RIP 2017

by mjm2273 | created - 06 Nov 2017 | updated - 05 Jan 2018 | Public

Entertainment personalities who passed away this year

1. Tom Petty

Actor | The Postman

Thomas Earl Petty was an American musician and actor who was the lead vocalist and guitarist of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, formed in 1976. He previously led the band Mudcrutch, was a member of the late 1980s super-group the Traveling Wilburys, and had success as a solo artist.

Petty had many ...

2. Mary Tyler Moore

Actress | Ordinary People

Mary Tyler Moore was born in Flatbush, Brooklyn, on December 29, 1936. Moore's family relocated to California when she was eight. Her childhood was troubled, due in part to her mother's alcoholism. The eldest of three siblings, she attended a Catholic high school and married upon her graduation, in...

3. Chris Cornell

Soundtrack | Casino Royale

Chris Cornell was a rock icon who thrived on contradictions. An innovator who resisted genre labels, he was nonetheless a chief architect of the 90s grunge movement. Frequently ranked as one of the best voices in music history, he successfully maintained his own unique identity over decades as a ...

4. Bill Paxton

Actor | Aliens

Bill Paxton was born on May 17, 1955 in Fort Worth, Texas. He was the son of Mary Lou (Gray) and John Lane Paxton, a businessman and actor (as John Paxton). Bill moved to Los Angeles, California at age eighteen, where he found work in the film industry as a set dresser for Roger Corman's New World ...

5. Chuck Berry

Soundtrack | Men in Black

Charles Edward Anderson Berry was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into the major elements that made rock and roll distinctive with songs such as "Maybellene" (1955), "Roll ...

6. Martin Landau

Actor | Ed Wood

Oscar-winning character actor Martin Landau was born on June 20, 1928, in Brooklyn, New York. At age 17, he was hired by the New York Daily News to work in the promotions department before he became a staff cartoonist and illustrator. In his five years on the paper, he served as the illustrator for ...

7. Chester Bennington

Soundtrack | Transformers

Chester Charles Bennington was born in Phoenix, Arizona, to Susan Elaine (Johnson), a nurse, and Lee Russell Bennington, a police detective. His parents divorced when he was 11 years old. He has two half sisters and a half brother. He attended Centennial High School at the beginning of his freshman...

8. Jonathan Demme

Director | The Silence of the Lambs

Jonathan Demme was born on February 22, 1944 in Baldwin, Long Island, New York, USA. He was a director and producer, known for The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Rachel Getting Married (2008) and Philadelphia (1993). He was married to Joanne Howard and Evelyn Purcell. He died on April 26, 2017 in ...

9. Tobe Hooper

Director | The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

Honored with many awards for his films and achievement in the horror genre, Tobe Hooper is truly one of the Masters of Horror (2005).

Tobe Hooper was born in Austin, Texas, to Lois Belle (Crosby) and Norman William Ray Hooper, who owned a theater in San Angelo. He spent the 1960s as a college ...

10. Robert Osborne

Actor | One Step Beyond

Robert Osborne was the host on Turner Classic Movies from its inception in 1994, in large part due to his deep and abiding love and knowledge of film. Osborne got his start working for Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. The ever-perspicacious Ball suggested that Osborne combine his interest in classic ...

11. Glen Campbell

Soundtrack | True Grit

Glen Campbell was born on April 22, 1936 in Billstown, Arkansas, USA. He was a music artist and actor, known for True Grit (1969), Shindig! (1964) and Dark Phoenix (2019). He was married to Kim Campbell, Sarah Jan Barg, Billie Jean Nunley and Diane Marie Kirk. He died on August 8, 2017 in Nashville...

12. Hugh Hefner

Actor | Miss March

Hugh Hefner was born on April 9, 1926 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was a producer and actor, known for Miss March (2009), Hop (2011) and Beverly Hills Cop II (1987). He was married to Crystal Hefner, Kimberley Conrad and Mildred Williams. He died on September 27, 2017 in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles,...

13. Jerry Lewis

Actor | The Nutty Professor

Jerry Lewis (born March 16, 1926 - August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, film producer, screenwriter and film director. He is known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. He was originally paired up with Dean Martin in 1946, forming the famed comedy team ...

14. Danielle Darrieux

Actress | 8 femmes

Danielle Darrieux was born in 1917 in Bordeaux, France, to Marie-Louise (Witkowski) and Germain Jean Darrieux, a physician. She was raised in Paris. She was only fourteen when she auditioned for a secondary role in Le bal (1931): she got the part, and the producer offered her a five-year contract. ...

15. Jeanne Moreau

Actress | Jules et Jim

When people gave Louis Malle credit for making a star of Jeanne Moreau in Elevator to the Gallows (1958) immediately followed by The Lovers (1958), he would point out that Moreau by that time had already been "recognized as the prime stage actress of her generation." She had made it to the Comédie ...

16. Fats Domino

Soundtrack | The Blues Brothers

Antoine Dominique Domino Jr. (February 26, 1928 - October 24, 2017), known as Fats Domino, was an American pianist and singer-songwriter. One of the pioneers of rock and roll music, Domino sold more than 65 million records. Born in New Orleans to a French Creole family, Domino signed to Imperial ...

17. Roger Moore

Actor | Moonraker

Roger Moore will perhaps always be remembered as the man who replaced Sean Connery in the James Bond series, arguably something he never lived down.

Roger George Moore was born on October 14, 1927 in Stockwell, London, England, the son of Lillian (Pope) and George Alfred Moore, a policeman. His ...

18. John Hurt

Actor | Nineteen Eighty-Four

One of stage, screen and TV's finest transatlantic talents, slight, gravel-voiced, pasty-looking John Vincent Hurt was born on January 22, 1940, in Shirebrook, a coal mining village, in Derbyshire, England. The youngest child of Phyllis (Massey), an engineer and one-time actress, and Reverend ...

19. Richard Hatch

Actor | Battlestar Galactica

Born in Santa Monica, California, USA, Richard Hatch was studying classical piano at the age of eight, and knew he wanted to carve out a career as a performer before he reached his teens. After attending Harbor College in San Pedro, he joined a Los Angeles repertory company with which he traveled ...

20. Barbara Hale

Actress | Perry Mason

Barbara Hale was born on April 18, 1922 in DeKalb, Illinois, to Wilma (née Colvin) and Luther Ezra Hale, a landscape gardener. She had one sister, Juanita. As a young girl, she intended to major in art and drawing but to work her way through The Chicago Academy of Fine Arts, she began her ...

21. Don Rickles

Actor | Kelly's Heroes

Donald Jay Rickles was born May 8, 1926 in New York. Following the Golden Era of Hollywood, he remained active until early 2017. He got his start in night clubs, toiling for over 20 years, until 1958, when he made his film debut in Run Silent Run Deep (1958). The movie was a big hit. Afterward, ...

22. Dina Merrill

Actress | BUtterfield 8

It would have been pretty difficult for willowy actress/model Dina Merrill to have pulled off playing a commoner on stage, film or TV in her day. She reeked of elegance and class. The epitome of style, poise and glamour, the New York-born socialite and celebrity was born Nedenia Marjorie Hutton on ...

23. Troy Gentry

Soundtrack | Best of CMT Music Awards

Troy Gentry was born on April 5, 1967 in Lexington, Kentucky, USA. He was married to Angie McClure and Kia Bradley Gentry. He died on September 8, 2017 in Medford, New Jersey, USA.

24. Don Williams

Soundtrack | Smokey and the Bandit II

Don Williams was born on May 27, 1939 in Floydada, Texas, USA. He was a music artist and actor, known for Smokey and the Bandit II (1980), W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings (1975) and The Wendell Baker Story (2005). He was married to Joy Bucher. He died on September 8, 2017 in Mobile, Alabama, USA.

25. Miguel Ferrer

Actor | Traffic

Miguel Ferrer was an American actor known for playing Morton from RoboCop, Shan Yu from Mulan, Martian Manhunter from Justice League: The New Frontier, Slade Wilson from Teen Titans: The Judas Contract, Death from Adventure Time, Sesa Refumee from Halo 2 and Vice President Rodriguez from Iron Man 3...

26. Lola Albright

Actress | Peter Gunn

Lola Jean Albright was born on July 20, 1924 in Akron, Ohio, the daughter of John Paul Albright and Marion Harvey, both of whom were gospel singers. She worked as a model before moving to Hollywood in the mid-1940s, studied piano for 20 years and worked as a receptionist at radio station WAKR in ...

27. June Foray

Actress | Mulan

Legendary voice actress June Foray was born June Lucille Forer on September 18, 1917 in Springfield, Massachusetts, to Maurice Forer and Ida Edith Robinson, who wed in Hampden, Massachusetts. Her father, who was Jewish, emigrated from Novgorod, Imperial Russia, while her Massachusetts-born mother ...

28. Roger Smith

Actor | Auntie Mame

Debonair, dark-haired, exceedingly handsome Roger LaVerne Smith was born in South Gate, California to Dallas and Leone Smith on December 18, 1932. At age 6, his parents enrolled him at a professional school for singing, elocution and dancing lessons. By age 12, the family moved to Nogales, Arizona,...

29. Erin Moran

Actress | Joanie Loves Chachi

Born in Burbank, California, USA on October 18, 1960, Erin Moran was the youngest daughter of Sharon and Edward Moran, who have five other children. She attended Walter Reed Junior High School for one year and North Hollywood High School for another year. Her first professional acting job was in a ...

30. Robert Guillaume

Actor | Benson

Robert Peter Williams Guillaume was an actor from St. Louis, Missouri who was known for playing Rafiki from The Lion King, Benson DuBois from Soap and Benson, and Nathan Detroit from Guys and Dolls. He had five children from two marriages. He passed away in October 24, 2017 due to prostate cancer ...

31. Harry Dean Stanton

Actor | Lucky

Stanton was born in West Irvine, Kentucky, to Ersel (Moberly), a cook, and Sheridan Harry Stanton, a barber and tobacco farmer. He lived in Lexington, Kentucky and graduated from Lafayette Senior High School with the class of 1944. Drafted into the Navy, he served as a cook in the U.S. Navy during ...

32. Jay Thomas

Actor | The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause

Jay Thomas was born in Kermit, Texas, to Katherine (Guzzino), a tap-dancing South Louisiana belle of Italian descent, and T. Harry Terrell, Sr., an oil man. Reared in New Orleans, he was always active in sports and performing. He won his first award as emcee of the Jesuit High School talent show. ...

33. Della Reese

Actress | Touched by an Angel

Della began singing in her hometown of Detroit when she was 6 years old. As a teenager, she toured with gospel great Mahalia Jackson and, at the age of 18, she formed the Meditation Singers and became the first performer to take gospel music to the casinos of Las Vegas. She was a vocalist with the ...

34. Glenne Headly

Actress | Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

For fourteen years, she said that family was the most important thing to her and she set most of her time aside to be a "present" mother to her son. Movies, plays and television were chosen, for the most part, when they occurred in town or on a school break. She took one year to homeschool her son ...

35. Dick Gregory

Actor | The Hot Chick

Dick Gregory was born on October 12, 1932 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for The Hot Chick (2002), The Leisure Seeker (2017) and Reno 911! (2003). He was married to Lillian Gregory. He died on August 19, 2017 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA.

36. Sam Shepard

Actor | August: Osage County

Sam Shepard was born Samuel Shepard Rogers in Fort Sheridan, IL, to Jane Elaine (Schook), a teacher, and Samuel Shepard Rogers, a teacher and farmer who was also in the army. As the eldest son of a US Army officer (and WWII bomber pilot), Shepard spent his early childhood moving from base to base ...

37. John Heard

Actor | The Guardian

John Heard was a very talented actor who established himself as a respected thespian in the late 1970s and early '80s, though he is perhaps better known for his turn as Peter McCallister, Kevin McCallister's (Macaulay Culkin) father in the Home Alone (1990) movies.

John was born in Washington, D.C.,...

38. Nelsan Ellis

Actor | Get on Up

Nelsan Ellis was an award-winning American film and television actor and playwright, perhaps best known as Lafayette Reynolds on HBO's True Blood (2008).

Nelsan was born on November 30, 1977, in Harvey, Illinois, the son of Jackie Ellis and Tommie Lee Thompson. Following his parents' divorce, Ellis ...

39. Michael Nyqvist

Actor | Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Born Rolf Åke Mikael Nyqvist in Stockholm, Sweden, it wasn't until he was over a year old when he was finally adopted from the orphanage he had been given to. His father was a lawyer and his mother a writer. It wasn't until he had his first child that he decided to seek out his biological parents. ...

40. Stevie Ryan

Actress | The Heavy Show

Actress and writer Stevie Ryan was born and raised in the small town of Victorville, California. She made the move to Los Angeles at the age of 19 to pursue her dreams in the entertainment industry. An innate go-getter equipped with a tenacious work ethic, she hit the ground running, booking and ...

41. Prodigy

Soundtrack | Bulworth

Prodigy was born on November 2, 1974 in Hempstead, New York, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for Bulworth (1998), Any Given Sunday (1999) and 8 Mile (2002). He was married to Ikesha Dudley. He died on June 20, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

42. John G. Avildsen

Director | Rocky

John G. Avildsen was born on December 21, 1935 in Oak Park, Illinois, USA. He was a director and editor, known for Rocky (1976), The Karate Kid Part III (1989) and Rocky V (1990). He was married to Tracy Brooks Swope and Marie Olga Maturevich. He died on June 16, 2017 in Los Angeles, California, ...

43. Adam West

Actor | Batman

Adam West was born William West Anderson on September 19, 1928 in Walla Walla, Washington, to parents Otto West Anderson, a farmer, and his wife Audrey V. (Speer), an opera singer. At age 10, in 1938, West had a cache of comic books; and starting in 1939, Batman, who appeared in Detective Comics, ...

44. Roger Ailes

Producer | The Mike Douglas Show

Roger Eugene Ailes was born in Warren, Ohio, the son of Donna Marie and Robert Eugene Ailes, a factory foreman at a local factory. Later in life, Roger Ailes was inducted into the Warren High School Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame.

Roger Ailes graduated from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio with a ...

45. Brad Grey

Producer | The Departed

Brad Grey was born on December 29, 1957 in The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. He was a producer and writer, known for The Departed (2006), The Sopranos (1999) and The Larry Sanders Show (1992). He was married to Cassandra Huysentuyt and Jill Gutterson. He died on May 14, 2017 in Holmby Hills,...

46. Powers Boothe

Actor | Sudden Death

Incisive, gravelly-voiced screen tough guy Powers Boothe was born on June 1, 1948 in Snyder, Texas, a sharecropper's son. Used to hard physical work "chopping cotton" as a youngster, he went on to become the first member of his family to attend university. He then proceeded to study acting via a ...

47. Chris Boykin

Writer | Rob & Big

Chris Boykin was born on January 13, 1972 in Raleigh, Mississippi, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for Rob & Big (2006), Sk8 Life (2006) and Skate. (2007). He was married to Shannon. He died on May 9, 2017 in Plano, Texas, USA.

48. Charlie Murphy

Actor | Norbit

Charlie Murphy was born on July 12, 1959 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Norbit (2007), Night at the Museum (2006) and Chappelle's Show (2003). He was married to Tisha Taylor Murphy. He died on April 12, 2017 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, ...

49. Darlene Cates

Actress | What's Eating Gilbert Grape

Cates' acting career ignited after she appeared on an episode of Sally Jessy Raphael (1983), titled "Too Heavy to Leave Their House". Shortly after, author and screenwriter Peter Hedges proposed to her that she play Johnny Depp and Leonardo DiCaprio's morbidly obese and housebound mother in What's ...

50. Chuck Barris

Writer | The Gong Show Movie

Chuck Barris was born on June 3, 1929 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was a producer and writer, known for The Gong Show Movie (1980), Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002) and X: First Class (2011). He was married to Mary Clagett Kane, Robin Altman and Lynne Frances Levy. He died on March ...

51. Michael Mantenuto

Actor | Miracle

Michael Mantenuto was born on May 13, 1981 in Holliston, Massachusetts, USA. He was an actor, known for Miracle (2004), Surfer, Dude (2008) and Dirtbags (2006). He was married to Kati Vienneau. He died on April 24, 2017 in Des Moines, Washington, USA.

52. Joseph Wapner

Self | The People's Court

Joseph Wapner was born on November 15, 1919 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for The People's Court (1981), Sliders (1995) and Malcolm & Eddie (1996). He was married to Mildred (Mickey) Nebenzahl. He died on February 26, 2017 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

53. Neil Fingleton

Actor | X: First Class

Neil Fingleton was born on December 18, 1980 in Durham, England, UK. He was an actor, known for X: First Class (2011), 47 Ronin (2013) and Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). He died on February 25, 2017 in London, England, UK.

54. Gregg Allman

Soundtrack | Jack Reacher

Gregg LeNoir Allman was NOT primarily known for being an actor, he was a musician, songwriter and singer that formed the Allman Brothers Band with his brother Duane in 1969. His music appeared in the movie soundtracks of films such as Walking Tall (2004) and Jack Reacher (2012) and in the ...

55. Dick Gautier

Actor | Transformers

Dick Gautier was born on October 30, 1931 in Culver City, California, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for The Transformers (1984), G.I. Joe (1985) and Get Smart (1965). He was married to Tess Hightower, Barbara Stuart and Beverly J. Gerber. He died on January 13, 2017 in Arcadia, California,...

56. Jimmy Snuka

Actor | WWWF Championship Wrestling

Jimmy Snuka is a classic example of the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) (formerly known as World Wrestling Federation (WWF)) bad guy who became a baby-face (a good guy) without trying. Originally a "heel", he came into the WWE under the guidance of heel manager Capt. Lou Albano. After receiving...

57. William Peter Blatty

Writer | The Exorcist

William Peter Blatty was born on January 7, 1928 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for The Exorcist (1973), The Exorcist III (1990) and The Ninth Configuration (1980). He was married to Julie Alicia Witbrodt, Linda Blatty, Elizabeth Gilman and Mary Margaret Rigard. ...

58. Tony Rosato

Actor | Night Heat

Tony Rosato was born on December 26, 1954 in Naples, Campania, Italy. He was an actor and writer, known for Night Heat (1985), SCTV (1976) and Seeds of Doubt (1998). He was married to Leah Murray. He died on January 10, 2017 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

59. Buddy Greco

Soundtrack | It Runs in the Family

Singer, composer songwriter, and pianist who conducted his own trio from 1944 to 1949 and thereafter performed with, and arranged for, the Benny Goodman orchestra into 1952. He sang in theatres and night clubs, and made many records. Joining ASCAP in 1957, his popular-song compositions include "...

60. Om Puri

Actor | The Hundred-Foot Journey

Om Puri was an Indian actor who has appeared in both mainstream Indian films and art films. His credits also include appearances in British and American films. He has received an honorary OBE.

Puri was born in Ambala, Haryana. His father worked on the railways and served in the Indian Army. Puri ...

61. Francine York

Actress | The Family Man

Francine York was born in the small mining town of Aurora, Minnesota to her parents, Frank and Sophie Yerich. When Francine was five, her family (including her younger sister, Deanne) moved to Cleveland, where she began to write short stories and take an interest in acting. At age nine, Francine ...

62. Dennis Banks

Actor | The Last of the Mohicans

Dennis Banks was born on April 12, 1937 in Leech Lake Indian Reservation, Minnesota, USA. He was an actor, known for The Last of the Mohicans (1992), War Party (1988) and Desert Haiku (2014). He died on October 29, 2017 in Rochester, Minnesota, USA.

63. Bernie Casey

Actor | Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure

Bernie Casey was born on June 8, 1939 in Wyco, West Virginia, USA. He was an actor and director, known for Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989), Never Say Never Again (1983) and Revenge of the Nerds (1984). He was married to Paula. He died on September 19, 2017 in Los Angeles, California, ...

64. Madge Meredith

Actress | The Falcon's Adventure

On June 30, 1947, Madge Meredith was convicted and sentenced to prison for 5 years to life for complicity in an assault of her former manager, Nicholas D. Gianaclis, and his bodyguard, Verne V. Davis. Gianaclis and Davis testified that were beaten, kidnapped, and robbed by a group of men as they ...

65. Bob Schiller

Writer | Maude

Bob Schiller was born on November 8, 1918 in San Francisco, California, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for Maude (1972), All in the Family (1971) and Flip (1970). He was married to Sabrina Scharf and Joyce Gloria Harris. He died on October 10, 2017 in Pacific Palisades, California, USA.

66. Bradley Joseph

Actor | A Cinderella Story

Brad was raised in Southern California. He graduated from El Toro high school in 2001. He then moved to Los Angeles to pursue a film career training extensively with his acting coaches. In addition to acting, Brad is a high level basketball player and fitness practitioner. His dedication to health ...

67. Ralphie May

Actor | For da Love of Money

Ralphie May was born on February 17, 1972 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for For da Love of Money (2002), Cubed (2009) and Whoopi (2003). He was married to Lahna Turner. He died on October 6, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

68. Elena Verdugo

Actress | Marcus Welby, M.D.

Most baby-boomers remember actress Elena Verdugo from her pleasant, plain but rather dowdy Emmy-nominated role as "Consuelo Lopez", the altruistic assistant and sometime aide-de-camp to Robert Young's general practitioner for several seasons on the popular Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969) dramatic series....

69. Monty Hall

Producer | Let's Make a Deal

Monty Hall was born Maurice Halperin on August 25, 1921 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Manitoba in 1945. He's the father of Tony Award winner Joanna Gleason, television writer/director Sharon Hall, and Emmy Award winner ...

70. Warren Frost

Actor | Twin Peaks

Born and raised in upstate Vermont, Warren Frost left home at age 17 to enlist in the United States Navy during World War II, serving aboard the destroyer escort USS Borum (DE-790) in Europe during the Normandy landings. After his service, he worked mainly in theater. He had a doctorate in theater ...

71. Jack Bannon

Actor | Little Big Man

Jack Bannon was born on June 14, 1940 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Little Big Man (1970), L.A. Heat (1996) and Hard Vice (1994). He was married to Ellen Travolta and Kathleen Larkin. He died on October 25, 2017 in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, USA.

72. Roy Dotrice

Actor | Hellboy II: The Golden Army

The ever-impressive, chameleon-like British character actor Roy Dotrice was born on the Island of Guernsey, which is part of the United Kingdom, one of the Channel Islands off the coast of France. He was the first-born child of Louis and Neva Dotrice who prospered as bakers. The Germans occupied ...

73. Barbara Cook

Actress | Thumbelina

Barbara Cook is best-loved and remembered for her work on the Broadway stage. An amazing singer and refreshingly impulsive actress, she made her debut at age 23 in the musical "Flahooley". Roles in "Plain and Fancy" and, the most famous flop of all time, "Candide" followed. In 1957, she created her...

74. Brent Briscoe

Actor | Mulholland Dr.

After graduating from the University of Missouri, Brent Briscoe began his career as an apprentice at The Burt Reynolds Jupiter Theatre in 1985. Thereafter, he spent several years on the road, starring in the theatrical productions "Greater Tuna" and "A Tuna Christmas." In 1994, he switched gears ...

75. Rosemary Leach

Actress | A Room with a View

English character actress with a penchant for genteel aristocrats and kindly mothers. The daughter of teachers, she "spent some time selling shoes in Reading" before entering the acting profession. Aged eighteen, she studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and made her debut in repertory ...

76. John Dunsworth

Actor | Trailer Park Boys

John Dunsworth was born in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, not far from the sea where he would spend much of his time on his yacht when not working. John was one of Halifax's most venerable and revered actors, appearing in countless CBC radio dramas and held leading roles in over 25 Neptune Theatre ...

77. Federico Luppi

Actor | Cronos

Federico Luppi was born on February 23, 1934 in Ramallo, Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was an actor and director, known for Cronos (1992), The Devil's Backbone (2001) and Pan's Labyrinth (2006). He was married to Susana Hornos and Haydée Padilla. He died on October 20, 2017 in Buenos Aires, Federal ...

78. Jean Rochefort

Actor | L'homme du train

French character star Jean Rochefort expressed an interest in acting early in life. Born in 1930, he trained at the Paris Conservatoire but had to halt his studies due to military service. Relocating to Paris, he developed a minor name for himself in cabaret and stage plays. He also worked with the...

79. Elizabeth Baur

Actress | Lancer

This lovely, blue-eyed Los Angeles native had a brief but successful television career in the 1970s. Her ancestors, going back five generations, boasted well-established roots in California. They were one of the wealthiest families before selling off vast real estate holdings in Encino and Beverly ...

80. Sabrina

Actress | Stock Car

Sabrina was born on May 19, 1936 in Stockport, Cheshire, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Stock Car (1955), Satan in High Heels (1962) and The Ice House (1969). She was married to Harold Melsheimer. She died on November 24, 2016 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA.

81. Jimmy Piersall

Writer | Fear Strikes Out

Two-time All-Star Jimmy Piersall was an artist with the glove in his 17-year career in the American League, mostly as a center fielder. An outstanding high school athlete in baseball and basketball, the 18-year-old Piersall was signed as a free agent by the Boston Red Sox. After two seasons in the ...

82. Y.A. Tittle

Actor | Any Given Sunday

Y.A. Tittle was born on October 24, 1926 in Marshall, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for Any Given Sunday (1999), The NFL on CBS (1956) and What's My Line? (1950). He was married to Minette DeLoach. He died on October 8, 2017 in Stanford, California, USA.

83. Ty Hardin

Actor | PT 109

Though born in New York City, Ty was raised in Texas and, after military service during the Korean War, took some classes at Texas A&M. He then moved west to California and won some minor roles in B movies. When TV's Clint Walker insisted on improvements in his Cheyenne (1955) contract, Warner ...

84. Robert Hardy

Actor | Sense and Sensibility

One of England's most successful and enduring character actors, with a prolific screen career on television and in films, Robert Hardy was acclaimed for his versatility and the depth of his performances.

Born in Cheltenham in 1925, he studied at Oxford University and, in 1949, he joined the ...

85. Haruo Nakajima

Actor | Shichinin no samurai

Haruo Nakajima was born on January 1, 1929 in Yamagata, Japan. He was an actor, known for Seven Samurai (1954), Godzilla (1954) and Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972). He died on August 7, 2017 in Japan.

86. Don Baylor

Self | 1973 American League Championship Series

Don Baylor, the 1979 American League Most Valuable Player, racked up 2,135 hits, 360 home runs, and 1,276 runs batted in in his 19-year career as a player, which began in 1970 when the 21-year old Baylor came up with the soon-to-be World's Champion Baltimore Orioles for a cup of coffee. His career ...

87. Joseph Bologna

Actor | The Big Bus

Before signing with director Stanley Donen to play Michael Caine's libidinous best friend in Blame It on Rio (1984), Joe Bologna netted rave reviews for his Sid Caesar send-up in the well-received comedy My Favorite Year (1982) with Peter O'Toole. Well known as both a writer and an actor, Bologna ...

88. Andrzej Blumenfeld

Actor | Delivery Man

Andrzej Blumenfeld was born on August 12, 1951 in Zabrze, Slaskie, Poland. He was an actor, known for Delivery Man (2013), The Pianist (2002) and Mute (2018). He died on August 14, 2017 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.

89. Jennifer Daniel

Actress | Wuthering Heights

Blonde Welsh leading actress who spent the majority of her career working in television. Her rare forays to the big screen resulted in two of the more intense heroines inhabiting the world of Hammer horror in the 60's. On both occasions she appeared opposite Noel Willman: as one of his victims in ...

90. Anne Jeffreys

Actress | Riffraff

The ever-lovely, poised and vivacious blonde Anne Jeffreys was born Annie Jeffreys Carmichael in 1923 in Goldsboro, North Carolina. Firmly managed by her mother, she trained in voice at a fairly early age and received her first break in the entertainment field after signing with the John Robert ...

91. Jon Shepodd

Actor | What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

Jon Shepodd was born on December 19, 1925 in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. He was an actor, known for What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), The Power of the Resurrection (1958) and Lassie (1954). He died on August 16, 2017 in London, England, UK.

92. Sonny Landham

Actor | Predator

An actor with a powerful physique, booming voice and who has played several "Native American" characters, Sonny Landham first broke into mainstream film with a bit part as a police officer in the subway. He ends up getting tripped when Michael Beck throws the baseball bat at his legs, in Walter ...

93. Bruce Forsyth

Actor | Bedknobs and Broomsticks

Veteran entertainer Sir Bruce Forsyth had a career spanning eight decades, in which he went from struggling variety performer to Saturday night TV stardom. On the way, he became one of the most recognisable entertainers in the business, driven by what appeared to be inexhaustible energy. He became ...

94. Bea Wain

Soundtrack | One Hour Photo

One of the great big band vocalists of the swing era was born Beatrice Weinsier in New York City on April 30 1917. Bea began singing from the age of five, first spotlighted on NBC's Horn and Hardart Children's Hour (where she was paid the princely sum of 2$ per broadcast). Her first noteworthy gig ...

95. Thomas Meehan

Writer | Spaceballs

Thomas Meehan was born on August 14, 1929 in Ossining, New York, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for Spaceballs (1987), The Producers (2005) and Hairspray (2007). He was married to Carolyn and Karen. He died on August 21, 2017 in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.

96. Viola Harris

Actress | The Other Guys

Viola Harris was born on September 19, 1920 in Bronx, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for The Other Guys (2010), Choke (2008) and Sex and the City 2 (2010). She was married to Robert H. Harris. She died on August 23, 2017 in New York City, New York, USA.

97. Frank Vincent

Actor | Goodfellas

"Go home and get your shine box....", so said ill-fated Billy Batts in Goodfellas (1990). However, Billy Batts is better known to a legion of crime-film fans as the talented actor, musician, and comedian Frank Vincent. He was born in North Adams, Massachusetts, but was raised in the Greenville ...

98. Frank Pellegrino

Actor | Goodfellas

Frank Pellegrino was born on May 19, 1944 in East Harlem, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor and producer, known for Goodfellas (1990), Mickey Blue Eyes (1999) and Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993). He was married to Josephine Nicita. He died on January 31, 2017 in Manhattan, New York City...

99. Jean Rouverol

Actress | It's a Gift

Jean Rouverol was born on July 8, 1916 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. She was a writer and actress, known for It's a Gift (1934), Bar 20 Rides Again (1935) and Guiding Light (1952). She was married to Hugo Butler. She died on March 24, 2017 in Wingdale, New York, USA.

100. Karin Dor

Actress | You Only Live Twice

Born Kätherose Derr in Wiesbaden, Karin Dor studied acting and ballet at school and began in films as an extra. The attractive redhead made an indelible impression on Austrian director Harald Reinl (who became her first husband in 1954) and this paved the way to higher profile roles. Her first ...



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