Deaths: February 1
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George P. Wilbur was born on 6 March 1941 in Kent, Connecticut, USA. He was an actor, known for The Perfect Storm (2000), Escape from New York (1981) and Die Hard (1988). He died on 1 February 2023 in the USA.- Alice Dye was born on 19 February 1927 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. She was married to Pete Dye. She died on 1 February 2019 in Gulf Stream, Florida, USA.
- Writer
- Producer
Andrew McGahan was born in 1966 in Dalby, Queensland, Australia. He was a writer and producer, known for Praise (1998), Blood on the Cutting Room Floor (2008) and Wednesday (2018). He died on 1 February 2019 in Australia.- Actor
- Music Department
- Composer
Andy Gill was born on 1 January 1956 in Manchester, Greater Manchester, England, UK. He was an actor and composer, known for The Covenant (2006), The Manchurian Candidate (2004) and A Most Wanted Man (2014). He was married to Catherine Mayer. He died on 1 February 2020 in London, England, UK.- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Joseph Frank Keaton was born on October 4, 1895 in Piqua, Kansas, to Joe Keaton and Myra Keaton. Joe and Myra were Vaudevillian comedians with a popular, ever-changing variety act, giving Keaton an eclectic and interesting upbringing. In the earliest days on stage, they traveled with a medicine show that included family friend, illusionist Harry Houdini. Keaton himself verified the origin of his nickname "Buster", given to him by Houdini, when at the age of three, fell down a flight of stairs and was picked up and dusted off by Houdini, who said to Keaton's father Joe, also nearby, that the fall was 'a buster'. Savvy showman Joe Keaton liked the nickname, which has stuck for more than 100 years.
At the age of four, Keaton had already begun acting with his parents on the stage. Their act soon gained the reputation as one of the roughest in the country, for their wild, physical antics on stage. It was normal for Joe to throw Buster around the stage, participate in elaborate, dangerous stunts to the reverie of audiences. After several years on the Vaudeville circuit, "The Three Keatons", toured until Keaton had to break up the act due to his father's increasing alcohol dependence, making him a show business veteran by the age of 21.
While in New York looking for work, a chance run-in with the wildly successful film star and director Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle, resulted in Arbuckle inviting him to be in his upcoming short The Butcher Boy (1917), an appearance that launched Keaton's film career, and spawned a friendship that lasted until Arbuckle's sudden death in 1933. By 1920, after making several successful shorts together, Arbuckle moved on to features, and Keaton inherited his studio, allowing him the opportunity to begin producing his own films. By September 1921, tragedy touched Arbuckle's life by way of a scandal, where he was tried three times for the murder of Virginia Rapp. Although he was not guilty of the charges, and never convicted, he was unable to regain his status, and the viewing public would no longer tolerate his presence in film. Keaton stood by his friend and mentor through out the incident, supporting him financially, finding him directorial work, even risking his own budding reputation offering to testify on Arbuckle's behalf.
In 1921, Keaton also married his first wife, Natalie Talmadge under unusual circumstance that have never been fully clarified. Popular conjecture states that he was encouraged by Joseph M. Schenck to marry into the powerful Talmadge dynasty, that he himself was already a part of. The union bore Keaton two sons. Keaton's independent shorts soon became too limiting for the growing star, and after a string of popular films like One Week (1920), The Boat (1921) and Cops (1922), Keaton made the transition into feature films. His first feature, Three Ages (1923), was produced similarly to his short films, and was the dawning of a new era in comedic cinema, where it became apparent to Keaton that he had to put more focus on the story lines and characterization.
At the height of his popularity, he was making two features a year, and followed Ages with Our Hospitality (1923), The Navigator (1924) and The General (1926), the latter two he regarded as his best films. The most renowned of Keaton's comedies is Sherlock Jr. (1924), which used cutting edge special effects that received mixed reviews as critics and audiences alike had never seen anything like it, and did not know what to make of it. Modern day film scholars liken the story and effects to Christopher Nolan Inception (2010), for its high level concept and ground-breaking execution. Keaton's Civil War epic The General (1926) kept up his momentum when he gave audiences the biggest and most expensive sequence ever seen in film at the time. At its climax, a bridge collapses while a train is passing over it, sending the train into a river. This wowed audiences, but did little for its long-term financial success. Audiences did not respond well to the film, disliking the higher level of drama over comedy, and the main character being a Confederate soldier.
After a few more silent features, including College (1927) and Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928), Keaton was informed that his contract had been sold to MGM, by brother-in-law and producer Joseph M. Schenck. Keaton regarded the incident as the worst professional mistake he ever made, as it sent his career, legacy, and personal life into a vicious downward spiral for many years. His first film with MGM was The Cameraman (1928), which is regarded as one of his best silent comedies, but the release signified the loss of control Keaton would incur, never again regaining his film -making independence. He made one more silent film at MGM entitled Spite Marriage (1929) before the sound era arrived.
His first appearance in a film with sound was with the ensemble piece The Hollywood Revue of 1929 (1929), though despite the popularity of it and his previous MGM silents, MGM never allowed Keaton his own production unit, and increasingly reduced his creative control over his films. By 1932, his marriage to Natalie Talmadge had dissolved when she sued him for divorce, and in an effort to placate her, put up little resistance. This resulted in the loss of the home he had built for his family nicknamed "The Italian Villa", the bulk of his assets, and contact with his children. Natalie changed their last names from Keaton to Talmadge, and they were disallowed from speaking about their father or seeing him. About 10 years later, when they became of age, they rekindled the relationship with Keaton. His hardships in his professional and private life that had been slowly taking their toll, begun to culminate by the early 1930s resulting in his own dependence on alcohol, and sometimes violent and erratic behavior. Depressed, penniless, and out of control, he was fired by MGM by 1933, and became a full-fledged alcoholic.
After spending time in hospitals to attempt and treat his alcoholism, he met second wife Mae Scrivens, a nurse, and married her hastily in Mexico, only to end in divorce by 1935. After his firing, he made several low-budget shorts for Educational Pictures, and spent the next several years of his life fading out of public favor, and finding work where he could. His career was slightly reinvigorated when he produced the short Grand Slam Opera (1936), which many of his fans admire for giving such a good performance during the most difficult and unmanageable years of his life.
In 1940, he met and married his third wife Eleanor Norris, who was deeply devoted to him, and remained his constant companion and partner until Keaton's death. After several more years of hardship working as an uncredited, underpaid gag man for comedians such as the Marx Brothers, he was consulted on how to do a realistic and comedic fall for In the Good Old Summertime (1949) in which an expensive violin is destroyed. Finding no one who could do this better than him, he was given a minor role in the film. His presence reignited interest in his silent films, which lead to interviews, television appearances, film roles, and world tours that kept him busy for the rest of his life.
After several more film, television, and stage appearances through the 1960s, he wrote the autobiography "My Wonderful World of Slapstick", having completed nearly 150 films in the span of his ground-breaking career. His last film appearance was A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966) which premiered seven months after Keaton's death from the rapid onset of lung cancer. Since his death, Keaton's legacy is being discovered by new generations of viewers every day, many of his films are available on YouTube, DVD and Blu-ray, where he, like all gold-gilded and beloved entertainers can live forever.- Composer
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Cecil D. Womack was born on 25 September 1947 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. He was a composer and actor, known for Pineapple Express (2008), Tag (2018) and Alfie (2004). He was married to Linda M. Womack and Mary Wells. He died on 1 February 2013 in South Africa.- Writer
- Actor
- Director
Charles Wood was born on 6 August 1932 in St. Peter Port, Guernsey, Channel Islands, UK. He was a writer and actor, known for Iris (2001), The Knack... and How to Get It (1965) and The Bed Sitting Room (1969). He was married to Valerie Newman. He died on 1 February 2020 in England, UK.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Clive Swift was born on 9 February 1936 in Liverpool, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Excalibur (1981), Frenzy (1972) and Keeping Up Appearances (1990). He was married to Margaret Drabble. He died on 1 February 2019 in London, England, UK.- 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.- Music Department
- Editorial Department
- Sound Department
Dina Eaton was born on 2 June 1951. She is known for Godzilla (1998), Hot Fuzz (2007) and Casino Royale (2006). She was married to Michael Tuchner. She died on 1 February 2022 in Kingston, England, UK.- Writer
- Producer
- Actor
Don Cornelius was born on 27 September 1936 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000), Soul Train (1971) and Jackie's Back! (1999). He was married to Viktoria Chapman and Delores Harrison. He died on 1 February 2012 in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Attended Zion Lutheran School in Anaheim, California. While in fifth grade, he portrayed 8th-grader Samuel "Screech" Powers in the television series Good Morning, Miss Bliss (1987), which evolved into Saved by the Bell (1989) and its various television movies and spin-offs. Also appeared in the television series The Wonder Years (1988).- Actor
- Soundtrack
Ed Koch was born on 12 December 1924 in Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for We Own the Night (2007), The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) and The First Wives Club (1996). He died on 1 February 2013 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.- Additional Crew
Ed Tipper was born on 3 August 1921 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He is known for Dick Winters: Hang Tough (2012), Day of Days: June 6, 1944 (2014) and We Stand Alone Together (2001). He died on 1 February 2017 in Lakewood, Colorado, USA.- Ellen Tiedtke was born on 16 March 1930 in Bischofsburg, East Prussia, Germany. She was an actress, known for Ohne Paß in fremden Betten (1965), Die Verlobte (1980) and Maibowle (1959). She was married to Hans Rascher. She died on 1 February 2022 in Berlin, Germany.
- Fernanda Villeli was born in 1921 in Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico. He was a writer, known for Renuncia por motivos de salud (1976), El maleficio (2023) and Un nuevo amanecer (1988). He died on 1 February 2009 in Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico.
- Fidel Ángel Castro Díaz-Balart was born on 1 September 1949 in Havana, Cuba. He was married to María Victoria Barreiro and Natasha Smirnova. He died on 1 February 2018 in Cuba.
- Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
George Blondheim was born on 10 April 1956 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He was a composer and actor, known for 9½ Weeks (1986), Da Vinci's Inquest (1998) and The War Between Us (1995). He was married to Joanne. He died on 1 February 2020 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.- Writer
- Composer
- Music Department
Gian Carlo Menotti was born on 7 July 1911 in Cadegliano-Viconago, Lombardy, Italy. He was a writer and composer, known for The Medium (1951), Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951) and Great Performances (1971). He was married to Samuel Barber. He died on 1 February 2007 in Monte Carlo, Monaco.- Actor
- Producer
Just how did the hunky heart-throb bassist from the legendary Australian band of the 1960s, The Masters Apprentices, go on to be one of the most powerful, recognizable music figures in Australia in the 80s, 90s and, of course, today? Glenn Wheatley's tale begins in 1948, born the elder of two boys to father Dawson (born 1917, now deceased) and mother (b. 1919, deceased). Glenn has had a career in the music industry for over 35 years, and the young Wheatley started his career as bassist to The Masters Apprentices, one of the few Australian acts from the 1960s to meet national success, and go on to perform in the 1970s, with an equal amount of success. When the "Masters" broke up in 1971, lead singer Jim Keays decided to pursue a solo career but, for Wheatley, he decided that although music was his passion, he might be better behind the scenes. He went on to try his hand at group management, and his first real success came as manager to the legendary Australian Group, Little River Band, fronted by Glenn Shorrock. Wheatley even went on to portray former client Shorrock in the television show, The D Generation Goes Commercial (1988). However, eventually Wheatley and Shorrock parted ways, but his real break came in the 80s, when he went on to manage... Who else.... John Farnham. Wheatley mortgaged his own house to help John produce the album "Whispering Jack", which went on to become the highest-selling album in Australia's history, going 17 times platinum in Australia. Approximately one in four households in Australia own a copy of "Whispering Jack", the wonderful album that would not exist today if not for Wheatley. Although Wheatley's life has not been all glamour and shine. A nasty divorce happened in the 1970s with his first wife, Alison Sunde, which left Wheatley devastated for several years. However, in 1982, Wheatley married a young actress named Gaynor Martin (born in 1957), famous for appearing in Sons and Daughters (1982) and Skyways (1979). Together, they have three children, Tim Wheatley, Samantha Wheatley and Kara Wheatley. Wheatley went on to manage some of the most prominent Australian musicians out there, such as James Reyne and Delta Goodrem. Wheatley got Reyne his first acting job in the TV movie Return to Eden (1983), and Reyne was very unhappy with his performance. This contributed to Reyne departing from Wheatley, another blow to Wheatley's career. He managed rising star Delta Goodrem, until she announced that she would be leaving him to pursue new management. She cited Wheatley's fierce bond with John Farnham as the reason for her departure, and it may well be true... Wheatley and Farnham have made it to the top, worked together for 20 years, most recently on his "last time" tour. In 2003, Wheatley awarded John Farnham into the Aria Hall of Fame at the 17th Annual Aria Awards. Wheatley continues to be one of the most powerful figures in Australian music today, and it is always fascinating to see which star he will discover next...- Heather Michele O'Rourke was born on December 27, 1975 in Santee, San Diego, California, to Kathleen, a seamstress, and Michael O'Rourke, a construction worker. She had German, Danish, English, and Irish ancestry.
Heather entered American cinematic pop-culture before first grade. She was sitting alone in the MGM Commissary waiting for her mother when a stranger approached her asking her name. "My name is Heather O'Rourke," she said. "But you're a stranger, and I can't talk to you". When her mother returned, the stranger introduced himself as Steven Spielberg. She failed her first audition when she laughed at a stuffed animal Spielberg presented her with. He thought she was just too young (she had just turned five), and he was actually looking for a girl at least 6 years old, but he saw something in her and asked her to come in a second time with a scary story book. He asked her to scream a lot. She screamed until she broke down in tears. The next day at the commissary, Spielberg told her and her family, "I don't know what it is about her, but she's got the job." She instantly became a star overnight and was easily recognized at her favorite theme park, Disneyland, and everywhere in California. In the years that followed, Heather was a familiar face on TV in Happy Days (1974) (1982-1983), Webster (1983) (1983-1984), and The New Leave It to Beaver (1983) (1986-1987), three shows in which she had recurring roles. In 1986, the highly anticipated sequel to her first movie, Poltergeist (1982), Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986) debuted in theaters; it was her riveting performance in this film that cemented her a place in Hollywood history. In January 1987, Heather began to have flu-like symptoms and her legs and feet swelled. She was taken to Kaiser Hospital, and they confirmed it was only the flu, but when symptoms continued, they diagnosed her as having Crohn's Disease, a chronic inflammation of the intestine. She was on medication throughout the filming of her next project, Poltergeist III (1988), and her cheeks were puffy in some scenes. She never complained during filming and did not appear sick to fellow cast members.
When filming was completed in June, Heather and her family went on a road trip from Chicago, to New Orleans, to Orlando and all the way back to Lakeside where they lived at the time. Heather was well until January 31, 1988, Super Bowl Sunday. She was unable to keep anything in her stomach and crawled into bed with her parents that night, saying that she didn't feel well. The next morning, February 1, sitting at the breakfast table, she couldn't swallow her toast or Gatorade. Her mother noticed her fingers were blue and her hands were cold. Kathleen called the doctor's and was getting ready to put her clothes on when Heather fainted on the kitchen floor. When the paramedics came in, Heather insisted that she was "really okay" and was worried about missing school that day. In the ambulance, Heather suffered cardiac arrest and died on the operating table at 2:43 p.m. at the tender age of 12. Of all her achievements, Heather was proudest of being elected student body president of her 5th grade class in 1985. - Actress
- Soundtrack
Her father was a butcher. In 1913 she met and married matinée idol DeWolf Hopper Sr. and in 1915 they moved to Hollywood, where both began active film careers. He became a star with Triangle Company, she began in vamp parts and turned to supporting roles. After her divorce she appeared in dozens of films, becoming known as "Queen of the Quickies". In 1936 she started a gossipy radio show and two years later commenced a 28-year stint as a newspaper gossip columnist, rival of Louella Parsons. In her last films she mostly played herself, a tribute to her influence in Hollywood. Her son became famous as investigator Paul Drake in the Perry Mason (1957) series.- Actress
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Hildegard Frieda Albertine Knef was born on December 28, 1925 in Ulm, Germany. In 1940, she began to study acting. Even before the fall of the Third Reich, she appeared in several films, but most of them were only released after the war. To avoid being raped by Soviet soldiers, she dressed like a young man and was sent to a camp for prisoners of war. She escaped and returned to war-shattered Berlin, where she played her first parts on stage. The first German movie after World War II, Murderers Among Us (1946), made her a star. David O. Selznick invited her to Hollywood and offered her a contract--with two conditions: Hildegard Knef should change her name to Gilda Christian, and she should pretend to be Austrian instead of German. She refused both and returned to Germany. In 1951 she provoked one of the greatest scandals in German film history when she appeared naked in the film The Sinner (1951). The Roman Catholic Church protested vehemently against that film, but Hildegard just commented: "I can't understand all that tumult--five years after Auschwitz!"
With the support of her first husband, the American Kurt Hirsch, she tried a second time to launch a Hollywood career and changed her surname from Knef to Neff (Americans could not pronounce Knef), but the only worthwhile part she got was a supporting role in the Hemingway adaptation of The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952). She became a leading lady in German, French, and British films. Finally, America offered her another chance, this time on the stage. She achieved a kind of stardom as Ninotchka in the very popular Broadway play "Silk Stockings".
In 1963 she began a new career as a singer, surprising audiences with her typical, deep, smoky voice and the fact that she wrote many of her own song lyrics. In 1970, she wrote the autobiographical bestseller "Der Geschenkte Gaul". She got sympathy from all over the world for her fight against cancer, which she defeated several times.
After the German reunification, Hildegarde Knef moved back to Berlin and died at age 76 of a lung infection on February 1, 2002.- Irish McCalla was born on 25 December 1928 in Pawnee City, Nebraska, USA. She was an actress, known for She Demons (1958), Sheena: Queen of the Jungle (1955) and The Beat Generation (1959). She was married to Patrick Horgan and Patrick H. McIntyre. She died on 1 February 2002 in Tucson, Arizona, USA.
- Actor
- Writer
Isaac Bardavid was born on 13 February 1931 in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was an actor and writer, known for El Carrer del Mar (2009), King David (2012) and Irmãos Coragem (1970). He died on 1 February 2022 in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.- Producer
- Additional Crew
- Casting Director
Jamie Tarses was born on 16 March 1964 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. She was a producer and casting director, known for The Mysterious Benedict Society (2021), Primeval (2007) and My Boys (2006). She was married to Dan McDermott. She died on 1 February 2021 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Jean Ricard was born on 16 August 1940 in Quebec, Canada. He was an actor, known for The Plouffe Family (1981), Sonatine (1984) and Le négociateur (2005). He was married to Kelly Ricard. He died on 1 February 2022 in Montréal, Québec, Canada.
- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Jeremy Hardy was born on 17 July 1961 in Aldershot, Hampshire, England, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for How to Be (2008), Hello Mum (1986) and Spitting Image (1984). He was married to Kit Hollerbach and Katie Barlow. He died on 1 February 2019 in Sydenham, London, England, UK.- Actor
- Production Manager
- Soundtrack
John Vernon was a prolific stage-trained Canadian character player who made a career out of convincingly playing crafty villains, morally-bankrupt officials and heartless authority figures in American films and television since the 1960s. Vernon was directed by some stellar filmmakers, including Alfred Hitchcock (Topaz (1969)); George Cukor (Justine (1969)); Don Siegel (Dirty Harry (1971)) and Clint Eastwood (The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)). After training at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and honing his skills in Canadian theatre and television, Vernon made his US film debut in John Boorman's noir/gangster classic Point Blank (1967) as a trusted friend who betrays Lee Marvin. He again failed to inspire confidence as the ineffectual mayor of San Francisco in Dirty Harry (1971). Vernon may be best remembered as the sinister Dean Vernon Wormer in John Landis' National Lampoon's Animal House (1978), a role he reprised for the TV spin-off Delta House (1979). This led to more film comedy roles, a highlight being Mr. Big in the blaxploitation spoof I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988).- Actor
- Soundtrack
Johnny Silver was born on 16 April 1918 in Indiana, USA. He was an actor, known for Guys and Dolls (1955), Spaceballs (1987) and A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001). He was married to Gloria Manos. He died on 1 February 2003 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Jon Zazula was born on 16 March 1952 in Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Talk Is Jericho (2013), Soilwork: Live in the Heart of Helsinki (2015) and Anvil (2008). He was married to Marsha Zazula. He died on 1 February 2022 in Clermont, Florida, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Jorge Cafrune was born on 8 August 1937 in Perico del Carmen, Jujuy, Argentina. He was an actor, known for The Headless Woman (2008), El cantor enamorado (1969) and Cosquín, amor y folklore (1965). He died on 1 February 1978 in Pacheco, Buenos Aires, Argentina.- Justin Mentell was born on 16 December 1982 in Austin, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for G-Force (2009), Boston Legal (2004) and 5-25-77 (2008). He died on 1 February 2010 in Blanchardville, Wisconsin, USA.
- Kinryû Arimoto was born on 11 February 1940 in Tottori, Japan. He was an actor, known for Mobile Suit Gundam Seed (2002), Spriggan (1998) and Kite (1998). He died on 1 February 2019 in Tokyo, Japan.
- Additional Crew
- Writer
- Actor
Kit Hesketh-Harvey was born on 30 April 1957 in Malawi, Central Africa. He was a writer and actor, known for Maurice (1987), A God and His Gifts and The Vicar of Dibley (1994). He was married to Catherine Rabett. He died on 1 February 2023.- Leonard Pietraszak was born on 6 November 1936 in Bydgoszcz, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Poland. He was an actor, known for Królowa Bona (1980), Vabank (1981) and Epitafium dla Barbary Radziwillówny (1983). He was married to Wanda Majerówna. He died on 1 February 2023 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.
- Music Department
Leons Briedis was born on 16 December 1949 in Madona, Latvian SSR, Soviet Union. He is known for Aiz stikla durvim (1978). He was married to Maria Briede-Macovei. He died on 1 February 2020 in Riga, Latvia.- Les Thornton was born on 9 April 1934 in Manchester, England, UK. He was an actor, known for WWF Superstars (1986) and WWF Prime Time Wrestling (1985). He was married to Terry. He died on 1 February 2019 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
- Writer
- Producer
- Director
Lila Garrett was born on November 21, 1925 in Brooklyn, New York, USA as Lila F Glass. She was a writer and producer, known for The ABC Afternoon Playbreak , Get Smart (1965) and The Other Woman (1983). She was married to Don Garrett and David Rayfiel. She died on February 1, 2020 in Los Angeles, CA. Lila Garrett was a former resident of the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, CA.- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Lisa Seagram was born on 7 July 1936 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. She was an actress and director, known for The Beverly Hillbillies (1962), Paradise Pictures (1997) and Burke's Law (1963). She was married to Marc Fiorini and Ira Hershman. She died on 1 February 2019 in Burbank, California, USA.- Production Designer
- Art Director
- Art Department
Luciano Ricceri was born on 26 April 1940 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. He was a production designer and art director, known for The Voyage of Captain Fracassa (1990), 8½ (1963) and The Family (1987). He died on 1 February 2020 in Orte, Viterbo, Italy.- Luis Aragonés was born on 28 July 1938 in Hortaleza [now in Madrid], Madrid, Spain. He died on 1 February 2014 in Fuencarral-El Pardo, Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Madame Sul-Te-Wan was born on 7 March 1873 in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. She was an actress, known for Maid of Salem (1937), In Old Chicago (1938) and Safari (1940). She was married to Robert Reed Conley. She died on 1 February 1959 in Hollywood, California, USA.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Bright, vivacious Marjorie Reynolds (née Goodspeed) was born in Idaho on August 12, 1917 to a homemaker and a doctor and raised in Los Angeles. She made her film debut at age 6, then "retired" after only a few years to pursue a regular education.
She returned in the mid-1930s as a teenager and began the typical assembly-line route of extra and bit roles for various mega-studios, billed this time as Marjorie Moore. Her first speaking role was in Columbia Studio's Murder in Greenwich Village (1937), this time billed as Marjorie Reynolds; her first husband's last name, this was the moniker she maintained for the duration of her career.
The blonde (originally brunette) actress then went through a rather non-challenging prairie-flower phase opposite Hollywood's top western stars such as Tex Ritter, Buck Jones, Roy Rogers, and Tim Holt. It all paid off, however, when she won the top female role opposite Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire in the seasonal film classic Holiday Inn (1942), a role originally designed for Mary Martin. It remains Marjorie's most popular and cherished role on film, but it did not help her make a permanent transition into 'A' quality fare.
Marjorie continued as a dependable "B" co-lead in such films as Up in Mabel's Room (1944), Meet Me on Broadway (1946), and Heaven Only Knows (1947), with an exciting movie offer such as Fritz Lang's Ministry of Fear (1944) coming her way on a rare occasion.
Along with maturity and a new entertainment medium (television) in the 1950s came a return to her natural hair color. As William Bendix's patient, resourceful brunette wife on the comedy TV series The Life of Riley (1953), Marjorie became a semi-household name. Her career took a steep decline following its demise five years later and she was only sporadically seen in films, commercials, and TV guest spots after that.
She was married twice. Her first husband was Jack Reynolds, an Assistant Casting Director for Samuel Goldwyn. They had one daughter, Linda, before divorcing in 1952 after 16 years. Her second husband, film editor John Whitney, worked for a time in the 1940s as an actor. They were married for 32 years until his death in 1985.
Long retired, Marjorie died in 1997 of congestive heart failure after collapsing while walking her dog. Though she didn't fully live up to her potential as a serious, formidable actress, her gentle charm and obvious beauty certainly spruced up the 60+ films in which she appeared.- Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (née Godwin; 30 August 1797 - 1 February 1851) was an English novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, and travel writer, best known for her Gothic novel "Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus" (1818). She also edited and promoted the works of her husband, the Romantic poet and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley. Her father was the political philosopher William Godwin, and her mother was the philosopher and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft.
After Wollstonecraft's death less than a month after her daughter Mary was born, Mary was raised by Godwin, who was able to provide his daughter with a rich, if informal, education, encouraging her to adhere to his own liberal political theories. When Mary was four, her father married a neighbor, with whom, as her stepmother, Mary came to have a troubled relationship.
In 1814, Mary began a romance with one of her father's political followers, the then married Percy Bysshe Shelley. Together with Mary's stepsister Claire Clairmont, Mary and Shelley left for France and traveled through Europe. Upon their return to England, Mary was pregnant with Percy's child. Over the next two years, she and Percy faced ostracism, constant debt, and the death of their prematurely born daughter. They married in late 1816, after the suicide of Percy Shelley's first wife, Harriet.
In 1816, the couple famously spent a summer with Lord Byron, John William Polidori, and Claire Clairmont near Geneva, Switzerland, where Mary conceived the idea for her novel "Frankenstein". The Shelleys left Britain in 1818 for Italy, where their second and third children died before Mary Shelley gave birth to her last and only surviving child, Percy Florence Shelley. In 1822, her husband drowned when his sailing boat sank during a storm near Viareggio. A year later, Mary Shelley returned to England and from then on devoted herself to the upbringing of her son and a career as a professional author. The last decade of her life was dogged by illness, probably caused by the brain tumor that was to kill her at the age of 53.
Until the 1970s, Mary Shelley was known mainly for her efforts to publish her husband's works and for her novel "Frankenstein", which remains widely read and has inspired many theatrical and film adaptations. Recent scholarship has yielded a more comprehensive view of Mary Shelley's achievements. Scholars have shown increasing interest in her literary output, particularly in her novels, which include the historical novels "Valperga" (1823) and "Perkin Warbeck" (1830), the apocalyptic novel "The Last Man" (1826), and her final two novels, "Lodore" (1835) and "Falkner" (1837). Studies of her lesser-known works, such as the travel book "Rambles in Germany and Italy" (1844) and the biographical articles for Dionysius Lardner's "Cabinet Cyclopaedia" (1829-46), support the growing view that Mary Shelley remained a political radical throughout her life. Mary Shelley's works often argue that cooperation and sympathy, particularly as practiced by women in the family, were the ways to reform civil society. This view was a direct challenge to the individualistic Romantic ethos promoted by Percy Shelley and the Enlightenment political theories articulated by her father, William Godwin - Actor
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Maximilian Schell was the most successful German-speaking actor in English-language films since Emil Jannings, the winner of the first Best Actor Academy Award. Like Jannings, Schell won the Oscar, but unlike him, he was a dedicated anti-Nazi. Indeed, with the exception of Maurice Chevalier and Marcello Mastroianni, Schell was undoubtedly the most successful non-anglophone foreign actor in the history of American cinema.
Schell was born in Vienna, Austria on December 8, 1930, but raised in in Zurich, Switzerland. (Austria became part of Germany after the anschluss of 1938), then was occupied by the allies from 1945 until 1955, when it again joined the family of nations.) He learned his craft on the stage beginning in 1952, and made his reputation with appearances in German-language films and television. He was a fine Shakespearean actor, and had a huge success with "Richard III" (he has also appeared in as the eponymous prince in a German-language version of "Hamlet").
Schell made his Hollywood debut in 1958 in the World War II film The Young Lions (1958) quite by accident, as the producers had wanted to hire his sister Maria Schell, but lines of communication got crossed, and he was the one hired. He impressed American producers as his turn as the friend of German soldier Marlon Brando, and subsequently assayed the role of the German defense attorney in the television drama Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) on "Playhouse 90" in 1959. He was also cast in the big screen remake, for which he won the 1961 Academy Award for Best Actor, beating out co-star Spencer Tracy for the Oscar. He also won a Golden Globe and the New York Film Critics Circle Award for the role. Schell ultimately won two more Oscar nominations for acting, in 1976 for Best Actor for The Man in the Glass Booth (1975) and in 1978 as Best Supporting Actor for Julia (1977) (which also brought him the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor). He has twice been nominated for an Emmy for his TV work, and won the 1993 Golden Globe for best performance by an actor in a supporting role in a series, mini-series or made-for-TV movie for Stalin (1992).
Schell has also has directed films, and his 1974 film The Pedestrian (1973) ("The Pedestrian"), which Schell wrote, produced, directed, and starred in, was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar and won the Golden Globe in the same category. His documentary about Marlene Dietrich, Marlene (1984), was widely hailed as a masterpiece of the non-fiction genre and garnered its producers a Best Documentary Oscar nomination in 1985. In 2002, Schell released Meine Schwester Maria (2002) (My Sister Maria), a documentary about the career of and his relationship with Maria Schell. Since the 1990s, Schell has appeared in many German language made-for-TV films, such as the 2003 film Alles Glück dieser Erde (2003) (All the Luck in the World) and in the mini-series The Hard Cops (2004), which was based on Henning Mankell's novel. He has also continued to appear on stage, appearing in dual roles in the 2000 Broadway production of the stage version of "Judgment at Nuremberg", and most recently in Robert Altman's London production of Arthur Miller's play "Resurrection Blues" in 2006. He died on 31st of January 2014, aged 83, in Innsbruck, Austria.- Miguel Ligero was born in 1911 in Rosario, Sante Fe, Argentina. He was an actor, known for Apartment Zero (1988), Frutilla (1980) and El tinglado de la risa (1970). He was married to Di Prinio, Norma. He died on 1 February 1989 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Mitchell McGuire was born on 26 December 1936 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was an actor, known for The Game People Play (1967), Oh! Calcutta! (1972) and Law & Order (1990). He was married to Cathryn Williams. He died on 1 February 2022 in Saugerties, New York, USA.
- Nicholas von Hoffman was born on 16 October 1929 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer, known for Citizen Cohn (1992), The Great American Dream Machine (1971) and 90 Minutes Live (1976). He was married to Ann C. Byrne and Patricia Bennett. He died on 1 February 2018 in Rockport, Maine, USA.
- Actor
- Producer
Olan Soule was born in La Harpe, Illinois and began his acting career in 1926 on radio, performing for 11 years in the daytime soap opera "Bachelor's Children". A versatile actor with a "chameleon-like" voice, Soule played the male lead characters in plays presented on the evening radio show "First Nighter" for 9 years beginning in 1943. Listeners of the show who met him were often surprised, since his slight 135 pound body didn't seem to match the voices he gave to his characters. The First Nighter troupe moved to Hollywood, where Soule stayed and eventually worked his way into television.- Orlando Marconi is known for La superdotada (1984), Don Carmelo il capo (1976) and Alta comedia (1965).
- Paolo Graziosi was born on 25 January 1940 in Montescudo [now Montescudo-Montecolombo], Emilia-Romagna, Italy. He was an actor, known for China Is Near (1967), Il Divo (2008) and A Big Love (2016). He was married to Elisabetta Arosio. He died on 1 February 2022 in Vicenza, Veneto, Italy.
- Pepita Muñoz was born on 17 August 1899 in Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina. She was an actress, known for Mercado de abasto (1955), The Law They Forgot (1938) and Joven, viuda y estanciera (1941). She died on 1 February 1984 in Ciudadela, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Péter Andorai was born on 25 April 1948 in Budapest, Hungary. He was an actor, known for Simon, the Magician (1999), My Twentieth Century (1989) and A három növér (1991). He was married to Edit Ábrahám. He died on 1 February 2020 in Budapest, Hungary.
- Music Department
Peter Serkin was born on 24 July 1947 in New York City, New York, USA. He is known for Nanook of the North (1922), Great Performances (1971) and Zur Nacht (1967). He was married to Wendy Spinner and Regina Touhey. He died on 1 February 2020 in Red Hook, New York, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
A balding, bespectacled, bird-like British comic actor, Richard Wattis was an invaluable asset to any UK comedy film or TV programme for nearly thirty years. Much associated with the Eric Sykes TV series for the latter part of his career. He was often seen in officious roles, such as snooty shop managers, secretaries and policemen. He was working right up to his sudden death from a heart attack in 1975.- Actor
- Producer
Roberto Quiroga is known for Fair Sisters (1981), El cantor del pueblo (1950) and Otra cosa es con guitarra (1949).- Born in Birmingham on the 27th of September, 1946, but raised in Cardiff, Wales, Robin began exhibiting his natural ability to act both on screen and on stage from a young age. Some of his early years saw him take the stage of Cardiff High School, following onto the County College, in amateur productions such as 'Romeo and Juliet' and other plays within both dramatic societies. After completing his education at college, Robin moved onto Central School of Speech and Drama, London, completing a degree in acting, after which being hand picked for television by Granada's production team in a screening at the university. His natural ability to achieve comedy through the simplest of means made him a star in the 'Doctors' series featured on Granada during the 1970s. After completing several series of the 'Doctors', he continued onto several other pursuits in stage acting, which he loved dearly, as well as movies (most of which were produced and aired for television). He was tipped to star in two major roles for the BBC, but died before flying abroad to film for the parts.
- Robin Sachs was a British actor from London who is known for playing Ethan Rayne from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He also voiced Zaeed Massani from Mass Effect, Sergeant Sam Roderick from SpongeBob SquarePants, and Admiral Saul Karath from Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. He passed away in February 2013 due to heart failure.
- Stunts
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Roy Alon was born on 24 April 1942 in Otley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Die Another Day (2002), Children of Men (2006) and Lifeforce (1985). He died on 1 February 2006 in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, UK.- Rustica Carpio was born on 9 August 1930 in Paombong, Bulacan, Philippines. She was an actress, known for Lola (2009), Ano ang kulay ng mga nakalimutang pangarap? (2013) and Menor de edad (1979). She died on 1 February 2022 in Imus, Cavite, Philippines.
- Writer
- Actor
- Director
Shintarô Ishihara was born on 30 September 1932 in Kobe, Japan. He was a writer and actor, known for Love at Twenty (1962), The Young Beast (1958) and I Am Waiting (1957). He was married to Noriko Ishida. He died on 1 February 2022 in Tokyo, Japan.- Actor
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
Steve C. Porter was born on 28 January 1965 in Pleasant Hill, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Metro (1997), Nine Months (1995) and Jade (1995). He died on 1 February 2022 in Pleasant Hill, California, USA.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Tony Giorgio was born in Herkimer, NY on September 27, 1923. He grew up in Schenectady, NY during The Great Depression and began his career in show business as a professional "amateur", performing magic in talent shows for pay. At the age of twelve, he ran away from home to join a circus and performed magic in the side show. His first appearance in films was as a card dealer in "Big Hand for the Little Lady." He subsequently appeared in over 100 movies and TV shows; won an Emmy for "Ziggy's Gift" and appeared on stage as Big Julie in "Guys and Dolls" starring Milton Berle. His most iconic film appearances were as Bruno Tattaglia in "The Godfather", Frank Palancio in "Magnum Force", and Don Scagnelli in "American Me".- Ursula Karusseit was born on 2 August 1939 in Elbing, East Prussia, Germany [now Elblag, Warminsko-Mazurskie, Poland]. She was an actress, known for In aller Freundschaft (1998), Refuge (1997) and Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder (1988). She was married to Johannes Wegner and Benno Besson. She died on 1 February 2019 in Berlin, Germany.
- Wade Wilson was born on 1 February 1959 in Greenville, Texas, USA. He died on 1 February 2019 in Coppell, Texas, USA.
- Born Dixie Wanda Hendrix in Jacksonville, Florida to a logging camp boss (Max Sylvester Hendrix) and his wife (Mary Bailley), wholesome, green-eyed, dark-haired Wanda Hendrix was involved in her hometown's little theater group when she was "discovered" by a passing talent agent and signed up by Warner Bros. Her family moved to California.
Forgoing bit parts, the petite and lovely up-and-comer was immediately featured in featured roles in both Confidential Agent (1945) and Nora Prentiss (1947) for Warner Bros. and Welcome Stranger (1947) for Paramount. Signing up with Paramount, she earned one of her best film roles with Ride the Pink Horse (1947), in which there was talk of an Oscar nomination, and appeared elsewhere in the light comedy Miss Tatlock's Millions (1948) and the melodrama My Own True Love (1949).
After appearing on the cover of Coronet magazine, decorated WWII hero-turned-Universal star Audie Murphy took notice and arranged a meeting with her. They married on February 8 1949, and she co-starred with him a year later in one of his western vehicles, Sierra (1950). The marriage had problems from the beginning. Audie, who wanted her to give up her career, suffered from flashbacks and paranoia from his traumatic war-time experiences and often held her at gunpoint during violent episodes. The frightened woman left him after only seven months and divorced him soon after, charging him with mental cruelty. The final decree came on April 14, 1950.
The negative publicity that came out of their stormy marriage did little to enhance Wanda's status in Hollywood and, after a few standard oaters and war yarns, the more notable ones being Captain Carey, U.S.A. (1949) co-starring Alan Ladd, The Highwayman (1951) with Charles Coburn, and Roger Corman's Highway Dragnet (1954) with Richard Conte, her career waned. The actress retired completely from pictures in 1954 to marry millionaire playboy and sportsman James L. Stack, Jr., brother of actor Robert Stack. She earlier appeared with her famous brother-in-law in the films Miss Tatlock's Millions (1948) and My Outlaw Brother (1951).
The career sacrifice did little to help the marriage and the couple divorced in 1958. Returning to acting, she made a comeback on stage, film and TV but experienced little progression. Overlooked in her three 1960s films, her last film roles were filmed in the early 1970s. "Mystic Mountain Massacre", co-starring Ray Danton, was never released, and the Civil War horror One Minute Before Death (1972), based on a short story "The Oval Portrait" by Edgar Allan Poe, in which she co-starred with Barry Coe and Gisele MacKenzie, died a quicker death than even the title suggests.
In 1969, she married a third and last time, to oil company executive Steve La Monte in Las Vegas. At one point, she considered collaborating with author Douglas Warren on an autobiography of her first husband, Audie Murphy, but it never came to fruition. Divorced from her third husband in 1980, Wanda died shortly thereafter at age 52 of double pneumonia in Los Angeles. She had no children. - Art Department
- Animation Department
- Director
William Ruzicka was born on 14 October 1977. He was a director, known for Invincible (2021), Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight (2022) and High Guardian Spice (2021). He died on 1 February 2023.- Writer
- Script and Continuity Department
William Whitehead was born on 16 August 1931 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He was a writer, known for Canada Remembers - Part Two: The Liberators (1995), A Choice of Futures (1967) and The Magical Eye (1989). He died on 1 February 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.- Music Department
Willie Leacox was born on 31 March 1947 in Shenandoah, Iowa, USA. He is known for America Live in Central Park (1981). He died on 1 February 2022 in Stockton, California, USA.