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- Actress
- Make-Up Department
- Writer
Lisa Loring was an American actress and former child model. She is primarily known for having played Wednesday Addams in the comedy-horror sitcom "The Addams Family" (1964-1966). The sitcom was the first screen adaptation of the comic strip "The Addams Family" (1938-1988) by Charles Addams, which featured a wealthy aristocratic clan who took delight in the macabre. Wednesday was the perpetually gloomy daughter of the family in the comic strip. Loring's version of the character was sweet-natured, but eccentric. This version of Wednesday owned a collection of decapitated dolls, and named her favorite doll after Marie Antoinette, the executed Queen of France. Wednesday raised spiders as a hobby.
In 1958, Loring was born on the Kwajalein Atoll, the southernmost of the Marshall Islands. The island is located about 2,100 nautical miles (3,900 kilometers; 2,400 miles) southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii. It has hosted an American naval base since World War II. Her parents were both personnel of the United States Navy. Loring's parents separated shortly after her birth, and Judith Loring (Loring's mother) received custody of Loring. Lisa Loring was initially raised in Hawaii, before moving with her mother to Los Angeles.
In 1961, Loring started working as a child model. She eventually took a few acting roles, and reportedly guest starred in a 1964 episode of the medical drama "Dr. Kildare". When cast to play Wednesday in "The Addams Family", Loring was only 6-years-old. It was her first regular role in television. The series lasted for 2 seasons and 64 episodes, ending in 1966.
Loring was cast in the role of Susan "Suzy" Pruitt in the short-lived sitcom "The Pruitts of Southampton" (1966-1967). The sitcom was the brainchild of David Levy, who had previously produced "The Addams Family". The series used much of the former cast of "The Addams Family". The premise of this sitcom was that the Pruitts were a formerly wealthy family who still lived in an aristocratic mansion in the Hamptons. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) had found out about their loss of wealth, but instructed them to maintain their pretensions of great wealth in order to avoid a potential loss of confidence in the financial system. Episodes revolved about the family's efforts to raise money while maintaining secrecy.
In 1973, aged 15, Loring married her boyfriend Farrell Foumberg. She gave birth to her daughter Vanessa that year. The couple divorced in 1974. Judith Loring died in 1974 from alcoholism. Lisa Loring had to provide for herself. She appeared infrequently in television films during the late 1970s. Loring was cast as Wednesday Sr. in the television film "Halloween with the New Addams Family" (1977). Wednesday was depicted in the film as having a look-alike younger sister, known as Wednesday junior (played by Jennifer Surprenant). In 1980, Loring joined the cast of the soap opera "As the World Turns". She portrayed Cricket Montgomery, a half-sister of the regular character Margo Montgomery Hughes. Loring continued appearing in the series until 1984.
In 1981, Loring married the soap opera actor Doug Stevenson. They had daughter Marianne early in their marriage, but received a divorce in 1983. Loring's acting career was in hiatus until she agreed to play in the slasher film "Blood Frenzy" (1987). Its premise was that a killer stalked the patients of psychiatrist Dr. Barbara Shelley (played by Wendy MacDonald) during their trip through a desert. The film's plot reportedly combined plot elements from the earlier films "Ten Little Indians" (1974) and "Friday the 13th" (1980). The film was an early attempt by pornographic film producer Hal Freeman to create his own horror films.
Loring was an uncredited co-writer in the pornographic film "Traci's Big Trick" (1987). She was introduced to porn actor Jerry Butler (born Paul David Siederman; 1959-2018), and they started dating. They were married within 1987, but their relationship was tumultuous. They divorced each other in 1992, following failed a number of failed attempts in reconciliation.
In 1988, Loring co-starred in the slasher film "Iced". Its premise was that a group of old friends has received invitations to a new ski resort. They reunite there, but are stalked by a killer who has mysterious ties to their past. Loring's performance and humorous dialogue were reportedly among the highlight of the film. But the film has a relatively poor reputation among horror fans, due to soap opera-like plot elements and an inconclusive ending to its mystery. It was her last notable role for several years.
By the early 1990s, Loring was feeling depressed due to the decline of her career and her poor relationship with her husband. She tried to self-medicate her condition, leading to a drug addiction. In 1991, Loring was the first person to discover the corpse of her friend Kelly Van Dyke, who had committed suicide by hanging. Loring was in a fragile state of mind. She made a suicide attempt not long after. In 1992, she went to rehab and beat her addiction. She gave a few interviews in the mid-1990s, but semi-retired from acting. She resumed her acting career in the mid-2010s, with appearances in two different horror films. In 2023, Lisa Loring died, aged 64.- Actor
- Producer
Andre "the Anti-Giant" Arruda was born in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, on March 11, 1983, and moved to Toronto in 2001 to attend Humber College's School of Comedy writing and Performance program. He was slightly more than 3 feet tall. Born with syndrome, a genetic disease associated with dwarfism that makes it difficult to walk.
He was hit by a car when he was driving his scooter (totaled) in 2008. Later, Andre did a fundraiser for a mobile scooter, dubbed "A-pod."
On the Internet, Andre had a series on "Vice" in 2015, "Standing Up With Andre Arruda". One of final projects is a documentary called ",Andre: The Anti-Giant" scheduled to hit the film festival circuit in 2017, and released online by Bravo Canada.
Refs Toronto Star "Andre 'Anti-Giant' Arruda was the 'little man who gave us some big laughs'" URL: https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/2017/01/30/andre-anti-giant-arruda-was-the-little-man-who-gave-us-some-big-laughs.html
Hollywood Reporter. "Andre Arruda, Actor and Comic, Dies at 33" URL: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/andre-arruda-dead-actor-comic-was-33-970588
Blog: : "Andre H. Arruda Was here" URL: http://www.antigiant.com/wordpress- Writer
- Actress
- Additional Crew
Grew up in Småland outside Vimmerby in the south of Sweden. Her first book came out in 1944, and she made a breakthrough the following year with the stories about Pippi Longstocking. Countless stories about Pippi and other characters of Astrid's imagination and excellent story telling ability were translated to at least 55 languages and told to millions of children all over the world. Many of the stories were adapted for TV and even the big screen. She moved to Stockholm early, and she died peacefully in her home after a brief illness on January 28, 2002 at the age of 94.- Benito Quinquela Martín was born on 1 March 1890 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was an actor, known for He nacido en la ribera (1972) and Buenos Aires en relieve (1954). He died on 28 January 1977 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- He was educated at Rugby where he became interested in acting. He spent a year in Canada studying agriculture then returned to England and taught at a prep school in Surrey. In 1950 he joined the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art and on completing the course joined and toured with Dundee Repertory Theatre.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Burt Mustin was a salesman most of his life, but got his first taste of show business as the host of a weekly radio variety show on KDKA Pittsburgh in 1921. He appeared onstage in "Detective Story" at Sombrero Playhouse in Phoenix Arizona, and played the janitor in the movie version, (Detective Story (1951)), after moving to Hollywood. Hundreds of screen appearances later, he announced his retirement while filming an episode of Phyllis (1975). In the episode, his character married Mother Dexter, played by actress Judith Lowry. Lowry died one month before, and Mustin died one month after the episode aired.- Composer
- Actor
- Soundtrack
César Isella was born on 20 October 1938 in Salta, Argentina. He was a composer and actor, known for La edad del sol (1999), Hasta donde llegan tus ojos (1995) and Retrato en vivo (1979). He died on 28 January 2021 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Charlita was born on 5 July 1921 in Lowell, Massachusetts, USA. She was an actress, known for Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla (1952), The Naked Dawn (1955) and Mission: Impossible (1966). She died on 28 January 1997 in Rancho Mirage, California, USA.- Chris Doleman was born on 16 October 1961 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. He was married to LaTresa Cunningham and Toni Marie Yuille. He died on 28 January 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Christopher Lewis was born on August 1, 1944 in Los Angeles, California, USA as Christopher Paul Lewis. He is a director and writer known for co-producing and directing the first feature films made exclusively for home video release; Blood Cult (1985), The Ripper (1986) and Revenge (1986).
He is co-producer and director of the television feature film Dan Turner, Hollywood Detective (1990), and documentary films produced by The Entertainment Group including; Still Swingin' (1994), The Psychic Connection: Exploring the Spiritual Link Between People and Animals (1998), Journey Down Route 66 (1994), Hauntings Across America (1996), Haunted Places (1997), and is an unaccredited co-screenwriter of "All The Kind Strangers" (1974).
He has been married to his producing partner Linda Lewis since May 29, 1976.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Cicely Tyson was born in Harlem, New York City, where she was raised by her devoutly religious parents, who had come from the Caribbean island of Nevis. Her mother Theodosia was a domestic worker and her her father William was a carpenter and painter. Tyson was discovered by a fashion editor at Ebony Magazine, and with her stunning looks she quickly rose to the top of the modeling industry. In 1957 she began acting in Off-Broadway productions. She had small roles in feature films before she was cast as Portia in The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1968). Four years later, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her sensational performance in the critically-acclaimed film Sounder (1972). In 1974, she went on to portray a 110-year-old former slave in The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974), which earned her two Emmy Awards. She also appeared in the television miniseries Roots (1977), King (1978), and A Woman Called Moses (1978). While Cicely has not appeared steadily onscreen because of her loyalty to solely portraying strong, positive images of Black women, she is definitely one of the most talented, beautiful actresses who ever graced stage or screen.- Coco Schumann was born on 14 May 1924 in Berlin, Germany. He was married to Gertraud Goldschmidt. He died on 28 January 2018 in Berlin, Germany.
- Diler Saraç was born in 1937 in Izmir, Turkey. She was an actress, known for King of the Doormen (1976), Birkaç Güzel Gün Için (1984) and Kin (1974). She died on 28 January 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey.
- Stalwart American actor Donald Adam May is best known to television viewers as dapper crime fighting District Attorney Adam Drake in the long-running mystery soap opera The Edge of Night (1956). Donald was born in Chicago, one of four siblings, to Texan oil businessman Harry S. May and his wife Leontine. He attended school in Houston, and, in 1949, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Oklahoma. His first professional acting gig was in a play with a stock company in Albany, New York. Donald subsequently appeared in a few promotional films for the Signal Corps and then enlisted in the U.S. Navy, eventually serving as a gunnery officer (ensign) on a destroyer during the Korean War. Following his demobilisation in 1955, he returned to New York to resume work on the repertory stage. The following year, he starred as a cadet in the CBS anthology TV series West Point (1956) (a show supposedly based on factual events). With a Warner Brothers contract in hand, Donald and his then wife (Yale graduate and former stage actress Ellen Cameron) relocated to Hollywood at the end of the decade. Henceforth, his rugged good looks were gainfully employed in essaying men of integrity, the 'white hat' wearers in westerns and crime dramas.
After appearing in an episode of Sugarfoot (1957), Donald played the lead in four segments of the western series Colt .45 (1957) (temporarily replacing Wayde Preston) and had further guest spots in 77 Sunset Strip (1958) and Cheyenne (1955). The next acting assignment -- his most prominent leading role to date -- was as New York reporter Pat Garrison, chronicling gangland crime in The Roaring 20's (1960). This prohibition era action series ran for two seasons and co-starred Dorothy Provine, Rex Reason and John Dehner. If it failed to do better in the ratings, it should be remembered that it was going up against and being compared to The Untouchables (1959) (which was being presented in a semi-documentary style and appeared to the viewing public as 'more authentic').
From the mid-60s, Donald May was probably one of the busiest actors in showbiz, dividing his time between the New York off-Broadway stage and acting on The Edge of Night, which was a New York-based live broadcast. By the time the series had run its course, Donald had managed to rack up an impressive 2840 episodes as Adam Drake over a period of ten years. Not finished with soaps yet, he later had further recurring roles in Falcon Crest (1981), and, as a romantic lead, in Texas (1980) (which starred his second wife, the actress Carla Borelli).
Donald retired from screen acting in 1993 and died at the age of 94 on January 28 2022. - American actress and performer Dyanne Thorne began her career in show business as a band vocalist and New York stage actress. Before breaking onto the silver screen, she was popular as a comedic sketch artist/talking foil. Comedy albums, with Allen & Rossi, Vaughn Meader and Loman & Barkley earned her appearances on many T.V variety shows such as "The Tonight Show", "Red Skelton", "Steve Allen", "Merv Griffin", and with Tim Conway at Caesar's Palace Hotel in Las Vegas.
Filmed in New York City, Dyanne Thorne's first major film role was in Norman C. Chaitin's Encounter (1965), which was also an early screen credit for Robert De Niro. Moving to Hollywood to appear on T.V.'s Star Trek (1966), and star as yet another villainess in Crown International's thriller Point of Terror (1971), opened the door to several more movie roles.
In 1975, Dyanne married composer, conductor, musician and actor Howard Maurer. She and husband Howard starred in five films together throughout the years. The duo also co-produced and starred in several Las Vegas Strip showroom productions over a span of three decades and their careers took them around the world. Both Dyanne and Howard returned to the screen in 2013 after a 25 year absence to star together in indie horror films House of Forbidden Secrets (2013) and House of the Witchdoctor (2013).
As an actress, Dyanne Thorne was best known for her characterisation of the heinous international dominatrix, soldier of fortune, Ilsa. After her debut as Ilsa in Ilsa: She Wolf of the SS (1975), she reprised the role in sequels Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks (1976), Ilsa the Tigress of Siberia (1977) and unofficial entry Ilsa, the Wicked Warden (1977) by director Jesús Franco. Her performance as Ilsa turned the series into a cult favourite amongst horror and exploitation fans, with Ilsa the Tigress of Siberia (1977) earning a special screening at Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival 2018. Following her film career, Dyanne, alongside husband Howard, served as a church ordained, non-denominational minister In Las Vegas. The husband and wife team created "A Scenic Outdoor Wedding" as an alternative to commercial chapel weddings, with couples travelling from across the globe to be married by "Ilsa". - Frank Biancamano was born on 16 October 1928 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for At Mother's Request (1987), The Death Collector (1976) and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999). He was married to Joanne McHugh. He died on 28 January 2022 in Englewood, New Jersey, USA.
- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Frantisek Vlácil was born on 19 February 1924 in Cesky Tesin, Moravian-Silesian, Czech Republic. He was a director and writer, known for Marketa Lazarová (1967), The Valley of the Bees (1968) and Adelheid (1969). He died on 28 January 1999 in Prague, Czech Republic.- Gene Sharp was born on 21 January 1928 in North Baltimore, Ohio, USA. He died on 28 January 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
- Actor
- Music Department
A look at Black Sabbath's photo shoots and live concerts would easily lead one to believe that the band consists of only four members. But make no mistake, they do in fact have a 5th member: their behind-the-stage keyboard player Geoff Nicholls. Before joining Black Sabbath in 1979, Nicholls played for Quartz, a band whose 1977 album was produced by Tony Iommi. Nicholls has played on every Black Sabbath album since 1980's "Heaven And Hell". He has made very significant writing contributions to Black Sabbath, most predominantly on the album "Seventh Star". He is the only member other than Tony Iommi to have played with every other past and present member of Black Sabbath, playing keyboards with every single reunion or other line-up change over the years. Whether he's credited on the albums as an equal member or an "additional musician", this invisible 5th member of Black Sabbath has seen it all. His interviews are constantly quoted throughout Gary Sharpe-Young's "Never Say Die!", an incredibly revealing book about Black Sabbath's turbulent 1979-1997 history.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Gerri Lawlor was an actress, known for Tower Heist (2011), The Sims (2000) and Billionaire Boys Club (2018). She died on 28 January 2019 in San Francisco, California, USA.- Actress
- Sound Department
Graciela Orozco was born on 24 November 1935 in San Pedro Tlalcuapan, Tlaxala, Mexico. She was an actress, known for La cebra (2011), San Simón de los Magueyes (1973) and A flor de piel (1994). She died on 28 January 2022 in Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, Mexico.- Guitar Gabriel was born on 17 August 1937 in Bellvue, Louisiana, USA. He was married to Gloria Ann Dargin. He died on 28 January 2017 in Opelousas, Louisiana, USA.Guitar Gable
- Gustavo Iaies was born on 22 January 1963 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He died on 28 January 2022 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Hal Smith was born on 24 August 1916 in Petoskey, Michigan, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for The Great Race (1965), The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977) and The Andy Griffith Show (1960). He was married to Vivian M. Angstadt. He died on 28 January 1994 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.- Writer
- Producer
Harriet Frank Jr. was born on 2 March 1923 in Portland, Oregon, USA. She was a writer and producer, known for Hud (1963), The Cowboys (1972) and Norma Rae (1979). She was married to Irving Ravetch. She died on 28 January 2020 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Henry McGee specialized in comedy and was best known for his 20 year-long association with Benny Hill, on whose show he appeared as announcer and straight man. The son of a Rolls-Royce engineer, McGee was educated at Stonyhurst. After National Service in the Royal Navy, he joined the Italia Conti Stage Academy for two years, then acted with repertory companies in England and Australia.
He returned to England in the 1960's and enjoyed a prolific career on television, especially in comedies. His appearance as an upmarket conman who takes in Leonard Rossiter's Rigsby in The Perfect Gentleman (1975) was considered one of the highlights of the popular ITV sitcom, so much so that the storyline was recycled for the film version, Rising Damp (1980), when McGee's role was taken by Denholm Elliott.
McGee was also recognized for being in the 'Sugar Puffs' breakfast cereal commercials on television alongside The Honey Monster. His hobbies were gliding and collecting old engravings. He left a million pounds in his will.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Jacques Villeret was born on 6 February 1951 in Tours, Indre-et-Loire, France. He was an actor and writer, known for Le Dîner de Cons (1998), Robert et Robert (1978) and Malevil (1981). He was married to Irina Tarassov. He died on 28 January 2005 in Evreux, Eure, France.- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Producer, writer and director Jacquie Jones was born on April 28, 1965 in Washington, D.C. to Humphrey and Claire Antoine Jones. She grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. In 1987, Jones graduated with her B.A. degree in English, with a minor in African American Studies, from Howard University. She went on to receive her M.A. degree in documentary filmmaking from Stanford University in 1995.
Upon graduation from Stanford University, Jones was hired as a producer for the Public Broadcasting Station, WGBH, in Boston. In 1999, she was appointed senior vice president of ROJA Productions, where she worked until 2003. From 2001 to 2003, Jones updated all existing media, as well as created new installations for the collection of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee. Then, in 2005, she was hired as the executive director of the National Black Programming Consortium, where she established herself as a leader in the evolving digital media landscape with projects including the Katrina Project, the Ford Foundation-funded Masculinity Project, and NMI: Africa. Jones also founded the New Media Institute in 2006, and the Public Media Corps in 2009.
Jones has produced Africans in America, Matters of Race and 180 Days: A Year Inside an American High School for PBS, Behind Closed Doors: Sex in the 20th Century for Showtime, and The World Before Us for the History Channel. Her other film credits have included acting as an executive producer on Afropop: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange, Black Folk Don't, and multiple episodes of the television series Independent Lens and P.O.V..
Jones has also published writings in numerous anthologies and periodicals, including the anthologies Black Popular Culture and Picturing Us: African American Identity in Photography, as well as The Huffington Post. From 1989 until 1993, she was the editor of Black Film Review, a quarterly journal about African Diaspora filmmaking. Jones has received two Peabody Awards, a Gracie Award and was selected as a Revson Fellow at Columbia University. She was also a scholar-in-residence at the American University, and has served on the boards of directors of the Integrated Media Association, California Newsreel, the Committee on Black Performing Arts at Stanford University, and Grantmakers in Film and Electronic Media. Jones serves on the community advisory board of WHUT-TV at Howard University.
Jones lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband, Grant Clark. They have one daughter.
Jacquie Jones was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on October 21, 2013.- Actress
Jameela Malik was an Indian film actress in South Indian movies. She acted in Malayalam and Tamil films in between 1970s and 1990s and appeared in several Malayalam television soap operas in between 2016 and 2020. She received critical acclaim and appreciation, for all the movies she acted, from the critics and audience as well. She was the first woman from Kerala to graduate from India's prestigious Film and Television Institute of India. She worked as teacher in schools. She was married for a year and has a son. She had also acted in more than twenty television serials during the 1990s.- Writer
- Additional Crew
- Art Department
Jerry Siegel was born in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1931, he met and befriended his future partner, Joe Shuster, when the latter moved from his birthplace in Canada. Siegel and Shuster were both avid science fiction fans, publishing a fanzine in the mid-1920s. It was during this period that they read Philip Wylie's book, "Gladiator", about a mysterious character with superpowers and invulnerability. They created a strip for their fanzine (Shuster drawing, Siegel writing) featuring a super-powered villian, but later made him into a hero. In 1936, they tried, unsuccessfully, to turn it into a daily comic strip. About the same time, both young men got a job working for DC-National (now DC Comics), working on such titles as Doctor Occult, Slam Bradley, and Radio Squad. Siegel also created and worked on the Spectre In 1939, DC editor Sheldon Meyer decided to give the two young men a chance, and published their character Superman a new comic title, "Action Comics". Superman was an almost imediate hit, spawning his own eponymous title within a year, then going on to be featured in virtually every type of media.
Siegel and Shuster continued working on Superman for many years, but became increasingly resentful of the profits that DC-National made off their character (because of the practice at the time, the creators had signed away all rights to the character to the publisher). In 1946, Shuster and Siegel sued DC for a share of the rights to Superman (their lawyer was Albert Zugsmith). The case dragged on until 1948, when the two men settled for royalties only on the Superboy character. They were also required to sign away any future claims to the Superman character.
Shuster left the comic field, while Seigel left DC to become comics editor at Ziff-Davis Publications during the 1950s. Without his long-time partner, however, Siegel found the creative spark to be missing, and gradually lost work. Finally, Siegel's wife went to DC's publisher and told them, "Do you really want to read the headline "Superman Creator Starves to Death'?", and asked for the comic publisher to give him uncredited work.
Siegel wrote many Superman stories in the 1960s, including many about Superman's home planet Krypton. In 1964, however, DC once again let Siegel go. He moved to Los Angeles, where he became a virtual recluse. In 1975, after the Superman movie raised new interest in the character, the two men once again sued DC for recognition and royalties. DC, with much prodding from publisher/editor Carmine Infantino, re-instated Siegel and Shuster's name on the masthead as creators, and awarded the two men an annual stipend of $35,000. Finally receiving the recognition he deserved, Siegel became recognized as one of the pioneers of the comics industries. In 1999, his heirs' finally won their court case with DC and received 50% ownership and control of Superman.- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Jim Capaldi was born on 2 August 1944 in Evesham, Worcestershire, England, UK. He was an actor and composer, known for Avengers: Endgame (2019), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and Masters of the Universe (1987). He was married to Aninha. He died on 28 January 2005 in London, England, UK.- Joe Viterelli was born on 10 March 1937 in The Bronx, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Bullets Over Broadway (1994), Analyze This (1999) and Analyze That (2002). He was married to Catherine Brennan. He died on 28 January 2004 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
John Banner, who achieved television immortality for his portrayal of the Luftwaffe POW camp guard Sergeant Schultz in the TV series Hogan's Heroes (1965), was born on Tuesday, January 28th, 1910 in Vienna., which in 1938 was then the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
The 28-year-old Banner, who was Jewish, was forced to flee from his homeland to avoid being captured after the Anschluss (union) between Nazi Germany and Austria. This occurred while he was engaged in a tour of Switzerland with an acting company. Unable to return to Austria due to Hitler's anti-Semitic policies of persecution, Banner emigrated to the United States of America as a political refugee.
Soon after reaching the United States, John Banner, who knew nothing of the English language, was hired to be a Master of Ceremonies to a musical revue. He had to learn his lines phonetically. The total immersion paid off in that he rapidly picked up English. His accent and "Nordic" look ironically meant that Banner was typecast in several films as Nazis during the 1940s. He survived the war portraying the same villains who were murdering every member of his family, who had been left behind in Austria. All of them perished in concentration camps; his biological parents and all of his siblings perished.
At the time of his emigration to the US, John Banner weighed a trim 180 pounds. He eventually added another 100 pounds to become the chubby character actor America would come to know and love in regular appearances in movies and on TV. He specialized in foreign-official types, such the his role as Soviet Ambassador in Fred MacMurray's comedy movie, Kisses for My President (1964).
In 1965, Bing Crosby Productions cast Banner as "Sergeant Schultz", in the wartime comedy television sitcom, Hogan's Heroes (1965). The show debuted on Friday evening, September 17th, 1965, on CBS channels. The series was a take-off on Billy Wilder's Stalag 17 (1953), although with much more humor and less drama. The bumbling Dutch uncle who Banner portrayed was a continent apart from the wickedly evil Nazis he had portrayed during World War II. Spectacularly inept as a guard of Allied prisoners of war, Sergeant Schultz was prone to ignoring the irregularities that transpired in the fictional Stalag 13, bellowing firmly, "I know nothing! I see nothing! Nothing!!!"
John Banner enjoyed the role but demurred when accused of portraying a "cuddly" Nazi. He told TV Guide, "I see Schultz as the representative of some kind of goodness in every generation."
Banner and Werner Klemperer (who portrayed the equally comical and bumbling "Colonel Klink", and who, like Banner, was a Jewish refugee who had escaped Hitler's reach), co-starred with the series' leading actor, Bob Crane, in The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz (1968), a bizarre movie "comedy" about a defecting East German athlete. The picture bombed and the trio went back to turning out the highly popular series without losing too much pride or momentum.
After the cancellation of Hogan's Heroes (1965) in 1971, Banner was signed for another TV show set in the past. The Chicago Teddy Bears (1971), which was set during the Prohibition era. Banner's "Uncle Latzi" was a close cousin of Schultz, but lightning did not strike twice and the series was canceled after only 13 episodes in a three month season.
John Banner died on his 63rd birthday, Sunday, January 28th, 1973, in his hometown and country of Vienna, Austria. His 63 year (including 16 Leap Days) lifespan consisted of 23,011 total days, equaling 3,287 weeks and 2 days.- John Steadman was born James Lanford Steadman on July 20, 1909 in Lexington, South Carolina. Steadman worked in radio for three decades as a writer, producer, and announcer prior to embarking on an acting career in the early 1970's. An extremely colorful and distinctive character actor, John was often cast in both films and TV shows alike as a crotchety old coot. Steadman died at 83 from a lung ailment on January 28, 1993 in Montrose, California.
- Julia appeared in a range of TV comedy shows ranging from Spike Milligan, Monty Python and the Two Ronnies mostly during the 1970s and early 1980s and retired from television to concentrate on raising her three children. She died of cancer in France on 28 January 2020 at the age of 78.
- Kevin O'Neal was born on 26 March 1945 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for What's Up, Doc? (1972), Love Story (1970) and No Time for Sergeants (1964). He was married to Sheila Stubbs. He died on 28 January 2023 in Thousand Oaks, California, USA.
- Additional Crew
Lowry Burgess was born on 27 April 1940 in the USA. Lowry is known for Art Through Time: A Global View (2010). Lowry died on 28 January 2020 in Melbourne, Florida, USA.- Marj Dusay was born on 20 February 1936 in Hays, Kansas, USA. She was an actress, known for All My Children (1970), Guiding Light (1952) and Star Trek (1966). She was married to Thomas Allen Perine Jr. and John Murray Dusay. She died on 28 January 2020 in New York City, New York, USA.
- Born in New York as Solomon Shapiro. Later relocated to Miami Beach, Florida and changed his name to Mickey Manners. Married and had two sons. During the early 1960s appeared in numerous TV shows such as Get Smart with Don Adams. Had small parts in a number of Jerry Lewis films. Born around 1925.
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Nicholas Parsons was without doubt one of the UK's most popular and beloved television and radio personalities, and very few can claim to have had such a long entertainment career. The son of a doctor, he was raised in Lincolnshire until the age of eight, when the family moved to London. He was educated at St. Paul's School, London. He trained as an engineer but really wanted to become an actor and decided to pursue his dream. He performed in weekly repertory in Bromley for two years, playing a wide range of parts. His particular talent for comedy and impersonations made him a natural in cabaret and he became the resident comedian at the Windmill Theatre. Much work in radio followed.
Parsons acted in several British films during the 1950s and 1960s, including dramas such as The Third Key (1956) and Eyewitness (1956) and comedies such as Doctor in Love (1960) and Carry on Regardless (1961). On television he worked with Eric Barker and most notably on The Arthur Haynes Show (1956) as Haynes' straight man. In 1967 he became presenter of "Just a Minute", a comedy panel show on BBC Radio 4 which also featured regular appearances by Kenneth Williams over the next 20 years. Through the 1970s and into the 1980s, Parsons hosted the hugely popular ITV game show Sale of the Century (1971).
In 1989, having become so closely associated with comedy and light entertainment, Parsons surprised many when he returned to a dramatic role. He brought great depth and sensitivity to his portrayal of Reverend Wainwright, a tormented clergyman whose faith is tested to the limit by the horrors of the Second World War and the resurrection of a Viking curse in The Curse of Fenric: Part One (1989). It was one of the most unusual and complex characterizations ever created for the Doctor Who (1963) series, and Parsons later described this guest appearance as "one of the most treasured memories".
Parsons celebrated his 90th birthday in 2013 and he was joined at the party by stars including Esther Rantzen, Paul Merton and Gyles Brandreth. A performer of remarkable longevity, he was still taking his one-man show to the Edinburgh Fringe.- Soundtrack
Odd Børre was born on 9 August 1939 in Harstad, Norway. He died on 28 January 2023 in Norway.- Because of his heavy generically "European" accent and Slavic-sounding surname (not an uncommon one among Czechs or Slovaks), many people assumed Oscar Homolka was Eastern European or Russian. In fact, he was born in Vienna (then Austria-Hungary), the multicultural capital of a large multi-ethnic empire at the time. It was there he began his successful stage career, which eventually led him to Hollywood. Homolka was one of the many Austrian and specifically Viennese actors (many of them Jewish) who fled Europe for the U.S. with the rise to power of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party. Although often typecast in villainous roles - Communist spies, Soviet-bloc military officers or scientists and the like - he was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Uncle Chris in I Remember Mama (1948).
- Director
- Writer
- Cinematographer
Paolo Gioli was born on 12 October 1942 in Sarzano, Rovigo, Veneto, Italy. He was a director and writer, known for Rothkofilm (2008), Tracce di tracce (1969) and Cineforon (1972). He died on 28 January 2022 in Lendinara, Veneto, Rovigo, Italy.- Paul Alan Partain was born on November 22, 1946 in Austin, Texas. Paul first started acting in his junior high school days, he was a member of the drama club and acted on a regular basis in school plays. Partain served in the United States Navy during the Vietnam war. After finishing his tour of duty, he returned to America and continued his acting career. Paul worked at an electronics manufacturing plant during the day, and acted in dinner theatre at night. Partain was laid off from his day job in the fall of 1972. He auditioned for the minor role of ranch hand Willy in Sidney Lumet's Lovin' Molly (1974) and got the part.
Paul gave a memorably obnoxious performance as the extremely whiny, hateful, and unsympathetic invalid Franklin Hardesty in the terrifying cult horror classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974). He had small parts as a member of Peter Fonda's motorcycle crew in the hugely enjoyable car chase drive-in Satanic horror winner Race with the Devil (1975) and as Tommy Lee Jones's brother-in-law in the excellent revenge action thriller Rolling Thunder (1977). Alas, Partain's acting career stalled in the 1980s. Paul began acting in films again in the 1990s, when he made a cameo appearance as a hospital orderly in Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994), and portrayed a Militia of Texas minister in Burying Lana (1997). Partain worked as a regional sales manager for the Zenith Electronics Corporation. Paul died of cancer at age 58 on January 28, 2005 in Austin, Texas. - Paul Farnes was born on 16 July 1918 in Boscombe, Dorset, England, UK. He was married to Cynthia Lacey and Pamela Barton. He died on 28 January 2020 in Chichester, Sussex, England, UK.
- Actor
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Paul Kantner was born on 17 March 1941 in San Francisco, California, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for Forrest Gump (1994), Wet Hot American Summer (2001) and A Serious Man (2009). He died on 28 January 2016 in San Francisco, California, USA.- Philip Tonge was born on 26 April 1897 in Hampstead, Middlesex, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Miracle on 34th Street (1947), Witness for the Prosecution (1957) and Invisible Invaders (1959). He was married to Lyda Ruth Ridout and Anna Jane Hahn. He died on 28 January 1959 in Hollywood, California, USA.
- Rebecca Staples was born on 31 March 1960 in Mission, British Columbia, Canada. She was an actress, known for Deadly Weapon (1989), Servants of Twilight (1991) and Houston Knights (1987). She was married to Jack De Nicola and John Terlesky. She died on 28 January 2022 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
- Sound Department
- Actor
Portman entered the film industry in 1957, as a trainee at Columbia Pictures. In 1959 he joined the Samuel Goldwyn Studio as a junior engineer, rising to the position of Assistant Supervising Sound Recording Engineer. In 1970 he joined Robert Altman at the Lion's Gate facility, serving as Sound Director. He was instrumental in creating an entirely new approach to re-recording sound and post-production, and was the first in Hollywood to ever mix an entire feature by himself. He passed away at the age of 82 in 2017.- Ryszard Kotys was a Polish actor, director, and writer. He graduated from the National Academy of Theatre Arts in Krakow in 1953 and made his theatrical debut at the Stefan Zeromski Theater in Kielce. Over his career, he performed in various theaters across Poland, including in Gdansk, Wroclaw, Tarnow, Bialystok, and Lodz. He also directed theatrical productions. In his more than 65-year-long career, Kotys appeared in over 150 productions. He gained popularity for his role as Marian Pazdzioch in the TV series Swiat wedlug Kiepskich (1999), which he played for over 20 years. His contributions to Polish cinema and theater were recognized when he was awarded the Order of Polonia Restituta in 1999.
- A talented and personable B-movie actress, Teala Loring was born in Denver, Colorado, as Marcia Eloise Griffin, one of five siblings. Two of her sisters were actresses Debra Paget and Lisa Gaye. Her mother was a vaudeville dancer, comedienne and nightclub singer who billed herself as Marguerite "Maggie" Gibson. Marcia grew up in a show business environment and made her first foray to the stage at the age of three. At 17, her family moved permanently to California and the following year Marcia became a Paramount starlet under the name Judith Gibson. As it turned out, there already was a Judith Gibson on the lot and producer Irwin Allen's suggestion of a change of moniker to a rarely used "good Irish name" (that being 'Teala') was happily accepted.
Like so many other aspiring ingénues, Teala ran the usual gamut of ornamental bit parts in films like Holiday Inn (1942), The Powers Girl (1943) and Double Indemnity (1944). She had a brief furlough, though, when Paramount dispatched her to act on Broadway for a stint in Let's Face It with Danny Kaye. By 1944, she had made the decision not to renew her contract. Thus began the uneasy transition to Poverty Row and appearances in genre films for the likes of Sam Katzman's Banner Pictures, PRC and Monogram. She was third and fifth-billed, respectively, still on loan-out from Paramount, in Delinquent Daughters (1944) and Return of the Ape Man (1944) (with Bela Lugosi). After that, Teala found a (by her own admission) comfortable niche in assorted franchises ranging from the Bowery Boys to Charlie Chan and the Cisco Kid. She joined fading star Kay Francis in Allotment Wives (1945) and appeared in the lurid Black Market Babies (1945), which publicity touted as "an exciting tale of crime and corruption". Towards the end of her career, she also made two westerns despite being wary of horses.
Having retired from acting in 1950, she commenced raising a rather large family of six children, eventually added to by fifteen grandchildren. Teala died in 2007 from injuries sustained in a traffic collision at the age of 84. - Théo Klein was born on 25 June 1920 in Paris, France. He died on 28 January 2020 in Jerusalem.
- Producer
- Writer
- Director
Tom Huckabee is a writer, director, producer with over 40 years experience in entertainment. As a student at UT Austin he studied under Tom Schatz, Loren Bivens, and Edward Dymytryk, directed "The Death of Jim Morrison," nominated for a student academy award, and "Taking Tiger Mountain," starring Bill Paxton and co-written by William S. Burroughs. He has been a staff producer at Landmark Theaters, a writer of non-fiction TV for Disney and Discovery, a story analyst for 21st Century Films, and a staff researcher for The History Channel's Modern Marvels. In 1987 he produced and co-wrote "Martini Ranch's Reach," a long-form music video directed by James Cameron, starring Kathryn Bigelow, Bill Paxton, Phil Granger, Bud Cort, Judge Reinhold and much of the cast from "Near Dark" and "Aliens." In 1997, he was associate producer of post-production and music supervisor for "Traveller," starring Paxton, Mark Wahlberg, and Julianna Margulies. From 1998 - 2001, he was vice president of American Entertainment, underwritten by Walt Disney Studios, where he created and/or oversaw development of feature projects with Touchstone, Universal, Imagine, Image Movers, HBO, Sony, and Revolution Studios. In 2001 he executive-produced Paxton's directorial debut, Frailty, starring Paxton, Powers Boothe and Matthew McConaughey. Also in 2001, he produced and directed a live event, Arthur C. Clarke: Beyond 2001 at the Playboy Mansion, featuring James Cameron, Patrick Stewart, Morgan Freeman, and Buzz Aldrin, He was an uncredited script consultant on Twister, Mighty Joe Young, Vertical Limit, U-571, Thunderbirds, The Greatest Game Ever Played, and The Colony and a quality control supervisor for Lucasfilm (1990-2004), working on films by Ron Howard, Michael Mann, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Kathryn Bigelow, etc.. In 2005 he was a producer/writer on 75 episodes of National Lampoon's An Eye for an Eye. In 2007 he was the artistic director for the first annual Lone Star International Film Festival. His sophomore feature Carried Away (2010) won three first place festival awards and is available on Amazon Instant View. Recently, he directed the documentary short "Confessions of an Ecstasy Advocate," story-edited Ghostbreakers, a 20-part syndicated TV series starring Joey Greco, set to debut in 2016 on The Family Channel, co produced The Starck Club, a documentary feature and The Price, a drama starring Randy Travis and James Dupre. In 2014-15, he was the artistic director of the Wildcatter Exhange literary festival, while his short film "The Death of Jim Morrison" (retitled "Death of a Rock Star") was included in the omnibus package, Jonathan Demme Presents Made in Texas, which premiered opening night 2015 at SXSW and is distributed by UT Press. He teaches screenwriting workshops and offers a wide-range of freelance development services. Upcoming projects include feature films Hate Crimes, ReCharge!, and The Attachment, full length stage plays, Dr. Zombi, PhD and The Reversible Cords; and Great Lives, a live theater festival of one-person historical shows.- Tony Doyle was an Irish television and film actor. He attended Belcamp College, Dublin as a boarder before going onto University College Dublin (which he did not finish). He got his first big break playing Father Sheehy in the RTE weekly soap The Riordans (1965) in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1998, he won an Irish Film and Television Academy Award for best leading performance for his role in Amongst Women (1998). He also won a Silver Nymph award at the Monte Carlo TV Awards. His most famous film role saw Tony as the head of the SAS, Colonel Hadley, in the 1982 British film Who Dares Wins. His other film roles included appearances in Ulysses (1967), Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx (1970), Loophole (1981), Eat the Peach (1986), Secret Friends (1991), Damage (1992), Circle of Friends (1995), and as Tom French in I Went Down (1997). He died at St Thomas's Hospital in Lambeth, London, England. Brian Quigley, Doyle's Ballykissangel character, was written out of the show in the first episode of the final series where Quigley fakes his own suicide (he supposedly drowned himself) and flees to Brazil. The Tony Doyle Bursary for New Writing was launched by the BBC following his death. Judges include his friend and Ballykissangel co-star Lorcan Cranitch.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Vasili Lanovoy was a notable Russian actor best known as Captain Grey in Alye parusa (1961) and as Anatol Kuragin in War and Peace (1965).
He was born Vasili Semenovich Lanovoy on January 16, 1934, in Moscow, Russia, USSR. His parents were Ukrainian peasants from Odessa region. They escaped from death in the famine of 1931 and survived by moving to Moscow. At the age of 7, Lanovoy went to visit his relatives near Odessa, but there he was caught by the advancing Nazi Armies during the Second World War. Young Lanovoy was abused by the Nazis who fired machine guns above his head to scare him, so he stammered for several years as a consequence. However, he had a dream of being an actor, regardless of his stammer and his heavy Ukrainian accent. He attended the acting class of Sergei Lvovich Stein at Moscow ZIL club, and made his stage debut in a play by Lev Kassil.
Young Lanovoy was torn between two professions, acting and journalism, and entered to study both. In 1953, at age 18, while a Journalism student of Moscow University, he was cast in Problem Child (1954), making his film debut. From 1953 - 1957 he studied acting at Shchukin Theatrical School of Vakhtangov Theatre in Moscow. There his classmate was Tatyana Samoylova, and they married in 1955, and later became co-stars in Anna Karenina (1967) by director Aleksandr Zarkhi. He also appeared as Anatol Kuragin in War and Peace (1965) by director Sergey Bondarchuk.
Since 1957 Vasili Lanovoy has been member of Vakhtangov Theatre in Moscow. There his stage partners were such actors as Mikhail Ulyanov, Ruben Simonov, Boris Zakhava, Mikhail Astangov, Varvara Popova, Irina Kupchenko, Natalya Tenyakova, Yuliya Borisova, Lyudmila Maksakova, Lyudmila Tselikovskaya, Marianna Vertinskaya, Nina Ruslanova, Nikolai Plotnikov, Yuriy Yakovlev, Vladimir Etush, Vyacheslav Shalevich, Andrei Abrikosov, Grigori Abrikosov, Boris Babochkin, Nikolai Gritsenko, Nikolai Timofeyev, Aleksandr Grave, Evgeniy Karelskikh, Sergey Makovetskiy, and Ruben Simonov, among others. His most memorable stage performances were as Protasov in 'Deti Solntsa' (1968), as Oktavian in 'Antony and Cleopatra' (1975), and the title role in 'Kasanova' (1985). Since taking the role as Prince Calaf in 1963, Lanovoy has been delivering acclaimed performances in the legendary Vakhtangov's production of Carlo Gozzi's comedy 'Princess Turandot'.
Vasili Lanovoy was designated People's Actor of the USSR, was awarded Lenin's Prize (1980), and received numerous awards and decorations for his works on stage and in film. Outside of his acting profession Lanovoy was fond of classical music and Ukrainian songs together with his friends and family. In his 70s and 80s, he was maintaining a good physical form through sports and pesco-vegetarian diet. He was married three times, and had two sons with actress Irina Kupchenko. Lanovoy was prominent member of the Communist Party of USSR and Russia, he also supported president Putin and Moscow mayor Sobyanin in their re-elections. He died of Covid-19 complications 12 days after his 87th birthday, on the 28th of January 2021 in Moscow, Russia.