R.I.P. 2024
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For decades, Dabney Coleman has often appeared as a smarmy, selfish, nervous person, often with money, who is mostly out for himself. He did such a good job in this type of part that he's made a career of it in film.
Dabney Wharton Coleman was born in Austin, Texas, to Mary Wharton (Johns) and Melvin Randolph Coleman. He attended the Virginia Military Institute, and studied law in Texas. Coleman has a well deserved reputation as a fine character actor, and a reliable presence for almost any role in TV and movies. Dabney Coleman's early appearances in the cinema were in The Slender Thread (1965) and Downhill Racer (1969). On TV he starred in That Girl (1966). As the 1970s approached he became a well-known character actor in television and movies, appearing in The Towering Inferno (1974), Midway (1976), and Cinderella Liberty (1973). Television seemed Dabney Coleman's forum in the 1970s as Coleman played the role of Merle Jeeter in Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (1976) and Fernwood Tonight (1977). Coleman made appearances in the popular North Dallas Forty (1979) and the Oscar-winning Melvin and Howard (1980). Dabney Coleman also became known for some satirical movies, starring in the comedy How to Beat the High Cost of Living (1980) and snatched a lead role for the TV movie Pray TV (1980). Coleman's reputation for playing world-class jerks became cemented in 1980 as the boss to Dolly Parton , Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in 9 to 5 (1980). The next year, Coleman was in very good company working with legends Henry Fonda and Katharine Hepburn in On Golden Pond (1981). Coleman's hit streak would not end there.
In 1982 Coleman landed a key role in the classic Tootsie (1982), further cementing his role as an unlikable wealthy boss in some capacity. In 1983 Coleman starred in the Cold War classic WarGames (1983). During this period he also found many parts in lesser known movies like Young Doctors in Love (1982) and Callie & Son (1981). In 1984 he starred in The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) and in 1985 he starred with Tom Hanks in The Man with One Red Shoe (1985). In 1987 the actor won an Emmy for Sworn to Silence (1987). In 1990 Coleman took two lead roles, one in the disastrous Where the Heart Is (1990), and the other in the quirky comedy Short Time (1990). In 1993 Coleman starred in the slapstick comedy Amos & Andrew (1993) (a very funny part) and in a remake of the TV show The Beverly Hillbillies (1993) as Milburn Drysdale. Coleman took an extensive line of TV movies, such films as Texan, In the Line of Duty, among others. Coleman took an unusual part in the ABC cartoon, Recess (1997), and then starred in a couple of big money grossers, the Tom Hanks comedy, You've Got Mail (1998), as Chief Quimby in Inspector Gadget (1999), and in Stuart Little (1999), both 1999.
Coleman is still very active.16 May 2024 (Undisclosed)- Additional Crew
- Actor
- Producer
Mickey Cottrell was born on 4 November 1944 in Springfield, Illinois, USA. He was an actor and producer, known for My Own Private Idaho (1991), Volcano (1997) and Shortbus (2006). He died on 1 January 2024 in Woodland Hills, California, USA.1 January 2024 (Parkinson's Disease)- Wes Tritter was born on 12 July 1946 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He was an actor, known for Bird on a Wire (1990), The Beachcombers (1972) and Cousins (1989). He died on 1 January 2024 in British Columbia, Canada.1 January 2024 (Undisclosed)
- Actor
- Additional Crew
For well over thirty years, Harry Johnson's voice was heard in over 2,000 television episodes, especially all the Law & Order shows and Wolf Films' Chicago shows, along with dozens of feature films, commercials and video games, mostly uncredited. His voice work continued for years.
Harry's extensive career began as a contract player for Universal Studios, leading to a starring role in the sci-fi classic Time Warp, opposite Adam West, followed by guest star roles in over four decades of TV shows and feature films.
Harry wrote books under the name Harry Castle. His first novel was Fugitive Romance: The Fictional Memoir of a Hollywood Screenwriter. His second book was a short story collection called Miracles & Misfits.2 January 2024 (Long Illness)- William Samples was born on 13 September 1952 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. He was an actor, known for The Big Year (2011), Happy Gilmore (1996) and Battlestar Galactica (2004). He died on 2 January 2024 in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada.2 January 2024 (Undisclosed)
- Writer
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Bridget Dobson was born on 1 September 1938 in Thiensville, Wisconsin. She was a writer and producer, known for Santa Barbara (1984), Guiding Light (1952) and General Hospital (1963). She was married to Jerome Dobson. She died on 3 January 2024 in Georgia, USA.3 January 2024 (Undisclosed)- Actress
- Soundtrack
Glynis Johns was the daughter of actor Mervyn Johns. Best known for her light comedy roles and often playful flirtation, Glynis was born in South Africa while her parents were on tour there (her mother was a concert pianist) but was always proud of her Welsh roots and took delight in playing the female lead (opposite Richard Burton) in the classic Under Milk Wood (1971). She was probably best known for her role as the suffragette mother in Mary Poppins (1964) although she is probably best loved for her fishy roles in Miranda (1948) and Mad About Men (1954). She had earlier showed she could take on the serious roles as well as in Frieda (1947). Most recently seen (at the time of writing) in Superstar (1999). Johns died in 2024, aged 100, having never received the damehood she had richly deserved for decades. Predeceased by her only son, she was survived by a grandson,Thomas Forwood, and three great-grandchildren.4 January 2024 (Natural Causes)- Actor
- Director
- Producer
David Soul achieved pop icon status as handsome, blond-haired, blue-eyed Detective Kenneth Hutchinson on the cult "buddy cop" TV series Starsky and Hutch (1975), Soul also had a very successful singing career recording several albums, with worldwide number one hit singles including "Silver Lady" & "Don't Give Up on Us Baby".
Originally from Chicago, Illinois, David Soul is the son of a minister who was at one time serving as the religious affairs advisor to the U.S. High Commission in Berlin. At 24 years of age, young Soul joined a North Dakota musical revue, was noticed by a keen-eyed talent scout, and signed to a studio contract. He went on to study acting with the Irene Daly School of The Actors Company, and with the Columbia Workshop in Hollywood. He first appeared on TV in small roles in shows including I Dream of Jeannie (1965), Flipper (1964) and All in the Family (1971). Regular TV work kept coming in for Soul including making masked appearances on The Merv Griffin Show (1962), as the popular singer known only as "The Covered Man."
In 1973, Soul was fortunate enough to be cast as one of the corrupt motorcycle cops in the Clint Eastwood thriller Magnum Force (1973), where his talents came to the attention of several TV execs who were looking for someone to play one of the lead roles in the upcoming Starsky and Hutch (1975) TV series. After four seasons, the show came to an end, yet Soul's talents were still in demand. He quickly went on to appear as the meek writer turned terrified vampire hunter Ben Mears in the chilling television mini-series Salem's Lot (1979), and then as Jake in the interesting television movie Homeward Bound (1980).
Several undemanding movies and TV series appearances followed for Soul. However in 1988 he scored rave reviews for his portrayal of real life, cold-blooded cop killer Michael Lee Platt in In the Line of Duty: The F.B.I. Murders (1988). It was considered highly controversial for its intense level of violence in a made for TV production.
David Soul remained very busy throughout the 1990s and beyond, in both film and on stage productions. He has toured internationally in several theater productions, including playing the narrator in the critically-acclaimed production of Willy Russell's Blood Brothers, plus a successful UK tour performing in Ira Levin's Deathtrap. Fans of the original TV series were glad to see Soul back with Paul Michael Glaser doing a cameo appearance in the big-budget movie version of Starsky & Hutch (2004).
Throughout his life, Soul has continually championed social causes often utilizing his own funds to raise awareness on issues including the impact of the Vietnam War, the shutdowns in the US steel industry, animal welfare, world hunger and HIV education. Soul has for several years made his home in the United Kingdom, where he has appeared at the Edinburgh Festival, on several British TV shows and has become a keen soccer fan supporting English club, Arsenal FC.4 January 2024 (COPD)- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
German actor Christian Oliver worked in the entertainment industry for more than 15 years, with, among others, Steven Soderbergh in The Good German; with Brian Singer and Tom Cruise in Valkyrie; and with the Wachowski sisters in Speed Racer. He also starred in Europe's Number One action series Alarm for Cobra 11 (RTL) for two years and had numerous other TV appearances in the US and Germany.4 January 2024 (Plane Crash)- Actress
- Soundtrack
Georgina Hale was an accomplished stage actress who made many memorable forays in cinema, most notably in the films of Ken Russell, especially her performance as Alma Mahler, in a wonderful and visually rich biopic on composer Mahler (1974) which she won a BAFTA (British Academy Award) for. Two other standout performances were in Russell's notorious The Devils (1971) and the Twiggy musical "The Boyfriend" in which she played Fay, camping it up, in a backstage lesbian sub plot. She made in-joke cameos in two further Russell films: Lisztomania (1975) and Valentino (1977). Unfortunately, roles dwindled after her BAFTA win, for some reason, and she made some bad movie choices such as The World Is Full of Married Men (1979) (the film version of Jackie Collins's novel of the same name) and McVicar (1980), as well as the occasional stunner such as Butley (1974), written by playwright Simon Gray.
She appeared in many of Gray's stage plays (many were filmed for British television with her in starring roles) and she continued to work in British theatre. She made many guest appearances in UK television series including: Upstairs, Downstairs (1971), The Protectors (1972), Lady Killers (1980), Minder (1979), Boon (1986), One Foot in the Grave (1990), Murder Most Horrid (1991), The Vicar of Dibley (1994), three episodes of Doctor Who (1963) and many many others. She starred in two television series: Budgie (1971) (a successful series in the 1970s) and, in the early 1990s, a cult children's series based around a witch-like figure called "T. Bag".
Most recently, she had appeared in a comic role in Preaching to the Perverted (1997) in which her character pointed out that sometimes one has to debase one's self to further one's career. This film didn't much further her career (at age 55, she did a Sharon Stone under-table leg trick) but it added to her growing reputation as one of the UK's favorite cult actresses. She died in 2024, aged 80.4 January 2024 (Undisclosed)- Pat McNamara was born on 22 July 1933 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Airplane II: The Sequel (1982), The Silence of the Lambs (1991) and Instinct (1999). He died on 5 January 2024 in Santa Monica, California, USA.5 January 2024 (Undisclosed)
- Writer
- Actor
Brian McConnachie was born on 23 December 1942 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for Caddyshack (1980), Celebrity (1998) and Strange Brew (1983). He was married to Ann Crilly. He died on 5 January 2024 in Venice, Florida, USA.5 January 2024
(Complications From Parkinson's Disease)- Actor
- Composer
- Producer
McCanna Anthony Sinise was born on 10 November 1990 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for Mission to Mars (2000), Luna & Lars (2015) and Impostor (2001). He died on 5 January 2024 in Los Angeles, California, USA.5 January 2024 (Spinal Cancer Chordoma)- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Adan Canto is a Mexican-American actor and director. He left home at the age of 16 to pursue a career as a musician. Canto wrote for and produced several songs for film and television while living in Mexico City. He began acting in a handful of commercials in Mexico City and was soon cast in a television series called Estado de Gracia. Canto eventually turned to the stage after being cast as a lead for the adaptation of Pedro Almodovar's All About My Mother.
In 2013, Canto made his debut in American television, playing the role of Paul Torres on the Fox drama series, The Following. In 2015 Canto played real life politician Rodrigo Lara Bonia in Netflix drama series Narcos. In 2016, he was cast in the ABC political drama series, Designated Survivor, playing White House Chief of Staff Aaron Shore opposite Kiefer Sutherland, Natascha McElhone, and Maggie Q. Canto wrote and directed his first short film Before Tomorrow in 2014. His short film The Shot earned several festival awards for Best Narrative Short Film in 2020.8 January 2024 (Appendiceal Cancer)- Attractive, willowy brunette Tisa Farrow was born Theresa Magdalena Farrow on July 22, 1951, in Los Angeles, California. She is the daughter of writer/director John Farrow and Maureen O'Sullivan and the sister of Mia Farrow. Tisa made her film debut in the obscure hippie counterculture drama Homer (1970). She gave an especially charming performance as sweet innocent "Jennifer" in the marvelously offbeat Some Call It Loving (1973). Farrow was impressive as the timid "Mouse" in the fun made-for-TV Carrie (1976) clone The Initiation of Sarah (1978) and solid as the spaced-out "Carol" in James Toback's fabulously gritty Fingers (1978). Tisa had small parts in both Manhattan (1979) and Winter Kills (1979). She ended her acting career with starring roles in three entertainingly trashy Italian exploitation features: feisty heroine "Anne Bowles" in Lucio Fulci's excellent horror classic Zombie (1979), spunky photojournalist "Jane Foster" in Antonio Margheriti's Vietnam action / adventure The Last Hunter (1980) and a standard woman-in-peril part in The Grim Reaper (1980).
Tisa Farrow called it a day as an actress after 1980, and went on to a successful career as a nurse in Vermont.10 January 2024 (Undisclosed) - Actor
- Writer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Peter Crombie was born on 26 June 1952 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Se7en (1995), My Dog Skip (2000) and The Blob (1988). He was married to Nadine Kijner. He died on 10 January 2024 in Palm Springs, California, USA.10 January 2024 (Undisclosed)- Stunts
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Actor
Conrad began his film career in 1970 as a stuntman. Since 1980, he has become one of the most sought after Second-Unit Directors, with scores of top films to his credit. Known to his friends and co-workers as Connie, he has endeavored to give back to the industry by serving as the President of the Stuntmen's Association of Motion Pictures for four terms, serving on the Board of Directors of the Screen Actors Guild. During his five-year term was instrumental in forming the National Stunt and Safety Committee, which he chaired for several years. He was also among the first stunt coordinators invited into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science. Additionally, Conrad serves on the Blue Ribbon Committee of the World Stunt Awards.10 January 2024 (Undisclosed)- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Lynne Marta was born on 30 October 1945 in Somerville, New Jersey, USA. She was an actress, known for Footloose (1984), Joe Kidd (1972) and Three Men and a Little Lady (1990). She was married to Brick Huston. She died on 11 January 2024 in Los Angeles, California, USA.11 January 2024 (Cancer)- Costume Designer
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
- Actress
April Ferry was born on 31 October 1932 in North Carolina, USA. She was a costume designer and actress, known for Maverick (1994), Elysium (2013) and Rome (2005). She was married to Stephen Robertson Ferry. She died on 11 January 2024.11 January 2024 (Undisclosed)- Producer
- Actor
- Casting Director
Dyson Lovell was born on 28 August 1936 in Rhodesia. He was a producer and actor, known for Romeo and Juliet (1968), Merlin (1998) and Endless Love (1981). He died on 11 January 2024.11 January 2024 (Cancer)- Ed Broadbent was born on 21 March 1936 in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. He was married to Ellen Meiksins Wood, Lucille Munroe and Yvonne Yamaoka. He died on 11 January 2024 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.11 January 2024 (Undisclosed)
- Actor
- Writer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Throughout the 1970s and a good part of the 1980s, Bill Hayes and his second wife, Emmy-winning Susan Seaforth Hayes, reigned as the Lunt and Fontanne of daytime soaps. Prior to this he had become a noted singer/actor on the Broadway stage and in night clubs. Born William Foster Hayes III in Harvey, Illinois, on June 5, 1925, and raised in the Midwest, his father was a bookseller (for 41 years). He got his talent from his dad who enjoyed singing and local community theater performing on the sly. Bill entered WWII as a naval airman, then studied at De Pauw University, where he met and married first wife Mary. They went on to have five children. He later received his master's degree at Northwestern. Blessed with a sturdy tenor, his interest in a professional career was piqued after happening upon a tour of "Carousel" in 1947. From singing telegrams to barbershop quartets to choir directing to jazz group vocals, Bill persevered musically until earning his first big break on TV. A lead singing/stooge role in Olsen & Johnson's zany burlesque revue "Funzapoppin'" in 1949 led to him joining the pair on their short-lived TV show and, ultimately, his resident crooning on Your Show of Shows (1950) starring Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca. In the meantime he also performed in vaudeville and broke into films with a supporting role in Stop, You're Killing Me (1952). Despite a wife and family to support, he left the show on his own volition for the chance to star in a new Broadway musical. "Me and Juliet" opened with moderate success in 1953 and lasted over a year, touring with the show in its aftermath. Bill also happened to record "The Ballad of Davey Crockett," which became a surprise #1 Billboard hit and sold over three million copies. A nightclub and TV-variety fixture in the late 1950s, he later managed to flex his vocal chords in such musicals as "Bye Bye Birdie" (national tour), "Brigadoon," "The Pajama Game" and "George M!" The 1960s were a slow, difficult time for Bill professionally and personally, which culminated in the breakup of his marriage. Luck and talent played a part when he was hired to join the cast of Days of Our Lives (1965) playing the role of Doug Williams. The character was originally a louse and con artist, but grew more reputable after his character fell in love with feisty troublemaker Julie Olson, played by Susan Seaforth. Their seesaw romantic relationship became one of daytime's top story lines of the 1970s. Off-screen the couple also ignited sparks and, despite their major age difference (she is 18 years his junior), they married on October 12, 1974. In 1984, after 14 years and two daytime Emmy nominations, he and Susan left the show due to their dwindling status. While Susan went on to join the cast of The Young and the Restless (1973) the following year, Bill refocused on his singing by performing on the cabaret circuit and recording a few albums. The couple returned on and off to their soap opera alma mater over the years, but in 1999 they became part of the regular cast again with a stronger story line. Bill is still performing on stage, more recently playing Beauregard in "Mame" and with his wife in productions of "A Christmas Carol," "Love Letters" and "Same Time, Another Year," which is a sequel to "Same Time, Next Year."12 January 2024 (Undisclosed)- Pierre Mailloux was born on 14 January 1949 in Normandin, Québec, Canada. He was an actor, known for Bob Bissonnette: Les barbes de séries (2013), Les Bougon: C'est aussi ça la vie (2004) and Loft Story (2003). He died on 12 January 2024 in Trois-Rivières, Québec, Canada.12 January 2024 (Medically Assisted Death)
- Lovely, sweet-natured Joyce Randolph will forever be etched in the minds of "Golden Age" television viewers as the Bowery-like fourth party of the classic husband/wife quartet on the enduring TV family comedy The Honeymooners (1955) starring Jackie Gleason as the irrepressible hothead bus driver Ralph Kramden. As Thelma ("Trixie") Norton, the dressed-down, beleaguered wife of sewer worker Ed Norton (played by the adorably goofy Art Carney) and best friend to equally stern realist Alice Kramden (played by equally lovely Audrey Meadows), Joyce participated in nearly 100 episodes of the beloved show before it left the air in 1957.
Randolph's real last name was Sirola, being of Finnish descent. As a teenager, her interest in acting grew and she eventually found her way to become a part of the Wayne University Workshop. After high school graduation, Joyce found employment in retail at a Saks Fifth Avenue store in Detroit. Auditioning for a Workshop tour of the play "Stage Door" in Detroit, she won the part and traveled with the company. She followed that tour with another tour, a revival of "Abie's Irish Rose" that ran for a year.
At age 18, Joyce moved to New York City during war-time (1943) to try her luck. She made her Broadway debut in 1945 in the short-lived comedy "A Goose for the Gander" starring Gloria Swanson and Conrad Nagel at the Playhouse Theatre. She returned to Broadway with "Ladies Night at a Turkish Bath" in 1950. She also appeared in summer stock and once performed in the musical "No, No, Nanette" with Ms. Meadows.
She began on TV as early as 1946 at General Electric's experimental laboratory in Schenectady, NY. Having now changed her stage name from her christened name to the more inviting "Joyce Randolph," the actress began appearing on TV in 1950, finding parts on such regular programs as "The Colgate Comedy Hour," "Rocky King, Detective," "Buck Rogers," "The Clock," "I Cover Times Square" and "Famous Jury Trials." By sheer luck, Joyce was spotted in a Clorets chewing gum commercial by Gleason himself the following year and was asked to appear in a skit on the "Cavalcade of Stars," Gleason's variety show on the DuMont Network. He liked her, he cast her then as Trixie, and the rest is TV history.
Taking over the role played originally, and only once, by Elaine Stritch, when the part of Trixie was thought of as a burlesque girl, the skit format was changed to series form with The Honeymooners (1955). Caught in a terrible typecasting, Joyce would find it extremely hard obtaining other roles after the demise of the show. Interestingly, when "The Honeymooners" sketches were revived on a revamped Gleason variety show in the 1960s, the roles of Alice and Trixie were taken over by Sheila MacRae and Jane Kean. Only Carney remained. Joyce would later say she did not revive her Trixie role due to "personal and geographic reasons." Gleason had moved his company to Miami, Florida.
Joyce maintained her career for awhile on the musical stage, in commercials, and with a few solo appearances on such shows as "The Jack Benny Show," and "The Doctors and the Nurses," but eventually retired from acting altogether. She married Richard Lincoln Charles, a wealthy entrepreneur and marketing executive, on October 2, 1955, the day after The Honeymooners premiered. He died at age 74 in 1997. Their son, Randolph Richard Charles, born in 1960, followed in his father's, not his mother's, footsteps after attending Yale University. He became a marketing executive before taking over his father's business. Joyce is also the grand aunt of former Major League Baseball pitcher Tim Redding.13 January 2024 (Natural Causes) - Actor
- Producer
Alec Musser joined the cast of All My Children (1970) in July 2005, playing the role of Del Henry. He won this role after emerging the winner of the second season of the SOAPnet original series I Wanna Be a Soap Star (2004).
Musser was born in New York City but grew up in New Jersey and other places. He graduated from the University of San Diego. Musser had a passion for sports and was an avid athlete. After college, he worked with the professional ski patrol at Mammoth Mountain, which is a ski resort in North America that is located in the eastern Sierra Mountains. When he was not working during the off-season, he worked as a lifeguard. During his third season, he was discovered by a modeling agent, which led to his first modeling job with Abercrombie and Fitch. He modeled for Gianfranco Ferre, GQ, Cosmopolitan, Men's Health, Speedo and Target.
While modeling, Musser started booking national commercials. It was at this time that he auditioned for I Wanna Be a Soap Star (2004), which landed him the role that brought him back to live in New York City.
Alec died 13 Jan 2024 of a self- inflicted gunshot wound.13 January 2024 (Suicide)- Michelle LaFrance was most known for her role as Misty on HBO's Entourage and a former Miss Connecticut USA. While growing up on the East Coast, Michelle realized her dreams to make a difference in this world through business, art, storytelling and service. When she won the prestigious title of Miss Connecticut USA 2003 and represented the state at the Nationally televised MISS USA pageant on NBC, Michelle studied acting in New York City and served with the Children's National Literary Program, Ronald McDonald House, Juvenile Diabetes research Foundation, and the Susan Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. After shooting her very first film Loverboy with Kevin Bacon and earning her SAG card, Michelle moved from New York to Los Angeles to immerse herself fully in the Entertainment industry. Along with her HBO's Entourage credit, Michelle booked several Independent Films building a massive interest in the collaborative creative process. She teamed up with award winning writers creating stories to share with the world. Michelle's Passions went beyond film and Television, She loved all Art, Fashion, Travel and Adventure. She was an advocate for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA).14 January 2024 (Undisclosed)
- Writer
- Producer
- Actor
Tom Johnson, who has already spent a full year using Zoom (remotely) to supervise the comedy writing staff on a daily, live show - yep - 365 days in a row, is an Emmy winning writer/producer/creative showrunner best known for The Jeselnik Offensive, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Talkshow with Spike Feresten, Stand-Up Nation with Greg Giraldo, Lopez Tonight, the Comedy Central Roasts of both David Hasselhoff and Roseanne, and run-on sentences. He is also a seasoned awards show writer, having run the writers rooms on The MTV Movie Awards, The MTV Video Music Awards, 6 Guys Choice Awards, The Scream Awards and The Video Game Awards. He has written and/or produced pilots for Marc Maron, Dan Savage, Nikki Glaser, Jim Norton, Anjelah Johnson and Joan Rivers. Tom has also had extensive experience in reality, sketch, prank, game, hidden camera and app-based live trivia shows. He was also a stand-up comic who was passed (approved) at the Comedy Cellar in '94 - - because that seems important now.14 January 2024 (Cardiac Arrest)- Actor
- Soundtrack
William O'Connell was born on 12 May 1929 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Paint Your Wagon (1969), Every Which Way But Loose (1978) and The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976). He died on 15 January 2024 in Sherman Oaks, California, USA.15 January 2024 (Undisclosed)- Buzz Martin was born on 25 June 1939 in New York, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Kraft Theatre (1947), Bachelor Father (1957) and The Twilight Zone (1959). He was married to Paula J. Mainwaring. He died on 15 January 2024 in Sonora, California, USA.15 January 2024 (Undisclosed)
- Nerene Virgin was born on 27 December 1946 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. She was an actress, known for Murder in Space (1985), Night Heat (1985) and Today's Special (1981). She was married to Alan Smith,. She died on 15 January 2024 in Burlington, Ontario, Canada.15 January 2024 (Undisclosed)
- Actor
- Writer
Serge Laprade was born on 13 January 1941. He was an actor and writer, known for 100% bio (2003), Cul-de-$ac (2008) and Minuit, le soir (2005). He was married to Daniel Arseneault . He died on 17 January 2024 in La Prairie, Québec, Canada.17 January 2024 (Cancer)- Actress
- Writer
Jean Freeman was born on 11 August 1934 in Weyburn, Saskatchewan, Canada. She was an actress and writer, known for Corner Gas: The Movie (2014), Corner Gas (2004) and Puttnam's Prairie Emporium (1988). She died on 17 January 2024 in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.17 January 2024 (Undisclosed)- Mary Weiss was the lead singer of the 1960s girl group The Shangri-Las, four New York City Catholic schoolgirl friends that included her older sister Betty and a couple of classmates, twins Mary Ann and Margie Ganser. Mary was only 15 when the newly-formed group was discovered by Red Bird Records producer/songwriter George "Shadow" Morton in 1964. Although the Shangri-Las began the year being photographed in chiffon dresses and high heels, Morton soon cultivated a biker-chick/bad girl image for them, with the group usually appearing live clad in tight pants and black leather vests. Their songs featured melodramatic music and lyrics dealing with such themes as love lost, death, and general teenage angst, and often included sound effects, such as seagulls along the beach in 1964's "Remember (Walking in the Sand)", their first hit, and roaring motorcycles, as can be heard in their signature song from that same year, the biker epic "Leader of the Pack." Incidentally, both tracks featured a young session pianist by the name of Billy Joel.
The small Red Bird label eventually folded in late 1966 due to financial problems and the group signed with Mercury Records, but changing musical tastes and litigation over bad contracts led to the group's demise in 1968. Mary went on to work as a secretary for an architectural firm in midtown Manhattan and eventually became a successful commercial interior designer and furniture installer in New York City. She has maintained a very low profile, appearing only twice for group reunions in 1977 and 1989. Her first marriage ended in divorce after 11 years, but she is currently happily wed to a paralegal, although she has never had any children. She and her second husband now live in Babylon, Long Island.
After nearly 40 years out of the musical spotlight, Mary has contemplated retiring completely from her current career and made a step in that direction with the 2007 release of her first solo CD, "Dangerous Game", which she has supported with limited touring and an appearance on Conan O'Brien's late night show, both times backed by Reigning Sound, the band that she recorded the CD with as well.19 January 2024 (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) - Director
- Producer
- Actor
Norman Jewison was an award-winning, internationally acclaimed filmmaker who produced and directed some of the world's most memorable, entertaining and socially important films, exploring controversial and complicated subjects and giving them a universal accessibility. Some of his most well-known works include the pre-glasnost political satire The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming, the original The Thomas Crown Affair, the groundbreaking civil rights-era drama In the Heat of the Night (winner of five Academy Awards, including Best Picture), the first rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar, the futuristic cult hit Rollerball, hit musical comedy-drama Fiddler on the Roof, the romantic comedy Moonstruck, the courtroom drama ...And Justice For All, the military drama A Soldier's Story, the labor movement picture F.I.S.T., the war dramas The Statement and In Country, and the masterfully told story of Reuben 'Hurricane' Carter, The Hurricane, among many others.
Jewison was personally nominated for four Oscars and received three Emmy Awards; his films received 46 nominations and won 12 Academy Awards. In 1999, Jewison received the prestigious Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award at the Academy Awards.
In Canada, his life's work has been recognized with the Governor General's Performing Arts Award, and he was named a Member of the Order of Canada, an Officer of the Order of Ontario and a Companion of the Order of Canada, Canada's highest civilian honour. In 2010, Jewison was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Directors Guild of America.
Jewison was committed to advancing the art of storytelling and filmmaking, both through his groundbreaking films, and through his creation of the Canadian Film Centre (CFC) in 1986, which opened its doors in Toronto in 1988. The CFC is a charitable cultural organization which drives the future of Canadian storytelling.20 January 2024 (Undisclosed)- Actor
- Additional Crew
David Emge was born in 1946 in Evansville, Indiana. Emge studied drama at the University of Evansville and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree. While attending college David got drafted and served in the army during the Vietnam war. He began his acting career on stage at the Pittsburgh Playhouse in 1971. Emge made his film debut in the lowbrow comedy "The Booby Hatch." In addition, he briefly lived in Washington, D.C., where he performed in dinner theater. Emge moved to New York City in 1976. David was working as a chef at a New York City restaurant when he was cast as the meek and bumbling helicopter pilot Stephen in George Romero's outstanding "Dawn of the Dead." Emge went back to acting in live theater following his "Dawn of the Dead" stint. David Emge has acted in only two other movies to date: he's grotesquely malformed freak Half Moon in "Basket Case 2" and activist reporter Robert in "Hellmaster."20 January 2024 (Undisclosed)- David Gail was born on 27 February 1965 in Tampa, Florida, USA. He was an actor, known for Savannah (1996), Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990) and The Round Table (1992). He died on 16 January 2024 in the USA.20 January 2024 (Undisclosed)
- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Gary Graham was born on 6 June 1950 in Long Beach, California, USA. He was an actor and producer, known for Robot Jox (1989), Star Trek: Enterprise (2001) and The Jackal (1997). He was married to Becky Hopkins, Diane Patricia Vaughan, Caren Leslie Williams and Susan Lavelle. He died on 22 January 2024 in Spokane Valley, Washington, USA.22 January 2024 (Undisclosed)- Charles Osgood was born on 8 January 1933 in The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Horton Hears a Who! (2008), CBS News Sunday Morning with Jane Pauley (1979) and A Science Odyssey (1998). He was married to Jean Crafton and Theresa Audette. He died on 23 January 2024 in Saddle River, New Jersey, USA.23 January 2024 (Dementia)
- Composer
- Music Department
- Actress
With her sweet, captivating voice, quirky yet insightful songwriting and bubbly, upbeat, free-spirited hippie persona, pop and folk singer/songwriter Melanie totally epitomized the whole "flower power" counterculture of the 1960s and 1970s.
She was born Melanie Anne Safka on February 3, 1947, in Queens, New York, and grew up in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens. She made her first public appearance at age four, singing "Gimme a Little Kiss" on the radio show "Live Like A Millionaire." She began singing in Greenwich Village folk clubs while attending New York's American Academy of Dramatic Arts and initially signed to Columbia Records in 1967. Her debut single, "Beautiful People", was a flop in America but a hit in the Netherlands. Melanie subsequently left Columbia Records and signed with Buddah Records. Her song "Bobo's Party" was a #1 hit in France in 1969. Melanie also sang "Birthday of the Sun" at the Woodstock music festival in 1969.
In 1970 she had a Top 10 hit with "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)." A powerful cover of The Rolling Stones' "Ruby Tuesday", and "Peace Will Come (According to Plan)" likewise did well. In 1971 she scored her greatest smash success with the cute, catchy and funny "Brand New Key"; the song peaked at #1 on the Billboard charts for three weeks, sold over three million copies, was featured on the soundtrack of the film Boogie Nights (1997) and has been covered by such artists as Deana Carter, Cher, Rasputina and The Dollyrots (the British comedy folk group The Wurzels had a 1976 #1 UK hit with a parody version of "Brand New Key" called "Combine Harvester".) The follow-up songs "Ring the Living Bell" and "The Nickel Song" were also successful. Melanie was awarded Billboard's #1 Top Female Vocalist in 1972. She had her last Top 40 hit with "Bitter Bad" in 1973. She won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1989 for writing the lyrics to the song "The First Time I Loved Forever" for the TV series Beauty and the Beast (1987). Her children Leilah, Jeordie and Beau-Jarred are all musicians. Almost all of her albums have been produced by her husband, Peter Schekeryk. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee, and continues to record the occasional album and perform live all over the world.23 January 2024 (Undisclosed)- Actor
- Producer
Herbert 'Cowboy' Coward was born on 21 August 1938 in Haywood County, North Carolina, USA. He was an actor and producer, known for Deliverance (1972), Ghost Town: The Movie (2007) and Hillbilly Blood (2013). He was married to Dorothy Eileen Ledford. He died on 24 January 2024 in Haywood County, North Carolina, USA.25 January 2024 (Car Accident)- Actress
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
Masuimi Max was born in Little Rock, Arkansas to a Japanese-American father and a mother who was ethnic German and Scottish. She spent her early years living in Korea and the Philippines. Her father retired from the Air Force and moved to Las Vegas during her teenage years.
Masuimi was an international performer, top alternative/fetish model, actress and owner of I Am Sin cosmetics. She modeled for hundreds of companies around the world--including such well-known brands as Harley-Davidson, Coffin Case, Pinup Girl Clothing, Murray & Vern latex and Bibian Blue--and was the spoke model for Pinup Girl Clothing. Sinical Magazine has said of her, "She has inspired a legion of alternative models to lace up a corset, pull on some stockings and slide into a pair of stilettos. Masuimi was a true 'master of disguise' and often made her own costumes and backgrounds, and was an accomplished fire performer and burlesque dancer. She was a true original in a sea full of copycats, and one of the few models that has made a career out of doing what she loves".
Aside from modeling and performing, Masuimi operated an exclusive pay site for her fans, which offers a free guest area and a paid members-only area. There are over 60,000 images and videos, along with live video demos in which she connected with her fans by doing various tutorials that range from cooking to putting makeup on. She was a webmaster and designer for several websites. Model Mayem magazine has said of her, "Her success in the industry paved the way for so many models that followed, but the story of her success is a classic tale of how hard work, talent and determination can overcome all challenges. Masuimi's list of credits is so vast, with nearly 100 magazine covers and many more features, music videos, TV shows and movies, that it's almost impossible to select a few highlights." She was compared to iconic model Dita Von Teese by Sinical Magazine: "Dita Von Teese and Masuimi Max.. They modeled and performed full time since the 1990s. Their influence on current models was unquestioned and they basically joined the ranks of Miss Page". Masuimi was on the cover of Bizarre Magazine nine times, as well as Maxim, Import Tuner, Performance Sound and Auto, DDI Mag, and many others. She was featured on Playboy.com and was the leading lady in Tiger Army's "Rose of a Devils Garden"
She appeared in a number of films, including Unlucky Charms (2013), Gingerdead Man vs Evil Bong (2013), Here Lies Lonely (1999) and The Devil's Muse (2007), and was also in the mega-hit xXx: State of the Union (2005). She also made personal appearances at car shows. She was a contestant in the reality television game show Fear Factor (2001) where she ate a potato bug. She also had a brief cameo at the end of the David Lynch film Inland Empire (2006) as a girl with the blonde wig who has a monkey. In 2011, she made a cameo appearance in the SuperHeavy video for "Miracle Worker."25 January 2024 (Undisclosed)- Actor
- Writer
He was born in the back of a Chevy station wagon being driven by this late father one starry night in September blazing across a desolate West Texas highway trying to find any town with a hospital for his mother to give birth to Danny. Unable to, his dad took command just as he'd done for four consecutive years of war in the Pacific Theater in World War II, and Danny was delivered while his mother held a flashlight on herself for his dad to see . Since then he has been in the spotlight for much of his life. When he was five years old he knew he wanted to be an actor in movies. On Saturday mornings beginning at the age of seven his mother put him on a Continental Trailways Bus (being driven by "Red") from the small South Central Texas town where is lived bound for Houston to study with a later known national authority in children's theater, the late Jeannine Wagner. She taught at the original and famous Alley Theater. His life until graduating from college revolved around theater. When he was ten, having seen James Cagney in Man of a Thousand Faces (1957), he knew his goal was to become a character actor in movies. With the idea and support of his fifth-grade teacher, at the age of ten he was offered the opportunity to study theater in the summers at Southwest Texas University in San Marcos, Texas. He was the youngest student ever admitted to the university's summer theater program. He attended every summer for six years. At 16 he accepted the opportunity to direct at the university. He selected "Hello Out There" by William Sayoran. Graduate students at the university and high school drama teachers attending summer theater courses at the university from across Texas were the other directors. He remained very active in speech and theater in high school, winning numerous local, regional and state competitions in public speaking, debate and theater as an actor. When a junior in high school he was scouted by the theater department at the University of Texas and offered a full scholarship there in drama. Instead, he entered Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, to work with famed theater director Paul Baker. However he graduated from Emerson College in Boston. Danny did not act in his first film or television project until he had graduated from law school, became a felony prosecutor in the district attorney's office in Corpus Christi, Texas, and later an Assistant US Attorney and was already in private practice in Houston, Texas. As an Assistant U.S. Attorney he pioneered the federal criminal prosecutions of film piracy (criminal copyright infringement) in the United States Fifth Circuit, worked with the U.S. Congress to raise the criminal penalty for copyright infringement from a misdemeanor to a felony, is responsible for originating and initiating the anti-piracy warning appearing at the beginning of all commercial videotapes and DVDs and trying the largest film piracy case then to date to a jury verdict where the defendant received federal prison time ; United States of America vs. Ralph Smith. Those achievements earned him the John Marshall Award from the U.S. Department of Justice. A story on the film piracy case was a "60 Minutes" segment titled "Who Stole Superman" A short biography of Danny's career as a lawyer, including his service as an immigration judge in Atlanta, Georgia, is published in the 1985/1986 edition of "Who's Who in American Law".
What motivated Danny back into theater and later to pursue a second career in film and television as an actor was the realization, after his dad died at age 61, that life can be truly short, and he should try to achieve his unrealized life-long ambition. He returned to the stage. His theater work resulted in an offer of a co-star role in his first television movie The Return of Desperado (1988) starring Robert Foxworth and Billy Dee Williams, on NBC. Danny still makes his home in Houston, Texas and works all over North America, including Canada. He also maintains international visibility as an award-winning and published stills photographer. He was once awarded the Kodak International Photography Award for his work in black and white, and was once named Texas Photographer of the Year by Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX. He has numerous book and magazine credits. In 2009 he created "Operation Grateful" , a photo project in which he shoots family photographic portraits for free and sends them to those family members serving as military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2007 Danny founded the non-profit organization Carolyn's Hope, in memory of his late mother. The mission of that not-for-profit organization is to educate the public and law enforcement on identifying, exposing and combating domestic elder abuse, neglect, and the financial exploitation of vulnerable elderly people. His most recent theatrical stage work was in 2008 in a play directed by Richard Benjamin at the Falcon Theater in Burbank, California where he co-starred with Ed Asner, Paula Prentiss, and Laine Kazan in "A Step Out of Time". He is in private practice in Houston, Texas as a criminal defense lawyer representing juvenile clients charged with criminal offenses.28 January 2024 (Undisclosed)- Actress
- Additional Crew
During the 1950s and 1960s bosomy, scintillating, dark-haired Tunisian leading lady Sandra Milo played bored patricians, manipulative mistresses and other enticing ladies of questionable morals with typical sensuous flare in scores of Italian and French productions.
Born Elena Liliana Greco in Tunis on March 11, 1933, Sandra made her film debut at age 20 co-starring tauntingly alongside Alberto Sordi in Lo scapolo (1955) and renamed herself. For the next full decade, she unleashed her fiery figure on a number of tempted male players in scores of saucy comedies, feisty costumers and steamy melodramas. Such films included Nero's Mistress (1956), The Adventures of Arsène Lupin (1957), The Mirror Has Two Faces (1958) [The Mirror Has Two Faces], Toto in the Moon (1958) [Toto in the Moon], General Della Rovere (1959) [General della Rovere], and the period comedy romp The Green Mare (1959) starring the great French actor Bourvil, which served as the inspiration to the bawdy classic "Tom Jones."
Ms. Milo appeared to fine advantage in two of Fellini's greatest masterpieces - 8½ (1963) and Juliet of the Spirits (1965). She personified the aloof Italian temptress opposite Europe's most virile, passionate leading men -- Vittorio Gassman, Marcello Mastroianni, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Sorel, etc.
Leaving films in 1968, Sandra was little seen on camera and did not return to the big screen until over a decade later, now sporadically appearing as severe-looking blondes. Primarily filming in Italy well into her octogenarian years, such movies have included the comedy Riavanti... Marsch! (1979), the dramedy Grog (1982), the musical fantasy Cindy - Cinderella '80 (1984), the comedy Camerieri (1995), the romantic dramedy Incantato (2003), the comedies Sleepless (2009), Happy Family (2010), Una notte agli studios (2013), There's No Place Like Home (2018) and Free - Liberi (2020).29 January 2024 (Undisclosed)- Amanda Davies was born in 1981. She was an actress, known for One Life to Live (1968), The Gift (2011) and Soapography (2004). She died on 29 January 2024.29 January 2024 (Undisclosed)
- Actress
- Soundtrack
An accomplished and versatile actress/singer/dancer, Chita Rivera has won two Tony Awards as Best Leading Actress in a Musical and received eight additional Tony nominations for an exceptional 10 Tony nominations. She recently starred in The Visit, the final John Kander/Fred Ebb/Terrence McNally musical directed by John Doyle and choreographed by Graciela Daniele on Broadway (2015), following the acclaimed production at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in the summer of 2014. She starred in the Broadway revival of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, the Broadway and touring productions of The Dancer's Life, a dazzling new musical celebrating her spectacular career, written by Terrence McNally and directed by Graciela Daniele and the revival of the Broadway musical Nine with Antonio Banderas. She trained as a ballerina (from age 11) before receiving a scholarship to the School of American Ballet from legendary George Balanchine. Chita's first appearance (age 17) was as a principal dancer in Call Me Madam. Her electric performance as Anita in the original Broadway premiere of West Side Story brought her stardom, which she repeated in London. Her career is highlighted by starring roles in Bye Bye Birdie, The Rink (Tony Award), Chicago, Jerry's Girls, Kiss of the Spider Woman (Tony Award), and the original Broadway casts of Guys and Dolls, Can-Can, Seventh Heaven and Mr. Wonderful. On tour: Born Yesterday, The Rose Tattoo, Call Me Madam, Threepenny Opera, Sweet Charity, Kiss Me Kate, Zorba, Can-Can with The Rockettes. Chita was awarded The Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2009. She received the coveted Kennedy Center Honor in 2002 and is the first Hispanic woman ever chosen to receive this award. On November 6, 2015, Great Performances aired their special Chita Rivera: A Lot of Livin' To Do, a retrospective on her extraordinary life and career nationally on PBS. Chita's current solo CD is entitled And Now I Swing. Her most treasured production is her daughter, singer/dancer/choreographer Lisa Mordente.30 January 2024 (Brief Illness)- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Editorial Department
Hinton Battle was born on 29 November 1956 in Neubrücke, Germany. He was an actor, known for Dreamgirls (2006), Quantum Leap (1989) and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997). He died on 30 January 2024 in Los Angeles, California, USA.30 January 2024 (Undisclosed)- Ivan Georgiev Ivanov is born on December 16, 1951 in Asenovgrad, Bulgaria. He graduated "acting" in National Academy for Theatre and Film Art, Sofia, Bulgaria in the class of Professor Dimitrina Gyurova . Ivan Ivanov has played on the stages of Youth Theatre and Bulgarian Army's Theater until 1983 . The movie "Everything is Love" is the film, after which the actor Ivan Ivanov became a sex symbol of Bulgarian cinema. Besides Rado of "Everything is love," he is Assen in "Avalanche" ( 1982 ); Vas / Christo in the "Combine" (1982 ) and Trajan in "Measure of Remand" (1983 ). He starred in films of directors like Borislav Sharaliev ( "Boris I", 1985 ), Zako Heskiya ( "Night with the white horses", 1985), Ivan Andonov ( "Dreamers", 1987 ) and others. After the TV series "Burn, burn light" (1994) the actor released his first book of short stories and poems - "This life, that life." Then come two more - "Answer" and "Seven Hours Difference." By the first few years of the 21st century Ivanov has been engaged in dubbing movies and serials. In Bulgarian National Television he is voiced in the miniseries "Masada," in the films "Les Miserables" (the role of Jean-Paul Belmondo), "Love in the Clouds" (the role of Keanu Reeves) and others; for bTV he is voiced the role of Tim Daly in the series "The Fugitive." He is married to Petya Silyanova.Ivan Ivanov and Petya have a son - Stefan better known by his rap moniker Wosh MC and also the eldest son - George, who has managed as a metropolitan lawyer (judge).31 January 2024 (Heart Attack)
- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Carl Weathers was born on January 14, 1948, in New Orleans, Louisiana. A famous and successful football star at San Diego State, he played with the Oakland Raiders and retired from the sport in 1974, in order to give full attention to his goal: to be a real actor.
Weathers first played small parts in two blaxploitation flicks, Friday Foster (1975) (in which he played "Yarbro") and Bucktown (1975) (playing "Hambone"), both made in 1975 and directed by Arthur Marks. However, his big break came the following year when producers Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff chose him to play "Apollo Creed" in the blockbuster "sleeper" Rocky (1976) (real-life boxing legend Ken Norton was originally signed for the part, but it eventually went to Weathers). He went on to play "Creed" in three other "Rocky" movies, and the characters' adversarial relationship eventually evolved into a warm friendship. After Creed's death in Rocky IV (1985), Weathers met with producer Joel Silver and agreed to play an important supporting role in Predator (1987), an action film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The following year, Silver produced Action Jackson (1988), a first starring role for Weathers, but it performed poorly at the box office and was panned by the critics.
During the 1990s, Weathers starred in four In the Heat of the Night (1988) two-hour TV specials that were much better received by critics and viewers alike. In 1996, he played the part of "Chubbs Peterson" in the blockbuster Adam Sandler comedy Happy Gilmore (1996). He returned to his "action roots" in two TV-movies with Hulk Hogan: Assault on Devil's Island (1997) and Assault on Death Mountain (1999).
In addition to his acting career, Weathers is also a member of the Big Brothers Association and the U.S. Olympic Committee, handling the career of athletes of various sports such as gymnastics, wrestling, swimming and judo.1 February 2024
(Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease)- Writer
- Director
- Animation Department
Mark Gustafson was born on 19 September 1959 in Portland, Oregon. He was a writer and director, known for Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022), Claymation Easter (1992) and A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas (2011). He died on 1 February 2024.1 February 2024 (Heart Attack)- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Writer
He was born into show business in 1947, son of the late Los Angeles television and radio personality Larry Finley and cousin to late writer/producer Rod Serling. One would think that at the age of sixty-two, Finley would be content being a top Hollywood theatrical voice-over artist who has worked on over two thousand, five hundred movies and TV programs over the years. But now, Greg wants to get back in front of the camera and continue what had once been a successful "on-camera" career back in the early 1980s.
After graduating from Beverly Hills High School, Finley went into the Army where he rose to the rank of Captain and spent eighteen months in Vietnam in Special Forces. After his military service, he married a widow with four daughters and settled into his life supporting the family by selling automobiles in northern California. Two years later, his son Guy was born. After his marriage dissolved, he moved back to the Southland to pursue his dreams of becoming an actor.
Successful as a day player in the late '70s and early '80s, Finley's writing and voice-over career began in 1981 as a writer/director on the syndicated animated television series, "Robotech." He remarried in 1982, and in 1983, about the time his voice-over career blossomed, another son, Garrett, was born. Over the following twenty-five years, he has written literally hundreds of news reports, sports broadcasts, and weather spots for group ADR, and has performed them in a couple of thousand TV shows and Films.
Starting a "new" career in his early sixties? "I've kept my acting chops strong working on the ADR/looping stage, and by working in Community Theater over the years," says Greg. Active as a past board member and President with his local CommunityTheater, still in love after twenty-seven years of marriage to his wife Patti, still close to all of his children, and still happily working as a voice-over actor, Greg Finley is acting and directing on stage, and looking forward to hearing those words he never hears on an ADR stage, "Roll camera, marker, speed, and action!"1 February 2024 (Undisclosed)- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Don Murray is an American actor. He is best known for playing Governor Breck, the authoritarian ruler in the science fiction film "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes" (1972).
Murray was born in 1929 to Dennis Aloisius Murray and his wife Ethel Cook. Dennis worked as a dance director and stage manager, while Ethel was a singer. Ethel Cook served as a performer for the Ziegfeld Follies (1907-1931), an elaborate theatrical revue production in Broadway.
Murray attended the East Rockaway High School in East Rockaway, a village of Nassau County, New York. During his high school years, Murray served as a member of the school's football team, its track team, and its glee club. He graduated in 1947, at the age of 18. He later attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Manhattan, New York. He graduated in 1951.
Murray made his Broadway debut in 1951, when cast as Jack Hunter in a stage version of the play "The Rose Tattoo" (1951) by Tennessee Williams (1911-1983). In the play, Hunter is a sailor and the boyfriend of Rosa Delle Rose, the daughter of the play's female protagonist.
Murray's stage career was interrupted when he was drafted into the United States military. He registered as a conscientious objector during the Korean War (1950-1953), as he was a member of the Brethren Church. The Brethren Church is an Anabaptist Christian denomination, which strictly adheres to pacifism and non-violence. Murray was assigned to alternative service in Europe. He was honorably discharged from the military in 1954, and resumed his acting career.
In 1956, Murray made his film debut in the romantic drama film "Bus Stop". The film was an adaptation of a 1955 theatrical play by William Inge (1913-1973). Murray was cast in the role of Beauregard "Beau" Decker, a naive, overly enthusiastic, and socially inept cowboy from Montana. The film depicts Beau's infatuation with young singer Cherie (played by Marylin Monroe), which causes him to first kidnap her and then coerce her into marrying him. He is tragically unaware that Cherie barely knows him, and that his love is unrequited. The film was a box office success, and Murray was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1956, however the Oscar for that year was won by rival actor Anthony Quinn (1915-2001) for his role in Lust for LIfe.
Murray's successful debut helped him receive offers for more film roles. He was cast as Charlie Samson in the drama film "The Bachelor Party" (1957). Samson is the film's main character, a hard-working bookkeeper who struggles with the temptation to cheat on his wife. He was then cast as morphine-addict Johnny Pope in "A Hatful of Rain" (1957), a film about the then-innovative topic of drug addiction.
In 1958, Murray played in his first Western film, "From Hell to Texas". In the film, he was cast as Tod Lohman, an impoverished ranch hand who is suspected of murdering the son of a powerful cattle baron. The film deals with Lohman being hunted by the cattle baron's other son and his mercenaries, who seek revenge.
Murray's second Western film was "These Thousand Hills" (1959). The film depicts the rags-to-riches story of Albert Gallatin "Lat" Evans (played by Murray). But as Lat grows richer, he becomes a colder and harsher man. Leading him to betray his own lover, to alienate his only friend, and to marry a banker's daughter for her money.
Murray was also cast in a lead role in the war film "Shake Hands with the Devil" (1959), which depicts the Irish War of Independence (1919-1921). During the 1960s, Murray continued to appear regularly in films, often cast in period dramas. He played Wild Bill Hickok in the The Plainsman (1966), and ambitious ruler Justinian in "The Viking Queen" (1967).
In 1968, Murray gained a co-starring role in the Western television series "The Outcasts" (1968-1969). He played the character Earl Corey, an American Civil War veteran and formerly wealthy slave owner. In the series, Corey was cheated out of his wealth by a treasonous brother, and started making a living as a bounty hunter. He teams up with fellow bounty hunter Jemal David (played by Otis Young), an African-American freedman. The two men are not friends, but they are both social outcasts and need each other's skills to gain a profit. The series was considered groundbreaking for featuring an interracial team of characters, but was criticized for being overly violent. The series lasted only 26 episodes.
In 1972, Murray played the major role of Governor Breck in"Conquest of the Planet of the Apes". Breck is the authoritarian ruler of a human civilization using apes as a slave force, and he is the owner of the film's heroic protagonist Caesar. He eventually fails to defeat a slave revolt, and gets captured alive by his own slave. The film earned 9.7 million dollars in theatrical rentals at the North American box office.
Murray was offered the role of Breck in the film's immediate sequel, "Battle for the Planet of the Apes" (1973), but he refused to return. He reportedly felt that there was no fun in playing the tyrant twice. A character called Governor Kolp (played by Severn Darden) was introduced in the film as Breck's replacement.
In 1975, Murray starred in the thriller film "Deadly Hero", as the villainous protagonist Officer Lacy. In the film, Lacy is a veteran police officer of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) who has been demoted for violent tendencies and being overly trigger-happy. While on duty, Lacy kills the common mugger "Rabbit" (played by James Earl Jones) and briefly gains a heroic reputation. But a female witness to the death has seen that Lacy is a cold-blooded murderer, and that Rabbit was killed after disarming himself and surrendering to Lacy. Lacy decides to kill the witness in order to protect his reputation. The film was a box-office flop as film critics blamed its overly pessimistic attitude toward law enforcement. Among the few critics who actually liked the film was Gene Siskel (1946-1999), writing for the newspaper "Chicago Tribune".
In the late 1970s, Murray was reduced to mostly appearing in television films. In 1979, Murray had a career comeback when cast in the major role of Sid Fairgate in the soap opera "Knots Landing" (1979-1993). Fairgate was depicted as the owner of used car dealership Knots Landing Motors, and pater familias to a large family. Murray played this role until 1981, when he left the series due to a salary dispute. His character was written out as having died during a surgery.
During the 1980s, Murray had few appearances in theatrical films. They included the romantic drama "Endless Love" (1981), the mystery film "I Am the Cheese" (1983), the post-apocalyptic science fiction film "Radioactive Dreams" (1985), the time-travel film "Peggy Sue Got Married" (1986), the spy film "Scorpion" (1986), the reincarnation-themed fantasy film "Made in Heaven" (1987), and the ghost film "Ghosts Can't Do It" (1989).
In 1989, Murray gained a new co-starring role in the comedy-drama television series "Brand New Life" (1989-1990), playing the character of wealthy lawyer Roger Gibbons. In the series Gibbons marries novice court reporter Barbara McCray (played by Barbara Eden). Each of them has three children from previous marriages, and they now struggle to raise 6 kids. The series' creator and show-runner was young screenwriter Chris Carter (1956-), and its themes were mostly based on the old sitcom "The Brady Bunch" (1969-1974). The series was not successful, and only a pilot and 5 regular episodes were ever broadcast.
Murray next had a recurring role in the short-lived comedy-drama television series "Sons and Daughters" (1991), concerning the struggles of a single mother who tries to maintain the peace between the members of a large extended family. The series only lasted for 13 episodes, but 6 of them remained unaired at the time of its cancellation.
For the rest of the 1990s, Murray had guest star roles in various television series, and appeared in a hand full of television films. During the early 2000s, he had roles in three theatrical films: the romantic comedy "Internet Love" (2000), the stalker-themed thriller "Island Pray" (2001), and the comedy film "Elvis is Alive" (2001). In 2001, the 72-year-old Murray went into retirement.
Murray returned to acting in 2017, when offered the recurring role of insurance-company executive Bushnell Mullins in the third season of the mystery series "Twin Peaks" (1990-1991, 2017). Mullins was the boss of insurance agent Douglas "Dougie" Jones, one of several doppelgangers to FBI agent Dale Cooper (the series' main protagonist). The season was critically praised but there were no plans for a fourth season.
In 2019, Murray reached his 90th year and was still appearing in some films and on television into 2021.2 February 2024 (Undisclosed)- Actor
- Soundtrack
Ian Lavender attended Bournville Technical College in the West Midlands, and then studied at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He graduated in 1967. Acting on the stage at Canterbury followed, and his first television work was the ATV play "Flowers At My Feet" in 1968. He then became the youngest cast member of Dad's Army (1968), working with veterans Arthur Lowe, John Le Mesurier and John Laurie.
Much of Lavender's subsequent television work came in the form of comedy roles. He is also an accomplished stage actor, having performed in repertory and at the West End. He loves cricket, golf and gardening.2 February 2024 (Undisclosed)- Born in Mexico City on the 18th of August, 1944, Helena Rojo has an extensive career in theater, film and television acting, in both domestic and international productions (notably collaborating with Werner Herzog in "Aguirre, the Wrath of God", as well as Arturo Ripstein in "Fox Trot").
She began her career in the 60's as a model whilst studying drama, and in 1968 made her cinematic debut in "El Club de los Suicidas" ("The Suicide Club"), followed in the same year with "Los Amigos" ("Friends"). In 1974 she made her first television appearance as Isaura in the telenovela "Extraño en su Pueblo" ("Stranger in Your Town").
Throughout the 70's and 80's she worked with some of the most renowned and prolific directors in Mexico, including Jorge Fons, Rafael Corkidi, Marcela Fernández Violante and Alberto Bojórquez.
The role that garnered her the most national acclaim was that of Luciana Duval in "El Privilegio de Amar" ("The Privilege of Love"), as well as Juliana in "Abrazame Muy Fuerte" ("Big Hug"), for which she also won a TV y Novelas award for Best Supporting Role. She also appeared prominently in "Ramona", which was widely regarded as the telenovela of the year in 1999.
More recently, in 2006 she appeared in "Vidas de Fuego", a show-within-a-show featured on the US comedy/drama series "Ugly Betty", portraying Patricia Rivera.3 February 2024 (Liver Cancer) - Music Artist
- Actor
- Composer
Born July 8, 1961, Toby Keith Covel was the second child of Joan and Hubert Keith ("H. K.") Covel. He was born in Clinton, Oklahoma, and grew up with his brother Tracy and sister Tonnie in Moore, Oklahoma. After graduating from Moore High School, he didn't go on to college, but went to work in the Oklahoma oil fields with his father. He later met and married Tricia Lucas, whose child, Shelley Reeve, he adopted. He later had two children with Tricia -- daughter Krystal (born 1985, married in 2011) and son Stelen (born in 1997).
When Krystal was born, the Oklahoma oil industry had collapsed; leaving Toby, Tricia, and their two daughters in financial troubles. Touring with his band, the Easy Money Band, he got them all out of debt. After signing a deal at Mercury Records, his debut album "Toby Keith", which contained his first chart topper, "Should've Been a Cowboy", finally established him as a professional singer-songwriter. He then left Mercury for a period of three years. Coming back in 1997, he released his final studio album for Mercury, "Dream Walkin".
A year after his first Greatest Hits compilation came out from Mercury, he and producer James Stroud, left the label. He then signed a deal with DreamWorks Records, headed by his producer. Since releasing his fifth album, "How Do You Like Me Now?!", and its title track (written by Toby and Chuck Cannon); the then-DreamWorks, now-Showdog Tunes-signed singer and BMI-affiliated songwriter saw success like never before.
That success can be measured with at least five more studio albums since "How Do You Like Me Now?", more #1 singles, Academy of Country Music Awards (including two "Entertainer of the Year" awards) and other kinds of awards, and another Greatest Hits compilation (including songs from albums "How Do You Like Me Now?", "Pull My Chain", and "Unleashed", and a cover of "Mockingbird" with his daughter Krystal, who released her debut album in December 2011). He opened his own record label, the aforementioned Showdog Tunes.
Tragically, Toby Keith died after a battle with cancer at age 62 on February 5, 2024 in his beloved native Oklahoma.5 February 2024 (Stomach Cancer)- Actor
- Soundtrack
Michael was born in Nottingham where he was educated at Becket Roman Catholic Grammar School, West Bridgeford in Nottingham where he was known as Jimmy - his real name is Michael James - and where he was caned some 130 times. While that might have been a record, the one that went into the record books was scoring 60 of the under-13 football team's 120 goals in a season. In between canings and scoring goals, he acquired a great love of literature and the English language from a teacher at Becket Grammar School which he left at 17 with an A level in philosophy and became an accountant with the coal board. Before he took his accountancy finals, he left the Coal Board and went to work in the Nottingham Fish Market where the language he learned was a revelation to him.5 February 2024 (Short Illness)- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
James Dixon was born on 6 March 1937 in Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for It's Alive (1974), Is There Sex After Death? (1971) and It's Alive III: Island of the Alive (1987). He was married to Margaret Mary Gibney. He died on 5 February 2024 in Santa Monica, California, USA.5 February 2024 (Undisclosed)- Actor
- Casting Department
- Additional Crew
Tommy Karlsen was born on 9 June 1975 in Baerum, Norway. He was an actor, known for Death at Oslo Central (1990), Lilyhammer (2012) and De blå ulvene (1993). He was married to Birte Nordahl. He died on 6 February 2024 in Oslo, Norway.6 February 2024 (Undisclosed)- Actor
- Music Department
- Composer
Mojo Nixon was born on 2 August 1957 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for Super Mario Bros. (1993), Astro Loco (2021) and Stag (1997). He was married to Adaire McMillan. He died on 7 February 2024 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.7 February 1014 (Cardiac Arrest)- Producer
- Additional Crew
- Writer
E. Duke Vincent was born on 30 April 1932 in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA. He was a producer and writer, known for Dynasty (1981), Vega$ (1978) and And the Band Played On (1993). He was married to Pamela Hensley, Dian Parkinson and Sandra Carol Freeman. He died on 10 February 2024 in Montecito, California, USA.10 February 2024 (Undisclosed)- Dan Cole was born on 20 December 1963 in Wisconsin, USA. He was an actor, known for The Office (2005), Two and a Half Men (2003) and Ruby Booby (2013). He died on 11 February 2024 in West Allis, Wisconsin, USA.11 February 2024 (Lengthy Illness)
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Cinematographer
- Director
Alec Mills was born on 10 May 1932 in London, England, UK. He was a cinematographer and director, known for Moonraker (1979), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983). He was married to Zsuzsa Szemes. He died on 12 February 2024 in Denham, Buckinghamshire, England, UK.12 February 2024 (Dementia)- Anne Whitfield was born August 27, 1938 in Oxford, Mississippi, USA. She was an actress, known for White Christmas (1954), numerous TV shows and commercials, and a long radio career beginning in 1945 when she was seven. Her TV appearances include One Step Beyond, 3 Perry Masons, Rawhide, Gunsmoke, 77 Sunset Strip, Dobie Gillis, 2 Cheyennes, and a Bonanza. When she left Hollywood in 1976, she went back to college, got a degree in Mass Communications, and began a new career as a water quality educator at the state Department of Ecology. Now retired, Annie is a climate activist and a proud but worried grandmother of seven.15 February 2024 (Undisclosed)
- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Alexei Navalny was born on 4 June 1976 in Butyn, Moscow Oblast, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia]. He was a director and writer, known for Navalny (2022), The Case Is Solved. I Know Everyone Who Tried to Kill Me (2020) and Parazity (2020). He was married to Yulia Navalnaya. He died on 16 February 2024 in FKU IK-3 Prison, Kharp, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia.16 February 2024 (Undisclosed)- Actor
- Soundtrack
Brooklyn born Tony Ganios was literally forced into the film business at the tender age of 18 when his even larger and more powerful uncle Pete made him cut short a powerlifting workout at the Sheridan Square Gym in Manhattan to audition for director Philip Kaufman. As a result, Tony made his film debut as the teen paladin "Perry" in Kaufman's cult classic The Wanderers (1979). His initial performance was well liked by audiences and soon he was dancing with Sally Field in Back Roads (1981) in a role he landed by hurling the film's script into the chest of its director. Next, he played a former NFL defensive end turned mountain man in the Lawrence Kasdan scripted John Belushi romantic comedy Continental Divide (1981) before being cast by writer/director Bob Clark as the well hung high school senior "Meat" in the raunchy, but highly successful comedy Porky's (1981). One of Tony's most unforgettable roles was as that ill-fated member of the terrorist team in the hit action film Die Hard 2 (1990) who was fatally dispatched by Bruce Willis with an eye bound icicle. Some of his other film and television credits include The Taking of Beverly Hills (1991), Ring of the Musketeers (1992), and Rising Sun (1993), where he revisited his matchstick chewing Wanderers hero as an adversary for Sean Connery. He is also known for his recurring comedic role as a muscular mob lawyer on the Emmy Award winning series Wiseguy (1987).
An ancient military history and period weapons expert, Ganios is one of Brazilian jiu jitsu pioneer and UFC founder Rorion Gracie's original students. Although retired from acting since 1993, in 2000 Tony and Police Academy veteran Leslie Easterbrook supplied voices for the low budget YouTube animated series "Bad Vlad" under the pseudonyms Nick Fury and Honour Lawrence in what he described as one of the most purely fun performances of his career. The 2014 feature film Daddies' Girls will not only mark Tony Ganios' return to the big screen, but his debut as a producer and screenwriter as well.18 February 2024 (Heart Failure)- Paul D'Amato was born in 1948 in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA. He was an actor, known for Slap Shot (1977), Suspect (1987) and The Deer Hunter (1978). He was married to Bertine Colombo. He died on 19 February 2024 in East Brookfield, Massachusetts, USA.19 February 2024 (Progessive Supra Nuclear Palsy)
- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Ewen MacIntosh was born on 25 December 1973 in Merioneth, Wales, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for The Lobster (2015), Big Fat Gypsy Gangster (2011) and Little Britain (2003). He died on 19 February 2024 in East Preston, West Sussex, England, UK.19 February 2023 (Undisclosed)- Actor
- Soundtrack
John Savident was born on 21 January 1938 in St Peter Port, Guernsey, Channel Islands, UK. He was an actor, known for Coronation Street (1960), A Clockwork Orange (1971) and Hudson Hawk (1991). He was married to Rona Hopkinson. He died on 21 February 2024.21 February 2024 (Undisclosed)- Pamela Salem was born on 22 January 1944 in Bombay, State of Bombay, India. She was an actress, known for Never Say Never Again (1983), The Great Train Robbery (1978) and Gods and Monsters (1998). She was married to Michael O'Hagan. She died on 21 February 2024 in Surfside, Florida, USA.21 February 2024 (Undisclosed)
- Richard Caine was born on 25 October 1938 in Rochester, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Born Again (1978), Knight Rider (1982) and Big Shots (1987). He was married to Kathleen Connors. He died on 22 February 2024 in Madison, Ohio, USA.22 February 2024 (Undisclosed)
- Lanny Flaherty was born on 27 July 1942 in Pontotoc, Mississippi, USA. He was an actor, known for Signs (2002), Miller's Crossing (1990) and Men in Black³ (2012). He died on 18 February 2024 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.22 February 2924 (Complications From Surgery)
- A pert and glamorous redhead, Jacqueleen Loughery came to fame as the first ever Miss USA beauty pageant winner in 1952, held at Long Beach, California.
Just two years prior, the Brooklyn-born daughter and only child of Joseph Clark Loughery (a captain in the U.S. Navy) and Ellen (Avery) Loughery had been crowned Miss New York State. She wasn't especially keen to continue competing for further titles, but later claimed to have been talked into it by 'Uncle Miltie' (Milton Berle). She eventually finished in ninth place for the Miss Universe event. On the strength of this, she was hired by the Ward Kent modeling agency. Late that year, she also secured a contract with Universal-International, declaring "I want to become a dramatic actress".
For the first five years of her acting career, that ambition remained unfulfilled. Her appearances were merely confined to bit parts, walk-ons or cameos. Her fortunes improved a little when she was cast as the female lead in the Dean Martin-Jerry Lewis comedy Pardners (1956). Jackie then scored a leading regular television role in a western series as Letty, the niece of Judge Roy Bean (1955). Her next film, The D.I. (1957), was a wartime drama about a tough drill instructor. It starred Jack Webb and featured Jackie as his romantic interest.
Real romance developed during filming and Jackie married Webb in June 1958 in Studio City (having divorced her previous husband, the actor and singer Guy Mitchell, on the grounds of mental cruelty and abusiveness). Ultimately, her second marriage proved equally turbulent and faltered in 1964, Jacqueline citing the same reasons for divorcing Webb as had his previous two wives, namely 'being married to his work'.
Dropped by Universal, she briefly found a supporter in Howard Hughes, who signed her for RKO. However, no film opportunities arose from this. As a freelancer, she found work in a couple of B-grade potboilers (even headlining in an obscure drama, The Hot Angel (1958)) and in five episodes of The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (1950). The remainder of her tenure on the screen comprised only a few sporadic TV guest appearances in prime time shows like Bat Masterson (1958), Burke's Law (1963), and Perry Mason (1957) .
In 1969, now almost forty and finding fewer and fewer worthy roles, she threw in the towel, saying "you don't quit acting, acting quits you." That year, she was married to one Jack William Schwietzer. This union may have proved the adage of 'third time lucky', as it endured for four decades until his death in 2009.23 February 2024 (Undisclosed) - Actor
- Writer
Chris Gauthier was born on 27 January 1976 in Luton, Bedfordshire, England, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for Freddy vs. Jason (2003), Watchmen (2009) and 40 Days and 40 Nights (2002). He was married to Erin Gauthier. He died on 23 February 2024 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.23 February 2024 (Short Illness)- Kenneth Mitchell was born on 25 November 1974 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was an actor, known for Jericho (2006), Miracle (2004) and The Astronaut Wives Club (2015). He was married to Susan May Pratt. He died on 24 February 2024 in Los Angeles, California, USA.24 February 2024 (Complications From ALS)
- Writer
- Art Department
Ramona Fradon was born on 2 October 1926 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She was a writer, known for Beware the Batman (2013), Young Justice (2010) and Batman: The Brave and the Bold (2008). She was married to Dana Fradon. She died on 24 February 2024 in Ulster County, New York, USA.24 February 2024 (Undisclosed)- Charles Dierkop was born on 11 September 1936 in La Crosse, Wisconsin, USA. He was an actor, known for The Sting (1973), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) and Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984). He was married to Joan Florence Addis. He died on 25 February 2024 in Los Angeles, California, USA.25 February 2024 (Heart Attack & Pneumonia)
- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Richard Philip Lewis was born on June 29, 1947 in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Englewood, New Jersey. He went to Dwight Morrow High School and Ohio State University, graduating in 1969 with a degree in marketing and communications. Lewis wrote ad copy in New Jersey while also writing jokes for comedians such as Morty Gunty. He finally got the nerve to perform his own jokes in 1971 at New York's Improvisation and Pips.
After appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962) in 1974, he continued to tour and hone his act with help from David Brenner and Robert Klein. His film Diary of a Young Comic (1979) aired in the Saturday Night Live (1975) time-slot. His work on cable "I'm in Pain" for Showtime in 1988, The I'm Exhausted Concert (1988) earned a nomination from American Comedy Awards for Funniest Male Performer in a Television Special (for HBO); Richard Lewis: I'm Doomed (1990) (HBO) won him a second Ace Nomination for Best Stand-Up Comedy Special. His Richard Lewis: The Magical Misery Tour (1996) was filmed at New York's "Bottom Line" in December 1996. In December 1989, he performed to an SRO crowd at Carnegie Hall.27 February 2024 (Heart Attack)- Michael Culver was born on 16 June 1938 in Hampstead, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), A Passage to India (1984) and Breakaway (1980). He was married to Amanda Ward and Lucinda Curtis. He died on 27 February 2024.27 February 2024 (Undisclosed)
- Actress
- Soundtrack
She graduated from Marymount High School, Tarrytown, N.Y. and then from Adelphi College, NY. She married another Adelphi graduate, Lee Philips (actor, director) and were later divorced amicably. After studying with Sanford Meisner, she married F.X. Toole (the writer of Million Dollar Baby (2004) under the pseudonym used for Jerry Boyd), in Mexico City where daughter Erin was born. They later divorced amicably.
She did the play, Teach Me How To Cry, written by Patricia Joudry and was spotted by an agent, Doovid Barskin, who signed her. In 1960 she met the perfect man, Phil Toorvald, a Stanford University senior studying electrical engineering. She had two children with Phil in quick succession, Sven and Tina, raised another girl (adopted), and then raised that girl's two daughters.
Jean's first feature part had been in 1952 in the film Edge of Fury (1958) where she had met first-time cameraman Jack Couffer. Fifty years later, after each had survived the loss of long time spouses they now share their lives together in retirement.28 February 2024 (Undisclosed)- Brian Mulroney was born on 20 March 1939 in Baie-Comeau, Québec, Canada. He was married to Mila Mulroney. He died on 29 February 2024 in Palm Beach, Florida, USA.29 February 2024 (Complications From a Fall)
- Paul Vachon was born on 7 October 1937 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He was an actor, known for Rustom-E-Rome (1964), WWF Championship Wrestling (1972) and The True Story of Eskimo Nell (1975). He was married to Deana 'Dee' Goddard. He died on 29 February 2024.29 February 2024 (Undisclosed)
- Actor
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Paul Houde was born on 25 August 1954 in Saint-Laurent, Québec, Canada. He was an actor and writer, known for Les Boys IV (2005), Les Boys II (1998) and Les Boys (2007). He was married to Francine Audette. He died on 2 March 2024 in Montréal, Québec, Canada.2 March 2024 (Complications From Brain Surgery)- Actor
- Additional Crew
Mark Dodson was born on 1 February 1960 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. He was an actor, known for Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015), Gremlins (1984) and Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990). He was married to Teresa Kay Willey and Tanya Lee Christopherson. He died on 2 March 2024 in Evansville, Indiana, USA.3 March 2024 (Heart Attack)- Actor
- Producer
- Composer
Singer, composer, actor and author, educated at Brooklyn's Thomas Jefferson High School and a student of saxophone and piano. Between 1958 and 1960 he served in the US Army and was a vocalist with the US Army Band and Orchestra based in Fort Myers, Virginia. After he was discharged, he commenced his singing career on television, night clubs and recordings, both as a single performer and with his wife Eydie Gormé. He appeared in the mid-1960s Broadway musical "What Makes Sammy Run?". Joining ASCAP in 1957, his popular-song compositions include "After Midnight Waltz"; "All Of My Life"; "At a Time Like This"; "Can't Get Over the Bossa Nova"; "The Chase"; "Damila"; "Hi-Ho, Steve-O"; "Hurry Home for Christmas"; "I Gotta Run": "I'll Follow You"; "I'll Never Be Alone"; "It's Easier Said than Done"; "Just For Now"; "Laugh My Face"; "Let Me Be the First"; " A Little Bit Bluer"; "Oh, How You Lied"; "Only You"; "Pity, Pity"; "The Second Time Around"; "The Shortest Love Song"; "Sittin' on the Fence of Life"; "Tall People"; "Tell Me"; "Time to Say Goodnight"; "Two on the Aisle"; "What's the Use of Talking"; "When You're in Love"; "While There's Still Time"; "The World of You"; "You Better Run"; and "Your Kisses Kill Me".7 March 2024
(Complications From Alzheimer's Disease)- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Percy Adlon is best known for his film "Bagdad Cafe" aka "Out of Rosenheim." He was born on June 1, 1935 in Munich, the son of Paul Rudolf Laubenthal, a prominent opera singer, and Susanne Adlon, and grew up in Ammerland/Starnbergersee, in the Bavarian countryside. He studied art and theater history, and German literature at Munich's Ludwig-Maximilian University, took acting and singing classes, and was a member of the student theater group. He started his professional career as an actor, became interested in radio work, was a narrator and editor of literature series and a presenter and voice-over actor in television for 10 years.
In 1970 he made his first short film for the Bavarian Television, followed by more than 150 documentary films about art and the human condition. His first one-hour portrait "Tomi Ungerer's Landleben" started a very successful co-operation with Benigna von Keyserlingk who became the Adlon's television producer of documentaries and feature films.
Percy and Eleonore Adlon formed their film production company, pelemele FILM GmbH, in 1978. Their first project was the docu-drama "The Guardian and his Poet" about the Swiss poet Robert Walser for which they won 2 Adolf-Grimme Awards in Gold (best writer/director, best actor). Their first feature film "Celeste", drew international attention at Cannes in 1981. "Bagdad Cafe", 1987, started their co-operation with Dietrich v. Watzdorf (Bayerischer Rundfunk) The story of Jasmin Münchgstettner and the Cafe owner Brenda became a symbol of friendship and warmth, and is loved all over the globe. Marianne Sägebrecht whom Percy Adlon discovered in 1979 became a cult figure, and Bob Telson's song "Calling You" a classic.
Percy and Eleonore Adlon live in Pacific Palisades, California, working together with their son Felix whose first feature film "Eat Your Heart Out" (1997) they produced with their US company Leora Films. Felix was also the lead in the Adlons' docu-fantasy "The Glamorous World of the Adlon Hotel". (Bavarian TV award).
In 1997 Percy Adlon started working with a digital camera. He filmed a three hour special about the draftsman Tomi Ungerer for ARTE; Mozart's "Magic Flute" with images of today's Berlin; Esa-Pekka Salonen and the LA Phil; 22 short films based on unknown masterpieces by Johann Strauss, Jr.; a 90 minute film about his past and present relationship with his hometown Munich, "Mein Munchen", and he completed his tenth feature film "Hawaiian Gardens" and a documentary Koenig's Sphere - the story of the monumental world trade center sculpture that was damaged but not destroyed in the 9/11 attack.
Remembering his roots in theater, in 2002 Percy Adlon directed Donizetti's Elisir d'Amore at the State Opera unter den Linden, Berlin, followed in March 2004 by the world premiere of Wilfried Hiller's opera Wolkenstein at the State Opera Nuernberg, Germany.
Percy and Eleonore Adlon's recent work also includes their own adaptation of Bagdad Cafe for the stage as a musical. Music by Bob Telson. It premiered on July 6, 2004, at the Barcelona Teatre Musical. In 2007, the Adlons completed "Orbela's People", a documentary about a time with a Maasai family in Ngorongoro, Tanzania.
Percy Adlon is the recipient of the Officer's Cross of the Federal Republic of Germany, and the Bavarian Order of Merit. He is a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.10 March 2024 (Undisclosed)- Music Artist
- Composer
- Actor
Eric Carmen was born on 11 August 1949 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. He was a music artist and composer, known for Footloose (1984), Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and To Die For (1995). He was married to Amy Murrphy, Susan Brown and Marcy Hill. He died on 11 March 2024 in the USA.11 March 2024 (Undisclosed)- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Malachy McCourt entered the world in Brooklyn, New York - where his parents lived at the time - and was raised in Limerick, Ireland. He managed to fail every subject in school, except English and recess. In 1952, he returned to the United States and worked as a longshoreman, dishwasher, and laborer. Soon after, he became an actor, then established the first singles bar in America. He then began a tumultuous radio career in 1970 on WNYC, WMCA and WBAI. They said he was outrageous, opinionated. and a disgrace to the Irish, which were all quite true. Aside from temporary stints on WABC, WOR and WNYC, he was asked to do a regular show since he got fired in 1976, which celebrated the 200th anniversary of free speech in America.
Malachy appeared on stage in plays such as "DA", "The Hostage", "Mass Appeal", "Inherit the Wind", and "A Child's Christmas in Wales" On television, he was a semi-regular on The Tonight Show Starring Jack Paar (1957), with Jack Paar and Merv Griffin. He appeared in the soap operas Ryan's Hope (1975), One Life to Live (1968), as well as The Dain Curse (1978) and other made-for-TV movies. On screen, was seen in She's the One (1996), The Devil's Own (1997), Reversal of Fortune (1990), Green Card (1990), The Field (1990), and The Molly Maguires (1970). He later starred in Edward Burns's Ash Wednesday (2002), followed by another star turn in The Guru (2002). Malachy was the author of "A Monk Swimming", which was on the best- seller lists for months in the U.S., Europe and Australia. His second book, "Singing My Him Song", was published in October of 2000 by Harper Collins. Malachy and his brother, Frank McCourt, developed, staged, and acted in "A Couple of Blaguards", which was performed in St. Petersburg, Florida. The play got produced throughout the US, Australia and the UK.
Malachy was happily married to Diana and is the proud father of five and grandfather of three. He lived in New York City, where he wrote a weekly column for The West Side Spirit: "Sez I To Myself."11 March 2024 (Undisclosed)- Robyn Bernard was born on 26 May 1959 in Gladewater, Texas, USA. She was an actress, known for Simon & Simon (1981), General Hospital (1963) and Tour of Duty (1987). She died on 12 March 2024 in San Jacinto, California, USA.12 March 2024 (Undisclosed)
- Beth Peters was born on 20 April 1931 in Manasquan, New Jersey, USA. She was an actress, known for Back to School (1986), Quantum Leap (1989) and Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction (1997). She was married to Edmund Williams and Jack Danon. She died on 14 March 2024 in Florida, USA.14 March 2024 (Undisclosed)
- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Joe Camp was born on 20 April 1939 in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA. He was a writer and director, known for Oh Heavenly Dog (1980), Benji (1974) and For the Love of Benji (1977). He was married to Kathleen Garrett and Carolyn H. Camp. He died on 15 March 2024 in Bell Buckle, Tennessee, USA.15 March 2024 (Long Illness)- Emmet Bergin was born on 3 June 1944 in Dublin, Ireland. He was an actor, known for Excalibur (1981), Veronica Guerin (2003) and Glenroe (1983). He was married to Sarah. He died on 15 March 2024 in Dublin, Ireland.15 March 2024 (Undisclosed)
- Jennifer Leak was born on 28 September 1947 in Cardiff, Wales, UK. She was an actress, known for Yours, Mine and Ours (1968), Eye of the Cat (1969) and The Incubus (1981). She was married to James Peter D'Auria and Tim Matheson. She died on 18 March 2024 in Jupiter, Florida, USA.18 March 2024 (Supranuclear Palsy)
- Actor
- Producer
- Stunts
Wonderfully talented, heavyset character actor (from New York, but regularly playing Southerners) M. Emmet Walsh has made a solid career of playing corrupt cops, deadly crooks, and zany comedic roles since the early 1970s.
Michael Emmet Walsh was born in Ogdensburg, to Agnes Katharine (Sullivan) and Harry Maurice Walsh, a customs agent. He is of Irish descent. Walsh first appeared in a few fairly forgettable roles both on TV and onscreen before cropping up in several well remembered films, including a courtroom police officer in What's Up, Doc? (1972), as the weird Dickie Dunn in Slap Shot (1977), and as a loony sniper hunting Steve Martin in The Jerk (1979). On-screen demand heated up for him in the early 1980s with attention-grabbing work in key hits, including Brubaker (1980), Reds (1981), and as Harrison Ford's police chief in the futuristic thriller Blade Runner (1982). Walsh then turned in a stellar performance as the sleazy, double-crossing private detective in the Joel Coen and Ethan Coen film noir Blood Simple (1984), and showed up again for the Coens as a loud-mouthed sheet-metal worker bugging Nicolas Cage in the hilarious Raising Arizona (1987). As Walsh moved into his fifties and beyond, Hollywood continued to offer him plenty of work, and he has appeared in over 50 movies since passing the half-century mark. His consistent ability to turn out highly entertaining portrayals led film critic Roger Ebert to coin the "Stanton-Walsh Rule," which states that any film starring Walsh or Harry Dean Stanton has to have some merit. And the "M" stands for Michael!19 March 2024 (Cardiac Arrest)- Born in Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania--a small town just east of Pittsburgh--Ron Harper became valedictorian of his senior class and won an academic scholarship to Princeton University, where he supplemented his academic studies by appearing in a number of plays and musical comedies. He earned a fellowship to study law at Harvard, but the "acting bug" lured him instead to New York, where he studied with 'Lee Strasberg'. Next came a stint in the US Navy (mostly spent in Panama), followed by a return to New York. After several disappointments. he earned a job as Paul Newman's understudy in "Sweet Bird of Youth". Hollywood soon beckoned, and Harper appeared in a succession of TV series: 87th Precinct (1961), The Jean Arthur Show (1966), Wendy and Me (1964), Garrison's Gorillas (1967) and Planet of the Apes (1974).
Following "Apes", he had roles in several soap-operas and guest-starred on various TV shows. He now lives in California.21 March 2024 (Natural Causes) - Actress
- Director
- Writer
Silvia Tortosa was born on 8 March 1947 in Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. She was an actress and director, known for La senyora (1987), Horror Express (1972) and Novela (1963). She was married to David Harper, Charles Davis and Hermann Bonnín. She died on 23 March 2024 in Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.23 March 2024 (Cancer)- Actor
- Director
- Composer
Chris Cross was born on 14 July 1952 in London, England, UK. He was an actor and director, known for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (2015), Quo Vadis, Baby? (2005) and Bananarama Feat. Fun Boy Three: Really Sayin' Something (1982). He died on 25 March 2024.25 March 2024 (Undisclosed)- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Louis Gossett Jr. was one of the most respected and beloved actors on stage, screen and television and was also an accomplished writer, producer and director. Off-screen, he was a social activist, educator, and author dedicated to enriching the lives of others. He was the first African-American to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his unforgettable performance as drill Sergeant Emil Foley in "An Officer and a Gentleman".
Among his other awards were an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor for his portrayal of Fiddler in the groundbreaking ABC series "Roots", a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for "The Josephine Baker Story" and a Golden Globe for "An Officer and a Gentleman". He was nominated for seven Primetime Emmy Awards, three Golden Globes, one Academy Award, five Images Awards, two Daytime Emmy Awards and in 1992 received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He received numerous other honors throughout his illustrious career.
His film debut was in the 1961 classic movie "A Raisin in the Sun" with Sidney Poitier. Other film credits include "The Deep," "Blue Chips," "Daddy's Little Girls," Tyler Perry's "Why Did I Get Married Too?," "Firewalker," "Jaws-3D," "Enemy Mine" and "Iron Eagle" 1-4, among many others. Television credits include "Extant," "Madam Secretary," "Boardwalk Empire," "Family Guy", and "ER", among dozens of others.
Gossett authored the bestselling autobiography "An Actor and a Gentleman", recounting the challenges and triumphs of his 50+ year career. Gossett was recognized as much for his humanitarian efforts as for his accomplishments as an actor. In 2006, he founded The Eracism Foundation which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to eradicating racism. The foundation provides young adults with tools to live a racially diverse and culturally inclusive life. Programs focus on fostering cultural diversity, historical enrichment, education and anti-violence initiatives.
Gossett was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, and made his stage debut when he was 17 years old in "Take a Giant Step", which was selected as one of the 10 best Broadway shows of 1953 by the New York Times. He had two sons and resided in Malibu until his death in Santa Monica, California, in 2024, aged 87.29 March 2024 (Undisclosed)- Actor
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Chance Perdomo was born on 19 October 1996 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Gen V (2023), After We Fell (2021) and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018). He died on 29 March 2024 in New York, USA.30 March 2024 (Motorcycle Accident)- The epitome of poise, charm, style and grace, beautiful brunette Barbara Rush was born in Denver, Colorado in 1927 and enrolled at the University of California before working with the University Players and taking acting classes at the Pasadena Playhouse. It didn't take long for talent scouts to spot her and, following a play performance, Paramount quickly signed her up in 1950, making her debut with The Goldbergs (1950).
Just prior to this, she had met fellow actor Jeffrey Hunter, a handsome newcomer who would later become a "beefcake" bobbysoxer idol over at Fox. The two fell in love and married in December 1950. Soon, they were on their way to becoming one of Hollywood's most beautiful and photogenic young couples. Their son Christopher was born in 1952.
While at Paramount, she was decorative in such assembly-line fare as When Worlds Collide (1951), Quebec (1951) and Flaming Feather (1952). She later co-starred opposite some of Hollywood's top leading males: James Mason, Montgomery Clift, Marlon Brando, Dean Martin, Paul Newman, Richard Burton and Kirk Douglas. In most cases, she played brittle wives, conniving "other women" or socialite girlfriend types.
Despite the "A" list movies Barbara was piling up, the one single role that could put her over the top never showed its face. By the early 1960s, her film career started to decline. She married publicist Warren Cowan in 1959 and bore a second child, Claudia Cowan, in 1964. TV became a viable source of income for her, appearing in scores of guest parts on the more popular shows of the time while co-starring in standard mini-movie dramas.
She even had a bit of fun playing a "guest villainess" on the Batman (1966) series as temptress "Nora Clavicle". The stage also became a strong focus for Barbara, earning the Sarah Siddons Award for her starring role in "Forty Carats". She made her Broadway debut in the one-woman showcase "A Woman of Independent Means", which also subsequently earned her the Los Angeles Drama Critics Award during its tour. Other showcases included "Private Lives", "Same Time, Next Year", "The Night of the Iguana" and "Steel Magnolias". Rush continued to occasionally appear onscreen, most recently in a recurring role on TV's 7th Heaven (1996). She died on March 31, 2024, aged 97.31 March 2024 (Undisclosed) - Actor
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Joe Flaherty was born on 21 June 1941 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Happy Gilmore (1996), Back to the Future Part II (1989) and Detroit Rock City (1999). He was married to Judith Ann Dagley. He died on 1 April 2024 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.1 April 2024 (Undisclosed)- Cole Brings Plenty was born on 18 August 1996. He was an actor, known for Into the Wild Frontier (2022), 1923 (2022) and The Tall Tales of Jim Bridger (2024). He died on 5 April 2024 in Edgerton, Kansas, USA.5 April 2024 (Undisclosed)