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1-19 of 19
- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
David Petersen was born on 15 May 1947 in Cardston, Alberta, Canada. He was an actor, known for First Blood (1982), The X-Files (1993) and Skip Tracer (1977). He died on 2 November 2018 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.- Her mother, Patsy Linn Compton, was a Cherokee Native American and her father, John R. O'Neil, an oil wildcatter, was Irish. They were married on October 20, 1940 in Wharton, Texas, USA. Kitty was born on March 24, 1946 in Nueces, Texas, USA. Shortly after her birth her father died in an airplane accident.
Kitty developed normally as an infant until she was five months old. She lost her hearing when she was struck by measles, mumps, and smallpox all at the same time. Patsy decided that Kitty should be home schooled, preparing for that task by taking education courses at The University of Texas. Her mother's goal was realized in terms of Kitty learning to speak normally and become proficient at speech (lip) reading. Kittys brother, John O'Neil III, was born on May 1, 1947.
Patsy attended university classes while raising two small children. By the age of eight Kitty was able to be enrolled in a regular public school third grade. Her mother taught many deaf children and was a founder of The Listening Eyes School for the Deaf in Wichita Falls, Texas, USA. Kitty learned to play the cello by sensing subtle changes in the frequency of the vibrations.
At the age of twelve Kitty joined a swim team. That led to developing an interest in diving. As a substitute for a diver who failed to show up, Kitty, who had never previously dived, won the first place medal. Six months later she had won the AAU Southwest District Junior meet. In 1962 Kitty's family moved to Anaheim, California, USA so she could train as a diver with nationally known diving coach, Sammy Lee. She spent four hours a day in the water. American Youth Magazine named her Youth Athlete of the Month. She won the 10 meter diving event at the 1964 AAU Nationals and was on her way to the qualifying heats for the Olympic Games.
Her diving career ended abruptly when she broke her wrist while diving, followed by a bout with spinal meningitis. For a time there was concern that she might lose the use of her legs, but Kitty persevered in getting back on her feet. Loving speed and competition Kitty moved to high speed water skiing. In 1970 she set the official women's water ski speed record, 104.85 miles per hour.
It seemed a natural progression to automobile racing and cross country motorcycle racing. It was an accident at a motorcycle race where she was aided by a fellow racer, Duffy Hambleton, that their relationship began. He accompanied her to the hospital and was unexpectedly put in the position of making medical decisions that enabled Kitty's two severed fingers to be reattached in a curved position during four hours of surgery. The therapy that followed enabled full left hand function, so complete that Kitty was again able to play the piano.
Duffy and Kitty lived on a ten acre citrus farm. He worked with her daily with voice modulation. Kitty would touch his throat and feel his normal vocal vibrations and then match them using her own voice. The constant goal was to reduce the high pitch that typifies deaf speech. It was Duffy that introduced Kitty to the world of doing movie stunts. Stunts Unlimited, an organization of Hollywood's top stunt performers, accepted Kitty O'Neil into membership in 1976. She was the first woman to be so honored.
In December 1976 Kitty shattered the world land speed record for women. At a dry lake bed (Alford Lake) in southeast Oregon, USA she averaged 512.70 miles per hour, bettering the old mark by over 200 miles per hour. She had driven a 48,000 horsepower rocket-powered vehicle named The Motivator designed by Ky MIchaelson, Rocketman Enterprises, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
For a 1977 NBC Special about the world's best stunt men and women Kitty tipped over a burning van, ran with her clothes on fire, and then fell seven stories over the parapet of a parking garage. The filming of the sheets of fire going over the van required Kitty to remain in the van as firemen doused the flames. The stunt crew then pulled off the windshield to extricate Kitty who was still strapped in the seat of the overturned van. In 1979 her accomplishments were the basis for a Hollywood movie, "Silent Victory: The Kitty O'Neil Story," starring Stockard Channing as Kitty. Duffy Hambleton was an executive producer and many of the stunts were done by the real Kitty O'Neil.
Kitty retired in 1986, moved from Elk River, Minnesota, USA in 1993 to Eureka, South Dakota, USA where she lives with her long time companion, Raymond Waid. When asked why she retired she said it was not because of fear, but because two friends had been killed while performing stunts. Why Eureka? Kitty loves the peace she feels at her home overlooking Lake Eureka. Kitty has devoted much of her time to supporting the American Cancer Society's efforts in the battle against breast cancer. Not a victim of the disease herself, Kitty volunteers her time and image to promote the cause and encourages women to be screened and receive mammograms every year after the age of forty. - Producer
- Additional Crew
- Actor
A native of Guangdong province with Hakka roots, Golden Harvest studio president Raymond Chow was born in Hong Kong and considered to be a role model for success as a product of the parochial Catholic education system from China's past. Having first attended the legendary St. Stephen's College Preparatory School for Boys in the Stanley peninsula, Chow would migrate to Shanghai after his father's death during his middle school years to attend Shanghai's prestigious St. John's Secondary school and then on to college as a journalism major at St. John's University prior to returning to Hong Kong in 1949. A notable item in Chow's early resume prior to show business was his working in the audio visual department for the US Foreign service where he was later promoted as the radio program coordinator for the Voice of America in Hong Kong. This exposure landed Chow into the Hong Kong offices of the Shaw family from Singapore to direct their newly formed public relations and publicity operations in anticipation of usurping market share domination for the former island colony's entertainment dollar firmly held by their big studio rival Cathay/MPG&I studios run by the Loke family also of Southeast Asia. History has it that Chow would be the key catalyst in helping elevate Shaw Brothers as the new corporate 'Taipan' studio that would go on to dominate Hong Kong entertainment circles for the next twenty five years that is, until Chow himself who along with his defecting publicity apprentice Leonard Ho, would leave Shaws in 1970 to found the upstart Golden Harvest studios across town ironically at the newly defunct Cathay/MPGI studios compound. Having recruited other past Shaw alumni like directors Lo Wei, Huang Feng, Wu Chia Hsiang, Wu Ma and John Woo and stars like Cheng Pei Pei, Wang Yu, Michael Hui, Bruce Lee and a young stunt player named Jackie Chan, Raymond Chow and Company along with a reach that would extend across the pond to Hollywood, would quickly rise to become Shaws' main rival as a serious contender to dominate the box office for at home and abroad from the mid-1970s to the present.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Álvaro de Luna was born on 10 April 1935 in Madrid, Spain. He was an actor, known for Curro Jiménez (1976), Sweet Hours (1982) and Teo el pelirrojo (1986). He was married to Carmen Barajas. He died on 2 November 2018 in Madrid, Spain.- Actor
- Cinematographer
Torben Jensen was born on 29 September 1944 in Copenhagen, Denmark. He was an actor and cinematographer, known for Burning Hearts (1986), Guldregn (1986) and Guldregn (1988). He was married to Helle Merete Sørensen. He died on 2 November 2018 in Denmark.- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Merete Skavlan was born on 25 July 1920 in Oslo, Norway. She was an actress and director, known for Bernardas hus (1964), To mistenkelige personer (1950) and Roser til Monica (1956). She died on 2 November 2018 in Oslo, Norway.- Composer
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Roy Hargrove was born on 16 October 1969 in Waco, Texas, USA. He was a composer, known for It Runs in the Family (2003), My Brother (2006) and Assata aka Joanne Chesimard (2008). He was married to Aida Brandes. He died on 2 November 2018 in New York City, New York, USA.- Camera and Electrical Department
Jim Dawes was born on 7 March 1924 in Ulverston, Lancashire, England, UK. He is known for The Elephant Man (1980), Return to Oz (1985) and The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981). He died on 2 November 2018 in Hertfordshire, England, UK.- Actor
- Transportation Department
Chuc Clubb was born on 7 November 1965 in North Carolina, USA. He was an actor, known for Florida Straits (1986) and Goremet, Zombie Chef from Hell (1986). He died on 2 November 2018 in Gastonia, North Carolina, USA.- Nelson Chabay was born on 29 June 1940 in Montevideo, Uruguay. He died on 2 November 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Adolf Rázek was born on 30 November 1930 in Horní Jelení, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. He died on 2 November 2018.
- Brian Ticehurst died on 2 November 2018 in England.
- Herbert Fingarette was born on 20 January 1921 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He died on 2 November 2018 in Berkeley, California, USA.
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Cinematographer
Cinematographer known for being one of the original cameramen on Candid Camera (1960), as well as his Second Unit Director of Photography work on Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver (1976). Also contributed his services to the original "I Love New York" tourism commercials in the mid-1970s, as well as extensive commercial and documentary work as a camera operator and Director of Photography. After retirement, Zingale taught young filmmakers at the community college level in Southern California.- Soundtrack
Mark Fosson was born on 16 May 1950 in Ashland, Kentucky, USA. Mark died on 2 November 2018 in the USA.- Balázs Tardy was born on 20 December 1948 in Budapest, Hungary. He was an actor, known for Spy Game (2001), Evita (1996) and Gengszterfilm (1998). He died on 2 November 2018 in Budapest, Hungary.
- Maria Zafiraki was an actress, known for The Asphalt Fever (1967), The Jackals (1981) and I Lygeri (1995). She was married to Spyros Konstadopoulos. She died on 2 November 2018 in Athens, Greece.
- Soundtrack
Josh Fauver died on 2 November 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.- Devah Pager was born on 1 March 1972 in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. Devah was married to Michael Shohl. Devah died on 2 November 2018 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.