Notable Showbiz Deaths of 2018
A list of the notable entertainment figures who passed away in 2018, ordered by date of death.
Please note that, due to time constraints, I may not be able to write up descriptions for many of this year's entries.
Please note that, due to time constraints, I may not be able to write up descriptions for many of this year's entries.
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- Tom Heaton was born on 13 October 1940 in Bronx, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Slither (2006), Reindeer Games (2000) and Shanghai Noon (2000). He died on 1 January 2018 in Gibsons, British Columbia, Canada.October 13, 1940 – January 1, 2018
Prolific character actor whose many movie credits include 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?' (1967), 'Bandolero!' (1968), 'The Bridge at Remagen' (1969), 'Monte Walsh' (1970), 'The Grey Fox' (1982), 'Bridge to Terabithia' (1985), 'April Fool's Day' (1986), 'A Christmas Romance' (1994), 'Shanghai Noon' (2000), 'Kill Me Later' (2001) and 'Slither' (2006); also appeared on TV shows ranging from three appearances on 'Death Valley Days' in the late 1960s to three episodes of 'Da Vinci's Inquest' in 2003, with the latter earning him a Gemini Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Guest Role in a Dramatic Series - In 1993, nine year old Jon Paul Steuer was cast in the role of Brett Butler's son Quentin Kelly on the ABC sitcom Grace Under Fire. The pilot episode aired September 29, 1993 with actor Noah Segan playing Quentin. Jon took over the role starting in episode two. During hiatus of the second season, ten year old Jon was cast in Little Giants (1994), a comedy movie co-starring with Sam Horrigan who was then 13 years old. Jon returned to his Grace Under Fire schedule and continued on the show until the end of the third season.
In May 1996, Jon's parents abruptly pulled him from the show saying that they felt the show was not a good environment for their son, citing Brett Butler's substance abuse, frequent rehab admissions and her overt sexual behavior toward 12-year-old Jon. Brett Butler was observed flashing her breasts at him on the set. When Jon left Grace Under Fire in 1996, it was his Little Giants co-star Sam Horrigan who took over the role of Quentin Kelly.
After leaving the show, when Jon interviewed for other acting jobs, he found most casting directors only wanted to question him about what it was like to work with Brett Butler, how it was working on Grace Under Fire set and why he left the show.In April 2015, Jon told an interviewer from the internet-based newspaper website, The A.V. Club, that he thought the behavior of some casting agents was very unprofessional and that he didn't appreciate how the focus during job interviews was on Brett Butler and the show, when he was supposed to be interviewing with them for another job.
It was then that Jon Paul Steuer decided to quit acting altogether. His family moved to Denver Colorado and while finishing high school, Jon worked at several jobs.
In 2003 Jon took the stage name of Jonny P. Jewels, formed the glam punk band Kill City Thrillers with four other musicians and became the lead singer. In 2005, the band changed its name to Soda Pop Kids. The band worked consistently until November 2009 when the group decided to quit.
In 2011, Jon became the fifth member of a Portland-based punk rock group called P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S. They performed in nearby states and in 2014, the band went on a European tour. Jon remained with the band until his death.
In March 2015, Jon became partners with chef Sean Sigmon and invested in a vegan restaurant in Portland, Oregon called Harvest At The Bindery. The restaurant thrived for almost three years.
On January 1, 2018, at the age of 33, Jon Paul Steuer died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his home in Portland, Oregon. The day after his death, his Harvest At The Bindery restaurant partner closed down the restaurant permanently and on January 3, 2018 it was put up for sale.March 27, 1984 – January 1, 2018
Musician and former child actor who was the first actor to play Worf's son, Alexander, on 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' and went on to play Quentin Kelly in the first three seasons of 'Grace Under Fire'; also remembered for his role as Johnny "Viper" Vennaro in the film 'Little Giants' (1994); later became the lead singer for the Portland (originally Denver) band Soda Pop Kids (originally Kill City Thrillers) under the name Jonny P. Jewels - Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Wolfgang Treu was born on 12 April 1930 in Hamburg, Germany. He was a cinematographer, known for The Castle (1968), Das Boot (1981) and The Night of the Askari (1976). He was married to Ellinor Busch. He died on 1 January 2018 in Hamburg, Germany.April 12, 1930 – January 1, 2018
Prolific cinematographer who won a German Film Award for his work on Rudolf Noelte's Maximilian Schell starrer 'The Castle' (1968), was nominated for an American Society of Cinematographers Award for Bernhard Sinkel's 1989 miniseries 'Hemingway' and also shot productions such as the features 'The Flying Classroom' (1973), 'North Sea is Dead Sea' (1976) and 'The Little Drummer Girl' (1984) and the mini-series 'Pig in a Poke' (1965) and 'The Oppermann Siblings' (1983)- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Born in Wellesley, MA, USA, Buxton grew up in Larchmont, NY, USA, graduated from Northwestern University (BS) and Syracuse University (MS). After service in the U.S. Army in the Korean War, he worked in local television as a producer-director in Buffalo, N.Y. and Chicago, IL and then began his performing career as a stand-up comedian, TV host (Discovery '70 (1962), Get the Message (1964)), and stage performer ("Brigadoon", "Bye Bye Birdie", "The Tender Trap", etc.). His television writing, producing and directing work included The Odd Couple (1970), Happy Days (1974), Mork & Mindy (1978), among many others, and he created the Peabody Award-winning series Hot Dog (1970) for NBC which starred Woody Allen and Jonathan Winters. As a film and TV actor, he has appeared in Overboard (1987), Beaches (1988), Frankie and Johnny (1991), Face of a Stranger (1991), With a Vengeance (1992) and Roommates (1994), as well as many series and specials. He wrote and created voices for Woody Allen's What's Up, Tiger Lily? (1966) and has done cartoon and commercial voices for innumerable projects.February 13, 1930 – January 2, 2018
Writer, director and producer who worked on classic TV shows such as 'The Odd Couple,' 'Happy Days' and 'Mork & Mindy' who also provided the voice of cartoon superhero 'Batfink'- Producer
- Writer
- Production Manager
Giovanni Di Clemente was born in 1948 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. He was a producer and writer, known for Speriamo che sia femmina (1986), Scugnizzi (1989) and Close Friends (1992). He died on 2 January 2018 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.1948 – January 2, 2018- Emily Dole was born on 28 September 1957 in Orange, California, USA. She was an actress, known for GLOW: Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (1986), Hard Time on Planet Earth (1989) and Son in Law (1993). She died on 3 January 2018 in Orange, California, USA.September 28, 1957 – January 2, 2018
Legendary professional wrestler with the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (GLOW) known as Mountain Fiji (Mt. Fiji) - Composer
- Soundtrack
Rick Hall was born on 31 January 1932 in Forest Grove, Mississippi, USA. He was a composer, known for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016), Blues Brothers 2000 (1998) and The Angry Birds Movie 2 (2019). He was married to Linda Kay Hall. He died on 2 January 2018 in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, USA.January 31, 1932 – January 2, 2018
Record producer, songwriter, music publisher and musician who as owner and proprietor of FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, was the architect of the Southern soul style known as the Muscle Shoals sound and is thus known as the "Father of Muscle Shoals Music"- Production Designer
- Writer
- Art Director
Zeljko Senecic was born on 18 January 1933 in Zagreb, Croatia, Yugoslavia. He was a production designer and writer, known for The Tin Drum (1979), Crveno i crno (2006) and Pont Neuf (1997). He was married to Mani Gotovac. He died on 2 January 2018 in Zagreb, Croatia.January 18, 1933 – January 2, 2018- Editor
- Editorial Department
- Producer
Bill Blunden was born on 3 November 1934 in Pancras, London, England, UK. Bill was an editor and producer, known for Dark Shadows (1991), All Quiet on the Western Front (1979) and Help! (1965). Bill was married to Mary Davemport. Bill died on 3 January 2018 in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England, UK.December 3, 1934 – January 3, 2018- Actor
- Soundtrack
Spending his youth in Skåne, due to his mother's engagement at the Malmö City Theater, wasn't easy for somebody with a Stockholm accent, but Johannes avoided being bullied by cracking jokes and doing pranks. At 18 he applied to acting school but was rejected. He applied successfully later and has since worked in both Malmö and Stockholm. In 1991 he started with stand-up-comedy. During the 1990s he starred in several comedy plays in theaters in Stockholm. He biggest claim to fame though is the role as 'Joker' in the long running TV show "Rederiet".September 25, 1946 – January 4, 2018- Actor
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Ray Thomas was born on 29 December 1941 in Stourport on Severn, England, UK. He was an actor and composer, known for Killing Eve (2018), Hittimittari (1984) and The Moody Blues: Your Wildest Dreams (1986). He was married to Lee Lightle. He died on 4 January 2018 in Surrey, England, UK.December 29, 1941 – January 4, 2018
Flautist and vocalist best known as a founding member of English rock group The Moody Blues- Producer
- Writer
- Director
Carole Hart was born on 30 April 1943 in Paterson, New Jersey, USA. She was a producer and writer, known for For the Next 7 Generations (2009), NBC Special Treat (1975) and Hot Hero Sandwich (1979). She was married to Bruce Hart. She died on 5 January 2018 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.April 30, 1943 – January 5, 2018- Marián Labuda was born on 28 October 1944 in Hontianske Nemce, First Slovak Republic [now Slovakia]. He was an actor, known for Král Ubu (1996), The Garden (1995) and I Served the King of England (2006). He was married to Viera. He died on 5 January 2018 in Bratislava, Slovakia.October 28, 1944 – January 5, 2018
Slovak actor who played over a hundred characters on stage and appeared in over 80 films and television series; perhaps most widely known for his roles in Jirí Menzel's award-winning films 'My Sweet Little Village' (1985) and 'I Served the King of England' (2006), for co-starring opposite Glenn Close in István Szabó's 'Meeting Venus' (1991) and for his Czech Lion-winning performance in Martin Sulík's 'The Garden' (1995) - Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Additional Crew
He was born and grew up in Istanbul. He started his career at Bakirkoy Community Center Theatre. Later he worked at Ankara State Theatre, Istanbul State Theatre and Istanbul City Theatre. He also worked in small play houses with today's famous actors and actresses. He made his place in the theatre stronger with the play Fareler ve Insanlar (Mice and Men). Although he was a known stage actor he became famous nationwide with his movies, after 1950's.
In 1970's, he took part in many Ertem Egilmez movies which contained other famous names of the time. In those movies he mostly played with actress Adile Nasit as a duo and they became a memorable couple in the minds of the audience. His most known role is Kel Mahmut (Mahmut the Bald), who is the idealist principal of a high school with troubled students in Hababam Sinifi; movie series. Kel Mahmut (a.k.a. Mahmut Hoca) tries to help those students and guide them to a better life.
Ozkul, secluded himself from public when the TV started to become popular. Yet, he appeared in some TV shows as a guest star or in small parts.
Turkish Ministry of Culture awarded him with the title State Artist, in 1998.
In his youth he had some problems with his drinking habit. After that he spent the most of his life fighting against alcohol and by the 1990s he quit drinking, completely.
Ozkul's been married for 4 times and he has 3 children from those marriages. His first wife was Sadan, the second one was a famous actress Suna Selen, the third one was Yasar and the fourth and current one is Umman Ozkul with whom he's been married for 27 years now. One of his children, Guner Ozkul, is an actress and a TV presenter.
He's been suffering from Dementia since the early 2000s and, as a result of this disease, he almost never leaves home.
He's been battling with dementia and COPD for almost two decades and on January 5th, 2018 he lost that battle. He died at his home in Istanbul, where he lived the rest of his days with his family, at the age of 93.August 15, 1925 – January 5, 2018
Actor who was an iconic figure in Turkish cinema's Yeşilçam era; perhaps best known for his roles in many of the films directed by Ertem Egilmez, including the immensely popular 'Hababam Sinifi' ('Chaos Class') series, 'Mavi Boncuk' ('The Blue Bead') and 'Sev Kardeşim' ('Love, Brother'), the latter of which earned him a Golden Orange Award for Best Actor; also starred in several films for director Orhan Aksoy, including 'Neşeli Günler' ('Happy Days') and 'Aile Şerefi' ('Family Honor')- Actor
- Soundtrack
He had that same genuine likability factor, owned that same trademark lantern jaw and was just as appealing and gifted as his older brother, Dick Van Dyke, but, for decades, Jerry Van Dyke bore the brunt of his brother's overwhelming shadow.
Six years younger than brother Dick, the comic actor was born on July 27, 1931, in Danville, Illinois. Raised there, the crew cut blond showed an aptitude for clowning in high school. His stand-up comedy venues first took the form of dives and strip clubs throughout the Deep South in which his banjo-playing became an intricate part of the routine. At one point, Jerry was a regular on the Playboy club circuit. He then set his sights on the top showrooms in Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe and Atlantic City and became a dependable opening act.
Jerry's early career should have been rightfully interrupted when he joined the Air Force in 1952. He, instead, kept the troops laughing by performing in Special Services shows. Winning a military talent contest actually earned him a couple of appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show (1948) (aka "The Ed Sullivan Show") and resulting TV exposure. Following his tour of duty, he nabbed variety appearances and a regular comic relief role on The Judy Garland Show (1963). He found comic acting parts as well on TV. Like brother Dick, who was a huge TV star by this time, Jerry also did a stint emceeing a game show. In Jerry's case, it was Picture This (1963).
Ever the hapless klutz and happy-go-lucky stammerer, Jerry built up his TV reputation in the early 60s. He turned down the title role in Gilligan's Island (1964), which he rightfully deemed inane, but instead chose the equally silly My Mother the Car (1965). It proved to be a detrimental career move. While "Gilligan" became a surprise hit that still runs in syndication four decades later, Jerry had to live down starring in one of the most lambasted sitcoms of all time. Truthfully, the two shows were on an equal (sub)par with each other. It was just a cruel luck of the draw that Jerry ended up biting the bullet while Gilligan's Bob Denver found cult celebrity. Jerry's subsequent two series were also one seasoners with Accidental Family (1967), a sitcom in which he more or less played himself (a nightclub comedian), and Headmaster (1970), a drama starring Andy Griffith in which he played a physical education coach. Neither did much for his career. A promising co-star role with Griffith in the film Angel in My Pocket (1969) also went nowhere. Over the years, Jerry has appeared as a guest star on a number of brother Dick's shows, including the classic The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961) in which he played, of course, Dick's brother.
The genially dim character "George Utley" on Bob Newhart's 1980s series was originally created for Jerry but Tom Poston assumed the part. Good fortune finally smiled on Jerry when he won the hapless role of "Luther Van Dam", a role that capped his long career, on Coach (1989). He earned four consecutive Emmy nominations and a steady paycheck for eight seasons. His seesaw struggle and survival after nearly five decades truly paid off this time, and only proves his love for the business.
Nearing the millennium, Jerry was seen frequently on the smaller screen. In addition to guesting on such shows as "The New Addams Family," "The District," "Diagnosis Murder," "My Name Is Earl," "Committed" and "Raising Hope," the veteran actor played the regular roles as grandpa types in the sitcom fantasies Teen Angel (1997) and You Wish (1997); had the recurring grandparent role of Big Jimmy Hughes in the comedy series Yes, Dear (2000) and ended his career as a grandpa in the established sitcom The Middle (2009) starring Patricia Heaton and Neil Flynn.
In later years, Jerry spent much of his time at a ranch in Arkansas where he lived with his second wife, the former Shirley Jones (not the singer/actress), and raised cattle. Tragedy struck in 1991 when one of his three children, Kelly Van Dyke, a substance abuser, took her own life. On the sly, one could also find Jerry at the poker table as part of ESPN tournaments. He died in Arkansas on January 5, 2018, aged 86.July 27, 1931 – January 5, 2018
Actor and banjo-playing comedian brother of Dick Van Dyke best known for his four-time Emmy-nominated role as the easily befuddled Luther Van Dam on the TV sitcom 'Coach'; also known for appearing alongside his brother in several episodes of 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' (playing the brother of Van Dyke's character, Rob Petrie) and for turning down offers to play Gilligan on 'Gilligan's Island' and to replace Don Knotts on 'The Andy Griffith Show' to instead star in the infamously bad 1965-66 sitcom 'My Mother the Car'; more recently played the recurring roles of Big Jimmy Hughes on 'Yes, Dear' and Tag Spence on 'The Middle'- Actress
- Additional Crew
The enticing, voluptuous European beauty Greta Thyssen filled out the pages of movie magazines everywhere during the 1950s. Born on March 30, 1927, she was a freshly-scrubbed brunette when she was crowned Miss Denmark in 1952. The subsequent attention had her packing her bags for Hollywood. At that time, Marilyn Monroe had become an international sex symbol and Hollywood hopefuls were falling all over themselves to be just like her. Enter Greta, in a major, major transformation, as a statuesque, peroxide-blonde bombshell -- competing against the whistle-blowing likes of Jayne Mansfield and Mamie Van Doren. With mouth-dropping measurements reported at 40-24-36, this pin-up favorite became the best piece of Danish pastry in town. She also had her eyes out for films.
Like Ms. Mansfield and Ms. Van Doren, Greta's movie career was a bust -- literally. She bordered slightly on the seamy side and was offered such roles. However, she proved a trooper and was qualified enough to handle a scattered amount of low-grade crime dramas, adventures and horror stories -- a few having since reached "cult turkey" status. Greta actually started off in the quality movie Bus Stop (1956), unbilled as a "cover girl". She also served as Ms. Monroe's double in the movie. Another small film role in Accused of Murder (1956) led to a regular role as a busty "Pirate Girl" model on the quiz show Treasure Hunt (1956) starring wolfish host Jan Murray. She momentarily took a few male minds off the horrific The Beast of Budapest (1958) and did her scream queen schtick in Terror Is a Man (1959), in which she played vulnerable to a mad scientist-turned-panther-like creature à la "The Island of Dr. Moreau".
Greta added the requisite hard-boiled touch to the noirish detective film Three Blondes in His Life (1961) opposite Jock Mahoney and showed up in Journey to the Seventh Planet (1962) as well, which was another John Agar sci-fi cheapie. On television, she played a fetching foil in some of The Three Stooges shorts (Joe Besser was the third Stooge at the time) and appeared on television series, mostly crime stories, including Dragnet (1951) and Perry Mason (1957). Her film career ended dismally with the inane comedy Cottonpickin' Chickenpickers (1967), which pretty much says this all. Toward the end, she appeared in a couple of wink-wink stage comedies such as "Pajama Tops" until the early 1970s. She then retired from acting and moved to New York City where she found success as a painter, combining representational nude figures and surrealistic allegory. Generally, Greta took advantage of the equipment she had, made this work for her, and got her "fifteen minutes".
Greta Thyssen passed away at age 90 of complications from pneumonia on January 6, 2018 at her Manhattan home.March 30, 1927 – January 6, 2018
Danish-born actress and model who doubled for Marilyn Monroe in 'Bus Stop,' starred in the horror film 'Terror Is a Man' and appeared in three Three Stooges shorts- Actress
- Writer
- Music Department
France Gall was born on 9 October 1947 in Paris, France. She was an actress and writer, known for A Simple Favor (2018), Gunpowder Milkshake (2021) and Heartbeats (2010). She was married to Michel Berger. She died on 7 January 2018 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, France.October 9, 1947 – January 7, 2018
French pop icon who achieved international fame after winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 1965 and enjoyed continued success over the next five decades- Actor
- Music Department
Shri Vallabh Vyas was an actor, known for Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001), Sarfarosh (1999) and Shootout at Lokhandwala (2007). He was married to Shobha V. Vyas. He died on 7 January 2018 in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.ca. 1957 – January 7, 2018- Doug Young was born on 21 December 1919 in Arkansas, USA. He was an actor, known for The Yogi Bear Show (1961), The Huckleberry Hound Show (1958) and The Flintstones (1960). He was married to Eileene Mary McKay. He died on 7 January 2018 in Seattle, Washington, USA.December 21, 1919 – January 7, 2018
- Mary Gregory was born on 10 September 1927 in Hennepin County, Minnesota, USA. She was an actress, known for Sleeper (1973), Yours, Mine and Ours (1968) and My Name Is Khan (2010). She was married to Alva L. Gregory. She died on 8 January 2018 in the USA.d. January 8, 2018
- Denise LaSalle was born on 16 July 1934 in The Island, LeFlore County, Mississippi, USA. She was married to James E. Wolfe Jr., Bill Jones and Artic Craig. She died on 8 January 2018 in Jackson, Tennessee, USA.July 16, 1939 – January 8, 2018
- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Born and raised in Winnipeg, Canada, Donnelly Rhodes trained to be a warden in the National Park Service in Manitoba and joined the Royal Canadian Air Force as an airman-mechanic before finally settling into his long and successful career as an actor. Rhodes studied at the Royal Manitoba Theatre Center and was a member of the first graduating class of the National Theatre School in Canada. After making his professional debut on stage as Stanley Kowalski in Streetcar Named Desire, he became a contract player for Universal Pictures in the U.S., landing film and television roles ranging from a gunslinger in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) to a country singer in The Hard Part Begins (1973) to various guest appearances in series such as Mission: Impossible (1966). Later, he was popular as the suave Phillip Chancellor Sr. on The Young and the Restless (1973), but left the show in 1976 to avoid devoting too much of his career to the one role. He continued to work steadily, taking roles in a wide variety of television and theatrical movies and making guest appearances on more than 100 television series. Major TV roles saw him range from dim-witted escaped con Dutch on Soap (1977) to veterinarian and family man Dr. Grant Roberts on the popular Canadian family series Danger Bay (1983). More recently, he has appeared in a number of TV movies as well as in guest spots on popular series such as Sliders (1995) and The X-Files (1993). Rhodes' diverse interests include music and horses, but his real passion is boats. He has said that if he hadn't succeeded as an actor, he would have pursued a career as a naval architect.December 4, 1937 – January 8, 2018
Actor best known for his TV roles, particularly those of Dutch Leitner on 'Soap,' "Doc" Roberts on 'Danger Bay,' Detective Leo Shannon on 'Da Vinci's Inquest' and "Doc" Cottle on the reimagined 'Battlestar Galactica'- Sound Department
Milton C. Burrow was born in 1921. He is known for Black Rain (1989), All the President's Men (1976) and WarGames (1983).October 30, 1920 – January 9, 2018- Production Designer
- Art Department
- Art Director
Terence Marsh was born on 14 November 1931 in London, England, UK. He was a production designer and art director, known for Doctor Zhivago (1965), The Hunt for Red October (1990) and Oliver! (1968). He was married to Sandra Marsh and Lorna Wrapson. He died on 9 January 2018 in Pacific Palisades, California, USA.November 14, 1931 – January 9, 2018
Two-time Oscar-winning art director and production designer whose credits range from David Lean's 'Lawrence of Arabia' (1962) and 'Doctor Zhivago' (1965) to Frank Darabont's 'The Shawshank Redemption' (1994) and 'The Green Mile' (1999); worked under production designer John Box as an assistant art director on 'Lawrence of Arabia' and as lead art director on 'Doctor Zhivago,' Fred Zinnemann's 'A Man for All Seasons' (1966) and Carol Reed's 'Oliver!' (1968), winning shared Oscars for both 'Zhivago' and 'Oliver!'; subsequently earned consecutive Oscar nominations as production designer of Ronald Neame's 'Scrooge' (1970) and Charles Jarrott's 'Mary, Queen of Scots' (1971); also earned a BAFTA nomination for 'Scrooge' and later received BAFTA nominations for designing Richard Attenborough's 'A Bridge Too Far' (1977) and John McTiernan's 'The Hunt for Red October' (1990); collaborated with director Richard Lester on three films -- 'Juggernaut' (1974), 'Royal Flash' (1975) and 'Finders Keepers' (1984) -- and was production designer on three of the four films directed by and starring Gene Wilder -- 'The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother' (1975), 'The World's Greatest Lover' (1977) and 'Haunted Honeymoon' (1986) -- as well as Robert Aldrich's 'The Frisco Kid' (1979), in which Wilder starred alongside Harrison Ford; other credits as production designer include Melvin Frank's 'A Touch of Class' (1973), Attenborough's 'Magic' (1978), Sydney Pollack's 'Absence of Malice' (1981) and 'Havana' (1990), Alan Johnson's 'To Be or Not to Be' (1983), Mel Brooks' 'Spaceballs' (1987), Paul Verhoeven's 'Basic Instinct' (1992), Phillip Noyce's 'Clear and Present Danger' (1994), Stuart Baird's 'Executive Decision' (1996), Gregory Hoblit's 'Fallen' (1998), and Brett Ratner's 'Rush Hour 2' (2001); remains most noted, however, as the production designer of the aforementioned Frank Darabont-directed critical darlings 'The Shawshank Redemption' and 'The Green Mile'; received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Art Directors Guild in 2010- Joseph Wayne Miller was born on 18 December 1981 in Park Ridge, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Heavyweights (1995) and Folks! (1992). He died on 9 January 2018 in Chicago, Illinois, USA.December 18, 1981 – January 9, 2018
Actor who starred as "Salami" Sam in the live-action Disney film 'Heavyweights' (1995) - Producer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Actor
John Thompson was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. He was a producer and assistant director, known for Brooklyn's Finest (2009), Criminal (2016) and Hunter Killer (2018). He was married to Tatiana Thompson. He died on 9 January 2018 in Los Angeles, California, USA.ca. 1946 – January 9, 2018- Actor
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Fast Eddie Clarke was born on 5 October 1950 in Twickenham, London, England, UK. He was an actor and composer, known for Grosse Pointe Blank (1997), Smokin' Aces (2006) and Shoot 'Em Up (2007). He died on 10 January 2018 in London, England.October 5, 1950 – January 10, 2018
Guitarist for the heavy metal band Motörhead and the last surviving member of the group's classic lineup, which also consisted of Lemmy and Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor, both of whom died in late 2015; was also lead guitarist of the metal band Fastway, which he formed with UFO bassist Pete Way- Novello Novelli was born on 2 March 1930 in Poggibonsi, Tuscany, Italy. He was an actor, known for Una vita in gioco (2012), Tutta colpa del paradiso (1985) and Noce di cocco (1995). He died on 10 January 2018 in Poggibonsi, Tuscany, Italy.March 2, 1930 – January 10, 2018
- Doreen Tracey was born on 3 April 1943 in St Pancras, London, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Westward Ho, the Wagons! (1956), Annette (1958) and The Donna Reed Show (1958). She was married to Robert A Washburn. She died on 10 January 2018 in Thousand Oaks, California, USA.April 13, 1943 – January 10, 2018
Child performer who was a Mouseketeers on 'The Mickey Mouse Club' during the entirety of the show's original run from 1955 to 1959 and co-starred in Disney's 1956 live-action Western feature 'Westward Ho the Wagons!'; subsequently entered the music business, forming and touring with her own rock group and later working as a publicist for acts such as Frank Zappa, Tower of Power and the Doobie Brothers - Camera and Electrical Department
- Cinematographer
- Director
Stephane Gauger was born on 30 August 1969 in Saigon, Vietnam. He was a cinematographer and director, known for Owl and the Sparrow (2007), Saigon Electric (2011) and Six-String Samurai (1998). He died on 11 January 2018.August 30, 1969 – January 11, 2018
Award-winning Vietnamese-American filmmaker and actor best known for his acclaimed Vietnamese-language dramas 'Owl and the Sparrow' (2007) and 'Saigon Electric' (2011), with the former earning him the LA Film Festival's Audience Award and a nomination for the John Cassavetes Award at the Independent Spirit Awards; also co-starred in the U.S. action-comedy 'Six-String Samurai' (1998) and the Vietnamese martial arts film 'The Rebel' (2007) and worked with writer-director Timothy Linh Bui as a gaffer on the seminal Vietnamese American films 'Three Seasons' (1999) and 'Green Dragon' (2001) and as co-writer on 'Powder Blue' (2009); an integral part of Southern California's indie film community and a pioneer in the Vietnamese film industry- Production Manager
- Location Management
- Producer
Robin Douet was born on 3 July 1931 in Paddington, London, England, UK. He was a production manager and producer, known for The Man Who Would Be King (1975), Local Hero (1983) and The Killing Fields (1984). He was married to Margaret Sobey. He died on 12 January 2018.c. 1931 – January 12, 2018- Actress
- Soundtrack
Bella Emberg was born on 16 September 1937 in Brighton, East Sussex, England, UK. She was an actress, known for History of the World: Part I (1981), Doctor Who (2005) and Pompidou (2015). She died on 12 January 2018 in Isle of Wight, England, UK.September 16, 1937 – January 12, 2018- Keith Jackson was born on 18 October 1928 in Roopville, Georgia, USA. He was an actor, known for The Fortune Cookie (1966), Coach (1989) and Munich 1972: Games of the XX Olympiad (1972). He was married to Gertrude Ann "Truri Ann" Johnson. He died on 12 January 2018 in Los Angeles, USA.October 18, 1928 – January 12, 2018
Legendary sports broadcaster who spent the last 40 years of his 54-year career (1952-2006) covering a wide variety of sporting events for ABC Sports, but was most widely known and acclaimed for his coverage of college football, which included calling 16 Sugar Bowls and 15 Rose Bowls; became a sportscasting icon thanks to his distinctively deep voice and the folksy, intelligent, down-to-earth manner with which he called the action, as well as his quirky expressions like "Whoa, Nellie!", "Fum-BLE!" and "Hold the phonnnnne!"; widely regarded by several generations as the definitive voice of college football, having missed only one college-football season in his 54 years when he served as play-by-play announcer during the inaugural season of ABC's 'Monday Night Football' (1970-71); retired after calling the thrilling 2006 Rose Bowl Game between Texas and USC, which was also the final Rose Bowl telecast under the ABC Sports branding and is often considered the greatest college football national championship game of all time - Script and Continuity Department
- Additional Crew
Dolores Rubin was born on 5 June 1923 in the USA. She is known for The In-Laws (1979), Convoy (1978) and A Kiss Before Dying (1956). She was married to Dr. Sheldon Levin. She died on 12 January 2018 in San Francisco, California, USA.June 5, 1923 – January 12, 2018
Script supervisor who worked on a total of 80 films between the mid-1940s to the early 1980s; collaborated with director Arthur Hiller on nine films, including 'The Wheeler Dealers' (1963), 'Penelope' (1966), 'Love Story' (1970), 'The Man in the Glass Booth' (1975) and 'The In-Laws' (1979); also worked with Frank Sinatra on the films 'Robin and the 7 Hoods' (1964), 'Tony Rome' (1967), 'Lady in Cement' (1968) and 'The Detective' (1968) and so impressed the legendary entertainer that he employed her as his Executive Assistant; was also script supervisor on such films as 'Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier' (1955), 'A Kiss Before Dying' (1956), 'No Down Payment' (1957), 'The Last Angry Man' (1959), 'Sergeant Rutledge' (1960), 'Midnight Lace' (1960), 'One-Eyed Jacks' (1961), 'Boys' Night Out' (1962), 'Move Over, Darling' (1963), 'Boeing, Boeing' (1965), 'Play It Again, Sam' (1972) and 'Convoy' (1978)- Actress
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One of MGM's more vivacious secondary stars during the 40s, petite and lovely Jean Porter was born in Texas in 1922 but left the state while young to pursue her dream as an actress. Following some vaudeville experience, she made her uncredited film debut in 1939 (age 17) and slowly graduated to sweet-natured ingénues in light, wholesome "B" fare. Most were sentimental trifles, such as Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble (1944)and Easy to Wed (1946), or western action with such obvious titles as Heart of the Rio Grande (1942) and Home in Wyomin' (1942). Despite her promise and talent, none of her approximately 30 films managed to set her apart and top stardom remained elusive.
Jean's finest screen roles probably came with The Youngest Profession (1943) and Till the End of Time (1946), where she met future husband, director Edward Dmytryk. They married in 1948 and had three children: Richard, Victoria and Rebecca, the latter becoming a wildlife rescuer and rehabilitator. Not long into their marriage, Dmytryk was branded a Communist as one of the "Hollywood Ten" (he was admittedly once a member of The American Communist Party) and the next decade or so would be a dark period of time for them.
Unable to work, the blacklisted director moved his family to England where he found some employment. In 1951, however, Dmytryk decided to return to the States and was jailed for six months before giving testimony and being granted a reprieve. As a result, he was allowed to return to directing. Jean's last film, in fact, would be The Left Hand of God (1955) starring Humphrey Bogart and Gene Tierney, which was directed by her husband. She last appeared on 1961 TV episodes of "Sea Hunt" and "77 Sunset Strip."
Throughout their ordeal Jean and Edward remained a loyal couple and in later years wrote a book together "On Screen Acting" in 1984. Happily married until his death at age 90 of heart and kidney failure in 1999, Jean continues to be a regular attendee of film-related events and a by-line contributor for "Classic Images," the popular magazine for old-styled film fans, in which she reminisces of Hollywood back then. Jean died at age 95 on January 13, 2018, in Canoga Park (Los Angeles), California.December 8, 1922 – January 13, 2018
Actress who was a petite and vivacious supporting player in classic MGM and RKO pictures such as 'Bathing Beauty' (1944), 'Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble' (1944), 'Abbott and Costello in Hollywood' (1945), 'Till the End of the World' (1946) and 'Cry Danger' (1951)- Actress
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Naomi Stevens was born on 29 November 1925 in Trenton, New Jersey, USA. She was an actress, known for The Apartment (1960), Valley of the Dolls (1967) and Hard Times (1975). She was married to Robert Burns Jr.. She died on 13 January 2018 in Reseda, California, USA.November 29, 1925 – January 13, 2018- Actor
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Yôsuke Natsuki was born on 27 February 1936 in Tokyo, Japan. He was an actor, known for Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964), Yojimbo (1961) and Godzilla 1985 (1985). He was married to Mayba sheta. He died on 14 January 2018 in Tokyo, Japan.February 27, 1936 – January 14, 2018- Writer
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Hugh Wilson was born on 24 August 1943 in Miami, Florida, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for Blast from the Past (1999), Frank's Place (1987) and WKRP in Cincinnati (1978). He was married to Charters Smith. He died on 14 January 2018 in Charlottesville, Virginia, USA.August 21, 1943 – January 14, 2018
Writer, director and producer best known for creating, executive producing and writing for the classic 1978-1982 sitcom 'WKRP in Cincinnati' and for directing the films 'Police Academy' (1984) and 'The First Wives Club' (1996); shared the three Emmy nominations 'WKRP' received for Outstanding Comedy Series and went on to create the 1987-88 sitcom 'Frank's Place,' which was also nominated as Outstanding Comedy Series and won him an Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series; also received the Humanitas Prize for one episode each of 'WKRP' and 'Frank's Place' and later earned Emmy nominations for writing and directing the pilot episode of his 1989-90 sitcom 'The Famous Teddy Z'; made his feature directorial debut with the hit, six-sequel-spawning comedy 'Police Academy,' which he also co-scripted with Neal Israel and Pat Proft; subsequently wrote (or co-wrote) and directed the films 'Rustlers' Rhapsody' (1985), 'Burglar' (1987), 'Guarding Tess' (1994) and the 1999-released Brendan Fraser starrers 'Blast from the Past' and 'Dudley Do-Right'; directed one final film, the 2004 John Grisham-penned family sports drama 'Mickey,' before retiring- Music Department
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The grammy award winning Edwin Hawkins has been coined, The father of contemporary gospel. He rose to fame when the choir he co-founded,The Northern California State Youth Choir, aka, The Edwin Hawkins Singers , performed a new version of the hymn, O Happy Day (1969). Radio stations in the San Francisco Bay area began playing the song, which was a hit and the choir's album sold over one million copies, becoming an international success. The song O Happy Day was included in the Songs of the Century list. Examples of other successful albums included in Edwin's resume' are I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (1972), New World (1973), Wonderful (1976), and The Comforter (1977).
In the early 1980's Edwin took contemporary gospel music to a new level when he teamed up with the Oakland Symphony Orchestra and produced two albums; one of them featuring a re-make of O Happy Day with cousin Shirley Miller singing the lead. (Dorothy Morrison sang the lead in the original version). In later years, when not supporting his brother Walter's CD production, Edwin has been conducting Music and Arts seminars in different parts of the country. The talented musician survives his famous brother Walter, who passed away July 11, 2010.August 19, 1943 – January 15, 2018
Gospel singer, composer, arranger, musician and choir master who led The Edwin Hawkins Singers and was best known for his arrangement of "Oh Happy Day," which became the first hymn to reach crossover pop success; was one of the originators of the urban contemporary gospel sound, a winner of four Grammy Awards -- three in the 1970s for Best Soul Gospel Performance and one in 1993 for Best Gospel Choir or Chorus Album -- and a 2007 inductee into the Christian Music Hall of Fame- Actress
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Dolores Mary Eileen O'Riordan was born in Ballybricken, a town 8 miles outside Limerick on Sept. 6, 1971. Her parents are Eileen and Terrance. Terrance was in a wheelchair due to a motorcycle accident. Dolores was the youngest of seven children, and one of two girls. In the late eighties, Dolores met up with her band members-to-be. Feargal Lawler of Parteen, and Mike and Noel Hogan of Moycross gave Dolores the music to their future hit "Linger". She came back the next day with lyrics. It took some time for The Cranberries to take off, very emotionally impacting Dolores who was overcome with frustration. Their debut album, "Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We" is a quote-Dolores said it while the band members were part of an audience at a concert. It was in America where the Cranberries first found satisfying success - when they returned to their native Ireland, success was awaiting them there as well.
Dolores' life went from railing against war and childhood strife (she was always an avid child advocate) and condemning disrespectful lovers, to deciding that she is "Free to Decide". The mother of three children, her family life brightened up her music. She died in London on 15 January 2018.September 6, 1971 – January 15, 2018
Lead singer, co-songwriter and co-guitarist of Irish alternative band The Cranberries whose distinctive lilting mezzo-soprano voice and yodel helped fuel the group's rapid rise to fame in the early 1990s with global hits such as "Dreams," "Linger" and "Zombie" -- all of which she either wrote herself or co-wrote with guitarist Noel hogan -- and helped them to become Ireland's second most successful rock band after U2- Actor
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Peter Paul Wyngarde was born at the home of an aunt in Marseille, Southern France, and is the son of an English father and French mother. Owing to his father's work as a member of the British Diplomatic Service, Peter spent much of his early childhood moving from one country to another, and was educated in a number of different schools.
One city which left a lasting impression on him was Shanghai, where he had been temporarily left in the care of a Swiss family whilst his father was away in India on business. The year was 1941, and amid a mass of turmoil and confusion, news broke that the Japanese had captured the city, and before long, Peter and his surrogate family found themselves in Lunghua concentration camp.
Confined in these desperately brutal conditions for four years, Peter struggled to prevent his family and friends from dying at the hands of the cruel and barbaric soldiers who governed the camp, and on one occasion while running errands between accommodation huts, he was discovered and punished by having both his feet broken with a rifle butt, and then put into solitary confinement for two weeks.
During better times however, the young Mr. Wyngarde worked in the camp laundry and gardens, and began to write and appear in plays staged by, and for, his fellow inmates, making his acting debut in his own production of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. When the camp was finally liberated in 1945 Peter, who was then suffering from malnutrition, beriberi and malaria, was taken to a sanatorium in the Swiss mountains where he remained for the next two years.
After completing his education in Switzerland, France and England, Peter reluctantly honored his parents' wishes, and entered university, where he began studying law, but soon dropped the idea in favor of a career in advertising. After a brief spell with an agency in London, he walked into an audition, read the part, and was cast as the understudy for the lead in a play in Brighton.
His first role on the London stage, however, was with the Nottingham Repertory Company at the Embassy Theatre as Cassio in Othello. From there, he moved to the world famous Old Vic in Bristol, where he not only took the lead role in such classics as Cyrano de Bergerac and Taming of the Shrew, but also tried his hand at directing, most notably with Long Day's Journey Into Night.
In 1956, Peter was invited over to the United States to take a screen test for the part of Pausanius in Robert Rosen's epic feature film, Alexander the Great opposite Richard Burton and Fredric March, but after almost a year's work on location in Spain, he watched in horror as his role was cut almost out of existence.
Disillusioned with Hollywood, Peter returned to his first love - the British stage, where he took the role of Yang Sun, a Chinese fighter pilot, in Bertold Brecht's, The Good Woman of Setzuan, at the Royal Court Theatre in London's West End. It was here that he first made the acquaintance of the Oliviers - Laurence and his wife, Vivien Leigh, the latter of whom he later played opposite in the critically acclaimed Duel of Angels.
Following the plays hugely successful run at the Apollo Theatre in London in 1958 Ms Leigh, who had since become a close friend of Peter's, begged her leading man to join her in the New York production of the play. Although reluctant at first, Peter was at last persuaded to reprise his role as Count Marcellus, and he made his Broadway debut at the Helen Hayes Theatre in 1959, taking the coveted award for Best Actor in a Foreign Play.
On his triumphant return to Britain in 1960, he was almost immediately cast as the enigmatic Peter the Painter in Monty Barman's production of The Siege of Sidney Street - a film which was based on the true story of the British Governments legendary battle with a notorious gang of Slavonic anarchist, whose reputation throughout Europe for robbery and murder lead to one of the bloodiest confrontations in British criminal history.
Between numerous starring roles in television productions such as Independent Televisions popular Armchair Theatre and Play of the Week, Peter made two more big screen appearances - both Albert Fennell productions.
The first, in 1961, was The Innocents - a feature-length adaptation of the Henry James novella The Turn of the Screw, which was followed in 1962 by the classic supernatural thriller, Night of the Eagle (aka Burn, Witch, Burn) which was once again based on a novel - this time Fritz Leiber's Conjure Wife.
Between July of 1960 and March of 1969, Peter appeared in no less than thirty television plays, and guest starred in such classic series as The Avengers, I Love Lucy, The Baron, The Saint, The Champions and The Prisoner. In 1969, Peter was cast in what was undoubtedly his most famous role as the legendary author-cum-investigator, Jason King, in the ITC action series, Department S, and soon became the idol of thousands of women the world over. So overwhelming was his effect on television viewers that in 1971, a brand new series - Jason King - was devised, which allowed the handsome novelist to go adventuring without restriction.
Following the cancellation of the series at the end of 1972, Peter decided to return to the theatre, and after being greeted at Melbourne Airport by more than 30,000 screaming fans, he took the city by storm in the world premiere of Butley before packed houses every night. Once back in London, Peter took the lead role in Charles Dyers Mother Adam at the Hampstead Theatre, and then went on to tour Britain in the lead role of the King in Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I opposite Sally Ann Howes. The following year, he once again took up the mantle of actor/director with Present Laughter, stopping off along the way to host the 1974 Miss Television Contest.
In 1975, Peter headed out to Austria to work at the English Theatre in Vienna, to both act in and direct productions of The Merchant of Venice and Big Toys, before returning to the big screen in an Austrian film (Himmel, Scheich Und Wolkenbrunch) in the role of a latter-day Rudolph Valentino. The following year, he returned to the British stage in the Lawrence Parnes production of Anastasia, and then on to the big screen courtesy of Dino De Laurentiis' lavish 1980s sci-fi blockbuster, Flash Gordon, in which he was cast in the role of General Klytus. It was then back to the stage for a nine-months' tour of South Africa in Deathtrap.
In 1984, after an absence of almost 12 years, Peter returned to the small screen with a rare television appearance in the four-part Doctor Who installment, Planet of Fire, which was followed in short succession by the Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense story, And The Wall Came Tumbling Down, and a memorable guest-starring role in Granada Television's Bulman.
Having been cast as the somewhat unsavory character of Sir Robert Knights in the stylish, yet overtly violent British thriller, Tank Malling in 1989 Peter, who scarcely ever agrees to be interviewed, consented to appear on SKY TV's Jameson Show, plus a hearing on Channel 4s Right To Reply and the BBC's daytime magazine, Pebble Mill. More recently, Peter appeared in 1994 in Granada Televisions popular Sherlock Holmes series opposite Jeremy Brett, playing the newspaper gossip-columnist, Langdale Pike, in The Three Gables.
The long-overdue release of both Department S and Jason King on video in 1993 helped rekindle huge interest in the debonair Mr Wyngarde, with repeats of the series being shown on satellite and cable channels, and public pressure resulting in the re-release of his infamous 1970 album on CD.
In recent years, Peter has made numerous TV appearances, which include Astleys Way, Dee Time, 100 Greatest TV Characters, Don't Knock Yourself Out and narrated the acclaimed Timeshift documentary, The Many Faces of Sherlock Holmes in 2014.
Peter remains one of the most popular British actors of the past 50 years, with a thriving fan club and devoted worldwide following. His appearances at TV and Sci-Fi conventions have drawn thousands of attendees, eager to meet him and to shake the hand of a true acting legend.c. 1927 – January 15, 2018
Unique, stylish, mustached actor and international sex symbol best known for his role as novelist turned sleuth Jason King on the cult British spy-fi series 'Department S' (1969-70) and its spin-off, 'Jason King' (1971-72); also remembered for co-starring opposite Deborah Kerr on the big screen in Jack Clayton's gothic horror classic 'The Innocents' (1961), for starring in the cult horror film 'Night of the Eagle' (1962; known as 'Burn, Witch, Burn!' in the U.S.), for his role as Klytus in Mike Hodges' sci-fi cult classic 'Flash Gordon' (1980) and for playing Timanov in the 1984 'Doctor Who' serial "Planet of Fire"- Composer
- Music Department
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Matt Dike was born on 2 December 1961 in Suffern, New York, USA. He was a composer, known for 11:14 (2003), Baby Driver (2017) and Taxi (2004). He died on 16 January 2018 in Echo Park, Los Angeles, California, USA.December 2, 1961 – January 16, 2018- Dark-haired, Ivy League-looking Bradford Dillman, whose white-collar career spanned nearly five decades, possessed charm and confident good looks that were slightly tainted by a bent smile, darting glance and edgy countenance that often provoked suspicion. Sure enough, the camera picked up on it and he played shady, highly suspect characters throughout most of his career.
The actor was born in San Francisco on April 14, 1930, to Dean and Josephine Dillman. Yale-educated, he graduated with a B.A. in English Literature. Following this he served with the US Marines in Korea (1951-1953) before focusing on acting as a profession. Studying at the Actors Studio, he spent several seasons apprenticing with the Sharon (CT) Playhouse before making his professional acting debut in "The Scarecrow" in 1953.
Dillman took his initial Broadway bow in Eugene O'Neill's play "Long Day's Journey Into Night" in 1956, originating the author's alter ego character Edmund Tyrone and winning a Theatre World Award in the process. This success put him squarely on the map and 20th Century-Fox took immediate advantage by placing the darkly handsome up-and-comer under contract. Cast in the melodrama A Certain Smile (1958), he earned a Golden Globe for "Most Promising Newcomer" playing a Parisian student who loses his girl (Christine Carère) to the worldly Italian roué Rossano Brazzi. He followed this with a strong ensemble appearance in In Love and War (1958), which featured a cast of young rising stars including Hope Lange and Robert Wagner. More acting honors followed after completing the film Compulsion (1959), which told the true story of the infamous 1920s kidnapping/murder case of Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb. He went on to share a "Best Actor" award at the Cannes Film Festival with fellow co-stars Dean Stockwell, who played the other youthful murderer, and veteran Orson Welles.
Though he was a magnetic player poised for stardom, Dillman's subsequent films failed to serve him well and were generally unworthy of his talent. Though properly serious and stoic as the title character in Francis of Assisi (1961), the film itself was stilted and weakly scripted. Circle of Deception (1960) was a misguided tale of espionage and intrigue, but it did introduce him to his second wife, supermodel-cum-actress Suzy Parker. While A Rage to Live (1965) with Suzanne Pleshette was trashy soap material, The Plainsman (1966) was rather a silly, juvenile version of the Gary Cooper western classic. As a result of these missteps--and others--he began to top-line lesser quality projects or play supporting roles in "A" pictures. His nothing role as Robert Redford's college pal-turned Hollywood producer in The Way We Were (1973) and his major roles in the ludicrous The Swarm (1978) and Lords of the Deep (1989) became proof in the pudding. His last good film role was in O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh (1973), although he did play an interesting John Wilkes Booth in the speculative re-enactment drama The Lincoln Conspiracy (1977) and had a fun leading role in the Jaws (1975)-like spoof Piranha (1978).
Dillman bore up very well on TV over the years, subsisting on a plethora of mini-movies and guest spots on popular series, playing everything from turncoats to frauds and from adulterers to psychotics. He earned a Daytime Emmy for his appearance in Last Bride of Salem (1974) and starred in two series--Court Martial (1965), as a military lawyer, and King's Crossing (1982), as an alcoholic parent and teacher attempting to straighten out. He also spent a season on the established nighttime soap Falcon Crest (1981) in 1982.
A narrator, director and teacher of acting in later years. Bradford launched a late-in-the career sideline as an author. The football fan inside him compelled him to write "Inside the New York Giants" (1995), a book that rated players drafted by the team since 1967. Two years later he published his memoirs, the curiously-titled "Are You Somebody?: An Actor's Life." He retired from the screen after a few guest star shots on "Murder, She Wrote" in the mid-90s.
From 1956 to 1962, Dillman was married to Frieda Harding, and had two children, Jeffrey and Pamela. Following their divorce, he met well-known model-turned-actress Suzy Parker during the production of Circle of Deception (1960) and the couple married on April 20, 1963. They had three children, Dinah, Charles, and Christopher. Daughter Pamela Dillman has worked as an actress. Dillman was made a widower when Parker died on May 3, 2003. He lived for many years in Montecito, California, and helped raise money for medical research. He died in Santa Barbara, California on January 16, 2018, aged 87, from complications of pneumonia.April 14, 1930 – January 16, 2018
Veteran stage and screen actor who played Edmund Tyrone in the original Broadway production of Eugene O'Neill's 'Long Day's Journey Into Night' in 1958 and had his breakout film role the following year starring opposite Dean Stockwell -- who would play Edmund in the 1962 film adaptation of 'Long Day's Journey' -- in Richard Fleischer's classic crime drama 'Compulsion,' for which Dillman, Stockwell and their co-star Orson Welles all received the award for Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival; reteamed with both Fleischer and Welles the following year for 'Crack in the Mirror' and then landed the title role in Michael Curtiz's 'Francis of Assisi' (1961); earned an Emmy nomination in 1963 for his performance in the 1962 'Alcoa Theatre' episode "The Voice of Charlie Pont" and would win a Daytime Emmy a decade later for the 1974 'ABC Afternoon Playbreak' drama "Last Bride of Salem"; starred alongside Peter Graves in the 1965-66 drama series 'Court Martial' and in Walter Grauman's 1965 film 'A Rage to Live,' the latter of which also featured Ben Gazzara, with whom Dillman would reunite two years later in John Guillermin's 'The Bridge at Remagen'; played Doctor of Animal Psychology Lewis Dixon in the Don Taylor-directed 'Escape from the Planet of the Apes' (1971), and in 1973 was seen as Willie Oban in John Frankenheimer's filmization of Eugene O'Neill's 'The Iceman Cometh' and as J.J., the best friend of Robert Redford's character in Sydney Pollack's hit romantic drama 'The Way We Were'; went on to play different police captains in two of the 'Dirty Harry' movies -- 'The Enforcer' (1976) and 'Sudden Impact' (1983) -- and to appear in two cult natural horror movies released in 1978: Irwin Allen's 'The Swarm' and Joe Dante's 'Piranha'; additional film credits include Paul Wendkos' 'Fear No Evil' (1969), James Goldstone's 'Brother John' (1971), Frankenheimer's '99 and 44/100% Dead' (1974), Jeannot Szwarc's 'Bug' (1975) and Stuart Rosenberg's 'Love and Bullets' (1979), while other episodic TV credits included recurring roles on 'Dr. Kildare' and 'Falcon Crest' and multiple characters on shows like 'The F.B.I.,' 'Barnaby Jones' and 'Murder, She Wrote' - Dave Holland was born on 5 April 1948 in Northampton, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Judas Priest: Turbo Lover (1986), Judas Priest: Parental Guidance (1986) and Judas Priest: Love Bites (1984). He died on 16 January 2018 in Lugo, Galicia, Spain.April 5, 1948 – January 16, 2018
- Moya O'Sullivan was born on 8 June 1926 in Australia. She was an actress, known for Neighbours (1985), The Adventures of Skippy (1992) and Midnite Spares (1983). She died on 16 January 2018 in Bondi Junction, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.June 8, 1926 – January 16, 2018
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Simon Shelton was born on 13 January 1966 in the United Kingdom. He was an actor, known for Dr. Terrible's House of Horrible (2001), Teletubbies (1997) and Swing Kids (1993). He was married to Emma Robbins. He died on 17 January 2018 in Ampthill, Bedfordshire, England, UK.January 13, 1966 – January 17, 2018
Actor and dancer best known for playing the "Dark Knight" on the children's game show 'Incredible Games' from 1994 to 1995 and for playing Tinky Winky, the purple Teletubby, on the immensely popular children's program 'Teletubbies' from 1997 to 2001- Anna Campori was born on 22 September 1917 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. She was an actress, known for Biblioteca di Studio Uno (1964), Un turco napoletano (1953) and Suor Maria (1955). She was married to Pietro De Vico. She died on 19 January 2018 in Rome, Italy.September 22, 1917 – January 19, 2018
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John Barton was born on 26 November 1928 in London, England, UK. He was a writer and director, known for The Wars of the Roses (1965), All's Well That Ends Well (1968) and ITV Saturday Night Theatre (1969). He was married to Anne Righter. He died on 18 January 2018 in London, England, UK.November 26, 1928 – January 18, 2018
Theatre director and playwright who co-founded the Royal Shakespeare Company with the late Peter Hall; was behind the landmark 1963 theatrical adaptation of Shakespeare's 'Wars of the Roses' tetralogy that was itself adapted by Barton into a highly successful TV miniseries for the BBC in 1965; later received an Emmy nomination for his 1970 television adaptation of 'Hamlet' for 'ITV Saturday Night Theatre'- Producer
- Writer
Lin Bolen was born on 23 March 1941 in Benton, Illinois, USA. Lin was a producer and writer, known for Stumpers! (1976), W.E.B. (1978) and Farrell for the People (1982). Lin was married to Paul Wendkos. Lin died on 19 January 2018 in San Fernando Valley, California, USA.March 21, 1941 – January 19, 2018
Trailblazing TV executive and producer who served as vice president of daytime programming at NBC from 1972 to 1976, becoming the first woman to hold such a position at a television network; was responsible for commissioning the long-running game show 'Wheel of Fortune' and is credited with successfully bringing long form narrative to network soap operas by expanding them from half-hour to hour-long formats- Olivia Cole was born on 26 November 1942 in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. She was an actress, known for Roots (1977), Backstairs at the White House (1979) and Something About Amelia (1984). She was married to Richard Venture. She died on 19 January 2018 in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico.November 26, 1942 – January 19, 2018
Actress best known for her Emmy-winning role as Mathilda in the groundbreaking 1977 miniseries 'Roots' and her Emmy-nominated portrayal of housemaid Maggie Rogers in the 1979 miniseries 'Backstairs at the White House' - Actress
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The blonde, sultry, dreamy-eyed beauty of Dorothy Malone, who was born Mary Maloney in Chicago on January 29, 1924, took some time before it made an impact with American film-going audiences. But once she did, she played it for all it was worth in her one chance Academy Award-winning "bad girl" performance, a role quite unlike the classy and strait-laced lady herself.
Raised in Dallas, she was one of five children born to an accountant father and housewife mother. Two older sisters died of polio. Attending Ursuline Convent and Highland Park High School, she was quite popular (as "School Favorite"). She was also a noted female athlete while there and won several awards for swimming and horseback riding. Following graduation, she studied at Southern Methodist University with the intent of becoming a nurse, but a role in the college play "Starbound" happened to catch the eye of an RKO talent scout and she was offered a Hollywood contract.
The lovely brunette started off in typical RKO starlet mode with acting/singing/dancing/diction lessons and bit parts (billed as Dorothy Maloney) in such films as the Frank Sinatra musicals Higher and Higher (1943) and Step Lively (1944), a couple of the mystery "Falcon" entries and a showier role in Show Business (1944) with Eddie Cantor and George Murphy. RKO lost interest, however, after the two-year contract was up. Warner Bros., however, stepped up to the plate and offered the actress a contract. Now billed as Dorothy Malone, her third film offering with the studio finally injected some adrenaline into her floundering young career, when she earned the small role of a seductive book clerk in the Bogart/Bacall classic The Big Sleep (1946). Critics and audiences took notice of her captivating little part. As a reward, the studio nudged her up the billing ladder with more visible roles in Two Guys from Texas (1948), Romance on the High Seas (1948), South of St. Louis (1949) and Colorado Territory (1949), with the westerns showing off her equestrian prowess if not her acting ability.
Despite this positive movement, Warner Bros. did not extend Dorothy's contract in 1949 and she returned willingly back to her tight-knit family in her native Dallas. Taking a steadier job with an insurance agency, she happened to attend a work-related convention in New York City and grew fascinated with the big city. Deciding to recommit to her acting career, she moved to the Big Apple and studied at the American Theater Wing. In between her studies, she managed to find work on TV, which spurred freelancing "B" movie offers in the routine form of Saddle Legion (1951), The Bushwhackers (1951), the Martin & Lewis romp Scared Stiff (1953), Law and Order (1953), Jack Slade (1953), Pushover (1954) and Private Hell 36 (1954).
Things picked up noticeably once Dorothy went platinum blonde, which seemed to emphasize her overt and sensual beauty. First off was as a sister to Doris Day in Young at Heart (1954), a musical remake of Four Daughters (1938), back at Warner Bros. She garnered even better attention when she appeared in the war picture Battle Cry (1955), in which she shared torrid love scenes with film's newest heartthrob Tab Hunter, and continued the momentum with the reliable westerns Five Guns West (1955) and Tall Man Riding (1955) but not with melodramatic romantic dud Sincerely Yours (1955) which tried to sell to the audiences a heterosexual Liberace.
By this time she had signed with Universal. Following a few more westerns for good measure (At Gunpoint (1955), Tension at Table Rock (1956) and Pillars of the Sky (1956), Dorothy won the scenery-chewing role of wild, nymphomaniac Marylee Hadley in the Douglas Sirk soap opera Written on the Wind (1956) co-starring Rock Hudson, Lauren Bacall and Robert Stack. Stack and Malone had the showier roles and completely out-shined the two leads, both earning supporting Oscar nominations in the process. Stack lost in his category but Dorothy nabbed the trophy for her splendidly tramp, boozed-up Southern belle which was highlighted by her writhing mambo dance.
Unfortunately, Dorothy's long spell of mediocre filming did not end with all the hoopla she received for Written on the Wind (1956). The Tarnished Angels (1957), which reunited Malone with Hudson and Stack faltered, and Quantez (1957) with Fred MacMurray was just another run-of-the-mill western. Two major film challenges might have changed things with Man of a Thousand Faces (1957) as the unsympathetic first wife of James Cagney's Lon Chaney Sr, and as alcoholic actress Diana Barrymore in the biographic melodrama Too Much, Too Soon (1958). Cagney, however, overshadowed everyone in the first and the second was fatally watered down by the Production Code committee.
To compensate, Dorothy, at age 35 in 1959, finally was married -- to playboy actor Jacques Bergerac (Ginger Rogers's ex-husband). A daughter, Mimi, was born the following year. Fewer film offers, which included Warlock (1959) and The Last Voyage (1960), came her way as Dorothy focused more on family life. While a second daughter, Diane, was born in 1962, the turbulent marriage wouldn't last and their divorce became final in December 1964. A bitter custody battle ensued with Dorothy eventually winning primary custody.
It took the small screen to rejuvenate Dorothy's career in the mid-1960s when she earned top billing of TV's first prime time soap opera Peyton Place (1964). Dorothy, starring in Lana Turner's 1957 film role of Constance MacKenzie, found herself in a smash hit. The run wasn't entirely happy however. Doctors discovered blood clots on her lungs which required major surgery and she almost died. Lola Albright filled in until she was able to return. Just as bad, her the significance of her role dwindled with time and 20th Century-Fox finally wrote her and co-star Tim O'Connor off the show in 1968. Dorothy filed a breach of contract lawsuit which ended in an out-of-court settlement.
Her life on- and off-camera did not improve. Dorothy's second marriage to stockbroker Robert Tomarkin in 1969 would last only three months, and a third to businessman Charles Huston Bell managed about three years. Now-matronly roles in the films Winter Kills (1979), Vortex (1982), The Being (1981) and Rest in Pieces (1987), were few and far between a few TV-movies -- which included some "Peyton Place" revivals, did nothing to advance her. Malone returned and settled for good back in her native Dallas, returning to Hollywood only on occasion.
Dorothy's last film was a cameo in the popular thriller Basic Instinct (1992) as a friend to Sharon Stone. She will be remembered as one of those Hollywood stars who proved she had the talent but somehow got the short end of the stick when it came to quality films offered. She retired to Texas and died in Dallas shortly before her 94th birthday on January 19, 2018.January 30, 1924 – January 19, 2018
Legendary, sultry actress best known for her Oscar-winning performance as spoiled, sex-crazed Texas oil heiress Marylee Hadley in Douglas Sirk's 'Written on the Wind' (1956) and for playing overprotective mother Constance MacKenzie on the primetime soap 'Peyton Place' from 1964 to 1968; debuted in Hollywood as a brunette in the 1940s, first gaining attention with her brief but very memorable role as a flirtatious bookstore proprietress who helps out -- and has a drink with -- Humphrey Bogart's Philip Marlowe in Howard Hawks' 'The Big Sleep' (1946); played mostly "nice girl" parts for the first decade of her career -- notably in Raoul Walsh's Western 'Colorado Territory' (1949) and Henry Levin's crime noir 'Convicted' (1950) -- but began to acquire a more glamorous image after dyeing her hair blonde to play Doris Day's sister in the musical 'Young at Heart' (1954); soon started landing meatier, more mature roles, including that of alcoholic nymphomaniac Marylee in 'Written on the Wind,' which earned her a Golden Globe nomination as well as an Oscar; reteamed with 'Written on the Wind' director Douglas Sirk and co-stars Rock Hudson and Robert Stack on 'The Tarnished Angels' (1957) and acted alongside Hudson and Stack separately in Robert Aldrich's 'The Last Sunset' (1961) and Andrew L. Stone's 'The Last Voyage' (1960), respectively; received positive notices for her performances as the unsympathetic, suicidal first wife of Lon Chaney (played by James Cagney) in 'Man of a Thousand Faces' (1957) and the self-destructive daughter of John Barrymore (Errol Flynn) in 'Too Much, Too Soon' (1958); other notable film credits during the 1950s and early '60s included two Westerns with Randolph Scott -- 'The Nevadan' (1950) and 'Tall Man Riding' (1955) -- and two musical comedies with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis -- 'Scared Stiff' (1953) and 'Artists and Models' (1955) -- as well as Richard Quine's film noir 'Pushover' (1954), the Roger Corman-produced B picture 'The Fast and the Furious' (1955), Raoul Walsh's wartime drama 'Battle Cry' (1955), Edward Dmytryk's Western 'Warlock' (1959) and the first 'Beach Party' (1963); eventually turned to television and landed the role of Constance McKenzie on ABC's primetime soap 'Peyton Place' in 1964, remaining with the show for four seasons and receiving two Golden Globe nominations in the process; only worked on screen intermittently after leaving 'Peyton Place,' with perhaps her most notable credits in the years since being two episodes of the 1976 miniseries 'Rich Man, Poor Man' and supporting roles in films such as 'Golden Rendezvous' (1977), 'Winter Kills' (1979) and 'The Being' (1983); made her final screen appearance in a memorable cameo as the aging ex-con murderess friend of Sharon Stone's character in Paul Verhoeven's steamy neo-noir thriller 'Basic Instinct' (1992)- Actor
- Music Department
- Producer
Fredo Santana was born on 4 July 1990 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was an actor and producer, known for Fredo Mafia, Fredo Santana feat. Gino Marley & SD: Want a Nigga Dead (2014) and Drake Feat. Majid Jordan: Hold on, We're Going Home (2013). He died on 19 January 2018 in Los Angeles, California, USA.July 4, 1990 – January 19, 2018- Producer
- Additional Crew
Allison Shearmur was born on 23 October 1963 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. She was a producer, known for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 (2014), The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015) and The Hunger Games (2012). She was married to Edward Shearmur. She died on 19 January 2018 in Los Angeles, California, USA.October 23, 1963 – January 19, 2018
Film executive and producer who served as vice president of production at Walt Disney Pictures from 1994 to 1997, as executive vice president of production at Universal from 1997 to 2005, as co-president of production at Paramount from 2005 to 2007, and as president of production at Lionsgate from 2008 to January 2012 before becoming an independent producer; played a pivotal role in the launching of three billion-dollar film franchises: the 'Bourne' and 'American Pie' movies at Universal, and 'The Hunger Games' at Lionsgate; developed and supervised 'George of the Jungle' (1997) and other movies while at Disney and oversaw the development and production of films such as 'Erin Brockovich' (2000) and 'Along Came Polly' (2004) as well as 'The Bourne Identity' (2002) and 'The Bourne Supremacy' (2004) and the first three 'American Pie' movies (1999-2003) during her time at Universal; at Paramount oversaw such projects as 'Mission: Impossible III' (2006) for J.J. Abrams, 'Dreamgirls' (2006) for Bill Condon, 'Zodiac' (2007) and 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' (2008) for David Fincher, 'Beowulf' (2007) for Robert Zemeckis, and 'The Spiderwick Chronicles' (2008) for Mark Waters; at Lionsgate oversaw the purchasing of the rights to the 'Hunger Games' books and the development and production of the first 'Hunger Games' movie (2012), then executive produced the following installments in the franchise: 'Catching Fire' (2013), 'Mockingjay - Part I' (2014) and 'Mockingjay - Part 2' (2015); formed her own production company in 2014, through which she produced Disney's Kenneth Branagh-directed live-action remake of 'Cinderella' (2015), Burr Steers' film adaptation of 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies' (2016), Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman's techno-thriller 'Nerve' (2016), and Disney and Lucasfilm's first two films in the 'Star Wars Anthology Series': 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' (2016) and the upcoming 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' (2018); was also an executive producer on Lionsgate's 'Power Rangers' movie and ABC's made-for-TV remake of 'Dirty Dancing' that aired that same year; was working with Disney on adaptations of 'The One and Only Ivan' and 'The Paper Magician' and a reboot of the 'Sister Act' movies when she died from lung cancer at the age of 54- Actor
- Soundtrack
Of Welsh ancestry through both his parents, Lewis was born in London in 1941. His grandmother was the noted opera singer Dame Ethel Gomer Lewis, and he was also related to the actor Rupert Davies who played Maigret.
Despite being somewhat typecast as an oafish character in many of his roles, Lewis was in fact a very bookish man, and had a personal library of over 35,000 volumes.
As a young man, his flat mate was the actor Ken Morley best known for Coronation Street. The pair remained friends throughout their lives and Morley was Lewis' best man at his wedding.August 21, 1941 – January 20, 2018- Actor
- Music Department
Jim Rodford was born on 7 July 1941 in St. Albans, Hertfordshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Return to Waterloo (1984), The Kinks: You Really Got Me (1980) and The Kinks: Don't Forget to Dance (1983). He was married to Jean. He died on 20 January 2018 in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England, UK.July 7, 1941 – January 20, 2018- Bob Smith was born on 24 December 1958 in Buffalo, New York, USA. He was a writer, known for Side by Side by Susan Blackwell (2009), Outlaugh! (2006) and CBC Winnipeg Comedy Festival (2002). He died on 20 January 2018 in New York City, New York, USA.December 24, 1958 – January 20, 2018
The first openly gay comedian to appear on 'The Tonight Show' and the first to have his own half-hour comedy special on HBO - Yves Afonso was born on 13 February 1944 in Saulieu, Côte-d'Or, France. He was an actor, known for Les arcandiers (1991), France société anonyme (1974) and Frank Riva (2003). He died on 21 January 2018 in Paris, France.February 13, 1944 – January 21, 2018
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Producer
- Production Manager
From the original Shaft to Love at First Bite, from Camelot to Soapdish, from top-grossing films to television to the Internet, Joel Freeman has built a reputation that spans over half a century of entertainment history.
He was born on June 12, 1922 in Irvington, New Jersey, USA. The son of Louis Freeman, a baker and inventor, and Frances Schary. His mother died when he was four and he was raised primarily by his fraternal grandparents.
He started in Hollywood at 20 at MGM...as a messenger. But after just six weeks, he was promoted to the Short Subjects department, and then moved to the Production Planning Office.
But 18 months later, Freeman was drafted and spent three years in the Air Force - two of them with the First Motion Picture Unit (AAF) where he was script supervisor and assistant director on some thirty training films.
The transition back to civilian life was an easy one: he immediately became an assistant director at RKO. During the next two years, he alternated between RKO and Selznick, working on films like The Farmer's Daughter, The Paradine Case, The Bachelor and The Bobby Soxer, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House and The Setup. Freeman then returned to MGM as an assistant director, and eventually as associate producer. During that time he gained additional experience on some of the company's top films such as Madame Bovary, Battleground, Bad Day at Black Rock, Blackboard Jungle, The Tender Trap, Tea & Sympathy and Something of Value.
As an independent production supervisor, Freeman's feature films included Lonelyhearts, and he worked on several television series including The Californians and Highway Patrol. Later, he joined Dore Schary at Warner Brothers, to do Sunrise at Campobello as production supervisor and associate producer. That led to The Music Man at the same studio.
Another opportunity to work with Schary, this time on Act One, brought Freeman to New York City. He stayed to produce The Reporter, a television series for CBS's Richelieu Productions, and became head of program development for the same company.
Freeman was soon called back to California as associate producer and production supervisor on Warner Brothers' A Big Hand for a Little Lady and Not With My Wife You Don't! Pleased with Freeman's performance, Jack Warner asked him to be his associate on Camelot. Upon the film's very successful completion, Freeman became one of the top three executives at Warner Brothers, until the studio was sold to Seven Arts.
He was associate producer and production supervisor on Francis Ford Coppola's second film, Finian's Rainbow when Ken Hyman -- then head of worldwide production for Warner Brothers/Seven Arts -- asked Freeman to reactivate and executive produce The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter. A critically acclaimed classic, the film received two Oscar nominations.
Joel Freeman Productions Inc. was founded upon its completion, and Freeman was signed to a term producing contract at WB/7Arts where he developed Tom Sawyer, The Musical. Simulataneously, he served as executive consultant to Ken Hyman until the studio was sold.
Independent again, and moving successfully between features and television, he produced an ABC Movie of the Week, Weekend of Terror. Then with Gordon Parks directing, and Isaac Hayes providing an unforgettable score, Freeman produced the groundbreaking feature Shaft for MGM. Its success led to a partnership with Fox, with whom he produced the feature Trouble Man. And that led, in turn, to Fuzz Brothers, a television pilot created in partnership with MGM/ABC. He then executive produced It Happened One Christmas for Universal Television.
His next film, the hilarious Love At First Bite, had the distinction of being Melvin Simon Productions' biggest success, and one of AIP's two biggest box-office winners. He produced The Octagon for American Cinema, executive produced The Kindred for Feldman/Meeker and then became Senior Vice President, Production for New Century/New Visions Entertainment for two years until December, 1988. During that tenure he supervised such films as: The Gate, Russkies, Split Decision and Rooftops.
Soon afterward, The Completion Bond Company , who had consulted with Freeman previously, asked him to take over as producer of Next of Kin, then supervise The Guardian. He co-produced Soapdish for Paramount, supervised Ricochet, then went trouble-shooting in England on The Power of One -- the latter two projects for The Completion Bond Company, as well.
Freeman then became involved in various phases of development and pre-production of: Love at Second Bite (a sequel), To Have and Have Not (a remake),Mr. Shaft (a sequel), Someone Could Get Killed, Woof, Jekyll, Skyjack! Skyjack!, The James Barry Story, Mace, Piper, Stagecoach Mary, Stick and Ball and Harp.
He spent six months in Lithuania producing 13 hour-long episodes of the series The New Adventures of Robin Hood. Upon his return he developed and optioned many screenplays, including Booker; 44 Sunset; Anais: The Opposite of Innocence; The Fairy Godfather; Shattered Image; Maternal Instinct; Romantics, Misfits and Fools; Bloodthirsty; Air Med; Marti; Monte; and Return of the Vin Fiz. He also produced Cover to Cover, a live show for Hollywood Broadcasting.com.
Freeman was the recipient of the Director's Guild Award for Bad Day at Black Rock, and the NAACP Image Award as Producer of the Year for Shaft. He is a member of the Directors Guild of America, the Producers Guild of America (recipient of the Lifetime Membership Award) and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. In addition he served for many years on the Board of the Entertainment Industry Foundation.June 12, 1922 – January 21, 2018
Assistant director ('The Paradine Case,' 'Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House,' 'The Set-Up,' 'Neptune's Daughter,' 'Adam's Rib,' 'Summer Stock,' 'The Tall Target,' 'The Long, Long Trailer,' 'Above and Beyond,' 'Bad Day at Black Rock,' 'Blackboard Jungle,' 'Tea and Sympathy,' 'Sunrise at Campobello,' 'The Mating Game') and producer ('The Music Man,' 'A Big Hand for the Little Lady,' 'Camelot,' 'The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter,' 'Finian's Rainbow,' 'Shaft,' 'Trouble Man,' 'Love at First Bite,' 'The Kindred,' 'Soapdish')- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Jens Okking was born on 18 December 1939 in Copenhagen, Denmark. He was an actor and writer, known for Strømer (1976), At klappe med een hånd (2001) and Nitten røde roser (1974). He was married to Anette Walther. He died on 21 January 2018 in Copenhagen, Denmark.December 18, 1939 – January 21, 2018- Connie Sawyer was born on 27 November 1912 in Pueblo, Colorado, USA. She was an actress, known for Dumb and Dumber (1994), Pineapple Express (2008) and Out of Sight (1998). She was married to Marshall Schacker. She died on 21 January 2018 in Woodland Hills, California, USA.November 27, 1912 – January 21, 2018
Hollywood's oldest working actress; began her performing career in the 1930s and amassed over 170 film and television credits since the 1950s but was best known for her appearances in the modern comedies 'When Harry Met Sally...' (1989), 'Dumb and Dumber' (1994) and 'Pineapple Express' (2008); made her film debut in Frank Capra's 'A Hole in the Head' (1959), reprising the role she originated in the 1957 Broadway production of the same name; went on to have roles in classic films such as Daniel Mann's 'Ada' (1961), Henry Hathaway's 'True Grit' (1969), Arthur Hiller's 'The Man in the Glass Booth' (1975) and Norman Jewison's '...And Justice for All' (1979); appeared as the wife of the first documentary couple seen in Rob Reiner's 'When Harry Met Sally...,' was the cart-riding little old lady who robs Jim Carrey's character in the Farrelly brothers' 'Dumb and Dumber,' played the grandmother of James Franco's character in David Gordon Green's 'Pineapple Express,' and was also seen in such films as Steven Soderbergh's 'Out of Sight' (1998), Bruno Barreto's 'View from the Top' (2003) and Luke Matheny's 'Lovesick' (2014); appeared on nearly 100 different TV series over the past 60 years, ranging from classics such as 'Mary Tyler Moore' 'The Andy Griffith Show,' 'The Fugitive,' 'Good Times,' 'The Rockford Files,' 'Kojak,' 'Starsky and Hutch' and 'All in the Family' to more recent hits including 'Seinfeld,' 'Will & Grace,' 'Boy Meets World,' 'How I Met Your Mother,' 'The Office,' 'ER,' 'CSI,' 'Ray Donovan' and '2 Broke Girls' - Actor
- Camera and Electrical Department
Robert Dowdell was born on 10 March 1932 in Park Ridge, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Stoney Burke (1962), Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964) and Assassination (1987). He was married to Sheila Connolly. He died on 23 January 2018 in Coldwater, Michigan, USA.March 10, 1932 – January 23, 2018
Actor who played Lt. Cmdr. Chip Morton on TV's 'Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea' and co-starred opposite Jack Lord on the Western series 'Stoney Burke'- Sound Department
- Editor
- Editorial Department
Ron Kalish was born on 10 August 1942 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He is an editor, known for The Final Mission (2018), Sleeper (1973) and The Camera's Eye (2010). He has been married to Carol Blustein since 13 August 1966. They have one child.August 10, 1942 – January 23, 2018- Composer
- Music Department
- Producer
Hugh Masekela was born on 4 April 1939 in Wilbank, South Africa. He was a composer and producer, known for The Jewel of the Nile (1985), The Last King of Scotland (2006) and Blended (2014). He was married to Elinam Cofie, Jabu Mbatha, Chris Calloway and Miriam Makeba. He died on 23 January 2018 in Johannesburg, South Africa.April 4, 1939 – January 23, 2018
Trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer and singer who was a pioneer of jazz in South Africa and whose music became an international symbol of his country's fight against apartheid; had an unlikely No. 1 hit in the U.S. in 1968 with the instrumental "Grazing in the Grass" and was also well known for his protest songs "Soweto Blues" (1977) and "Bring Him Back Home" (1987), the latter of which became an unofficial anthem of the anti-apartheid movement; earned a Tony nomination for his work on the stage musical 'Sarafina!' and was nominated for a Grammy Award three times: the first in 1968 for "Grazing in the Grass," the second in 1989 for the 'Sarafina!' cast album, and the third in 2012 for his studio album 'Jabulani'- Producer
- Production Manager
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ezra Swerdlow was born on 2 March 1953 in Great Neck, Long Island, New York, USA. He was a producer and production manager, known for Spaceballs (1987), The Equalizer (2014) and Southpaw (2015). He was married to Lindsey Hicks. He died on 23 January 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.ca. 1954 – January 23, 2018
Producer on such films as 'Spaceballs' (1987), 'Waiting to Exhale' (1995), 'Cop Land' (1997), 'Enchanted' (2007), 'Zombieland' (2009) and '21 Jump Street' (2012); started out as Unit Production Manager (UPM) on Woody Allen's 'Stardust Memories' (1980) and would hold the same position on Allen's 'Zelig' (1983), 'Broadway Danny Rose' (1984) and 'Hannah and Her Sisters' (1986); was also location manager on Sydney Pollack's 'Tootsie' (1982) and UPM on Martin Scorsese's 'The King of Comedy' (1983), Frank Oz's 'The Muppets Take Manhattan' (1984) and Mike Nichols' 'Heartburn' (1986); earned his first producer credit as associate producer on Allen's 'Radio Days' (1987), on which he was also first assistant director; was co-producer on Mel Brooks' 'Spaceballs' and Karel Reisz's 'Everybody Wins' (1990) and producer of Pat O'Connor's 'The January Man' (1989) and reteamed with Brooks as executive producer of 'Life Stinks' (1991); subsequent credits as executive producer include David Fincher's 'Alien³' (1992), Joseph Ruben's 'The Good Son' (1993) and Barry Levinson's 'Wag the Dog' (1997) and was both executive producer and UPM on Hugh Wilson's 'The First Wives Club' (1996) and Ruben's 'Return to Paradise' (1998); was a producer of Forest Whitaker's 'Waiting to Exhale,' James Mangold's 'Cop Land' and Mark Levin's films 'Whiteboyz' (1999), 'Twilight: Los Angeles' (2000) and 'Brooklyn Babylon' (2001) and then executive produced such films as Chris Rock's 'Head of State' (2003), David Koepp's 'Secret Window' (2004) and 'Ghost Town' (2008), Ericson Core's 'Invincible' (2006) and Kevin Lima's 'Enchanted,' the latter two of which were for Disney; reteamed with Mark Levin to serve as executive producer and UPM on 'Little Manhattan' (2005) and also held both positions on Ruben Fleischer's horror-action-comedy hit 'Zombieland'; shared an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Miniseries or Movie as an executive producer on Curtis Hanson's HBO film 'Too Big To Fail' (2011); subsequently executive produced 'The Smurfs' (2011) and 'The Smurfs 2' (2013) for Raja Gosnell, '21 Jump Street' for Phil Lord and Chris Miller and 'The Equalizer' (2014) and 'Southpaw' (2015) for Antoine Fuqua- Actress
- Soundtrack
Lari White was born on 13 May 1965 in Dunedin, Florida, USA. She was an actress, known for Cast Away (2000), No Regrets (2004) and Country Strong (2010). She was married to Chuck Cannon. She died on 23 January 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.May 13, 1965 – January 23, 2018- Transportation Department
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
Gary Duncan was born on 1 August 1953. He is known for Arlington Road (1999), Killers (2010) and Smokey and the Bandit (1977). He died on 24 January 2018 in Roswell, Georgia, USA.August 1, 1953 – January 24, 2018- Writer
- Director
- Cinematographer
Warren Miller was born on 15 October 1924 in Hollywood, California, USA. He was a writer and director, known for Ski People (1980), Extreme Surfing (1992) and This Is Skiing (1969). He was married to Laurie Penketh Kaufmann, Roberta Marie Clavert-Mac Faden, Dorothy Roberts and Jean. He died on 24 January 2018 in Orcas Island, Washington, USA.October 15, 1924 – January 24, 2018- Producer
- Production Manager
- Additional Crew
Dennis Stuart Murphy was born on 26 January 1945. He was a producer and production manager, known for Powder (1995), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) and Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981). He was married to Cynthia Gates Fujikawa. He died on 24 January 2018 in Los Angeles California, USA.1945 – January 24, 2018- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Lead singer and lyricist of British punk/new wave band The Fall. A former office worker, Smith formed The Fall in 1977, although their commercial peak came in the late '80s and early '90s. They have influenced many bands, most notably Pavement, and are famous for being Radio 1 DJ John Peel's favorite band, for their strong work ethic (21 albums in 19 years) and for their frequent line-up changes (26 to date, making Smith the only constant member; he has stated "If it's me and your granny on bongos, it's The Fall"). Smith also provided guest vocals on Inspiral Carpets' 1994 "I Want You" single.March 5, 1957 – January 24, 2018
Short-tempered singer, songwriter and musician who was the frontman, lyricist and only constant member of the iconic English post-punk group The Fall- Music Department
- Composer
- Soundtrack
John Morris was born on 18 October 1926 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA. He was a composer, known for Blazing Saddles (1974), The Elephant Man (1980) and Coach (1989). He was married to Francesca Bosetti. He died on 25 January 2018 in Red Hook, New York, USA.October 18, 1926 – January 25, 2018
Composer, orchestrator and conductor best known for writing the music for all but two of Mel Brooks' films, for his Oscar- and Grammy-nominated score for David Lynch's 'The Elephant Man' (1980) and for composing the theme music for the TV sitcom 'Coach'; scored the first nine of the eleven films directed by Brooks -- 'The Producers' (1968), 'The Twelve Chairs' (1970), 'Blazing Saddles' (1974), 'Young Frankenstein' (1974), 'Silent Movie' (1976), 'High Anxiety' (1977), 'History of the World: Part 1' (1980), 'Spaceballs' (1987) and 'Life Stinks' (1991) -- and received his first Oscar nomination for the title song from 'Blazing Saddles'; was also recruited by 'The Producers,' 'Blazing Saddles' and 'Young Frankenstein' star Gene Wilder to score all four of the actor's directorial efforts: 'The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother' (1975), 'The World's Greatest Lover' (1977), 'The Woman in Red' (1984) and 'Haunted Honeymoon' (1986); composed the scores for many other comedy favorites, including the Arthur Hiller-directed classic 'The In-Laws' (1979), Alan Johnson's Mel Brooks starrer 'To Be or Not to Be' (1983), Amy Heckerling's underrated 'Johnny Dangerously' (1984) and Jonathan Lynn's riotous 'Clue' (1985); other credits include Noel Black's sci-fi family telefilm 'The Electric Grandmother' (1983), the cultural phenomenon 'Dirty Dancing' (1987), Hector Babenco's Oscar-winning drama 'Ironweed' (1987), and numerous productions for director John Erman, including the feature 'Stella' (1990), the miniseries 'Scarlett' (1994) and the TV movies 'Our sons' (1991), 'Ellen Foster' (1997), 'Only Love' (1998) and 'The Blackwater Lightship' (2004); in addition to two Oscar nominations, won a Daytime Emmy in 1978 for his score for the 'NBC Special Treat' story 'The Tap Dance Kid' and won five ASCAP Awards for 'Coach'- Producer
- Production Manager
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Cyrus Yavneh was born on 14 October 1942. He was a producer and production manager, known for 24 (2001), The Arrival (1996) and Baby (2000). He died on 25 January 2018 in Santa Monica, California, USA.October 14, 1942 – January 25, 2018- Supriya Choudhury was born on 8 January 1933 in Myitkyina, Kachin, Myanmar. She was an actress, known for Teen Adhaya (1968), Debdas (1979) and Sanyasi Raja (1975). She was married to Bishwanath Choudhury. She died on 26 January 2018 in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.January 8, 1933 – January 26, 2018
- Director
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Maryo J. de los Reyes was born on 17 October 1952 in Santa Cruz, Manila, Philippines. He was a director and writer, known for Magnifico (2003), A Love Story (2007) and Laman (2002). He died on 27 January 2018 in Dipolog City, Zamboanga Del Norte, Philippines.December 12, 1952 – January 27, 2018- Production Designer
- Costume Designer
- Actor
Hilton McConnico was born on 13 May 1943 in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. He was a production designer and costume designer, known for Tell Her That I Love Her (1977), Diva (1981) and The Moon in the Gutter (1983). He died on 29 January 2018 in Paris, France.May 13, 1943 – January 29, 2018- Actor
- Soundtrack
Known for starring as musically-inclined football player Noah "Puck" Puckerman on the show Glee (2009), Mark Wayne Salling was born in Dallas, Texas. He was the younger of two children of Condy Sue (Wherry), a school secretary, and John Robert Salling, Jr., an accountant. He was home-schooled at an early age. Salling was raised in a "strict Christian home" and attended Providence Christian School and Our Redeemer Lutheran during elementary school. He attended, but did not graduate, from Culver Military Academy, and later graduated from Lake Highlands High School in 2001. While in high school, he was a member of the school wrestling team. Music was also an integral part of his teenage years; he often performed in bars despite being underage and participated in school talent shows. After graduating from high school, he attended the Los Angeles Music Academy College of Music in Pasadena, California and began studying guitar, giving guitar lessons to make a living. Mark owned a dog named Noah, which he named after his character on Glee.
He died on January 30, 2018 in Los Angeles, California.August 17, 1982 – January 30, 2018- Louis Zorich was born on 12 February 1924 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for Fiddler on the Roof (1971), Detachment (2011) and The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984). He was married to Olympia Dukakis. He died on 30 January 2018 in New York City, New York, USA.February 12, 1924 – January 30, 2018
Veteran stage and screen actor who earned a Tony nomination for his performance as Cardinal Ragna in 'Hadrian VII' in 1969 but was best known for playing the father of Paul Reiser's character on the sitcom 'Mad About You' (1993-1999); also remembered for playing Jules Berger on the 1991-93 drama series 'Brooklyn Bridge,' for playing Ben Loman in the 1985 made-for-TV adaptation of 'Death of a Salesman' opposite Dustin Hoffman's Willy Loman, and for his role as diner owner Pete in 'The Muppets Take Manhattan' (1984); also appeared in such films as 'Coogan's Bluff' (1968), 'Fiddler on the Roof' (1971), 'For Pete's Sake' (1974), 'The Changeling' (1980), 'Club Paradise' (1986), 'Dirty Rotten Scoundrels' (1988), 'City of Hope' (1991), 'Joe the King' (1999) and 'Detachment' (2011) - Actress
- Soundtrack
Ann Gillis was born Alma Mabel Conner on February 12, 1927, in Little Rock, Arkansas. At age seven, she appeared in her first film, Men in White (1934), as an extra. During the next two years, she had uncredited appearances in six more films until she received her first major role in King of Hockey (1936). Warner Brothers Studios gave significant screen time to Gillis in this movie, in hopes that she would become another Shirley Temple. Although (like all child stars of the 1930s) she never achieved Temple's level of fame, for the next several years Gillis starred in many films, almost always playing a spoiled, bratty character. She had two rare sympathetic roles as Becky Thatcher in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938) and as the title character in Little Orphan Annie (1938). One scene in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer called for her to go into screaming hysterics when her character was trapped in a cave of bats, and Gillis delivered in a powerful performance that is probably the most memorable scene of her film career. As Gillis grew older, however, her career slowed down, and she left Hollywood in 1947. When she left Hollywood she married Paul Ziebold and had 2 sons. She then divorced, relocated to New York City and married Richard Fraser, a Scottish-born actor (they had a son born in 1958). During the 1950s and '60s, Gillis made sporadic television appearances, and in 1959, she hosted a national telecast presentation of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Gillis and her husband moved to England in 1961, and they were living in London when they heard of a casting call for 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) that called for an American actress living in the city. Gillis auditioned and got the role, this was her final film.February 12, 1927 – January 31, 2018
Actress who was a child star during Hollywood's Golden Age, with her best known roles being Becky Thatcher, the love interest of the title character in the 1938 film adaptation of 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,' and the voice of the adult Faline, the title character's love interest in Disney's 'Bambi' (1942)- Actor
- Writer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Alf Humphreys was born on 3 April 1953 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was an actor and writer, known for X2 (2003), First Blood (1982) and The Uninvited (2009). He was married to Elizabeth Moss. He died on 31 January 2018 in Stratford, Ontario, Canada.April 3, 1953 – January 31, 2018- Production Manager
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Director
R. Robert Rosenbaum was born on 24 August 1928 in the USA. R. Robert was a production manager and assistant director, known for The Bill Cosby Show (1969), Bewitched (1964) and Camp Runamuck (1965). R. Robert died on 31 January 2018.August 24, 1928 – January 31, 2018- Make-Up Department
Maria Valdivia was born on 4 July 1948. She is known for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006), Hitchcock (2012) and Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot (2018). She was married to Frank Maher. She died on 31 January 2018 in Long Beach, California, USA.July 4, 1948 – January 31, 2018- Special Effects
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Reyes Abades was born on 25 July 1949 in Castilblanco, Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain. He was an actor, known for Pan's Labyrinth (2006), Open Your Eyes (1997) and The Skin I Live In (2011). He died on 1 February 2018 in Madrid, Spain.July 25, 1949 – February 1, 2018
Special effects specialist who won nine Goya Awards and received another 33 Goya nominations for his work in Spanish cinema; won Goyas for Carlos Saura's '¡Ay, Carmela!' (1990) and 'Bunuel and King Solomon's Table' (2001), Pilar Miró's 'Prince of Shadows' (1991), Imanol Uribe's 'Running Out of Time' (1994), Álex de la Iglesia's 'The Day of the Beast' (1995) and 'The Last Circus' (2010), Julio Medem's 'Earth' (1996), Miguel Courtois's 'The Wolf' (2004) and Guillermo del Toro's 'Pan's Labyrinth' (2006); also worked with del Toro on -- and earned a Goya nomination for -- 'The Devil's Backbone' (2001) and teamed with filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar on ten films, including 'Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown' (1988), 'The Skin I Live In' (2011) and 'Julieta' (2016), all of which garnered Goya nominations for Abades; also earned Goya nominations for José Luis Cuerda's 'Dawn Breaks, Which Is No Small Thing' (1989), Medem's 'Cows' (1992), Vicente Aranda's 'Libertarias' (1996), Alejandro Amenábar's 'Open Your Eyes' (1997), Saura's 'Goya in Bordeaux' (1999), Milos Forman's 'Goya's Ghosts' (2006) and Pablo Berger's 'Blancanieves' (2012), among other films; further credits include Paul Verhoeven's 'Flesh + Blood' (1985), Amenábar's 'Tesis' (1996), Gilles Mimouni,'s 'The Apartment' (1996), Jonathan Glazer's 'Sexy Beast' (2000), Susanne Bier's 'Brothers' (2004) and Almodóvar's 'Volver' (2006) and 'Broken Embraces' (2009)- Actor
- Soundtrack
Dennis Edwards is an American soul and R&B singer who was best known as the frontman in The Temptations, on Motown Records.
Edwards joined the Temptations in 1968, replacing David Ruffin and sang with the group from 1968 to 1976, 1980 to 1984 and 1987 to 1989. In the mid-1980s, he attempted a solo career, scoring a hit in 1984 with "Don't Look Any Further" (featuring Siedah Garrett). Until his death, Edwards was the lead singer of The Temptations Review featuring Dennis Edwards, a Temptations splinter group.
Edwards was portrayed by Charles Ley in the biographical television mini-series The Temptations (1998), though he was not heavily focused upon, as the mini-series gave more attention to the Ruffin/Kendricks-era Temptations lineup. The Temptations Review group was inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame on October 4, 2015 in Detroit, Michigan, when Edwards was also given the Living Legend Award.February 3, 1943 – February 2, 2018
Singer who replaced David Ruffin as lead vocalist of The Temptations and sang on many of the group's enduring hits, including "Cloud Nine" and "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone"- Actor
- Additional Crew
Ole Thestrup was born on 12 March 1948 in Nibe, Denmark. He was an actor, known for Flickering Lights (2000), Adam's Apples (2005) and Ronal the Barbarian (2011). He was married to Hanne Marie Knudsen. He died on 2 February 2018 in Tuse Næs, Denmark.March 12, 1948 – February 2, 2018- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Ndugu Chancler was born on 1 July 1952 in Shreveport, Louisiana, USA. He was an actor, known for Grosse Pointe Blank (1997), The First Purge (2018) and Hit and Run (2012). He was married to Brenda Curry. He died on 3 February 2018 in Los Angeles California, USA.July 1, 1952 – February 3, 2018- Production Manager
- Producer
- Actor
Jerzy Rutowicz was born on 7 June 1928 in Lódz, Lódzkie, Poland. He was a production manager and producer, known for Character (1997), Zapach psiej siersci (1982) and Night Train (1959). He died on 3 February 2018 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.June 7, 1928 – February 3, 2018- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Rolf Zacher was born on 28 March 1941 in Berlin, Germany. He was an actor, known for Slow Attack (1980), The Confessions of Felix Krull (1982) and Heidenlöcher (1986). He was married to Gisela Getty. He died on 3 February 2018 in Seniors Residence "Am Park", Büdelsdorf, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.March 28, 1941 – February 3, 2018- Kenneth Haigh was an English actor who broke new ground with his original interpretation of Jimmy Porter, in John Osborne's 1956 play "Look Back in Anger". The play was to fundamentally change English theatre and coined the phrase used to describe Osborne (and later other contemporary playwrights) by the British Press as an "Angry Young Man". The following year, Haigh took the performance to Broadway, but the already established film credentials of Richard Burton saw the lead role change hands for the 1957 film adaptation. The role of Jimmy Porter came relatively early in Haigh's career and some commentators have argued that what followed in the next 50 years was something of an anti-climax for him. Apart from Porter, one of his best known roles was that of Joe Lampton in the TV series Man at the Top (1970), and the subsequent spin-off film Man at the Top (1973). Sadly, tragedy struck Haigh in 2003 when he swallowed a bone whilst eating in a restaurant in London's Soho. Deprived of oxygen his brain function was damaged and he was confined to a nursing home up until his death in 2018.March 25, 1931 – February 4, 2018
- Actor
- Director
Wojciech Pokora was born on 2 October 1934 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland. He was an actor and director, known for Rozrywka po staropolsku (1985), Lalka (1978) and Palace Hotel (1977). He was married to Hanna Pokora. He died on 4 February 2018 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.October 2, 1934 – February 4, 2018- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
John Mahoney was an award-winning American actor. He was born in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, the seventh of eight children of Margaret and Reg, a baker. His family was evacuated to the sea-side resort to avoid the Nazi bombing of their native Manchester. The Mancunian Mahoneys eventually returned to Manchester during the war. Visiting the States to see his older sister, a "war bride" who had married an American, the young Mahoney decided to emigrate and was sponsored by his sister. John eventually won his citizenship by serving in the U.S. Army.
Long interested in acting, Mahoney didn't make the transition to his craft until he was almost forty years old. Mahoney took acting classes at the St. Nicholas Theater and finally built up the courage to quit his day job and pursue acting full time. John Malkovich, one of the founders of the Second City's distinguished Steppenwolf Theatre, encouraged Mahoney to join Steppenwolf, and in 1986, Mahoney won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance in John Guare's The House of Blue Leaves (1987).
Mahoney made his feature film debut in 1980, but he was best known for playing the role of the father of the eponymous character Frasier (1993) from 1993 until 2004. He later concentrated on stage work back in Chicago, and appeared on Broadway in 2007 in a revival of Prelude to a Kiss (1992).
John died on February 4, 2018, in Chicago, Illinois.June 20, 1940 – February 4, 2018
Tony-winning actor and member of Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company who was most widely known for his two-time Emmy-nominated role as Martin Crane on the hit TV sitcom 'Frasier' (1993-2004); made his stage debut in Chicago in 1977 and was then persuaded by fellow actor John Malkovich to join the Steppenwolf ensemble; went on to win the Clarence Derwent Award and the Theatre World Award for his work with Steppenwolf, and earned a Tony Award for his performance in the 1986 Broadway revival of John Guare's 'The House of Blue Leaves'; made his screen debut in the early 1980s and had supporting roles in many popular films prior to being cast in 'Frasier,' including Norman Jewison's 'Moonstruck' (1987), John Sayles' 'Eight Men Out' (1988), Cameron Crowe's 'Say Anything...' (1989), the Coen brothers' 'Barton Fink' (1991) and 'The Hudsucker Proxy' (1994), and Wolfgang Petersen's 'In the Line of Fire' (1993); played Martin Crane on 'Frasier' for the show's entire 11-season run, earning Emmy nominations for the role in 1999 and 2003 and Golden Globe nominations in 1994 and 2001, in addition to sharing a 2000 SAG Award and nine SAG nominations for Outstanding Ensemble; continued doing film work while 'Frasier' was in production, lending support in Rob Reiner's 'The American President' (1995), Gregory Hoblit's 'Primal Fear' (1996), Edward Burns' 'She's the One' (1996) and Greg Berlanti's 'The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy' (2000), providing voice-over work in 'The Iron Giant' (1998), 'Antz' (1998) and 'Atlantis: The Lost Empire' (2001), and playing the lead role in Terry Green's 'Almost Salinas' (2001); made only occasional screen appearances after 'Frasier' ended in 2004, most notably playing the title character's father in Peter Hedges' film 'Dan in Real Life' (2007), reteaming with Rob Reiner for the romantic comedy 'Flipped' (2010) and taking on the recurring roles of CEO Walter Burnett on the HBO drama 'In Treatment' and as waiter Roy in the TV Land comedy 'Hot in Cleveland'; made his final on-screen appearance in a 2015 episode of the British detective drama 'Foyle's War'- Actor
- Soundtrack
John Perry Barlow was born on 3 October 1947 in Pinedale, Wyoming, USA. He was an actor, known for Endangered Species (1982), Conceiving Ada (1997) and Grateful Dead: Dead Ahead (1981). He was married to Elaine Parker Barlow. He died on 7 February 2018 in San Francisco, California, USA.October 3, 1947 – February 6, 2018
Poet, essayist, internet pioneer, cyber-libertarian political activist, co-founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Freedom of the Press Foundation, retired cattle rancher, occasional actor, and former lyricist for the Grateful Dead- Actor
- Soundtrack
Heinz Petters was born on 9 July 1932 in Graz, Austria. He was an actor, known for Trautmann (2000), Die Abenteuer des braven Soldaten Schwejk (1972) and Wiener Totentanz (1971). He was married to Meieli. He died on 6 February 2018 in Austria.July 9, 1932 – February 6, 2018- Actor
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Director
Mickey Jones was born on 10 June 1941 in Houston, Texas, USA. He was an actor and director, known for Total Recall (1990), Starman (1984) and Sling Blade (1996). He was married to Phyllis Jean Starr and Sandra Joel Davis. He died on 7 February 2018 in Simi Valley, California, USA.June 10, 1941 – February 7, 2018
Musician and character actor who was drummer for acts such as Kenny Rogers and The First Edition, Bob Dylan, Trini Lopez and Johnny Rivers, and whoappeared in over 130 films and television shows, notably recurring as Pete Bilker on the sitcom 'Home Improvement' and as Rodney "Hot Rod" Dunham on the FX drama 'Justified'; also recurred as Chester on the sitcom 'Flo,' played Chris Farber in 'V' and 'V: The Final Battle,' and appeared on TV shows such as 'Charlie's Angels,' 'The Incredible Hulk,' 'M*A*S*H,' 'T.J. Hooker,' 'The A-Team,' 'In the Heat of the Night,' 'Baywatch,' 'Step by Step,' 'Married with Children,' 'Northern Exposure,' 'Boy Meets World,' 'Entourage,' 'Workaholics' and 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'; film credits include 'Stir Crazy' (1980), 'The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas' (1982), 'National Lampoon's Vacation' (1983), 'Starman' (1984), 'Extreme Prejudice' (1987), 'The Couch Trip' (1988), 'Total Recall' (1990), 'Drop Zone' (1994), 'Sling Blade' (1996), 'The Fighting Temptations' (2003) and 'Penny Dreadful' (2006)- Jill Sobel Messick was born on 27 July 1967 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She was a producer, known for Mean Girls (2004), Frida (2002) and She's All That (1999). She was married to Kevin J. Messick. She died on 7 February 2018 in Los Angeles, California, USA.July 27, 1967 – February 7, 2018
- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Pat Torpey was born on 13 December 1962. He was an actor, known for Armed Response (1986), One Hit Wonderland (2012) and Mr. Big: To Be with You (1992). He died on 7 February 2018.December 13, 1953 – February 7, 2018- Marie Gruber was born on 11 June 1955 in Wuppertal, Germany. She was an actress, known for The Reader (2008), The Lives of Others (2006) and Frantz (2016). She died on 8 February 2018 in Berlin, Germany.June 11, 1955 – February 8, 2018
- Soundtrack
Lovebug Starski, born Kevin Smith in New York City, was a well-known DJ and rapper in the South Bronx in the 1970s and 1980s. He is regarded as having coined the term "hip-hop" with a member of the rap collective the Furious Five. He died on Feb. 8, 2018, in Las Vegas.May 16, 1960 – February 8, 2018- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Producer
Born into a military family in Huntsville, Alabama -- his father was an army vet who had served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam, while his mother held a somewhat mysterious job in the Department of Defence -- Reg E. Cathey spent much of his early childhood living on a rural farmhouse in Germany. There, he watched American TV shows dubbed into German and first became theatre-struck at the age of nine after attending a USO performance of "Guys and Dolls". That same year, he also took up playing the saxophone. That he became an actor and not a jazz musician was happenstance, but, as he once admitted "he was no Lester Young". An incisive and eloquent personality with a uniquely expressive baritone voice, Cathey was to bring a soulful dignity and often unexpected sense of humour to a wide variety of roles on both stage and screen.
Cathey attended the University of Michigan and later studied acting at the Yale School of Drama. The theatre remained his lifelong passion and New York his preferred place of residence. As he later explained: "I learned how to act at Yale but learned how to be an actor in NYC. I escaped wandering lost in the desert that is Los Angeles after a decade (which I'll never get back) and being psychically traumatized, I didn't audition for film and television, immersing myself in the 'Classics.'" And so, Cathey went on to tackle diverse (non-stereotypical) roles, ranging from Prospero in a musical version of Shakespeare's 'The Tempest' to 'Red' Redding in a British production of 'The Shawshank Redemption' (a part made famous by Morgan Freeman in the film version).
Though performing more often than not in New York, Cathey did ultimately return to Hollywood. His formidable screen characters have often been marked by a uniquely erudite fierceness. They have included powerful authority figures, scientists and occasional villains in films (The Mask (1994), Tank Girl (1995), Se7en (1995), Fantastic Four (2015)) and shows like The Wire (2002), Outcast (2016) and House of Cards (2013) (his recurring role as Freddy Hayes, owner of Frank Underwood's favourite BBQ joint and secret hangout, which won him an Emmy Award in 2015 as Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series). In keeping with his credo that "the dark stuff is fun", he also proved excellent value as a shadowy keeper of secrets ('The Caretaker') in an episode of The Blacklist (2013) and as the top-hatted zombie master Baron Samedi, in an episode of Grimm (2011). One of his most poignant roles came near the end as the estranged father of Luke Cage (2016). Not long after, Reg E. Cathey passed away as a result of lung cancer in February 2018 at the untimely age of just 59, never having had the chance of fulfilling his longstanding ambition to play a baritone saxophonist.August 18, 1958 – February 9, 2018
Baritone-voiced actor known for his Emmy-winning role as Freddy Hayes on the Netflix drama 'House of Cards' and for his roles on the HBO dramas 'The Wire' and 'Oz' as Norman Wilson and Martin Querns, respectively- Actor
- Soundtrack
John Gavin, the American film and TV actor, businessman and diplomat who was Ronald Reagan's first Ambassador to Mexico, was born Juan Vincent Apablasa in Los Angeles, California.
The future "Jack" Gavin was a fifth-generation Angeleno, the son of Delia Diana Pablos and Juan Vincent Apablasa, and was of Mexican, Chilean, and Spanish ancestry, a descendant of early landowners in Spanish California and the powerful Pablos family of the Mexican state of Sonora. His stepfather was Herald Ray Golenor. John had a fluency in Spanish that aided him in his career in diplomacy. He graduated with honors from Stanford University, majoring in Latin American economic history. "Law, Latin America and diplomacy were my early interests," Gavin later remembered. Too young to participate in World War II, he did serve in the military during the Korean Conflict. He was commissioned an officer in the U.S. Navy in 1952, where he served in naval air intelligence until his 1955 discharge. After his hitch in the Navy, Universal -- the home studio of 6'5" heartthrob Rock Hudson, who was on his way to becoming the top box office star in America -- offered the 6'4" Gavin a screen-test and a contract with the studio. Studio bosses always liked internal competition to keep the pressure on their major stars; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer signed Robert Taylor as a young backup to the King of Hollywood Clark Gable, and similarly, Gavin was positioned as the "next Rock Hudson".
Tall, dark and handsome, Gavin debuted in Behind the High Wall (1956), and three years later, in 1959, he had his first major lead in Douglas Sirk's remake of Imitation of Life (1959) opposite Lana Turner. Sirk, whose Ross Hunter-produced melodramas of the mid-1950's made Hudson a superstar, first directed Gavin in the role of a German soldier in his adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque's A Time to Love and a Time to Die (1958) the year before. Imitation of Life (1959), which was produced by Ross Hunter in his typical lavish style, was a huge hit. Gavin was on the road to becoming a major Hudson-style heart-throb, it seemed.
The following year, Gavin achieved cinematic immortality by appearing in two classics in supporting roles, as Sam Loomis in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) and as Julius Caesar in Stanley Kubrick's Spartacus (1960). Of Psycho (1960) and Spartacus (1960), he has said, "I didn't have an inkling they would be classics. Had I realized that, perhaps I would have paid more attention." The momentum of his cinema career petered out after appearing opposite Susan Hayward in the 1961 remake of Fannie Hurst's Back Street (1961), though he did move on to star in two television series during the 1960s, Destry (1964) and Convoy (1965). Both series were produced by companies that were subsidiaries of the Universal-M.C.A., Revue Studios and Universal TV, created by the legendary agent and studio boss Lew Wasserman, the éminence grise behind Ronald Reagan's movie, TV and political careers. More importantly, in 1961, he was appointed special adviser to the secretary general of the Organization of American States, a position he held until 1973. He also performed task-group work for the Department of State and the Executive Office of the President. From 1966 to 1973, he also served on the board of the Screen Actors Guild and was guild president from 1971-1973. For the next eight years, he was engaged in business activities, many of which took him to Mexico and other Latin American countries. The producers of the James Bond series signed him to replace George Lazenby as James Bond in Diamonds Are Forever (1971), until they convinced Sean Connery to reprise the role with a $1 million charitable contribution and a $1 million salary. Thus, Gavin lost out on what could have been his career break into the big-time. However, he did not lament the loss of the role. If he had been a more successful actor, it "might have prevented me from fulfilling my real childhood dream: to be U.S. ambassador to Mexico."
During the 1970s, Gavin made some more movies, toured in summer stock in a production of The Fantasticks (Gavin has a fine baritone voice), and appeared on Broadway and in the touring show of the musical Seesaw (1973). He ended the decade by starring in TV mini-series Doctors' Private Lives (1979); he left show business to pursue business interests. The 1980s brought America a new president, and on May 7, 1981, Republican Gavin was appointed Ambassador to Mexico by President Reagan, serving until June 10, 1986. The American diplomatic mission in Mexico, one of the largest in the world, employed more than 1,000 American and Mexican employees tasked by over a dozen U.S. government agencies in consulates and offices throughout Mexico.
Gavin married the former stage and television actress Constance Towers in 1974. Each partner had two children from previous marriages. Gavin's daughter, Christina Gavin, followed in his footsteps and became an actress.
Since leaving government service, Gavin has become a successful businessman and civic leader, co-founding and managing successful ventures in the U.S. and Latin America. In 1986, Gavin was named president of Univisa Satellite Communications, a subsidiary of Univisa, Inc. He is founder/chairman of Gamma Holdings and serves on the boards of Apex Mortgage Capital, International Wire Holdings, and KKFC. Inc, and is a trustee and director of certain Merrill Lynch mutual funds. He is also a member of the Latin America Strategy Board of Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst. Previously he was a managing director and partner of Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst (Latin America) as well as a director of Atlantic Richfield (where he had served as vice president of federal and international relations). He also served on the boards of Dresser Industries, Claxson and several other major corporations. Gavin also serves on the boards of several non-profit corporations, pro bono, including The Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA, Loyola Marymount University, and the California Community Foundation. Gavin also is a member of the Congressional Policy Advisory Board as a defense and foreign policy expert.
Gavin served as founding Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Century Council's from May 1991 until December 1994, then served on the Council's Advisory Board until 1996. The Century Council, a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting alcohol abuse, focuses on drunk driving and underage drinking problems and is supported by America's leading distillers.
John died on February 9, 2018 in Beverly Hills.April 8, 1931 – February 9, 2018
Handsome actor best known for his roles as Steve Archer in Douglas Sirk's 'Imitation of Life' (1959), Julius Caesar in Stanley Kubrick's 'Spartacus' (1960) and Sam Loomis in Alfred Hitchcock's 'Psycho' (1960)- Actor
- Producer
Nebojsa Glogovac was born on 30 August 1969 in Trebinje, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yugoslavia. He was an actor and producer, known for South Wind (2018), Huddersfield (2007) and Sky Hook (2000). He was married to Milica Scepanovic and Mina Glogovac. He died on 9 February 2018 in Belgrade, Serbia.August 30, 1969 – February 9, 2018- Composer
- Music Department
- Writer
Jóhann Jóhannsson was born on 19 September 1969 in Reykjavík, Iceland. He was a composer and writer, known for Last and First Men (2020), The Theory of Everything (2014) and Sicario (2015). He died on 9 February 2018 in Berlin, Germany.September 19, 1969 – February 2018 (body found on February 9, 2018)
Innovative, Oscar-nominated composer who scored such films as Denis Villeneuve's 'Prisoners' (2013), 'Sicario' (2015) and 'Arrival' (2016) and James Marsh's 'The Theory of Everything' (2014)