamshad Begum were in style. She was rejected from many projects because it was believed that her voice was too high-pitched and thin. The circumstances of her entry into the industry were no less inauspicious - her father died in 1942, the responsibility of earning income to support her family fell upon her, and between 1942 and 1948 she acted in as many as eight films in Hindi and Marathi to take care of economic hardships. She made her debut as a playback singer in the Marathi film Kiti Hasaal (1942) but, ironically, the song was edited out!
However, in 1948, she got her big break with Ghulam Haider in the film Majboor (1948), and 1949 saw the release of four of her films: Mahal (1949), Dulari (1949), Barsaat (1949), and Andaz (1949); all four of them became runaway hits, with their songs reaching to heights of what was until then unseen popularity. Her unusually high-pitched singing rendered the trend of heavily nasal voices of the day totally obsolete and, within a year, she had changed the face of playback singing forever. The only two lower-pitched singers to survive her treble onslaught to a certain extent were Geeta Dutt and Shamshad Begum.
Her singing style was initially reminiscent of Noor Jehan, but she soon overcame that and evolved her own distinctive style. Her sister, Asha Bhosle, too, came up in the late 1950s and the two of them were the queens of Indian playback singing right through to the 1990s. Her voice had a special versatile quality, which meant that finally music composers could stretch their creative experiments to the fullest. Although all her songs were immediate hits under any composer, it was the composers C. Ramchandra and Madan Mohan who made her sound her sweetest and challenged her voice like no other music director.
The 1960s and 1970s saw her go from strength to strength, even as there were accusations that she was monopolizing the playback-singing industry. However, in the 1980s, she cut down her workload to concentrate on her shows abroad. Today, Lata sings infrequently despite a sudden resurgence in her popularity, but even today some of Hindi Cinema's biggest hits, including Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), and Veer-Zaara (2004) feature her legendary voice.
No matter which female playback singer breaks through in any generation, she cannot replace the timeless voice of Lata Mangeshkar. She was an icon beyond icons....September 28, 1929 – February 6, 2022
Indian playback singer ('Parichay,' 'Kora Kagaz,' 'Lekin...') and composer
Winner of four Filmfare Awards and four National Film Awards for Best Playback Singer
Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, 1994- Margarita Lozano was born on 14 February 1931 in Tetuan, Spain. She was an actress, known for A Fistful of Dollars (1964), Viridiana (1961) and Jean de Florette (1986). She died on 7 February 2022 in Lorca, Murcia, Spain.February 14, 1931 – February 7, 2022
Spanish actress ('Viridiana,' 'A Fistful of Dollars,' 'The Night of the Shooting Stars,' 'Jean de Florette.' 'Kaos') - Producer
- Director
- Visual Effects
Legendary filmmaker and visual effects pioneer, Douglas Trumbull, was one of the Special Photographic Effects Supervisors for 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). He went on to become the Visual Effects Supervisor for such classics as Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), and Blade Runner (1982), each of which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects.
Mr. Trumbull directed Silent Running (1972), Brainstorm (1983), Back to the Future... The Ride (1991) and numerous other special format films.
He is the recipient of an Academy Award in the area of Scientific and Technical Achievement, as well as the International Monitor Award and American Society of Cinematographers' Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding contributions in the field of filmmaking. Douglas is currently involved in the evolution of visual effects using virtual digital sets and electronic cinematography.April 8, 1942 – February 7, 2022
American visual effects artist and supervisor ('2001: A Space Odyssey,' 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind,' 'Blade Runner'), film director ('Silent Running,' 'Brainstorm') and inventor
Academy Award nominee: Best Visual Effects, 1977 ('Close Encounters of the Third Kind'), 1979 ('Star Trek: The Motion Picture') and 1982 ('Blade Runner')
Academy Scientific and Engineering Award recipient, 1993 (for concept of CP-65 Showscan Camera System for 65mm motion picture photography)
Academy Gordon E. Sawyer Award recipient, 2012 (for his technological contributions)
BAFTA Film Award nominee: Best Special Visual Effects, 1982 ('Blade Runner')- Betty Davis was born on 26 July 1944 in Durham, North Carolina, USA. She was married to Miles Davis. She died on 9 February 2022 in Homestead, Pennsylvania, USA.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Nora Nova was born on 8 May 1928 in Sofia, Bulgaria. She was an actress, known for Schwarz Rot Gold (1982), Schlager von morgen? (1961) and Musik erklingt... (1962). She was married to Toni Otto and Pascal. She died on 9 February 2022 in Bulgaria(undisclosed).- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Producer
George Spiro Dibie was born on 15 November 1931 in Jerusalem, Palestine [now Israel]. He was a cinematographer and producer, known for Growing Pains (1985), Just the Ten of Us (1987) and Dudley (1993). He was married to Daniele Parker. He died on 8 February 2022 in Encino, California, USA.- Composer
- Music Department
Zbigniew Namyslowski was born on 9 September 1939 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland. He was a composer, known for Ukryty w sloncu (1980), 1 (2020) and Television Theater (1953). He died on 7 February 2022.- Composer
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Ian McDonald was born on 25 June 1946 in London, England, UK. He was a composer and actor, known for Children of Men (2006), Power Rangers (2017) and Buffalo '66 (1998). He died on 9 February 2022 in New York City, New York, USA.June 25, 1946 – February 9, 2022
English musician; founding member of the rock bands King Crimson and Foreigner- Actor
- Soundtrack
André Wilms was born on 29 April 1947 in Strasbourg, Bas-Rhin, France. He was an actor, known for Le Havre (2011), The Bohemian Life (1992) and Auntie Danielle (1990). He was married to Evelyne Didi. He died on 9 February 2022 in Paris, France.April 29, 1947 – February 9, 2022
French actor- Producer
- Additional Crew
- Director
Canadian producer and director Ivan Reitman created many of American cinema's most successful and best loved feature film comedies and worked with Hollywood's acting elite. Reitman produced such hits as the ground-breaking sensation National Lampoon's National Lampoon's Animal House (1978), which introduced John Belushi to American filmgoers, and the family features Beethoven (1992) and Beethoven's 2nd (1993). His directing credits include Meatballs (1979), Stripes (1981) and Ghostbusters (1984), films starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis; Dave (1993), which starred Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver, Junior (1994) which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny DeVito and Emma Thompson. Reitman also produced the HBO telefilm The Late Shift (1996), based on Bill Carter's non-fiction book about the late-night television wars which received seven Emmy nominations. Other producing endeavors include Commandments (1997), starring Aidan Quinn and Courteney Cox, Private Parts (1997), starring Howard Stern, as well as the animation/live action film Space Jam (1996), starring Michael Jordan and the Looney Tunes characters. With Twins (1988), Reitman created an entirely new comedic persona for action hero Arnold Schwarzenegger -- and forged a personal and professional relationship that continued with Kindergarten Cop (1990) and Junior (1994). Acclaimed dramatic actors such as Robert Redford, Debra Winger, Sigourney Weaver, and Emma Thompson also revealed untapped comic talents under Reitman's direction. In 1984, Reitman was honored as Director of the Year by the National Association of Theater Owners and the next year received a Special Achievement Award at the Canadian Genie awards. In 1979 and again in 1989, for the films National Lampoon's Animal House (1978) and Twins (1988), Reitman was honored with the People's Choice Award. In November of 1994, Reitman became the third director honored by Variety magazine in a special Billion Dollar Director issue.
Reitman was born in Czechoslovakia, to Jewish Holocaust survivors, and left with his family for Canada at the age of four. He attended Canada's McMaster University, where he produced and directed several television shorts. He followed with a live television show, Greed: The Series (1999), with Dan Aykroyd as its announcer. "Spellbound," which Reitman produced for the live stage, evolved into the Broadway hit "The Magic Show," starring Doug Henning. He continued producing for the stage with the Off-Broadway hit "The National Lampoon Show," and returned to Broadway to produce and direct the musical "Merlin," earning a Tony nomination for directing. Reitman headed The Montecito Picture Company, a film and television production company, with partner Tom Pollock. His television credits included the Emmy-nominated children's show The Real Ghostbusters (1986) and the Saturday morning animated series Beethoven (1994) for CBS. His last directing credited was Draft Day (2014), before his death in February 2022 in Montecito, California.October 27, 1946 – February 12, 2022
Czechoslovak-born Canadian film director ('Stripes,' 'Ghostbusters,' 'Twins,' 'Dave,' 'Draft Day') and producer ('National Lampoon's Animal House,' 'Heavy Metal,' 'Space Jam,' 'Up in the Air,' 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife')
Academy Award nominee: Best Picture, 2009 ('Up in the Air')
BAFTA Film Award nominee: Best Film, 2009 ('Up in the Air')
Genie Golden Reel Award winner, 1979 ('Meatballs') and 1981 ('Heavy Metal')
Primetime Emmy Award nominee: Outstanding Made for Television Movie, 1996 ('The Late Shift')
Special Achievement Genie Award recipient, 1985- Composer
- Music Department
- Additional Crew
Joseph Horovitz was born on 26 May 1926 in Vienna, Austria. He was a composer, known for Lillie (1978), Tarzan's Three Challenges (1963) and Seven Dials Mystery (1981). He was married to Anna Landau. He died on 9 February 2022 in London, England, UK.- Producer
- Additional Crew
- Actress
Beryl Vertue initially worked as secretary to Alan Simpson, although when Alan Simpson and his writing partner Ray Galton joined Spike Milligan and Eric Sykes to form Associated London Scripts, Vertue moved to the new co-operative. She eventually, and almost accidentally, became an agent with ALS, responsible not only for finding work for members of the co-operative and negotiating their fees, but also selling formats of British TV successes abroad. "Sanford and Son", based on "Steptoe and Son" was one of her placements. When Robert Stigwood bought out the majority of the ALS business, Vertue became MD of the new company. She founded Hartswood Films when the Stigwood organisation decided to divest itself of its TV interests.- Evgenia Brik was born on 3 September 1981 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia]. She was an actress, known for Hipsters (2008), Odessa (2019) and The Geographer Drank His Globe Away (2013). She was married to Valeriy Todorovskiy. She died on 10 February 2022 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Actress
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Zinaida Kirienko was born on 9 July 1933 in Makhachkala, Dagestan ASSR, RSFSR, USSR [now Republic of Dagestan, Russia]. She was an actress, known for Quiet Flows the Don (1957), Kazaki (1961) and Tikhiy Don II (1958). She was married to Valery Alekseevich Tarasevsky. She died on 12 February 2022 in Moscow, Russia.- Music Department
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Composer, conductor, noted percussionist and teacher, educated at Columbia University (Bachelor/Master of Arts, Seidl Fellowship), and a student of Otto Luening, Vladimir Ussachevsky, Jack Beeson and Henry Cowell, and also with Boris Orr at Cambridge University in England. He organized and directed the Los Angeles Percussion Ensemble, and he was timpani soloist for the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and on the faculty of USC as well as a member of the International Society of Contemporary Music and, since 1962, a member of ASCAP.- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Arnaldo Jabor was born on 12 December 1940 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was a writer and director, known for All Nudity Shall Be Punished (1973), Tudo Bem (1978) and I Love You (1981). He was married to Suzana Villas Boas. He died on 15 February 2022 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.- Production Designer
- Writer
- Director
Alfred Sole was born on July 2, 1943, in Paterson, NJ. He grew up avidly watching the movies of Alfred Hitchcock, who later was an acknowledged influence on Sole's best known and most well-regarded feature, Alice, Sweet Alice (1976), better known as "Alice, Sweet Alice."
Sole graduated from the University of Florence in Italy with a degree in architecture and spent his young adulthood working as an architect. He made his directorial debut with the tongue-in-cheek hardcore parody Deep Sleep (1972), which starred 1970s porno superstars Harry Reems and Georgina Spelvin. It won first prize at the New York Erotic Film Festival and was made in Sole's hometown of Paterson on a paltry $25,000 budget. Alas, the movie was pulled from theaters on charges that it was obscene, and all prints were confiscated.
Sole's superbly atmospheric and vehemently anti-Catholic horror winner "Alice, Sweet Alice" fared much better with critics and audiences alike. It won first prize at the Chicago Film Festival and garnered highly positive reviews from critics, among them Roger Ebert. The film also boasted a then-unknown Brooke Shields in her film debut and was also shot on location in Paterson. Alas, it, too, did poorly at the box office due to spotty distribution.
Sole next made the quirky and kinky soft-core fantasy outing Tanya's Island (1980), which starred future Prince protégé Vanity acting under the pseudonym D.D. Winters and showcased a remarkably convincing ape costume designed by Rob Bottin. Unfortunately, this film likewise suffered from virtually nonexistent theatrical distribution. Sole's final film as director was the silly slasher-movie spoof Pandemonium (1982), which offered an amazing all-star cast that included Tom Smothers, Phil Hartman, Tab Hunter, Eileen Brennan, Carol Kane, Eve Arden, Judge Reinhold, Kaye Ballard, Paul Reubens, and David L. Lander all doing their best with a dopey script. Sole also wrote stories for episodes of the TV shows Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1985), Friday the 13th: The Series (1987), and Hotel (1983).
Fed up with studio politics and the Hollywood rat race, Sole called it a day as a director in 1982 and went on to become a successful production designer. Among the movies he has worked on in this capacity are Halloweentown High (2004), These Old Broads (2001), Clubland (1999), Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies (1999), Glory Daze (1995), Bodily Harm (1995), and Night of the Running Man (1995). More recently, Sole handled production-designer chores on the TV series Veronica Mars (2004).- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Born in Santa Monica, California, legendary rock drummer Sandy Nelson seemed destined for a career in music--his best friends in high school were future rock stars Jan Berry and Dean Torrence (later to become the singing duo of Jan & Dean) and Kim Fowley, who became one of the most influential record producers in rock history.
When he was 20 years old his first record, "Geronimo" (recorded with a band called The Renegades), was chosen to be on the soundtrack of American-International Pictures' teen exploitation movie Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow (1959). Nelson's talent propelled him to the front ranks of session musicians. He was the drummer on some of the biggest rock hits of the 1950s and 1960s, such as "To Know Him Is to Love Him" by the Teenage Teddy Bears (written by one of its members, Phil Spector), "A Thousand Stars" by Kathy Young and "Alley Oop" by The Hollywood Argyles.
In 1959 his song "Teen Beat" hit #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, selling over 1,000,000 copies, which earned it a gold record. Nelson soon signed with Imperial Records, and for that label he came out with what is probably his best-known hit: the pounding, explosive "Let There Be Drums" (although it wasn't as big a hit as "Teen Beat" was).
In 1963 Nelson was involved in a motorcycle accident and was seriously injured, so seriously that his right foot and part of his right leg were amputated (it is erroneously believed by many that his foot was amputated before he made "Teen Beat" and "Let There Be Drums"). That didn't stop his career, however; he recorded for quite a few years after that, and released an album of new material in 2008.December 1, 1938 – February 14, 2022
American drummer- Music Artist
- Composer
- Music Department
Bappi Lahiri was popular in the late 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s for the film soundtracks composed by him from films such as Zakhmee, Chalte Chalte, Naya Kadam, Aangan Ki Kali, Wardat, Disco Dancer, Hathkadi, Namak Halaal, Masterji, Dance Dance,Himmatwala, Justice Chaudhury, Tohfa, Maqsad, Commando, Gang Leader, Sailaab and Sharaabi. He came to Mumbai when he was 19. He received his first opportunity in a Cinema of West Bengal, ''Daadu'' (1974) where he made Lata Mangeshkar sing his composition. The first Hindi film for which he composed music was ''Nanha Shikari'' (1973) and his first Hindi composition was Tu Hi Mera Chanda sung by Mukesh. The turning point of his career was Tahir Husain's Hindi film, Zakhmee (1975), for which he composed music and doubled as a playback singer. He composed a duet with Mohammed Rafi and Kishore Kumar named "Nothing Is Impossible", for the same film.His compositions Jalta Hai Jiya Mera (Kishore Asha duet) and Lata Mangeshkar solos like Abhi Abhi Thi Dushmani and Aao Tumhe Chand from the same film became popular and gave him recognition. The duet Phir Janam Lenge Hum sung by Kishore Lata became famous from the film Phir Janam Lengey Hum. All songs from the film Chalte Chalte (1976), became hits, thus bringing him recognition as a music director at national level.He sang duet with Sulakshana Pandit named Jana Kahan Hai which gave him recognition as singer. Songs from the films like Aap Ki Khatir, Dil Se Mile Dil, Patita,Lahu Ke Do Rang, Hatya and Ravikant Nagaichs ''Surakksha'' 1979 had soft music.
His singing and music became even more popular and got branded as disco master. In the early 80s, he added an element of the then-popular disco music to his compositions, in movies such as ''Wardat'' 1981, Sahhas 1981, ''Laparwah'' 1981, ''Pyara Dushman'' 1980. Examples are the songs "Hari Om Hari", and the ''Armaan'' (1981) song "Ramba Ho Samba Ho". Mithun Chakraborty and Bappi Lahiri became synonyms of Indian disco culture in the 1980s, largely due to movies such as Disco Dancer and Dance Dance .His song "Jimmy Jimmy" was a success in the early 1980s and is said to have achieved some fame in other countries such as Russia. Some in the media have called Lahiri the "Disco King" of India after success of Disco Dancer in 1983.He also composed music for some ghazals, namely "Kisi Nazar Ko Tera Intezaar Aaj Bhi Hai" and "Aawaz Di Hai" for the 1985 film ''Aitbaar''. He also composed melodious songs sung by Kishore Kumar either as duets with Asha Bhosle or Lata Mangeshkar in the films starring Rajesh Khanna in the 80's in hit films like Naya Kadam, Masterji, Aaj Ka M.L.A Ram Avatar, Bewafai, Maqsad, Suraag, Insaaf Main Karoonga and Adhikar. After success of the film Himmatwala, Bappi regularly composed duets sung by Kishore Kumar for films starring Jeetendra like in Justice Chowdhry, Jaani Dost, Mawali, Haisiyat, Tohfa, Balidaan, Qaidi, Hoshiyaar,Sinhasan, Suhaagan, Majaal, Tamasha, Sone Pe Suhaga and Dharm Adhikari.Bappi Lahiri made a record by composing for 12 super-hit silver jubilee movies starring Jetendra as the lead hero in the period 1983-1985. He entered the Guinness Book of World Records for recording over 180 songs for 33 films in 1986. He used fusion music in the feature film ''Namak Halaal'' in the song "Pagh Ghungroo Bandh Meera Nache Te", which was 12 minutes long.
Lahiri has composed over 5,000 songs in over 500 films. He has also composed music for three films made in Bangladesh. He composed the background score for the 1989 Hollywood film ''Eye Witness to Murder'', produced by Vijay Amritraj and directed by Jagmohan Mundra. He also created the music for the Indian English language film Divine Lovers, which was produced and directed by Babbar Subhash in 1997.He recorded two private English albums, ''Moving Away'' in 1986 and ''Snake Dance'' in 1990, with songs sung by himself. In 1982, he cut a private Hindi pop album titled ''Superuna'', with songs by the Bangladesh singer Runa Laila. This was followed by a private Hindi pop album for Polygram called ''Dance Dance Music Lover'', with Padmini Kolhapure. In 1986, he released ''Welcome'' in London, with Anil Kapoor and Salma Agha, and ''Dancing City'', which featured songs by the Hindi actress Mandakini. introduced his daughter Rema Lahiri in 1987, then 9 years old, in a disco version of children's nursery rhymes called "Little Star", marketed by HMV. The platinum disc song had an unbroken record for best sales among the children's section. Based on Michael Jackson's Thriller (Michael Jackson album, Lahiri released a video-pop album titled "Bappi Lahiri's thriller live", consisting of eight Hindi songs. He also released albums such as ''Dance Party'', sung by his daughter Rema Lahiri in 1990, ''Jawani Jawani'', released by Venus Records & Tapes, ''Night Lovers'' in 1992, ''Heatrave'' in 1993, ''Yamma Yamma Dance'' with Usha Uthup in 1995, and ''Nine Below Zero'' in 1997. In 2014, he composed two songs for the album ''Women's Day Special: Spreading Melodies Everywhere'', along with Sunil Jha and Shakir Ali. The tracks were penned by Meenu Singh and sung by Sunidhi Chauhan and Rekha Raj. November 1994 Lahiri started his music company, BL Sound (now called B9 Digital Studios Mumbai). He released several CDs under his banner such as ''Ala-li-la'' in 1995, ''Jungle Boy'', ''Super Rema'' sung by his daughter Rema Lahiri, ''Purono Jeans'', ''Agnee Prem'', ''Hum Hai Khalnayak'', ''Saajan Ke Liye'', ''Sraddhanjali Amar Maa - a tribute to Bansari Lahiri'' (1997) and ''Get on the dance floor'' (a compilation of eight songs by international singers such as Tony Di Bart and Sabrina Johnston. also a singer and performer of repute on stage. He introduced disco songs to Hindi cinema and introduced several pop singers such as Usha Uthup, Sharon Prabhakar, Alisha Chinai, Parvati Khan, Bali Brahmabhatt, Vijay Benedict, Nandu Bhende, Remo Fernandes, Salma Agha. Even film stars Anil Kapoor,Amrish Puri, Padmini Kolhapure,Moandakini and Amjad Khan have sung under his baton. Many prominent singers such as Lata Mangeshkar, P.Susheela, Asha Bhosle Kishore Kumar and Mohammed Rafi, Mukesh, Manna Dey, Yesudas S. Janaki and the newer generation singers such as K.S. Chitra, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Amit Kumar have sung for his compositions. He is also a singer and performer of repute on stage. Even next generation singers Kumar Sanu, Udit Narayan,Suresh Wadkar, Sadhana Sargam, Sonu Nigam, Abhijeet Bhattacharya, S.P. Balasubramaniam, Alka Yagnik, Anuradha Paudwal, Shailender Singh, Shabbir Kumar, Vinod Ratho, Mohammad Aziz, Sudesh Bhosle, along with Gazal singers Jagjit Singh, Bhupinder Singh and Pankaj Udhas have sung songs composed by Lahiri in a career spanning 50 years in over 500 films in over 5000 songs.November 27, 1952 – February 15, 2022
Indian singer, composer, musician, and record producer
Filmfare Award winner: Best Music Director, 1984 ('Sharaabi')
Filmfare Award nominee:- Best Music Director, 1981 ('Armaan') and 1982 ('Namak Halaal')
- Best Music, 1990 ('Aaj Ka Arjun')
Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, 2018